SATURDAY NIGHT’S CAGE Warriors 70 at the Helix, DCU, will round off a seismic month for Mixed Martial Arts in Ireland.
It’ll be four weeks to the day since the resounding success that was UFC Fight Night 46 at the 02 Arena, and while that showcased the first batch of Irish MMA global stars, the former is packed with those set to follow in their path.
Since Corkonian Graham Boylan took over Cage Warriors in 2012, the promotion has made at least three annual trips here, with the Helix now their unofficial spiritual home in Dublin.
Here are some of the match-ups we reckon will be guaranteed fireworks
Joseph Duffy — the last man to beat Conor McGregor — will be one half of the main event as he takes on Damian Lapllus in the lightweight division. The Donegal native has not competed in MMA since late 2011, having turned his hand to boxing, where he amassed an impressive 7-0 record as a professional. His return to cage has been highly anticipated, and the Frenchman should be in for a tough night.
In the co-main event, Philip Mulpeter — a teammate of Conor McGregor and Cathal Pendred, at SBG Ireland — squares off against England’s Jake Bostwick, in what promises to be dust-up at welterweight. Mulpeter, hailing from Laois, is one of seven SBG fighters competing, so it’ll be a long night for coach John Kavanagh. A powerful striker and improving grappler, Mulpeter will have his work cut out with the hulking Bostwick, who has dropped down from middleweight.
Fan-favorite and submission specialist Paul Redmond will square off against Greece’s Alexis Savvidis, who makes his promotional debut. Redmond had put a five-fight win streak together before losing to Mateusz Terodorczuk on New Year’s Eve, but bounced back quickly with a victory over Damian Brown. He will hope launch another impressive run en route to a title shot.
With Irish women doing so well in the sporting arena as of late, watch out for Limerick’s Catherine Costigan, as she goes to war with Noella Molina at Atom weight (105lbs). The 34-year-old is unbeaten as a professional and is expected to make big waves in the future.