Best Actor? Don’t bother! Best Picture? Who cares?! Best Fighter in the Flyweight Division? Now, that’s what we want to know about. On Sunday night, the film industry’s finest will be honored in Hollywood for the 96th Annual Academy Awards, also referred to as the Oscars.
While the land of fantasy gets its plaudit in California, a dose of realism will be dished out deep in the heart of Texas. 24 hours removed from the marquee UFC 299 in Miami, Houston becomes the center of the MMA world for a rare Sunday event.
Two weeks removed from a Friday night of action in the Lone Star State, Fury FC returns to its regular night for the first of two cards from the promotion in March, Fury FC 87. In two weeks, Fury FC 88 will originate from Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio.
More on the March 24 card when the time comes.
Flyweight Title Up for Grabs in Fury FC 87 Main Event
Live coverage of Fury FC 87 begins at 2:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am PT on YouTube this Sunday afternoon with the undercard from Imagen Venues in Houston, followed by the main card on UFC Fight Pass at 5:30 pm ET/ 2:30 pm PT. All told, absent of any late postponements between now and Sunday, the final version of Fury FC 87 will feature a packed 17-fight slate to wrap up this busy weekend of combat sports.
Highlighting the night’s action is the battle for the Fury FC Flyweight Championship. Incumbent titleholder Paris Moran (9-2 MMA, 9-2 Fury FC) returns to defend his strap against challenger Shameek Harvey (7-1 MMA, 2-0 Fury FC.)
This championship confrontation is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
FURY FC 87
3/10/2024 #FURYFC87 | @FuryFightingTX pic.twitter.com/yKicZBmCrS
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) March 3, 2024
Fury FC 87 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the Fury FC 87 main event on Sunday evening, champion Paris Moran stands as the taller man at 5-foot-8, compared to the 5-foot-5 frame of Shameek Harvey. No reach advantage information was accessible online at press time.
Could Paris Moran be UFC-Bound?
Champion Paris Moran has posted a record of 4-1 over his last five fights. At present, he’s on a two-fight winning streak.
Last time out, he scored a split decision win over Alberto Trujillo (9-3 MMA, 4-1 Fury FC) on Aug. 27 during Fury FC 82’s main event on UFC Fight Pass. He’s got a championship on his resume and could go even further on the UFC‘s radar with a victory this coming weekend in the Fury FC 87 main event.
Back in January, Cageside Press had Paris Moran’s name listed among competitors who could potentially join MMA’s top promotion with an impressive showing this year. A successful defense of his strap would only bolster his odds at getting “The Call” from UFC CEO Dana White.
Will his voicemail be full on Monday morning? For that to happen, he’s got to retain the title the night before.
Shameek Harvey Playing the Heel in Fury FC 87 Main Event
In the other corner, Shameek Harvey has posted a record of 5-0 in his last five fights. Back in November, he submitted Jomar Pa-ac (6-3 MMA, 3-1 Fury FC) during the Challenger Series.
It’s going to be a partisan crowd for Paris Moran on Sunday in the Fury FC 87 main event as his camp is based out of Texas, whereas Shameek Harvey’s camp is in North Carolina.
During a recent interview with Hyon Ko of The All-Star, Harvey talked about fighting as a visiting contender and his opponent.
“I’m a ‘show me’ type of dude,” Harvey said, “like you’ve got to show me. They’ll be beating all these other guys but they don’t beat me, honestly. He seems well-rounded, he seems like he has good takedown defense, good hands, good speed, good angles, good cardio. All that stuff is good, but when I get in the cage, it’s like a different thing. Five rounds, he’s been five rounds before, I haven’t, so that’s what we’re going to have to find out. He’s from Texas, he’s going to have the home crowd advantage. He’s going to sell a lot of tickets, but, brother, I’ve been there before. I’ve been there before.”
He’s a man on a mission: Make the crowd go home unhappy.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the Fury FC 87 main event looks to favor Shameek Harvey, a grappler, while Paris Moran counters as a Sanda champion.
Watch the Knees from Paris Moran
Although it hasn’t happened very often, Paris Moran, when he’s been able to stop his opponents, it can be something to behold. One need look no further than his 2021 fight against Shawn Solis.
During the second round of a scheduled three, both fighters stalked each other, waiting for the big shot. About two minutes in, Moran opened fire with a vicious shot to Solis’ knee, knocking him down and out right away.
If Paris Moran can wear Shameek Harvey down on Sunday, look for the champ to catch the challenger napping and land a knockout blow.
Look For Shameek Harvey to Go to the Mat
In the other corner, Shameek Harvey’s gameplan might include taking Paris Moran down and scoring a submission. Juice Jones learned about Harvey’s grappling game the hard way in late 2021.
After several attempts to secure a takedown of Jones, Harvey dumped him and went to work on a submission attempt. While Juice Jones got out of harm’s way, he wasn’t able to stay there for very long, as Shameek Harvey locked up an armbar with 13 seconds left on the clock.
All that Shameek Harvey needs to do in order to take the title back home to North Carolina with him is to take Paris Moran down once in the Fury FC 87 main event.
Final Thoughts
This is a satisfying way to end the weekend in MMA. Unlike the Oscars, no envelopes or flowery acceptance speeches will happen here.
Prediction: Shameek Harvey by Third-Round Submission.
