CFFC 136 results: Blayne Richards, Bilal Hasan score submission wins to claim vacant titles
Two new champions crowned at Friday's event in North Dakota and streaming on UFC FIGHT PASS.
NEW TOWN, North Dakota – On a night packed full of stoppage victories, it was welterweight Blayne Richards and flyweight Bilal Hasan who shined the brightest, walking away with gold following Friday's CFFC 136.
The two champions were crowned after picking up vacant titles in the featured bouts of the action-packed event from 4 Bears Casino & Lodge and streaming live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
In the main event, it was Richards (9-2 MMA, 3-0 CFFC) who seized the biggest opportunity of his career, stepping into the headliner as a replacement opponent on just 12 days' notice and pulling off a submission win over former champ Raheam Forest (7-3 MMA, 4-3 CFFC) to claim the vacant welterweight title.
Forest was sharp and aggressive early, moving forward and throwing heavy shots on the feet and working well in a few clinch exchanges. However, as the round unfolded, Richards was able to wrap the body and secure an outside trip, moving immediately to the back when the action hit the canvas. From there, the right arm went quickly under the neck, locking up the rear-naked choke and forcing the tap at the 3:40 mark of the first frame.
After the win, Richards, who has now won six straight fights, celebrated his accomplishment and also made his case for a call to the UFC.
"Twelve days notice – I'm too quick, too slick, too good for these guys," Richards said. "It don't matter. I knew I was coming here, and I had one thing to do this weekend, and that was become undeniable. At this point, I'm unf-cking deniable.
"They didn't want me here to start with. They had another guy in the poster outside and everything. I don't care. I knew I was coming here to take this."
Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Hasan (5-0 MMA, 5-0 CFFC) scored the first submission win of his career in highlight-reel fashion, showing incredible awareness in his transition to the back of opponent Jose Leon (2-3 MMA, 0-1 CFFC) before locking in the fight-ending rear naked choke at the 2:16 mark of the second frame.
It was a typical performance early on for Hasan, with a non-stop barrage of flashy strikes taking their toll on a gritty but overmatched Leon, who did his best to play spoiler but wasn't able to find the target often enough to pull off the upset.
But in the second round, during a scramble on the floor, Hasan transitioned beautifully to the back, instantly locking in the submission and forcing a tap, securing the flyweight title in the process.
Afterward, the 23-year-old Hasan said it was a prior exchange with CFFC commentator and Saturday's UFC Paris headliner Renato Moicano that inspired him to show off his grappling skills.
"I think I said it last time after the interview with Renato Moicano – I told him I wanted to show some jiu-jitsu," Hasan said. "I want to show that I have so many skills, so many tools in my arsenal, and I'm still young, and I've got so much to prove, so I'm happy with tonight's performance. I'm glad I have a submission in the repertoire. Let's go, baby!"
Hasan has a number of options available for his first title defense, should one the sport's top international promotions not come calling first, and he mentioned three potential opponents that could make sense: Israel Galvan, Phumi Nkuta and Badmatsyren Dorzhiev – though he declined to mention them specifically by name.
"Man, I feel like the target's always been on my back, but CFFC has always known I'm the star in this division," Hasan said. "I prove it in the cage and out, so I mean in terms of what's next, man, there was a guy that fought for the vacant flyweight title. He's a little f-cking gremlin. He missed weight and still won, so who knows? I might go knock that motherf-cker out.
"Or who knows, there's another guy in this flyweight division who's undefeated, a tough fight, but I'd knock him out, as well. Even the Mongolian guy that lost, I would knock him out, as well, so I've proved it time and time again, if I call you out, I'm knocking you the f-ck out."
Complete CFFC 136 results include:
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS)
Blayne Richards def. Raheam Forest via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:20 – to claim vacant welterweight title
Bilal Hasan def. Jose Leon via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:16 – to claim vacant flyweight title
Austin Clayton def. Andrew Huckeby via TKO (doctor's stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
John Nguyen def. Chris Vasil via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Loai Abushaar def. Joe Boerschig via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:09
Frank Rayford def. Jeremy Titsworth via verbal submission (punches) – Round 1, 0:24
PRELIMINARY CARD (ONLYFANS)
Micaela Rampage def. Lorren Dullum via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 1:44
Anthony Jagel def. Dylan Brigman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
NextGen: Kevin Gutierrez def. Taylor Michels via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:45
NextGen: Sam Footh def. Isiah Spitzer via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:46