George Hardwick (13-2) will look to create history when he faces Lucas "Cassius" Clay (10-3) in the main event at Cage Warriors 184 in Manchester on March 14th. Hardwick will be looking to defend his 155 lb title for the fourth time, something that no champion has achieved in the promotion's history.
Hardwick, who's brother Harry currently holds the Cage Warriors featherweight belt, made his promotional debut at Cage Warriors 109 back in 2019, losing a decision to Madars Fleminas. He picked up two wins under the Bellator banner the following year before returning to Cage Warriors and embarking on a run of victories that would culminate in him winning the vacant lightweight title when he beat Kyle Driscoll in July of 2022.
He made his first successful defense of the belt later that year when he finished Chris Bungard at Cage Warriors 147 and followed that up with a first-round knockout victory over Yann Liasse in the spring of 2023.
In August of that year, Hardwick was selected to appear on Dana White's Contender Series, where he would face Fury FC champion Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady. He struggled to replicate his best form under the lights at the UFC Apex and lost a close decision.
After a brief hiatus, Hardwick returned to action at Cage Warriors 176 last September where he beat Christian Iorga to retain his title, and now the Middlesborough Fight Academy star has the opportunity to set a new record for the most successful title defenses in the UK-based promotion's history.
Lucas Clay makes his promotional debut and has the opportunity to capture the Cage Warriors title in his first outing in the famous yellow gloves. The 29-year-old brings a strong grappling pedigree into this matchup and has racked up 9 submission victories across his amateur and professional careers.
Cage Warriors 184: Unplugged is a ‘behind closed doors’, invite only event taking place the night before CW 185: Manchester.
The event will be broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners.
