CFFC 120 Main Event Breakdown

The belts start to get handed out when New Jersey-based Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) returns to Hard Rock Atlantic City for CFFC 120. Live coverage of Friday night’s event begins at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT.

Unlike most CFFC cards in the past, the undercard won’t be available for live streaming on the promotion’s YouTube channel. Thanks to a new business partnership agreed to earlier this year, undercards for all Cage Fury events will be exclusive to its OnlyFans feed.

Main card action begins at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass. All told, CFFC 120 will feature, absent of any postponed fights between now and Friday night, 12 fights.

Bantamweight Supremacy on the Line in CFFC 120 Main Event

Highlighting the night is the battle for the CFFC Bantamweight Championship. Incumbent titleholder and Garfield, NJ native Vilson Ndregjoni (7-3 MMA, 4-1 CFFC) will have the home-cage advantage) when he meets challenger Wendel Araujo (7-3 MMA, CFFC promotional debut).

As with all CFFC title fights, the CFFC 120 main event will be an advertised maximum of four rounds at five minutes per round to close the show. If the scorecards produce a draw after 20 minutes, a fifth round will be held as a tiebreaker to decide the champion.

First four fights announced for #CFFC120 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (June 16th)

BW 👑
– Vilson Ndregjoni vs. Justin Clarke

Other fights.
– Dennis Buzukja vs. Soslan Abanokov
– Elijah Harris vs. Paul Capaldo
– Eric Nolan vs. Omoyele Gonzalez pic.twitter.com/pvKTnCTEOD

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) May 1, 2023

CFFC 120 Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the CFFC 120 main event on Friday night, champion Vilson Ndregjoni stands as the taller man at 5-foot-7, compared to the 5-foot-5 frame of Wendel Araujo. No reach information was accessible online at press time.

Ordinarily, at this point in the breakdown, we’d mention which of these two men are favored on the money line as per the oddsmakers, but as of Monday night, no betting odds have been released. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend, please wager responsibly.

Vilson Ndregjoni Looking to Become Next CFFC Grad to UFC

Vilson Ndregjoni enters the CFFC 120 main event having posted a record of 3-2 in his last five fights. At present, the champion is on a two-fight winning streak.

Last time out, he scored a third-round knockout (punches) of Ashiek Ajim (6-3 MMA, 0-1 CFFC) on April 1 in the CFFC 118 co-main event. Initially, Ndregjoni had been slated to fight against Justin Clarke (4-0 MMA, 4-0 CFFC) in the main event before the fight was scrubbed.

Despite the switch in opponent for the titlist, his objective is still crystal-clear: to eventually make the UFC’s active roster. He discussed this in a recent interview with CFFC.

“This fight, I’m going to make sure Dana White,  the matchmakers of the UFC, and everybody around knows my goal,” Ndregjoni said. “I can fight anybody in the world. I’ve been training with the best guys in the world, the champions from my weight class, other guys at 145, 155. I know my level, and my moment is going to come, for sure.”

The CFFC 120 main event marks Vilson Ndregjoni’s 10th professional fight. Can the wrestler take that crucial step toward a UFC deal with a victory? Tune in and find out.

Wendel Araujo Coming in Off of Seven-Month Layoff

In the other corner, Wendel Araujo, an alumnus of Miami-based Titan FC, has posted a 3-2 record of his own in the last five fights. Much like his adversary, the challenger is also on a two-fight winning streak presently.

Last time out, he scored a first-round submission (rear-naked choke) of Ira Lukosky (3-2 MMA) right before the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 18 during Titan FC 80. Afterward, he had been scheduled to return to the cage on April 14 in the LFA against Mitchell McKee (4-0 MMA), yet this fight was scrubbed prior to the event taking place.

How much training has he had in these last few months and will ring rust come into play? Only time will tell.

Analysis, Film Study and Prediction

Stylistically, the CFFC 120 main event looks to favor Wendel Araujo, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, compared to Vilson Ndregjoni, an alum of the Albanian National Wrestling Team.

Ndregjoni Has a Vicious Right Hand

In looking at the videotape of Ndregjoni’s April 1 fight against Ashiek Ajim, there’s one truth about this guy: His right hand isn’t something an opponent would want to mess with. During the third round, he stalked Ajim, waiting for the right moment to throw a big shot.

About a minute into the period, Ndregjoni uncorked a right-handed punch to sit Ajim down. A short burst of hammerfists closed out the fight, giving him the win.

All it will take for Vilson Ndregjoni to defend the title is a single right punch. If he lands that shot on-target, Araujo won’t know what hit him.

Araujo Can Make Ndregjoni Pay on the Ground

In the other corner, Wendel Araujo has a brilliant ground game. His fight vs. Lukosky is proof of this. During round one of the contest, the former absorbed a barrage of shots right out of the gate, forcing him to back Lukosky up against the cage fence and take him down.

At that point, he assumed back mount and wouldn’t let up. Lukosky had no chance to try to defend, with Araujo locking in the rear-naked choke inside three minutes.

If Wendel Araujo is able to take Vilson Ndregjoni down even once, the CFFC 120 main event could be over that quickly.

Final Thoughts

With a ground battle expected, this word of advice: Don’t look away from the screen when watching the CFFC 120 main event. You might end up missing the whole bout.

Prediction: Vilson Ndregjoni by Unanimous Decision.