Aaron Jeffery defended his CFFC Middleweight Championship for the first time on Saturday night, putting together a grinding performance against PFL alum Rex Harris for a unanimous decision outcome (40-36, 40-36 & 40-36).
The fight headlined CFFC 105, which took place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Clinch positions were heavily utilized by Jeffery in the four-round fight. He would often have Harris against the cage, using those positions to land a steady pace of strikes.
Jeffery was able to get Harris down briefly at times, although the fight was mostly on the feet. Clearly ahead in the fourth round, Jeffery started to land impactful shots to a tired Harris. These closing moments put a bow on what was a solid showing throughout from Jeffery.
Jeffery first earned his CFFC belt in March 2021, defeating Collin Huckbody via decision. He appeared later that year on a “Dana White’s Contender Series” episode, fighting for a UFC contract on the show. He lost via decision in that appearance to Caio Borralho.
Harris, a veteran of the PFL, was making his second appearance since returning to the regional scene. He scored an explosive win in his previous showing, stopping Chris Dempsey last year in the first round with strikes.
Perez Secures Hard-Fought Win To Hand Capaldo First Loss
A bloody Jose Perez prevailed in a close fight on Saturday night, winning a unanimous decision to give Paul Capaldo his first pro loss.
The first round of the bout was almost entirely on the feet, although Perez landed a takedown late in the frame. The featherweights had a close striking battle for most of that frame.
Perez got the fight to the ground in the second round after Capaldo landed some hard shots. Perez, now bloodied by strikes he previously absorbed, finished the round strong by attempting rear naked chokes and landing ground and pound.
The featherweights got into a back-and-forth shootout on the feet in the final round, both landing hard strikes that landed clean. The momentum of that battle was paused briefly in the third round due to a cut on the side of Perez’s face.
Perez got the fight back to the ground later in the third round. Despite blood dripping from Perez at a quick pace, he continued to search for submissions and remained active.
Perez has quickly put together a strong record since turning pro in 2020. He has earned six wins through seven bouts. He called for a UFC shot after the win.
“Bring me into the UFC, Dana White. I need the financial support to continue this dream,” said Perez in his post-fight interview.
Capaldo entered the weekend with a flawless record of six wins, all of which came in the CFFC cage.
Sousa Scores First-Round Submission In U.S. Debut
Undefeated prospect Manoel Sousa won his U.S. debut on Saturday night, submitting Trevor Ollison in the first round with a kimura.
The submission from Sousa came from side control. Ironically, the fight went to the ground earlier after Ollison attempted a kimura. After Sousa escaped that hold and an armbar attempt, Sousa put in the submission to get a tap.
Sousa now has eight wins since turning pro. The fight on Saturday kept his career-long record of finishing all of his fights.
Ollison was coming off a submission win he earned over Wade Johnson in November.
Tizzano Earns Decision Victory Over Pierce
Joey Tizzano defeated fellow featherweight prospect Taylor Pierce, defeating him on scorecards after three rounds.
The first round was the closest in the featherweight bout. Tizzano scored a knockdown early in the second round with a right hook. He then took the back of Pierce, where he attempted a rear naked choke. Pierce was able to escape this position and return to his feet. Tizzano landed hard shots on the feet later in the second round.
Tizzano had a fair amount of ground control to start the final round and finished the frame with more accurate striking.
Both fighters are regulars in CFFC, having both competed in the promotion numerous times.
Tizzano had a submission win in his prior showing, defeating Malek Mahmoud last year. Pierce entered the matchup on a two-fight winning streak in CFFC.
Nelson Wins CFFC Debut With First-Round Finish Against Lyons
Damion Nelson had an explosive performance for his third pro win, defeating James Lyons in the first round with strikes.
Nelson hurt Lyons in the second minute with punches, causing him to jog from one side of the cage to the other. But Nelson kept on him, landing a combination of punches and a knee that dropped Lyons and ended the fight.
After the fight it was clear that there was damage to the left eye of Nelson. He was not present in the cage while the result was read by the announcer.
Nelson was making his CFFC debut after winning his first two pro bouts for Ring of Combate in 2021.
Lyons was fighting to come back from his first pro loss, which came against Timothy Cuamba last year.
Escareno Bounces Back With Win Against Bellator Alum Glossner
Efren Escareno came back from his first pro loss with a solid grappling showcase, defeating Jeffrey Glossner via unanimous decision after three rounds.
Glossner scored a knockdown in the opening exchange of the fight, hurting Escareno with a left hook. Escareno recovered later in the round, earning a takedown and landing ground and pound on top.
Escareno secured another takedown to start the second round, this allowing him to take half guard. Glossner was able to get off his back late in the round, attempting a submission briefly before falling back into the bottom position.
Escareno had the back of Glossner for most of the final round, trying to get a choke submission while there.
Escareno bounced back from his sole pro loss with the performance. He was stopped in just 21 seconds in his prior fight, losing to Charalampos Grigoriou.
Glossner was coming off a win in Bellator, defeating Sebastian Ruiz via unanimous decision last year.
Lower On The Card
Manny Morales won his pro debut to finish the prelims, using numerous minutes of ground control in each round against Caleb Hall to get a decision win.
Ian Allston picked up an amateur belt on Saturday night, defeating Akuma Maters via unanimous decision after three rounds. Allston started the fight strong, although Maters was able to pick up his activity later in the bout and make it a close decision.
Dylan LaPalomento kept his undefeated amateur record alive, defeating Nick Gebhard on scorecards for his fourth win. LaPalomento had an impressive performance, searching for submissions in all three rounds of the fight. LaPalomento cut a promo after the fight, saying Gebhard “shouldn’t be in there” with him, and that nobody in Philadelphia can beat him.
Cameron Scalio earned his third amateur win to open the prelims, defeating 18-year-old fighter Blair Wilt via unanimous decision.
Quick Results:
Main Card (8:00PM EST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Aaron Jeffery def. Rex Harris via Decision, Unanimous (CFFC Middleweight Championship)
Bout 9: Jose Perez def. Paul Capaldo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Manoel Sousa def. Trevor Ollison via Submission, Kimura (RD 1, 2:13)
Bout 7: Joey Tizzano def. Taylor Pierce via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Damion Nelson def. James Lyons via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:08)
Bout 5: Efren Escareno def. Jeffrey Glossner via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (6:00PM EST) (Facebook / Youtube)
Bout 4: Manny Morales def. Caleb Hall via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Ian Allston def. Akuma Maters via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant CFFC Amateur Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 2: Dylan LaPalomento def. Nick Gebhard via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur Bout)
Bout 1: Cameron Scalio def. Blair Wilt via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur Bout)
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