Cage Fury FC 122: Gunnison vs. Watley is a mixed martial arts event promoted by Cage Fury FC to take place on July 20, 2023 at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Cedric Gunnison vs. Robert Watley 155 lbs
Shamel Findley vs. Badmatsyren Dorzhiev 125 lbs
Fighters with opponent TBA
Hugh Pulley (9-6)
Max Quinones (3-0)
Brandon Lopez (6-5)
Will Rentz (2-1)
Jesus Hernandez (2-1)
Morquez Forest (1-0)
Isaiah Sackey El (2-0)
Background
Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) returns to Florida, at the luxurious Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa for the "CFFC 122: Gunnison vs. Watley " on Thursday, July 20, 7 p.m ET.
A pair of title fights are slotted for the evening's featured bouts, with reigning lightweight champion Cedric "The Gunman" Gunnison (6-1) seeking the first defense of his title when he takes on the returning Rob "Contact" Watley (12-3), while top prospects Shamel Findley (6-1-1) and Badmatsyren "Immortal Lotus" Dorzhiev (7-0) meet with a vacant flyweight title up for grabs.
"The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa has been absolutely electric each and every time our athletes have set foot in the venue, and this card will be no different," CFFC CEO Rob Haydak said. "Florida is home to not only some of the best athletes in MMA, but also some of the most passionate fans, as well, and we'll continue our history of bringing the sport's next superstars for a night of non-stop action. Like our previous events here, CFFC 122 will sell out, so we encourage everyone to secure their tickets as soon as possible."
Gunnison claimed the CFFC interim lightweight title in his most recent appearance, claiming a hard-fought split-decision win over former champ Zulkarnaiyn Kamchybekov at CFFC 117. Gunnison was then promoted to undisputed status when previous titleholder Blake Smith signed with Bellator MMA. "The Gunman" now takes on Watley, who returns to the promotion for the first time since 2015, when he went 2-0 in the CFFC cage, including a decision win over current UFC featherweight Pat Sabatini.
Findley is currently enjoying a six-fight winning streak, a run that includes CFFC stoppage wins over Will Spann and former champion Santo Curatolo. Meanwhile, the undefeated Dorzhiev makes his promotional debut following previous appearances in Belarus, Mongolia and Russia, notching three victories by knockout thus far in his career. The winner claims the flyweight title that was vacated when Makoto Takahashi signed a contract to compete for Bellator MMA's inaugural flyweight title against fellow Japanese superstar Kyoji Horiguchi.
Also expected to compete at CFFC 122 are former CFFC title challenger Hugh "The Preacher" Pulley (9-6), undefeated flyweight prospect Max "The Candyman" Quinones (3-0) and four-time CFFC veteran Brandon Lopez (6-5), as well as "Iron" Will Rentz (2-1), Jesus Hernandez (2-1), Morquez "Black Clover" Forest (1-0), Isaiah Sackey El (2-0) and more.
A full lineup of matchups for CFFC 122 will be announced shortly.
All Elite Wrestling superstar and two-time UFC veteran CM Punk calls the action alongside MixedMartialArts.com editor-in-chief John Morgan