CFFC NextGen 3 results: Cade Berardelli claims 182-pound title with dominant decision win
Giorgi Barliani, Giorgi Kantroshvili also victorious in featured championships bouts at Saturday's event at New Jersey's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Two new champions were crowned, while a third athlete defended his belt for the second consecutive time in a trio of title matches that topped the bill at Saturday's CFFC NextGen 3, which streamed live at OnlyFans.com/cffcmma from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
In the night's main event, Cade Berardelli (8-1) earned his sixth consecutive victory, taking home a dominant decision win over Max Oltmanns (4-2) to claim the promotion's inaugural 182-pound title, designated as the Super Light Heavyweight division under New Jersey State Athletic Control Board regulations.
Berardelli drew blood early in the matchup, but a resilient Oltmanns refused to go away easy. Berardelli kept the pace high, pushing forward at every available opportunity throughout the three-round affair, mixing in takedowns and efficient striking to earn 30-27 scores across the board.
While the result was clearcut, the 22-year-old Berardelli admitted he wasn't entirely pleased with his performance.
"I knew I split him with that knee in the beginning," Berardelli told John Morgan after the win. "He's tough, and I blacked out the rest of the fight. I knew I wasn't really listening like I should've.
"It was hard. I was pushing through. I've got to work on my cardio, and I've really just got to start knocking people out. I've got the ability to, and I'm going to."
Meanwhile, with reigning 175-pound champion James Llefo currently on the sidelines, the night's co-main event saw Giorgi Barliani (5-0) claim an interim belt with a submission win over a previously undefeated Jack McCaffrey (5-1).
Barliani dominated the action and was well on his way to taking home a decision win but continued to press for the finish until the end and scored a submission late in third round via guillotine choke.
Additionally, reigning 147-pound champion Giorgi Kantroshvili (7-1) became just the second athlete in CFFC history to register two successful defenses of a NextGen title, scoring a clearcut decision win over a previously undefeated Trig Tennant (5-1).
Kantroshvili joins current UFC athlete Luke Fernandez as the only two men to accomplish the feat.
Complete CFFC NextGen 3 results include:
MAIN CARD (Onlyfans.com/cffCMMA)
Cade Berardelli def. Max Oltmanns via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – to claim inaugural 182-pound title
Giorgi Barliani def. Jack McCaffrey via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 2:35 – to claim interim 175-pound title
Champ Giorgi Kantroshvili def. Trig Tennant via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – to defend 147-pound title
James Gavra def. Devon Coates via unanimous decision (30-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mike O'Brien def. David Crow via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 1:03
Gavin McQuade def. T'Khi Wood-Smith via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:05
Dilovar Balaev def. Mitch White via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ethen Mercado def. Daniel O'Neill via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Katelyn Ramos def. Molly McCormack via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kenny Cockerill vs. Liam Gray via submission (D'Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:11