Welsh MMA fighter Josh 'Crazy Horse’ Reed will attempt to win the Cage Warriors Bantamweight title this Friday, as he steps up for a unique one night tournament at Cage Warriors Unplugged 2.
It will be the Blaenavon born fighter's second attempt at winning the belt, two years after losing to UFC star Nathaniel Wood, in one of the most exciting match ups the promotion has ever seen.
Reed, known for his aggressive style of fighting, heads into the tournament off the back of an impressive victory over Ayton De Paepe in Cardiff, as he initially faces hard-hitting Swiss fighter, Marko Kovacevic.
Progressing means the 28-year-old brawler will fight for a second time on the same night, taking on either Scott Malone or Jack Cartwright in the final of the tournament, with the illustrious Cage Warriors belt on the line.
Aside from the physical challenges of fighting a potential right rounds, Reed (9-3), will also have to overcome a number of mental obstacles on the night, including a break between match-ups and performing in front of a dark audience at the BT studios.
He said: " I always bring a big crowd with me so fighting in the studio will definitely be a different experience."
"As for the fights themselves I just love it and cant wait to get in there. Obviously it's going to be difficult having to go twice in one night but it's no different to my training sessions up at the gym, where we go fight after fight.
“I've stepped up my training in every area including my strength and conditioning, so physically two fights won't be a problem for me."
Cage Warriors returns with the tournament style format for the first time since 2013, when fellow Welsh fighter Brett Johns won the Bantamweight belt after a gruelling eight rounds in Cardiff.
And UFC competitor Johns now believes his fellow Welshman has an excellent shot at emulating this victory this Friday, saying: "It’s a very good opportunity for Josh and I feel like he will do very well within this format. This is a strong tournament that will be tough for anyone to win, but Reed is someone who is extremely fit and not at all afraid to fight twice in one night."
The title has also been held by Reed's team-mate Jack Shore, who recently vacated the belt for his long-awaited move to the UFC.
There is an air of quiet confidence surrounding Reed now as he leaves the mats after a training session at Tillery Combat. He believes his experiences gained in both wins and losses give him an advantage in keeping the belt in Wales for the foreseeable future.
"I lost my last title fight, but I'm ten times the fighter I was back then. You just can't buy the experiences I've had, and I've really matured as a fighter over the last year. I'm ready for anything in there now and that's the way you've got to be."
"The fact that it's two fights doesn't matter because either way I know the belt’s coming back to Wales with me, and that's going to mean the world."
Cage Warriors Unplugged 2 will be an invite-only event with no tickets being on sale for the public. It will be broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass this Friday evening, and marks the return of the promotion to BT Sport 1.
