Jordan Vucenic Chokes Out James Hendin, Defends Featherweight Title at CW 134

Jordan Vucenic successfully defends his title! With a beautiful back take, he slipped in a choke for the 2nd round finish #AndStill #CW134 pic.twitter.com/Vz31WMb3M4

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 18, 2022

Based on his performance on Friday night, Jordan Vucenic may expect a call up to the major leagues in the near future.

After a long absence from the venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship returned to the iconic Indigo at the O2 Arena in London, England. The CW 134 main event featured a featherweight championship affair as Vucenic (9-1, 5-0 CW) put his belt on the line against James Hendin. The challenger Hendin (6-2, 5-2 CW), a short-notice replacement for Paul Hughes, showcased stifling wrestling to nullify his opponent’s sophisticated striking game early on. While “The Honeybadger” was able to ground Vucenic for much of the round, he was unable to put any major offense together and threaten for a finish. Nevertheless, Hendin rode out most of the round while keeping Vucenic guessing.

The second frame looked to go the same way as the first, at least for the first 30 seconds or so. In an eye-catching move, “The Epidemic” stepped in to snag a standing arm-triangle choke, using the maneuver to sneak around to the back and hop on his opponent’s back. From there, the champ immediately started looking for a rear-naked choke. Hendin defended the attempt for a brief period, but once Vucenic sunk it in, “The Honeybadger” had no choice but to surrender at 1:36 of Round 2. The 26-year-old called “The Epidemic” pushed his win streak to seven in a row, including five under the Cage Warriors banner.

Unfazed and untouched. Will Currie knocked his opponent down and followed up with his strong ground game to finish his opponent in round 1. Absorbing 0 strikes in the process.#CW134 pic.twitter.com/utnFI6WY4M

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 18, 2022

In the co-headliner, up-and-coming London-based prospect Will Currie took on seasoned Frenchman Patrick Vallee. Currie (7-2, 3-2 CW) opened with a kick to the face, a punch, and subsequently dropped his opponent with another high kick. Vallee (12-13-1, 2 NC; 0-2 CW) tried to defend with a kimura, only to find it easily countered by Currie to take full mount. Once on top, Carrie pounded on his foe with elbows and punches as Vallee twisted and turned between giving up his back and staying mounted. After a particularly vicious series of elbows, referee Rich Mitchell stepped in and halted the fight at the 2:56 mark in Round 1.

Earlier on the card, George Hardwick (9-1, 3-1 CW) smashed Lukasz Kopera (10-7, 0-1 CW) with a barrage of punches four minutes into the second round of their 161-pound catchweight battle; in a lightweight affair, Tobias Harila (10-2, 2-1 CW) smashed Declan McAleenan (7-5-1, 3-4-1 CW) with punches at 1:55 in the opening stanza, 145-pounder Ben Ellis (4-1, 4-1 CW) made the most out of a crisp jab to outpoint Nik Bagley (3-1, 1-1 CW) by unanimous decision from a trio of matching 29-28 scores; a nasty anaconda choke by Kingsley Crawford (7-4, 5-4 CW) put Aidan James (5-3, 1-1 CW) away before he could tap just 88 seconds into their bantamweight clash; after missing weight by 1.3 pounds the day before, Lone'er Kavanagh (3-0, 1-0 CW) rendered Ryan Morgan (1-1, 0-1 CW) unconscious with a bombardment of punches at the 1:13 of Round 2 in their 128-pound catchweight bout.