CFFC 136 preview: No risk, no reward the theme for two incredible vacant title fights
Raheam Forest vs. Blayne Richards, Bilal Hasan vs. Jose Leon headline Friday's return to 4 Bears Casino & Lodge.
NEW TOWN, North Dakota – Cage Fury Fighting Championships returns to "The Roughrider State" for just the second time in company history, and a pair of high-profile title fights top the bill at 4 Bears Casino & Lodge.
Friday's "CFFC 136: Forest vs. Richards" sees former welterweight champion Raheam Forest look to reclaim his title against a red-hot replacement opponent hoping to play spoiler in Blayne Richards, while undefeated flyweight sensation Bilal Hasan seeks to claim CFFC's vacant flyweight belt when he faces Mexico's Jose Leon, a scrappy replacement opponent who has made a career of fighting only the absolute best competition available.
Limited tickets remain at 4BearsCasino.com.
The CFFC 136 main card streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS, while prelims stream exclusively on OnlyFans. Longtime MMA broadcaster and journalist John Morgan calls the action alongside veteran sports commentator Geena Lucille.
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS, 9 p.m. ET)
Raheam Forest vs. Blayne Richards – for vacant welterweight title
Bilal Hasan vs. Jose Leon – for vacant flyweight title
Austin Clayton vs. Andrew Huckeby
John Nguyen vs. Chris Vasil
Lorrany Santos vs. Luz Vazquez
Loai Abushaar vs. Joe Boerschig
PRELIMINARY CARD (ONLYFANS, 6 p.m. ET)
Tyler Forsythe vs. Daniel Gonzales
Lorren Dullum vs. Micaela Rampage
Dylan Brigman vs. Anthony Jagel
NextGen: Kevin Gutierrez vs. Taylor Michels
NextGen: Sam Footh vs. Isaiah Spitzer
MAIN EVENT: RAHEAM FOREST VS. BLAYNE RICHARD
Former CFFC welterweight champion Raheam "Rambo Forest (7-2 MMA, 4-1 CFFC) is as battle-tested of a prospect as you could ever hope to see. The Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu product debuted in the promotion in 2021 with a decision win over a then-undefeated Donovan Beard before submitting the wily Trevor Ollison. That earned him a title shot, claiming the belt in a wildly entertaining five-round battle with Collin Lubberts.
Since then, Forest has had to battle through a few setbacks, albeit against two fighters currently on the UFC roster, as he ceded his title to the hard-hitting Charles Radtke in 2023, then came up short against fellow CFFC vet and Memphis native Danny Barlow in a Dana White's Contender Series clash.
In short, Forest has been within striking distance of a UFC contract for quite some time now, and he's proven to have both the skills and the work ethic to earn that honor. He hopes regaining the CFFC title will get the attention of the UFC matchmakers once again.
Of course, Blayne Richards (8-2 MMA, 2-0 CFFC) has other ideas.
Fighting out of Nebraska's Skywalker 101 Boxing Academy, Richards is currently riding an impressive five-fight win streak, including CFFC victories over former title challenger Hugh Pulley and promotional mainstay Eric Nolan. Now, "Young Gun" gets the biggest opportunity of his career, stepping up on just 12 days' notice to replace an injured Gage Saunders in the CFFC 136 main event.
Recently awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Richards has scored six of his career professional wins by submission and could hold an edge on the mat against the hard-hitting Forest, though he also flashed impressive striking in a 40-second finish of an overmatched Jessy Ebrecht in between his two CFFC wins.
While it's not the matchup that was originally expected for the CFFC 136 headliner, the change may have delivered an even better contest, with the winner walking away with the CFFC welterweight title and making a strong statement for an addition to "The Short List," where a UFC call hopefully awaits.
CO-MAIN EVENT: BILAL HASAN VS. JOSE LEON
At just 23 years old, Bilal Hasan (4-0 MMA, 4-0 CFFC) has already made quite the name for himself, scoring three straight knockouts under the CFFC banner, including a viral spinning wheel kick that provided one of the promotion's all-time flashiest finishes. Now, less than two years after making his professional debut, he's already in line for the promotion's flyweight title, which was vacated earlier this year, when Israel Galvan submitted then-champ Badmatsyren Dorzhiev but was unable to claim the title after missing weight for the bout.
Hasan was initially expected to face submission ace Harris Bonfiglio, but injury forced a change of plans, and a search was made to find a new opponent willing to face Hasan on short notice.
Enter Jose Leon (2-2 MMA, 0-0 CFFC).
The man known as "Hustle" hails from Mexico but now lives and trains in Chicago, and he's made it a point of taking the toughest fights available to him at all times. He made his professional debut in 2019 at 140 pounds against highly touted prospect Christian Rodriguez, a CFFC veteran who currently has six fights in the UFC. Since then, he's faced three more opponents who had a combined 67 percent winning percentage.
Leon takes pride in his work ethic and willingness to take chances. He's been given a tall order, but as he recently posted on Instagram, you have to take chances to reap rewards.
AUSTIN CLAYTON VS. ANDREW HUCKEBY
Undefeated welterweights collide in an intriguing featured contest, as Pennsylvania's Austin "The Ace" Clayton (3-0) meets Montana's Andrew Huckeby (4-0).
Training out of Kill Cliff FC, Clayton has opened his career with three straight first-round finishes, including two knockouts and one submission. While that sparkling record certainly seems to indicate a high potential for future success, the three opponents he's faced thus far are all winless as professionals.
