CFFC 158 preview: Liam Hamill gets unexpected hometown headliner as Ethan Pauley looks to play spoiler

Cage Fury Fighting Championships makes debut at Ohio's Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati for Friday's event, live on UFC FIGHT PASS

CINCINNATI – Cage Fury Fighting Championships heads to "The Buckeye State" for the very first time on Friday, where the spectacular Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati plays host to "CFFC 158: Hamill vs. Pauley."

The 11-bout lineup features a new headliner after flyweight prospect Casey Norton was forced to withdraw from the matchup just one week out, and a suitable replacement was not found for undefeated submission ace Livio Ribeiro. However the misfortune of those two prospects provides an incredible opportunity for a couple of Ohio athletes who will now get increased shine on the night.

Included in that is new headliner Liam "The Hitman" Hamill, from nearby Loveland, who now takes on Michigan's Ethan Pauley in the welterweight main event, which will remain scheduled at three rounds.

Meanwhile, the co-feature sees Cincinnati's own Cornell Beachem Jr. returning to the CFFC cage to take the always-game Eman "The One Who Knocks" Hardy in another key matchup at 170 pounds.

The new-look lineup features intriguing stakes with a local flavor, as Cage Fury Fighting Championships officials introduce the company's signature high-energy live events to an Ohio audience for the first time.

The CFFC 158 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)

• Liam Hamill vs. Ethan Pauley

• Cornell Beachem Jr. vs. Eman Hardy

• Aziz Khaydarov vs. Blayne Richards

• Jimmy Hinel vs. Keanan Patershuk

• Adryan Grundy vs. Darius Patterson

• Matt Hammerstone vs. Michael Pino

PRELIMINARY CARD (OnlyFans.com/cffcmma, 7:15 p.m. ET)

• CJ LaFragola vs. Jonathan Ramsay

• NextGen: Shawn Livingston vs. Jahmon Spiller

• NextGen: Drake Battista vs. Ryland Kimble

• NextGen: Berea Clark vs. Sarah Terhaar

• NextGen: Josh Sarasnick vs. Mana Stivers

MAIN EVENT: Liam Hamill vs. Ethan Pauley

Liam Hamill (4-1 MMA, 0-1 CFFC) is the nephew of UFC legend Matt "The Hammer" Hamill, and he made his promotional debut in March with high expectations, entering the bout with three first-round stoppages in his four career wins as a professional. Unfortunately, Hamill ran into a buzzsaw in the rapidly ascending Ronald Humphrey, who was able to claim a first-round stoppage of his own and immediately signed with Dana White's Contender Series despite just a 4-0 record. Now, five months later, Hamill is back and looking to get on the winning path again and prove the hype around his future was well-placed.

Meanwhile, Ethan Pauley (8-2 MMA, 0-1 CFFC) was tapped for a shot at a vacant CFFC welterweight title this past October, but he was outgrappled over four rounds by Kevin Pease and was handed a unanimous decision loss, snapping his own four-fight win streak. Pease, of course, went on to become a CFFC double champ in his next outing and has since been snatched up by the PFL. Meanwhile, Pauley took a headlining bout at a Canadian regional event in May to get back in the win column and now returns to CFFC in hopes of picking up his first victory for the promotion.

Thrust into the main event, Hamill and Pauley each are dealing with frustrations of high-profile setbacks in their first CFFC outings and will look to take a big step forward in their sophomore efforts.

CO-MAIN EVENT: Cornell Beachem Jr. vs. Eman Hardy

The night's new co-main event could steal the show, as Cornell Beachem Jr. (4-1 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) takes on Eman Hardy (2-1 MMA, 1-1 CFFC).

Beachem Jr. is a legitimate blue-chip prospect. The 25-year-old Ohio native was a NCAA Division III national champion wrestler at Mount St. Joseph University, where he also earned All-American honors in football as a running back. Under the tutelage of Vision MMA and Back's Boxing Academy, Beachem Jr. has looked incredibly promising early in his career, including a stunning 47-second knockout in his promotional debut in June.

None of that will intimidate Delaware's Hardy, a Gentlemens MMA fighter who truly believes in the anybody, anywhere, anytime philosophy of old-school MMA fighters. Competing from lightweight to middleweight and everywhere in between in his combined pro and amateur runs, Hardy most recently spoiled the professional debut of highly-regarded prospect Malcolm Wallace in March, and that came after taking a decision loss to former CFFC NextGen champ Jose Rodriguez. The 27-year-old Hardy consistently seeks out the most challenging opportunities available, and he'll have exactly that on his hands at CFFC 158.

Aziz Khaydarov vs. Blayne Richards

The two most experienced athletes on the card collide in a 160-pound catchweight matchup when former CFFC welterweight champion Blayne "Young Gun" Richards (10-4 MMA, takes on "Road to the UFC" veteran Aziz Khaydarov (21-7 MMA, 0-0 CFFC).

Richards claimed the CFFC title with a submission win over Raheam Forest in 2024 and appeared on the cusp of a big-show invite in 2025 when Eric Nolan spoiled the party in a long-awaited rematch between the two, taking home the belt and eventually a UFC contract. Richards' stumble continued with a decision loss to Kegan Gennrich, but the 34-year-old has since returned to the win column on the regional stage and now comes back to CFFC looking to make a frantic push for one final shot at the UFC.

