On Saturday, October 11, 2014 another highly touted New York amateur mma fighter made his long awaited professional debut. Alfred Jones of Long Island MMA in Farmingdale, NY fought in the Cage Fury Fighting Championship 41 (CFFC) at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA against a tough opponent from New Jersey, Noel “The Filipino Warrior” Arcibal of Elite Tactical Martial Arts. Heading into the highly anticipated debut Jones had never tasted defeat going 5-0 in MMA and a perfect 2-0 in Kickboxing as an amateur. Jones was coming off an impressive display in his last outing at New York’s Premier MMA organization, New York Fight Exchange, taking it to his opponents all three rounds with big punching combinations. Jones was rewarded a title fight but instead decided to follow his dreams and turn professional, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his trainers and teammates, UFC fighters Ryan LaFlare, Dennis Bermudez and Chris Wade.
Outside of the cage Jones is known for his pleasant demeanor, always smiling and joking around even at the weigh ins the day before he was all smiles. The following day Arcibal found out very quickly Jones is a different man once he hears the cage door locked behind him. After a silent prayer at the doorway of the cage, Jones entered prepared and determined for what lied ahead. As soon as the referee finished giving the final instructions Jones came out looking to display his stand-up. Both men looked impressive, Arcibal came into the fight with a 1-0 professional record stopping his previous opponent by doctor stoppage due to a cut. “The Filipino Warrior” displayed his high level Muay Thai background trading leg kicks with Jones throughout the fight. Jones seemed to get the better of the exchanges causing Arcibal to switch his stance to avoid taking any further damage to his lead leg. Also Jones used a stiff jab to set up his attacks, many times it appeared to cause Arcibal’s head to snap back leaving him open for many other attacks from the Long Island fighter. When the fight got in close quarters Jones continue the onslaught with dirty boxing and landing some big punches in the clinch. Once the second round began it appeared Jones had more gas in his tank with his constant movement and snap in his punches. Jones came out of his corner sporting a hematoma the size of golf ball on his forehead. Thankfully for him it had no effect on his performance. Jones advanced forward and was the aggressor looking for the finish. Aside from his strikes Alfred also showed off some of the high level ground game that they are known for and instill in their completion team over at Long Island MMA, when we took down Acribal on 2 occasions using a power double leg and an ankle pick to bring the contest to the cage floor, where he continued to inflict damage on his opponent until the sound of the bell signaling the end to the second round. As the third and final round began both men met in the center and continued right where they left off, putting on a great fight for the screaming fans and representing their teams. Shortly into the round Jones shot in on another double leg getting into side control, as Arcibal set up an underhook Jones secured a tight bravo choke putting Arcibal to sleep on the canvas. I believe both men are talented and have very bright futures in this sport. If Jones stays on this path and continues to train like he is currently I believe by 2016 he will be in a major organization.