Archive for the ‘XFC’ Category

With Joe Proctor out at UFC 159 later this month against Al Iaquinta the UFC was in a bind to find him an opponent. Ultimately Iaquinta decided to pull out of the event as well to let some old injuries heal up.

According to an interview with Fightline;

“I have been training through an injury to my leg the past six weeks, re-injuring it again a little more seriously last Saturday.I was going to push through it and fight anyway. When I heard Joe pulled out, I decided not to fight at UFC 159 and rehab my injury back to 100-percent before taking another fight.”

But before word got out that Iaquinta was going to stay off the card people were coming out of the woodwork to fight him. Conor McGregor offered to step up on short notice as well as another surprising lightweight who isn’t even on the UFC roster.

Newell hasn’t really tried to hide the fact that he wants to fight in the UFC. Currently signed with the XFC out of Florida Newell is their 155 pound champion with a title defense due up later this summer against Scott Holtzman. Newell has talked about it in interviews and Dana White has even commented on how hard it would be for Newell to compete in the octagon with only one arm. But with a perfect 9-0 record Newell has done very well inside the cage and once his contract is up with the XFC it’s likely he will sign with World Series of Fighting who tweeted about possibly seeing him compete for them earlier today.

The XFC has done a great job marketing Newell but you get the feeling he is tired of being a big fish in a small pond and wants to get to the big show that is the UFC to test his skills.

Zach Underwood will be heading to Louisville, KY April 19th to face Deivison Ribeiro at XFC 23 live from the Kentucky International Convention Center. The fight will be the featured bout of the evening.

The fight will be Underwood’s first time to fight live on television and in front of a world wide audience. After fighting in the Southeast on smaller shows for his entire career XFC 23 could be the night he puts other featherweights on notice. With big wins for Strikeforce and Bellator in recent year Underwood has quietly established himself as one of the top featherweights in the Midsouth but injuries have crept up at inopportune times to keep him just below the UFC’s radar. Last summer Underwood defeated Chris Coggins on a Bellator undercard and is looking for third straight win since returning from injury last May.

Ribeiro is coming off a loss to TUF live contestant Dakota Cochran in January. Before the setback ‘The Dragon’ had won four straight and 8 of his last 9. There is no doubt where the Brazilian jiu jitsu ace wants to get the fight and it could play into Underwood’s hand due to ‘Thunderwood’s’ strong wrestling. Ribeiro has fought the majority of his fights in Brazil. But now training at ATT in Florida he has taken his training to the next level by working with UFC fighters every day.

It should be an exciting contest and a win could be Underwood’s ticket to the UFC later this year.

Xtreme Fighting Championships will return to Tampa Bay on June 14 for XFC 24 at the USF Sundome. The promotion has been touring the United States, outside of Florida since December of 2011, and will return to the city where it all began for an event that is headlined with the first title defense for current Lightweight Champion “Notorious” Nick Newell (9-0) and rising star Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman (4-0).

After holding 10 events at the Tampa Bay Times Forum (then the St. Pete Times Forum), the XFC spent 2012 and the beginning of 2013 traveling the southeast and executing events in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Now, with a much larger & more dedicated fan base, the XFC returns to the city where its fans once set state attendance records for MMA; Tampa, Florida.

XFC President John Prisco made the announcement for the date and location after receiving thousands of messages & tweets wondering when the promotion would return to its stomping grounds. “I am excited to be coming back to Tampa. This is where it all began for us,” said Prsico. “We spent some time expanding our fan base and signing talent from across the country, now it’s time for the XFC to deliver another great show in Tampa.”

A full bout line up has not been announced, however the show is expected to feature some of the top fighters under the XFC banner, several top local standouts, a women’s bout, and recent Open Fighter Tryout winner Jeremiah Labiano. Numerous Florida fighters are under contract with the promotion and generally travel out of state to be a part of XFC events, so it is likely that a descent handful will be a part of the first event in their home state in almost 2 years.

The XFC lightweight title picture became crystal clear after Nick Newell’s stunning first round knockout of David Mays at XFC 19 in Charlotte, NC on Saturday night. Having grown tired of being labeled a wrestler Newell shut up the critics with a perfectly placed knee that sent Hays to the ground two minutes into the fight.

“A lot of people say I can’t strike, well guess what? Here’s Nick Newell the striker,” boasted Newell, in the post-fight interview. “I noticed he kind of leans down and throws the overhand, and I expected him to think he could take advantage of my left side. So I just waited for the knee or the uppercut.”

Now with a perfect 7-0 record Newell will move on to face Eric Reynolds in December for the XFC lightweight belt.

“Last night in Charlotte we established a pecking order in our lightweight divisions,” exclaimed XFC President John Prisco. “Nick Newell continues to shine everytime he steps into the cage and he will face our other top ranked 155er, Eric Reynolds for the XFC lightweight title later this year.”

In the main event which could have future title implications Nicolae Cury came away with a unanimous decision over Roger Carroll in the main event. Carroll, who clearly had the hometown crowd in his back pocket gave Cury all he wanted for fifteen minutes and in the post-fight interview Cury admitted he was fortunate to come out on top. “He doesn’t get tired,” explained Cury. “If I won the fight, I won it in the second and third rounds. It was a very close fight.”

