CFFC 142 preview: Championship tripleheader caps off incredible Memorial Day Weekend in Atlantic City
Three reigning champions will put their titles on the line to close out back-to-back combat sports events in Atlantic City and live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Cage Fury Fighting Championships plays host to an incredible Memorial Day Weekend of combat sports action on the historic Atlantic City Boardwalk that kicks off with Friday’s FURY Professional Grappling 13 and concludes with Saturday’s "CFFC 142: Fernandez vs. Edwards," both of which take place at the spectacular Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
CFFC 142 features an absolutely stacked lineup, including a championship tripleheader, with reigning titleholders Luke Fernandez, Blayne Richards and Anthony Dilemme all putting their titles on the line against game contenders who all plan on spoiling the party and stealing the shine in front of what's expected to be an absolutely raucous packed house.
The CFFC 142 main card streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS, while prelims stream on OnlyFans. Limited tickets remain at CFFC.tv.
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Champ Luke Fernandez vs. Christian Edwards – for light heavyweight title
Champ Blayne Richards vs. Eric Nolan – for welterweight title
Champ Anthony Dilemme vs. Ryan Cafaro – for featherweight title
Danik Gura vs. Jose Rodriguez
Riley Palmer vs. Nika Sabanashvili
Nick Galanti vs. Shane Sobnosky
PRELIMINARY CARD (OnlyFans, 6 p.m. ET)
Christian Bobe vs. Shaun Stant
Ben Coyle vs. Christopher Daniel
Lateesha Mohl vs. Karli Thomas
Hope Holmes vs. Taylor Samarco
Dean Sherry vs. Busurman Zhumagul
Eliab Evangelista vs. Vinny Iannuzzo
NextGen: Brandon Bernard vs. Jeremiah Delgado
MAIN EVENT: LUKE FERNANDEZ VS. CHRISTIAN EDWARDS
Reigning light heavyweight champion Luke Fernandez (4-0 MMA, 4-0 CFFC) has enjoyed one of the most successful runs in promotional history, winning 10 straight fights between his combined professional and amateur runs. Following his time as NextGen champion, he has since claimed the CFFC pro title, as well, and already notched one successful defense of that belt with a spectacular knockout of former middleweight champ Gregg Ellis this past December.
As Fernandez continues his progression, he now meets a stern challenge in big-show veteran Christian "Pain" Edwards (7-3 MMA, 0-0 CFFC), an eight-time Bellator MMA fighter who has notched a pair of first-round finishes since departing the promotion.
Training out of New Mexico's famed Jackson Wink MMA Academy, Edwards has faced elite level competition early in his career, and he's determined to prove he's worthy of the international stage again. Taking out the undefeated Fernandez would certainly go a long way in proving that point, but the champion seems to get better each and every time out. The stakes are high in the final contest of the night.
CO-MAIN EVENT: BLAYNE RICHARDS VS. ERIC NOLAN
Welterweight champion Blayne Richards (9-2 MMA, 3-0 CFFC) fights with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but that's part of what makes him so dangerous. This past September, he stepped in on short notice and scored a first-round submission over a dangerous Raheam Forest to claim the title, and after some discussion about a potential spot on "The Ultimate Fighter" that didn't materialize, he's now looking for the first defense of his title, and it comes against a familiar foe.
Eric "Night Time" Nolan (7-3 MMA, 7-3 CFFC) has fought his entire professional career under the CFFC banner, including a 2023 loss to Richards in one of the organization's best fights of that year. Nolan has been calling for a rematch ever since, and after going 4-1 in that stretch, with the lone loss coming via split decision, Nolan gets the matchup he wanted, as well as his first crack at a CFFC title.
Add in Nolan's experience as a Marine, and it makes for a pretty spectacular Memorial Day Weekend for the New Jersey native. That said, Richards has won six straight fights and appears to be on the brink of realizing his UFC dream. The two men provided absolute fireworks the first time around, and there's seemingly no reason the rematch shouldn't do the same.
FEATURED FIGHT: ANTHONY DILEMME VS. RYAN CAFARO
Undefeated featherweight champion Anthony Dilemme (7-0 MMA, 6-0 CFFC) is an absolute juggernaut, scoring four of his pro wins by knockout, including an October result against Beau Samaniego to claim the title. Now, the Ray Longo product seeks the first defense of that belt, and it comes against a man who took the winding road to his title shot.
"Korean Thunder" Ryan Cafaro (12-6 MMA, 7-2 CFFC) made his promotional debut nearly a decade ago and had some initial success. But along the way, he put his own fighting career on hold to help serve as a training partner and striking coach to some of the Northeast's top rising talents. Recently, however, he's resumed focus on one last hurrah of his own, and after a spectacular victory over Ricardo Fuentes, he called for a shot at the title.
Wish granted, and now Cafaro will look to derail the rapid rise of a man seven years his junior.
DANIK GURA VS. JOSE RODRIGUEZ
In lightweight action, Danik "Russian Space Bear" Gura (1-0 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) steps into the CFFC cage for the first time looking to return from a 13-month layoff after a handful of planned matchups fell through following his successful professional debut. He now gets a tough assignment in a former CFFC NextGen champ.
Jose "Cheeto" Rodriguez (2-0 MMA, 2-0 CFFC), a Dante Rivera BJJ product, debuted for CFFC as an amateur in 2024, taking out an undefeated prospect to claim the NextGen belt. He's since made the decision to go pro, where he's earned back-to-back knockouts. Now, the 29-year-old fights for the fourth time in a 12-month span and looks to add another highlight-reel finish to his quickly building resume.
