Louis-Philippe Caron Defends His Title Against Gordon Cunningham at MFL 17

In the main event of the MFL 17, Quebec’s own Louis-Philippe Caron (1-0) will defend his  MFL amateur light heavyweight title against Ontario’s Gordon Cunningham (2-0) on Saturday night.

Training in the midst of a pandemic has led to many challenges for the athletes who will take to the cage Saturday night.

Undefeated amateur and Adrenaline MMA prospect Cunningham has been lucky to have his brother, who is a personal trainer, by his side, but even for a top-tier athlete finding the motivation wasn’t always easy.

The work it took to get back into fighting shape, combined with the limited opportunities available for fighters right now, is why Cunningham, a natural middleweight, will be competing at 205 pounds for the second time in his career on Saturday.

“I’m not doing a water cut or anything. I’m just eating a couple of salads here and there and away we go. I’m like two pounds away from being on weight right now, so it’s pretty easy,” Cunningham said.

So far in his young amateur career, Cunningham has been noticed for his reach and excellent striking.

But Cunningham said not to be fooled, though, as he’s a well-rounded killer and will be looking to prove it on fight night.

Despite his strength in the jiu-jitsu department, don’t expect Caron to try and turn this fight into a grappling match, as he said he’s more than prepared to showcase his skills wherever the fight takes place.

Caron said he knows he can always rely on his cardio, strength, and ability to mix it up.

Doing your homework on an opponent as an up-and-coming fighter can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but can be made easier with a few of the right connections.

Caron said he’s fortunate enough to have one of those connections in his coach who doubles as an MFL judge.

“The nice thing is all my fights are against guys from Ontario or Quebec, so we have guys who have seen them fight, or I can see where they’re training and get an idea of the style of fighting they’re most likely applying,” Caron said.

“For this particular opponent, my coach saw him fight while judging the last MFL event. We could see he had a lot of experience in striking, and he’s quite tall. That’s all the info I really need to prepare.”

Of course, you always want to be prepared before stepping into the cage, but sometimes you can end up doing too much homework, something Cunningham said he is looking to avoid leading up to his title opportunity.