CFFC 116 Co-Main Event Breakdown

Your weekend of action begins on Friday night when Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Hotel plays host to CFFC 116. Live coverage of the event begins at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT with the undercard on YouTube. Main card action follows at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass.

All told, barring any late alterations to the card between now and Friday, the show features 11 fights. Even though no title bouts are happening in either the CFFC 116 co-main event or the CFFC 116 main event, fans can expect entertaining contests at the top of the show.

Bantamweight Showcase On Tap for CFFC 116 Co-Main Event

In the co-headliner on Friday night, it’ll be a battle at 135 lbs. when Greg Fischer (11-3 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) returns to action on UFC Fight Pass against Ricardo Fuentes (5-2 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) in the former’s CFFC debut as a professional. Being a nontitle fight, the CFFC 116 co-main event will be a maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.

The CFFC 116 co-main event marks Greg Fischer’s return to the promotion after having last fought in its amateur ranks in February of 2013. That night, he scored a first-round submission (rear-naked choke) versus Alex Steinkoening (0-1 amateur MMA).

CFFC 116 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the CFFC 116 co-main event on Friday night, Ricardo Fuentes stands as the taller man at 5-foot-9, compared to the 5-foot-8 frame of Greg Fischer. In addition, Fischer owns a 69-inch reach, with no such information for Fuentes ahead of this non-title fight.

Ordinarily, at this point in the breakdown, we’d mention which of the two fighters is favored according to the oddsmakers. However, as of Monday afternoon, betting odds still had yet to be released for the card on Friday night.

If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Greg Fischer Looks to Impress in CFFC Return

Greg Fischer enters the co-main event having posted a record of 3-2 in his last five fights dating back to April of 2019. A veteran of both Shogun Fights and the LFA, he saw a two-fight losing streak snapped back on July 16 when he knocked out Chase Boutwell (5-2 MMA) in the third and final round of the main event of Upstate Fight Night 2.

Ahead of his professional MMA career, he made two appearances under the CFFC signature between October of 2012 and February of 2013. going 1-1 as an amateur.

Prior to joining the LFA, Fischer went undefeated at 10-0 in Shogun Fights, becoming a champion in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. During the summer of 2020, with no fans in attendance as a safeguard against the COVID-19 pandemic, he met Jimmy Flick for the then-vacant LFA Flyweight Championship during LFA 86, with the latter

Since last appearing under the Cage Fury banner almost 10 years ago, Greg Fischer has developed a championship pedigree, having achieved double-champ status in Shogun and challenging for a title in the LFA. Can he pull in a great performance in the CFFC 116 co-main event this Friday?

Tune in and find out.

Ricardo Fuentes’ Focus Shifts to Fischer For CFFC 116 Co-Main Event

In the other corner, Ricardo Fuentes has gone 4-1 in his last five contests. Currently, he’s on a two-fight winning streak going into the CFFC 116 co-main event.

Back in May of this year, he submitted DeAndre Anderson (5-3 MMA, 1-3 CFFC) in round one of their fight during CFFC 108 with a kneebar. Fuentes was not originally slated to fight Greg Fischer on this card, however.

Initially, Fuentes was to have appeared in CFFC 113 versus Junior Cortes on Oct. 8, but the fight was canceled prior to the card. This pairing was then rebooked for Friday night’s card. Just like the scheduled booking two months ago, the fight was canceled for the second time in succession.

Fuentes stays on the card this time around and will fight Greg Fischer. Two salient questions are raised here:

How much has having a fight scrapped twice over against the same opponent affected Ricardo Fuentes psychologically? Has he been able to adequately change his training camp and his gameplan with a new opponent?

Only time will tell what the answers to these questions are.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the CFFC 116 co-main event on Friday night looks to be another one of those fights that’s a toss-up. Both Greg Fischer and Ricardo Fuentes have been known to score the submission victory in the past, so as little as one takedown could decide this one.

Greg Fischer Can Be Brutal On The Ground

Greg Fischer has won six MMA fights by way of submission across all competitions, so it stands to reason that he has an impressive ground game. Three years ago, he took part in a submission-only grappling event for charity, Tap Cancer Out, in Philadelphia. That night, he battled Corey Stockton.

During the eight-minute period, Fischer proved to be the more aggressive grappler of the two men, expertly escaping Stockton’s efforts to submit him in the early going. His defense created offense as the fight progressed, taking top mount to try and set up submission attempts of his own.

Fischer smothered Stockton, who was largely unable to create any kind of offensive attack to try and counter his opponent. At the contest’s midway point, Stockton was able to rise to his feet, which mattered very little since Fischer just took him right back down.

In short, for everything Corey Stockton tried to do against Greg Fischer that evening in 2019, very little of it worked. Although Fischer was unable to lock in a submission, his efforts were enough to get him the victory on points after eight minutes.

If Greg Fischer is able to take Ricardo Fuentes down, the former’s ground game will take over from there.

Ricardo Fuentes is Lightning-Fast With Submissions

In the other corner, Ricardo Fuentes has been able to make quick work of his adversaries on the cage mat. One need look no further than his fight against DeAndre Anderson in May as a textbook example.

Although the fight was slated for three rounds, he needed less than one to complete his assignment. Fuentes began by absorbing a right-handed punch before fighting off a takedown attempt from Anderson to return to the clinch.

After a reset, both fighters traded shots, with Anderson taking Fuentes down. From there, Fuentes was able to reverse positions and lock in a kneebar in slightly over two minutes’ time. If he finds himself in a bind on the ground, look for Ricardo Fuentes to try and create opportunities for himself. He just might lock in a submission.

Final Thoughts

Not much more needs to be said about the CFFC 116 co-main event on Friday night except this: The first fighter to score a takedown could be the one to win the fight.

Don’t blink when you watch this co-headliner. There’s a chance that you might miss everything.

Prediction: Greg Fischer by Second-Round Submission.

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