This Saturday, April 14th the Full Contact Fighting Federation (FCFF) returns to the Roseland Theater in downtown Portland for Rumble at the Roseland 97. As usual, Kevin Keeney and team have put together an absolutely stacked card that is nearly sold out. With fourteen fights and three title bouts, the team at the FCFF is making sure patrons get their money’s worth at this event. Rumble at the Roseland 97 is the opener to a weekend at the Roseland Theater that is action packed. After Saturday’s FCFF event, the Roseland theater will play host to Submission Underground 7 Sunday afternoon. The back-to-back events give the weekend a different feel and it is suiting that on one of the biggest weekends of the year; the FCFF brings out their brightest stars. Fighters like Alex Aguilar, Raymond Hill, Sage Farnworth, and most importantly, Keaneo Moyer will all grace the cage. With fighters of this caliber, the event will have no shortage of fight of the night candidates. Let’s dive a little deeper into the card by breaking down the title fights.
Angel Espino (Challenger) vs. Chance Marsteiner (Champion)
This matchup is for the lightweight title and is sure to be a technical affair. The champion, Chance Marsteiner, is a strong wrestler who is not afraid to mix it up on the feet and has proven himself well rounded having wins by TKO, submission, and decision. While he is confident in his striking and submission skills, his wrestling and top pressure are textbook and he will likely look to use those skills on Saturday. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Angel Espino. Espino has one of the most well-rounded games on the card. Even as an amateur, he has shown extreme savvy in the cage throughout his young career. He has the distinct advantage of having Enoch Wilson of Animals MMA in his corner. The two work in tandem beautifully. With Espino’s ability to listen and react to the coaching of Wilson during fights, it would be hard to imagine them not feeling confident leading up to the match. He will need to listen very carefully to his coach if he hopes to get out of any bad position that the champion, Marsteiner, has him in.
Raymond Hill (Challenger) vs. Alex Aguilar (Champion)
This matchup is for the welterweight title and could lead to one of these fighters walking out of the cage an amateur for the last time. While both fighters are 7-1 and coming off of big wins, it is Aguilar who had the more impressive 2017 and he could be ready for the jump to the pros. With two big wins for King of the Cage and a victorious title fight against the dangerous Stefan Habib at Rumble at the Roseland 94, it would stand to reason that Aguilar is nearing the end of his amateur rope. Raymond Hill, on the other hand, only fought once in both 2016 and 2017. While Hill has less current activity, he still remains a threat to bounce to the pros. That said, should he win an FCFF title this Saturday, look for him to offer up a title defense before leaving. His last fight, while victorious, left many wondering what more the welterweight could offer. Both Aguilar and Hill need this fight to maintain momentum and keep the focus on their respective journeys.
Keaneo Moyer (Challenger) vs. Sage Farnworth (Champion)
This matchup is for the bantamweight title and is basically a lock for fight of the night. Sage Farnworth is stepping into a rubber watch with one of the sport’s most polarizing personalities in Moyer. Farnworth has largely gone under the radar the last two years but has built up a four-fight win streak that saw him dispatch his last three opponents by submission. This run for Farnworth has been impressive but no one has been in the FCFF’s spotlight more over the last year than Keaneo Moyer. Not only has Moyer be exceedingly vocal in and out of the cage, he has backed up all of his talk with outstanding performances. Having won four straight fights all by stoppage, including winning the FCFF flyweight title, Moyer has made it known that he wants to win a second belt and potentially go after a third title at featherweight. This fight has all the drama a fight fan could hope for. Each fighter holds a victory over the other, there is legitimate bad blood between the two, and both are reaching athletic maturity at nearly the exact same time. This fight will be one that fans will be glad to have seen in person. While this fight will complete the rubber match, it somehow feels like these two will cross paths as professionals in the future as well. Their history is far too rich to be ignored and Saturday night feels like another chapter in their story, not the ending.
