It’s a packed Sunday in sports, one with a number of championships to be given out. In Cleveland, the women’s college basketball season will end with one of the Final Four cutting down the nets in the National Championship Game from the Cavs’ home court of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles’ home stadium of Lincoln Financial Field plays host to night two of sports entertainment’s grandest stage, WrestleMania XL from WWE on Peacock. While the City of Brotherly Love will be fixated on predetermined outcomes, real fights take center stage in Indiana on Sunday night.
The latest promotion to kick off its 2024 schedule of events is APFC. This weekend, the organization once known as Showtime FC returns from a four-month break for its 10th event and Anthony Pettis‘ promotion has broken out the Roman numerals this time around.
Interim Flyweight Championship at Stake Sunday in APFC X Main Event
APFC X begins Sunday afternoon at 3 pm ET/ noon PT on the promotion’s official YouTube channel with the amateur undercard, continuing at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass with main card fights. Dustin Poirier, currently the No. 2 contender in the UFC lightweight rankings, will make a guest appearance during Sunday’s event at the Hammond Civic Center in Hammond, IN.
All told, barring any late adjustments to the bout order between now and the weekend, 16 fights will be held on Sunday during APFC X, including a title fight in the APFC X main event. Originally booked as the co-main event, the APFC Interim Flyweight Championship gets elevated to the headliner when current interim champ Cody Linne (7-1 MMA, 2-0 APFC) defends his strap against challenger Nate Williams (32-22 MMA, APFC promotional debut.)
This contest was shifted to the APFC X main event last week after the APFC Middleweight Championship fight between Kevin Nowaczyk (21-4 MMA, 1-0 APFC) and Glaico Franca (23-8, 1 NC MMA, APFC promotional debut) was postponed due to the former sustaining an injury. Nowaczyk won the belt last September by knockout over Chris Crosby (13-6 MMA, 0-1 APFC).
GIVE THAT MAN HIS BELT!!!#APFC7 pic.twitter.com/341O6Cfyvi
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 4, 2023
Sunday’s headliner is an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
APFC X Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the APFC X main event on Sunday night, interim champion Cody Linne stands as the taller man at 5-foot-6, while Nate Williams stands 5-foot-1. Williams owns a 62 1/2-inch reach, with no such information for Cody Linne accessible at press time.
Will Linne Record Fourth Stoppage Victory in Succession in APFC X Main Event?
Cody Linne, a veteran of the LFA, has posted a perfect 5-0 record over his last five fights. Right before the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 19, he scored a third round submission via rear-naked choke against Dillion Cox (6-5 MMA, 0-1 APFC during APFC 9’s main event.
The victory last fall was Linne’s third in a row inside the distance. Given the fact that he hasn’t had to have his wins confirmed by the scorecards three times over, he’s shown himself to be an impressive fighter. In the run-up to his last fight, he expanded his training regimen to include boxing while still holding some of his camp at Ben Rothwell‘s gym.
Another win would make it six in a row for the interim champion, but if Cody Linne finishes Williams on Sunday night in the APFC X main event, he might not be around to become the permanent champion at 125 lbs. in the future. Six wins in a row, along with a successful defense of a title might be good enough for him to receive a voicemail from UFC CEO Dana White for a spot on Contender Series later on this summer, if not a space on the promotion’s roster itself.
55-Fight Veteran Williams Readies For First Fight Since 2022
In the other corner, Nate Williams has gone 3-2 over his last five fights, but it’s been a while since he last fought in any capacity. His last MMA fight resulted in a fourth-round submission defeat (arm-triangle choke) versus Lloyd McKinney (16-8 MMA) in 3 River Throwdown in April of 2022 in Onalaska, WI.
Aside from a grappling victory over Austin Peterson the following July, he hasn’t fought since. Scheduled bouts against Joey Scanlan and Jacob Akin were scrubbed prior to the day of the show, with the latter card eventually being cancelled entirely.
He’s been away for almost two years. Thus, the question of ring rust is salient once again. Only time will tell if the long layoff was detrimental.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
The fighters in Sunday’s APFC X main event look to be evenly-matched. Both men have been known to submit their opponents in the past.
Watch For Linne’s RNCs
All of Cody Linne’s career wins have happened inside the distance, with five of them by way of submission. Another such win happened in November vs. Cox.
During the third round, after nearly finishing Cox with a rear-naked choke in round two, Linne took top position and smothered him with ground and pound shots before applying the torque to force Dillion Cox to tap out. All it will take for Cody Linne to defend the title is a great ground game.
If he puts Nate Williams on the ground and lands punches in bunches, the submission will come easily in the APFC X main event.
Nate Williams Vicious on the Ground Himself
In the other corner, Nate Williams’ ground game is also something to behold. He can reverse the script to better his own cause. Just look at the tape of his Titan FC fight vs. Christian Ynastrilla in 2021.
While Ynastrilla completed a double-leg takedown, Williams grappled Ynastrilla and used a full nelson to execute a spine twister in under two minutes. If Nate Williams can counterattack against Cody Linne, he’ll walk away a winner in the APFC X main event for the first time since that night.
Final Thoughts
At the core, Sunday’s APFC X main event is a contest matching two fighters at a crossroads in their career with a prospect versing a seasoned vet. Who will win the day?
Prediction: Cody Linne by Second-Round Submission.
