Nathan Fletcher is set to return to the octagon next month, taking on Brazilian fighter Thomas Bryan at Cage Warriors 160.
The 25-year-old is another talented student of the renowned team at Next Generation MMA, a Liverpudlian gym with a host of notable athletes. Fletcher’s record stands at 8-1, with six submission stoppages and just one fight going the distance.
He comes into the contest off the back of two successive victories against Alessandro Giordano and Daan Duijs respectively. The Englishman’s sole loss came towards the end of 2021, coming up short against now-PFL fighter Dominique Wooding in a bantamweight title decider.
Bryan, his upcoming opponent, remains relatively unknown to the Cage Warriors fanbase. The 24-year-old will be making his promotion debut, having fought in Brazilian outfit Predador previously. Bryan’s record stands at 5-1, going unbeaten since his professional debut back in 2019.
Nathan Fletcher on Cage Warriors 160
Fletcher’s fight camp has been well-underway for a number of weeks now. The bantamweight contender will be looking for his ninth professional victory in ten fights, and has been ready since last leaving the octagon back in April.
He said: “I’ve actually been training for a fight for the best part of three or four months. I wasn’t sure when I was going to be getting back in there.
“My last victory I obviously came away with a first round finish, no injuries or nothing. Came back to the gym after April … obviously I’ve been taking little de-load weeks here and there so I don’t burn myself out.
“I’ve been ready for a fight all summer. I’m definitely deep into camp now and I’m just chomping at the bit to go now. September 29th can’t come quick enough.”
Cage Warriors are well-renowned for organising some of the European circuit’s largest bouts. Promotion owner Graham Boylan has a plethora of talent within his ranks, and Fletcher has been handed another shot at a dangerous opponent.
The 25-year-old continued: “Thomas’ name probably got given to me two or three weeks ago. Normally the way it goes in my career is I get offered a name, and then something goes wrong with that so we get another name … By the end of the camp I’ve gone through about five or six names.
“Whereas with this one I wasn’t too sure what show I was going to come back on. When they said the Manchester card was going to be an option, I thought ‘I want to fight on that’. It’s close to home, it’ll do a lot of tickets. I like the venue, it’s easy for me and I can drive down to the venue on fight day.
“Thomas was the first opponent I was offered for Manchester … it was all signed and sealed within a two week window from hearing about it.”
Thomas Bryan – The Opponent
Footage of Bryan is fairly limited due to the fact he fights and trains solely out of Brazil. The 24-year-old does fight out of Chute Boxe Academy, the same gym as UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira.
Students of the academy are also taught by former UFC welterweight and now-professional coach Dhiego Lima. Despite a lack of understanding from the majority of Cage Warriors enthusiasts, Fletcher feels more than prepared.
The Englishman said: “There’s not a lot of fight footage, highlights or training clips … He seems well-rounded, a bit wild to be honest, happy to exchange in the pocket and happy getting hit, which I don’t think is going to serve him very well fighting me.
“He over-extends, he’s open to be taken down, he’s open to be countered, and I just believe I’m a better all-round mixed martial artist than him.
“[He’s a] solid opponent, but I think I’m above the whole European and regional scene that I’m on now. I’m excited to prove that against a Brazilian, and keep proving I’m the best bantamweight outside the UFC.”
Fletcher’s aggressive grappling style is a key threat, with all of his submissions coming in the form of a rear-naked or triangle choke.
When asked whether his submissions could be exploited against Bryan, he responded: “Definitely. I think I can choke out anyone in the world at 135 lbs. My grappling is to such a high level that, when people get in there with me they fear it. They always end up exposing their back or neck.
“But we’ll see. I want to start getting some knockouts to be honest, start letting my hands go a little bit more.
“Perhaps this will be the fight where I can showcase a bit more of my striking … but I’m not going to be drawing it out and making it longer than it needs to be.”
Cage Warriors 160 will take place at Manchester’s BEC Arena on September 29th. Nathan Fletcher vs. Thomas Bryan will act as the card’s co-main event at present.
Do you believe Nathan Fletcher will beat Thomas Bryan at Cage Warriors 160? Do you think he should be fighting for the title? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured image credits to Instagram: @nathanfletcher_
