Tag: Jose Perez

2024 PFL Championship live and official results

The 2024 PFL Championship event takes place Friday with six $1 million title winners set to be crowned.

The 2024 PFL Championship event took place Friday, and MMA Junkie provided live and official results throughout the event.

The card took place at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The entire event streamed on ESPN+.

Six divisions crowned 2024 season winners, each of whom received $1 million to go with their title. The event also featured four MENA championship bouts.

Check out full 2024 PFL Championship results, fight information, highlights and more below.

2024 PFL Championship Main Card Results

  • Timur Khizriev def. Brendan Loughane via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) – for featherweight title
  • Dakota Ditcheva def. Taila Santos via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:41 – for women’s flyweight title
  • Dovlet Yagshimuradov def. Impa Kasanganay via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:58 – for light heavyweight title
  • Shamil Musaev def. Magomed Umalatov via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:44 – for welterweight title
  • Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Brent Primus via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 2:31 – for lightweight title
  • Denis Goltsov def. Oleg Popov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:55 – for heavyweight title

Brendan Loughnane vs. Timur Khizriev

Round 1 – Khizriev comes out pressuring with punches. Loughnane is sharp defensively as he circles and hunts for his own openings. Khizriev remains aggressive early, offering a variety of punches and kicks. Loughnane lands a nice push kick to the face. Khizriev responds a moment later with a spinning back kick. Loughnane attempts a wheel kick, but comes up with air, allowing Khizriev an opening to shoot for the takedown. Working from the top, Khizriev lands ground and pound while focusing on maintaining the position. Loughnane nearly scrambled to his feet, but was returned to the canvas. Khizriev lands more punches and elbows from the top.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Khizriev.

Round 2 – Khizriev comes out firing punches as he sets the tone from the center. A sharp kick to the body lands. Khizriev digs with a nasty uppercut to the body that appears to hurt Loughnane and tests his poker face. Khizriev kicks to the leg and punches upstairs. Loughnane is bleeding on his nose as Khizriev continues to go first and land strikes. Loughnane is really busted up now, but he’s firing back. Khizriev keeps with the forward pressure, but Loughnane finds a solid counter punch and clips Khizriev, who drops to a knee. Khizriev pops right back up and continues to offer punches.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Khizriev.

Round 3 – Khizriev remains aggressive with punches and shoots in for a takedown. He attempts to drag Loughnane to the ground from the back, and Loughnane gets away with a fence grab. Khizriev makes him pay with a knee to the head. Loughnane gets away and they’re back to striking range in the center of the cage. Khizriev sticks and moves with punches and kicks as Loughnane appears to be working on a damaged rear leg. Another spinning kick attempt from Loughnane results in a takedown. In full guard, Khizriev stays heavy and lands a few short punches. Loughnane works up to his feet and they return to the center. Khizriev looks to land a few more strikes before the round ends.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Khizriev.

Round 4 – Khizriev works behind a left jab, and connects with a strong combination. He then shoots in for a well-timed takedown, returning the fight to the ground. Loughnane attemtps to stand, and spins away. Khizriev continues to lead the dance with punches and leg kicks. Loughnane doesn’t offer much offense as he circles on the outside. Khizriev slows his output as well, but still finds home for punches. Loughnane finds a home for a left, and then a combination not too far behind it.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Khizriev.

Round 5 – Khizriev, controlling from the center, fires punches as he works behind a left hand. A sharp right hand connects and an uppercut behind it. Loughnane looks for a punch but eats a counter jumping knee to the body. Loughnane waves Khizriev on. Loughnane starts putting together a few nice quick punches, but Khizriev gets a takedown. Loughnane works back to his feet and gets free with 90 seconds to go. Khizriev keeps the pressure on and looks for another takedown, but can’t get this one. Loughnane offers a few leg kicks, but punches from Khizriev score until the final horn.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Khizriev, giving him the fight 50-45.

