CFFC has a busy evening of fights scheduled to take place Friday at the Horseshoe Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi, USA. At the top of the prospect-heavy card is a matchup that will see one name become a champion by the end. Competing for CFFC’s vacant middleweight belt, undefeated Miles Lee and returning talent Donovan Beard will face off.
A full preview of the show can be read here.
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Preliminary Card (Youtube)
Bout 1: Chris Betancourt (0-0) vs. Alzarius Boykins (0-0) (Amateur Catchweight 150 lbs)
In the first of four amateur bouts on the card, both Chris Betancourt and Alzarius Boykins will debut as amateur fighters. There is little information online about either fighter currently, due to neither of them competing in MMA before. It looks that Boykins has a history in freestyle wrestling, having previously captained the team at Williams Baptist University.
Bout 2: Gilbert Cuzdey Jr. (1-3-1) vs. Casey McDonald (3-2) (Amateur Featherweight)
Amateur fighters aiming to break losing streaks will meet next. At featherweight, Gilbert Cuzdey Jr. and Casey McDonald will face off.
Cuzdey Jr. won his debut back in 2019, submitting Corre Bentley in the first round. But he has only struggled since then, suffering three losses and one draw in more recent appearances.
McDonald is also currently in a slump, although not as much as Cuzdey Jr. He started his career with three wins and has since suffered two straight defeats.
Bout 3: Nick Delahoussaye (2-2) vs. Kris Cloud (0-0) (Amateur Featherweight)
In another amateur debut, Kris Cloud will make his first walk to the cage against Nick Delahoussaye.
Delahoussaye has an even record of two wins and two losses. He started with a pair of defeats but has recently bounced back with two victories. His last win was just 58 seconds, catching Casey McDonald with punches in March.
There is little information online about Cloud.
Bout 4: Chase Mann (2-1) vs. Quadarrius McGinnis (7-4) (Amateur Welterweight)
In the final amateur fight on the card, Chase Mann and Quadarrius McGinnis will battle.
Mann has previously appeared for CFFC. He competed on a November 2021 card, when he submitted Andrew Horowitz in just over a minute with a front choke.
Mann has earned his first amateur loss since then, recently losing to Jarious Gill on an Attitude MMA Fights card. He will look to bounce back in his return to CFFC this weekend.
McGinnis is the most experienced amateur on this card, having already fought 11 times. He has flipped between winning in losing during more recent appearances for regional promotion B2 Fighting Series.
Bout 5: Petera Wilson (0-0) vs. Stan Tippins (2-1) (Heavyweight)
In the first of three pro debuts on the main card, Petera Wilson will face Stan Tippins.
Wilson put together an impressive record as an amateur, scoring five wins and one loss from 2019 to 2021. His run started with his sole defeat, but he has yet to lose since then. His final amateur fight was for CFFC in November 2021, defeating Calvin Watkins on scorecards.
Tippins has scored two wins and one loss since debuting in 2020. He bounced back from that one blemish on his record in January, defeating Cody Phillips on scorecards.
Bout 6: Nehemias Cruz (0-2) vs. Dakota Smith (0-0) (Flyweight)
Both fighting for their first pro win, Nehemias Cruz and Dakota Smith will fight at flyweight.
Cruz has been unsuccessful through two pro bouts. His first defeat came at CFFC 103, when Joe Tran submitted him via armbar. He has succumb to that submission once more since then, losing to Shane Bridges in March.
Smith had a flawless amateur career, picking up six wins from 2018 to 2021. He appeared in CFFC once along the way, defeating Trinity Swint in 2020.
Bout 7: Joe Tran (1-1) vs. Kris Williams (0-0) (Flyweight)
The prelims will wrap up with a fight between Joe Tran and Kris Williams.
Tran debuted last year as a pro. While he lost his debut to Ben Coyle via stoppage, he returned just three months later to submit Nehemias Cruz for his first win.
Williams had a brief but successful amateur career, earning a trio of victories in recent years.
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 8: TJ Welch (2-2) vs. Jonathan Piersma (3-1) (Welterweight)
The main card will kick off with a welterweight bout between TJ Welch and Jonathan Piersma.
