Your big weekend of MMA continues Saturday with not one, but two title fights. While the UFC holds UFC 305 in Perth, Australia later that night, championship action also takes place earlier on in the evening stateside. Waukesha, WI is the host city for Anthony Pettis FC (formerly known as Showtime FC‘s) return to the cage for the first time since May.
APFC holds two cards this month in the next two weekends beginning with APFC Waukesha RMBL in the Waukesha Expo Center. A week from Sunday, APFC 12 takes place in Richmond, VA. More on that card next week.
Ordinarily, APFC cards are streamed over UFC Fight Pass. This time out, the promotional material released by the organization indicates that APFC Waukesha RMBL won’t be available on Fight Pass. APFC 12 will, however, be shown live on the UFC’s streaming platform next weekend.
Vacant Flyweight Championship At Stake in APFC Waukesha RMBL Main Event Saturday Night
Highlighting the professional card on Saturday evening is the battle for the Vacant APFC Flyweight Championship in the APFC Waukesha RMBL main event. APFC Interim Flyweight Champion Cody Linne (8-1 MMA, 3-0 APFC), an alumnus of the LFA, meets up with Jonathan Sepulveda (10-4 MMA, APFC promotional debut). This is an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
Your winner on Saturday will succeed Immortal Lotus (8-1 MMA, 1-0 APFC), who had to vacate the 125-lb. strap due to surgery.
APFC Waukesha RMBL Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the APFC Waukesha RMBL main event on Saturday night, Jonathan Sepulveda stands as the taller man at 5-foot-7, compared to the 5-foot-6 frame of Cody Linne. No reach advantage information was accessible at press time.
In addition, no money lines have been released for APFC Waukesha RMBL on Saturday. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend in MMA and/or combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Cody Linne in Search of Seventh Straight Win
Cody Linne enters the APFC Waukesha RMBL main event on Saturday having gone 5-0 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a six-fight winning streak.
Back on April 7 of this year, Linne defended the interim flyweight title by way of second-round submission (rear-naked choke) over Nate Williams (32-23 MMA, 0-1 APFC) in APFC X on UFC Fight Pass.
Recently, “The Codebreaker” was a guest on Hear Me and Beer Me. During his appearance, he discussed how he got into watching combat sports at an early age after seeing sports entertainment on television.
“One day, my dad was watching UFC,” Linne said. “I didn’t know anything about it, obviously. I’m like, maybe 10 at this age, maybe 11. He’s like, ‘Come watch this with me. This is real.’ So I sit down and watch it like, ‘OK, what’s this about?’ I’m pretty sure it was Joe Lauzon [fighting], if you guys know who Joe Lauzon is. Every fight he’s in, it’s bloody, it’s gory, and I was watching him, like ‘There’s no way this is real.'”
Those Lauzon fights gave Linne the pathway toward his current career. A win on Saturday would mark seven in a row for “The Codebreaker”, as well as the permanent flyweight championship. Will he come away with another victory?
Sepulveda Readies for First Fight in Over a Year
In the other corner, Jonathan Sepulveda enters the APFC Waukesha RMBL main event on Saturday having posted a record of 2-3 in his last five fights. Last time out, he ended a three-fight skid with a unanimous decision victory over Mefi Monterroso (6-5 MMA) on June 17 of last year.
Monterroso has since turned to the squared circle of boxing, where he’s dropped three bouts in a row. Turning back to Jonathan Sepulveda, he hasn’t set foot in an MMA cage in approximately 14 months’ time ahead of this main attraction. Thus, the age-old question gets asked once more:
With the lengthy hiatus between appearances, how much ring rust does Jonathan Sepulveda have? For the answers, tune into the APFC Waukesha RMBL main event on Saturday night and find out.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Expect the APFC Waukesha RMBL main event to go to the mat. Cody Linne is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, whereas Jonathan Sepulveda is a freestyle wrestler.
Linne Brutal on the Mat
Given that Cody Linne subscribes to BJJ, he may try to take the headliner to the canvas on Saturday. His last fight vs. Nate Williams was another brutal reminder as to how good he is when he goes to the mat.
While some illegal shots were thrown in round two, Linne dropped Williams and assumed top mount before taking his opponent’s back. It was only a matter of time until Cody Linne secured the rear-naked choke to put Nate Williams away.
If Cody Linne takes Jonathan Sepulveda down first, the rest of the story writes itself.
Sepulveda Can Punch His Way to a Win
In the other corner, Jonathan Sepulveda has fists of fury. Back in 2015, Leandro da Silva found that out firsthand. Late in the third round, Sepulveda pounced on da Silva and just poured on the ground and pound shots, punctuated by some vicious elbows, until the referee was forced to intervene.
Jonathan Sepulveda can put on a clinical performance in any fight. The question is will it be this one?
Final Thoughts
While there’s a light heavyweight title fight happening in the southern hemisphere on Saturday night, don’t sleep on this flyweight title bout in the APFC Waukesha RMBL main event.
Prediction: Cody Linne by Second-Round Submission.
