On Saturday, Oct. 17, the prestigious Cage Warriors Fighting Championship brought an electric night of mixed martial arts action to the historic Italian capital. Broadcasting live on UFC Fight Pass starting at 1:30 p.m. ET, Cage Warriors 211 emanated from the renowned PalaPellicone in Rome, Italy, delivering a showcase that heavily favored the host nation. Billed largely as an "Italy vs. the World" card—while also featuring a select few domestic matchups between homegrown Italian talents—the event turned out to be a triumphant showcase for local mixed martial arts. When the dust settled inside the PalaPellicone, the Italian contingent had nearly run the table, leaving international opponents fighting an uphill battle all afternoon and evening. Out of a packed fight card, only two bouts resulted in a non-Italian getting his hand raised in victory.
The partisan crowd inside the arena was treated to a masterclass of regional dominance, but the spotlight shone brightest on the main event of the evening. Representing nearby Livorno, former middleweight champion Dario Bellandi made his highly anticipated return to the cage following a difficult setback earlier in the year. Back in February at Cage Warriors 200, Bellandi suffered a defeat when he lost his middleweight championship title to Paddy McCorry. Looking to put that disappointment firmly in the rearview mirror, Bellandi stepped into the PalaPellicone cage to face tough Brazilian competitor Aldo Pereira in a high-stakes divisional clash.
The main event did not disappoint, though it ended in dramatic and abrupt fashion just as the second stanza got underway. As the referee signaled the start of the second round, Bellandi wasted no time taking the center of the canvas. He uncorked a thunderous right hook that caught Pereira flush. The Brazilian suffered a delayed reaction, collapsing and sprawling across the cage floor as the impact of the blow fully registered. A momentarily confused Bellandi followed up with a swift ground strike to ensure there was no doubt, prompting the referee to immediately dive in and wave off the contest. With the emphatic stoppage victory, Bellandi successfully bounced back into the win column, improving his professional mixed martial arts record to 10-2 and firmly re-establishing himself as a premier force in the Cage Warriors middleweight division.
The co-main event provided an equally thrilling finish that kept the partisan Italian audience roaring with approval. Giuseppe Mastrogiacomo stepped into the cage against Alexis Tsarmantidis and delivered a statement-making performance. Mastrogiacomo showcased his precision and power in the opening frame, ending the contest in the very first round. The definitive moment arrived when Mastrogiacomo landed a devastating knee straight to the body of Tsarmantidis, folding his opponent and bringing an end to the bout via knockout. With the victory, Mastrogiacomo advanced his impressive professional record to 10-1, further solidifying his status as a rising star to watch within the promotion.
While the overwhelming majority of the victories on the card stayed within Italy, the few international competitors who managed to break through did so with memorable performances. The only non-Italian fighters to secure victories on the night were Elez Guri and Jurgen Koci, both of whom proudly hail from Albania. Guri put on a disciplined and tactical display over three rounds, ultimately earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory against Italian opponent Gabriele Lionetti after three closely contested frames of action. Koci delivered an even more explosive statement, scoring a spectacular standing technical knockout against Ruben Vinci. Notably, Koci achieved this feat in his professional mixed martial arts debut, announcing his arrival on the regional scene with a dramatic first-round finish.
The rest of the card was a celebration of domestic talent, featuring a series of dominant finishes and hard-fought battles across various weight classes. Enrico Di Gangi secured a second-round submission victory, forcing Tommy Brunning to tap out via an arm-triangle choke at the 2:43 mark of the second frame. Federico Rotoni also showcased his grappling prowess, locking in a tight D’Arce choke to submit Andra Gabura late in the first round with just eight seconds remaining on the clock.
In other preliminary action, Simone Ali picked up a first-round technical knockout victory over Alessandro Ortolani, finishing the contest with punches at the 4:05 mark. Christian Tosco engaged in a grueling battle with Salvatore Bellotta that extended into the championship rounds before Tosco finally secured a TKO victory via punches at 2:29 of the third round. Angelo Coppola and Jonathan Rivera fought to a competitive split draw after three rounds, with the judges turning in scorecards of 29-27, 27-29, and 28-28. Niko Ceraglia made quick work of Valentino Greco, securing a first-round TKO via punches at 4:26, while Diego Giangirolami closed out his matchup by stopping Kevin Caperna with a precise elbow strike at 2:41 of the opening frame.
