The collective exhale of combat sport fans can be heard around the globe, and particularly around the Gulf Coast, as live mixed martial arts and combat sport events have all but entirely returned. The UFC is broadcasting events weekly, the Contender series is back up-and-running every Tuesday night, and local shows are becoming more bountiful. Building off of the success of its first 2 attempts, Atlas Fights will host its 3rd show since the lockdown, this Saturday, September 12th, from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi. 10 bouts are tentatively scheduled, and 3 titles are up for grabs! Follow along as we breakdown each of the five fights on the main card of Atlas Fights 56.
The preliminary card for Atlas Fights 56 will look like this:
Lightweight - Brad Thibodeaux vs Tyler Washington
Heavyweight - Chris Ropollo vs Jose Pacheco
Lightweight - Andrew Daughdril vs Dylan Johnson
Lightweight- Hunter James vs Jose Castro Duran
Bantamweight - Austin Carter vs Gabriel Wanderley
Main Card
Amateur Heavyweight Title Fight - Justin Keith Angona vs Jeffery Johnson
First up is the Heavyweight title fight between #1 ranked Louisiana amateur Justin Keith Angona and Jeffrey Johnson-Watkins. Watkins is 1-0 and he’s fighting out of Excelsior Jiu Jitsu in Zachary, Louisiana. He made his debut with Bayou Fighting Championship in August of last year. Justin Keith Angona is 5-1 and he’s fighting out of Team Juggernaut and Gladiators Academy of Crowley. Angona fought 3 times in 2012, and after a 6 year hiatus, hit the pavement running with another 3 fights in 2019. Angona will be making his second appearance with Atlas Fights, and he hopes to bring that Heavyweight gold back to Lafayette.
Heavyweight - Nunzio Camarata vs John Clay
The first professional bout on the card will feature another heavyweight matchup, this time between Nunzio Camarata and John Clay. Fighting out of Ball, Louisiana, John Clay is a power lifter with heavy hands. John last fought in August for Summit FC in Tueplo, Mississippi. At 4-2, Nunzio “The Nunzilla” Camarata fights out of Gracie United Team Jucao South. He’s a big, strong fighter with heavy hands as well, and he’s got a solid ground game. The Nunzilla is a brown belt in Brazilian BJJ. After contemplating retirement after a loss to Brandon Hebert at Bayou FC 37 in May of last year, Camarata makes his much anticipated return this Saturday night!
Bantamweight - Abe Sellers vs Dejuan Robinson
Next up is a Bantamweight battle between Abe Sellers and Dejuan Robinson. After racking up 6 amateur wins, Dejuan Robinson has yet to taste victory as a professional. He sits at 0-3, and looks to get his hand raised for the first time as a pro this Saturday night. Fighting out of Gladiators Academy of Youngsville, Abe Sellers also had a notable amateur career, finishing at 7-2 with notable wins over Logan Speyrer, Dusty Little and Stephen O’Shaughnessy. Sellers lost his first two as a pro, including a loss to Jonathan Eiland in his professional debut last year. However, Sellers has now stacked up back-to-back wins, and at 2-2, he looks to keep that momentum rolling this weekend!
Flyweight Title Fight - Joe Penafiel vs Jason Cefalu
In the co-main event, we’ve got Fusion X-Cel’s Joe “The Party” Penafiel taking on Jason Cefalu for the Atlas Fights Flyweight Title. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, and fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida, Jason Cefalu is 5-2 as a pro. After starting his career 3-0, Jason is 2-2 in his last 4, and he’s coming off of a win on July 18th for Global Legion FC. 3 out of his 4 wins are first-round finishes, and Jason Cefalu has never himself been finished in a fight. Joe Penafiel is 4-1 as a pro, and he’s coming off of his first-career loss to Eduardo Diez at Island Fights 58 back in August of last year. Joe talked with us recently on our podcast about that loss, and what he learned from that experience. Joe has a combined record (amateur and professional) of 10-2, and he brings a ton of energy and experience to the fight!
Bantamweight Title Fight - Jonathan Eiland vs Champion Levi Mowles
In the main event of the evening, Jonathan Eiland looks to dethrone the reigning Atlas Fights Bantamweight king, Levi Mowles. This fight was originally scheduled to take place back on August 1st, but had to be postponed because of an injury. Mowles is the #4 ranked Bantamweight in the US, and he won the Atlas Bantamweight title in a second-round submission victory over the #1 ranked Bantamweight in Louisiana, Carlos Vera Santos. Mowles has won 7 of his last 8, and he’s got wins over Jesse Butler, who last fought Mike Barnett at Atlas 55, and an earlier win over one of the UFC’s newest additions Jimmy Flick. Fighting out of Mid City MMA, Jon “The Don” Eiland is a perfect 4-0 in his professional career. Jon is a strong and powerful Bantamweight, and he’s got a combined (amateur and pro) record of 11-2. Eiland has never been finished in a fight, and including his win over Abe Sellers, he is on a combined (amateur and pro) 9 fight win streak. “The Don” looks to add to that streak this Saturday night, and take the Atlas Bantamweight belt back to New Orleans.
You can listen to our interview with Joe “The Party” Penafiel on episode 3 of the podcast! And, stay tuned for our interview with Jon “The Don” Eiland and another Atlas Fights 56 breakdown coming soon on episode 4!
Fight Sport Focus Podcast Episode 42 - LSU National Champion Jakori Savage, Thomas Webb, "The Don" Jon Eiland - Fight Sport Focus
- Fight Sport Focus Podcast Episode 42 - LSU National Champion Jakori Savage, Thomas Webb, "The Don" Jon Eiland
- Fight Sport Focus Podcast Episode 41 - NOLA MMA's Ray Lopez & Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's Leonard Garcia
- Fight Sport Focus Podcast Episode 40 - BKFC's Scott "The Irish Spartan" O'Shaughnessy, Kenny "So Tough" Stevens, Katie Shook
- Fight Sport Focus Podcast Episode 39 - BKFC's Leonard Garcia, Jason Fish & Kaleb Harris
- Fight Sport Focus Podcast Episode 38 - BKFC's Joe Elmore, Nate Shook, Ryan Jones, Eric Thompson & Spencer Rugerri
If you liked this article, don’t forget to share, like and subscribe – and go ahead and like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @fightsportfocus. Also, like and subscribe to the Fight Sport Focus podcast on Anchor.fm, Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts! You can catch Atlas Fights Biloxi MMA Beach Bash on Saturday, September 12th, from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi. To purchase tickets, please visit https://www.atlasfights.com/ or https://www.mscoastcoliseum.com.
Categories: Atlas Fights, featured, Gulf Coast
