Scottish Bantamweight Aidan Stephen has penned a multi-fight extension with Cage Warriors.
‘The Phenomenal’ will make the walk for the first time since 2021, this Saturday (April 20) against Gianluca Scottoli at the Braehead Arena, Glasgow. Stephen has signed the deal as he hunts down the 135lbs World Championship.
Stephen will be hoping third time is a charm, with the Scotsman having looked to have made his comeback twice last year. He should have been back in action at Cage Warriors 151 in March 2023 in a Featherweight contest against Matthew Camilleri however, the Maltese athlete had to pull out of the bout due to complications when cutting weight.
The second date slated for Stephen to make his return was November 25th at Cage Warriors 164, when he was set to drop to Bantamweight and take on Daan Duijs. Lightning struck twice for the Scotsman as the bout was once again pulled at the 11th hour following complications with rehydration for Duijs.
Following the Cage Warriors 164 withdrawal, Cage Warriors released a video with Stephen who vented his frustrations and outlined his goals for 2024, including this upcoming Glasgow card. He said:
“I want to be champion. I have wanted to be champion since day one but never more than now. This is it, I am going for that title shot and if I don’t get the title shot, a title eliminator. I just can’t wait to put on that performance in front of my countrymen in Scotland. I don’t know, I am just frustrated. This is the second time this has happened to me this year. The day of the fight and I just find out I’ve not got an opponent. It is a very hard thing to take but I have got to try and remain professional. I’ll get back to the gym, I’ll be even better. I mean this version of myself, just now, I’ll beat anyone in the Bantamweight division. So another three months, you know, just getting better. God help them all.”
Scottoli will be the man looking to upset the party for Stephen. The Italian is in incredible form, entering his Cage Warriors 171 bout riding a cool four fight win streak – with three of his four recent victories coming by way of unanimous decision. He is no stranger to upsetting the applecart, having ended Sam Kelly’s perfect promotional record at Cage Warriors 158.
Stephen fought against Cage Warriors’ elite whilst up at Featherweight, facing the likes of Kingsley Crawford, Tobias Harila and Paul Hughes. Sizeable at 145lbs, ‘The Phenomenal’ will no doubt be one of the biggest athletes in the Cage Warriors Bantamweight division.
Following the multi-fight extension and ahead of his highly anticipated return to the cage, Stephen had a short but direct message in regards to what fans can expect from him on Saturday night.
"In my head, I am already the Bantamweight Champion. After Cage Warriors 171, the whole world will think the same."
