Live from Dublin, Ireland and broadcast at MMAJunkie.com and Facebook at 4PM EST is Cage Warriors 55, where the exciting UK promotion looks to finally place the straps of their vacant championships around the waists of deserving fighters. In the main event, Cathal Pendred (12-2-1) will put his Cage Warriors welterweight title on the line for the first time against UFC castoff Che Mills (15-5, 2 NC). The last time we saw Mills, he was being taken down and ground into the UFC octagon by Matt Riddle. The loss would get him cut by the UFC, but then the loss would become a No Contest after Riddle tested positive for marijuana. So after going 2-1, 1 NC in the UFC, Mills was cut, but now gets an immediate title shot at Cathal Pendred’s belt, which he took the opportunity to grab from Gael Grimaud at Cage Warriors 52. Pendred wants to prove he belongs in the Octagon with teammate Conor McGregor, and a big win over a former UFC talent like Mills will go a long way towards that goal. Mills obviously doesn’t deal well with strong grapplers, especially when he’s on his back, and Pendred is at his best when grinding opponents out. This will be a big test for both and is essential if they want to step foot inside the Octagon once again, or for the first time. Mills’ experience at the next level led to him opening as a -155 favorite (bet $155 to win $100) while the champion opened as a +115 underdog (bet $100 to win $115) at Several Bookmakers. Since then, the public has come in more on the known fighter, Mills, pushing his line up to -195 with Pendred now at +155. In the co-main event of the evening, the inaugural Cage Warriors flyweight champion will be named as Neil Seery (12-9) takes on Mikael Silander (8-1). Don’t let Seery’s record fool you, he’s been on a tear since entering this tournament, winning his last three bouts in a row and finishing multiple opponents with brilliant highlight reel worthy finishes. Punctuated with his liver kick of Paul Marin at Cage Warriors 53. Silander is a Finnish striker who has the wherewithal to finish fights with submissions when they’re open, and the Irishman Seery is by far one of his toughest tests yet. Both men have been able to make a name for themselves in this tournament, now look for them to cement their legacy. This line has not moved at all from the opener, as Silander is a -245 favorite and Seery is a +175 underdog. The flyweight division in North America is still fleshing itself out, so you can’t blame bettors for being wary here. Next up, former Cage Warriors middleweight champion Chris Fields (10-5) takes on Bellator vet Norman Paraisy (11-3-1-1). The last time we saw Paraisy, he was losing a unanimous decision to Brett Cooper at Bellator 89, but has since rebounded with a quick TKO win in his home country of France at the end of April. The last time we saw Fields, he was being submitted by Jesse Taylor and losing his Cage Warriors middleweight belt. While each has struggled when taking a step up in competition, Paraisy is overall the more well-rounded fighter and opened as a -210 favorite with Fields a +160 underdog. Both fighters, although not on impressive streaks at the moment, could potentially be right back in the mix for a title shot with an emphatic win. Each man is at their best when standing, with Paraisy holding the slight grappling edge over Fields, but if Fields can apply sufficient pressure, he can make Paraisy wilt. The public seems to be under that impression as well, as a huge line move now has Fields as the slight favorite at -145 with the comeback on Paraisy +105. This could be a great up-tempo fight for the middleweights. To open the main card, English lightweight Marc “Suplex” Allen (7-2) looks to extend his winning streak to 4 against Ireland’s Paul Redmond (7-3). Allen has won two out of his last three wins via split-decision, while Redmond has finished all seven of his wins inside the cage, 5 by knockout, 2 by submission. Redmond is currently undefeated in Cage Warriors at 4-0, while this will be Allen’s first foray with the promotion after spending some time with BAMMA. Both of these prospects bolster the lightweight division after the loss of Conor McGregor to the UFC and both hope to make a case for a chance at that vacant lightweight Cage Warriors belt. Redmond’s experience and success in Cage Warriors seems to give him the edge here, and he opened as a -260 favorite to Allen’s +180.
