'I will be back' vows Corby's Vucenic after he's left heartbroken by title defeat

Corby's Jordan Vucenic was left devastated after his defeat to Paul Hughes at Cage Warriors 145. Pictures by Dolly Clew

Jordan Vucenic vowed “I will be back” after he was left “heartbroken” by his brutal defeat at the hands of Paul Hughes last Friday night.

The Corby MMA star suffered a unanimous points decision loss to his Irish rival who became the undisputed Cage Warriors featherweight champion in the process.

Vucenic was left with severe facial injuries after the bout at the Indigo At The O2 in London in what had been billed as the biggest rematch in Cage Warriors history after ‘The Epidemic’ had previously scored a split decision win over Hughes.

Writing on Instagram, Vucenic said: “Tough night in the office.

Jordan Vucenic lands a punch on Paul Hughes

“Congratulations to @paulhughesmma you were the better man and I wish you all the success in your career.

“I was ready to die in that cage, I’m absolutely heartbroken, but the goal remains the same.

“I will be back and I will be a @ufc fighter one day, mark my words.”

Hughes paid an emotional tribute to Vucenic after his dominant victory, which saw him sweep the scorecards (49-46, 50-43, 49-43).

Jordan Vucenic soaks in the atmosphere during his walk-in

The rematch came after Vucenic had beaten Hughes on a split decision in 2020.

“I feel like I relate to that man (Vucenci) more than I do with 99.9 per cent of people on the planet,” Hughes said on Cage Warriors’ YouTube channel.

“He’s got a young family and he’s just trying to make it in this game like I am.

“I saw his coaches and how heartbroken they were and I know, if the roles were reversed, how that would be for my team.

“It’s the fight game, unfortunately. I wish it was someone else I had to take it away from.

“I love the guy and people know that.

“Competition is competition but I love Jordan Vucenic because he’s just like Paul Hughes.”