MMA Weekend Preview: Pyramid Fights 15, Sparta 79/80 and more

It’s a jam-packed fight weekend in the world of Colorado mixed martial arts with three local events taking place and multiple championship bouts scheduled. Additionally, a Factory X product will showcase his skills on the regional scene in Arkansas.

We cover it all in the latest Colorado MMA News weekend preview.

Thomas, “The Young Lion” Gifford (17-9) of Factory X, will fight in the Main Event at Pyramid Fights 15 in Benton, Arkansas, on Saturday night. He will take on Steven New (7-3) in a lightweight bout. Gifford is a veteran of the UFC and will be fighting back in his home state for the first time since 2013. Fights will stream live on Fite TV starting at 6:00 pm MST.

Sparta 79 and 80 are set for Friday and Saturday night, respectively. The events will include the King of Sparta lightweight tournament on Friday night and the King of Sparta flyweights tournament on Saturday.

Friday’s Sparta 79 and the King of Sparta amateur lightweight tournament will feature Aaron Lopez of Peak Kickboxing vs Alen Dudo of AFA Boxing in a 125 lb kickboxing title bout. The main event will feature the lightweight King of Sparta finale matchup with the remainder of the card showcasing boxing matches.

The lightweight King of Sparta lineup and opening round bouts include:

• #1 seed, Eric Adams of Pound 4 Pound Fitness vs #8 seed, Placido Montoya of Fort Morgan Gladiators
• #2 seed, Brandon Taylor of Dcomma Fitness vs #7 seed, Namir Singleton of Victory MMA
• #3 seed, Jacobi Jones of Jackson’s MMA Colorado vs #6 seed, Dean Cotton of Renegade MMA
• #4 seed, Jesse Mooorhouse of Jackson’s MMA Acoma vs #5 seed, Jaxon Parks

To be crowned the King of Sparta, fighters will have to win three fights in one night, starting with a boxing match, followed by a kickboxing bout, and finishing with an MMA fight to determine the champ.

The following night, Sparta 80 and the King Of Sparta Lightweight tournament will go down with multiple titles on the line. In the co-main event, Hector Leon of Victory MMA will take on Jack Jirard of Genesis Fight Team. The main event will feature the finale of the flyweight King of Sparta tournament.

The flyweight King of Sparta lineup and opening round bouts include:

• #1 seed, Anel Dudo of AFA Boxing vs #8 seed, Tyler Ashton of Wild Boy MMA
• #2 seed, Aaron Taylor of Jackson’s MMA Acoma vs #7 seed, Darik Buerger of Z’s Training gym
• #3 seed, Jayson Scott of 691 on 1 vs #6 seed, Isiah Torres of Jackson’s MMA Colorado
• #4 seed, Jorge Kanakoqui of Team Kanokoqui vs #5 seed, Miguel Perez of High Altitude Martial Arts

The remainder of the card from top to bottom includes:

• Archie Colgan of Genesis Fight Team vs Jamal Shaw of The Farm BJJ
• Dylan King of Victory MMA vs Bradlee MacDonnel of Jackson’s MMA Dcomma
• Freeman vs Augie Desantis of Jackson’s MMA Colorado
• Omar Belal of High Altitude Martial Arts vs Roman Marquez in a kickboxing match at 225 lbs.
• Chris Arena with Muay Thai of Colorado vs Denovalles
• Henry Mejia of Buckshot Fitness vs Conor Owens of Easton Muay Thai

Don’t miss these two nights of Sparta fights that will crown multiple champions, including the new lightweight and flyweight Kings of Sparta.

Additionally, Colorado Combat Club 5 goes down on Saturday night with the Main Event pitting Pariah MMA’s Zac Riley (6-5) against Genesis Fight Team’s Rakan Adwan (5-6) in a pro bantamweight showdown.

In the co-main event, Citaro Cade (0-1) of Warrior Built will take on Caleb Crump (1-1) of Elevation Fight Team in a pro welterweight bout.

The featured fight of the evening is between Marquel Mederos (4-3) of Factory X and Jon Nelson (6-0) of Cies MMA for the amateur lightweight title.