Gonzales represents Fresno, and Maximov calls Chico home. Both fighters sport unblemished 3-0 records, and both are looking to add 559 Fights Champion to their resume Saturday.

“That belt is going to mean the world to me, man,” Gonzales says after a recent training session. “It’s going to symbolise all my hard work and dedication, and it’s going to mean even more to my supporters. There’s no way I’m leaving Visalia without that belt.”

“Good luck with that,” says his opponent Maximov, who’s also a wrestler for Clackamas College in Portland.

“This is my first main event and my first shot at taking home a belt; I’m ready to rise to the occasion,” Maximov says with a smile. “I’ve got a lot of respect for my opponent and what he’s accomplished so far in his career, but this is my time.”

In the co-main event, unbeaten Arroyo Grande product Isaiah Rocha (3-0) takes on the toughest challenge of his blossoming his career, Bakersfield’s Izaiah Ozuna (3-2), in bantamweight action.

The card also features the return of former 559 Fights bantamweight title challenger Austin Liu (3-2, Fresno) and top women’s flyweight prospect Kathy Solorzano (4-1, Bakersfield).

– Ed Kapp