Resurgent Wilson Reis Chokes Johnny Campbell in Cage Warriors 149 Headliner

Former EliteXC titleholder Wilson Reis continued his late-career resurgence in Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, as he took care of Johnny Campbell with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their CW 149 headliner on Friday at the Sycuan Casino Resort in San Diego. Reis (27-12, 4-0 CW) closed out the bantamweight affair 2:20 into Round 3.

Campbell (22-15, 0-1 CW) started strong and pushed the pace in the first part of the opening frame, where he secured a takedown and improved his position through ground-and-pound. Reis bounced back in the second part of the frame and wound up in top position after a wild scramble. The Brazilian came close to finishing Campbell twice in Round 2 with deep neck crank and arm-triangle attempts, but “Cupcakes” managed to survive. Reis looked for a successful takedown early in the third round, perhaps sensing his grappling skills were superior to his opponent’s defense. Once on the mat, the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran worked his way to Campbell’s back and cinched a deep rear-naked choke. This time, the South Shore Sport Fighting rep had no answer and was forced to tap.

In the lightweight co-main event, hometown hero James Lynch clashed with promotional newcomer Georgii Eivas at 155 pounds. Lynch (6-3, 4-2 CW) put forth a dominant performance, leaving no room for his counterpart to implement his gameplan. “Jamey” attacked with a variety of submission attempts throughout the fight, forcing Eivas (7-6, 0-1 CW) to play defense most of the time. Lynch proved he was the better wrestler and grappler in the second and third rounds, where he pinned the “Assyrian Assassin” to the canvas but failed to secure a finish. Even though Eivas attempted a last-minute attack by setting an armbar-triangle choke attempt, the fight went the distance. When the dust settled, the judges flashed 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 scorecards in a unanimous decision for Lynch.

This fight went 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗭𝗬 🤯

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— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 4, 2023

In other action, Damon Wilson (6-1, 5-1 CW) outstruck Shawn Tremelle Johnson (3-4, 0-1 CW) to a unanimous decision in a three-round featherweight tilt, sweeping the scorecards with 30-27 marks across the board; Roberto Hernandez (6-1, 4-0 CW) eked out a narrow split decision—29-28, 29-28, 28-29—over John de Jesus (15-11, 1-1 CW) in a three-round featherweight confrontation; and Blake Perry (2-1, 1-0 CW) outpointed Joshua Nakagawa (2-3, 0-3 CW) to a unanimous verdict, drawing 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 scores from the judges in their three-round welterweight battle.

Several injuries marred the show, including a last-minute complication for Alex Trinidad that resulted in the cancelation of his bout with Alberto Romo.