CFFC 107 Main Event Preview: Bilder vs. Carvalho

Atlantic City-based MMA promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) provides just that in the CFFC 107 main event this Friday night.

Supremacy at 145 lbs. On the Line In CFFC 107 Main Event

Your headliner sees incumbent champion Blake Bilder (5-0-1 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) defend the 145-lb. strap for the first time against challenger Regivaldo Carvalho (6-3 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) in a four-round fight at five minutes per round to close the show on UFC Fight Pass.

Remember, in Cage Fury competition, a fifth round in a championship fight is contested solely if the scorecards produce a draw after four rounds of action, something that has only happened once, last year during the CFFC 94 main event.

CFFC 107 Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the CFFC 107 main event on Friday night, challenger Reginald Carvalho stands as the taller man at 5-foot-9, with champion Blake Bilder countering at 5-foot-8.

Carvalho owns a 71-inch reach, with no such information available for Bilder ahead of this championship fight.

Blake Bilder Just Fourth CFFC Featherweight Champion to Defend the Title in CFFC 107 Main Event

Blake Bilder enters the CFFC 107 main event on Friday night having posted a record of 4-0-1 in his last five MMA appearances, having secured the 145-lb. strap in his last fight against Frank Buenafuente (second-round submission due to a triangle choke) on Dec. 17 of last year during the CFFC 104 main event.

Buenafuente was a late replacement for Bilder’s original adversary, Eddy Torres, who withdrew from the card on the day of the event due to COVID-19 safety protocols.

Frank Buenafuente’s previously scheduled opponents for CFFC 104, Jeremiah Labiano and Angel Pacheco, each withdrew from the card prior to the show, so Buenafuente accepted the headlining bout for the Dec. 17 event on a day’s notice.

History indicates that Bilder’s main event spot in CFFC 107 is a rarity, as only three past CFFC Featherweight Champions, Joey Gambino, Jared Gordon, and Patrick Sabatini (in his first reign as champion at 145 lbs.) have gotten the opportunity to defend the strap, with Sabatini defending the championship three times before losing it.

Sabatini regained the CFFC Featherweight Championship for a second reign upon defeating Jesse Stirn in December of 2020 before securing a UFC contract.

Bilder Changes it Up

But he’s had to reinvent himself to get to where he is today, as he stated in an interview a year ago.

“I feel like because of the weight cut, it really mitigated what my potential really was,” Bilder began. “I don’t feel that I was able to show my potential in the majority of my fights, to be honest. Now, I’m excited to be closer to weight, not cut that much and really push the pace.”

Now that Blake Bilder has this rare opportunity to defend the championship. can he capitalize on it and become just the fourth man to successfully retain the strap?

Regivaldo Carvalho Looks to Use CFFC 107 Main Event as a Road Back to Major MMA

In the other corner, Regivaldo Carvalho, a veteran of Bellator MMA, has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights, including a first-round submission victory by way of guillotine choke against Timothy Teves last time out during CFFC 101.

Prior to returning to the regional circuit, he had a two-fight stint in Bellator, going undefeated in Scott Coker‘s promotion– with both of those victories coming inside the distance.

Since then, Carvalho has experienced mixed success inside the cage, alternating a win and a loss in his last two appearances.

The CFFC 107 main event on Friday night is, by far, his biggest fight to-date in the sport and it stands to reason that a UFC contract could very well be at stake for both Bilder and Carvalho here with a win.

Regivaldo Carvalho has had some experience in major MMA promotions, but now, can he use a victory in the CFFC 107 main event as a springboard back to the big show?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the CFFC 107 main event on Friday night looks to favor Blake Bilder, a submission specialist, compared to Regivaldo Carvalho, a former wrestler at Notre Dame College.

Blake Bilder Can Grapple His Way to a Win

Blake Bilder has been known to use his grappling to try and get the victory in a fight, as was the case last time out vs. Buenafuente.

During the second round of a scheduled four, Bilder had to overcome some vicious punches from Buenafuente, including a right-handed shot to begin a flurry of ground and pound shots to drop him.

Bilder recovered to the point where he nearly had a gogoplata submission locked in, but Buenafuente fought it off, applying pressure to his head, eventually trying the gogoplata again, this time locking in a triangle choke, knocking him unconscious.

All Blake Bilder needs is to get himself in a favorable spot to reverse the script if he finds himself on the receiving end of a vicious punch and he’ll win the CFFC 107 main event.

Regivaldo Carvalho Can Grapple in His Own Right

In the other corner, Regivaldo Carvalho can also grapple to get the win, as he did versus Timothy Teves last fall at a contracted catchweight of 152 lbs.

During the first round of a scheduled three. Carvalho wore Teves down with a burst of punches and kicks, catching a Teves kick to take him down, applying torque to sink in the guillotine choke and get the win.

If Regivaldo Carvalho is able to get as little as one takedown, it could be curtains for Blake Bilder in the CFFC 107 main event.

Final Thoughts

The CFFC 107 main event looks to be a ground war, so make sure you make that fridge run before the fight starts.

You might not have that chance after the fight begins.

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Prediction: Blake Bilder by First-Round Submission.

Featured image credit to CFFC