Result: Timur Khizriev def. Brendan Loughane via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
Recap: 2024 PFL Championship: Timur Khizriev dominates Brendan Loughnane to win featherweight title
Photos: Timur Khizriev def. Brendan Loughnane at 2024 PFL Championship: Best photos
Records: Loughnane (30-6), Khizriev (18-0)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson

Dakota Ditcheva vs. Taila Santos

Round 1 – They come out studying the distance and trade leg kicks. Ditcheva keeps with the kicking approach, inside and outside. A sharp combination of punches gets through for Ditcheva. Santos grabs a hold for a takedown, and the wrestling game is onalong the fence. Ditcheva reverses and gets the takedown, but opts to back away and bring the fight back to the feet. Santos doesn’t waste much time getting back in for another clinch. Ditcheva gets away, and lands a left hand. Another inside leg kick from Ditcheva. Santos charges forward, but Ditcheva circles away. Ditcheva front kicks to the face. A flurry of punches land for Ditcheva! Santos covers up and backs into the fence. Ditcheva adds a short elbow. Ditcheva punches and adds a knee to the body.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Ditcheva.

Round 2 – A sharp left hand from Ditcheva connects early. Santos sttampts to charge forward with strikes as Ditcheva circles. Santos keeps the pressure high and eventually gets a hold of Ditcheva against the cage. Ditcheva spins out from the hold. Ditcheva kicks to the legs. Santos responds with a nice punch. Ditcheva punches to the body. A moment later, a front kick to the body pushes Santos back. Another hard leg kick from Ditcheva. Santos closes in for a clinch, eating a knee to the body in the process. Ditcheva lands a hard elbow on the exit. Ditcheva lands another hard front kick to the face. She’s starting to unload as Santos covers up. Santos changes levels to slow down the pressure. Ditcheva defends, and lands a few hard elbows. The punches continue. Santos folds over from a punch to the body! The referee stops it! What a performance!

Result: Dakota Ditcheva def. Taila Santos via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:41
Recap: 2024 PFL Championship: Dakota Ditcheva stops ex-UFC title challenger Taila Santos to win title, $1 million prize
Photos: Dakota Ditcheva def. Taila Santos at 2024 PFL Championship: Best photos
Records: Ditcheva (14-0), Santos (22-4)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson

Impa Kasanganay vs. Dovlet Yagshimuradov

Round 1 – Yagshimuradov lands a hard leg kick to start. They trade heavy punches a second later. Now they reset and settle down, Kasanganay in the center. Kasanganay darts in with a right hand, but gets clipped with a hard counter. Kasanganay is stunned. Yagshimuradov sees it and capitalizes with more punches. Kasanganay tries to respond, but Yagshimuradov just keeps pouring it on and Kasanganay goes down! The referee dives in before Yagshimuradov can land any more punches. Wow!

Result: Dovlet Yagshimuradov def. Impa Kasanganay via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:58
Recap: 2024 PFL Championship: Dovlet Yagshimuradov trucks Impa Kasanganay in 58 seconds
Photos: Dovlet Yagshimuradov def. Impa Kasanganay at 2024 PFL Championship: Best photos
Records: Kasanganay (18-5), Yagshimuradov (25-7-1)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Gerd Richter

Magomed Umalatov vs. Shamil Musaev

Round 1 – Both fighters are take their time studying the range and looking for openings. A few boo birds chirp as the action is slow at the start of this one. A couple of single strikes are offered from both, but the boos grow louder and the referee claps for action. Musaev responds by darting forward with a sharp left hand, and puts a combination behind it. They clinch up against the fence. After the separation, they’re back to circling around the cage without much action. One more forward blitz from Musaev.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Musaev.

Round 2 – The crowd gets a clapping chant going to encourage action early in the round. Umalatov pressures forward and shoots for a takedown, but can’t get it. Musaev lands a speedy left jab, and then punches to the body a moment later. Umalatov puts together a nice two-punch combo and shoots straight in for a takedown. He gets Musaev to the mat, but the reversal comes quickly. Musaev controls the back as they stand up. Musaev gets a takedown as Umalatov turns into him. Umalatov gets up to his feet quickly and the wrestling along the fence continues. They separate with less than a minute to go, and trade punches. Musaev looks to change levels but gets denied.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Musaev.

