The first main event of Cage Warriors’ 2021 schedule has been confirmed.
English middleweight contenders Kent Kauppinen and Jamie Richardson will face off in the headlining bout of Cage Warriors 120, which takes place March 18 at York Hall, London. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
The matchup will see 24-year-old former title challenger Richardson (9-6) look to bounce back after his knockout loss to current middleweight champion Nathias Frederick at Cage Warriors 118 in December 2020. Prior to his third-round defeat, “Young Gun” had won three in a row.
He’ll take on Kauppinen (12-6), who is set to make his promotional debut following his release from Bellator last year. The 29-year-old splits his competitive focus between MMA and professional boxing, and holds a first-round knockout of Italian veteran Alessio Sakara on his MMA resume.
More recently, Kauppinen defeated Andy Manzolo by submission at Bellator Europe 6 in 2019 but then, in his latest outing, lost a unanimous decision to Ireland’s Will Fleury at Bellator Europe 8.
With the addition, the lineup for Cage Warriors 120 includes:
Kent Kauppinen vs. Jamie Richardson
James Hendin vs. Paul Hughes
Will Currie vs. Christian Duncan
Kieran Lister vs. Decky McAleenan
Michal Figlak vs. Steven Hooper
Manny Akpan vs. Ben Ellis
Mateusz Figlak vs. Josh Plant