Meanwhile, Huckeby has already experienced the pressure of a main event in home state of Montana in his most recent appearance, as well as picked up a regional title in his previous outing. However, he's also faced similarly unproven talent to this point in his career.
The winner of this contest will walk away with an impressive undefeated record after performing in the spotlight of UFC FIGHT PASS – and just two bouts before the welterweight title is on the line. It's the first true test for each man, and only one can stay unbeaten.
JOHN NGUYEN VS. CHRIS VASIL
Heavy-handed featherweights collide when Canada's John "The Dragon" Nguyen (7-4 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) faces Chris "Bad Apple" Vasil (6-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC), and the contest seems certain to entertain.
After fighting exclusively in his home country for the entirety of his professional career, Nguyen now competes in the U.S. for the first time. The No. 8-ranked professional featherweight in Canada according to Tapology.com, "The Dragon" is a former Unified MMA champ and has earned five of his seven career wins by knockout.
Meanwhile, Vasil returns to action for the first time in 12 months, when he came up short in a bid to unseat then-CFFC champ Jose Perez. Vasil's other CFFC setbacks have come up against equally elite competition, including former bantamweight champion Vilson Ndregjoni and former Dana White's Contender Series signee Paul Capaldo. Meanwhile, all three of Vasil's CFFC wins have come by knockout, including finishes of Frank Wells, Fadi Shuman and Troy Guerrero.
Expect fireworks.
LORRANY SANTOS VS. LUZ VAZQUEZ
One of South America's greatest rivalries is Brazil vs. Argentina, and that traditionally fiery clash will be featured at CFFC 136 in a 140-pound catchweight contest of Lorrany Santos (6-2) vs. Luz Vazquez (5-0).
Brazil's Santos already boasts experience under the Bellator MMA, Shooto Brasil and Jungle Fight banners, and held both the featherweight and bantamweight titles for Favela Kombat in her native country.
Meanwhile, Argentina's Vazquez is an eight-time Pan-American medalist wrestler who claimed the Empire MMA bantamweight title this past October and was hoping to challenge reigning champion Auttumn Norton for the CFFC belt at this event before "The Natural" was forced to withdraw from the event. Hoping to stay busy, Vazquez accepted a fight with a dangerous replacement opponent and now looks to stake her claim for a title shot once again.
LOAI ABUSHAAR VS. JOE BOERSCHIG
The night's main card kicks off with a 165-pound catchweight contest, as Arizona's Loai Abushaar (3-1) faces Montana's Joe Boerschig (6-9), with each looking to rebound from a recent setback.
Abushaar was perfect for the first three appearances of his professional career, with all three wins coming by first-round stoppage. However, he was handed a taste of his own medicine in late 2023 and now returns after 13 months on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Boerschig also looks to snap out of a bit of a slump in recent times, albeit against top competition, including current UFC fighters Josh Quinlan and Nazim Sadykhov. During his current run, Boerschig has picked up victories in boxing and kickboxing but is anxious to get back over that hump in MMA, as well.
TYLER FORSYTHE VS. DANIEL GONZALES
The night's prelims wrap up with a flyweight fight that should be pure chaos, with CFFC newcomers Tyler Forsythe (4-1) and Daniel Gonzales (3-3).
While neither fighter has ever been to a judges' decision in their professional run, Forsythe takes that even further, having never even gone past the opening round, a run that includes three wins by rear-naked choke.
Meanwhile, Gonzales has seen a third round just once in his professional career. His most recent appearance was in July, where he needed just 70 seconds to score his own submission win via rear-naked joke.
Judges can likely take a quick break during this one.
LORREN DULLUM VS. MICAELA RAMPAGE
The lone women's fight on the prelims sees undefeated Lorren "Lorrowdy" Dullum (1-0 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) take on the more experienced Micaela "Mickey" Rampage (1-3 MMA, 0-1 CFFC).
Seattle's Dullum proved victorious in her professional debut, taking home a decision win on the regional scene in Washington in a 120-pound catchweight matchup. Meanwhile, Rampage's record doesn't convey the difficulty of opponents she's met early in her career, facing nothing but undefeated foes thus far, including her lone CFFC appearance against Emily Martins, the grappling ace who fought for a title this past June at just 20 years old.
DYLAN BRIGMAN VS. ANTHONY JAGEL
The night's first professional contest features a pair of flyweights looking to build on first-round submission wins in their professional debuts, as Dylan Brigman (1-0) takes on Anthony "The Bagel" Jagel (1-0).
Mississippi's Brigman needed just 77 seconds to score a victory via triangle choke in July, while Jagel needed less than two minutes to score a rear-naked choke win of his own in September 2023. Both now look to repeat the feat in their CFFC debuts.
NEXTGEN: KEVIN GUTIERREZ VS. TAYLOR MICHELS
The night's final amateur bout sees Texan Kevin "Gucci Aquaman" Gutierrez (2-1) travel to enemy territory to take on North Dakota's own Taylor Michels (2-2) in a welterweight matchup.
Each man was victorious in their most recent outing, with Gutierrez taking home a first-round submission win in August and now returning to action seven weeks later, while Michels scored a second-round knockout and boasts an even quicker turnaround just five weeks after that result.
NEXTGEN: SAM FOOTH VS. ISAIAH SPITZER
The CFFC 136 action kicks off with an amateur bantamweight matchup, as Washington's Sam Footh (1-0) takes on North Dakota's own Isaiah "The Warrior Prophet" Spitzer (1-6).
Footh made his amateur debut in August, needing just 20 seconds to score a TKO win. Meanwhile, Prophet has yet to see a judges' decision in his amateur career and hopes to continue that trend.
