Cage Warriors has a huge weekend coming up with two events. CW 184 takes place on Friday, with CW 185 taking place on Saturday. CW 184 is a short card and is only 8 fights long and since both cards are this weekend I thought I would just combine both articles into one. Both cards will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass. The majority of Cage Warriors 184 was cancelled while I was writing this article, and some of them were only announced two days before the event so I am just going to do Cage Warriors 184 as quick picks.
Cage Warriors 184: Orozco vs. Augusto Quick Picks:
ANTHONY OROZCO to win by KO/TKO or decision. Medium-high confidence.
MATTHEW CAMILLERI by decision. Medium confidence.
MANTAS KONDRATIVICIUS by decision. Low confidence.
DAMON WILSON by decision. Medium confidence.
DANNY HARTWELL by decision. Low confidence.
Cage Warriors 185: Riley vs. Abbosov Quick Picks:
LUKE RILEY (10-0) vs. TARIEL ABBOSOV (9-2) – Featherweight
Cage Warriors has done a good job of building Riley's hype with great match ups. He has fought good competition and has been in some awesome fights. He is a striker who comes to brawl every time. He has some major holes in his game in the form of striking defense but his chin has held up so far, and his cardio is good enough to take over late in a fight if he drops the first round. The result is fun fights every time, but time will tell if his skill set and lack of defense can transfer over to the top level of MMA. He had his chance to fight on the Contender Series against Kevin Vallejos but had visa issues which is very odd for a fighter from England. His take down defense has looked great throughout his career as well and that will need to be tested here. Abbosov is a great grappler but he has a couple of holes in his game. I worry about his striking as he will have a big weakness on the feet, and Riley will always look for the KO. His cardio is also concerning but this is only a 3 round main event. But Riley is known for setting a high pace and volume, so this could lead to Abbosov slowing as the rounds go on. Stylistically it looks like a tough match up for Riley, but he is the better fighter of the two and I think Cage Warriors knows what they are doing with this fight. I would be genuinely surprised if Riley lost this fight.
Pick: Luke Riley by KO/TKO. High confidence.
TEDDY STRINGER (4-0) vs. ANTONIO SHELDON (7-4) – Lightweight
Teddy Stringer is fighting his toughest opponent yet in the co main event of this card. He was a very experienced amateur fighter with 22 fights before becoming a pro, and he has had the classic Cage Warriors record build to start his career. He is a good grappler but that's it, and at lightweight to be the best you really do need a well rounded skill set. Sheldon is a tough veteran but from what I saw he won't present a major threat to Stringer. Stringer should win this fight by submission.
Pick: Teddy Stringer by submission. Medium confidence.
ADAM CULLEN (8-2) vs. NONATO JUNIOR (12-8) – Lightweight (160 lbs)
Adam Cullen is a very fun fighter to watch. He was on a huge run at Cage Warriors and was looking like the next big thing but he just hasn't been able to get past the higher level guys on the Cage Warriors roster. Nonato Junior has been very active recently but his tape is pretty hard to find and for the most part he has just been record padding. He looks like a grappler, but Cullen is a big guy for the weight class and does possess a lot of KO power. There are unknowns here but this is the level of competition Cullen runs through.
Pick: Adam Cullen by KO/TKO. Medium-high confidence.
GEORGE SMITH (7-4) vs. OLLI SANTALAHTI (14-8) – Middleweight
Olli has taken a lot of damage recently so moving up a weight class probably isn't a great idea, but George Smith isn't known for being dangerous on the feet. I think cardio prevails and Olli takes over towards the end.
Pick: Olli Santalahti by decision. Low confidence.
OMIEL BROWN (9-3) vs. SAMUEL BLASCO (13-15) – Lightweight
I think Brown has been disappointing for Cage Warriors, but this is a step down in competition from the guys he has been fighting recently. Blasco actually isn't terrible and if his record reflects anything, it's the level of competition he has been fighting across multiple weight classes. Cage Warriors definitely wants Brown to get a finish here though.
Pick: Omiel Brown by KO/TKO. High confidence.
CHRIS PRICE (5-1) vs. ALISSON MARREIRA (8-9-1) – Lightweight
Chris Price is a known fumbler, but this fight was announced just a few days ago so Cage Warriors is definitely expecting him to not mess up this time.
Pick: Cris Price by submission. Medium confidence.
JACK HUMPRHIES (2-0) vs. NICK BEUKEMA (3-0) – Bantamweight
Jack Humphries looks like he could be the real deal. He has had a big amateur career and so far has got a couple easy match ups as a pro for Cage Warriors. Nick Beukema is much less experienced but has managed to stay undefeated as a pro and amateur. I think Humphries could be legit and if he wins this one he will 100% be someone to watch out for.
Pick: Jack Humphries by decision. Low-medium confidence.
SHAY INGRAM (1-0) vs. MATT FORDHAM (2-0) – Lightweight
This is a great battle between two undefeated fighters. Ingram is 10-0 across amateur and pro, and Fordham is 7-0 across amateur and pro. The winner will be a fighter to watch. If I had to pick I would side with Ingram as I have heard great things about him. Hopefully we see a great showing here.
