Australia’s most high-profile MMA promotion, Cage Fighting Championships, have released the full card for their March 12th event in Sydney. The show features three title bouts, toplined by middleweight ace Hector Lombard facing veteran Art “Pachuco” Santore of Team Quest.
The fight will be Lombard’s third since his destructive run through Bellator Fighting Championships’ middleweight tournament last summer; Bellator’s other three champs-on-ice have a combined two fights in that time. “Hektor” (née “Shango”) last saw action in early February when he took a three round decision win over Joey Gorczynski in Florida. Prior to that, he defended his CFC title with a two-minute TKO’ing of the infamous Kalib Starnes last November. Lombard (23-2-1, 1 NC) has won 12 straight bouts and has not tasted defeat since 2006.
Santore (18-7), meanwhile, came out on the wrong end of a hard-fought decision loss to Bryan Baker at MFC 23 last December, snapping the veteran’s four-fight win streak.
While the main event’s no squash match, it certainly tilts in favor of the younger, stronger hometown favorite Lombard. The undercard plays host to a few bouts that should prove just as interesting and even more competitive.
In a match for the vacant CFC Bantamweight Title, local boy and pro surfer Ritchie Vas (4-0) will meet Shooto standout Gustavo Falciroli (8-2-2), a Brazilian-born grappler who now makes his home in Perth.
Also on the undercard, Santore’s Team Quest stablemate Ryan Healy (11-7-1) faces one of Australia’s top lightweight prospects in “The Tooth Fairy,” Jai Bradney (6-2-1).
Full card after the jump.
Cage Fighting Championship 12
March 12, 2009
Hordern Pavillion
Moore Park, New South Wales, Australia
#11: CFC Middleweight Title (5R x 5 min.)
Hector Lombard (23-2-1, 1 NC) vs. Art Santore (18-7)
#10: CFC Lightweight Title (5R x 5 min.)
Adrian Pang (15-6-2) vs. Bernardo “Trekko” Magalhaes (8-1)
#9: CFC Bantamweight Title (5R x 5 min.)
Ritchie “Vas” Vaculik (4-0) vs. Gustavo Falciroli (8-2-2)
Undercard (3R x 5 min.)
#8: LW – Ryan Healy (11-7-1) vs. Jai Bradney (6-2-1)
#7: WW – Jon Leven (5-8-1) vs. Tony Rossini (4-1-1)
#6: LW – Ben Aldridge (1-1) vs. Robert Lisita-Cocheci (1-2)
#5: LW – Nick Ariel (2-0) vs. Robert Whittaker (2-0)
#4: LHW – Marcus Flannaghan vs. Nick Goodwin (1-0)
#3: FW – Daniel Richardson (1-0) vs. Marcio Lemos (1-1)
#2: LW – Dan Hyatt (2-2-1) vs. Josh Payne (4-4)
#1: MW – Adam Celestino (1-0) vs. Cameron Murcutt (2-1)