Just two months after picking up his eighth career win earlier this month at Pinnacle FC 10, Mark Cherico (8-1) already has his next bout set, as he is set to take on Adrian Vilaca (5-1) at King of the Cage: Counter Attack on July 11 in Washington, Pennsylvania. A source close to the bout confirmed the booking with BluegrassMMA.
Cherico rebounded from the first loss of his career with the win at Pinnacle FC 10, as he finished Darby Halferty via TKO in the second round of the night’s main event after dominating the bout for more than a round and a half. “The Pride of Bloomfield” is now 17-1 overall and is firmly on the UFC’s radar.
“I told my wife that I would retire if I wasn’t in the UFC by the time I turn 30, so I’ve got some work to do,” Cherico said in an article posted on his management team’s website.
“I need one, maybe two, more wins until I get to the UFC. So let’s bang them out. I’m in shape, I’m having fun. Let’s (expletive) do it.”
After the loss to Brian Kelleher, Cherico realized that he had actually been in a three-fight slump, as he hadn’t been happy with his performances in two decision victories prior. He vowed to get back to his dominant fighting style of finishing opponents, and he did so at Pinnacle FC 10 by earning his first stoppage victory in nearly two years.
Cherico is set to take on Canadian fighter Vilaca, who hails from Hamilton, Ontario. The 24-year-old has two submission wins to his credit and most recently earned a unanimous decision over Eric Bledsoe at KOTC’s Western Pennsylvania debut last month. He’ll be looking to extend a three-fight winning streak when he steps in against Cherico at The Meadows Casino on July 11.
No fights have been made official for the KOTC event, but the official poster for the card also features pro fighters Justin Steave, Francis Healy, and Jeremiah Yeager, as well as amateur fighters John Walylko, Melissa Gasdick, and John Jaquay. There is also a rumor that Ohio fighter Jerrell Hodge could be added to the fight card.
Stay tuned to BluegrassMMA.com for more on King of the Cage: Counter attack as it becomes available.