Fighters Only : Cage Warriors 164: Reece McEwan vs. Liam Gittins set for vacant bantamweight title

Jake Smith

Oct 19, 2023

Cage Warriors have announced a second championship bout for Cage Warriors 164, with the promotion's vacant bantamweight title set to be contested on the November 25 card in Newcastle.

Cage Warriors 164 heads to Newcastle's Vertu Motors Arena, where two titles will now be on the line. Middleweight champ Mick Stanton will look to defend his 185-pound title against Italy's Dario Bellandi, and Cage Warriors officials have now confirmed that Reece McEwan will take on Liam Gittins for the vacant 135-pound strap.

Since signing with Cage Warriors in 2022 Reece McEwan has been on tear, picking up four impressive victories on his way to a title shot. McEwan exclusively told Fighters Only that this opportunity is the culmination of all of his work.

"Every decision I’ve made in the last nine years has led to this moment. Since I started training I wanted to be in the UFC, and to get there I had to win the Cage Warriors world title," he said.

"When I signed with the promotion I always said I'm coming after the belt. I get my reward for these sacrifices on November 25."

Liam "Nightmare" Gittins has been a regular feature on Cage Warriors fight nights since signing with the promotion a little over two years ago. After a rocky year in 2021, Gittins transformed his career trajectory and solidified himself as a top competitor at 135 pounds with three finishes in his last four wins.

Gittins is one of a cohort of athletes fighting out of Liverpool's Next Generation gym, following in the footsteps of stablemates Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann in the pursuit of Cage Warriors gold.

Cage Warriors 164 will mark the promotion's first return to Tyneside in nine years, when local boy Alex Enlund claimed the Cage Warriors featherweight title at Cage Warriors 73.

"We told the fans to expect a huge card for our return to Newcastle, and things just got a whole lot bigger with the addition of another title fight," said Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan.

"Reece McEwan has been submitting opponents left, right, and center on his way to the title, and will be bringing a huge crowd into battle with him.

"With the number one contender sidelined, Liam Gittins gets an incredible opportunity to step up and completely change the dynamic of the fight.

“All the ingredients are in place for an instant classic on November 25!”