After going the distance to win the title in his last outing, CFFC heavyweight champion Greg Velasco is hoping to use the experience to take him to new heights as he puts his title on the line for the first time at CFFC 117.
Velasco captured the title with a unanimous decision victory over Kevin “King Kevi” Sears at CFFC 113 in October 2022. Now “The Viking King” is set for action in the co-main event of CFFC 117 on Friday, March 31, when he’ll look to defend his belt against the challenge of Ronald Coleman at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
His title-winning victory over Sears was the first time the 29-year-old New Jersey native had seen the scorecards in his pro career and, speaking to CFFC.tv, he said it’s made him a better fighter for the experience.
“I was definitely a little disappointed right after the fight not being able to get the finish for my fans and the crowd there who were supporting me,” he admitted.
“But at the same time, I was very grateful for the learning experience and getting to get all those rounds in.
“Being able to dominate and push the pace the whole fight and into the championship rounds was a great experience for me since the rest of my fights never got to go the distance.”
Velasco’s 5-0 career has been spent exclusively under the CFFC banner, where he has torn through the competition to reach the promotion’s heavyweight summit. His first four fights all finished inside two rounds, with two TKOs and two submissions to his name highlighting his ability to get the job done using striking or grappling.
Now he is set for another career first, as he takes on the role of a defending champion as he faces off against 3-0 contender Ronald Coleman, whose longest professional fight to date took just 63 seconds. His longest as an amateur wasn’t much longer, at 100 seconds.
With a dangerous finisher set to stand across from him, and the tag of being a defending champion, the pressure on Velasco will be higher than any bout he’s experienced so far in his career. But he said he’s trying to stay focused on the task at hand, rather than the scale of the challenge in front of him.
“I honestly try to not let those things get into my head with fights,” Velasco said.
“I look at every fight I have the same and try to just keep focused on the gameplan my coaches and I worked on throughout the camp and leave all the outside noises and distractions alone.
“Fighting a very tough opponent like Ronnie definitely excites me because, as a fighter, these are the fights that motivate you to push past your limits even more and constantly look to improve your skills and techniques.”
And, after adding a title-winning decision victory to his resume last time out, Velasco said he’s even more prepared to get the win, however the fight plays out.
“With this fight, it can definitely go either way,” he admitted.
“It can either be an early night or definitely a full-fight war. But I’ll be ready fight night, no matter what – one round or all 25 minutes.”
CFFC 117: Fight card
MAIN CARD
- Cedric Gunnison vs. Zulkarnaiyn Kamchybekov – for vacant interim lightweight title
- Greg Velasco vs. Ronald Coleman – for heavyweight title
- Luke Fernandez vs. Derik Overstreet
- Hector Iglesias vs. Christian McAuley
- Jeremiah Labiano vs. Ryan Cafaro
- Anthony Dilemme vs. Isa Dalipaj
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Xhelal Lleshi vs. Guilherme Crossi
- James Miller vs. Nick Carrelli
- Jonna Wood vs. Taylor Samarco
- Zayne Havener vs. CJ LaFragola
Photo credit: Cage Fury Fighting Championships