Pick it: Omar Trinidad vs. Mike Plania
When to watch: Friday, January 17 at 10 p.m. ET (3 a.m. GMT)
How to watch: UFC Fight Pass
Why to watch: Omar Trinidad is a featherweight prospect who is aiming for big things in 2025. But first he needs to get by Mike Plania.
Trinidad has been working his way up the rankings – he’s rated No. 2 by the IBF, No. 6 by the WBC and No. 14 by the WBO. His team is aiming for a fight this year against IBF titleholder Angelo Leo or the man Leo defeated to win that belt, Luis Alberto Lopez – though Lopez suffered a brain bleed from that loss and has not yet announced whether and when he will return.
Trinidad, a 28-year-old from Los Angeles, scored three victories in 2024, all on 360 Promotions cards at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, which is where this show will also take place. He delivered an eighth-round technical knockout of the 11-2-2 Jose Perez, a 10th-round TKO of the 15-2-1 Viktor Slavinskyi and a wide unanimous decision over the 17-2 Hector Andres Sosa.
The Sosa fight was the first time Trinidad went the 12-round distance. The victory brought his record to 17-0-1 (13 KOs), with that draw coming in Trinidad’s professional debut in 2018.
Plania is a 27-year-old from General Santos City in the Philippines. His defeats all came against familiar names: Plania lost a unanimous decision loss to former bantamweight titleholder Juan Carlos Payano in 2018, was shut out by junior featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem in 2022, suffered a third-round knockout to junior featherweight contender Elijah Pierce in 2023 and was put away in three rounds by Leo in January 2024. Since then, Plania has taken out two designated opponents to move to 31-4 (18 KOs).
On the undercard, Mizuki Hiruta will defend her WBO junior bantamweight title against Maribel Ramirez.
Hiruta, a 28-year-old from Tokyo, Japan, is 6-0 (2 KOs). She won the vacant belt in her fourth professional bout, outpointing Kanako Taniyama in December 2022. Hiruta’s defended the title twice since but will be returning from a year out of the ring.
Ramirez, a 38-year-old from Mexico City, Mexico, is 15-10-4 (3 KOs).
Also on this show: Super middleweight prospect Ali Akhmedov, 22-1 (16 KOs), will face Malcolm Jones, 17-4-1 (10 KOs).
Friday, January 17: Atif Oberlton vs. Joaquin Berroa Lugo (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET (midnight GMT).
A pair of unbeaten light heavyweights will face off in the main event at Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.
Oberlton, 11-0 (9 KOs), is a 26-year-old from the City of Brotherly Love. He fought three times in 2024, knocking out the 22-19-2 Cleotis Pendarvis in two rounds, finishing the 8-1 Juan Francisco Lopez Barajas in one round, and stopping the 8-4 Harry Keenan Cruz Cubano in six rounds.
Berroa Lugo, 6-0 (4 KOs), is a 29-year-old from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He has never fought within the 175lbs limit, though he was between 183 and 187lbs for his first five fights. In his last outing, however, Berroa Lugo fought at cruiserweight. That was in July, his sole appearance in 2024, and it followed a 17-month layoff. Berroa Lugo won a six-round decision over the 1-4 Juan Carlos Cabrera, the same foe whom he had knocked out in one round in February 2023.
Saturday, January 18: Kristian Prenga vs. Juan Torres (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET (midnight GMT).
This show at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia is headlined by a heavyweight fight.
Prenga, 16-1 (16 KOs), is a 33-year-old from Albania and now living in New Jersey. His lone loss came in his fifth pro fight, when he lost on points to the 1-2 Giovanni Auriemma. Prenga has won 12 straight since, including a fifth-round TKO of Joey Dawejko in October.
Torres, 11-7-1 (4 KOs), is a 38-year-old from outside of Houston, Texas. He’s lost two in a row, stopped by Andrii Novytskyi in three rounds in March and Kingsley Ibeh in two rounds in June.
Also scheduled for this show: Featherweight contender Tiara Brown, 17-0 (11 KOs) will face Calista Silgado, 22-17-4 (16 KOs); and faded junior welterweight Hank Lundy, 32-4-1 (14 KOs), who’s won just twice in the past five years, will fight Daiyaan Butt, 19-2 (10 KOs).
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