Offensive pressure was the name of the game for Brett Johns (10-0) as he neutralized James Brum (14-3) for five rounds en route to a lopsided unanimous decision win in today’s Cage Warriors 67 main event at The LC in Swansea, Wales.
The fight, which streamed on MMAjunkie, should have marked Johns’ first Cage Warriors bantamweight title defense, but after missing weight and being stripped of the title a day prior to the event, Johns received only the satisfaction of victory.
Despite being a non-title fight for Johns, five rounds were slated due to the fact Brum could have earned the championship with a victory. He failed to make it happen, though, which means the belt will remain vacant for the time being.
Johns put himself in a good position to fight for the vacant belt next, though. He implemented a strategy of relentless clinch work and takedowns against the fence, a combination Brum had no answer for.
Although he was given plenty of chances to take an easy out, Brum never gave up and continually tried to fight he way back to his feet and force a moment of dramatic change. Sadly for the Englishman, he couldn’t make anything happen and was worn down for 25 minutes.
While Johns unquestionably hurt his credibility by missing weight, it seems that error was an isolated incident, and the 22-year-old is going to grow from his mistakes. He apologized post-fight, and with his undefeated record still intact, Johns hopes for a chance to regain the belt.
“Please give me that shot at that belt next,” Johns said in his post-fight interview. “It was my mistake yesterday, and I’m sorry. Please give me that chance again. This is the greatest organization in Europe. It would be an honor.
“In the words of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson: I want my belt back!”
Carter tops Saeed in lightweight collision
Lightweights Sean Carter (9-1) and Mario Saeed (5-2) delivered the goods in the co-headliner with three rounds of hard, competitive action.
The 15-minute affair had a little bit of everything, including several near finishes from each side. A stoppage may not have come over the duration of the contest, but that didn’t make it any less entertaining.
While his opponent was never truly out of the fight, Carter was continually one step ahead.
“Sexy Curls” said after the fight he was disappointed to go the distance for just the second time in his career. He may be critical of his own effort, but in the big picture, the three rounds of cage experience can only be beneficial.
Haque outpoints, outlasts McDonough
Flyweight Shaj Haque (5-1) implemented a wise stick-and-move striking strategy over three rounds to earn a unanimous-decision victory over Martin McDonough (11-5).
McDonough entered the fight with an undefeated record in his Cage Warriors career, but Haque was determined to bring that streak to an end. He picked his shots on the feet and never strayed from his game plan.
“Mr. Pink” had his moments in the fight, but the significant points of action were the product of Haque’s offensive work, which earned him a clear-cut decision victory.
Pritchard rallies for comeback submission win
Jamie Pritchard (6-3) took a risk by accepting a short-notice fight just two weeks after his previous MMA bout. While it looked like that risk was going to backfire early on, Pritchard pulled off a stunning second-round come-from-behind finish of Phil Raeburn (5-4) in a 140-pound catchweight affair.
Raeburn had a solid strategy of controlling the fight from top position, and for a while, all was going to plan. But in a familiar MMA story, it only took one mistake for Pritchard to secure the neck and lock in a guillotine choke.
Once Pritchard had the submission locked in, he didn’t lett go until he got the tap, which eventually came at the 3:32 mark of Round 2 for his third MMA victory in a 48-day span.
Niedzwiedz dominates, submits Hewitt
Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (6-0) wanted to show off some of her ground skills in her sixth professional fight, which she did styling on bantamweight Gemma Hewitt (1-1) from the top before locking in a fight-ending triangle choke.
The fight was all Niedzwiedz as all four minutes of action featured her attempts to finish the fight. At 19 years old, the Polish bantamweight is one to keep an eye on.
Norkus downs Tyrie for a second time
Simas Norkus (3-2) snapped a two-fight losing streak by earning his second career victory over a familiar foe in light heavyweight Stuart Tyrie (6-8).
Norkus hadn’t won since this past June, when he stopped Tyrie in the second round with strikes. While the fight didn’t play out exactly the same way, Norkus again stopped the bout with strikes – this time on the doctor’s orders after several cuts opened around Tyrie’s eyes.
Official Cage Warriors 67 results included:
MAIN CARD (MMAjunkie)
- Brett Johns def. James Brum via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
- Sean Carter def. Mario Saeed via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Shaj Haque def. Martin McDonough via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jamie Pritchard def. Phil Raeburn via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:32
- Agnieszka Niedzwiedz def. Gemma Hewitt via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:59
- Simas Norkus def. Stuart Tyrie via TKO (cut) – Round 2, 2:35
PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)
- Mark Handley def. Paul Rogers via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:19
For the latest on Cage Warriors 67, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.
