What Conor McGregor did before hitting the big time was incredibly tough, as Karl Moore found out on Saturday.
It was a valiant effort, but sadly, Karl Moore came up short at Cage Warriors 92.
After winning the light heavyweight strap in Dublin's 3Arena last March, the Belfast man eyed up another belt. He had heavyweight champion Mauro Cerilli in his sights. Moore was booked to fight the Italian power-puncher twice before, but the third time proved to be the charm in London.
Had the 26-year-old won, he would have become the first fighter since Conor McGregor to become a double-champion of the regional promotion. In 2012, 'The Notorious' won the featherweight belt by submitting Dave Hill before becoming the lightweight champion by knocking out Ivan Buchinger. Two months later, the UFC announced that the Dubliner had been added to their roster.
https://twitter.com/KOKINGS4/status/956447622713298944
The Hurt Business
Despite moving up a division, Moore was the betting favourite against Cerilli. He entered into the bout off the back of three consecutive victories, one win shy of the 34-year-old's streak.
Once he set foot in the cage, Moore stared down his adversary. He did not take his eyes off the Italian for the duration of the fighter introductions. Cerilli, on the other hand, kept his eyes shut. Once the fight started though, they widened as leather flew wildly with intent.
Moore immediately took the centre of the canvas, landing a clean left hand straight off the bat. However, Cerilli marched forward, landed a big right, scored a couple of knees in the clinch before finishing the fight with a thunderous right hand.
Just like that, it was all over.Credit to referee Marc Goddard for stepping in when he did to ensure Moore didn't receive any more unnecessary damage.
https://twitter.com/CageWarriors/status/977632675157569537
