Champ Chris Fishgold meets Jani Salmi in Cage Warriors 82 co-main event in Liverpool

Cage Warriors lightweight champion Chris Fishgold will try to make some promotional history next month, and he’ll do it in front of his home crowd.

In the Cage Warriors 82 co-main event, Fishgold (16-1) now has his opponent. He’ll take on Jani Salmi (9-2) in his home city of Liverpool, England. A win would make him the first Cage Warriors champ with three straight successful title defenses. Promotion officials recently announced his opponent for the card.

Cage Warriors 82 takes place April 1 at Echo Arena Liverpool in Liverpool. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass. In the main event, another Liverpudlian takes center stage. Featherweight champion Paddy Pimblett will attempt his second title defense when he meets fellow British fighter Nad Narimani.

Fishgold won the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title in July 2016 with a first-round submission of Adam Boussif. He defended it at Cage Warriors 79 in his home city this past September with a submission of Jason Ponet. Then he took a decision from Nic Herron-Webb at the Cage Warriors “Unplugged” event in November.

Submission ace Salmi, from Finland, has five of his nine wins by tapout, including two straight rear-naked choke wins in 2016. He’ll enter the fight on an eight-bout winning streak dating back nearly four years. He’ll be making his Cage Warriors debut.

The Cage Warriors 82 lineup includes:

• Champ Paddy Pimblett vs. Nad Narimani – for featherweight title
• Champ Chris Fishgold vs. Jani Salmi – for lightweight title
• Molly McCann vs. TBA
• Lee Chadwick vs. Tommy Quinn
• Perry Andre Goodwin vs. Ellis Hampson – 160-pound catchweight
• Frantz Slioa vs. Dean Trueman

For the latest on Cage Warriors 82, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.