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Cage Warriors 98 results: Ross Houston tested, but takes 170-pound crown from Stefano Paterno

There was blood, there were takedowns, there were sweeps and reversals and knockdowns. It was an even, hard-fought battle in the headlining bout of Cage Warriors 98, but a winner came out of it.

After being dropped and surviving a late scare against defending champion Stefano Paterno (12-3-1), unbeaten Ross Houston (8-0) emerged as Cage Warriors’ new welterweight title holder at Genting Arena in Birmingham, England.

The result of the action-packed fight, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass, was split 48-47, 48-47 and 46-48 scorecards.

Paterno was first to fire, throwing a low kick to start off the main event. Houston didn’t take long to respond, though, and the two engaged in shy exchanges before Paterno led a good charge and pushed Houston against the cage. Houston, however, stayed cool and avoided further damage. Houston looked loose on the feet, dropping his guard and bobbing around against a more stern Paterno. Halfway through the round, the two clinched up, and Houston pressed Paterno against the cage and eventually landed the takedown. Paterno didn’t waste time there, though, getting himself back up immediately. The two eventually broke free and got back to the center of the cage. The two threw and ate some heavy-looking shots before Houston was able to get the takedown and ride out the rest of the round working from Paterno’s half guard.

Round 2 started with Houston attacking, looking confident as he advanced with combos. Paterno ate some punches but never stopped responding, seemingly struggling to find his distance against the longer Houston. Paterno laced his right hand with power repeatedly, but failed to land, until Houston charged toward an ultimately successful takedown. Paterno sat with his back against the cage as Houston stayed heavy on top. Paterno managed to close guard and halt Houston’s offense by holding on to his neck but ultimately didn’t produce much. Houston, on his end, tried to create enough space to land strikes of his own from Paterno’s closed guard. As the end of the round approached, there wasn’t a lot being done on either side, but Houston clearly had the round over Paterno, who finished it with his back to the ground.

Paterno came out more aggressively in Round 3, but it didn’t take long for him to be exactly where he didn’t want: with his back against the fence, with Houston trying for a takedown. Paterno managed to resist it, though, and reversed it. Paterno eventually disengaged and threw some interesting strikes as the two got back to the center of the cage, including a flying knee. It was Houston, however, who landed a powerful right hand clean on Paterno’s jaw, dropping him. Paterno got himself back up, but Houston’s offense started to add up. Paterno never stopped responding, but Houston seemed in control of the distance there, landing punches before getting Paterno with his back against the cage once more. Paterno was able to break free again, but Houston was confident on the feet, connecting most of his straight punches on Paterno’s face.

Houston was ahead as they returned for Round 4 and advanced confidently with his hands as Paterno circled and threw his right hand. Paterno ate some shots but dodged quite a few, too, leaving his dangerous-looking right hand behind. Paterno eventually shot for a takedown, but that backfired spectacularly, and soon he had his back against the mat as Houston worked from his hand guard. Houston was eventually able to move to full mount, but Paterno escaped it and managed to get himself back up. There, Paterno finally found the right hand he was looking for, wobbling Houston and pouncing on his downed opponent. Houston looked to be in trouble as Paterno smelled blood but managed to survive and keep Paterno in his guard long enough to come back to. From there, Houston absorbed some damage but managed to reverse and get to side control. Paterno sweeped him, though, hammering away from the top before the round ended.

The two fatigued men exchanged punches early in the final round, but Houston was soon able to get his way and press Paterno against the cage. Paterno broke away, though, and stayed dangerous with his punches and less frequent kicks as they got back to the center of the cage. Houston kept pressing forward with strikes of his own, and once more had the champ against the cage but didn’t manage a takedown. With not much happening, ref Marc Goddard asked them to work. Houston threw a few shots and Paterno managed to disengage. The two traded blows before Houston was able to get the takedown. Paterno landed on the bottom but managed the sweep, though, working from Houston’s half guard as the final bell rang.

Relentless Lee chokes out McBain in first

Cage Warriors 98’s co-main event was a story of persistence paid off.  Faced with an unbeaten foe in Paull McBain (6-1), Aiden Lee (7-2) never stopped hunting for a submission until, with seconds left in the first round, he found it in the form of a standing rear-naked choke.

The bout was the second semifinal of the promotion’s featherweight tournament, meaning that Lee is now one step away from the 145-pound belt. Now, he just needs to get past Dean Trueman, who stamped his own ticket to the final with a dominant performance earlier that night.

