Cage Fury Fighting Championship closes out the year in a big way as CFFC 149: Cafaro vs Patton lands in Atlantic City, NJ, marking the promotion’s return to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. With four title fights on the card and a mix of undefeated prospects and fast-rising contenders, December 20th shapes up to be one of the deepest CFFC events to date. Before going into the list, check out our piece on the WMMA Prospect of the Week, Emily Martins. Here’s who to watch:
Bilal Hasan, 24, 7-0-0, Flyweight
Currently #2 ranked on MMA Prospect Vault’s Top 25 Prospects Worldwide, Bilal Hasan will be attempting his third straight title defense in 2025. The 7-0 Flyweight representing Indonesia is an elite talent, possessing an unrivaled all-around skillset at 125 pounds. With five knockout victories on his resume, opponents are often looking to take Hasan to the mat, where they’re met with high-level takedown defense, digging underhooks, and a wide base that often leads to Hasan switching into the advantageous position. Taking the center of the octagon, Bilal Hasan becomes his most dangerous. Accurate knees up the middle, mixing up his targets, switching stances- CFFC’s Flyweight Champion has a deep toolbox. Hasan’s last victory came in a test of deep waters in his first experience outside of the third round, overwhelming the challenger Jason Eastman to a standing TKO victory in round 4. It should be no time before the undefeated Bilal Hasan makes his debut in the UFC and should be a no-brainer come the new year.
Renaldy Manse, 28, 7-0-0, Flyweight
Standing opposite of Bilal Hasan is fellow undefeated Indonesian Flyweight, Renaldy Manse. Manse is making his CFFC debut as the challenger, most recently after scoring a first-round finish under the Canggu Fight Night promotion based in Bali. A willing striker in every sense, Renaldy Manse is eager to throw down in tight exchanges, throwing punches and kicks to the body, but favoring a Muay Thai style when in range. Manse isn’t afraid to work in some level changes and chain takedown attempts either, breaking his opponent down along the cageside with crumpling knees. Noticeably, Renaldy Manse tends to open his fights with a fiery explosion, sprinting to the center of the cage with finishing strikes such as high kicks and flying knees. The CFFC debutant is certainly facing the highest level of talent in his career to date and will be looking to catch the champ off guard early in a five-round bout for the title.
Guram Gochashvili, 25, 4-0-0, Middleweight
In just his 4th professional fight in mixed martial arts, Georgian Middleweight Guram Gochashvili is chasing CFFC gold. Facing Gochashvili is Jackson Wink MMA product Chris Brown, a 12-5 veteran spending time in both the LFA and PFL over his 17-fight career. Recently, a win over Brown has meant positive things for the future, as his last three losses have been to Ignacio Bahamondes, Carlos Leal, and Thad Jean. Gochashvili will attempt to match that trend at CFFC 149. Comfortable on the feet, showing feints and mixing up his strikes, Guram Gochashvilli throws powerful outside kicks. This opens opportunities to get the fight to the ground, where the Georgian fighter excels. Perhaps his most impressive display of talent was in January 2025, when he knocked his opponent to the ground with a leg kick and jumped into half guard, transitioning into a crucifix position, and eventually finding the finish via strikes after a trail of submission attempts. The 25-year-old Guram Gochashvili is in for another jump in competition in the first professional title shot of his career.
Cornellius RJ Aritonang, 24, 4-0-0, Featherweight
R.J. Aritonang is an all-action featherweight from Indonesia with a Muay Thai base and a polished grappling game. At just 4-0, Aritonang has flown under the radar in his young MMA career, likely due to a lack of activity. His upcoming fight against Christian Bobe will be just his second fight since November 2023 at Cage Warriors 164. Nonetheless, Aritonang is no short of talent; when taken down, Aritonang simply doesn’t allow himself to be controlled. Most notably in his fight with Thomas Hepburn, facing early adversity, he was able to use the cage to his advantage, turning his bottom full guard into a back mount. That scored him the second rear-naked choke of his career. Cornellius RJ Aritonang is no slouch on the feet either; like most Muay Thai fighters, he possesses a strong clinch to land crushing knees to the head and body. Within range, it’s Aritonang’s world, and at CFFC 149, Christian Bobe will have to avoid the impending danger.
Xhelal Lleshi, 25, 4-1-0, Flyweight
Fighting out of Dante Rivera BJJ, Xhelal Lleshi will be looking to defend home turf this weekend at CFFC 149. Currently standing at 4-1, Lleshi’s only loss in his career comes to current Flyweight champion, Bilal Hasan, a split decision in both fighters’ debuts. There’s no question that Xhelal Lleshi wants that fight back, which was a largely disputed decision at the time. Who knows what the butterfly effect would’ve been if the judges had scored in his favor. “Jerry” is a grappler first; he does a great job of keeping a high center of gravity along the cage side with a relentless forward pressure. There’s technique and intent behind Lleshi’s ground game, who is extremely strong for Flyweight. He is known to pick his opponents up, slamming them down, looking to cinch his opponents’ legs up in a Dagestan-style lock. Xhelal “Jerry” Lleshi faces 5-2-2 Safar Akhmadov, making his return to MMA after a 2+ year stint in Karate Combat, in what looks to be a fairly favorable match for the home fighter at CFFC 149.
James Lledo, 24, 8-1-0, Welterweight (Amateur)
Back in the octagon for a third straight fight in three months, my November Amateur Fighter of the Month, James Lledo, is looking to defend his title once again. “Las Vegas” Lledo has been on a tear since joining the CFFC amateur ranks, defeating three straight undefeated prospects in Joe Teguia, Sean Clabough, and Trey Frazier. At 170 pounds, Lledo makes anybody’s favorite striker look human with his suffocating grappling and pressure wrestling style. When taking his opponents down, it’s not a rinse and repeat from the Pittsburgh native; it’s power double legs, judo trips, single legs, trying multiple techniques to get his opposition to the ground. When Lledo is at his best, he finds the takedown early in the fight and is imposing his will, transitioning into full mount or wrapping the opponent’s legs up in Dagestani handcuffs. Don’t be surprised, though, if Lledo wants to showcase his hands against a lesser opponent in 3-1 Kayne Caplinger.
Looking forward to this card – sounds like these fight are going to be fun to watch!