(PRESS RELEASE) -- Atlantic City, NJ –After outpointing Jeff Lentz in February to earn the vacant Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) featherweight title, Scott Heckman (17-4) looks to defend his title for the very first time against the undefeated Levan Makashvili (7-0) when CFFC returns to the Borgata this Saturday, April 26th, 2014.
But for now, Heckman has to worry about the man that will be standing across the cage from him on Saturday night. “He (Makashvili) is a tough skilled fighter on his feet but nothing I have not seen or fought in the past before,” continued the champion. “My prediction for this fight is that I will overwhelm him until he breaks and then go for the finish. I feel that he has not fought someone with my pressure, heart and desire to win. After winning this fight I know that this will only open doors and provide me with some great opportunities in the future.”
“Scott Heckman is one of the most talented overall 145-pound fighters in the world and has a great work ethic to match,” said CFFC president Mike Constantino. “Levan is a great test for Scott to prove why he is the CFFC Champion.”
Makashvili has yet to taste defeat and out of his seven professional wins, he has stopped his opponents four times. In February of this year, Makashvili made his CFFC debut and defeated Jordan Stiner for a unanimous decision victory and handing the Renzo Gracie protégé his first professional loss and a shot at Heckman’s title.
“Every fight matters to me, whether it's for the belt or not my one feeling is to win,” said Makashvili. “I don't really think about him (Heckman).”
A man of few words, Makashvili isn’t short on confidence and sees the victory as a formality. “I will raise my hand, strap on the belt, and get ready for my next fight.”
“Levan is a serious threat to any fighter on the regional level,” said CFFC CEO Robert Haydak Jr. “He is a very well rounded fighter that is comfortable anywhere the fight ends up. He’s coming off a huge win over previously undefeated Jordan Stiner. A win over Heckman will catapult him in the national rankings.”
In the co-main event, Jonavin Webb (5-0) will look to remain undefeated when he takes on his toughest challenge yet when he battles Mike Winters (7-3) in a welterweight bout. Out of his five fights, Webb has stopped all but one of his opponents. However, Winters has never been stopped in his career and will be making his CFFC return after dropping a decision to George Sullivan in 2011.
This event will also mark the CFFC debut of Jimmie Rivera (13-1) when he takes on Cody Stevens (11-6-1) in a bantamweight battle. Rivera is on an incredible run, winning his last 12 fights and hasn’t lost a fight since 2008. Stevens has a fought a who’s who of MMA and is coming off a controversial decision loss to Shinya Aoki in October of last year.
“Jimmie has long been one of the top fighters on the regional level and Cody Stevens is a seasoned veteran who recently expanded his training by spending extensive time in Thailand,” stated Constantino. “This is a great matchup and the winner will be in CFFC title contention.”
Here is a look at the entire of the card:
Main Event CFFC Featherweight Title Bout:
Scott Heckman vs Levan Makashvili
Co-Main Event
Jonavin Webb vs Mike Winters
Main Card:
Jimmie Rivera vs Cody Stevens
Jamelle Jones vs Charles Gamble
Darrell Horcher vs Gabriel Miglioli
Shane Burgos vs Donald Ooton
Brian Collins vs Paul Almquist
Pat Sabatini vs Jacob Bohn
Ricky Bandejas vs Dwayne Holman
Alejandro Zea vs Sergio da Silva
Jayro Martinez vs Robert Jimenez
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About Cage Fury Fighting Championships Cage Fury Fighting Championships (www.cffc.tv) is a pioneer in bringing prominent and elite MMA talent to the east coast. Since CFFC’s debut, past and current champions have competed at the highest level. Before they were in the UFC, Jim and Dan Miller were both CFFC champions. That legacy remains the same today. Three current CFFC champions, George Sullivan, Aljamain Sterling, and Charlie Brenneman are currently on the UFC roster. Current UFC fighters Zach Makovsky, Nick Catone, Nah-Shon Burrell, and John Howard have also competed in CFFC prior to their entry to the UFC. Also, CFFC helped jump start the career of internet fighting sensation Kimbo Slice, whose first foray into MMA came in the CFFC cage when he fought former boxing champion Ray “Merciless” Mercer. CFFC continues to thrive as one of the best regional promotions in the world while focusing on treating fighters with respect and giving the fans the ultimate MMA experience.