Lloyd McKinney stunned many with a quick finish win on Thursday night, catching Santo Curatolo in the first round with a knee to end their title bout.
The win, which headlined CFFC 110 from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida, USA, earned McKinney the vacant interim CFFC Flyweight Championship.
McKinney connected with a clean knee to the head of Curatolo while in a clinch position, snapping his body backwards to the canvas.
McKinney then went to the ground to follow up on the blow. Curatolo seemingly came back to his senses during this exchange and started to get up, but by then the referee had stepped in and put an end to the fight.
McKinney, a pro of over 20 fights, was making his CFFC debut. He snapped a losing streak in his previous performance, submitting veteran Nate Williams in a regional title fight.
Curatolo, a former CFFC champion, was looking to regain titleholder status with the fight. He was returning to the promotion after losing a bout on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last year.
CFFC’s current regular flyweight champ, Phumi Nkuta, couldn’t defend his title at this show due to an injury.
After claiming the interim belt, McKinney expressed interest in facing Nkuta in a title unification bout.
“We’ll be ready [to] give him the best fight we can give him,” said McKinney in his post-fight interview.
Radtke Knocks Out Short-Notice Opponent Early
Charlie Radtke had a less exciting night than originally planned, but still walked away with a first-round finish win after defeating Caleb Crump.
Radtke, who was originally scheduled to headline the card in a title fight against Eric Alequin, beat short-notice opponent Crump in the card’s co-main event spot.
Radtke knocked Crump out cold with a left hook during a striking exchange. This finish came in just the second minute of the fight, and followed up on previous moments where Radtke rocked him with strikes.
Radtke is now on a three-fight winning streak since joining CFFC in 2021. His previous victory was a split decision over Jonathan Piersma.
Following his win, Radtke stated his anger over Alequin pulling out of their previously scheduled title fight.
“I wish he was in the crowd so I could slap his b*******,” said Radtke in his post-fight interview.
Crump, the short-notice opponent for Radtke, was coming off a submission win over Brady Minner from late last year.
St. Louis Storms Matos Early For Stoppage
Kendly St. Louis showcased his dominant striking against Daniel Matos, flooring him in the second minute with punches for an early finish.
St. Louis finished the fight by coming forward with a combination of punches to Matos. He landed a series of shots while backing Matos up against the cage, but it was a left hook in particular that folded him.
St. Louis landed a few ground and pound shots before the referee stepped in to end the fight.
St. Louis has now strung together a trio of wins as a pro, marking the longest winning streak since he debuted in 2018. He won his CFFC debut earlier this year with a quick submission victory against Feraris Golden Jr.
Matos had a strong four-fight winning streak before suffering a defeat this weekend.
Grey Takes Scorecard Nod Over Lunghi
Mark Grey had a dominant performance on Thursday night, cruising to a unanimous decision victory against Shawn Lunghi.
Grey’s win came from his constant ground and pound action through all three rounds of the fight. He got Lunghi down to the canvas in every round, and was able to often land punches while on top in full guard.
Grey has now won both of his pro fights. His debut came in April, when he stopped Hector Iglesias at CFFC 107.
Before going pro, Grey atttained four wins in CFFC’s amateur divisions.
Lunghi was also coming off a strong pro debut. That win came from March, when he submitted Rodney Rampersad on a Combat Night Pro card.
Amado Finishes Returning Ojeda
Adam Amado spoiled the return of Gonzalo Ojeda, stopping him in the second round of their featherweight bout.
Amado closed out his dominant fight against Ojeda late in the second round with ground and pound shots. His steady pace of strikes eventually opened cuts on Ojeda, causing the fight to end.
Amado succeeded with a similar style in the first round as well, succeeding with shots on the ground.
Ojeda was appearing for the first time since 2014. He was returning to the sport with a record of three wins and one loss.
Amado now has an even record of one win and one loss. That prior fight was a 2021 loss to Brandon Moran.
Molina Stops Hernandez For First Pro Win
Jeff Molina opened the main card with a big finish win, stopping Jesus Hernandez with ground and pound shots.
Molina knocked out Hernandez with a series of punches from full mount late in the round. The finishing sequence capped off a dominant round overall from Molina, which saw him succeed on the feet earlier and earn a few minutes of ground control.
Molina was able to get the fight to the ground in the second minute, knocking Hernandez down with a clean right hook.
The fight earned Molina his first victory since turning pro. He had an unsuccessful debut in March, losing a decision to Itso Babulaidze at CFFC 106.
Hernandez was coming off a submission win that he earned against Solomon Maldonado in March. He now has a negative pro record of one win and two losses.
The Rest of the Card
Willie Tarpley scored a first-round injury win over Rashaun Jackson in the final prelim. This injury came due to a knee strike that Tarpley landed to a leg of Jackson in the second minute of their bout.
Tyler Keating scored his first pro win on Thursday night, stopping Solomon Maldonado in the first round with ground and pound shots from the back.
Max Quinones had a strong pro debut on the prelims, using his stand-up skills to defeat Guilherme Crossi via unanimous decision at flyweight.
Morquez Forest remained undefeated as an amateur, prevailing in an incredibly close split decision win over Theoren Thron. The win made Forest the new CFFC Amateur Welterweight Champion.
Otis Page Jr. snapped a two-fight losing streak at amateur, dropping Kaven Mindel in the first round with a strong right cross. The finish capped off a successful striking performance from Page Jr.
Quick Results
Main Card (9:00PM EDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 11: Lloyd McKinney def. Santo Curatolo via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:15) (Vacant Interim CFFC Flyweight Championship)
Bout 10: Charles Radtke def. Caleb Crump via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:48)
Bout 9: Kendly St. Louis def. Daniel Matos via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:17)
Bout 8: Mark Grey def. Shawn Lunghi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Adam Amado def. Gonzalo Ojeda via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:12)
Bout 6: Jorge Molina def. Jesus Hernandez via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:47)
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT) (Youtube)
Bout 5: Willie Tarpley def. Rashaun Jackson via TKO, Injury (RD 1, 1:18)
Bout 4: Tyler Keating def. Solomon Maldonado via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:27)
Bout 3: Max Quinones def. Guilherme Crossi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Morquez Forest def. Theoren Thorn via Decision, Split (Vacant CFFC Amateur Welterweight Championship)
Bout 1: Otis Page Jr. def. Kaven Mindel via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:38) (Amateur)
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