Meanwhile, Tajikistan's Khaydarov has relocated to Philadelphia, where he is training with the famed Marquez MMA squad. In 2025, Khaydarov was invited to "Road to the UFC" but saw his dreams snatched away by undefeated submission ace Mansher Kera. Now, more than a year later – after struggling to find willing opponents – the 32-year-old Khaydarov looks for a big win to draw UFC attention once again.

Jimmy Hinel vs. Keanan Patershuk

Don't blink when dangerous light heavyweights Jimmy Hinel (4-1 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) and Keanan "Porrada" Patershuk (7-4 MMA, 2-1 CFFC) enter the cage.

Florida's Hinel debuted for the promotion in April 2025, and the former collegiate defensive lineman showed his impressive grappling abilities with a submission win. With a 100 percent finishing rate in his victories, Hinel received immediate buzz, but injury kept the American Killer Bees HQ fighter on ice until now. He now steps in against Patershuk, who has six stoppages among his seven professional wins and whose setbacks have come to big-show veterans Kyle Daukaus, Chauncey Foxworth and Yohan Lainesse, as well as reigning CFFC interim middleweight champion Hunter Lee.

Is Hinel the real deal? Or can Patershuk turn back another hopeful?

Adryan Grundy vs. Darius Patterson

Adryan "Aye Gee" Grundy (3-2 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) and Darius "Da Sniper" Patterson (4-0 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) were slated to compete at a regional event in July that was ultimately scrapped, so the two agreed to move their featherweight tilt to the CFFC cage.

Tennessee's Grundy makes his promotional debut while seeking to return to the win column after an August PFL loss to the dangerous Biaggio Ali Walsh snapped a three-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Mississippi's Patterson proved his gameness in his CFFC debut in June, when he agreed to move up a weight class on weigh-in day when his opponent was 10 pounds over the featherweight limit. Despite the late change, Patterson took home a decision win and now returns to the promotion six weeks later seeking a fifth straight win to start his pro career.

Matt Hammerstone vs. Michael Pino

The matchmakers knew exactly what they were doing when they tapped all-acton featherweights Matt "The Hammer" Hammerstone (3-2 MMA, 2-2 CFFC) and Michael Pino (3-1 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) to kick off the main card.

Pennsylvania's Hammerstone has contested nearly his entire professional career under the CFFC banner, and the Python MMA product brings the heat every time, while always willing to take on the toughest opponent possible, as witnessed by setbacks against top talents like Hondo Gutierrez and Riley Palmer. Hammerstone believes he's primed to turn in his best performance to date when he takes on Pino, and MMA Masters product out of Florida with a 100 percent finishing rate and a seeming inability to put on boring fights.

CJ LaFragola vs. Jonathan Ramsay

The night's featured prelim is also the evening's first professional bout, as longtime promotional veteran CJ LaFragola (3-4 MMA, 3-4 CFFC) takes on Canada's Jonathan Ramsay (7-3 MMA, 0-1 CFFC) in a welterweight clash.

A New Jersey native, wrestling standout and former NCAA Division I National Championships qualifier, LaFragola's career progress has been hampered by a few stunning moments that have left his record far from indicative of his talents. Training with Marquez MMA, the 29-year-old believes he's ready to show his evolution as a complete fighter. Standing in his way is Ramsay, an American Top Team fighter who suffered a frustrating 9-second TKO loss in his promotional debut in March and understandably believes CFFC fans have also yet to see what he's truly capable of in the cage.

NextGen: Shawn Livingston vs. Jahmon Spiller

The night's final NextGen bout of the evening features a pair of undefeated prospects looking for a win on the big stage, as Shawn Livingston (6-0) takes on Jahmon "Killa" Spiller (4-0) at welterweight.

Ohio's own Livingston is a Stout PGH athlete who is currently rated as the No. 12-ranked amateur welterweight in all of North America according to Tapology.com and has four finishes among his six wins. Meanwhile, Spiller is a Cincinnati native and Relentless MMA athlete with a 100 percent finishing rate who hopes to shine in his hometown.

NextGen: Drake Battista vs. Ryland Kimble

A pair of young prospects and Ohio natives bringing vocal cheering sections goes down at lightweight, as Drake Battista (2-0) faces Ryland Kimble (2-1).

The 23-year-old Battista hails from 40 miles east in Mount Orab and is perfect through two appearances, with both wins coming via stoppage. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Kimble is a Cincinnati native who dropped is amateur debut in 2024 but has since rebounded with two straight wins and will look to make it three in his hometown.

NextGen: Berea Clark vs. Sarah Terhaar

The lone women's bout of the evening takes place at flyweight with Berea Clark (2-0) vs. Sarah Terhaar (4-5).

The 23-year-old Clark hails from Daniel Gracie Team Michigan and has earned two victories in her career thus far, though both came against debuting opponents. She now takes on the nine-fight veteran Terhaar, a Cincinnati native and Vision MMA athlete who struggled early in her amateur run but is currently enjoying a three-fight win streak.

NextGen: Josh Sarasnick vs. Mana Stivers

The night's action starts out in the heavyweight division, as Josh Sarasnick (2-2) meets Mana Stivers (1-0) in a NextGen clash.

A Pennsylvania naive and Stout PGH fighter, Sarasnick opened his career a perfect 2-0 but has since battled through consecutive setbacks that leveled his record. He looks to snap that run as he takes on Stivers, a towering Hawaiian who has relocated to Ohio and scored a 58-second victory in his amateur debut just 13 days prior to CFFC 158.