CJ LaFragola gets new opponent for Friday's CFFC 150 event in Philadelphia
With Alex Branom withdrawing from card, Jake Valdes steps up on less than one week's notice
PHILADELPHIA – Less than one week before CFFC kicks off the organizations's 2026 calendar, the lineup has a new matchup on tap.
Alex Branom declined to obtain medical clearance for his welterweight contest with CJ LaFragola and instead pulled out of the planned matchup. However, Jake "Smooth Operator" Valdes has agreed to step up on less than one week's notice and will now take on LaFragola in a 180-pound catchweight bout.
The contest rounds out the lineup for Friday's CFFC 150 event, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS and OnlyFans.com/cffcmma from Philadelphia's 2300 Arena.
LaFragola (3-3 MMA, 3-3 CFFC) has spent his entire professional career under the CFFC banner. A three-time NCAA qualifier in his collegiate wrestling days, the 28-year-old LaFragola has struggled to gain consistent results during his run but has constantly faced the toughest competition available, including an early loss to Kevin Pease, who would go on to win the CFFC welterweight title.
Most recently, LaFragola earned an impressive first-round TKO win over Jacob Guerrero at August's CFFC 150.
Meanwhile, Valdes (2-1 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) dropped his professional debut but has since bounced back with two consecutive victories. Both of those wins came in 2025, while two additional scheduled matchups fell through over the past eight months, and he now gets an opportunity to return to action for the first time since May.
With the change, the CFFC 150 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Busurman Zhumagul vs. Daniel Morrison – for vacant welterweight title
Nikita Leshukov vs. Will Starks – for vacant lightweight title
Arisa Matsuda vs. Ayan Tursyn – for vacant strawweight title
Damien Anderson vs. Alejandro Gutierrez
Ben Coyle vs. Trevor Wells
Jeremiah Delgado vs. Derrick Patterson
PRELIMINARY CARD (OnlyFans.com/cffcmma, 7 p.m. ET)
CJ LaFragola vs. Jake Valdes
Tyler Berger vs. Abraham Charles
NextGen: Taylor Drees vs. Kayana La Torre – for inaugural women's bantamweight title
NextGen: Aself Carr vs. Dalton Pedrick