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The promotion that churned out stars like Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy, Conor McGregor, Paddy Pimblett and many more has never had a shortage of talent to keep an eye on. Double champs, Fight of the Year winners, biggest stars in TUF, biggest star in combat sports, you name it, Cage Warriors has had a guy. With everything we’ve seen so far from one of the most impressive promotions to ever do it, have we ever seen somebody quite like Dom Wooding?

In half the time it takes for UFC fans to see Paddy “The Baddy” step foot in the UFC Octagon, Wooding was able to make his Cage Warriors debut, win the title, defend it and land on the UFC FIGHT PASS Fighters to Watch list.

How has he made such a jump after coming into the promotion barely over .500?

“KOs put bums in seats.”

Wooding has made highlight reels out of a champ and two contenders in the pinnacle of European MMA,  and while he stands with some of the sport’s biggest names as a Cage Warriors champion, has his run of three finishes in three months almost been too dominant?

Have the fans had time to marinate in his supremacy?

“When I signed with Cage Warriors I knew I wasn’t going to be here long but I’m going to make an impactful run and that’s what I’ve done,” Wooding said. “People will definitely remember me being a Cage Warriors champ and remember my run. It was very impactful, and a lot of people remember knockouts. KOs put bums in seats. Everyone loves a knockout; it’s what gets the fans talking.”

He already sees a path to the UFC, and how could he not? His one concern coming into “the show” is that while everybody loves an exciting style, there aren’t a lot of people out there calling for Edson Barboza’s or Shane Burgos’ head, giving that extra incentive to mark your calendar.

The silent assassin he’s become in Cage Warriors may have to make a transformation sooner rather than later and he’s the first to admit it.

“That’s up to me to try and create because when I do get into the UFC I want to be a top contender and a champion,” Wooding said. “With me being inside the UFC I’ve got to make a bit of noise. Closed mouths don’t get fed.”

Wooding may see a bit of work to do on the “fight promotion” side of his game, but already feels like he matches up well with some of the bantamweights in the UFC. Fights with JP Buys and Kevin Natividad are the exact matchups he’d like to see when he eventually does make his debut. The stylistic matchup and the pedigrees of both men are the exact recipe for Wooding to make the Khaos Williams-esque debut splash that he’s after.

“I like the Khaos Williams example,” Wooding said. “You’ve got guys like Terrance McKinney who comes in short notice and has a seven-second knockout. I’m ready to bring the ruckus like when I came into Cage Warriors. Everything I said I was going to do when I came in, I did. I’m a devastating finisher and what puts butts in seats? Finishes.”

Wooding has heavyweight power in bantamweight hands, so a short-notice call isn’t out of the question, but for now he’s still the standing Cage Warriors bantamweight champion with no shortage of challengers waiting.

There’s no fight on the books as of right now, but wherever he’s at, he plans to end the show quickly.

“Fans don’t remember decision machines,” Wooding said. “Within my pro career I’ve got knockouts in rounds one, two and round three. The power is still there. I’ve got a 100% finish rate and I’m there to knock people out, always.”

Go back and relive all the fights that took Dom Wooding from 6-4 to 2022 FIGHT PASS Fighter to Watch by signing up TODAY for UFC FIGHT PASS!

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