Cage Warriors 55 results: Pendred halts Mills, Seery claims belt

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Cathal Pendred (13-2-1) didn’t get a chance to defend his title as a result of opponent Che Mills (15-6) missing weight, but he did get to take one step closer toward his dream of fighting in the UFC.

Pendred earned a third-round stoppage over Mills in the main event of Saturday’s Cage Warriors 55 card, which took place at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland. The night’s main card streamed on MMAjunkie.com.

Pendred wasted little time in the opening round pushing into a clinch and looking for a takedown. Mills defended against the cage but was eventually brought to the floor. When he popped back up, Pendred tried to snatch a guillotine as he fell to his back. Mills eventually pulled free, but Pendred kept him from capitalizing on top position and quickly returned to the feet.

Pendred scored another takedown late in the frame and briefly advanced to mount. But Mills scrambled up the final seconds and even landed a few stiff strikes against what looked to be a tiring Pendred.

Despite the tired look to close the first, Pendred moved immediately forward in the second, scoring multiple takedowns and keeping Mills from mounting any sort of real offense. Controlling the action in the final minute, Pendred went to mount and unloaded with a barrage of short punches that left him looking up to referee Marc Goddard waiting for the stop. Unfortunately for him, it wouldn’t come before the bell.

Pendred again moved to mount early in the third frame, and Mills was stuck on his back. As Pendred again landed short punches and elbows from the top, Mills admitted to a shoulder injury, and the corner threw the towel into the cage, giving Goddard a pair of reasons to step in to halt the fight at the 1:47 mark of the third round.

“It feels unbelievable,” Pendred said after the win. “That’s what I came out here to do.”

While the finish was not quite the spectacular result Pendred might have hoped for, he still maintained his goal of fighting in the UFC. An Irishman who spent much of his youth in Boston, Pendred openly lobbied UFC President Dana White for a slot on the UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 card where his teammate, Conor McGregor, will also compete.

“Let’s go Dana,” Pendred said. “Sign me up baby!”

With Cage Warriors’ inaugural 125-pound belt up for grabs, underdog Irishman Neil Seery (13-9) earned an impressive submission win over Finnish prospect Mikael Silander (8-2).

Silander looked destined to finish the fight in the opening round after locking up an arm-triangle choke on the feet and slamming his opponent to the floor to look for the finish. Seery somehow survived the move and fended off a guillotine attempt to see the second round.

Silander again took control in the early stages of the second, but a game Seery constantly looked for reversal opportunities. Silander was cut in a flurry, apparently from a clash of heads, and Seery enjoyed success on the feet with several spirited straights in the closing minute.

Seery continued to look sharp on the feet in the third, but he went to his back on a missed guillotine attempt in what looked like a tactical error. However, he deftly transitioned to an armbar, and his positioning against the cage made it so Silander’s escape route was partially blocked, leaving him unable to pull free from the hold.

The end came at the 3:57 mark, and Seery became the promotion’s first-ever flyweight champion.

Point deduction costs Paraisy

After a tense face-off at Friday’s official weigh-ins, Irishman Chris Fields (10-5-1) and Frenchman Norman Paraisy (11-3-2) each had something to prove. Unfortunately, neither one of them succeeded.

Paraisy had a point deducted early in the opening round as he grabbed the fence to prevent a trip takedown. Fortunately for him, he was able to score his own takedown and control the latter stages of the frame to salvage a 9-9 frame.

The pair traded freely in the pocket in the second, with the more compact Paraisy looking to press in against the longer Fields. Paraisy also was able to again drag his opponent to the floor, which seemed to earn him the frame.

In the third, Paraisy continued to press forward, generally with a smile on his face, and he again brought the fight to the floor. Fields immediately threatened early with a kimura grip from his back. When that failed, he kept Paraisy busy by bringing his legs high and keeping his opponent busy in defense from top position. Paraisy seemed to fade as time wore on, and Paraisy scrambled to his feet. An exhausted Fields stayed busy with strikes, even as Paraisy taunted him with his hands down. But the late effort was enough to salvage a majority draw with the benefit of the opening-round deduction.

Redmond, N’Doye entertain in stoppage wins

In an entertaining lightweight matchup, Irishman Paul Redmond (8-3) struggled early against a strong Marc Allen (7-3), but that changed greatly in the second.

After struggling to score a takedown in the opening frame, Redmond quickly brought the fight to the floor in the second. Once there, he took advantage of the position. During a scramble for position on the floor, Redmond dove forward and latched on to his opponent’s ankle. A fierce toehold came in immediately after, and Allen had no choice but to tap as screamed out in pain.

The end came 69 seconds into the second round, and Redmond now boasts a five-fight win streak under the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship banner.

The night’s first contest was a 140-pound catchweight matchup, where French prospect Jean N’Doye (7-1) scored a stoppage win of experienced veteran Steve McCombe (17-20-1)

A back-and-forth opening frame saw McCombe dominate the early action with multiple submission attempts, but N’Doye survived each hold and finished the round by pounding away with heavy shots from top position.

Things were much more one-sided in the second. An exhausted McCombe struggled to mount much offense, while N’Doye teed off on the feet. McCombe latched on to a leg in hopes of a desperation submission, but N’Doye pulled free and locked in an arm-triangle choke of his own, earning the tap at the 3:03 mark of the second round.

Complete Cage Warriors 55 results include:

MAIN CARD

• Cathal Pendred def. Che Mills via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 3, 1:47 – non-title fight after Mills missed weight
• Neil Seery def. Mikael Silander via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 3:57 – to claim inaugural flyweight title
• Chris Fields vs. Norman Paraisy results in a majority draw (29-27 Fields, 28-28, 28-28) – Round 3, 5:00
• Paul Redmond def. Marc Allen via submission (toehold) – Round 2, 1:09
• Jean N’Doye def. Steve McCombe via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:03

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Piotr Ptasinski def. John Redmond via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:46
• Liam James def. Stephen Coll via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Konrad Iwanowski def. Sam Francis via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:00
• Ben Rees def. Gavin Kelly via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:44

For more on Cage Warriors 55, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Cathal Pendred and Che Mills)