CFFC 155 preview: Two new champions will be crowned as organization returns to Philadelphia's legendary 2300 Arena

Vacant light heavyweight and interim middleweight belts up for grabs at Friday's event, live on UFC FIGHT PASS

PHILADELPHIA – Cage Fury Fighting Championships returns to the legendary 2300 Arena this Friday night for "CFFC 155: Cunningham vs. Russell," where four challengers will each make an attempt to walk away with CFFC gold and take a massive step forward in their careers.

With former CFFC light heavyweight champion Luke Fernandez joining the UFC late last year after a victory at Dana White's Contender Series, the vacant 205-pound title will be on the line in the CFFC 155 main event, when promotional veterans "Big Bad" Jon Cunningham and Ian "The Carpenter" Russell collide at the legendary 2300 Arena.

Additionally, with reigning middleweight champion Nick Galanti competing at Dana White's Contender Series in August, an interim title will be on the line in the CFFC 155 co-main event, when Canadian standout "Big Game" Hunter Lee takes on Jeff "Butter" Craig.

The CFFC 155 main card streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS, while prelims stream at OnlyFans.com/cffcmma. Limited tickets remain at CFFC.tv.

MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS, 9 p.m. ET)

• Jon Cunningham vs. Ian Russell – for vacant light heavyweight title

• Hunter Lee vs. Jeff Craig – for interim middleweight title

• Nikolay Kiosse vs. Richie Lewis

• Egor Kostyuchenko vs. Jakob Scheffel

• Cornell Beachem vs. Jake Valdes

• Kara Hoad vs. Kayana La Torre

PRELIMINARY CARD (OnlyFans.com/cffcmma, 7 p.m. ET)

• Asher Frederick vs. Moises Ilogon

• Buddha Hanchard vs. Cody Howard

• John Poppie vs. Maksim Sergeev

• Julio Brodie vs. Lucas Dos Santos

• NextGen: James Lledo vs. JJ MacDonald

MAIN EVENT: Jon Cunningham vs. Ian Russell

Light heavyweight gold is on the line when a pair of heavy-handed athletes collide, as Strong Style Strong Style MMA and Training Center's Jon Cunningham (3-1 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) face American Kickboxing Academy's Ian Russell (2-0 MMA, 1-0 CFFC).

Cunningham's fighting career started after a brief run in the NFL, spending time with the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos before being told he was a little too small to play defensive line at that level. Living in New Mexico at the time, Cunningham began his training at Jackson Wink MMA, and actually made his amateur debut as a heavyweight under the CFFC banner while representing that team. Cunningham has since relocated back to his native Ohio, dropped down a weight class and returns seeking the biggest win of his career.

Meanwhile, Russell played linebacker at the college level but also needed an outlet once his playing days were done. Living in Fresno, California, he found the legendary AKA and immediately began chasing that new passion. "The Carpenter" debuted in CFFC in April with a stunning first-round knockout and now returns to a familiar venue looking for a repeat performance.

Two standout athletes with power in their hands and dreams of making it to the highest level should make for an entertaining close to the show.

CO-MAIN EVENT: Hunter Lee vs. Jeff Craig

Two "anybody, anywhere, anytime" guys collide with interim 185-pound gold on the line as a returning Hunter Lee (6-1 MMA, 1-1 CFFC) takes on promotional newcomer Jeff Craig (7-3 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) in the night's co-main event.

Lee, who earned wrestling medals at the international level representing Canada, competed twice previously for CFFC, scoring a dominant decision win over Chris Choo before suffering a razor-thin split-decision loss to Maksim Sergeev. Lee then departing the promotion and picked up two stoppage wins, including a rare twister submission, and now returns with a title on the line.

Meanwhile, Craig is a Pennsylvania native who now resides in California, where he works with The Den Training Center and Raw Talent Boxing. Craig returns to his home state to make his CFFC debut on the strength of four straight combat sports victories all finished inside the distance, including two MMA results and two bouts at the upstart Dirty Boxing Championship.

Nikolay Kiosse vs. Richie Lewis

Talented lightweights looking to get back in the win column face off in a featured matchup, as Russia's Nikolay Kiosse (10-4-1 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) takes on New Jersey wrestling legend Richie "Savage" Lewis (7-2 MMA, 1-1 CFFC).

Kiosse recently relocated to the United States to train with Team Alpha Male and scored a win in his first appearance in the country before coming up short in his return bout in February. He now looks to return to the win column in his CFFC debut as he takes on Lewis, who came up short against two-time UFC veteran Nick Fiore in March and now looks to get back into the win column and carry on his charge to the sport's highest level.

Egor Kostyuchenko vs. Jakob Scheffel

Two-time CFFC veteran Egor Kostyuchenko (6-1 MMA, 1-1 CFFC) welcomes promotional newcomer Jakob "Bubba" Scheffel (7-0 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) to the organization in an intriguing welterweight clash.