McBain was the first to land offense, backing Lee against the cage and landing a good punch, but Lee responded accordingly. McBain didn’t waste time going for a takedown, but Lee trapped him with a kimura as the two fell to the ground. McBain avoided the finish, and eventually worked from Lee’s guard, but Lee stayed active off his back, first securing McBain’s neck in search of a crank and then looking for a kimura on his side. McBain resisted it all and stayed on top, but looked bloodied as he tried to use the cage to dominate Lee. Lee eventually managed to get himself back up, immediately fishing for a kneebar. McBain fought it off, though, and shortly was the one holding on to his opponent’s leg. Lee tried yet another kimura before the two got back up. This time, Lee was the one pressing McBain against the cage. Eventually Lee was able to get to McBain’s back and quickly sunk in the hooks and planted his forearm under McBain’s chin. McBain tried resisting, but eventually relented and tapped to a standing rear-naked choke with less than 20 seconds left on the round.

Trueman creative on feet, calm on ground, earns decision win

Lewis Monarch (10-4) never surrendered, but Dean Trueman’s (9-4) creative striking, paired with takedowns and composure, even under stressful positions on the ground, added up to a dominant win in the night’s first featherweight tournament semifinal bout.

With 30-27 scorecards across the board, Trueman not only got himself one step closer to competing for Cage Warriors’ 145-pound title, but he did with with some extra style points – courtesy of a cool-looking superman punch off the cage he landed in the first round.

Both fighters did not save on power, throwing with intent off the bat. It didn’t take long for Trueman to land the first big blow of the bout: A flashy superman punch off the cage. Monarch didn’t look too hurt, but fell down with the impact nonetheless. The two didn’t stay on the ground too long, though, and. as they got back up, Monarch was the one landing well at first. Trueman relied heavily on kicks and showed off a more creative arsenal, while Monarch marched forward and landed few, well-calculated strikes. With two minutes left, Monarch was the one doing the advancing, but Trueman kept the volume and made it hard for his opponent to create anything. Trueman managed to get a takedown, but Monarch didn’t stay grounded for long. As he got up, though, Trueman wouldn’t let him off the hook, landing strikes on the clinch. Monarch found a good hand later in the round, but missed two attempts at power shots. Monarch attempted a takedown to close out the round, but Trueman defended.

Trueman powered through with combinations, but Monarch did manage to fire back with some blows of his own. The two were on the ground shortly, where Trueman worked from Monarch’s half guard. Trueman used his shoulder to stifle Monarch, who finally managed to briefly break away. As Trueman went back into his guard, Monarch was able to grab ahold of his arm and went first for a triangle, then an armbar, but Trueman broke away and once more claim top control. Monarch kept finding Trueman’s arm, eventually attempting an omoplata that showed potential, was ultimately unable to lock in any submissions. Monarch went for Trueman’s leg for a heel hook in the final seconds, but Trueman didn’t have too much of a hard time getting away.

Trueman was just as aggressive starting out the third round, throwing somewhat recklessly as Monarch threw sparse counters. Monarch found some level of success with power-laced punches, but none of it was enough to rock Trueman. Monarch pressed Trueman against the cage in search of a takedown, but it was Trueman who was able to land it within the first two minutes, controlling Monarch against the cage. Monarch found himself in a bad position, eating punches to the face as Trueman kept him on the ground. Monarch was able to get up eventually, but looked tired as Trueman once more got him to the mat. From there, Trueman worked from side control position moving in for the mount as he threw elbows to Monchar’s face. He almost got it, but Monarch resisted, using the cage to propel his hip upward and prevent the mount. Eventually Trueman settled for half-guard and Monarch managed to get back up, but ate a knee before Trueman tripped him again. The round ended with Monarch with his back to the ground, fruitlessly trying to find some offense before the final bell rang.

Complete Cage Warriors 98 results included:

MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass)

  • Ross Houston def. Stefano Paterno via split decision (48-47, 48-46, 48-47) – won welterweight title
  • Aiden Lee def. Paull McBain via submission (standing rear-naked choke)  – Round 1, 4:45
  • Dean Trueman def. Lewis Monarch via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Featherweight tournament semifinal
  • Adam Proctor def. Angelo Rubino via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Perry Goodwin def. Alexander Jacobsen via knockout (punch)  – Round 2, 0:37

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

For more on Cage Warriors 98, visit the MMA Events section of the site.

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