While the Florida State Fair has come and gone, the fairgrounds proper will be buzzing with activity for the second time in recent weeks. Entertainment Hall is the site for a Friday night of MMA action. Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) returns to the Sunshine State for a card on Daylight Savings Weekend, CFFC 130.
Remember: Daylight Savings Time will begin this Sunday morning at 2 am local time. Be sure to set your clocks forward one hour and replace the batteries in your smoke detectors before going to bed on Saturday night.
Live coverage of CFFC 130 kicks off Friday night at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on the promotion’s official OnlyFans page with the undercard, followed at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass with main card action. Barring any late adjustments to the bout order between now and then, the final version of CFFC 130 will feature a packed 14-fight slate.
Flyweight Supremacy On the Line Friday Night in CFFC 130 Main Event
Topping the night’s itinerary is a battle for the CFFC Flyweight Championship between two men who’d someday like to join the UFC’s active roster. Incumbent titleholder Badmatsyren Dorzhiev (8-0 MMA, 1-0 CFFC), also known as “The Immortal Lotus”, defends the belt for the first time when he takes on challenger Israel Galvan (6-3 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) in the CFFC 130 main event.
As per CFFC championship rules, this title fight at 125 lbs. will be an advertised maximum of four rounds at five minutes per round to close the show. Should the scorecards produce a draw after 20 minutes of action, the CFFC 130 main event then proceeds to a fifth and final round as a tiebreaker.
Undefeated hyped prospect Badmatsyren Dorzhiev (8-0)is set to defend his CFFC Flyweight title against Israel Galvan (6-3) on March 8th. #CFFC130 | @CFFCMMA | @Immortallotus_ pic.twitter.com/6WTdWrz7Xz
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) January 30, 2024
CFFC 130 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the CFFC 130 main event on Friday night, champion Badmatsyren Dorzhiev stands as the taller man at 5-foot-7, compared to the 5-foot-4 frame of Israel Galvan. The challenger owns a 65-inch reach, with no such information available for the champion at press time.
Oddsmakers have Badmatsyren Dorzhiev installed as a -1000 favorite on the money line, with Israel Galvan countering as a +500 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Could “Immortal Lotus” Move to UFC With Win in CFFC 130 Main Event?
Badmatsyren Dorzhiev has yet to lose thus far in his professional MMA career. To find the last time that he suffered a defeat, you’d have to go back to his amateur finale, when he was bested by Renat Khavalov, who has since gone on an undefeated run of his own in the pro ranks at 8-0.
Most recently, Dorzhiev scored a unanimous decision after four rounds in the CFFC 121 co-main event against Shamel Findley (6-2-1 MMA, 2-1 CFFC) to take the then-vacant 125-lb. belt. In an interview with CFFC, “The Immortal Lotus” is forecasting a trip to the big leagues if he wins on Friday night in the CFFC 130 main event.
“I hope after this one, I get a contract with the UFC,” Dorzhiev told the promotion. “I believe in myself. I know my skills, my techniques, my mental game, they’re on that level. I’m a champion, and I want to be here, but I want to be a UFC fighter, too. I will be super happy if they send me a contract.”
This is a man who’s grown accustomed to having the UFC Fight Pass spotlight shine on him and who scored a knockout in 23 blistering seconds last spring in APFC. A win here would make it nine in succession for “The Immortal Lotus.” Nine straight victories would be almost impossible for UFC CEO Dana White to ignore.
Galvan Has UFC Aspirations Himself
In the other corner, challenger Israel Galvan, a veteran of the LFA, has posted a 4-1 record over his last five fights. Over the Labor Day weekend last September, he returned to the win column by way of unanimous decision versus Max Quinones (4-1 MMA, 4-1 CFFC) in CFFC 123. He’s got high hopes after the headliner on Friday, something that he explained to our Zac Coffman in an interview that ran earlier this week.
“This year or next year, you know, like when [I have] my first fight in the UFC after I beat this guy, I want a top-15 [opponent], Galvan mentioned. “Like give me one of those [undefeated] guys that everyone doesn’t want to fight.”
In order to get where he wants to be, Israel Galvan has to drop Badmatsyren Dorzhiev from the ranks of the undefeated on Friday night. Can he achieve a resume-building victory?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the CFFC 130 main event looks to favor Israel Galvan, a mixed martial artist, compared to Badmatsyren Dorzhiev, a freestyle wrestler.
Dorzhiev’s Ground Game Could Tell the Story Here
Given that Badmatsyren Dorzhiev is a freestyle wrestler by trade, he could score the victory by taking Israel Galvan to the canvas. Late in the first round, after having to utilize the clinch to recover from Shamil Findley’s punches, he secured a takedown and took top mount, softening Findley up with an elbow shot.
These short bursts of ground and pound continued for the remainder of the round and he asserted his dominance on the ground for the balance of the fight. All it’ll take for “The Immortal Lotus” to gain control in the CFFC 130 main event is one takedown. If he gets Israel Galvan to the mat, this is his world and we’re all living in it.
Look For Israel Galvan to Shoot for the Submission
In the other corner, should Badmatsyren Dorzhiev succeed in putting Israel Galvan to the mat, the latter can reverse the script and lock in a submission, like he did versus Israel Gonzalez in 2021.
During the second round, Galvan and Gonzalez traded shots. Upon going to the clinch, Galvan dumped Gonzalez and worked on a Von Flue choke attempt before jettisoning it in favor of a rear-naked choke, forcing Gonzalez to go to sleep in just over a minute and a half.
If Israel Galvan gets the first takedown of the fight, it could be the only takedown we see in the CFFC 130 main event on Friday night.
Final Thoughts
We’ve got two fighters making a strong case for a UFC contract in Friday’s headliner. With UFC 299 happening in Miami on Saturday night, Dana White could be tuned into this one to scout for new talent.
Prediction: Badmatsyren Dorzhiev by Unanimous Decision.
