A look at key fights from the weekend’s regional and international scene. This edition previews Combate Americas, CFFC 78 and Shooto 30th Anniversary Tour.
Dilano Taylor (5-1) vs. Carlos Matos (8-1)
Titan Fighting Championship returns for its 69th event on Friday. The show is a co-promotion with the Dominican Republic’s Fighting Force organization and features title fights for both companies. The Titan championship affair is a clash for the vacant welterweight title between prospect Carlos Matos and up-and-comer Dilano Taylor.
The 24-year-old Matos made his pro debut in 2017 and has been nearly perfect ever since. “El Matador” secured each of his first four victories by rear-naked choke. He added a triangle-choke submission of the formerly undefeated Reynaldo Acevedo in his fifth outing and then resorted to using his fists to secure his next two victories. Matos was finally stopped by Joziro Boye in a November 2019 fight. His most recent appearance opposite Islam Bagavutdinov was a return to the basics: it ended in a first-round rear-naked-choke finish for Matos. This will be the highest-profile contest yet for the Team Mordan r