Premier FC returns with one of their best cards to date this Sunday, yes Sunday! The show will be held at the Chez Jose in Agawam. Tickets are still available and start at $43 for general admission at the link here. Now the doors will open for VIP at 1pm, General admission open at 2pm and the first fight will be held at 2:30. They decided to stagger the times to help the bottlenecking at the door. Karyn Wesch has done an excellent job on the matchmaking and has 15 fights total with 4 fights being pro and 2 title fights! I can't think of a better way to spend my Sunday afternoon. Let me break down the card for you..
160lbs AM Concepcion Marquez (Cruz Warrior Academy 0-0) vs Robert Rubino (RGTF 0-0)
In the first fight Concepcion Marquez takes on Robert Rubino at a catchweight of 160lbs. Concepcion is from Cruz Warrior Academy and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent, Robert Rubino is from Renzo Gracie CT and will also be making his amateur debut. Both fighters are from solid schools and that should make this an exciting fight for sure.
155lb AM Sam Watford (RGTF 2-0) vs. Pete Mazzeo (Team Victory 7-0)
Then Sam Watford takes on Pete Mazzeo at 155lbs in the cage. Watford is from RGTF and has a 2-0 record. He won his first fight by submission and his second fight by ko/tko to strikes. He will be looking to keep his win streak going and leave #PFC16 3-0. Mazzeo fights out of Team Victory and has a 7-0 record. He has won the majority of his fights by decision so we all know he can go the distance. Pistol Pete will be ready for a war!
135lbs AM Brett Kerpa ( Ultimate MMA 1-0) vs. Chris Ruopp (ATT 0-0)
In the next bout Brett Kerpa takes on Chris Ruopp at 135lbs amateur. Brett's previous opponent just dropped out yesterday because he wasn't ready yet. Luckily Karyn Wesch quickly found a replacement so Brett who has been training so hard and cutting weight can still have a fight for this Sunday. Brett is from Ultimate MMA and has a 1-0 record. He won his first fight against Steve Karr in a decision. Ruopp is from ATT and will be making his amateur debut. Being from ATT, you know he will be ready.
185lbs AM Chris Williams (Thunder 1-1) vs. Ilya Kotau (ATT 0-0)
At 185lbs Chris Williams challenges Ilya Kotau. Williams is from Team Thunder out of CT and has a 1-1 record. He won his first fight at PFC by ko/tko and then lose his second bout to a split decision. His opponent Ilya trains with American Top Team and will be making his amateur debut. Ilya should have a good ground game being from ATT. I expect this fight to be a ground battle.
155lb AM Alex Ortiz (RGTF 1-0) vs. Greg Belardinelli (ATT 4-1)
At 155lbs Alex Ortiz faces off against Greg Belardinelli. Alex is from RGTF and has a 1-0 record. He won his first fight at the last PFC against Camber Bohlen by submission. He looked very comfortable on the ground. His opponent Greg fights out of ATT and has a 4-1 record. He has 3 wins by decision and one by submission so we know he can go the distance. This should be a ground battle as both fighters are well versed on the ground. I don't think this one will go to a decision so expect a submission folks!
145lb AM Brian Rossi (Battlecrew MMA 1-2) vs Vinny Brightman (Thunder 0-2)
Then at 145lbs Brian Rossi takes on Vinny Brightman. Rossi is from Battlecrew MMA and has a 1-2 record. He lost two fights by decision and one his last fight by ko/tko. He will be looking to continue that and to pull to an even 2-2. Vinny is from Team Thunder and has an 0-2 record. He lost by submission to Kenny Peralta at the last PFC. This is another close match up that really any fighter could win this fight and that makes this one exciting to me.
125lb AM Lisa Blaine (Gracie CT 0-0) vs Sarah Click (CCFA 1-0)
Next up is the female bout between Lisa Blaine and Sarah Click at 125lbs amateur. Lisa is from Gracie CT and will be making her amateur debut. Click fights out of CCFA and has a 1-0 record. She won her first fight by ko/tko to knees against Shannon Harney. Not surprising being from CCFA that she has some outstanding kickboxing. This is a great match up and is between grappler vs. striker. I can't wait to see how this one turns out and I know the fans will be on their feet after this one.
