Former Cage Warriors Featherweight champion Dean Trueman will return to the cage to face Gavin Hughes as Cage Warriors 178.
The two will meet in a Lightweight contest on September 21 at the BEC Arena, Manchester, on a card that is set to be headlined by a Light Heavyweight title fight between current champion, Andy Clamp and former Welterweight champion James Webb.
Trueman will return for his 11th bout in the famous yellow gloves and will set foot inside the cage for the first time since 2022. The Birmingham based man first competed under the Cage Warriors banner back in 2016, when he stopped Arnold Quero just 12 seconds into their contest at Cage Warriors 79. He then returned to the cage 6 months later, where he picked up his first loss under the promotional banner to Liam James at Cage Warriors 73.
2018 proved to be a pivotal year in Trueman’s career. After defeating Corrin Eaton at Cage Warriors 92, Trueman was announced as one of the athletes to compete in a four man tournament, with the winner taking home the Cage Warriors Featherweight strap. In his first bout, Trueman drew Lewis Monarch and dominated the Sunderland man over all three rounds to earn a unanimous decision and progress to the final of the tournament.
The final was held at Cage Warriors 100, with Trueman competing against the Renegade prospect Aiden Lee. In the third round of what was a highly competitive fight, Trueman stopped Lee and was crowned the new Cage Warriors Featherweight champion. In his first title defence, he met Mads Burnell and dropped his title by way of a second round Japanese Necktie.
Since then, activity has been sparse for Trueman, having only fought three times since 2019 and losing all three contests.
Hughes is another man who is desperate to get back in the win column. ‘Big Tasty’ currently finds himself on a three-fight skid, with losses to Daniele Scatizzi, Yves Landu and most recently Chris Bungard. Since signing with Cage Warriors in early 2023, Hughes has also struggled with activity, having only competed once since signing with the promotion.
After joining the professional ranks in 2015, Hughes surged on the domestic scene and eventually ended up signing with Bellator but after winning in his promotional debut, he then picked up two losses and parted ways with the company.
The bout between the two gritty Lightweights will likely deliver in a big way with both men so keen to end up back in the win column.
