One of the brightest stars in European MMA will headline Cage Warriors 185, set to take place at the BEC Arena in Manchester, England, on March 15th.
Luke Riley (10-0) is scheduled to face Tariel Abbasov (9-2) in a featherweight contest, which will likely be his final appearance in the iconic yellow gloves. The 25-year-old Riley has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting prospects in the UK-based promotion in recent years, having fought all 10 of his professional bouts inside the Cage Warriors cage.
"Main event again, back to back, to close off the Cage Warriors contract," said the Next Generation Liverpool star in a video posted to the Cage Warriors X account. "It's going to be a good night, leading the way for the team. They're all going to get the wins, and I'm going to finish it off in style."
"To all the fans spending their hard-earned money, like you always say, paying for subscriptions, buying a ticket—you know what to expect when you come to see Luke. KO. Action-packed. It's a good night, so get down to Manchester on March 15th for Cage Warriors 185."
Riley Continues To Thrill Cage Warriors Fans
After winning the promotion's "Fight of the Year" award in 2023 following an epic battle with Alexander Loof at Cage Warriors 160, Riley added two more big wins to his record in 2024. A dominant decision victory over John De Jesus in March was followed by a first-round KO win over Alexandre Junior in September. Persistent rumors have since linked Riley to a potential move to the UFC.
Standing in his way on March 15th will be Tariel Abbasov, who will be making his first appearance under the Cage Warriors banner. The Azerbaijani star has finished 7 of his 9 professional wins by submission and last competed in December at Vendetta Fight Nights 42 in Austria, knocking out Firuz Nejrabi in the opening round.
