170 lbs Ceaser El Toro Jr (-133) (22-8, 3-0) v Avraam Papadopoulos (+153) (32-19-1, 2-1)
"The Drizzle" Ceaser El Toro Jr extended his winning streak to three after another successful Welterweight title defence. The 170-pound main event lasted the entire five rounds and went to decision, but there wasn’t any doubt who was going to come out on top. Avraam Papadopoulos had a chance of pulling off the early upset when he slipped a jab through El Toro Jr’s defences, sending him stumbling. It was brief, unexpected, and I believe if it had been a harder strike, Papadopoulos could have done some real damage. El Toro Jr recovered nicely, cutting the challenger midway through the first with a sharp elbow to the side of the head. It was a non-factor through the second round, another round dominated by the champion, who used the clinch early and often to punish the challenger. The stand-up back and forth continued into the third round. Despite all the boxing work Papadopoulos put in between fights, he had no answer for the accurate and brutal strikes. El Toro Jr mixed it up in the fourth round, dragging his opponent to the mat, but the subs were half-hearted, a little predictable, and I have a feeling he was just looking to put in work. Papadopoulos stepped it up with a minute gone in the fifth, looking to break through the strong grasp of El Toro Jr and land a lucky shot. He could get nothing done and was barely able to stand he was so tired. Easy win for El Toro Jr. Result and still champion: Ceaser El Toro Jr by Unanimous Decision.
Co-Main Event
185 lbs Kirov Sturmovik (-127) (9-2, 0-2) v Leo Bosanac (+111) (8-1, 1-0)
"Lightning" Leo Bosanac proved the experts at A Good Cause wrong and won his first CFC fight against "The Flying Wrecker" Kirov Sturmovik … barely. Sturmovik came out like a house on fire, hammering Bosanac with a brutal combination, rocking him, cutting him, and sending him crashing to the canvas. Bosanac managed to avoid the next couple of strikes while on his back, something Sturmovik will be replaying in his nightmares for weeks to come. Sturmovik’s domination continued into the second and he landed at-will for the first minute. It looked all but over, but the tide changed after 90 seconds. Whether Sturmovik hurt himself or Bosanac finally started listening to his corner is debatable. Whatever the reason, Bosanac came to life, avoiding Sturmovik’s strikes and finally landing some of his own. The latter part of the second round was all Bosanac, who showed great footwork and speed while keeping the fight where he wanted it. He hit his opponent so hard that Sturmovik knocked himself out after running full-speed into Bosanac’s outstretched fist. Result: Leo Bosanac by knockout
Diogo Jimenez has a shiny new belt around his waist, but it was a controversial split decision that has the featherweight division buzzing. "The Original Rude Boy" Azacca Trounvouche won the title at CFC 438 and most expected a similar result here, but it was not-to-be. After tweaking his nipples, Jimenez did his best to avoid early damage, looking to play the long game and it seemed to work. Trounvouche did manage to use his height advantage to land shots, but they weren’t clean enough to do any serious damage. A tight round that had no clear winner. Trounvouche was more effective in the second round, pogo-ing around the ring with more confidence and landing multiple straight punches to the noggin’. His ribs swollen and bruised, Jimenez came out in the third and re-asserted his own game-plan, successfully avoiding the worst of the damage and mounting some good counters. The fourth round was much of the same, a very strong and aggressive stand-up clash with little to distinguish a winner. Heading into the final round, it was the challenger ahead on most cards, though it was too close to be certain. Neither fighter seemed to show any urgency, so both probably felt like they were ahead. Sadly for the champion, his corner had a poor read on the fight so he wasn’t told to pick up the pace. He was satisfied with sitting in a closed guard for the final two minutes, letting time run out. Result and new featherweight champion, Diogo Jimenez by Split Decision.
Best of the Rest
135 lbs Little Kitty Sripituksakul (-125) (19-8-1, 0-1) v Pat Joplin (-120) (21-10, 1-1)
A mixed bag for Little Kitty Sripituksakul in his first CFC fight. He showed his class in the first round against submission expert, "The Human Thermometer" Pat Joplin, but became overaggressive in the second. A more patient Joplin was content to let Sripituksakul do the work for him, laying in wait until he could isolate a body part. With Sripituksakul reversing to get into a better ground and pound position, Joplin held onto his arm, twisting it until Sripituksakul could take no more. Result: Pat Joplin by submission.
170 lbs Ivan Andrianov (-104) (12-9, 0-2) v Ralphie Maldonado (-144) (17-9, 2-0)
Ralphie "Maldo" Maldonado is now 2-0 in the CFC with a very entertaining and dominating performance against Ivan "Snurri" Andrianov. It went the distance, but it was never in doubt. Maldonado cut him early and rocked him late, setting up an arrogant post-fight interview that the crowd ate up. Result: Ralphie Maldonado by Unanimous Decision.
265 lbs Spinning Fire (-108) (18-6, 2-0) v Professor Xe (-138) (19-7, 1-1)
Back to the plastic surgeon for Professor Xe. His face was unrecognizable after the fight, and credit to the doctor for calling it when they did. I don’t think Xe could have afforded to lose any more blood. Result: Spinning Fire by TKO
185 lbs Alan Spence (-115) (10-4, 2-0) v Tua Taamu (-130) (6-8, 1-2)
This review has been heavily edited as I have an intense hatred for one of the fighters. His name will not be uttered.
265 lbs Tinashe Chukwuma (-120) (6-2, 3-0) v Olli Lindholm (-125) (11-7, 0-2)
Don’t look now, but Umaga is three and oh in the CFC. Chukwuma was cut early in the first from a Lindholm knee, but fought through it to survive the first round. Lindholm missed a clinch in the second and was knocked down with a huge left hand. Result: Tinashe Chukwuma by KO
265 lbs Sam Cooper (-117) (9-7, 1-0) v Dez Havok (-127) (4-7, 0-3)
"Lucky" Dez Havok’s career is nearing an end. Newcomer Sam "Setanta" Cooper wasn’t great, but strong enough in the clinch to pull this one out. Havok is now winless in the CFC. Result: Sam Cooper by Unanimous Decision
145 lbs Henry Wallace (-111) (19-24, 0-1) v Khalib Nuragomidova (-135) (8-6, 1-1)
Henry "The Taco Bell Strangler" Wallace had one too many tacos and lost his CFC debut. Khalib "The Falcon " Nuragomidova ground and pound game was amazing. Result: Khalib Nuragomidova by TKO
