Undefeated New York prospect Anthony Dilemme feels ready for a shot at UFC talent after picking up the second-fastest win of his career and his first regional MMA title.
Dilemme’s powerful striking forced a stoppage against Beau Samaniego in just three-and-a-half minutes on Friday night, earning him the vacant CFFC Featherweight Championship in the main event of a card from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
A hard right hook cracked Samaniego just past the three-minute mark of the fight, forcing a knockdown. Dilemme was quick to capitalize on this shot, landing a series of follow-up ground and pound strikes which caused the referee to step in and end the fight.
The featherweight fight was a clash of two quite different styles before the finishing sequence. The aggressive striking of Dilemme was slowed at times by Samaniego’s wrestling-focused gameplan. Samaniego put Dilemme on the mat twice but was never able to control the fight for a significant portion of the bout.
Dilemme was given a chance to fight for CFFC’s vacant featherweight title after former champ Jose Perez relinquished his belt to join the PFL roster. He now has a flawless record of seven wins since his 2022 debut, including a long run of victories in CFFC.
Following his notable regional victory, Dilemme eyed a fight on UFC’s pay-per-view card next month at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
“Dana White, I want my shot,” Dilemme said in his post-fight interview. “Four weeks, my backyard, New York City. 170, 155, 145 [pounds], give me my shot.”
Samaniego entered this weekend following a run of five consecutive wins on the U.S. regionals, including a trio of prior CFFC bouts.
Earlier in the evening, former CFFC title challenger Robert Varricchio bounced back from his sole pro loss, going the distance to get past three-season PFL alum Alex Martinez.
Here are the quick results from Friday’s card in Philadelphia:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 11: Anthony Dilemme def. Beau Samaniego via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:28) (Vacant CFFC Featherweight Championship)
Bout 10: Robert Varricchio def. Alex Martinez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Kaushik Saikumar def. Adamu Isah via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:02)
Bout 8: Christian McAuley def. Tial Thang via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 3, 3:04)
Bout 7: Armando Gjetja def. Collin Anglin via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:55)
Bout 6: Eric Nolan def. Aireon Tavarres via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:06)
Preliminary Card
Bout 5: Darwin Pena def. Jake Cena via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:23)
Bout 4: Tom Hinz def. Christian Porter via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Jose Rodrigurz def. Xavier Martin via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:22)
Bout 2: Chris Hayes def. David Harrison via Decision, Unanimous (CFFC Amateur Middleweight Championship)
Bout 1: Jeremy Garcia def. Justin Cariss via Submission, Armbar (RD 2, 0:54) (Amateur)
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