Darren Stewart Outclasses Matthew Bonner in Cage Warriors 156 Headliner

What a way to close out a three-round war 😅

📺 Watch #CW156 LIVE on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/9Hfz5dKG8A

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 1, 2023

Darren Stewart has Cage Warriors gold in his crosshairs.

Stewart staked his claim to a middleweight title shot with a unanimous decision triumph over Matthew Bonner in the Cage Warriors 156main event in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday. It was the promotion’s first event in Wales since 2019.

Stewart, a 14-time UFC veteran, relied heavily on his wrestling skills and was relentless with his double-leg takedowns to move the action to the canvas whenever he felt the necessity. Former Cage Warriors titleholder Bonner looked to punish his adversary with punches, but “The Dentist” was elusive throughout the clash. “The Beast” heavily landed in the third frame and looked to have Stewart in serious difficulty before his opponent shot for another successful takedown, disrupting Bonner’s momentum. The fight reached the distance with Stewart controlling the action. When the dust settled, the cage announcer revealed 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 scorecards in favor of Stewart, who earned his third straight win.

Just as he called it! @ReeceMcEwan with the 2nd round TKO Finish 🔥

📺 Watch #CW156 LIVE on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/R4BvsXwP8v

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 1, 2023

The co-headliner featured a bantamweight clash between surging contender Reece McEwan and Leonardo de Oliveira Barbosa. McEwan (7-1, 4-0 CW) put on a dominant performance over Barbosa (8-6, 0-1 CW), leaving very little room for maneuvering to his opponent, who didn’t have an answer to McEwan’s grappling. The Scottish contestant landed a well-timed takedown that took him to a dominant position on the canvas, following up with ground-and-pound action until the end of the opening stanza. McEwan followed the same strategy in the second period, constantly improving his position after taking his foe down until gaining the full mount. Once there, McEwan poured a storm of punches and elbows until referee Simon Small mercifully stopped the contest at 3:52 of Round 2. McEwan is now riding a four-bout winning streak and eyeing a shot at the divisional championship.

THE FASTEST KNOCKOUT IN CAGE WARRIORS HISTORY 🤯🤯🤯

📺 Watch #CW156 live on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/uiJK6Hvyk0

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 1, 2023

Elsewhere, 205-pounder and U.K. circuit veteran Andrew Clamp (12-2, 1 NC, 1-1 CW) forced Ghassan Abdenabi (4-1, 0-1 CW) to tap due to rear-naked choke at 3:44 of the first period; up-and-coming bantamweight Jack Eglin (4-2, 2-2 CW) stopped Rory Evans (5-5, 3-3 CW) with punches at 2:53 of Round 2;and MMA Fight Academy graduate Jimmy Quinn (1-0, 1-0 CW) scored the fastest knockout victory in promotional history after smashing Dan Kneil (1-3, 0-2 CW) with punches 10 seconds out of the gate in their featherweight affair.

Shore MMA are on 🔥

📺 Watch #CW156 LIVE on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/t3t4h6xZA5

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 1, 2023

On the preliminary card, Scott Pedersen (4-3-1, 2-2-1 CW) submitted Yohan Salvador (3-5, 0-1 CW) with a rear-naked choke at the 2:15 mark of the opening stanza in their 145-pound affair; Milad Ahady (6-1, 3-0 CW) crushed Marcondes Bastos (4-5, 0-1 CW), who missed weight by 0.5 pounds ahead of their clash, with a punch to the body at 1:10 of Round 2 in their 147-pound catchweight bout; Stephanie Paige Evans (1-1, 1-1 CW) overcame Malgorzata Tkocz (0-1, 0-1 CW) via technical submission after her opponent passed out due to rear-naked choke with only a second left in the opening stanza of their 145-pound tilt and El Hadji Ndiaye (5-2, 1-2 CW) upended Marin Vetrila (2-1, 0-1 CW) on all scorecards (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in their lightweight clash.