Piersma is somewhat of a CFFC veteran now, having appeared for them four times since his 2020 debut. He is coming off his first pro loss, which saw him suffer a split decision loss to Charlie Radtke in March.
Welch is on a run currently. His career as a pro started with two losses, but he has earned a pair of finish wins recently. In his sole CFFC bout thus far, Welch submitted Kristien Ruffin in just over a minute with a rear naked choke.
Welch’s last fight, an April appearance for Attitude MMA Fights, saw him stop Jordan Carpenter in the first round with strikes. This weekend marks the most experienced opponent Welch has faced thus far, as many previous foes were making their pro debut or had minimal experience.
Bout 9: Trey Manley (3-1) vs. Isaack Watkins (1-0) (Lightweight)
Hot off a successful pro debut, Issack Watkins will face Trey Manley on Friday’s main card.
Watkins debuted in April with a split decision victory over Victor Silveiro. This came after a strong amateur career, scoring three wins from 2019 to 2021.
Manley has already competed four times as a pro, providing a tough test for the rising Watkins. While he will be appearing for the first time in over a year this weekend, he has the momentum of a three-fight winning streak from the regional scene with him.
Bout 10: Reginald Adams (6-3) vs. Justice Lamparez (6-5) (Featherweight)
Justice Lamparez will take his busy 2022 to the CFFC cage this weekend for a bout against Reginald Adams.
Lamparez has already scored two wins this year, competing twice under Bayou FC. His last win came just last month, submitting Clarence Brown in the first round with an arm triangle choke.
Adams will be fighting to come back from a recent loss. He was unsuccessful in an appearance at CFFC 95 in 2021, losing a decision to Jesse Stirn. Now after more than a year outside of the cage, Adams will attempt to bounce back.
Bout 11: DeAndre Anderson (5-2) vs. Beau Samaniego (3-1) (Featherweight)
Beau Samaniego will return to the CFFC cage this weekend to face DeAndre Anderson.
Samaniego’s sole CFFC appearance was an unsuccessful showing, getting submitted by James Lyons in 2021. He has succeeded around the regional scene since then, including a recent decision victory over Alberto Rodriguez at LFA 123.
Anderson is fighting to get out of the first losing streak of his career. He lost a CFFC title fight late last year, suffering a submission defeat to Da’Mon Blackshear. He was unsuccessful in his next fight as well, getting caught in a kneebar by Ricardo Fuentes in May.
Just under a year ago, Anderson was an undefeated fighter that was rising up the scene. This weekend he has the chance to get some momentum back and stop himself from slipping into a three-fight skid.
Bout 12: Raheam Forest (4-0) vs. Trevor Ollison (5-4) (Welterweight)
Undefeated Raheam Forest will meet Trevor Ollison in this weekend’s co-main event fight at welterweight.
Forest is coming off a highly successful rookie year as a pro. He scored four wins within a 12-month time period, with three of those appearances ending via finish. In August 2021, he stopped Colin Parr as part of an LFA card. In his CFFC debut last year, he went the distance against then-undefeated Donovan Beard for a unanimous decision win.
Forest is now facing Ollison, an experienced name on the regional scene. Ollison won his CFFC debut last year, submitting Wade Johnson quickly with a kimura. He took a submission loss in his last fight, dropping a bout to rising prospect Manoel Sousa.
Bout 13: Miles Lee (3-0) vs. Donovan Beard (6-1) (Vacant CFFC Middleweight Championship)
Miles Lee and Donovan Beard will compete to become the eighth ever CFFC Middleweight Champion in Friday’s main event.
Former CFFC Middleweight Champion, Aaron Jeffery, recently vacated his belt to join the Bellator roster. Due to this move, the belt is fully up for grabs at the moment.
Lee has earned three wins as a pro, with all of them coming inside the CFFC cage last year. His last fight was his biggest victory, scoring a split decision victory over Earl Small – a fighter who had an undefeated record of four wins at the time.
Lee will now get an even bigger test that he must pass to call himself champion.
Beard has a strong pro record of six wins and just one loss. That singular defeat came late last year, when he dropped a bout to Raheam Forest at CFFC 103. He has since returned from that loss, stopping Tracy Hardy within a round on a regional card in May.
A win on Friday will be a big step in the career of either fighter who wins. It could be undefeated Lee, or the explosive Beard.
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