Since forming in 2006, Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) has become one of the more prominent regional MMA promotions in the United States. The promotion has hosted many big talents, including names like Aljamain Sterling, Paul Felder, Anthony Smith, Katlyn Chookagian, and more.
CFFC will celebrate its 100th event on Thursday night. Continuing their expansion throughout the country, the promotion will make their debut in Tampa, Florida, when heading to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel for CFFC 100.
In the main event of the evening, CFFC Lightweight Champion Zulkarnaiyn Kamchybekov will look to defend his belt for the first time when fighting Blake Smith.
Here’s a full preview of the card.
Click here to skip to a preview of the main card.
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Bout 1: Lucas LaRue (1-1) vs. Itso Babulaidze (2-2) (Amateur Welterweight)
In the first of three amateur bouts on the card, Lucas LaRue will take on Itso Babulaidze. One thing that can be pointed out about this card is that despite many of the fighters representing northern U.S. states like New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania, many of them appear on this CFFC card as well. That’s the case with Babulaidze, who has fought his entire four-fight amateur career in CFFC.
Bublaidze started his amateur run off strong in 2020, earning two wins in the year. Things haven’t been as good for him in 2021, as he has dropped two bouts and evened his record to two wins and two losses.
LaRue is coming off his first win, which came against Chase Dye in May.
Bout 2: Jesse Romano (2-1) vs. Andres Davalos (2-0) (Amateur Catchweight 160 lbs)
Undefeated amateur Andres Davalos will meet Jesse Romano in the second bout of the card.
Davalos has earned a stoppage win in his two previous appearances, finishing one opponent with strikes and submitting the other.
Romano bounced back from his sole amateur loss earlier this year, submitting Juan Roberto Lopez within a round with a rear naked choke.
Both fighters will be making their CFFC debut.
Bout 3: Vashawn Pope (6-0) vs. Carlos Martinez (5-0) (Amateur Middleweight)
Amateurs with impressive flawless records will collide in the third prelim. With a combined record of 11 wins, Vashawn Pope and Carlos Martinez will meet at middleweight.
Pope has fought as an amateur since early 2020, having picked up six wins in that time. He last fought four months back, going to a decision win against 15-fight vet Monte Morrison.
Martinez will be returning after not competing in 2020 and most of 2021, per Tapology. He fought five times in his rookie year as an amateur.
Bout 4: Quintin Bray (0-1) vs. William Rentz (0-0) (Lightweight)
In the first pro bout of the evening, William Rentz will make his pro debut when facing Quitin Bray.
Rentz is turning pro after having a flawless amateur run of five wins from 2019 to 2021. His run included four stoppage victories.
Bray will be looking for his first pro win. He lost his pro debut over three years ago, getting stopped within a round due to strikes.
Bout 5: Brandon Moran (0-0) vs. Adam Amano (0-0) (Featherweight)
The prelims will wrap up with a double pro debut between featherweights Brandon Moran and Adam Amano.
Moran had an undefeated amateur run from 2016 to 2020, scoring four wins in regional promotion NFC.
Amano has more fights under his belt but has been active for a shorter period of time. Since debuting in 2018, Amano has scored six wins through eight appearances.
Main Card (8:00PM EDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 6: Brandon Murphy (0-0) vs. Dave Romano (0-0) (Lightweight)
Another pair of pro MMA newcomers will kick off the main card, as Brandon Murphy and Dave Romano will square off on Thursday.
Romano fought on the amateur scene for four years, per MMA database Tapology. He scored six wins through nine appearances, finishing his run as an amateur with a second-round submission in May.
Murphy is making the switch to pro after a rocky amateur career of three wins and two losses.
Bout 7: Brandon Lopez (3-2) vs. Charlie Radtke (3-3) (Welterweight)
Welterweights Brandon Lopez and Charlie Radtke will fight on Thursday’s main card.
Lopez is coming off a split decision loss he took just last month against Devon Dixon on a Titan FC card. He has only fought as a pro for over a year, having turned pro in early 2020.
Radtke also took a loss in his last outing, getting stopped in March by Justin Montalvo. The Bellator alum has an even pro record of three wins and losses each.
Bout 8: Michael Dufort (7-3) vs. Troy Gerhart (8-4) (Lightweight)
Troy Gerhart will make his return to CFFC when facing Michael Dufort on the main card.
Gerhart has competed in CFFC before, but his fight dated back to 2014 at CFFC 39. While that bout was a loss, he is now on a two-fight winning streak. He has been somewhat inactive in recent years, having only fought twice since 2016.
Like Gerhart, Dufort is coming back after a short layoff. The Canadian talent earned a stoppage victory in his last bout, which was in September 2019.
Bout 9: Paris Artis (4-0) vs. Feraris Golden (3-1) (Lightweight)
Undefeated lightweight Paris Artis will be paired against Feraris Golden on Thursday night. Both fighters might be familiar to CFFC viewers, as they have both appeared on recent shows from the promotion.
Golden took his first pro loss just two months back, getting submitted by Ryan Rizco via rear naked choke. He won his promotional debut earlier in the year, taking a scorecard win over Nick Giuletti.
Artis has yet to lose as a pro and has maintained a 100 percent finish rate. He made a statement in his CFFC debut last year, scoring a first-round head kick victory against Ryan Rizco.
Bout 10: Jason Eastman (6-3) vs. Andrew Richardson (4-0) (Flyweight)
Flyweights will meet in the co-main event as unbeaten Andrew Richardson meets Jason Eastman.
Richardson is making his CFFC debut after picking up four wins on the regional scene from 2018 to 2020. He has yet to go the distance as a pro. His sole bout that escaped the first round concluded in the third due to his opponent being disqualified.
In his last fight, Eastman handed Gustavo Villamil his first pro loss on a Titan FC card. He has the chance to do that yet again on Thursday when fighting Richardson.
Eastman has a clear experience advantage in this bout, having over double the number of pro bouts, including some back in 2014.
Bout 11: Zulkarnaiyn Kamchybekov (5-1) vs. Blake Smith (5-2) (CFFC Lightweight Championship)
Zulkarnaiyn Kamchybekov will look to continue his hot run in CFFC in the main event, putting his lightweight belt on the line against Blake Smith.
Kamchybekov has made a name for himself in CFFC recently, scoring three stoppage victories over the past year. He claimed the promotion’s belt in his last appearance, earning a second-round stoppage win against then-undefeated Jesse Smith in April.
He now challenges Smith, who enters CFFC with seven pro bouts. He has won his last two, although he has been out of the cage for over a year. His last win was a split decision victory against Carlos Alexandre on a Combat Quest card.
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