Sofiane Boukichou suffered a brutal break in the Cage Warriors 101 main event Saturday evening.
Tom Aspinall checked a leg kick from his opponent early in the first round, which snapped Boukichou’s leg in the same fashion that Anderson Silva suffered the injury in his second meeting with Chris Weidman.
An unfortunate ending to our main event here at #CW101.
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) February 16, 2019
We wish Sofiane Boukichou a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/1VKpCnxF8h
Aspinall kept his composure as Boukichou was attended to by medics. The win saw the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt improve to 6-2-0.
In the co-main event, Tim Barnett scored a second-round finish over Adam Ventre in a clash of rival Liverpool teams. Barnett unleashed a damaging sequence of strikes in the second round that stopped the Next Generation fighter.
Barnett landed three flush knees that eventually shutdown the courageous Ventre, who constantly moved forward and looked to exchange throughout the contest. Speaking after the fight, Barnett outlined his plan to move back to lightweight, the division in which he claimed a title under the BAMMA banner back in 2017.
It's all over, Tim Barnett picks up the big win in the Merseyside derby here at #CW101 pic.twitter.com/BoDiPSL55p
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) February 16, 2019
Manuel Bilic banked the first stoppage of the night with a lightening left hook followed by a rear-naked choke that stopped Bryan Creighton in the final round of their bantamweight meeting, which also marked the Croatian’s debut. After having a point taken away for landing a head butt on the Liverpudlian, Bilic caught him clean on the restart, following up the damaging blow with grounded strikes.
Mixed Martial Arts!
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) February 16, 2019
Bilić wobbles his opponent on the feet and finishes with a slick RNC #CW101 pic.twitter.com/GHOP2EaCvS
Madars Fleminas came very close to taking his first professional loss after being forced the distance by experienced campaigner Matthew Bonner in his Cage Warriors debut. Fleminas was frustrated by Bonner’s upright boxing style at times over the 15 minutes, but did enough to earn the split decision nod on the judges score cards.
Mick Stanton looked a different fighter compared to his middleweight debut, an eleventh hour title shot against Jonas Billstein at Cage Warriors 96, as he grappled his way to victory against Jenaid Ebanks. Usually known for his boxing ability, Stanton showcased some fantastic grappling ability as he dominated Ebanks following the war of words in the lead up to the contest.
Mick Stanton takes the opening bout on #UFCFIGHTPASS with a decisive decision victory! #CW101 pic.twitter.com/3fKVyWteGz
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 16, 2019
Liverpudlian fighters also took center stage during the event’s undercard. Anthony O’Connor got nod after a strong finish against Steven Hooper, Mark Kinsella put on a striking clinic to overcome Tomasz Wojtyna and Next Generation’s Adam Wilson improved to 3-0 against Harry Ettridge
Ian Garry lived up to the hype by banking a unanimous decision win over fellow Irish standout James Sheehan in his pro debut. The SBG Swords fighter’s striking defied his mere 18 months in the sport, but Sheehan’s grit and gameness was almost equally as impressive over the 15 minutes. After the bout, promotional president Graham Boylan tweeted that both fighter have been signed to Cage Warriors on the back of the fight.
Both guys will be offered @CageWarriors contracts . Great showing by both BIG futures. @teamryano @chrisfieldsmma https://t.co/9NKnKfmcWO
— Graham Boylan ☘️ (@GrahamBoylan) February 16, 2019
Opening the pro portion of the event, Gavin Kelly bounced back into the win column following a three-fight skid with a dominant wrestling display after moving up a weight class on short notice to fight Andrew Lofthouse.
Full results:
Main card
- Tom Aspinall def. Sofiane Boukichou via TKO (injury) in R1
- Tim Barnett def. Adam Ventre via TKO (knees) in R2
- Manuel Bilic def. Bryan Creighton via submission (rear-naked choke) in R3
- Madars Fleminas def. Matthew Bonner via split decision
- Mick Stanton def. Jenaid Ebanks via unanimous decision
Preliminary Card
- Anthony O’Connor def. Steven Hooper via unanimous decision
- Mark Kinsella def. Tomasz Wojtyna via unanimous decision
- Adam Wilson def. Harry Ettridge via unanimous decision
- Ian Garry def. James Sheehan via unanimous decision
- Gavin Kelly def. Andrew Lofthouse via unanimous decision