Aspinall, McGregor & the ‘dream-makers’ – welcome to Cage Warriors

As part of our Fight Night series, BBC Sport shines a light on MMA promotions across the UK and Europe, their fighters and the characteristics which make each one unique.

Third in the series is a night cageside in Manchester with Cage Warriors, a UK-based promotion with a rich history of producing talent who have gone on to become world champions including Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Tom Aspinall.

Luke Riley does not have to look far to see that success in Cage Warriors can lead to life-changing opportunities.

Cornering the 25-year-old for his main event fight with Alexandre Junior in Manchester is fellow Liverpudlian Paddy Pimblett, one of the UK’s most recognisable MMA stars.

At one end of the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, excited fans pose for selfies in front of the Champions Wall, featuring past and present UFC stars Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Molly McCann.

And watching on at cageside among about 2,000 partisan fans is British UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

From McGregor to Pimblett, what all these MMA stars have in common is they honed their craft in UK-based promotion Cage Warriors.

“I’ve known our place in the hierarchy of the sport for a very long time and I don’t think we’re anything other than what we are – we build talent,” said Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan.

“We develop talent to go on to bigger things, we create opportunities. And we give the average punter in the street, in the local gyms, the opportunity to be that guy and earn hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Watching a Cage Warriors show feels like seeing an upcoming band in a sold-out, intimate venue before they break into the mainstream.

Over the years people have sold out Cage Warriors shows in anticipation of seeing the next star, and an overheard conversation outside the toilets leaves little doubt who the majority are here to see in Manchester.

“Luke Riley? Yeah that’s who I’m here to watch as well. My little cousin there, he’s 11, he does Muay Thai and worships him,” one fan says to another.

The moment fans have waited for comes as Riley arrives to an electric reception, and he quickly justifies the hype around his budding career as he outclasses Junior before securing the finish.

Boylan, who manages Riley as well as team-mates Pimblett and McCann, says the former is the most exciting young talent with whom he has ever worked.

“Take into perspective Paddy [Pimblett] versus Conor [McGregor]. When Conor was with us, Conor was big but the sport wasn’t big. When Paddy was with us he’s selling out the Echo Arena – far bigger than Conor during his time here because the sport has grown,” said Boylan.

“Now Luke [Riley], Luke’s a different animal. Luke is already a polished athlete, whereas Paddy and Conor still were on their way up.

“Luke could be in the UFC and fight any guy there right now.”

‘We make jokes that we’re the dream-makers’

Cage Warriors has formed a close relationship with the UFC, in which its shows are broadcast on the UFC’s streaming platform Fight Pass.

Riley was competing at last month’s Cage Warriors 178, with the promotion’s next flagship show taking part in Rome on Saturday.

What is noticeable about many Cage Warriors shows is the amount of children in attendance compared to other promotions, and this is a deliberate ploy by the organisers.

Many of the kids are family or friends of the fighters competing, exemplified by the party-like celebrations which greeted British bantamweight Jack Humphries’ impressive win over Fabian Ufs in Manchester.

“To build talent means bringing local, grassroots gyms into events. Bringing these grassroots guys, their family, the community, the mums, the dads, the kids who are training,” said Boylan.

“If you don’t bring them in and make them part of it, you’re not feeding the younger generation coming through.”

But what do Cage Warriors look for when they sign upcoming athletes like Humphries?

“We normally look for character. The fighting and the skillset, we can see that, but there are hundreds of fighters with skillsets. So we look for that little spark,” said Boylan.

Boylan references Britain’s Joe Fields as an example, who won to extend his record to 3-0.

Fields, nicknamed ‘The Butcher’, arrives wearing a butcher’s apron. He understands a big part of building a fanbase comes from showmanship, but his victory proves he is equally adept as an athlete.

“You just saw Joe Fields, that kid’s going to go far. He’s got the package – he’s got that spark, he’s humble, respectful, well-spoken,” added Boylan.

After beating Junior, Riley celebrated by placing an imaginary phone to his ear, before asking UFC president Dana White to “call him”.

Most promotions would do everything in their power to keep hold of their biggest star, but Cage Warriors are willing to lose fighters like Riley because they are already grooming the likes of Humphries and Fields to step into his shoes.

It is a system which has brought great success since Boylan took over Cage Warriors in 2010 and, if it’s not broken, then why fix it?

“We make jokes all the time that we’re the dream-makers, but there’s a lot of truth to it too,” said Boylan.

“Some you’re like ‘it would be great if we could keep them’, but we know our place in the sport. We understand what we do, it’s that simple.”