On February 25th Fight Club Rush will return to the Swedish capital of Stockholm with a card that is getting more and more stacked with each announcement. Now the main event is official.
FCR bantamweight champion Bernardo "The Lion King" Sopai (9-2) will defend his title against Frances Julien "Boyka" Lopez (5-2-1) in the headlining bout at FCR 15!
For several years Sopai was one of Allstars Training Centers best kept secrets, though the truth of his potential was revealed, much to the delight of the fans.
Sopai had built up a respectable record on the Balkan MMA scene since his pro debut in 2016, before moving to Stockholm, where he secured a TKO victory in November of 2019.
That vicious victory earned Sopai a shot in Brave CF against undefeated Canadian kickboxer Tariq Ismail. Sopai delivered a thrilling performance, forcing a takedown attempt from his opponent, winning a clear-cut decision after three rounds of dominance. Sopai would go on to lose his following bout in the promotion against Italian prospect Francesco Nuzzi via a razor thin split decision.
Despite the loss, "The Lion King" was pitted against Ukrainian bruiser Karlen Minasian in the main event of FCR 13, in a bout that would crown a new bantamweight champion. After a slow first round the tempo picked up and Sopai secured a second round knockout finish to claim the title in his adopted hometown.
Lopez has been competing professionally since 2014, mostly in his neighbouring country of Belgium - as MMA wasn't legalised in France until 2019.
While the Frenchman experienced mixed results early in his career, amassing a 2-1-1 record, he began finding his groove in 2018. As it stands today Lopez has won three out of his last four bouts with all wins coming by way of first round finish!
Everything can happen in MMA, but the odds of Sopai vs Lopez going the distance are minimal at best.