ACC 17: Brandon Medina Fights for USMTA Flyweight Title
On Saturday night, November 11, 2017, Brandon Medina will battle Bryant Estrada in the co-main event at Aggressive Combat Championships 17 (ACC 17). The event takes place at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. The doors open to the public at 6:30 PM and fights are expected to start at 7:30 PM.
ACC 17 is an amateur promotion that delivers a professional standard of operations. As Eugene Perez continues to build incredible matchups throughout the entire fight card, the Westchester County Center total occupancy 5,000, with that being said, only a handful of tickets are still available. Tickets can be purchased at www.accmma.com to attend this amateur MMA event sanctioned by the United States Muay Thai Association (USMTA).
Medina (3-1) enters the cage on Nov. 11th, verse Estrada (2-2). Training under head coach, Tito Hartz, Medina is affiliated with East Coast United BJJ. East Coast United BJJ isn’t shy to winning ACC titles. Luis Gonzalez and Jillian DeCoursey are just a couple of names that sit at the tip of your tongue when mentioning this highly competitive gym.
Medina, 21, hails from Bronx, New York, and is currently ranked No. 25 in New York at Bantamweight and No. 11 at Flyweight according to Tapology.com. At ACC 17, Medina and Estrada will be competing for a Flyweight title (125lbs). Medina began his career off with three straight victories, before falling via unanimous decision to Ron Leon at NYFE 10 back in April of 2016. This will be Medina’s first fight back after over a year layoff.
Estrada, 27, fighting out of Pennsylvania is ranked No. 16 in PA at Bantamweight and also No. 4 in PA at Flyweight. Estrada fought Medina’s twin brother Christian at ACC 6 in 2014. Since losing to Medina’s twin brother, Estrada has won two straight fights in 2017, winning both bouts by unanimous decision.
“After watching Estrada’s fight with my brother and other youtube videos, it appears he likes to strike to a takedown. So, I’ve been preparing for his grappling. I think he’s a better grappler than a striker,” Medina mentioned to My MMA News during a phone interview. “I expect him to strike with me for 30-seconds and then try to grapple. I’ve prepared for him through a well-rounded training camp,”
Medina considers himself as a well-rounded fighter. He’s a former high school wrestler, trains in Muay Thai, BJJ, boxing and works relentlessly on conditioning. Medina’s team name is the Bronx Pitbulls, which includes his training partners, their name represents their relentless work ethic inside the gym. In addition to his twin brother, Christian as a training partner, Medina trains with Luis Gonzalez, who was a two-time amateur champion in New York. Gonzalez recently made the transition to the professional ranks. Ross Richardson is also a crucial member of the Bronx Pitbulls, as the 3-0 welterweight earned the vacant amateur welterweight title at Ring of Combat AM 24.
Medina, who will be celebrating his 22nd birthday fourteen days after his fifth career bout, looks to turn professional within the next calendar year. As a way to help improve his training, he’ll video record all his sparring sessions to analyze where improvements can be made, studying his footwork, head movement, and hand placement.
As the East Coast United BJJ fighter continues his training, Medina’s maturity surrounding the sport allows him to focus on meal prep, cardio, strength training, which have all led to his weight cut’s progressively becoming more routine. Many amateur fighters struggle to grasp the understanding of weight cutting, but after speaking with Medina for 20-minutes on the phone it’s clear he has an understanding of the details which elevate a fighters game to the next level.
This title fight is for the USMTA flyweight title bout. As the co-main event, Estrada and Medina’s potential for fight of the Night Honors is through the roof. Medina stands at 5 foot seven inches tall, verse his opponent, 5 foot six inches tall. Reach might not play a major factor in this bout but these two fighters are known for bringing their heart into the cage and leaving it all in there.
Another flyweight title fight for the ACC belt will be fought for between Danny Maldonado and Edwin Solis Saturday evening. The winner of each respective fight title fight could unify the belts at ACC 18 in April. It would solidify the best amateur flyweight in the state of New York.
Be sure to follow My MMA News on social media at @MyMMANews for the results of ACC 17. Tickets can still be purchased for the event at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York, by visiting www.accmma.com.
