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The UK's longest running mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation is set to return to the midlands this weekend, after a long absence.

But despite making London and Liverpool their home in recent years, Cage Warriors was once a mainstay in Coventry , which arguably held the title of the UK capital of MMA for a short while.

Big fights featuring names who would go on to achieve international success were held in the city, and hundreds of people witnessed some iconic moments in the sport 's history.

And while they aren't coming back to Coventry this weekend, the return to this neck of the woods could spark a resurgence in the sport in this region.

Thousands of fight fans are expected to flock to the Genting Arena for Cage Warriors 98 come Saturday, where 10 professional and four amateur bouts are set to wow what is now a global audience.

(Image: Cage Warriors)

When Cage Warriors came to Coventry

Las Vegas, Nevada, is the undisputed fight capital of the world, hosting the biggest fights in both the ring and the cage.

The UK, meanwhile, doesn't have anything that quite rivals Vegas, with big events having been hosted across the British Isles.

But, for one year, Coventry could lay claim to being the UK capital of MMA.

Between May 2005 and May 2006, Cage Warriors ran six shows at the Coventry SkyDome , featuring big names in the sport.

At the time, only Sheffield could rival Coventry, though they had just four shows during that time.

Perhaps the biggest name to have stepped out in front of the SkyDome crowd was Michael Bisping, a pioneer in UK MMA.

He fought three times in Coventry, dispatching three opponents in the very first round.

These were his last fights outside of the UK, where he would go on to have an illustrious career - becoming the very first British World Champion, in 2016.

The most prolific fighter to have competed in Coventry has to be Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy.

Nottingham's Hardy fought on five out of the six Coventry shows, winning three, losing one, and one ending in a no-contest.

But Hardy was responsible for the most iconic moments to have come out of Coventry's time as the crown jewel of UK MMA.

In defeating Matt Thorpe in November 2005, he became the Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion.

Inevitably, he went on to fight for the UFC, where he became the first Brit to compete for UFC gold - coming up short in a fight which showed just how tough he is, going the distance against Georges St-Pierre, arguably one of the greatest of all time.

A strong run in 2012 came to an unfortunate end when Hardy was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, and he has not fought since.

Though he has not retired, Hardy has now found a new calling, as an MMA analyst. He regularly commentates for the UFC, and is ever present at Cage Warriors events, to this day.

This Saturday, he will take part in a meet and greet with ticket holders.

(Image: Cage Warriors)

How did it come to an end?

It's not immediately obvious why Cage Warriors left Coventry, but after May 2006, Nottingham essentially became the new home for the sport in this country.

Birmingham had its first and only Cage Warriors show in 2010, but after that, the promotion left the Midlands, and until tomorrow comes, has yet to return.

In all fairness, they have been rather busy, branching out to the Middle East, Scandinavia and central Europe during that time, but the last eight years have seen local talents having to make their names away from home.

It hasn't appeared to do them any harm, with Midlanders Tom Breese and Leon Edwards forging successful careers, competing across the globe - though Edwards never fought under the Cage Warriors banner.

Back in the Midlands

Tomorrow, Cage Warriors returns to the region, with their biggest Midlands show to date.

The promotion is set to run Cage Warriors 98 at Birmingham's Genting Arena, where stars from across the Midlands join continental talent on a stacked card.

Derbyshire's Dean Trueman and Nottingham's Adam Amarasinghe join hometown fighters Aiden Lee and Michael Younis in taking to the cage come Saturday night.

Unfortunately, Birmingham's Yannick Bahati had his fight cancelled at last minute, due to his Swedish-Brazilian opponent being unable to compete.

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At the top of the card is a welterweight world title fight, as Italy's Stefano Paterno looks to defend his gold against undefeated Scottish prospect Ross Houston.

Speaking about the welterweight title fight, Cage Warriors President Graham Boylan said: “The fans in Birmingham will be treated to a superb title fight as Stefano Paternò puts his belt on the line for the first time against Ross Houston.

“Ross is undefeated and fully deserves his shot at the title. But Stefano won the belt in impressive fashion and it’s great to see a champion so keen to get straight back in there and put his belt on the line.

“It should make for a great fight on a great night for Birmingham’s MMA fans.”

And while many of the names are unfamiliar to the casual observer now, if history is anything to go by, they could well go on to achieve big things.

Who are Cage Warriors, and can we expect to see them back in Coventry?

Compared to many sports, MMA is in its relative infancy.

And for that reason, Cage Warriors, which was founded in 2001, is one of the oldest organisations in the sport's history, and is by far the oldest, and best established in the UK.

Their first event was held in 2002, and featured two fighters who would go on to compete for the UFC - the largest organisation in the sport.

Since then, over 80 fighters from the organisation have made the step up to the UFC - including one Conor McGregor, arguably the biggest name in the sport.

The Irishman made his name wearing Cage Warriors' iconic yellow gloves, winning four out of his five fights with the company - simultaneously holding the Lightweight and Featherweight Championships.

But since the days at the Coventry SkyDome, the company has grown to be significantly bigger - hosting events at the Liverpool Echo Arena and Indigo at the O2 Arena in London.

All hope is not lost, however.

Though the SkyDome is mainly used as an ice rink, Cage Warriors have recently started running shows at the Ice Arena Wales - suggesting that there might be hope for shows in Coventry once more.

And if not there, the Ericsson Indoor Arena at the Ricoh has more than enough capacity for fight fans.

While it currently looks unlikely that the promotion will return here in the near future, there is enough infrastructure in place to never say never.

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