RILEY PALMER VS. NIKA SABANASHVILI
Undefeated bantamweights collide in an intriguing matchup, as Riley Palmer (3-0 MMA, 3-0 CFFC) takes on Nika Sabanashvili (2-0 MMA, 0-0 CFFC).
Palmer is a former CFFC NextGen champ who has gone a perfect 8-0 in his combined professional and amateur careers, all of which have taken place under the CFFC banner. He's also gone 1-0-1 in FURY Professional Grappling matchups. Spending significant time training at American Top Team headquarters in Florida, the 26-year-old Palmer looks every bit the part of blue chip prospect.
Meanwhile, Sabanashvili is part of a growing contingent of Georgian fighters making an impact in MMA, a movement led by current UFC champions Merab Dvalishvili and Ilia Topuria. Sabanashvili was an amateur national champion in his home country in 2022, making his professional debut later that year. He competed for the first time in the U.S. in 2024 and now makes his CFFC debut. Sabanashvili has earned both of his professional victories via first-round guillotine choke and looks to announce his arrival to the promotion with a spectacular result.
NICK GALANTI VS. SHANE SOBNOSKY
The night's main card kicks off in the middleweight division, with former CFFC NextGen champ Nick Galanti (3-1 MMA, 3-1 CFFC) taking on Texan newcomer Shane Sobnosky (8-4 MMA, 0-0 CFFC).
Galanti makes a quick turnaround following an impressive February victory in a 200-pound catchweight matchup against a late replacement that saw him rebound from the first setback of his professional career. He now drops back down to middleweight to take on Sobnosky, who looks to snap a streak of two straight setbacks via decision that spoiled a previous six-fight winning streak.
CHRISTIAN BOBE VS. SHAUN STANT
The night's featured prelim features a pair of featherweight prospects who look to build on victories in their professional debuts, as New Jersey's Christian Bobe (1-0) meets Ohio's Shaun Stant (1-0).
The 26-year-old Bobe struggled in the CFFC cage as an amateur, going 0-2 in his two appearances for the promotion. However, he shined in his professional debut, scoring a third-round submission via armbar this past December. He's also further shown his grappling chops over the past years by building a perfect 4-0 mark in FURY Professional Grappling appearances, though he's now focusing on an MMA run.
Meanwhile, Stant trains at Florida's MMA Masters and was victorious in his pro debut at March's CFFC 140 in Philadelphia. He now returns to the promotion just two months later looking to build on that successful effort.
BEN COYLE VS. CHRISTOPHER DANIEL
In the night's lone flyweight matchup, Pennsylvania's Ben Coyle (5-4) takes on Florida's Christopher Daniel (9-5-1).
Coyle struggled with consistent results early in his career but currently finds himself on a three-fight win streak, with all three wins earned by finish. He now takes on Daniel, who returns to compete in the U.S. after his past two outings took place in Canada and England, where he suffered a pair of setbacks on the judges' cards. He'll now look to get back to the form that saw him open his career at 8-2-1.
LATEESHA MOHL VS. KARLI THOMAS
In strawweight action, Lateesha "Honey Badger" Mohl (2-0) wil look to continue her incredible rise when she takes on first-time professional Karli Thomas (Pro debut).
Mohl endured a rather unsuccessful amateur run before taking an extended break from the sport and instead competing in professional boxing and kickboxing contests. However, she returned to MMA in late 2024 and has since picked up back-to-back wins under the CFFC banner. She now takes on Thomas, who is making her pro debut after going 4-1 in her final five amateur contests, including wins over two undefeated opponents in that stretch, as well as claiming a regional title in West Virginia.
HOPE HOLMES VS. TAYLOR SAMARCO
In an atomweight contest, 2023 IMMAF Pan-American champ Hope "Hummingbird" Holmes (2-2) takes on former CFFC NextGen strawweight champion Taylor "The Warrior of God" Samarco (0-1).
Holmes makes her CFFC debut after alternating wins and losses across a professional career that has seen both setbacks come while competing under the Invicta FC banner. She now faces Samarco, who is making a long-discussed move to 105 pounds after constantly battling against larger opponents at both 110 and 115 pounds. After dropping her pro debut via split decision this past December, Samarco now looks get back into the win column in her first career appearance at atomweight.
DEAN SHERRY VS. BUSURMAN ZHUMAGUL
Undefeated welterweights meet early in their professional careers, as Dean Sherry (1-0) takes on Busurman Zhumagul (2-0).
Sherry made his debut in November, securing a second-round victory via rear-naked choke. After a planned return appearance in March fell through, he now makes his CFFC debut. Meanwhile, Zhumagul has earned both his professional victories under the CFFC banner, netting one knockout and one submission, both in the opening round.
ELIAB EVANGELISTA VS. VINNY IANNUZZO
The night's first professional contest takes place at featherweight, with Brazil's Eliab Evangelista (3-0) taking on hard-hitting New Yorker Vinny Iannuzzo (2-1).
Evangelista is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and Renzo Gracie product who turned pro in February 2024 and has since racked up three wins, including one knockout and one submission. He now takes on Iannuzzo, who made his CFFC debut in February and needed just 20 seconds to score a knockout win over former NextGen champ Darwin Pena.
NEXTGEN: BRANDON BERNARD VS. JEREMIAH DELGADO
The night's lone amateur bout of the night features a pair of Pennsylvania natives, as Brandon Bernard (4-2) takes on Jeremiah Delgado (3-0) in a featherweight matchup.
Bernard battled through a few setbacks early in his amateur run but now makes his CFFC debut on the strength of three straight wins. Meanwhile, Delgado has been perfect thus far in his career, racking up finishes in each of this three appearances.