Kyle Driscoll vs. George Hardwick: Transatlantic title clash set for Cage Warriors 141 in London
It's USA vs. England as Cage Warriors gets set for a transatlantic battle for the vacant lightweight title at Cage Warriors 141.
England's George Hardwick will take on the USA's Kyle Driscoll for the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title at the Indigo at The O2 in London on Friday, July 22, with the winner set to join an impressive list of former champions who have gone on to compete on the big stage.
Mason Jones, Jai Herbert, Chris Fishgold, Stevie Ray and Conor McGregor all captured the Cage Warriors lightweight title earlier in their careers before earning their shot with the UFC. Soren Bak also made the jump to the world stage by joining Bellator after winning the lightweight title.
Now, a new champion is set to be crowned at Cage Warriors 141, with a transatlantic clash set to decide the next fighter to carry 155-pound gold.
Driscoll is riding an eight-fight win streak that stretches back to 2017. His last two bouts saw him defeat Dinis Paiva on Dana White's Contender Series, then outpoint Joshua Jones at Cage Warriors 133 in San Diego. Now Driscoll is heading across the pond to challenge for Cage Warriors gold.
"Heading to London to fight for the Cage Warriors title – is this a dream?" said Driscoll.
"This is the accumulation of a lifetime of hard work. I’m going to fly into enemy territory, handle my business and hop on a plane back to the States with the CW title.
"I manifested this years back when I saw Conor McGregor, Jack Shore and even a young Paddy Pimblett winning the belts. I would watch their emotion and knew I’d get there one day.
"This is written in my destiny, it was just a matter of time. Look at the trajectory of former Cage Warriors champions in the UFC – that’s the path I'm looking to be on."
Hardwick, meanwhile, is on a five-fight win streak that includes a hat-trick of second-round stoppages under the Cage Warriors banner.
"I've seen chances to fight for the title slip away due to every reason under the sun for the past six months or so, but I'm excited to finally get this opportunity against Kyle Driscoll," said Hardwick.
"I am more than ready for what US opposition has to offer. I've been representing Middlesbrough against the rest of the world throughout my career and I'm ready to add another name to my win column."
Newly-crowned middleweight champion Christian Leroy Duncan is also set for his first title defence on July 22, while former UFC veteran Darren Stewart will make his return to Cage Warriors at the event.
Also set for action on the card are unbeaten lightweight Michal Figlak and veteran welterweight Jimmy Wallhead.
Photo: Dolly Clew / Cage Warriors