Cage Warriors 135 went down on Friday night at the BEC Centre in Manchester with four Irish fighters set to compete on the card. It was the first of two events over two nights, the headliner was a welterweight showdown between Daniel Skibiński and Justin Burlinson.

Ryan & Adam Shelley from Team KF fought on the prelims section of the card. Tyrone man Caolan Loughran, who fights out of Team Kaobon, joined them on the prelims and Team Ryano standout James Sheehan was in search of his third win in a row under the Cage Warriors banner. It turned out to be a massively successful night for the Irish.

Ryan Shelley was first up as he went up against fellow undefeated featherweight Magdi Gereev. Shelley a serious striking pedigree into the fight but showcased some great grappling and further proved that he is a well rounded Mixed Martial Artist. After a close first round between the pair that could have been scored either way, Shelly landed an illegal knee in round two and had a point taken. This forced the Team KF featherweight to force the action and Shelly wore down his rival in the grappling exchanges. The Dubliner landed a barrage of strikes from the clich against the cage and forced a stoppage in round three. Shelley remains undefeated after four fights and moved to 2-0 inside Cage Warriors 145-pound division.

Shelly spoke to Harry Williams after the win. You can hear what he said here.

Caolan Loughran made his Cage Warriors debut and put in the performance of his career so far against Bakhtyaar Oryakhail. The Team Kaobon bantamweight looked solid on the feet but it was his strong wrestling which impressed most as he dominated and got the TKO stoppage in round two against a tough opponent. Loughran announced himself as a major player in the Cage Warriors 135-pound division and it hard to argue that fact after his debut performance.

James “Jimbo Slice” Sheehan had won his last two and was looking to make it three on the bounce as he stepped in to take on Karol Michalak in the welterweight division. The Team Ryano man put in an outstanding performance enroute to a first knockout victory. Sheehan will be disappointed to have not picked up a bonus as he landed a ferocious left hand and followed with an uppercut on Michalak. He followed up with a flurry of shots which forced the ref to call a halt to the action and secured his third win in a row. The win propels Sheehan right into the title mix in the 170-pound division.

Sheehan shared his thoughts with Harry Williams after the fight, you can listen to the interview here.

After watching his brother, and all of his Irish compatriots pick up wins on the night, all the pressure was on Adam Shelley to put the icing on the cake. The Team KF lightweight didn’t disappoint against an experienced competitor in Steven Hooper. The Manchester man looked to try and pull guard throughout the fight and didn’t look too keen to stand and bang with the former taekwondo world champion. Shelley obliged, and looked comfortable in the grappling exchanges, landing some nasty elbows as he won round one. Hooper stuck the the game plan in round two but it did not go to plan as Shelley went on to land some heavy shots on the ground which forced the ref to step in and stop the fight. It was a dominant showing by the Dublin man on his debut. All eyes are now on the Cage Warriors Belfast card and all the Irish winners on Friday night will be keen to take part on that monster event with takes place on June 25th.

Shelley spoke to Harry Williams after the contest, you can listen here.

Check out the official result from the Cage Warrior 135 card below.

Main Card

Justin Burlinson def. Daniel Skibiński by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:54 of Round 2
Matt Bonner def. Hugo Pereira by Submission (RNC) at :51 of Round 2
Milad Ahady def. Antonio Sheldon by Unanimous Decision  (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Giuseppe Ruggeri def. Dean Trueman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Liam Gittins def. Edward Walls via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Adam Shelley  def. Steve Hooper via TKO (ground strikes) at 4:21 of Round 2
Omiel Brown def. Dan Hepworth via TKO (punches) at 2:31 of Round 2
Federico Pasquali def. Paull McBain via TKO (strikes) at 2:17 of Round 1
Matty Byfield vs. Hugo Guillon ruled No Contest (accidental groin strike) at 2:57 of Round 2
James Sheehan def. Karol Michalak via KO (uppercut) at 2:18 of Round 1
Caolan Loughran def. Bakhtyaar Oryakhail via TKO (strikes) at 2:29 of Round 2
Ryan Shelley def. Magdi Gereev via TKO (strikes) at 2:12 of Round 3
Ander Sanchez def. Connor Wilson via KO (left hook) at :30 of Round 1