Round 3 – They come out with a calculated pace. Umalatov pressures from the center, but Musaev circles from the fence. Umalatov shoots in for single leg, but can’t get it. They’ve back in the center now. Musaev lands a hard punch. Musaev keep the pressure high and clips Umalatov with a hard left! Umalatov goes down! Musaev follows up for the finish, and there it is!

Result: Shamil Musaev def. Magomed Umalatov via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:44
Recap: 2024 PFL Championship: Shamil Musaev bludgeons Magomed Umalatov for $1 million knockout
Photos: Shamil Musaev def. Magomed Umalatov at 2024 PFL Championship: Best photos
Records: Umalatov (17-1), Musaev (20-0-1)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Derek Hickey

Brent Primus vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov

Round 1 – Rabadanov opens up with leg kicks from the outside. Primus charges in, swinging big hooks. Rabadanov circles away and adds more leg kicks. Another series of punches from Primus, and Rabadanov responds with strikes upstairs. Rabadanov shoots in for the takedown and gets the fight to the ground. Primus stays active from his back, looking to work from mission control in full guard. Rabadanov stays heavy, preventing submission attempts as Primus adds elbows from bottom.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Primus.

Round 2 – Rabadanov comes out with leg kicks as Primus tries to close the distance with punches. A takedown attempts from Rabadanov is stuffed. Primus comes foward, offering a few punches. A fast, sharp combination connects for Rabadanov! The right hand drops Primus! Rabadanov closes in for top position on the ground, but Primus appears recovered, and is back to working from mission control. Rabadanov stands up and kicks Primus who stays on the ground. Rabadanov goes back to the mat in half guard and closes out the round on top after a couple of punches.

MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Rabadanov.

Round 3 – They meet in the center and exchange punches upstairs. Rabadanov drops Primus with a big right hand! Rabadanov stands over Primus and kicks to the legs. He decides to let Primus back up to his feet. Primus is wearing the damage on the left side of his face now. They trade hard punches. Primus gets the better of thatt exchange. Rabadanov resets and comes back in with another combo, landing nicely. Another sharp combo with an uppercut for Rabadanov. Another furious combo by Rabadanov lights up Primus and he’s rocked! Rabadanov pours on the punches as Primus crashes to the ground! It’s over!

Result: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Brent Primus via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 2:31
Recap: 2024 PFL Championship: Gadzhi Rabadanov faceplants Brent Primus’ for $1 million
Photos: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Brent Primus at 2024 PFL Championship: Best photos
Records: Primus (15-4), Rabadanov (24-4-2)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson

Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov

Round 1 – Goltsov quickly gets into striking range and begins firing off a left jab. Popov changes levels and completes an early takedown. Goltsov secures two overhooks, preventing offense from Popov in full guard. Popov works his arms free and offers a couple of punches. Goltsov throws up a triangle choke attempt, and adds the armbar threat. The armbar isn’t there, but Goltsov locks up the triangle tighter. Goltsov signals to the referee that Popov is out! He’s asleep! What a finish!

Result: Denis Goltsov def. Oleg Popov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:55
Recap: 2024 PFL Championship: Denis Goltsov sleeps Oleg Popov from bottom, calls for Francis Ngannou
Photos: Denis Goltsov def. Oleg Popov at 2024 PFL Championship: Best photos
Records: Goltsov (36-8), Popov (19-2)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Gerd Richter

2024 PFL Championship Photos

Check out a full gallery of the fights from 2024 PFL Championship event below.

