Middleweight Title at Stake in CFFC 119 Main Event

The MMA weekend gets started just a little early this third weekend in April. Thursday night, Atlantic City-based Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) leaves its home market for another trip to Tampa Bay and the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center for CFFC 119 and the CFFC 119 main event on Thursday.

Live coverage of CFFC 119 begins with the undercard at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on the official Cage Fury YouTube channel, followed at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass with main card action. All told, barring any adjustments to the card, CFFC 119 features nine fights.

Highlighting the show is the promotion’s fifth title fight in three cards during the CFFC 119 main event. This time around, supremacy at 185 lbs. is at stake.

Middleweight Gold on the Line in CFFC 119 Main Event

Incumbent CFFC Middleweight Champion Donovan Beard (7-2 MMA, 1-1 CFFC), who tried his luck on Contender Serieslast summer, returns to defend his title against challenger Gregg Ellis (7-4 MMA, CFFC promotional debut. As with all title fights in Cage Fury, the CFFC 119 main event is an advertised maximum of four rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.

If, however, the scorecards produce a draw after 20 minutes, the headliner progresses to a fifth and final round to break the deadlock.

CFFC 119 Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the CFFC 119 main event on Thursday night, challenger Gregg Ellis stands as the taller man at 6-foot-3, compared to the 6-foot-2 frame of champion Donovan Beard. Both of these men have an identical 78-inch reach.

Ordinarily, at this point in the breakdown, we would mention who has the advantage on the money line according to the oddsmakers. No such information exists at press time, however. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Donovan Beard Looks to Rebound From Bo Nickal Submission

Champion Donovan Beard enters the CFFC 119 main event having posted a record of 3-2 in his last five MMA contests. Last fall, he was on the receiving end of a first-round submission via triangle choke against Bo Nickal (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in the Sept. 27 Contender Series broadcast.

After that loss, Beard had been scheduled to return to the Cage Fury banner in November of last year against Dylan O’Sullivan (5-0 MMA) during the CFFC 115 co-main event which would have been the latter’s promotional debut. However, O’Sullivan withdrew from the fight.

During what was supposed to have been fight week, Beard talked toThe Scrap’s Jake Noecker about the opportunity going by the boards.

“I’m cool, a little disappointed by the outcome,” Beard said. “I really wanted to get in there and get my wins back under me so I could get back where I was. I appreciate the thought of you having me on here and it’s good to see you again after so many months, and shoot, we’re going to get back in there. I’m just waiting for some more offers to be lined up. Whenever that happens, we’ll get it cracking.”

O’Sullivan was the first opponent to withdraw from a possible fight against Beard. Worse yet, the contest went by the boards on his birthday last year.

Donovan Beard has been out of action for seven months. Thursday, he finally gets his shot at defending the championship in the CFFC 119 main event.

Gregg Ellis Looks to Impress in CFFC Promotional Debut

In the other corner, Gregg Ellis has gone 3-2 himself over the last five contests. At present, he’s on a three-fight winning streak.

Most recently, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Earl Small (5-2 MMA, 2-1 CFFC) in Art of War Cage Fighting 28 on Feb 3. Ellis is no stranger to having his contests streamed over UFC Fight Pass, as he’s a veteran of Titan FC, whose events are also part of the service’s catalog.

Not only is the CFFC 119 main event Ellis’ promotional debut but, it’s also a home game for him. His training camp is based out of the Tampa area, where the card will be held.

Thus, it stands to reason that he’ll have the crowd on his side this Thursday. Will he run his winning streak to four? Tune in and find out.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

The CFFC 119 main event looks to be another one of those toss-ups. While both men are grapplers, Donovan Beard just recently secured his blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu. Therefore, the first takedown of the fight may be the only one we see.

Donovan Beard Slick with Subs

Donovan Beard has been known to score the submission victory throughout his career. When he locks one in, as he did against Brandon Shavers in American Kombat Alliance, it can be something to behold.

During the first round of a scheduled three, Beard landed a takedown and took top mount. At that point, he wrestled with Shavers and secured half-guard, landing an elbow to soften him up.

Upon taking the back mount, Shavers worked to stand back up, but it was to no avail, with Beard dumping him again to secure the top mount and secure the rear-naked choke. If Beard can dump Ellis just once, it could be the opening he needs to win the CFFC 119 main event.

Gregg Ellis is Also Proficient in the Submission Game

In the other corner, don’t even think about discounting Gregg Ellis’ ground game. He can get the job done by submission in his own right.

Ellis’ amateur bout versus Mike Heckert for the WCFL Welterweight Championship was a textbook example of that. While Heckert attempted to assert his dominance in round one of the fight, the fight slowed down late in the period.

With under 30 seconds to go in the round, Ellis was able to reverse the script by taking Heckert down and landing ground and pound shots. As the final seconds ticked down in the round, he quickly locked in an inverted guillotine choke to win the championship.

Don’t look away from the screen in the CFFC 119 main event. You just might miss Gregg Ellis scoring the submission.

Final Thoughts

MMA on a weeknight is a rare treat. There’s no other promotion in action this Thursday, so you have every reason to watch the CFFC 119 main event. It’ll be the last CFFC event until Friday, June 16.

Take time out from the NBA and Stanley Cup Playoffs to enjoy a great title fight.

Prediction: Donovan Beard by Unanimous Decision.