Justin Burlinson Chokes Out Daniel Skibinski in CW 135 Main Event

A huge win for Justin Burlinson! After a bell to bell war, he gets the win via submission

What do you think is next for Justin?#CW135 pic.twitter.com/KYGn1v2zNv

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 1, 2022

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship returned to the BEC Arena in Manchester, England, with a card chock full of finishes.

In the CW 135 headliner, Dana White's Contender Series alum Justin Burlinson took on Daniel Skibinski in a welterweight tilt. Skibinski (18-7, 0-1 CW) relied on his fast hands to bust up his opponent’s face and ensure that Burlinson could not get off his powerful counters. In turn, Burlinson (7-1, 2-0 CW) kept advancing, and ended up waiting for the right moment to fire off a big right hand. Skibinski hurt his foe with a swarm of punches, coming inches away from notching a stoppage. Ultimately, Burlinson’s durability and youth advantage allowed him to survive and change strategies, where he began to unload with thudding body kicks before the round concluded.

In the second frame, Skibinski landed a single-leg takedown and kept the action on the floor for some time. Burlinson remained active off his back, laying into his opponent with elbows and palm strikes until he hunted for an omoplata attempt. In the subsequent scramble, Burlinson surged back to his feet, and momentum was turning in his favor as “Skiba” appeared fatigued. Noticing that his foe was tiring, Burlinson scored with knees, punches and elbows until his Skibinski exposed his neck by dropping to the floor. In a split-second, Burlinson snatched up a guillotine choke and, after wrenching the fight down to the mat, forced a tap before the Polish fighter passing out. Only six seconds remained in Round 2 when referee Marc Goddard stepped in, and the Brit kept his perfect 100% finish rate intact by recording the submission.

Matt 'The Beast' Bonner is back in the win column!
He finishes his opponent with a RNC for the win!#CW135 pic.twitter.com/2uhn77iHXf

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 1, 2022

The co-headliner featured a 177-pound catchweight clash between former middleweight titleholder Matthew Bonner and promotional newcomer Hugo Pereira. Bonner (11-6-1, 8-4-1 CW) came in with a significant height advantage, and Pereira attempted to nullify this by attempting to take the fight to the canvas. The Portuguese fighter caught an errant kick from his adversary, and took advantage of this by tripping Bonner’s other leg out and claiming top position in a hurry. Pereira (5-4, 0-1 CW) spent several minutes on top of his opponent, but he never looked to endanger “The Beast” with his offense. Bonner kicked off and fought back to his feet, where he subsequently got off several solid combinations to end the round on a high note. In the second round, Bonner turned the tables on Pereira, taking the initiative to drag the fight to the floor on his own terms. After claiming his opponent’s back, Bonner locked in a tight rear-naked choke attempt and elicited the tap shortly thereafter. The official time of the stoppage indicated 51 seconds in the second stanza.

Elsewhere, Milad Ahady (4-1, 1-0 CW) spoiled the promotional debut of Antonio Sheldon (5-3, 0-1 CW) with a clear-cut unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27); Giuseppe Ruggeri (8-0, 1-0 CW) took home a unanimous decision victory by dominating former 145-pound beltholder Dean Trueman (10-8, 4-6 CW), receiving 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 nods from the judges; 135-pounder Liam Gittins (9-3, 5-3 CW) outpointed Edward Walls (10-8, 0-3 CW) to earn a win on all three scorecards (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

In the featured lightweight preliminary battle, Adam Shelley (2-1, 1-0 CW) smashed Steven Hooper (5-5, 2-3 CW) with heavy punches with 39 seconds left in the second frame. Italy’s Federico Pasquali (7-0, 1-0 CW) battered Paull McBain (7-3, 4-3 CW) with elbows until the referee stepped in at 2:17 of the first round in their 150-pound catchweight affair; the light heavyweight clash between Matthew Byfield (3-1, 1 NC; 0-0, 1 NC CW) and Hugo Guillon (1-0, 1 NC; 0-0, 1 NC CW) ended with a no-contest result following an accidental knee to the groin at 2:57 of Round 2; at welterweight, James Sheehan (4-2, 4-1 CW) knocked out Karol Michalak (3-1, 0-1 CW) at 2:18 of the opening frame; Caolan Loughran (5-0, 1-0 CW) stopped Bakhtyaar Oryakhail (1-1, 1-1 CW) with punches at 2:29 of Round 2 in a bantamweight scrap; featherweight Ryan Shelley (4-0, 2-0 CW) wrecked Magdi Gereev (2-1, 0-1 CW) with elbows and knees until the referee intervened at the 2:12 mark of the third round; to start off the night, Ander Sanchez (1-0, 1-0 CW) shellacked Connor Wilson (2-2, 0-2 CW) with a left hook a mere 30 seconds into their 125-pound encounter.