The FCFF Promises a Night of Non-Stop MMA Action with Rumble at the Roseland 105

Portland, OR – On Saturday, December 21st, the Full Contact Fighting Federation (FCFF) will close out another decade of MMA with Rumble at the Roseland 105 held in downtown Portland, OR at the Roseland Theater. Tickets are available through Cascade Tickets or at the Bridge City Fight Shop counter in Tualatin. More information can be found online at www.fcff.com or on the FCFF’s social media pages: facebook.com/fullcontactfightingfederation and instagram/thefcff. Doors will open for Rumble at the Roseland 105 at 6pm on fight night, Saturday, December 21st with fights beginning promptly at 7pm for the all ages event.

Rumble at the Roseland 105 currently boasts 19 amateur mixed martial arts fights with 7 of those being for a title or superfight belt. Headlined by the returning women’s Featherweight Champion Amanda Loewen facing former champion Jordan Kanewa, the FCFF once again celebrates women in MMA with an additional two other title bouts and two undercard matches showcasing top female talent in the sport.

The Main Event, Women’s Featherweight Championship at Rumble at the Roseland 105:

Amanda Loewen of Straight Blast Gym is an intimidating figure in the cage, whether it’s on her feet or even worse, on the mat. Known for being Oregon’s first female black belt in jiu jitsu, the fans were anxious to see her compete in MMA back at Rumble 101 earlier this year after a 7 year hiatus. She wasn’t tasked with an easy opponent in Hannah Summers who flew in from Florida to try to obtain dual championship by holding both the Featherweight and her Flyweight FCFF belt simultaneously. Pushed to almost the distance of the scheduled 5-round championship fight, Loewen would ultimately seize the victory with a rear-naked choke submitting Summers for the title. 

In 2016, Jordan Kanewa made her MMA debut shocking the female fight scene with her aggressive approach in the cage and grabbing victories back to back. Kanewa would soon see the brighter spotlight in December of 2017 when she faced Veronica Wilson at Rumble 95. In what was set to be the Art of War fighter’s toughest fight to date, Kanewa once again stunned the fans with a finish over Wilson early in the third round by TKO. The stage was set for her to face Loewen shortly after but would be halted due to an injury that ultimately sidelined Kanewa for almost 2 years. Now, the former champion finally returns to the cage with hopes that fabled ring rust won’t prove to be a factor at Rumble 105.

“On December 21st, we will have the two toughest female amateur fighters in our cage, going head to head. The fans are in for a real treat with this main event”, stated FCFF Matchmaker and Promoter Kevin Keeney.

Co-Main Event, Bantamweight Division Championship Fight:

If you heard rumors that Jaylon Bates was ending his amateur MMA run to go pro, then you are mistaken…at least for 2019. On an 8-0 win streak, Bates will seek another successful FCFF title defense to end out the year. Nobody can say he’s taking on easy opponents though as Bates comes off his most recent win at Rumble 104 when he headlined versus undefeated Devon Jackson (the current FCFF Flyweight Champion) delivering him his first loss, putting Jackson to sleep in the final round. Stepping into the cage as the challenger on December 21st is another undefeated fighter in Erik Mendez of Spokane Valley BJJ at 6-0. 

“Mendez is undefeated coming down from Washington to try to take one of our belts home. Can he beat Bates? I’m not sure. Mendez could cause the upset of the night and shake up our bantamweight division. All I know is that one of them will have the title, and one is taking their first loss that night.”, stated Keeney.

Featherweight Division Championship Fight:

At Rumble 104, it was unexpectedly the Featherweight Championship that had the fans glued to the cage as undefeated and rising star Sam Wilson danced his way to the steps against an ever so focused Jalen Heard of Art of War. The night would end with Wilson suffering his first loss in the FCFF and Heard having the title strapped around his waist after a 5 round unanimous decision victory. As he promised matchmaker Kevin Keeney on fight night, Heard is returning only months later for an immediate title defense at Rumble 105. 

Coming out of retirement it would seem is Chris Weston of Impact Jiu Jitsu. The 32 year old’s name is well known in the FCFF as well as other Oregon promotions having gone most notably on a 5 fight win streak between 2013 and 2014. Weston last appeared in the FCFF ‘Slammer’ at Rumble 73 and most recently in the Knucklehead Promotion’s cage in 2015 before suffering only his second loss, against David Converse in the first round. Primarily a bantamweight fighter, Weston is going up a weight class for this title fight against Heard. Time will soon tell if Weston still ‘has it’ in the cage.

Women’s Flyweight Championship:

If you’ve been following the local women’s MMA scene and specifically the flyweight division, it should be of no surprise to see Andrea Hernandez on the poster for the vacant FCFF title. Hernandez of Impact Jiu Jitsu as well as her opponent Caree Hill of Team Quest, is one of the top rising amateur stars in the MMA cage. Known for being aggressive and spewing of confidence before her hand is raised, Hernandez isn’t one to back down from a fight or a challenge. Caree Hill is definitely a challenge for anyone opposite her in the cage and is arguably on the verge of going pro. Getting the FCFF title would likely solidify those plans for Hill… the only problem is Hernandez stands in her way.

Women’s Strawweight Championship:

Rumble 104 was supposed to bring a new Strawweight Championship but the bout between Caree Hill and Kat Orian was canceled last minute due to weight cutting issues. On December 21st, Orian returns to face a new opponent for the still vacant title, in Diana Sanchez of West Coast Fight Club. This will be Sanchez’ first time in the FCFF cage and Orian of Straight Blast Gym is hungry to welcome her. 

“This fight card is exciting because we will see three women’s MMA champions in the FCFF at the end of the night. Trends come and go in this sport but this recent rise locally in women wanting to compete again is one I hope lasts.We are fortunate to have several talented female fighters at Rumble 105”, stated Keeney.

Lightweight Division Championship Fight:

Peter Lysenko of Straight Blast Gym loves to put out highlight reels with his victories against top local fighters. All eyes are on him as he has finished his last two fights by knockout, most recently in the 4th round at Rumble 104 against Scott Baker securing the FCFF Lightweight Championship. On December 21st, Lysenko will step in to the FCFF ‘Slammer’ for the 9th time since his debut only two years ago at Rumble 94. Known also for taking his time joining the pro ranks, Lysenko will look to defend his title immediately against Exie Benitez at Rumble 105. Benitez is a tough competitor, currently holding the Arena Wars title after a win over another one of Lysenko’s former opponents, Leroy Santos. Almost all of Benitez’ wins and losses are by way of submission…although Lysenko has a great ground base, he seems to prefer the standup game. Keep an eye on who controls this fight when the cage door shuts.

Over 16 gyms are represented on December 21st at Rumble at the Roseland 105, setting the tone for a great night of fights in downtown Portland. The undercard is studded with many familiar fan favorite names including Sam Wilson, Raul Hernandez, Jenna Williams and much more. 

Roberto Villa

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.