A1 Combat 5 Co-Main Event Breakdown

The promotion returns this Labor Day weekend about one month removed from Blake Perry (1-1 MMA, 0-1 A1 Combat) sustaining a broken nose during A1 Combat 4 but returning to the gym the next day.

Barring any late postponements between now and Saturday, the final version of A1 Combat 5 is set to feature a total of 14 MMA bouts from the amateur and professional ranks, including a battle for the A1 Combat Welterweight Championship in the A1 Combat 5 co-main event of the evening.

Reed Battles Creighton in A1 Combat 5 Co-Main Event Saturday

Lamar Reed (9-5 MMA, 1-0 A1 Combat) will attempt to run his winning streak to three fights in a row when he meets Jeff Creighton (5-2 MMA, A1 Combat promotional debut) in the A1 Combat 5 co-main event.

Like all MMA championship fights, Saturday night"s co-headliner will be a maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round inside Wheatland, CA"s Hard Rock Casino and Hotel.

The winner of Saturday night"s A1 Combat 5 co-main event will become the first-ever A1 Combat Welterweight Champion since the promotion was rebranded from Firepower MMA earlier this year.

A1 Combat 5 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison

Going into Saturday night"s co-main event, Jeff Creighton stands as the taller man at 5-foot-11, compared to the 5-foot-7 frame of Lamar Reed.

Atypical of other fight breakdowns seen on this Website, there is no reach advantage information available for this championship fight.

Lamar Reed On Comeback Trail After Three-Plus Year Layoff

Lamar Reed comes into the A1 Combat 5 co-main event on Saturday night having gone 4-1 in his last five MMA appearances including an ongoing two-fight winning streak.

Most recently, he scored a first-round submission (rear-naked choke) on May 1 against Fay Bursell (5-2 MMA, 0-1 A1 Combat) during A1 Combat 1 in the selfsame Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Wheatland.

Initially, Reed was to have faced James Cannon (8-3 MMA, 1-0 A1 Combat) this weekend, but this pairing was scrapped prior to the show for undisclosed reasons.

Prior to netting a unanimous decision just after Thanksgiving last year against Ozzie Alvarez (8-9 MMA, 0-1 A1 Combat) in Firepower MMA 3, Lamar Reed had not set foot in an MMA cage since Feb. 28, 2018, when he lost via second-round submission due to a rear-naked choke versus Eric Steans Jr. (7-7 MMA) in the latter"s most recent bout.

Since that defeat to Steans, Reed has won both of his fights after his return, yet two questions remain for the fighter and his camp ahead of the A1 Combat 5 co-main event:

How has the change in opponent affected Lamar Reed and can he complete his comeback with a championship?

Tune in and find out.

Jeff Creighton Seeks To Impress in A1 Combat 5 Co-Main Event

In the other corner, Jeff Creighton will be making his A1 Combat promotional debut in the A1 Combat 5 co-main event on Saturday night.

He"s posted a 4-1 record of his own in his last five MMA fights and returned to the win column in his latest appearance by scoring a second-round submission due to rear-naked choke on July 8 during Fury FC 66 against Albert Gonzales (3-4 MMA).

Creighton turned pro in early 2018, and Saturday night"s championship fight may very well be a career-defining moment for him, as this is going to be his first bid at a title as a professional.

Right before turning pro, Creighton was interviewed by Nick Zanella of the MMA Pixels YouTube channel, where he revealed the origins of his nickname, “Jazzy."

Surprise: It"s not the reason one might assume.

“‘Jazzy" came from my one coach," Creighton said. “He said I just have some pep in my step and I"ve just got to move. My movement"s one of my key weapons while fighting. I have really good movement. I can just move very fluidly, and so, he just gave me the name “Jazzy" and it just kind of stuck, so, “Jazzy" Jeff."

Creighton will need to put on the performance of his career if he is to walk out of the arena with the belt on Saturday night.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

The A1 Combat 5 co-main event looks to be a toss-up this coming weekend as both of these men have been known to get the finish.

It stands to reason that this one could be a ground war on Saturday night.

Watch For Lamar Reed"s Submissions

Throughout his MMA career, Lamar Reed has been known to score the victory by submission, as he did against Bursell on May 1.

Even though this fight was scheduled for three rounds at five minutes apiece, Reed needed less than half of one to close the deal.

Right from the command to fight, he landed a quick five-punch combination to wobble Bursell and take him down.

Upon taking top mount, Lamar Reed wrestled Fay Bursell to momentarily take back mount, and although Bursell managed to fight it off, Reed just took him right back down again, and it was at this point in the contest that Reed asserted himself as the better fighter, putting Bursell to the base of the cage fence in order to prevent any kind of movement.

From there, Reed landed some punches to Bursell"s head as a means of softening him up for a submission attempt, applying the needed torque to sink in a rear-naked choke just a minute and 15 seconds into the fight.

All it takes for Lamar Reed to win the A1 Combat 5 co-main event is as little as one takedown, because if he takes Jeff Creighton to the mat, it could be all over.

Jeff Creighton Can Take The Fight to the Ground Himself

In the other corner, don"t discount Jeff Creighton"s grappling ability, because he can also go to the mat if needed, like he did in his last fight versus Gonzales.

During the second round of a scheduled three, Creighton landed a single-leg takedown, first going to half guard and then transitioning to full mount, landing an elbow shot to Gonzales" head in the process.

Creighton eventually drove Gonzales to the cage fence while occasionally scoring with an elbow, later landing a three-elbow combination to soften him up before finally committing to a rear-naked choke submission.

Even though Albert Gonzales made a valiant effort to fight off the rear-naked choke, Jeff Creighton"s submission hold was just too tight, forcing Gonzales to tap out inside two minutes to go in the round.

Much like Lamar Reed, Jeff Creighton may need a single takedown to wrap up the A1 Combat 5 co-main event.

Final Thoughts

Not much more needs to be said about the A1 Combat 5 co-main event, save for these words of advice.

Pay the pizza guy before the fight starts, and once the first bell rings, don"t blink.

You might miss everything.

Prediction: Jeff Creighton by Second-Round Submission.

Main image credit Embed from Getty Images