Cage Warriors 196 Preview: The Vacant Bantamweight Throne

The famous yellow gloves make another appearance in London as Cage Warriors 196 takes place in the Indigo at the O2.

135lbs Title Headlines Cage Warriors 196

Since 2023 it had been Englishman Liam Gittins who held the 135lbs title after defeating Scottish prodigy Reece McEwan at Cage Warriors 164. However, activity had been hard to come by for Gittins and he only managed one successful defence of his belt in March 2024. Last month it was made official that Gittins had signed for the PFL vacating his Cage Warriors title, he will debut at PFL Lyon. Stepping up to compete for gold are two youngsters wanting to make a name for themselves in the yellow gloves before getting a shot at the UFC.

Shirzad Qadrian debuted in Cage Warriors in 2023 and is now 5-1 in the organisation on a five fight win streak. ‘The Lion’ has been hungry for a shot for a long time and gets his chance at the Indigo this weekend. He won the coveted Cage Warriors prizefighter tournament in 2024 but his title shot later that year fell through. He fought top veteran Cameron Else in July and got a first round TKO in fantastic fashion. The Iranian has been on a sensational journey from refugee to elite bantamweight and hopes to achieve his dream at Cage Warriors 196.

Facing off against Qadrian is a surging Portuguese prospect fresh off his explosive Cage Warriors debut in September. Elton Armindo is unbeaten through seven professional fights and has finished his last four opponents by TKO. On debut he faced Reece McEwan, an experienced Scottish contender at bantamweight and finished him in ferocious fashion. With only a brief amateur career ‘Black Mamba’ winning in such style on debut made everyone take notice of the potential star being born. Portugal are not massively represented across MMA but their most prominent two are Manel Kape and Jacqueline Cavalcanti in the UFC.