A charged atmosphere enveloped the octagon at Cage Warriors 189 in Rome as Northern Ireland’s Paddy McCorry secured a dominant unanimous decision victory over Israel’s Shuki Farage in their catchweight contest.
The judges’ scorecards revealed the one-sided nature of the bout, with McCorry earning scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 30-26 across all three rounds. However, it wasn’t just McCorry’s technical performance that captured attention, but what appeared to be politically charged exclamations during the contest.
Cageside footage circulating on social media appears to show McCorry shouting “Free Palestine” repeatedly while hammering at his Israeli opponent. The clip has quickly gone viral, drawing both support and criticism from fans and commentators across the combat sports community.
The match was part of Cage Warriors’ main card in Rome, featuring athletes from diverse international backgrounds. While the organization prides itself on being a platform for sporting excellence rather than political statements, this incident has ignited debate about the place of geopolitical expressions within professional combat sports.
Neither has released an official statement regarding the incident, though representatives from Cage Warriors are expected to address the situation in coming days.
Sports analysts note that while MMA has historically been a space where athletes express national pride, direct political statements targeted at opponents based on their nationality cross into controversial territory.
The remainder of the Cage Warriors 189 event featured several compelling matchups, including Giacomo Michelis edging out Sado Uçar via split decision in the welterweight division, and impressive submission victories from Ryan Shelley and Nicolò Solli in their respective bouts.
