Cage Fury Fighting Championships is back with CFFC 96: Jones vs. Cleveland this Friday at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The UFC is taking a weekend off, but UFC Fight Pass will still deliver action for fight fans. In particular, this segment will examine three fights to watch out for prior to the CFFC card going down.
First, a couple of bantamweight gunslingers are on deck as Andrew Salas (6-5) takes on Kris Moutinho (8-4). Then, the night will feature Kings MMA prospect Laura Gallardo (3-1) squaring up with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship standout Helen Peralta (3-1). Third and finally, we take a closer look at the co-main event between the unbeaten Eddy Torres (3-0) looking to halt Ohio Combat League veteran Yohe Rojas (2-1).
Andrew Salas vs. Kris Moutinho
This will be the second fight with the CFFC for Salas. The 33-year old has competed in Bellator along with just about every other promotion under the sun. Despite his record not being the most sterling, Salas is a seasoned fighter and dangerous in the opening minutes of the fight. While Salas is currently on a two-fight losing streak, he has a big chance in front of him this Friday, and not to mention an even bigger audience watching.
Conversely, Moutinho is looking to string together a couple of wins after a successful outing at CES 61: Gotti III vs. Alley against Ashiek Ajim. Specifically, the American was able to overwhelm Ajim with pressure and ultimately scored a nasty TKO in the second round. With Salas having his back against the wall, this is a great bantamweight encounter to help the winner emerge with more heat behind them.
Laura Gallardo vs. Helen Peralta
In one of the most intriguing fights of the night, the former Bare Knuckle boxing standout Peralta will look to apply her trade and take on a very game opponent in Gallardo. With each fighter boasting the same professional record, certainly, there’s some underlying pressure to perform big. Additionally, it’s important to note that Peralta has not lost since 2018, and that was to one of the fastest rising female prospects in UFC fighter Kay Hansen. Overall, Peralta has seen a lot of different looks, and it will be exciting to see what she does under the CFFC banner.
Gallardo on the other hand is more polished on the ground but still packs a punch. In particular, the 5″1″ strawweight has an extensive amateur career, where she showcased power, but submission skills too. For example, Gallardo managed to secure an arm-bar victory early on in her career, and always has those skills to fall back on should her striking come up short in a fight.
Eddy Torres vs. Yohe Rojas – CFFC 96: Jones vs. Cleveland Co-Main
In the co-main event, the unbeaten Eddy Torres will look to keep his record intact against Yohe Rojas. However, Rojas is nasty on the ground, and the prospect showed how quickly he can end a fight when he took out Andre Small last January at Ohio Combat League. In addition, Rojas started as an amateur and amassed a 7-0 record before running into trouble. Since the 30-year old featherweight has only taken one loss professionally, there will be added pressure to take the “O” away.
With three straight wins with CFFC, there is little doubt that Torres won’t come into this fight with bad intentions. Torres scored two arm-bars back-to-back in his first two CFFC appearances. In the end, this is a consequential bout for the young Torres as the stresses of keeping a perfect professional record can wear on a fighter throughout time. Although, from what we have seen so far, Torres is well-rounded and able to get the job done despite where the fight may wind up.
CFFC 96 takes place Friday, May 28 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. The card airs live on UFC Fight Pass.
