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There are three MMA events this Friday Night and three this Saturday Night, but it will be Resurrection Fighting Alliance 18 capping off Friday Night. The event will be headlined by an RFA Flyweight Title bout as champion Matt Manzanares defends against Alexandre Pantoja. Also, UFC veteran Ulysses Gomez makes his RFA debut and top prospect Chidi Njokuani is in action.
Kicking off the action is a featherweight division bout as Adrian “Killa†Cruz (5-1-1) competes against Justin “The Mortal Sinn†Linn (6-1-0). Cruz will be making his RFA debut in this fight, but he has fought three times under the Bellator MMA banner. Linn is currently undefeated in RFA competition, having defeated Altair Alencar by first round TKO at RFA 15. Linn got lucky in his first RFA win after his opponent suffered a leg injury, he will not be so lucky the second time around as Cruz gets the win.
A pair of lightweights will collide next as Mehdi “The Sultan†Baghdad (9-3-0) is in action against Evan DeLong (13-7-0). Baghdad will be making his RFA debut in this fight and he will be doing so on the strength of a five fight winning streak. DeLong has won six of his last seven heading into his RFA debut and he has fought UFC veteran Garrett Whiteley. DeLong has fought far better competition when compared to Baghdad and that experience will get DeLong the win.
The women's flyweight division will be featured next as Brenda “Boom Boom†Gonzales (4-1-0) dukes it out with Heather Bassett (2-1-0). Gonzales will be looking to rebound from her professional MMA defeat, which came to UFC veteran Rin Nakai. Bassett will be making her RFA debut in this bout and she has previously fought transgender fighter Fallon Fox. Both women have fought against some top names early in their careers, but it will be Gonzales leaving with a victory in the end.
Welterweight division action is happening next as Chidi “Chidi Bang Bang†Njokuani (10-4-0-1NC) battles Steve Hanna (4-1-0). Njokuani has won three of five fights during his time in the RFA, most notably defeating Bobby Cooper at RFA III. Hanna will enter the fight riding a four fight winning streak, but he has not competed in almost a year. Njokuani is a competitor who is on the verge of becoming a breakout star in MMA and he will get closer to that breakout as he defeats Hanna.
Up next is a bantamweight division attraction as “Useless†Ulysses Gomez (9-4-0) takes on “The Silent Assassin†Abel Cullum (18-6-0). Gomez will be competing for the first time since his UFC release, which came after a loss to Phil Harris at UFC On Fuel TV VII. Cullum is returning to action after a three year layoff and he has not won a fight in well over four years. Gomez is returning to action against a fighter coming off of a long layoff and that will play into his favor to get the victory.
Headlining this card is a bout for the RFA Flyweight Title as champion Matt Manzanares (7-2-0) defends against Alexandre Pantoja (14-2-0). Manzanares will be making the first defense of his championship, which he won by defeating Junior Maranhao at RFA 14. Pantoja will be making his RFA debut in this fight and he has previously fought UFC veteran Jussier Formiga. Pantoja is a late replacement fighter entering this bout and that will hurt him as Manzanares holds onto the gold.
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