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2024 PFL MENA Championship Results

  • [autotag]Abdullah Al-Qahtani[/autotag] def. [autotag]Maraoune Bellagouit[/autotag] via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:21 – for MENA featherweight title
  • [autotag]Omar El Dafrawy[/autotag] def. [autotag]Mohammad Alaqraa[/autotag] via TKO (punches) – Round 2; 0:57 – to win MENA welterweight title
  • [autotag]Ali Taleb[/autotag] def. [autotag]Rachid El Hazoume[/autotag] via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:25 – to win MENA bantamweight title
  • [autotag]Mohsen Mohammadseifi[/autotag] def. [autotag]Georges Eid[/autotag] via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – for MENA lightweight title

2024 PFL Championship Preliminary Card Results

  • [autotag]Mansour Barnaoui[/autotag] def. [autotag]Alfie Davis[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:41
  • [autotag]Slim Trabelsi[/autotag] def. [autotag]Abraham Bably[/autotag] via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] def. [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • [autotag]Asael Adjoudj[/autotag] def. [autotag]Jose Perez[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:10
  • [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] def. [autotag]Joao Dantas[/autotag] via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:48

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL Championship.

Jose Perez’s strange college basketball journey ends with him quitting on Arizona State

The Arizona State Sun Devils will compete in the Pac-12 Tournament without Jose Perez, who abruptly ended his college basketball career after the team’s win over USC.

We should have known Jose Perez’s college basketball career would end with one final confounding headline.

Perez dropped 25 points for Arizona State on Thursday in the loss to USC, and after participating in postgame activities he vanished – like a thief in the night – leaving the Sun Devils short handed in an eventual 59-47 loss to UCLA on Saturday.

‘Personal’ was the reason given by school officials, and Pac-12 Network broadcaster Cavan Malayter was told he is pursuing professional opportunities.

So ends the final season of Perez’s tumultuous college basketball career, which began back in 2018-19 at Gardner-Webb in the Big South – where he posted back-to-back 15 point per game seasons. That led to him spending one season at Marquette, where he only appeared in 10 games due to injury.

What followed was another transfer and an outstanding season at Manhattan (18.9 points per game) and then – you guessed it – another transfer, this time to West Virginia. He left Manhattan due to his coach getting let go, and despite the NCAA normally granting a waiver in these cases he was not, forcing him to sit for the 2022-23 season.

Perez planned to return to WVU and finally see the floor, even after coach Bob Huggins was fired, but a messy academic dispute resulted in Perez suddenly leaving the Mountaineers and ultimately ending up in Tempe with Arizona State in September.

The 6’5 guard finished his final collegiate season averaging 13.5 points for the Sun Devils – second on the team behind Frankie Collins – and some of his final words to the press came after the team’s surprise win over then No. 21 Washington State two weeks ago:

“We gotta go out with pride,” Perez said. “Our pride gotta get in the way. We go, win out, get the best seed possible and see the standings, who we match up with. It’s all about matchups in March.”

Arizona State earned the No. 11 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and will square off against No. 6 Utah on Wednesday – and they’ll have to make their run without their second leading scorer.

After whirlwind 18 months at West Virginia, Jose Perez is enjoying his time at Arizona State

Jose Perez spent 18 months waiting to get back on the floor at West Virginia, which never happened. Now he’s thriving at Arizona State in his final season of college basketball.

On March 8, 2021, Jose Perez dropped 21 points with five assists and four steals for Manhattan in a loss to Rider in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.

That ended up being the last game action for Perez across a whopping 975 days, a time period where he entered the transfer portal following his coach’s sudden firing, landed at West Virginia, was deemed ineligible for the 2022-23 season, remained with the Mountaineers after coach Bob Huggins was let go, and then was back in the portal late this offseason after an academic issue ended his tenure at West Virginia before he was ever even able to play a game.

Perez’s saga is among the strangest in recent memory, which hits many of college athletics’ biggest hot button issues: NCAA overstepping, transfer portal limits, academic issues, and coach misbehavior.

Fortunately for Perez, he was able to once again enter the transfer portal very late in the offseason and landed with Bobby Hurley and the Arizona State Sun Devils, who needed insurance in the guard room in case LSU two-time transfer Adam Miller was denied eligibility for the 2023-24 season.

(As of this writing, Miller has not been cleared by the NCAA to play at Arizona State this year.)

