Four Kill Cliff Fight Club fighters are set to make their appearances in major promotions this weekend. The action begins on Friday with three KCFC MMA veterans participating in Bellator 297: Nemkov vs. Romero, followed by a KCFC fighter representing at UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier on Saturday. Jaleel Willis, known as "the Realist," will be putting his 16-4 pro record against Ramazan Kuramagomedov's undefeated 10-0 record in a Bellator welterweight bout. The KCFC fighters share insights and their perspectives on various topics in the interview.
Four Kill Cliff Fight Club fighters help raise the curtains at two huge promotions this weekend.
On Friday, three KCFC MMA veterans kick things off for the double-world-champion card Bellator 297: Nemkov vs. Romero, while on Saturday, one KCFC fighter represents at UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier.
You can catch the Bellator action from Wintrust Arena in Chicago beginning Friday at 6 p.m. ET, with the main card beginning at 9 p.m. ET, on Showtime.
UFC airs on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN with the main card airing live from the APEX in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Willis, aka “the Realist,” puts his 16-4 pro record on the line against Kuramagomedov, who has an impressively unblemished 10-0 tally sheet. The Russian comes from a long line of Dagestani wrestlers—including his father and trainer, Magomed—and is a two-time Russian national wrestling champion. Impressive, but we have a soft spot for Willis, as you will see because who doesn’t like blue berries?
We caught up with Willis between workouts at Kill Cliff FC in Deerfield Beach, Florida, ahead of his Bellator welterweight bout and asked him a few questions you don’t get asked on MMA podcasts. Such as:
Kill Cliff FC: What advice would you give to someone trying to get into pro MMA?
Jaleel Willis: Be consistent with your goals and make sure that it’s something you really want to do.
KCFC: What is your favorite exercise in the KCFC gym? What is your most hated exercise?
JW: My favorite has to be sprints. The most hated is “fast feet.”
KCFC: What’s the best day in the gym like? How do you know you have achieved your goal for the session?
JW: Some of my best days are when I get to leave it all on the mat. Knowing that there’s good energy in the room.
KCFC: What is your cheat-day food?
JW: Memphis Gold hot wings. [The Realist is from Memphis.]
KCFC: What’s the first thing you are going to buy when you hit big money?
JW: A Bentley! Like Kamaru!
KCFC: What’s the hardest non-fight thing you ever had to do?
JW: Raising my kids.
KCFC: How old were you and how did you discover that you could take a punch?
JW: I was five-years-old. It was my first day at North Side Manor.
KCFC: If you could invent a Kill Cliff beverage flavor what would it be?
JW: Memphis Blue Berries.
The other KCFC fighters on the Bellator card include Kamil Oniszczuk, 9-2, taking on Norbert Novenyi Jr., 6-0, at middleweight, and Shamil Nikaev, 10-0, versus Mike Hamel, 10-5, in the lightweight bout.
Saturday sees KCFC’s Ronnie Lawrence, 8-2, facing off against Dan Argueta, 9-1, in the bantamweight bout. “The Heat” is coming off a Fight Night loss from nearly a year ago—his December bout was cancelled—so he’ll be anxious to get the adrenaline pumping.