PADDY PIMBLETT WILL aim to take another step towards the top of the mixed martial arts ladder in this weekend’s Cage Warriors main event.
However, if Lloyd Manning’s plans come to frutition before the end of the next year, he’ll be in possession of the belt that has helped to make Pimblett one of the most talked-about young fighters in the sport in 2016.
Tomorrow night in London, Pimblett will make the first defence of his Cage Warriors featherweight title when he takes on Julian Erosa, a two-time UFC fighter and a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter last year.
The fight will top the bill at Cage Warriors ‘Unplugged’, a rather unique event which is being held at BT Sport’s studios as a warm-up for their live coverage of UFC 205 in New York.
Barring any hiccups, Pimblett seems likely to debut in the UFC some time in 2017, despite recently signing an extension to his Cage Warriors contract. Should the rising English star vacate the belt, a Corkman intends to be among the contenders keen to capitalise.
After signing with Cage Warriors in September, Lloyd Manning will make his debut for the organisation tomorrow night in a featherweight bout on the prelims against Englishman Nathan Sparks. Manning wants the bout to mark the first victory on his way to winning a belt that was previously held by UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
“I’m very excited to have the chance to showcase my skills on a card like this. I’ve been waiting for a fight since June so this is the perfect opportunity for me to get my name in the mix,” Manning said.
If everything goes according to plan for me, I’ll be the Cage Warriors champion before the end of 2017.
“In every sport I’ve gone into I’ve given everything and I can adapt to any situation. I can work through any style of fight with my gameplan. My end goal is to be a world champion. Nothing else matters.”
A 26-year-old from Coachford in Cork, Manning had been a multiple national champion in judo and was ranked fifth in the world in his weight class in sambo before he decided to make the move to mixed martial arts.
After a good run as an amateur, which included notable wins against the likes of Joe McColgan and Tommy Martin, Manning made his professional debut in February of this year on the BAMMA 24 card at Dublin’s 3Arena.
On paper it was a tall task against fellow debutant Nicholas Ott, who entered the pro ranks with plenty of expectation following a promising amateur career. However, Manning showed that he possesses a varied offensive arsenal by knocking out his French opponent in under a minute.
While the popularity of mixed martial arts has exploded in Ireland in recent years, Cork has yet to make a significant contribution. If Manning has his way, that’ll soon change.
“I’m always proud of where I come from,” he said. “That’s very important to me. What’s even more important is representing my father’s club — Muskerry Judo/Sambo club — at the highest level. And not just representing, but winning.”
Manning’s Cage Warriors debut will take place on a card that also features fellow Irish fighters Karl Moore and John Redmond, as well as defending lightweight champion Chris Fishgold and former UFC welterweight Che Mills.
