Author:Gage Holder        Editor: Harrison Holder

Last Saturday, the main event of Peak Fighting 34 featured former UFC and Bellator veteran Cody Pfister. He was making his highly anticipated return to the cage after a few years away from the sport in what was supposed to be the road to redemption and a ticket to a major promotion. However, none of that mattered to me, my editor, and anyone who knew his opponent Chance Beck. The true definition of a fighters-fighter who will take on anyone, anywhere at any time. Without a doubt, one of the most skilled fighters I have had the privilege of watching in person. He of course showed up Saturday night and spoiled the return of someone who’s been at the top of the sport!

On the surface and for anyone who does not know Chance it looked like a mismatch; and a way to get the former UFC and Bellator star back in the win column. Pfister entered the main event Saturday with a pro record of 16-9-1  which included going 1-3 in the UFC and 1-0 in Bellator. Chance on the other hand had a less attractive resume and record sitting at 9-7 as a pro. Despite that, if you dig deeper than the surface you will see how dangerous the matchup was for Pfister. For one, Chance is the definition of an active fighter having fought a total of eight times in MMA since the start of 2022. For comparison, Pfister had only fought once in the same period, and in addition to the fact that Chance was unbeaten at 145 with an impressive 8-0 record. All of his losses happened above his natural weight class to bigger competition because once again a fighters-fighter will fight anyone, anywhere, anytime.

If you took all that out of the equation and just looked at skill for skill it would be hard-pressed to tell who the former UFC veteran was in this matchup. I mean no disrespect to Cody Pfister because he’s a hell of a fighter. That’s just me telling you how good Chance Beck is because he’s a very skilled, well-rounded fighter who’s just as likely to hurt and finish you on the feet as he is to pull out a submission on the ground. Cody, on top of being inactive, was giving up a few inches of reach to Chance which doesn’t help his style. At heart, he is a wrestler who likes to get in and make it a grimy dog fight. In the end, he had all sorts of trouble finding any amount of success. Chance was just the better fighter. His pressure, pace, and length were just too much for Cody. It all accumulated as Chance secured an Armbar submission late in the first round to secure the win and become your NEW Peak Fighting Featherweight Champion!

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