Kostyuchenko originally hails from Ukraine but has relocated to Philadelphia to train with the increasingly impressive Marquez MMA squad. The 27-year-old vet has dropped just one matchup in his professional career, and that came in a split-decision result who missed weight by nearly five pounds. He now faces the undefeated Scheffel a three-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier during his time at West Virginia University.

Scheffel went 5-0 as an amateur fighter before moving to the professional ranks, where he has gone 7-0 with six stoppages. Scheffel was scheduled to make his CFFC debut in 2021, but the bout ultimately didn't come to fruition. Four-and-a-half years later, he returns for the highest-profile matchup of his career.

Cornell Beachem vs. Jake Valdes

Next up, it's a pair of impressive welterweight prospects with identical career records, as Cornell Beachem Jr. (3-1 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) takes on Jake "Smooth Operator" Valdes (3-1 MMA, 1-0 CFFC).

The 25-year-old Beachem Jr. hails from Ohio and trains with Back's Boxing Academy. He was in action most recently in March, taking out CFFC veteran Chance Beck. He now returns three months later to take on North Carolina's Valdes, a 29-year-old Arrow MMA Academy athlete who made his CFFC debut in February and scored a stunning 48-second knockout of CJ LaFragola.

Kara Hoad vs. Kayana La Torre

Promising women's bantamweight prospects get the spotlight of the night's first main-card matchup in their pro debuts, as Kara "Karebear" Hoad takes on Kayana La Torre.

The 29-year-old Hoad hails from New York and built an impressive 7-2 amateur record – in addition to her kickboxing experience – training out of 5th Round Fitness MMA. She now makes her CFFC debut as she moves to the professional ranks. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old La Torre is a Philadelphia native and Marquez MMA fighter who claimed the CFFC NextGen belt in February, going 3-0 overall as an amateur before launching her own professional career.

Asher Frederick vs. Moises Ilogon

The featured preliminary contest takes place at flyweight, as Xtreme Couture's Asher "Shock N Rock" Frederick (7-2) faces Kaizen MMA's "The Lion King" Moises Ilogon (5-1).

Ohio's Frederick enters his CFFC debut on the strength of a two-fight win streak and is 5-1 in his past six overall appearances. Meanwhile, Ilogon is a Filipino native who recently relocated to the United States and now fights in the country for the first time. The 25-year-old just finished up a four-fight run under the ONE Championship banner, where he went 3-1 with two finishes.

Buddha Hanchard vs. Cody Howard

The penultimate preliminary bout featured the professional debuts of two highly talented welterweight prospects, as Team Mannon BJJ's Cody Howard takes on Kaizen MMA and Kill Cliff FC's Buddha "The Bounty Hunter" Hanchard.

Howard was a perfect 4-0 as an amateur, a run that included three stoppage wins earned in the opening round, including two by knockout. Now, the 27-year-old Ohio native enters the pro ranks to take on the 23-year-old Hanchard, a North Carolina native who dropped his debut and then rattled off five straight stoppage victories in a 16-month span to wrap up his amateur career.

John Poppie vs. Maksim Sergeev

Two grizzled vets collide in an intriguing middleweight matchup, as Xtreme Couture's John Poppie (14-7) faces Marquez MMA's Maksim Sergeev (17-11-1).

Poppie has been competing professionally since 2012 and currently boasts a four-fight win streak, including three straight victories earned in the opening round. He now makes his CFFC debut against Sergeev who owns back-to-back wins under the CFFC banner and is 4-1 in his past five outings as he looks to make one final push towards a UFC invite in a pro career that dates back to 2014.

Julio Brodie vs. Lucas Dos Santos

The first professional bout of the evening takes place at a catchweight of 195 pounds, Julio "Bupi" Brodie (1-0) takes on Lucas "The Hitman" Dos Santos (Pro debut).

Training out of Maryland's Top Flight MMA, Brodie went an impressive 6-1 as an amateur and made his professional debut in March, picking up a second-round win via TKO. He'll now look to follow up on that result when he faces Dos Santos, a 6-foot-4 middleweight prospect out of Kill Cliff FC who went 2-2 in his amateur MMA run but also has kickboxing and muay Thai experience, as well.

NextGen: James Lledo vs. JJ MacDonald

The evening kicks off with the lone NextGen bout of the card, as reigning two-division CFFC champ James "Las Vegas" Lledo (8-2) moves up to 185 pounds to take on undefeated promotional newcomer JJ MacDonald (4-0).

Lledo is currently ranked as the No. 6 welterweight prospect in all of North America according to Tapology.com and does have previous experience at 185 pounds and higher, but not in his CFFC run. Meanwhile, MacDonald has competed exclusively at middleweight in his amateur run and has earned knockouts in all four appearances.