145lbs AM Title Nestor X (RGTF 5-1) vs Kenny Peralta (Ultimate MMA 2-1)
For the first title fight of the evening Nestor X takes on Kenny Peralta at 145lbs. Nestor used to have the belt but it was stripped from him due to inactivity and now he is fighting for it again. He fights out of RGTF and has a 5-1 record with his only loss coming to Peter Barrett. He won four of out his fight fights by submission and is deadly on the ground. Peralta is with Ultimate MMA and has a 2-1 record. He lost his first fight by decision and has quickly bounced back with 2 straight wins. He won one by ko/tko and then won by submission. Both fighters want that title and you know it is going to be an awesome journey to watch!
125lbs AM Title Carlos Candelario (New Britain Judo 4-0) vs Marquis Brewster (NE Combat 4-1)
In the second title fight of the evening Carlos Candelario takes on Marquis Brewster at 125lbs. Carlos trains with New Britain Judo and has a 4-0 record. He has won all 4 of his fights by submission and is anxious to get back in the cage. He was a previous 135lb amateur Title holder and now wants a new belt to take home with him Sunday. Marquis fights out of NE Combat and has a 4-1 record. He has 2 wins by decision and 2 wins by ko/tko. This is going to be a fight of the night contender for sure and I don't see this one going the distance.
135lbs PRO Jeremy Reipold (Ravenous 0-0) vs Yeison Berdugo (Team United 0-0)
The first pro fight of the night is a double pro debut between Jeremy Reipold and Yeison Berdugo. Both fighters are top notch, classy fighters. Reipold fights out of Team Ravenous in Greenfield Mass and had a 4-3 amateur record. He had wins by ko/tko submissions and decisions so he can win any way possible. He will be looking to make a statement and let the 135 pros out there that he is ready for battle with anybody. Yeison trains with Team United and had a 1-4 record for an amateur. He lost a few by submission and one by decision. He has great stand up and is a coach on Team United as well as Jeremy for Team Ravenous. I see this fight being a stand up battle and Reipold has shown he has KO power so don't blink fight fans! This fight is going to be awesome!
130lbs PRO Marvin Maldonado (Renzo Gracie Lathen 1-1) vs. Theo Desjardin (Team United 4-7)
In the second pro fight Marvin Maldonado returns to the PFC cage against veteran Theo Desjardin at a catch weight of 130lbs. Marvin trains with Renzo Gracie Lathen and has a 1-1 record. He had an excellent amateur career in which he won/lost most of his fights by decision. Don't let this fool you though he is excellent on the ground and can pull a sub at anytime. He lost his first fight by split decision to Dan Cormier. Next he won his second pro fight by submission against Mico DesLos Reyes. In his Bellator debut his fight against Rico Disciullo was ruled a no contest. Theo is from Team United and comes into this fight with a 4-7 record. In his losses he lost many of them by ko/tko and submissions. In his wins he won 2 by ko/tko and 2 by submissions. This is another tough fight for Theo and to win this Theo is going to have to try to keep it standing. Marvin has the better ground game and for him to win this he will want to take this fight to the ground and work a slick submission.
170lbs PRO Michael Filippone (Cruz MMA 2-0) vs Matthew Bordonaro (Victory MMA 0-0)
Next up at 170lbs Michael Filippone takes on Matthew Bordonaro. Filippone is from Cruz MMA and has a 2-0 record. He won one fight by ko/tko and one by submission. However, his last win was in 2011 so we will have to see if cage rust plays a factor in this one. I can tell you in his first two pro fights he was very dominant in them. Bordonaro is coming up from New York to make his pro debut. He fights out of Victory MMA and he has an awesome amateur career. He won some by submissions and I saw him fight once up in Maine against Crowsneck and he looks very impressive. I feel this fight is going to be a ground battle and it is going to be real fun to watch.
185lbs PRO Gustavo Kuhn (Link 6-0) vs Stephen Stengel (Independent 5-10)
In the main event Gustavo Kuhn takes on Stephen Stengel at 185lbs. Kuhn is from Team Link and has a perfect 6-0 record. He has 3 wins by submission and 3 wins by ko/tko. Coming from Brazil and being with Team Link, you know he will be very well versed on the ground. Stengel is an independent fighter and has a 5-10 record. Out of his losses he lost the majority of them by submission. I have never seen Stephen fight before but to me I feel Kuhn is going to win this fight by submission in the first or second.
There you have the complete breakdown of all the fights coming up this Sunday at Premier Fighting Championship. Special thanks to Karyn Wesch and her team for putting together an excellent card and sharing it with us so we could write this lovely article. Warchild and I will be there capturing all the action for you all but I strongly urge you to support your local MMA and come out! With this many fights on the card you will definitely get your $$ worth and try to buy online first because they may sell out.