NFA: Victory Rises - Event Preview

The Nemesis Fighting Alliance returns to the Farmington Civic Center on Saturday for an action-packed, all-amateur show. This will be Nemesis' fifth show this year and second trip to the Civic Center.

On its last visit to Farmington, NFA drew close to 2,200 paid attendees and based on early ticket sales, Nemeis owner Beejay Smith expects this one to be even bigger.

"We pride ourselves on our all-around fighters, but we also like to have fun," said Smith. "You can bring your whole family in to see great fights. Our announcer is awesome, he has fun. We all have a good time."

While providing a stage for some of the area's top amateurs, Nemesis has also become an avenue for aiding local charities. In March, they hosted a benefit show for Fredericktown's Project Graduation. This weekend's event will include a charity raffle for a 17-month-old child born with cystic fibrosis.

"It's just not about the fights," Smith said.

Despite a crowded market, Smith feels Nemesis Fighting Alliance offers something different and is quickly becoming the marquee amateur event.

"We're taking over the amateur market." says Smith said. "We are the dominant amateur-only show."


Shaine Moffitt (23-14) vs Justin Lankford (5-0)
The main event for Saturday's event features Shaine Moffitt from Destruction MMA taking on Berger MMA's Justin Lankford. Moffitt will be defending his newly acquired NFA featherweight belt.

"When he (Shaine) came from Iowa, he wasn't that well rounded of a fighter," Smith said. "He put in the time at Destruction. That's his life now. He lost a couple fights that he shouldn't have lost, but he's a completely different fighter now."

Moffitt last trip to the cage was in June against the previous NFA featherweight champ, Daniel Baynton. The two slugged it out in what can be best described as a five-round "classic".

"He whipped up on Baynton pretty good," Smith said. "He's one of those guys who will developed all of a sudden. Something just clicked in his head. He's one of the best at 145."

Moffitt's primarily known for his striking will face his stiffest challenge to date when he steps into the cage against Justin Lankford.

"He's a strong wrestler," Smith said. "He's a grinder, he likes the top position and will pound on you."

Lankford was also victorious at the June 30th Nemesis show at the Festus National Guard defeating Trevor Lanzone, an opponent he faced twice in a period of a month-and-a-half. Both times saw Lankford grinding out the decision.

"Lankford has the ability to abosrb punishment until he gets the takedown," Smith said. "He's going to grind you out and punch you and break your will until you do something stupid."

Moffitt lives and trains in Farmington and will have a clear advantage of the home crowd on his side.

"If it stays standing up Shaine will have the advantage," Smith said. "From what I've seen he's a better striker"


Luke Fulk (4-1) vs Andrew Sanchez (5-1)
When most people see Andrew Sanchez's name on the fight card they have to do a double take. That's because the flyweight Sanchez shares a name with another local fighter. The other Sanchez is a local pro middleweight and trains out of St. Charles MMA. This Sanchez has a five-fight win streak going into this fight and competes anywhere between 125-135.

On Saturday, "little" Sanchez will have his hands full when he takes on Destruction MMA's Luke Fulk.

"Luke Fulk is the top 125-er out there," Smith said. "He's only ranked fourth, but he's absolutely crazy strong. He has crazy strength that you wouldn't think he had."

Sanchez's only loss is to Fulk's teammate Wil Alfaro in his very first MMA fight.

"This is going to be a test for him," Smith said. "He'll see what a real grappler with crazy strength has to offer."

Both fighters finish the majority of their fights on the ground, and this could lead to a very technical submission battle.


Wil Alfaro (7-2) vs Daniel Baynton (11-10)
In what could potentially be the fight of the night, Wil Alfaro will take on Daniel Baynton at a catch-weight of 137. Both fighters have good, technical ground games, which could see this fight staying on its feet.
"They have the same exact style," said Smith. "They will wait for you to make a mistake. They don't care to take a punch."


Also on the card is the promotions first ever women's MMA fight between Jen Crostic and Megan Goodwin.

"They're both 6-foot tall," said Smith. "They're big girls at 145, athletic."

Just added to the card is a K1 match between "Bad News" Bo Kunz and Bill Dwyer. Both fighters have explosive hands, and this could mean lights out for one these two light heavyweights.

If you live in the Farmington area, you can list listen on Thursday as Nemesis takes the airwaves on Froggy 96.

Tickets for this even can be purchased at Cagetix.com or by calling (314) 807-3330.

Nemesis Fighting Alliance: Victory Rises
Saturday - September 29th
Farmington Civic Center - Farmington, MO
Fights start at 7PM