With his very impressive performance at Cage Warriors 167, Michele Martignoni should surely be the next challenger for Liam Gittins’s Bantamweight title.
Martignoni is the former Cage Warriors Bantamweight champion and he never lost the title in the Octagon. He won it in 2022 by defeating Dominique Wooding by unanimous decision. Without having defended it, he relinquished the title to fight at Flyweight. ‘The Italian Thunder’ fought Shajidul Haque for the Cage Warriors Flyweight title in Rome on 29 July 2023, but lost by decision.
Cage Warriors 167
In his first fight since the Flyweight title loss, Michele Martignoni looked determined to impress at the BEC Arena, Manchester on Friday night. His opponent, the Cage Warriors debutant Raz Bring, couldn’t live with his intensity. Martignoni won by a stunning first round knockout.
If Martignoni’s plan was to force his way into the conversation for a title shot, he certainly achieved that. He is now 9-2-0 and at the age of 28, he should be entering his prime years. It is clear that he is a much better fighter at Bantamweight than he was at Flyweight. It is also difficult to see anyone else having a better claim.
What About the Champion?
Liam Gittins successfully defended his Bantamweight title for the first time at Cage Warriors 168 on Saturday night. He beat Roberto Hernandez by submission in the 5th round. He put on a very impressive performance and is clearly a worthy champion.
Is Michele Martignoni Next?
I certainly hope so. Going by both fighters’ performances at the weekend, it would be a great match-up, one they both deserve and the obvious one to make.
As ‘The Italian Thunder’ never lost his title in the Octagon, whoever wins between them would have a credible claim to being the best in the division. Until this fight happens, question marks will remain.