The 6’5 senior guard from the Bronx is just happy to be back on the hardwood, rather than the sidelines, and he’s provided exactly what Arizona State wanted from him: averaging 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in nine games, playing about 33 minutes per night and shooting 48.5% on two pointers and 33.3% from beyond the arc.

“It’s fun to be back,” Perez said last week after dropping a season-high 24 points at home against Sam Houston. “Just trying to stack wins and get to the NCAA Tournament again.”

Perez has topped 20 points already in three of his nine games with the Sun Devils, and while the program is off to a rocky start – with a 6-3 record after a loss to San Diego – it would be much worse if Perez wasn’t in the picture.

More importantly, Perez gets to finish out his collegiate career on a high note after spending 18 months frustratingly waiting for the NCAA to let him get back onto the floor and do what he loves.

Arizona State will host TCU on Saturday, December 16 at 10:00 PM ET on ESPNU, followed by Northwestern four days later on December 20 at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

Jose Perez commits to Arizona State, his fifth school in six years

The long and winding career of Jose Perez is set to continue at Arizona State

Former West Virginia, Manhattan, Marquette, and Gardner Webb guard Jose Perez will continue his collegiate basketball career at a fifth school.

On Sunday, Perez announced that he will be continuing his career with the Arizona State Sun Devils. He announced his decision on his Instagram. It’s not only the fifth school of Perez’s career but is his fourth school in four years.

Perez entered the transfer portal this past offseason after spending last season in Morgantown with West Virginia. Unfortunately for Perez and the Mountaineers, the NCAA did not approve a waiver for the 6-foot-5 guard out of the Bronx to play in the 2022-2023 season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CycXF89LjCU/?ig_rid=b8bc8522-6495-4009-8559-b08d5f260855

Prior to his lone year in Morgantown, Perez started his collegiate career with Gardner-Webb, where he averaged 15.1 points per game across 57 carer games with the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

He would transfer to Marquette following the 2019-2020 season, but only played in 10 games for the Golden Eagles, averaging 3.1 points per game. Following his disappointing junior season, he would make his way back to New York playing for the Manhattan Jaspers, averaging 18.9 points per night across 30 games.

Then prior to last season, he would find his way to Morgantown following the firing of Jaspers head coach Steve Masiello. That being said, Perez never officially registered any time as a member of the Mountaineers’ men’s basketball program due to the NCAA not approving his waiver.

Originally, it appeared that Perez was going to return to West Virginia for this fall after originally entering the transfer portal following the resignation of Bob Huggins in July. Then this past month, on September 30, West Virginia head coach Josh Eilert announced that Perez was no longer with the Mountaineers. 

Perez will join an Arizona State program that went 23-13 last season, including 11-9 in Pac-12 play, making the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed. The program is set to enter the ninth season in the tenure of head coach Bobby Hurley, who is 141-113 during his time in Tempe while leading the Sun Devils to a trio of NCAA Tournament appearances.

Is Dana Altman zeroing in on final transfer portal addition in 2023?

Dana Altman has one roster spot to play with this offseason. It appears he may have zeroed in on a target.

When former Arizona State guard Devan Cambridge announced that he would not actually be transferring to the Oregon Ducks, and instead be going to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, a roster spot opened up in Eugene.

For several weeks now, we’ve been waiting to see how Dana Altman was going to choose to use that spot, and if he was ultimately going to fill it before the season began.

It appears that a potential target has made itself known.

Jose Perez, a West Virginia guard who recently entered the transfer portal, has reportedly said that Oregon is among the handful of schools who have reached out to him since he became available on July 5.

Perez has made a few different moves in his college career. He started at Gardner Webb for two seasons, where he averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds, and three assists. After playing just 10 games at Marquette in his junior season, Perez transferred to Manhattan where he really flourished, averaging 18 points, 3 rebounds, and four assists.

Perez transferred to West Virginia for the 2022-23 season, but did not play any games. In his career, Perez is a 30% shooter from beyond the arc.

