Cage Warriors has announced its first confirmed title bout of 2024, with the newly-crowned bantamweight champion Liam Gittins set for a tough test in March.
Gittins will take on American challenger Roberto Hernandez at Cage Warriors 168, which will serve as the second night of a two-night double-header at Manchester’s BEC Arena, on Saturday, March 16.
Gittins defeated Reece McEwan to capture the title last November, with the Next Generation MMA fighter earning 49-46 scores across the board to capture the vacant title. That victory put the cherry on the cake for Gittins, who had previously picked up notable victories over the likes of Josh Reed, Adam Amarasinghe and Emrah Sonmez en route to a title shot.
Now he’s set to take on American opposition in the form of “Green Light” Hernandez, who earned his shot at the title with a unanimous decision victory over Trevin “Five Star” Jones in the main event of Cage Warriors 165 in San Diego in December.
Hernandez’s victory took his tally of Cage Warriors wins to seven, and extended his win streak to nine, including victories over John De Jesus, Moses Diaz and Toby Misech. He’ll be looking to take that run into double figures when he crosses the Atlantic to challenge for Cage Warriors gold in March.
“2024 is set to be another huge year for Cage Warriors (and) we’re going to hit the ground running with a huge title fight in the bantamweight division,” said Cage Warriors matchmaker Ian Dean.
“Liam Gittins showed the world his potential last November, putting on the most composed performance of his career to capture the title.
“He’s got a huge challenge ahead of him for his first title defence in Roberto Hernandez, who’ll be looking to take the title back to the United States.
“I’m expecting five rounds of fireworks when they lock horns on March 16th!”
