Vance Hickman and Cesar Orellana Meet for the AFC Amateur 125 lbs Title at AFC 71
Ankeny's Vance Hickman fights for the title against Des Moines kicker Cesar Orellana, El Mago, at AFC 71 on Oct. 24.
This preview ran before AFC 71. See the official results →
A title fight close to home
The AFC Amateur 125 lbs Championship is on the line at AFC 71 on October 24, 2026, in Ankeny, and the matchup sets two very different paths side by side.
In one corner is Vance Hickman, an Ankeny fighter out of Elite Edge who goes by The Chosen One. He comes in at 1-0 after a triangle-choke win at AFC 70 in May, and his second amateur MMA fight comes with a championship attached to it, in his own town.
Across from him is Cesar Orellana, out of Porcelli's Training Center in Des Moines. Orellana comes in at 6-5 as an amateur and fights under the name El Mago, which translates to the magician in Spanish. He told MMA Futures the name comes from the band Mägo de Oz, and that it suits the way he carries himself in front of a crowd.
"I've always been a natural entertainer, just like a magician is."
The bout is contested under MMA rules at 125 pounds.
El Mago's road to the cage
Orellana sat down with MMA Futures on October 21, a few days before the event. He grew up on the east side of Des Moines and said he got into MMA around 2020 through Nate Williams, his wrestling coach since eighth grade, who steered him toward the sport as a way to channel the fighting he was doing in high school.
These days the cage shares his schedule with work. He is starting a welding apprenticeship, and he said his employer supports his training. He described himself as an MMA fighter who welds on the side.
He was candid about his size, too. Orellana said he walks around at roughly 150 pounds, which makes him one of the smaller people in his training room. That has shaped how he thinks about the work.
"There's always someone out there training just a little more than you."
Asked about his best weapon, he pointed to his kicks. In his corner on fight night will be Nate Stover and Pablo, a younger teammate Orellana called a star coming up.
Sizing up the matchup
For all the talk of magic, Orellana did not take his opponent lightly. He spoke with real respect for Hickman, calling him a killer and singling out his jiu-jitsu as a serious strength. When the conversation turned to Hickman's nickname, The Chosen One, Orellana allowed that he just might be.
That respect sits alongside a clear sense of where Orellana is in his career. He told MMA Futures he is looking toward the end of his amateur run, with an eye on turning professional at the end of 2026 or early in 2027. A championship bout on this card is part of that picture for him.
Hickman, for his part, steps into the cage for the first time as an amateur with a belt on the table and a home crowd around him. It is about as big a first night as a regional fighter can ask for.
Orellana kept his own message short when asked what fans should expect from him on Saturday.
"I'm going in there to surprise all of you."
AFC 71 takes place October 24 in Ankeny. Full event details are on the AFC 71 event page.