Cage Titans 48 Breakdown: Jeff Joy vs. Rob Fuller

Travis Lizotte "Full Contact Writer"

Jeff Joy (Pro Debut) vs. Rob Fuller (1-11)

Catchweight (140 lbs)

Jeff Joy

Age: 30

Fighting out of: Bourne, Massachusetts

Affiliation: Juniko/ Loco Lobo

Record: Pro Debut (4-0 as Amateur, Cage Titans Amateur Bantamweight Champion))

Last fight: Second Round Submission (Rear Naked Choke) victory over Kam Arnold at Cage Titans 45. (08/24/19)

“The Skinny”: After opening up his amateur career in 2018 with a first round Rear Naked Choke finish of Tony Vivieros at Cage Titans 39, Jeff Joy then went to war with Will Alfano at Cage Titans 42 earning himself a Unanimous Decision victory and a shot at Arthur Mpofu’s Bantamweight strap. Joy and Mpofu would battle to a judge's decision at Cage Titans 44 in June of 2019, with Joy using his heavy grappling to get the nod from the judges and earning himself the coveted Cage Titans Bantamweight title, and making way for one of the most highly anticipated Cage Titans amateur fights of all time. There were now two undefeated Amateur Bantamweight Champions in New England, and quite honestly, neither thought the region was big enough for the both of ‘em.

Enter NEF Amateur Bantamweight Champion Kam Arnold (5-0) a knockout artist who at Cage Titans 45 in August 2019 would attempt to come into Jeff Joy’s front door and leave out the back with his Cage Titans crown. In an epic matchup of Striker (Arnold) vs. Grappler (Joy) it was actually the hands of Joy that ended up settling the score, as a clean spinning backfist in the second round wobbled the Challenger Arnold and allowed Joy to take him down and choke him out with a vicious Rear Naked Choke. With an emphatic win over Arnold, the Cage Titans belt still around his waist and his spot at New England’s #1 Amateur Bantamweight locked up the next move became a logical one; punch that professional card. Following a series of BJJ matches amid the pandemic as well as an Amateur Muay Thai bout at Cage Titans 47 in early 2020, Joy will make his pro debut July 10th against “Love Em or Hate Em” “Cornflakes” Rob Fuller (1-11).

“Cornflakes” Rob Fuller

Age: 40

Fighting out of: Denver, Colorado

Affiliation: Team Fuller

Record: 1-11 (1 Knockout)

Last fight: First Round TKO (Standing Elbows) loss to Anvar Boynazarov at Combat Night Pro 20. (03/13/21)

“The Skinny”: New England welcomes back the most polarizing figure in all of New England MMA, odds are if you’ve been following the local scene for the last 5 years you know the name; Rob Fuller, probably because at some point you’ve rooted against him because he was fighting one of your homies. Fact of the matter is, you gotta give the dude respect, Fuller is the kind of guy that will work circles around you on the weekdays and beat your ass on the weekends, but it is all done with one goal in mind; providing for his family. And if that sentiment doesn’t catch your attention maybe you need to check your pulse and watch Fuller separate Jacobo Apito (1-0) from consciousness with a counter right hand at Cage Titans 47 that silenced the Cage Titans crowd.

Although his record appears to the naked eye as upside down, at 40 years old and with exactly one more victory than FUCKS given, Fuller has entered the buzzsaw of New England Bantamweight and Featherweight prospects and lived to tell about it. Connor Matthews, Pat Gilbride, Mitch Raposo and Randy Costa have all throwndown with the always willing “Cornflakes” Fuller on their climbs up the Regional ladder. Rob earned his second professional combat sports win May 15th of this year at Dada 5000’s BYB 5 when he scored a first round knockout of Kobe Bowen, Fuller makes his Cage Titans return July 10th and it doesn’t get any easier against another top prospect in Jeff Joy.

Breakdown: Once the bell rings on this 140 pound Catchweight fight, do not blink, Joy likes to mount his offence through constant forward pressure and a stinging left hook that he uses to set up his grappling based attack. Rob Fuller is not the kind of guy who relinquishes steps backwards without fighting for his ground, Fuller will stand toe to toe with anyone and slug it out, if Joy decides to make this an ugly fight; Fuller will be just the right guy to oblige. However, that would not be a smart move for the rising pro debuter Jeff Joy, Joy should waste little time closing the distance and taking this fight to the clinch and eventually the ground. If Joy can withstand the fire power that Fuller will throw his way and get this fight to the canvas it should be a quick night for these two under the lights at Plymouth Memorial Hall as Joy’s ground game is absolutely lethal.

We have witnessed in the past, once Joy has his opponent on the ground he wastes no time digging in hooks, taking the back and sinking in tight chokes. Joy used his patented Rear Naked Choke to knock Kam Arnold from the ranks of the unbeaten, if he can employ a similar gameplan against the wild striking of Rob Fuller, Joy will leave Cage Titans 48 with his first professional victory. But if you think Rob Fuller gets out of bed in the morning with intentions of losing, you’d be dead wrong, Fuller will be looking to take Jeff Joy’s head clean off once the pin drops into that cage door, you are not going to want to miss this one!

Photos courtesy of Martina Rose Giannetti of MRG Photography