Cage Warriors 201: Unplugged Delivers Action-Packed Card in Manchester

Cage Warriors 201: Unplugged delivered a night full of finishes in Manchester, with Aiden Lee submitting Inglesson de Lara in the main event. Elsewhere on the card, Konstantinos Ntelis, Matthew Elliott, Damiano Scogna, Danny Hartwell, and Lindsey Payne all secured stoppage victories as Cage Warriors brought back its Unplugged show with its more intimate, invite-only format ahead of today’s Cage Warriors 202.

The night truly belonged to Birmingham’s Aiden Lee (15-10), who was headlining his third Cage Warriors event.

The seasoned fighter was taking on a dangerous opponent in Brazil’s Inglesson de Lara (10-4).

Both fighters started with numerous feints, but Lee increased the pressure quickly, forcing de Lara onto the back foot before securing a rear-naked choke – the Birmingham fighter’s second in a row.

Speaking to us after the fight, Lee said: "There has never been a better featherweight than me outside of the UFC - honestly, I can't think of one."

The featherweight contender felt good after the win and said he is ready to have a crack at the Cage Warriors title or break into the UFC roster.

He said: "I'm fresh, I'll fight tomorrow. I'm good to go. If UFC London had a pullout next week, pop me in. I'm good to go.”

The co-main event saw Konstantinos Ntelis (11-3) receive strong backing from his travelling Greek teammates at Black Belt Academy as he returned after a year-long hiatus.

His opponent, Leon Aliu (11-6), lost a point after two low blows before eventually being brutally knocked out by Ntelis’ right hand.

Several fighters delivered statement performances across the main card, and the atmosphere in the venue was electric for such a smaller-scale event.

Local fighter Jake McHugh (3-2) received loud crowd support but was stopped quickly by Irishman Matthew Elliott (6-3), who landed a brutal right-hand knockout just 59 seconds into the opening round, showcasing why he earned the moniker ‘The Boogeyman’.

Damiano Scogna (7-1-1), Angelo Terenzio (3-2), and Danny Hartwell (4-1) all continued to build momentum with stoppage victories in the earlier parts of the main card.

The prelims also produced several decisive finishes to kick off the night. Lindsey Payne (3-3) and Roan Crocker (2-0) both impressed, with Payne stopping her opponent with elbows in the second round and Crocker securing a rear-naked choke midway through the opening round. Armand Herczeg (6-3) overcame an early knockdown to rally and finish his fight with a knee to the body in the third round.

With finishes across both the prelims and main card, Cage Warriors Unplugged delivered an action-packed night, setting the stage for the main event at Cage Warriors 202.

Cage Warriors 201: Unplugged – Quick Results

Aiden Lee def. Inglesson de Lara – Submission (rear-naked choke), R1
Konstantinos Ntelis def. Leon Aliu – KO/TKO, R1
Matthew Elliott def. Jake McHugh – KO/TKO, R1
Damiano Scogna def. L. Rodrigues – KO/TKO, R2
Danny Hartwell def. Branden Guest – KO/TKO, R3
Angelo Terenzio def. D. McGuigan – Submission, R1
Armand Herczeg def. Percy Herrera – KO/TKO, R3
Roan Crocker def. Dara Ward – Submission, R1
Lindsey Payne def. Levi Steedman – KO/TKO, R2