Morgan Charriere, Max Coga to face off for vacant featherweight strap at Cage Warriors 116

Cage Warriors has wasted no time in addressing the departure to Bellator of their featherweight champion Mads Burnell, by booking a fight for the vacant strap at the organization’s upcoming triple-header.

The U.K. promotion announced Thursday that the newly-vacated 145-pound title will be contested by French contender Morgan Charriere and promotional newcomer Max Coga at Cage Warriors 116 on Saturday, Sep. 26 at the BEC Arena, Manchester, England.

After losing his Cage Warriors debut by majority decision, Charriere (15-7-1) picked up back-to-back wins against Lewis Monarch and Dean Trueman to establish himself as a legitimate contender for Cage Warriors’ 145-pound title. His knockout of former champion Trueman at Cage Warriors 109 cemented the Frenchman’s title credentials and claimed the promotion’s Knockout of the Year award in the process.

Charriere said: “I’ve worked so much to get this title shot and the opportunity to become Cage Warriors featherweight champion. You guys are in for a hell of a fight.”

Now “The Last Pirate” will take on 31-year-old German Coga (22-6-1), who has finished 19 of his 22 wins inside the distance, with 11 of them coming via submission. “Mad” Max has lost just twice since 2015 – against Timur Valiev and Lance Palmer during a stint with the PFL in 2018 – but heads to Manchester riding a two-fight win streak, thanks to a pair of victories on the regional circuit in Germany.

“I can’t wait to win another prestigious belt while entertaining an international crowd,” said Coga. “This fight has chaos and violence written all over it.”

“Cage Warriors: The Trilogy” features three events in three days at the BEC Arena in Manchester. Cage Warriors 114, 115 and 116 will be held on September 24, 25 and 26, with all three shows set to be streamed live globally on UFC Fight Pass.