Jack Cartwright set for Manchester title defense against Manuel Bilic at Cage Warriors 112

Jack Cartwright will defend his bantamweight title for the first time when he faces off against established Croatian veteran Manuel Bilic in his native Manchester on March 7 at Cage Warriors 112.

Cage Warriors announced the bout via social media on Tuesday. The BEC Arena event marks the first time the promotion has hosted an event in Manchester.

Cartwright (7-0-0) catapulted himself to the forefront of the European bantamweight ranks when he dispatched two opponents via first-round knockout on the same night to earn himself the Cage Warriors title that was once held by UFC fighters Brett Johns, Nathaniel Wood and Jack Shore.

The Englishman first dispatched former title contender and Commonwealth judoka Scott Malone before stopping another former title challenger, Marko Kovacevic, to earn himself the strap.

Bilic (15-6-0) has far more experience than the young Englishman in terms of MMA competition. The title fight will mark his 22nd bout in a seven-year career. The Croatian debuted under the Cage Warriors banner with an impressive submission finish of Bryan Creighton to earn himself the championship nod in Manchester.

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