Noteworthy:
Alan Jouban announced his retirement as a fighter in MMA late Monday—this after besting Jared Gooden (unanimous decision) in November during UFC 255.
Jouban intends to pursue a career in broadcasting in the next chapter of his life.
All of us at Sports Drink wish him well.
Onward to today’s focus:
TITAN FC 69:
UFC Fight Pass brings you a pair of live MMA shows this Friday night as your combat sports weekend gets underway with TITAN FC 69 and LFA 107.
Our focus today is on the former.
This time out, TITAN FC sets up shop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for a card co-promoted by Fighting Force Promotions inside Centro Olimpico Pabellon de Esgrima.
Coverage begins with the two-fight undercard at 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT on the TITAN FC Facebook page, followed at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT with the six-fight main card.
Highlighting the night is a pair of championship confrontations.
First up will be the final of the Fighting Force Lightweight Grand Prix tournament between Lucas Marte (6-1) and Jhonasky Sojo (11-3)—a five-round fight at five minutes per round.
In your main event, the vacant TITAN FC Welterweight Championship is on the line between Dilano Taylor (5-1) and Carlos Matos (8-0)—another five-round fight at five minutes per round.
We’ll break down both of these title fights right here, right now.
Fighting Force Lightweight Grand Prix Final: Lucas Marte vs. Jhonasky Sojo:
Contender Comparison: (Note: For this fight and the Welterweight title fight, no reach information is on Tapology.)
Heading into the Lightweight Grand Prix final, both of these men stand level at 5-foot-9.
How they got here:
Lucas Marte has posted a 4-1 record in his last five MMA fights, including a second-round knockout of Ty Kalista on Nov. 22, 2020 in TITAN FC 65, a rare Sunday afternoon show on UFC Fight Pass.
In the other corner, Jhonasky Sojo has gone 3-2 in his last five MMA bouts and is on a two-fight win streak, extended most recently by unanimous decision against Elias Santos in Fighting Force 4 on Nov. 21, 2020.
Prediction: Lucas Marte by unanimous decision.
Main Event: Vacant TITAN FC Welterweight Championship: Dilano Taylor vs. Carlos Matos:
Contender Comparison:
Heading into the main event on Friday night, Carlos Matos is the taller man at 6-foot-1, with Dilano Taylor standing six feet even.
How they got here:
Taylor has posted a 4-1 record in his last five fights, including a current four fight winning streak.
Last time out, he scored a unanimous decision of Lewis Gonzalez on Feb. 12 during TITAN FC 67.
In the other corner, Carlos Matos has yet to lose in his MMA career, most recently stopping Islam Baguvutdinov on Nov. 21, 2020 in Fighting Force 4.
Friday marks Carlos Matos’ TITAN FC promotional debut.
Prediction: Carlos Matos by unanimous decision.
Other fights on Friday’s main card include:
Rami Hamed (9-3) vs. Warren Smith (7-11) [Welterweight]
Devon Dixon (2-0) vs. Oscar Diaz (2-2) [Welterweight]
Oscar Sosa (13-2) vs. Steven Berbin (2-2-1) [Light Heavyweight]
Dean Barry (3-1) vs. Reynaldo Acevedo (8-2) [catchweight: 160 lbs.]
Juan Marcos Saint Jusca (7-4) vs. Elias Santos (2-3) [Lightweight]
The following prelims will take place ahead of the main card on UFC Fight Pass:
Ty Kalista (4-4) vs. Kenny Porter (4-2) [Featherweight]
Sean Mora (debut) vs. Luis Peralta (4-2) [Bantamweight]
TITAN FC 69 at a Glance: (Friday)
Prelims: 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT, Facebook
Main Card: 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT, UFC Fight Pass
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