Cage Warriors 174: PrizeFighter brackets confirmed for London tournament

The countdown to Cage Warriors 174 in London is well and truly on, after the tournament brackets for the promotion’s first PrizeFighter tournament were confirmed.

The July 20 event, which takes place at the Indigo at The O2, will see two semi-final bouts, then a tournament final as the first Cage Warriors PrizeFighter tournament champion will be crowned.

The tournament winner will receive $50,000, while the promotion has confirmed the return of the Cage Warriors “Bounty Hunter Bonus,” with fighters able to earn a $10,000 bonus by correctly predicting the round and method of victory in their respective bouts, with $10,000 up for grabs every time they fight.

Six fighters were in the draw, with the first four names added to the semi-final bracket, while the two remaining fighters will compete to be the reserve fighter, who will step in should any of the night’s winners be deemed medically unable to progress to the tournament final.

The fighters were drawn during a live stream presided over by Cage Warriors commentator Brad Wharton, with actor and co-host of The MMA Fan Podcast, Blake Harrison, making the draw.

THE REMATCH 😱
Shirzad Qadrian and Weslley Maia meet again in our first confirmed semi-final for #Prizefighter! #CW174 London | July 20th | 🎟️ https://t.co/3C3pforz2z pic.twitter.com/itMFmsSUCY
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 26, 2024

Semi-final 1 will see Shirzad Qadrian take on Weslley Maia in a rematch of their July 2023 meeting that saw the London-based Brazilian claim the victory on the scorecards.

The night’s second semi-final will see Scotland’s Aidan Stephen take on Swedish crowd-pleaser Alexander Loof.

WHAT. A. FIGHT. 🤯
Aidan Stephen squares off with Alexander Lööf in our must-see second #Prizefighter semi-final!#CW174 London | July 20th | 🎟️ https://t.co/3C3pforz2z pic.twitter.com/zHSjVTuNUX
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 26, 2024

The reserve bout will see an all-Italian battle, as Alessandro Giordano takes on former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Michele Martignoni for the right to potentially step in to compete in the final, should one of the semi-final winners be unable to compete.

ALL ITALIAN AFFAIR 🇮🇹🤩
Alessandro Giordano takes on former champion Michele Martignoni in our #Prizefighter reserve bout! #CW174 London | July 20th | 🎟️ https://t.co/3C3pforz2z pic.twitter.com/pqey2pxsYe
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) June 26, 2024

“Come fight night, tensions are going to be really high,” said Cage Warriors matchmaker Ian Dean.

“This is huge stakes for their careers. They’re looking to make that push to the next level. Two wins can do that.

“Number one contender, title status, $50,000 – what they can do with this to progress their careers is huge!”

Also set for action at Cage Warriors 174 is a battle for the promotion’s flyweight title, as reigning champion Shaj Haque takes on French contender Nicolas Leblond, while the fight card also features former middleweight champion James Webb, who steps up to light heavyweight, while Nik Bagley, Ryan Shelley, Jawany Scott and Ger Harris are also set to compete.

Cage Warriors 174: PrizeFighter brackets

TBC vs. TBC – PrizeFighter bantamweight final
Shirzad Qadrian vs. Weslley Maia – PrizeFighter bantamweight semi-final
Aidan Stephen vs. Alexander Loof – PrizeFighter bantamweight semi-final
Alessandro Giordano vs. Michele Martignoni – PrizeFighter bantamweight reserve bout