Atlas Fights 54 Set For the Beach
In the spirit of UFC “Fight Island,” Atlas Fights will have an outdoor show on the beach of Biloxi on Saturday, August 1, 2020 with Atlas Fight 54. This will not be the organization’s first outdoor show as they have previously held a show on the field of MGM Park, home of the Biloxi Shuckers. Should rain try and ruin the event, the bouts will be moved indoors to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. So far the top of the card is stacked with four heavy-hitting bouts.
Bantamweight Title Fight- Levi Mowles vs Jonathan Eiland
Levi Mowles (13-4) is a seasoned veteran representing the state of Texas. According to Tapology, he is the fourth ranked professional bantamweight in the world. 10 of Mowles’ 13 victories have come by finish. He’s shown he has the skills to end the bout from anywhere in the cage. He is 7-1 in his last eight bouts with his lone loss to Bellator’s Raufeon Stots. Mowles has also shown the ability to not get finished in a tough fights. All four of his losses have come by decision.
Jonathan Eiland (4-0) is one of Louisiana’s top young professional prospects, undefeated in his run thus far. Eiland is a finisher as well with three of his four wins coming by rear naked choke. His lone decision was a victory over Atlas Fights veteran Brandon McMahan, who was coming off of a Bellator at Bellator 214. Eiland has an exceptional standup game and by witness of his three submissions, a dangerous ground game should the bout end up there. When two dangerous finisher meet in the middle of the cage, there are bound to be fireworks.
Lightweight Title Fight- Michael McDonald vs Omar Johnson
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship veteran Michael McDonald (7-4) returns to the cage for the first time in over a year to battle for the lightweight championship. McDonald’s last outing was a first round knockout of Tyler Smith at Bayou FC 37 in Ponchatoula, LA. Similar to the fighters in the previous bout, McDonald is a finisher with six of his seven bouts coming by finish with five of those being submissions. A true mixed martial artist, McDonald’s standup game is just as dangerous as evident of his BKFC 2 victory over Charles “Felony” Bennett. If a firefight is engaged, McDonald will be the last to back down.
Just as dangerous is Alabama’s Omar Johnson (6-3). Arguably more of a dangerous striker, Johnson has scored five of his six victories by way of knockout. Johnson had a stint in Bellator and lost his last bout to Louisiana veteran Thomas Webb in their battle for the lightweight title. Webb has currently retired from action, thus setting up this vacant title matchup. Johnson is also Tapology’s second ranked professional lightweight in the state of Mississippi. Though Johnson may be on a three-fight skid, his knockout ability has shown he is just one punch away from capturing the championship.
Lightweight Bout – Justice Lamperez vs Carlos Deleon
Gladiators Academy of Lafayette young star Justice Lamperez (2-1) will look to continue his stellar professional career against a debuting, tough fighter. Lamperez is tough in his own right and solid all the way around. After starting his amateur career 2-6, Lamperez stepped it up going on a 4-1 run across Atlas Fights and Bayou Fighting Championship. Under the tutelage of UFC veteran and Louisiana legend, Tim Credeur, the improvements are exponential each bout. After a tough outing in his professional debut, Lamperez has reeled off impressive victories in his last two bouts. Lamperez in the cage, you can always expect 100% heart and a fighter who will lay it on the line every bout.
Juan Carlos De Leon (0-0) fighting out of Fitness Fight Factory in Texas under the tutelage of Rafael Casias and Bare Knuckle FC superstar Johnny Bedford. De Leon was 2-1 as an amateur fighter with both victories ending in second-round knockouts. Coming from a strong camp, De Leon will no doubt look to put on an amazing showing in his debut on a big stage. It is always entertaining to see two young, hungry professionals early in their career looking to build up their name.
Heavyweight Bout- Brandon Hebert vs Cameron Graham
No show would be complete without two heavyweight clashing. In the world of MMA in the South, they do not come much bigger than Brandon “Thug Passion” Hebert (2-1). After a tough debut, Hebert figured out the differences shifting from amateur to pro rather quickly. So quick in fact that he won his first professional bout in 38 seconds via knockout. Returning to business, Hebert won his next bout, this time with a 25 second knockout. Obviously the one-punch knockout power is there, but being a product of Gladiators Academy, his ground game has to be considered dangerous as well.
Cameron “The Big Mac” Graham (2-2) is just as big and immovable force as Hebert. The Florida based fighter started his professional career 2-0 but has since dropped his last two. Graham will be hungry for blood to get back on track. Graham showed his endurance, going to decision with Jahsua Marsh at Combat Night Pro 15 in November 2019. Both of these fighters can wield power and aggression. Look for the judges to be able to take the night off when this bout starts.
