World Championship Fighting is set to present WCF 9 on Friday February 26 from their usual location, the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. The card is packed with top talent from top to bottom, and the card has actually improved since the full fight card was released a week ago.

The Main event features two of the very best 155ers in New England, Mike Campbell and Marc Stevens. Some things that jump out at me in this one is that both guys are violent, and nobody wants to fight either guy. No matter which guy wins, they are likely to really beat up the other. If Campbell is going to win, he’s going to knock Stevens out. Campbell hits very hard, and tends to win by KO everytime he wins. If Stevens is going to win, he’s going to take Mike down and beat him up on the ground. Neither guy really wins fights without hurting their opponent. Neither guy has ever been in a boring fight, whether it’s on the feet or on the mat, bombs will be thrown. This is one of the best fights we’ve ever had at WCF and the winner is surely setting himself up for even bigger things.

The co-main event features two more studs, Rick Hawn vs. Tom Gallicchio. Tom hasn’t fought in MA yet, but he’s one of the best fighters in NJ. He’s 12-4 overall and he’s won 7 out of his last 8. He has really good wrestling, and a great RNC. The majority of his wins have been finished by choke. Hawn finished in the top 10 at the 2004 Olympics in Judo, and his hands seem to be really coming along. This could be one of those fights where both guys ground game neutralizes the other’s, and they end up banging for 15 minutes.

Noah Weisman is 2-0 amateur, 2-0 pro and he recently got his brown belt in BJJ. He’s set to take a big step up in competition when he takes on John Benoit. John will no doubt have a strength advantage, and a big edge in experience, but Noah has looked near flawless in his 4 fights, and he’s far from a big underdog in this fight. Both guys can box, and both can grapple. It’s another fight that has potential to steal the show.

Cesario de Souza has decided to make one last return to the ring before retirement when he takes on Wilmington native Dan Bonnell. They are meeting at a catch weight of 150, and I’m excited to see how this one plays out. Dan is the better boxer, but he is smaller than Cesario, and he’s struggled with bigger opponents, and guys that can out grapple him. Cesario is a black belt in BJJ also, but he tends to struggle with guys that can out box him. It seems both guys are fighting opponents they normally  struggle with, so it’ll be interesting to see who can pull this one out.

Mike Zichelle vs. Stephen Stengel is my pick for fight of the night. Both guys are very aggressive, and both try to bully their opponent. I see both guys coming out and trying to take the center of the ring, with both guys throwing bombs. I don’t think either guy will intimidate the other, and they’ll continue to fight fire with fire until one of the two gets knocked out.

In a battle of 125 pounders, Matt Martin is set to take on Peter Cole. Peter is the better striker, and is more aggressive, but Martin has very good BJJ and will have a big advantage on the mat. Somehow Peter seems to turn any fight into a war, so I see this one being another fantastic fight.

Aniss Alhajjajy (BTT) vs. Kevin Roddy has just been added to the card, and I can’t wait for this one. Aniss has looked great in his last 4 fights and takes on another tough opponent in Kevin Roddy. Roddy has a big edge in experience, but Aniss is bigger and will likely have the better kickboxing.

Carlos Lovato’s opponent has changed, and he’s now set to take on Jerry Spiegel. Carlos is 1-0 with a brutal KO in his only pro fight, and Jerry is never afraid to bang, so this one could be great. Jerry will have a big advantage on the ground, but he’ll have to work hard to get it there because Carlos is huge at 205 and hits like a mack truck. This one will not go the distance.

Jamie Campbell’s opponent has changed 2-3 times on this show, and his most recent opponent has pulled out as well. We have an opponent lined up, but we can’t release it until it’s 100% confirmed.

Robby Roberts also had an opponent changed, and he is now set to take on a guy with one of the coolest names in MMA, Buster Crandell. Robby Roberts is a pretty cool name too, but seriously, Buster is an awesome name. I haven’t seen him fight, but word is that he’s a tough guy who decided to train MMA, and he’s likely to try to turn it into a bar fight. Robby likes to box also, so this one could be great.

In a fight between to grapplers, Nelson Gaipo takes on Matt Johnson. Matt will be bigger, but Nelson has better submissions. I have no idea how this one goes, but it should be fun.

The full card is below:

Mike Campbell (Sit Yod Tong) vs. Marc Stevens (Jui-Jitsu Nation)

Rick Hawn (Sit Yod Tong) vs. Tom Gallicchio (Bombsquad)

John Benoit (Renzo NH) vs. Noah Weisman (BJJ Revolution)

Dan Bonnell (Renzo NH) vs. Cesario de Souza (Dragon Lair)

Mike Zichelle (The Factory) vs. Stephen Stengel

Jamie Campbell (Execution) vs. TBA

Buster Crandell (Bombsquad) vs. Robby Roberts (Brute Force)

Matt Martin (USMMA) vs. Peter Cole (Bombsquad)

Nelson Gaipo (Dragon Lair) vs. Matt Johnson (SSSF)

Carlos Lovato (Premier Fight Team) vs. Jerry Spiegel

Joel Ly (Guy Chase) vs. Steve Beck

Aniss Alhajjajy (BTT) vs. Kevin Roddy