A late setback stole the spotlight from an otherwise high-action Cage Warriors (CW) card, even as CW outpaced UFC’s Fight Night. With over half of the bouts on the card ending inside the distance, CW 205 delivered as an all-around entertainer. Yet the absence of the headlining bout left a noticeable gap.

Already hit by a string of cancelled fights, the event staged at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena faced another blow when it emerged that welterweight champion Justin Burlinson would not be available to defend his title against Sean Clancy Jr.

“Cage Warriors confirms that tonight’s scheduled main event between Justin Burlinson and Sean Clancy Jr. will be rescheduled,” a statement read.

Cage Warriors explained that Burlinson, who became their welterweight champion 12 months ago, suffered a “superficial laceration to his forearm” at the event hotel, resulting in five stitches. The promotion, meanwhile, decided to move ahead with the card.

“CW 205 Glasgow will proceed as planned,” they confirmed. “With Aidan Stephen vs. Joshua Abraham moving into the headline slot. Further updates, including a new date for the rescheduled main event, will be announced in due course.”

That said, the version of events did not go unchallenged.

Champion’s camp breaks silence, reveals the true extent of fight-day injury

A message from one of Burlinson’s team members quickly offered a different account. Detailing the incident, Charles Joyner presented a version that contrasted sharply with Cage Warriors’ official statement.

In its message, the promotion that produced UFC fighters such as Conor McGregor, Paddy Pimblett, and Tom Aspinall stated that Burlinson received five stitches, while Joyner revealed a significantly higher number.

“So by now you will have seen the news that Justin Burlinson has had to withdraw from his fight with Sean Clancy Jr.,” he said in a video message. “It’s been advertised that he’s had to withdraw after getting a superficial laceration with only five stitches. That is not true.”

“As you will see from these videos, the laceration is deep, and he lost a lot of blood this morning. He also received 25 stitches in total, 10 inside the wound because the wound was deep, and 15 on the outside of the wound.”

Joyner then explained how the injury occurred. The fighter got injured on the morning of the fight when a soap dish in his shower broke, cutting his arm badly and causing heavy bleeding.

Even though he wanted to fight, Joyner said that, as his team members, they stopped him because the injury was serious and fresh. They felt it would be unsafe for him to compete after losing so much blood and instead suggested moving the fight to another event.

“Now there is also a card in Newcastle on July the 4th,” Joyner added. “This is a perfect place for the fight to actually happen. It’s 10 weeks away; let’s make the fight for them.”

For Burlinson, the withdrawal is a significant setback, interrupting his recent momentum. The Englishman, who turns 29 next month, has been on a four-fight win streak since the 2022 loss to Rhys McKee.

He previously competed on Dana White’s Contender Series, where he suffered a loss, but worked his way back to a stage where a UFC opportunity appeared within reach. Last year, he reportedly traveled to Qatar at his own expense to serve as a standby fighter in case of a late replacement.

That progress has paused for now. If he recovers as expected, Burlinson should be right back in the mix and potentially closer than ever to a UFC opportunity.