The 3Arena in Dublin will host a huge title unification battle as reigning Cage Warriors welterweight champion Rhys McKee takes on interim champion and UK MMA legend Jimmy Wallhead.

The pair will face off in the main event of Cage Warriors 153, which takes place Saturday night, April 29, with Dublin’s famed 3Arena set to generate another unforgettable atmosphere for Cage Warriors' first event in the city after a six-year hiatus.

McKee captured welterweight gold with a thrilling win over Justin Burlinson at Cage Warriors 140 last June, while Wallhead won the interim title with a stunning one-punch knockout of Mateusz Figlak just 80 seconds into their bout at Cage Warriors 146 last November.

Now the pair are set to face off in a huge title unification bout, with a stacked lineup of bouts set to provide the perfect build-up to their championship tussle.

The night’s co-main event will feature two of Cage Warriors’ most exciting featherweights, as undefeated contender Ryan Shelley takes on hard-hitting Swede Tobias Harila, while former featherweight champion Morgan Charriere returns to action in a 150-pound catchweight bout as he faces off with Brazil’s Pedro Souza.

Welsh welterweight contender Oban Elliott steps into enemy territory to face James Sheehan in a pivotal clash for both men at 170 pounds, while the main card opens up with a lightweight bout featuring Ireland’s Decky McAleenan, who takes on Wasi Adeshina.

Cage Warriors 153 streams live on UFC Fight Pass.

Cage Warriors 153: Fight card

MAIN CARD

  • Rhys McKee vs. Jimmy Wallhead – for unified welterweight title
  • Ryan Shelley vs. Tobias Harila
  • Morgan Charriere vs. Pedro Souza
  • James Sheehan vs. Oban Elliott
  • Decky McAleenan vs. Wasi Adeshina

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Taka Mhandu vs. Benoit Blanc
  • Paddy McCorry vs. Angus Hewett
  • Adam Darby vs. Jack Tucker
  • Leon Hill vs. Marcin Zembala
  • Solomon Simon vs. Dorian Cliucinicov
  • Ryan Curtis vs. Nicolas Leblond
  • Adam Shelley vs. Muhammed Kir Ahmet
  • Alexander O’Sullivan vs. Afrim Thaqi
  • Kyle McClurkin vs. Owain Williams


Related Articles

A Bantamweight banger has been added to Cage Warriors return to the English capital with Weslley Maia set to meet Alexander Loof on November 15th. The pair of hard hitters will lock horns on at Cage Warriors 180, on a card that is set to see two title fights with Bantamweight king Liam Gittins facing PrizeFighter winner Shirzad Qadrian and Andy Clamp hoping to make the first defence of his Light Heavyweight strap in a contest against former Middleweight champion James Webb. Both Maia and Loof will be sorely disappointed in the fact they are not facing Gittins, with both men having competed in the Bantamweight PrizeFighter tournament earlier this year. After becoming the first man to defeat Qadrian, last year, Maia was drawn against ‘The Lion’ in the opening round of the tournament. As the two met for the second time, it was Qadrian who would control the contest and grinded out a unanimous decision win. This then led to ‘The Lion’ facing Loof in the final. Heading into the tournament, it was widely believed that the Swedishman would walk away as the PrizeFighter winner but Qadrian had other ideas. After a close three rounds, two of the judges scored the contest in favour of Qadrian and Loof was handed only the second loss of his career. Prior to the tournament, Loof had spent most of his professional career on FCR. He decided to make the move to Bantamweight following his 2023 Cage Warriors Fight Of The Year against Luke Riley. Although he lost, Loof had fans desperate to see him back in the yellow gloves. In contrast, Maia has spent a large majority of his career under the Cage Warriors banner. Competing seven times, he holds a promotional record of 3-4. Arguably his biggest win to date came away from the Cage Warriors cage, when he handed top Manchester prospect Lewis McGrillen his first defeat in a showcase bout at the 2023 PFL European championship finals. Prior to the Cage Warriors 180 bout being announced, the promotion revealed both men had penned new multi-fight deals with the promotion.