The most recent reports show that Perez is set to take a visit to Michigan over the weekend, but it wouldn’t come as a total shock to see him come out to Eugene to see what Altman and the Ducks have to offer in the coming weeks.

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Is Michigan basketball trending for this high-profile transfer?

Are things looking up for #Michigan basketball? #GoBlue

In terms of the transfer portal, Michigan basketball has won some and it’s lost some.

The Wolverines brought in three transfers thus far this offseason in F Olivier Nkamhoua from Tennessee, Nimari Burnett from Alabama via Texas Tech, and Tray Jackson from Seton Hall. They had a commitment from Caleb Love, but the North Carolina guard wasn’t cleared by admissions.

Michigan also lost Hunter Dickinson and Gregg Glenn III via the transfer portal.

There have been multiple players in Juwan Howard’s sights, but they’ve either remained with their program or ended up elsewhere.

That’s when a new target emerged in former West Virginia guard Jose Perez. Perez entered the portal this summer following the commotion surrounding head coach Bob Huggins. He averaged 18.9 points per game in 2021-22 while still playing at Manhattan. He transferred last year to WVU, but wasn’t cleared to play immediately, despite having four years of experience — including the COVID year.

According to The Michigan Insider’s Davis Moseley, Perez appears to be trending to Michigan basketball, but Gonzaga is also under strong consideration.

The Wolverines have been looking for another scorer at the guard position all offseason and appeared to have their man when Love initially committed. They sought after Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves, but he opted to remain in Lexington.

While the competition that Perez faced playing for Manhattan certainly wasn’t at the same level as the Big Ten, the maize and blue have had luck with bringing in guards from lesser schools — such as Mike Smith coming from Columbia and Jaelin Llewellyn from Princeton (the latter only played a handful of games before going down with a season-ending injury).

Time will tell if the Wolverines can close on Perez and cement the roster heading into next season.

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Report: Oregon pursuing transfer Jose Perez, MAAC Preseason Player of the Year

According to a new report from @JonRothstein, the Ducks are showing interest in Manhattan transfer Jose Perez, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.

The college basketball is close to getting off the ground, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for Oregon Ducks’ head coach Dana Altman to tinker with the roster in Eugene.

According to a report from reputable college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein, the Ducks are reaching out to Jose Perez, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, who is transferring from Manhattan after the team fired head coach Steve Masiello less than two weeks before the season starts.

Perez averaged 18.9 PPG last season with the Jaspers and was named to the All-MAAC First Team. Manhattan is the third stop for the 6’5” wing, as he played his first two seasons at Gardner-Webb before transferring to Marquette his junior season. After barely seeing the floor at Marquette, Perez headed to Manhattan to continue his playing career.

Jose Perez Transfer Profile

CFFC 99: Perez vs. Anderson live and official results

Keep up with the official results of CFFC 99: Perez vs. Anderson from the Fitz Tunica Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Miss.

Cage Fury Fighting Championships returns Saturday evening for CFFC 99, and you can follow along with live and official results beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The event takes place at the Fitz Tunica Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Miss., with the main card airing live on UFC Fight Pass.

The main event of CFFC 99 is a bout between two undefeated featherweights DeAndre Anderson (4-0) and Jose Perez (4-0). In the co-main event, Khetag Pliev (5-1-1) takes on Nah-Shon Burrell (17-11) in a catchweight fight at 175 pounds.

The full official CFFC 99 results include:

MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 8 p.m. ET)

  • DeAndre Anderson def. Jose Perez via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:11
  • Nah-Shon Burrell def. Khetag Pliev via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 1:56
  • Da’Mon Blackshear def. Mateo Vogel via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Tim Cuamba def. James Lyons via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
  • Lydell Poag def. Stavros Moustakakis via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 0:22
  • Ben Coyle def. Joseph Tran via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:59

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

After briefly putting MMA dream on hold, Jose Perez now eyes title shot with CFFC 99 win

Jose Perez remembers sitting on the couch, watching the UFC and thinking to himself, “I bet I could do that.” Then he did.

