CFFC 138 results: Luke Fernandez defends light heavyweight belt with crushing first-round knockout
Reigning champ closes out the card in style, capping off a wild night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Following a frustrating year on the sidelines while he worked through a knee injury, Luke Fernandez returned to action in style on Friday night, delivering a highlight-reel finish in the main event of CFFC 138 to cap off a wild night of action at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
The reigning CFFC light heavyweight champion registered the first defense of his belt with the opening-round finish, taking out former middleweight titleholder Gregg Ellis in a headliner that streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
Fernandez was patient to start the contest, with much of the action unfolding in the clinch as the two worked against the cage. For his part, Ellis didn't appear to be a man fighting up a weight class, and he avoided any real damage early on. However, in the closing seconds of the opening frame, Fernandez disengaged and delivered a devastating left hand that sent Ellis crashing to the canvas.
Referee Vitor Ribeiro instantly waved off the bout at the 4:49 mark of the opening round.
"It's been a f-cking long year for me, man – just wanting to get back in here, hating being on the shelf," Fernandez said after the fight. "I want to be the talk of the town. I want to be the guy, so every month that went by where I wasn't training off that injury, waiting for my surgery, it was just making me more hungry.
"All respect to Gregg. He's a tough-ass competitor. I knew that he was going to push me in this camp. I knew he had a gas tank. He had all the skill in the world, and I mean he's a big dude, so I just pushed myself every day in camp to come here with the best version of myself, and I think that's what I did tonight.
With the win, Fernandez (4-0 MMA, 4-0 CFFC) remains undefeated and appears primed for an invitation to Dana White's Contender Series or perhaps directly to the UFC. Meanwhile, Ellis (8-6 MMA, 1-2 CFFC) has now dropped two straight, albeit against elite competition in Fernandez and Kyle Daukaus, who recently signed with the upstart Global Fight League.
Complete CFFC 138 results include:
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS)
Champ Luke Fernandez def. Gregg Ellis via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:49 – to defend light heavyweight title
Christian McAuley def. Elijah Harris via technical submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 1:52
Riley Palmer def. Hunter Starner via knockout (head kick, punches) – Round 1, 0:48
Busurman Zhumagul def. Gabriel Augusto via TKO (elbow, knees) – Round 1, 4:21
Mark Grey def. Filipe Esteves via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Eric Nolan def. Trevor Gudde via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:17
PRELIMIANRY CARD (OnlyFans)
Frank Wells def. Roman Kurashvili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Erica Valentin def. Taylor Samarco via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Ben Coyle def. Alex De La Cruz via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:37
Jared Rivera def. Zayne Havener via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Christian Bobe def. John Hancock via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 4:20