Cage Warriors Dublin: Ryan Shelly aims to get back on track with a win in the RDS

As Cage Warriors makes its return to Dublin, one Irish fighter who will be out to prove a point is featherweight Ryan Shelly.

This weekend will see the RDS host the action, with Cage Warriors 161 showing some of the best talent Irish MMA has to offer. Amongst them, is Ryan Shelly, with a 6-1 record, who faces Jordy Bakkes on the main card.

Ahead of his bout, Shelly spoke to Breakingnews.ie, and revealed preparations for this weekend's fight couldn't have gone better, as he looks to put on an impressive performance for the home crowd.

"I found out about the fight in July, and as soon as I heard about the fight being announced, I hit the ball rolling with training straight away. It's one of the few times I have been injury free for a full training camp, so it feels good.

"When I fought back in April in the 3Arena, it was my first time fighting in Dublin in a long time, and it was fantastic having all the Irish people there.

"That support, hearing everyone screaming and shouting, it certainly lifts the mood, but when you get in the cage, part of you needs to leave that at the door.

For the first time in his professional career, Shelly is preparing for a fight after a defeat. His last bout in April saw him lose to Tobias Haila via TKO in round three.

While some fighters would have found it difficult to overcome this setback, Shelly saw this as a moment to improve his skills and improve as a fighter.

I have just been focusing on the holes I had in the last fight. Hopefully, I will close a few of the gaps that I have been showing

"It would have been great to get the win, but I took it as a big lesson. Sure, you learn a lot from the wins, but after coming off that loss, I said let's go back to the drawing board, reassess a few