Undefeated Greg Velasco earned the vacant CFFC Heavyweight Championship on Saturday night, going four rounds against Kevin Sears for a unanimous decision victory.
Velasco’s win headlined CFFC 113 from the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA
Velasco dominated every round of the fight. He controlled nearly every moment of the 20-minute bout in full mount or clinch positions. He remained active while in control, scoring with punches or searching for submissions.
Velasco nearly finished the fight early, moving from full mount into an armbar attempt that Sears was able to escape.
Velasco has now attained five wins since debuting just last year, with all of the victories coming within the CFFC cage. Saturday was the first time that he went the distance in a pro fight.
The newly crowned champ remained humble after the fight, not calling for any particular bigger opportunity in the sport just yet.
“When the time comes, it comes. Otherwise I’m enjoying the process [and] enjoying the journey,” said Velasco in his post-fight interview.
Sears, 36, was given the title fight after earning a stoppage win over Rashaun Jackson earlier this year. The loss moved his record to nine wins and seven losses.
Small Calls For Title Shot After Quick Submission Win
Earl Small’s slick grappling skills secured him a quick victory on Saturday night, submitting David Gladfelter early with a rear naked choke.
Small mounted the back of Gladfelter in the first round, attempting a rear naked choke from this position. He slowly adjusted this submission until it went under the chin of Gladfelter, causing a tap to end the bout.
The fight put Small back into the win column after losing a split decision to Miles Lee last year. He had a record of four wins before then.
Small called for a title fight against CFFC champion Donovan Beard in his post-fight interview.
“I’m getting finishes […] I’m gonna talk to my management, and we’re gonna see what’s happening,” said Small in his post-fight interview.
Gladfelter was returning to CFFC after suffering a submission loss on an iKON FC card earlier this year. His previous CFFC bout was in 2021, when he stopped Gordon Wigington with strikes.
Undefeated Harrell Makes Comeback To Stop Reeder
Lightweight prospect Josiah Harrell battled past a rough first round to remain undefeated, stopping Tracy Reeder in the second round with ground and pound shots.
Harrell took the back of Reeder in the second round, getting into the position after a takedown from a clinch position. He flattened Reeder out from the back, using this position to unload with punches until the referee stepped in to end the fight.
Reeder had ground control for most of the fight before the finish. A majority of this control came after an illegal shot that hurt Harrell significantly in the first frame.
The fight had a brief break in the opening ground after Reeder landed an illegal knee to the head of Harrell. Despite this illegal blow seemingly rocking Harrell in the moment, Reeder was not deducted any points for the action.
Harrell’s record is now a flawless six wins since he debuted in 2020. All of his previous victories came via finish in regional promotion Ohio Combat League.
Reeder took his first loss in this bout. Like Harrell, he was making his first CFFC appearance and had all of his previous victories via finish.
Findley Defeats Former Champion Curatolo
A tough second round performance from Shamel Findley was too much for Santo Curatolo, causing their bout to end just before the final frame kicked off.
Findley hurt Curatolo significantly during the second round, causing a shift in the momentum and eventually leading to a finish.
Findley visibly rocked Curatolo late in the second round with a right hand. He continued to pressure the tiring Curatolo in the round, pressing forward with striking until the round concluded.
In-between rounds, the call was made in Curatolo’s corner for the fight to be stopped. It is not known whether Curatolo, his team, or the referee were the one who decided to stop the fight.
Curatolo had a strong first round, hurting Findley at one point with a right hook and scoring with ground and pound.
The result continues Curatolo’s current skid. The former CFFC champion has lost three consecutive losses since 2021, including an appearance on “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Findley’s record now has five wins through seven pro fights. His previous bout was a draw against Adrian Garcia in Titan FC two months back.
Undefeated Varricchio Stops Majeski Late
Undefeated Robert Varricchio picked up his third pro win on Saturday night, scoring a late finish victory against CFFC alum Thomas Majeski.
Varricchio hurt Majeski in the third round with a hard right hook, causing a delayed reaction that eventually saw Majeski drop to the canvas. Varricchio was quick to follow-up on this shot, landing ground and pound strikes until the bout was stopped.
Both fighters succeeded earlier in the contest. Majeski showcased his grappling abilities early on, mounting the back of Varricchio for a rear naked choke attempt. A round later, Varricchio connected with shots on the feet and earned some control time on the ground.
All three of Varricchio’s pro wins have come via finish now. He notably appeared on a CES card earlier this year, stopping Turner Williams in just 31 seconds.
Majeski snapped a two-fight skid in his prior bout, submitting David Meshkhoradze early with a guillotine choke.
Injury Earns Schick Third CFFC Win
A competitive bantamweight fight to open the main card had a sudden end just moments into the second round due to injury.
An injury to a leg of Dwayne Holman took him out of a fight against Joseph Schick in the second round.
Holman grimaced in pain while sprawling to defend a takedown attempt in the second round. It became clear just moments after that a leg injury hurt Holman, causing the referee to step in and end the fight.
Holman looked to be in an overwhelming amount of pain after the stoppage, remaining down for numerous minutes and screaming at times due to the severity of his injury.
The fight was close prior to the finish. Schick had the advantage in striking and grappling positions, but Holman kept up and made the fight close.
The fight moved Holman’s record to three wins and eight losses.
Schick has now scored three consecutive wins in CFFC, although all victories have come against opponents with negative pro records.
The Rest of the Card
Anthony Dilemme earned his second pro victory in the final prelim, using controlling positions on the ground to beat Johnson Nasona on scorecards.
Nick Galanti earned a vacant CFFC amateur belt on the prelims, using ground control to defeat Payton Phillips in a unanimous decision outcome.
Saige Gomez bounced back from an unsuccessful amateur debut, using his striking to defeat Lee Meringo via unanimous decision.
Quick Results
Main Card (8:00PM EDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 9: Greg Velasco def. Kevin Sears via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant CFFC Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 8: Earl Small def. David Gladfelter via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:32)
Bout 7: Josiah Harrell def. Tracy Reeder via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:59)
Bout 6: Shamel Findley def. Santo Curatolo via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 5:00)
Bout 5: Robert Varricchio def. Thomas Majeski via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:19)
Bout 4: Joseph Schick def. Dwayne Holman via TKO, Injury (RD 2, 0:21)
Preliminary Card (6:30PM EDT) (Youtube)
Bout 3: Anthony Dilemme def. Johnson Nasona via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Nick Galanti def. Payton Phillips via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant CFFC Amateur Middleweight Championship)
Bout 1: Saige Gomez def. Lee Meringo via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
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