FCC 35: FIGHT WEEK!

Words by Murdo Todd

Saturday, Full Contact Contender is back with another action-packed night of mixed martial arts from the Liverpool Olympia.

The amateur action will start from as early on as 2pm where you can view some of the best local talent, then from 5:20pm there will be a bunch of high-level amateur title contests.

At 7:30pm, it will be the turn of the professionals. There will be 6 professional contests, including the main event which will be a lightweight title fight between Joe Cummins and Lucas Aguiar.

Amateur Fights

The action is set to begin at 2pm with debutants George Cooper (0-0) and Shaun Bourne (0-0), who will commence the fun. From here there will be plenty of early prelim action for the next three hours, up until 5pm.

The early prelims will be capped off with an intriguing clash between Tom Harvey (5-1, 5 Sub) and Yannick Goitom (4-1-1, 2 KO). Both guys are highly ranked up-and-coming flyweights who have serious Thai skills, a win here could bolster claims to a shot at an amateur title. “I’m obviously looking for the finish, but if this fight goes to the wire, we’re both young, we’re both fit and ready to go. It’s gonna be fight of the night,” said Harvey.

Amateur Title Fights - 5:20pm

The amateur title fights will be kicked off by a middleweight showdown between Elliot McGibbon (4-0, 2 KO, 1 Sub) and Jordan Parker (4-0, 1 KO, 1 Sub). McGibbon is 2-0 under the FCC banner and further proved himself by stopping the formerly unbeaten Calvin Mooney with punches last time out. In fact, this will be McGibbon’s third undefeated opponent in a row. Parker brings his own stellar record which includes a first-round finish on FCC 27 back in December 2021.

“We’ll be ready for five rounds,” McGibbon said. “I’ve seen that Jordan is capable of going five rounds, so let’s see if he can go five rounds with me.”

Luke Burns (6-4, 1 KO, 3 Sub) and Kenny Whitworth (4-2, 3 Sub) will the fight for the vacant flyweight title, after Connor Walsh sets his eyes on bantamweight. Whitworth is coming off a good win over Joe Chew last time out, while Burns earned a first-round stoppage over then 5-1 Kristoff Grambow in March. This one has all the ingredients to be a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

For the 77kg FCC belt, the highly regarded Nathan Lambert (8-2, 3 KO, 4 Sub) is set to battle it out with Mariusz Mikolsewski (4-1, 3 KO, 1 Sub). In what will be his fourth fight this year, Lambert will be aiming to collect another amateur belt, if successful it will the 26-year-old’s third amateur title in the space of six months. However, Mikolsewski will present a serious test, holding a win over the now 5-2 pro, Danny Dixon back in 2019.

Then for an exciting featherweight title showdown, the undefeated Sami Hoque (7-0, 2 KO, 1 sub) will make his return after a year out of action. In his last fight, he would win a valuable victory over Kyle Jones on FCC 30. He will now face Jamal Raja (7-4, 1 KO, 1 Sub) for his first defence of the 65kg FCC title.

Then it will be the Lightweight title that will be up for grabs as Christian Soda (5-1, 2 Sub) and Shay Ingram (7-0, 5 Sub) are set to scrap. Soda has got to this position quickly, racking up five fights in the past 10 months, but will have his work cut out for him as he takes on the undefeated Ingram who is more than ready for this next test.

“He’s a very good opponent,” Ingram began. “I’ve watched his fights, he’s a solid wrestler, good grappler - he’s well rounded. I look forward to showcasing my skills and putting on a show, me and Christian.”

Professional Card - 7.30pm

After what is set to be an exhilarating amateur card, you will be treated to 6 professional bouts.

The first will be between Charles Joyner (1-0) and Jordan O’Neill (1-0) as both men will be putting their undefeated records on the line. With Joyner standing at 6’7 and holding a 15-2 professional kickboxing record, the striking battle between these gentlemen is geared up to be an intriguing one. O’Neill is confident in his own stand up, he brings vastly more MMA experience and has not lost since 2020. Both men will be looking to earn their second career win and build some momentum in the paid ranks.

“I don’t think he’ll get out of the first,” O’Neill said. "I don’t think it gets out the first. Whether it be a TKO, knockout, or submission.”

Next up will be the Mike ‘Lefty’ Thompson (4-2, 1 KO, 1 Sub) who takes on dangerous veteran, Harry Davies (6-10, 4 KO) in a catchweight contest.

Thompson will be looking to make right the wrongs in his FCC debut, a losing effort against former promotional champion, Shem Rock. After some time away to regroup, Thompson is ready to get back to winning ways. Thompson usually brings a big crowd to support him, and this time should be no different - a win here for the fan favourite could see him one step closer to potentially fighting for a title.

“l’ll be planning for the full fight, but someone is going to sleep,” Thompson said. “Which is exciting for the fans, it’s exciting for me going in there. I know I can punch, I know he can punch, so let’s get it on.”

Yusuf Nazokatov (1-0, 1 Sub) Vs. Farmarz Mohammad (3-2, 2 KO, 1 Sub) will be next, the pair will be ending long layoffs, but both are confident of victory. Last time out, Manchester Top Team trained Nazokatov took home a second-round submission on the Bellator 270 card and will look to add some momentum after two years out of action. However, Mohammad brings his own finishing capabilities and is right up for this one.

“I don’t take anyone lightly, but for some reason this guy doesn’t think I’m gonna be a piece of work for him,” said Nazokatov. “So, on 9th of September he’s gonna find out that’s not the case. I can’t wait to put the heat on him.”

The returning Haider Khan (4-1, 2 KO) will be up next, taking on Bogdan Kotlovyanov (10-12, 4 KO, 2 Sub) who has been fighting professionally in Europe for over a decade. Khan too will be looking to make up for his last outing, but in fairness took on an extremely tough test at FCC 32 in the form of Mick Stanton, who has since gone on to win and defend the Cage Warriors middleweight belt.

Tom Mullen (4-2, 1 KO, 3 Sub) Vs. Markus Maki-Ventela (5-4, 2KO, 2 Sub) will be the co-main event of the evening at a catchweight of 73kg. The travelling Finn will be looking to take full advantage of the opportunity and hand Mullen a successive defeat inside the FCC cage. Last time out Mullen lost a competitive decision against Harel Cohen, but a win here could get the 22-year-old right back on course.

“I’m not saying distance on this, it will be either the first or second [round], 100%,” Mullen stated. “I see me him getting out of there, I’m gonna hit him and he’s not gonna want to be there in front of me.”

In the main event, Joe Cummins (10-2, 4 KO, 3 Sub) will look to earn his second FCC title after stopping Dez Parker with leg kicks for the welterweight title at FCC 33. Now he will take on Lucas Aguiar (9-3 1 KO, 6 Sub) for the 70kg title. After dropping his first two professional bouts, Aguiar has gone 9-3 and now the 28-year-old has the biggest opportunity of his career. However, the well-schooled Cummins is a slick fighter with a well-rounded game and holds wins over the likes of Dana White Contender Series vet, Thomas Paull.

Buy your tickets NOW or if you can’t make it, watch the pro event live on UFC Fight Pass and catch the amateur stream live HERE