On the eve of his first scheduled title defense this Saturday, James Sheehan has been reflecting on the defining moment of his career so far—the night he became the Cage Warriors welterweight champion.
Sheehan (8-3) submitted Daniel Konrad (7-2) in the main event at Cage Warriors 170 in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, a year ago to capture the title. The Irishman emerged from that battle a bloody, visceral mess. Now, with a year to reflect on the fight, he admits he’d prefer to take the easier route to victory moving forward—whenever possible.
"The more that I watch that fight back and break it down, the more I'm unhappy with the actual performance", Sheehan said this week while speaking exclusively to Fighters Only. "Of course, I'm not happy with how much damage was done to my face in that fight. I can't leave it to the referee or the judges like that. Going into the fourth round, the referee could have could have easily looked at my face and stopped the fight, and that's nothing to do with me wanting to give up or give in, that's just how it can be. So I need to make the adjustments that I don't get into that situation again.
"I'm never overly happy with any performance, I'm constantly looking to improve. But that's the one thing that really stuck out for me in that fight. It was a great fight! I'm glad that I got a finish on a great BJJ black belt, but there are a lot of improvements to make to take that step to the next level."
Sheehan Reflects On Year-Long Hiatus
Injuries have kept "Jimbo Slice" on the sidelines since that night, but as he prepares to face Justin Burlinson (9-2) this week in the same venue that witnessed the standout moment of his professional journey, Sheehan sees the long layoff as a positive for his career in the long run.
"I was originally booked to face (former Cage Warriors champion) Giannis Bachar in September", Sheehan revealed, "but I broke my thumb in preparation for that fight. At the time I was devastated. I really felt I could beat Giannis and ride the wave on to the UFC. But now looking back at it, I have improved my game a lot more.
"I felt like I was going into that fight fairly much the same fighter as when I fought Daniel. But now, I feel like that little injury made me take a step back mentally and to go back to the drawing board and actually start looking at where I needed to actually improve as a fighter when I have this time off to think.
"And now, I'm actually glad it's happened because I feel like I'm ready for this fight more than I was for the Bachar fight, and now I get to defend the belt—the world title —here in Dublin."
From Rivals To Allies
Sheehan made his Cage Warriors debut back in 2019 against fellow Irishman Ian Machado Garry, in what was also Garry’s professional debut. Garry (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) emerged victorious on that occasion, but the pair have stayed in touch as their careers have progressed.
"The Future" is set to face Carlos Prates in the main event at UFC Kansas City this Saturday night, just a few short hours after Sheehan’s fight in Dublin. Sheehan revealed that the two linked up in the lead-up to Garry’s most recent bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov in December.
"Ian just texted me out of the blue one day, asking was I interested in some training", he said. "I jumped at the opportunity to go over and pick his brain. He's a great fighter, and he's gone on from where we fought years ago in 2019 to the point where he's in the top 10 of the UFC.
"I'm tearing it up now fighting in the main event this weekend, and you'll see him in the UFC Octagon on the same day. It's amazing. I was more than happy to go over and get some training and pick his brain, and he actually asked me to come over again recently, but I was focusing on this weekend's fight. We are planning to link up for some training again once this fight is out of the way."
Sheehan Staying Grounded
Sheehan has racked up 7 wins in his last 8 outings wearing the iconic yellow Cage Warriors gloves, establishing himself as one of the most exciting welterweights competing outside the UFC. As he prepares to headline a second consecutive Cage Warriors event in his hometown, he insists he isn’t fazed by the scale of his achievements and is taking it all in stride.
"Getting the opportunity to top big cards like this is absolutely phenomenal", he admitted, "but it's important not to get distracted by the occassion. I heard Ilia Topuria say recently that there is no end goal in this game or in life in general, there is no finish line. And I genuinely do feel that with MMA as well.
"It's great to have these milestones, but the belt feels just like another step on a long road. It's just another fight as well. It's another main event. And it's just another step, and every fight, your next fight is always your biggest fight to date, so I didn't feel any pressure last April because it was for the belt I don't feel any pressure defending the belt this time.
"I just try and improve as a martial artist every time I'm in the gym regardless, it's about doing the work. The big events are just a part of the journey. And I think once you view the journey as that, these events don't feel that overwhelming."
A Formidable Opponent Awaiting Sheehan At Cage Warriors 188
Sheehan faces a tough test this Saturday in Justin Burlinson, who previously fought for the Cage Warriors title in 2022, losing to Rhys McKee. Since then, the Englishman has been on a tear, submitting both Jamie Richardson and Theodor Berggren to work his way back into title contention.
Sheehan has no illusions about the challenge that awaits him at the RDS next Saturday night.
"I think it's a great matchup", Sheehan said enthusiastically. "I think it makes sense, first of all. And I think both of us are realistically at that (Dana White's) Contender Series level already. I think this is the perfect opportunity for either one of us to make a statement and show that we're at that next level and prove that we're UFC worthy, and that's what I'm basically looking to do.
"I envision a third-round stoppage. I think I go out there, show my class, and start to pick Burlinson apart and get the third-round stoppage."
Cage Warriors 188 takes place this Saturday, April 26th at the RDS Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The event wil be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.
