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With no UFC, Bellator or World Series Of Fighting this weekend…the spotlight will be all on the Tachi Palace Fights promotion. The event will be headlined by a pair of championship bouts in both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions. Also, plenty of undefeated fighters and top MMA prospects will be stepping into the cage this coming Thursday Night.
Kicking off the action is a bantamweight division fight as Alex Rojas (2-3-0) competes against Thomas “The Die Hard Kidd†Vasquez (2-0-0). Rojas is currently winless under the TPF banner, having dropped a fight to Rolando Velasco by submission at TPF 16. Vasquez is returning to the cage after a two year hiatus from competition, but he did have a lone fight in Strikeforce. Vasquez has been away from competition for way to long and it is going to hurt him as Rojas pulls the upset.
A pair of flyweights will step into the cage next as Alex “The Decision†Perez (9-2-0) is in action against Eloy Garza (4-1-0). Perez will enter the fight riding a six fight winning streak, with four of those victories coming in TPF competition. Garza will be making his TPF debut in this fight and he is a longtime veteran of the Art Of Wars Productions promotion. Both fighters are on pretty decent rolls at the moment, but it will be Perez keeping the role alive with another win.
More flyweight division action is taking place next as Benny Vinson (6-1-0) does battle against Hector “Kid Alex†Sandoval (6-1-0). Vinson will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak and none of those fights have gone past the opening round. Sandoval will enter the fight riding a six fight winning streak and he actually made his professional MMA debut against UFC veteran Ulysses Gomez. These two could be in line for a future flyweight title bout, but it will be Vinson getting that potential shot.
Another flyweight division attraction is next as Luiz “Speedy†Gonzalez (4-5-0) will do battle against Robert Escalante (4-4-0). Gonzalez will be returning to TPF after a two year absence, he did win two of three fights in between appearances. Escalante has only won one of his last three fights, with that lone victory coming over Ryan Bastianelli at a Cage Combat Fighting Championships event. This is a must win situation for both competitors in this one, but it will be Gonzalez getting the much needed win.
The heavyweight division will be featured next as Manuel “El Toro†Quezada (2-0-0) slugs it out with Jack “The Outlaw†May (6-0-0). Quezada has spent his entire career in the TPF promotion, with both of his fights totaling under two minutes. May will be making his TPF debut in this encounter and he is a longtime veteran of the BAMMA USA promotion. This fight should be nothing short of a brutal slugfest and it will be May remaining undefeated in the end.
We move to the middleweight division for the next bout as Andrew “Mickey D†Martinez (8-6-1-1NC) dukes it out with William Johnson (6-8-0). Martinez has only won one of four under the TPF banner, with that lone win coming over Mark Matthews at TPF VI. Johnson has only won one of his last seven bouts, with one of those loses coming to Bellator veteran Jaime Jara. These are two competitors who are needed of a win in a bad way and it will be Martinez getting the much needed win.
Yet another bantamweight division battle is next as Cain Carrizosa (5-0-0) steps into the cage against John “Wild Child†Reedy (10-5-0). Carrizosa is coming off of a one fight run in Bellator, with a victory over Juan Quesada at Bellator 102. Reedy will enter the fight riding a two fight losing streak and he has not won a fight in almost three years. Carrizosa is a fighter on the rise right now and his rise will continue when he hands Reedy his third straight loss.
Featherweight action is up on the card next as Justin Smitley (9-7-1) takes on Aaron “Slam†Wetherspoon (9-4-0-1NC). Smitley will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak and his last loss came to UFC veteran Andre Fili. Wetherspoon has rotated wins and losses in his last four fights, with his last fight being a victory over Trace Gray at BAMMA USA 11. Neither of these fighters have gained much momentum as of late, but Wetherspoon will start to build some with another win.
Up next is a bout for the vacant TPF Bantamweight Title as Joe “One Bad Mofo†Soto (12-2-0) battles Jeremiah “The Kid†Labiano (7-1-0). Soto will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak and he has not lost a fight in well over two years. Labiano will enter the fight riding a four fight winning streak and he has only had one fight go to the judge’s scorecard. This fight may find the winner getting called up to one of the bigger promotions and it will be Soto getting the call, along with the championship.
Headlining this card is a bout for the vacant TPF Featherweight Title as Poppies “The Tachi Kid†Martinez (27-9-0-1NC) faces Chris “The Urban Legend†Culley (17-10-0). Martinez is coming off of a one fight run in Bellator, which saw him lose to Brandon Girtz at Bellator 102. Culley will enter the fight riding a five fight winning streak, with all of those wins coming under the BAMMA USA banner. Martinez was humiliated in his last fight, but he will be rejuvenated when he defeats Culley to win the belt.
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