We haven't had much time to wrap our heads around the fallout from UFC 313, but life moves fast in the world of mixed martial arts, and there are already a handful of exciting fight cards awaiting our attention this coming weekend.
At the front of the line, Cage Warriors bring not one, but two events to Manchester, England as the BEC Arena plays host to the UK-based promotion on both Friday and Saturday evening.
And the UFC is back at the Apex this Saturday for a fight card headlined by a rematch between two ranked middleweight contenders.
Let's taka a look at the biggest events taking place in the world of MMA next weekend.
Cage Warriors 184 Unplugged
The first of two Cage Warriors cards this weekend will play out in front of an intimate, invite-only audience on UFC Fight Pas, as lightweight champion George Hardwick looks to create promotional history by becoming the first Cage Warriors champion to successfully defend his title four times.
Hardwick (13-2), who hasn't lost a bout in the famous yellow gloves since 2019, squares off against Lucas "Cassius" Clay (10-3) over 5 rounds. Hardwick has held the lightweight title since knocking out Kyle Driscoll back in 2022, and the Middlesborough Fight Academy star has dispatched of a number of high-level challengers during his reign, inclusing Chris Bungard and Yann Liasse.
Missouri native Clay arrives in the UK with a strong grappling pedigree, having submitted 9 opponents across his amateur and professional careers.
Cage Warriors 185
24 hours later, one of the biggest stars in European MMA will headline at the same venue, as Luke Riley (10-0) makes what will likely be his final appearance under the Cage Warriors banner when he faces Tariel Abbasov (9-2).
Riley has a history of delivering all-action performances, and with a move to the UFC heavily-rumored after this weekend, he will hope to end his Cage Warriors career on a high in front of the UK crowd.
UFC Vegas 104
It's back to the humble surroundings of the Apex this weekend for the world leader, as UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Italian star Marvin Vettori (19-6-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) headlines the event as he runs it back with Roman Dolidze (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC). Vettori picked up a decision win over the Georgian at UFC 286 two years ago and has only been seen inside the Octagon once since then, when he lost to Jared Cannonier a few short months after that fight.
With his injury-enforced hiatus now over, Vettori returns against "The Caucasian" who had a very active 2024, winning two of his three fights as he picked up victories in seperate weight classes over Anthony Smith and Kevin Holland.
An exciting co-main event sees veteran strikers Elizeu Zaleski (25-8-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) and Chidi "Bang Bnag" Njokuani (24-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) square off at 170 pounds.
Our full UFC Vegas 104 Preview will be out on Fighters Only later this week.