[autotag]Jose Perez[/autotag] remembers sitting on the couch, watching the UFC and thinking to himself, “I bet I could do that.”

Most people in that position are probably a bit delusional. Perez, however, was not. This was a dream he had held since he was a child.

“I started in jiu-jitsu when I was 9, and then I started competing just after my 10th birthday,” Perez said. “Once you hit high school, everybody is going to try football and all these other little things, but I was only really drawn to combat sports. So I did jiu-jitsu, and then I tried wrestling.”

Perez admits he enjoyed the jiu-jitsu much more than wrestling, but he was also watching MMA and realized he would need to be skilled in both if he really wanted to compete in the sport.

“They talk about these guys that back in the day used to be wrestlers turned MMA fighters, or boxers turned fighters,” Perez said. “You have these styles, but Georges St-Pierre was the prototype. I always knew that I was going to be a fighter, so I did the wrestling – not necessarily because it was my first and foremost love, but I always knew that MMA was going to be at the end of this road for me, so I knew that was a really important facet of martial arts and I needed to like it.”

Perez continued chasing his dream, and in 2017 made his amateur debut. Things couldn’t have gone much better: Three fights, three stoppage wins, all in the course of just six months.

Then that journey took a very large detour.

“I ended up having a bunch of babies – well, two babies back-to-back, and that can definitely slow you down in the fight game,” Perez said. “So we started worrying about the financial side of things – tried to get a house together, put a life together for them, because I do love fighting, but at the amateur level and the regional scene, that wasn’t really going to pay for too much.”

So Perez got a job that paid the bills and went about building a family. It made him happy, but that childhood dream never faded away.

“To be honest, I wasn’t really sure if I was going to ever turn pro,” Perez said. “There was something that I was missing, something I had stepped away from. It was hurting me. It was time away, and it was bothering me. I felt like there were some stones left unturned.

“I’d watch the UFC fights like everybody else and sit there on the couch, and you know, you get those guys like, ‘Oh, I know I could do that,’ and I actually did. I brushed myself off three years later, and I got back in the gym.”

Thus far, it’s seemed like a rather wise decision. In just 11 months as a professional, Perez has built a 4-0 record, including three first-round submission wins.

Perez (4-0) looks to build on that record in the headlining bout of Saturday’s CFFC 99 event, which streams live on UFC Fight Pass from Fitz Tunica Casino & Hotel in Mississippi, where he’ll take on fellow undefeated prospect DeAndre Anderson (4-0).

“I love it,” Perez said of the matchup. “That mystique, that undefeated mystique, that’s something special. When a guy comes in and they have zero losses, it’s an eerie feeling, like it almost feels like it can’t be done. But, you know, obviously I bring that same mystique.”

With another win, Perez would likely be a frontrunner to compete for CFFC’s featherweight title, which was left vacant when former champion Pat Sabatini was signed by the UFC. It’s a prestigious title that Perez is certainly eyeing moving forward.

“The approach thus far has been a sprint, so I’m going to say we’re going to stick with that theme, that it’s going to be a sprint,” Perez said. “We’re trying to go to the top as fast as we can, but reasonably fast. So my next step, I’m still keeping my head kind of right at my peers where I’m at right now.

“I think the next step, if I do get this win – which I will get this win – the next step would be for a title shot.”

From the couch to the CFFC title in one year would be a pretty remarkable run, but Perez has already shown that he’s capable of remarkable things. Now in this headlining role on UFC Fight Pass, the 26-year-old prospect is ready to shine.

“I’m guessing they’re trying to make sense of this 145-pound division now that Pat Sabatini is up in the big show and trying to figure out who’s ready for the title shot,” Perez said. “I definitely am going to take this as an opportunity to try to prove that I’m one of those guys and that I need to be in the red corner for that fight.”

(This story first published at CFFC.tv)

MMA Junkie’s 2020 ‘Submission of the Year’: A.J. McKee wins with one-of-a-kind hold

Here are the top four honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Year” award for 2020.

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With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Year” award for 2020.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Submission of the Year.”