Sometimes in life, you make great plans but circumstances beyond your control force the plans to be jettisoned. The same thing is true in the world of MMA, and unfortunately, this has come true for Cage Fury Fighting Championships in the final days ahead of Friday night’s CFFC 131.
Live coverage of the show begins with the undercard on Friday at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on the promotion’s OnlyFans page, continuing with the main card at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass. Tickets to CFFC 131 are nearly sold out, so if you can’t travel to Atlantic City and Hard Rock Hotel to watch it live, Fight Pass is the next best thing.
When this event was first announced, CFFC President Rob Haydak mentioned that there would be four title fights to be held at the top of the bill. However, in recent days, the bout order has had to be shifted and injuries have necessitated this.
A planned fight for the CFFC Interim Featherweight Championship between Frank Wells (5-3 MMA, 5-3 CFFC) and Anthony DiLemme (5-0 MMA, 4-0 CFFC) was scrubbed ahead of the show due to the former sustaining an injury during a sparring session. Wells announced on his Instagram page last week that he’ll need physical therapy before returning later this year.
Even though the fight at 145 lbs. was canceled before the card, there’s still championship action to be held on Friday night, including at heavyweight.
Velasco Battles Schoenfelder for Heavyweight Belt Friday Night
The first title fight of CFFC 131 on Friday night sees a return of a Contender Series alumnus. Current CFFC Heavyweight Champion Greg Velasco (6-1 MMA, 6-0 CFFC) seeks to rebound against undefeated challenger Bailey Schoenfelder (4-0 MMA, CFFC promotional debut), a veteran of both Bellator MMA and the LFA.
As with all title fights in CFFC, this one is an advertised maximum of four rounds at five minutes per round. If, however, the scorecards produce a draw after 20 minutes of action, the fight will progress to a fifth round as a tiebreaking procedure.
Velasco vs. Schoenfelder Fighter Comparison
Heading into the battle for the CFFC Heavyweight Championship on Friday night, challenger Bailey Schoenfelder stands as the taller man at 6-foot-3, compared to Greg Velasco’s frame of six feet even. Schoenfelder owns a six-inch reach advantage (76 inches to 70 inches) over Velasco.
Velasco Back for First Fight Since September
Greg Velasco has gone 4-1 over the course of his last five fights in MMA. The previously-undefeated championship saw his six-fight winning streak snapped last September at the hands of Brave CF alum Shamil Gaziev (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on an episode of Contender Series on ESPN+.
A heavyweight showdown is NEXT for our main event ‼️
Shamil Gaziev takes on Greg Velasco NOW at #DWCS!
[ Tune in LIVE on ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/DqhfkblpaK
— UFC (@ufc) September 20, 2023
In the interim, he’s had some time to reflect on his fighting future and he’s also become a new dad in recent months. Greg Velasco is a man who’s secured gold on the regional scene and had an opportunity to cash in on a UFC deal.
While Gaziev was the one to score a contract on Contender Series late last summer, one has to believe that if Velasco puts on a good performance here on Friday night in CFFC 131, he’ll be right back in the mix again. His opposition, however, has proven to be a tough customer at the shop.
Schoenfelder Yet to See Scorecards
In the other corner, Bailey Schoenfelder has yet to lose thus far in his young professional career as a fighter at 4-0. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that he hasn’t had to have a fight’s results confirmed by the judge’s scorecards after the final bell.
All four of his pro victories have happened by way of stoppages, including his latest one on Sept. 22 last year against Badou Zaky (1-1 MMA) in LFA 168 on UFC Fight Pass by way of first-round knockout. Bailey Schoenfelder has neither had to go to decision nor seen a fight of his go to the third round or later to this point in his career.
Timewise, he’s yet to go beyond two minutes and 35 seconds into the second round, which occurred during his 2022 bout vs. Mark Currier at Bellator 284. Will Schoenfelder see the scorecards this time and will he unseat Velasco as champion? Tune in on Friday to find out.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the CFFC Heavyweight Championship fight looks to be a toss-up. Both the champion and the challenger have wrestling backgrounds.
Velasco Can Work Quickly
Heavyweight fights can end in a hurry. Greg Velasco’s pro debut vs. Halston Williams at CFFC 97 was proof of this. During the opening round, Velasco dumped Williams and moved into mount quickly. From there, he softened his opponent up before attempting an arm triangle submission.
Upon realizing that the torque wasn’t there, Velasco returned to mount and tried it a second time before abandoning ship once more and landing another burst of ground and pound shots. Referee Bill Bookwalter had seen enough and stopped the fight due to the barrage of strikes in three minutes and 18 second.
If Greg Velasco can take Bailey Schoenfelder down to the mat just once, he’ll have the upper hand in this title bout.
Schoenfelder Equally Impressive on the Mat
In the other corner, Bailey Schoenfelder has a great ground game of his own. Just look at the tape of his fight against Zaky from last September.
Round one saw the fighters locked in a few clinches, with Schoenfelder connecting on a kick to the leg before taking Zaky down. It was only a matter of time before Schoenfelder unloaded on Zaky with a barrage of shots, resulting in referee Rob Madrigal calling a halt to the proceedings just after the four-minute mark of the period.
This title fight will be predicated on which man gets his opponent on the canvas first. After that, all that’s left to do is enjoy the fireworks.
Final Thoughts
While this one won’t be the main event on Friday night, the CFFC Heavyweight Championship fight will be an interesting contest nonetheless. You’ll have two guys who have already had high-profile fights in Bellator and on Contender Series versing one another.
The winner will pick up a certain resume-building win and might get another shot at the big leagues.
Prediction: Bailey Schoenfelder by First-Round TKO.
