Ansgar Fighting League lightweight champion Joel Alvarez (14-1) of Spain will defend his title at AFL 17 on Nov. 24, against Italy’s Radu Maxim.
The matchup features two of Europe’s more intriguing up-and coming lightweights. The 25-year-old “El Fenomeno” has achieved all 14 of his career wins within the distance — all but one of them by submission — and is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak, with the last five coming within the AFL cage.
The Moldovan-born Maxim (9-1), who once held a spot on his native country’s national wrestling team, is on a six-fight tear of his own. Most recently, the 27-year-old won his Bellator MMA debut against Simone La Preziosa at Bellator 203, where he dominated his opponent with superior wrestling and pelted him with ground-and-pound for a first-round TKO.
AFL 17 “Coal and Blood” takes place on Nov. 24 at the Juan Carlos Beiro Sport Center in Langreo, Asturias, Spain. It will air on Fite.tv as a $9.99 pay-per-view.