The World Fighting League returns Saturday night with the second installment of the sophomore season of the Calloway Cup. Last year, this concept showed us breakout stars like Aguilano Brandao, Josh Grispi, Ricardo Funch, and Phil McIntyre. The Cup is now poised to bring new talent to the spotlight. You may not know the names, but you’re guaranteed to hungry young fighters who will leave everything in the ring. On top of that, the main event features two MassMMA ranked fighters battling for the WFL 170-lb. title in a match that has no chance of being boring.

155: Bob O’Neil (BMAC ) vs. Bennet Desposses (Bucket Brigade)

245: Diego Santos (BMAC) vs. James Quelle (Wai Kru)

170: Justin Burrill (SSSF) vs. Mychell Castro (Fisherman’s Den)

155: Steve Mager (SSSF) vs. Corey Wakefield (CAIN)

155: Christian Rivera (Fisherman’s Den) vs. Jarrod Johnson (Dragon Lair)

145: Mike Tierney (MMA of Southern Maine 145) vs. Lindomar Da Silva (BMAC)

180: Ryan Hockney (BMAC) vs. Shawn Freeman (CAIN)

215: James Hamilton (Dragon Lair) vs. Jason Buttimer (SSSF)

Arthur Mullen (MMA of Southern Maine) vs. Russell Daviage (TNT Warriors)

165: Chris Germano  (Team EWKK – Hoodlum Fighting) vs. TBA

160: Roberto Concepcion (Dragon Warriors) vs. Donald James (Independent MMA)

155: Luke Czekalski (Brute Force MMA) vs. Tom Valanzola (SSSF)

This is a rematch from the second Calloway Cup, in which Valanzola won with a rear naked choke. In the first CC, Valanzola brought some key victories that helped his team win the championship, while Czekalski has been inactive. I forsee Valanzola repeating his win Saturday night.

185: Rigo Dominicci (Team Dominicci) vs. Gabriel Santos (Team Link)

Dominicci’s 1-4 with a win over Mark Hoxie and losses to three local killers in Rob McNeil, Woody Weatherby and Bellaton Frederic. I don’t know much about Santos, but I found a 1-3 Gabriel Santos from the Brazilian Top Team with a win over UFC and PRIDE veteran Mark Weir. I don’t know if it’s the same guy, but I wouldn’t put it past the ever-expanding Team Link. If it is, expect a classic grappler (Santos) vs. striker (Dominicci) match. If it goes to the ground, it’s all Santos. If it stays on the feet, look for Dominicci to work his strong stand-up game and his fans to get way too into the fight.

170: John Manley (Team Link) vs. Romulo Romano (Dragon Lair)

Both of these guys are 1-0. I only got to see Romano’s fight, and Lauzon decided that his nickname should be Rom-Rom. I know Joe would be heartbroken if I didn’t pick Rom-Rom to win. So look for Manley win by TKO.

Just kidding. Good luck to both guys.

205: Brad Bernnard (Bucket Brigade) vs. Jesse Peterson (SSSF)

Peterson’s 2-2 and coming off of a loss at the recent WCF event. He looked good in a win over Kevin Coon and even in a loss against the mountain manbeast known as Nate Kitteridge. Bennard’s only fight is a guillotine choke loss. His best bet would be to find a way to work around Peterson’s wrestling, which is his strong point.

145: Ken Stone (Dragon Lair) vs. Pedro Gonzales (Fisherman’s Den)

Stone’s 1-0 with a win over Josh Spearman. Now normally, this wouldn’t deserve much fanfare, but Stone has been tearing through grappling tournaments for years with wins over accomplished fighters such as Matt Pedro and Leandro Escobar. Those who have trained with him (myself included) speak volumes of his skills. Needless to say, many expect big things from him, which puts Gonzales in the position of possible spoiler. Not much is known about Gonzales (0-0) or his team, but if he can pull off the win, the buzz will be around him.

180: Mario Ramos (Dragon Lair) vs. Tony Woodman (MMA of Southern Maine)

If you’re a casual fight fan with no real training, you might not know who Mario Ramos is. However, if you’re in the mix of fighting or grappling, you know him. Mario is the head instructor of the Dragon Lair, one of the top local fight schools. His training has produced numerous champions for years. However, what was missing was an exhibition of Mario’s skills. Searching his record only turns up one fight (and win) from 2002. His students praise his game up and down, but everyone else has yet to see it. Many of the top fight schools in the area have head instructors who have gotten in the ring and made their name. We can easily find records for guys like Mat Santos, Joe Pomfret, Marco Alvan, Darryl MarcAurele and Bill Mahoney, and Saturday night, we get the chance to see Mario do his thing. I know I’m excited for this. Tony Woodman has stepped up to the plate as another possible spoiler looking to make his name. No matter how this fight goes, there will be talk on Sunday morning.

WFL Welterweight Title

John Howard (Wai Kru) vs. Woody Weatherby (Renzo Gracie NH)

Have either of these guys had a boring fight? Ever? This looks incredibly promising as the former WFL middleweight champion moves down in weight to take on WFL contender and Combat Zone champion Woody Weatherby. Weatherby’s strengths are his power, his striking, and his grappling. Howard’s got his own power and striking, but I think his grappling is what gives him the edge over Woody. If it’s a striking match, look for Woody’s reach and power to take home the title. However, once it hits the ground, I think Howard will find a way to lock in a submission and get the win.

If you enjoy hungry young fighters, then the best thing to do Saturday night would be to go to Club Lido and buy a ticket. This is the breeding ground for the next group of local ranked fighters, and you’ll be happy to say you saw them fight before they were champions.