With the win at XFC 19 Cury hopes to earn a fight with Cory Hill, who he called out during the post-fight interview. The two men were scheduled to fight each other earlier this year but an injury to Hill caused the bout to be scrapped.

Felice Herrig continued her winning ways with her second straight win the XFC cage against Simona Soukupova. Herrig used superior muay thai and clinch game to keep Soukupova off of her gameplan en route to a unanimous decision win.

“Felice just keeps getting better and better,” said Prisco. “Her striking is off the charts and she really outclassed one of the top women mixed martial artist in the UK. I’m going to work on getting her a really big fight for later this year. She’s earned that opportunity.”

Following his masterful performance at the XFC Open Fighter Tryout earlier this summer Jason Hicks had all eyes on him in his first outing in the XFC cage. During a back and forth first round Shane Crenshaw used his superior wrestling to keep Hicks guessing. In the second round Crenshaw again used his wrestling to keep Hicks on his back but late in the round Hicks latched onto an arm forcing the North Carolina native to tap to an armbar picking up his first XFC victory in the process.

In what could be considered the comeback of the year Johnny Buck knocked out previously undefeated Ricky Rainey in the opening bout on AXS TV. Rainey broke Buck’s nose early in the first round and dominated the first five minutes both on the feet and standing. A minute into the second round after getting the best of some exchanges Rainey inexplicably dropped his hands momentarily and that’s all Buck needed to land a combination that sent Rainey to the mat. After a few more punches on the ground the ref stepped in and Buck had pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks in XFC history.

“XFC 19 was a success,” said Prisco. “We had some slick submission, highlight reel knockouts, and some 3 round wars. The fans in Charlotte were eating it up and I’ve heard we have a ton of positive feedback from the viewers on AXS TV from social media. I couldn’t be happier with the fighters and their performances and I can’t wait for our next show. We’ll be headed back to Knoxville in September and we’ll be releasing some of those matchups very soon.”

Full results:
Nicolae Cury defeated Roger Carroll unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Felice Herrig defeated Simona Soukupova unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Nick Newell defeated David Mays KO Rd 1
Kevin Forant defeated Joe Elmore unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Keith Richardson defeated Lawson McClure submission Rd 1
Jason Hicks defeated Shane Crenshaw submission Rd 2
Johnny Buck defeated Ricky Rainey KO Rd 2
Joey Carroll defeated Jeff Tharington TKO Rd 1
Zach Klouse defeated Tony Scarlett TKO Rd 1
Carlos Vivas defeated Brian Karmolinski TKO Rd 1

Heading into XFC 19 Joe Elmore is looking to do what no other fighter has been able to do before, put a loss on Kevin Forant’s professional record. With two knockouts in two fights Forant has established himself as one of the elite lightweights in North Carolina. Now the Charlotte native will look to defend his home turf as Elmore comes to town looking for his third straight win at ‘Charlotte Showdown’ live on HDNet/AXStv on August 3rd.

With victories over UFC lightweight John Cofer and the XFC’s resident knockout artist Dustin West, Joe Elmore has quietly built a reputation around the Southeast as one of the toughest mixed martial artists in the region. In his last outing the Georgia native dominated XFC veteran Ronnie Rogers for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory in his backyard of Atlanta. Now ‘The Hitman’ heads into hostile territory as he comes to Forant’s stomping grounds for his XFC debut. The Hard Knox product knows he won’t be the crowd favorite in Forant’s hometown but insists all the pressure is on his opponent.

“I’m sure I’m going to get booed in Charlotte,” said Elmore. “It’s ok though. I don’t mind being the bad guy and playing the spoiler role. Kevin’s a very tough opponent and there is going to be a lot of pressure on him to perform well and get the win. I actually like the position I’m in. I’ve been in his shoes before and there is always that feeling of not wanting to let your family and friends down because they have paid money to come to the show to see you fight. All I have to do is train hard, show up, and lay it all on the line in the cage. I’m excited for the opportunity and it’s going to be a fun fight regardless of whether I’m getting booed or cheered.”

Before turning pro last Fall Kevin Forant was one of the most decorated amateurs in North Carolina. Having won multiple state and regional titles ‘The Master of Cool’ turned pro last September and continued his momentum as he went two for two as a pro with consecutive second round knockouts. Now Forant will face the toughest test of his career live on HDNet/AXStv.

“Kevin Forant is the top prospect at 155 in North Carolina,” said XFC President John Prisco. Kevin’s record is a little misleading though. As a pro he has two big knockouts but as an amateur he was submitting everyone. He’s very polished and isn’t one dimisional at all. But when I look at this fight on paper I think Elmore’s experience could be a big factor. Joe has been in some wars over the years. He had some big wins earlier in his career and has strung together a few wins in Atlanta on smaller shows. He was a collegiate wrestler who has evolved into a submission artist with knockout power. When I was looking for an opponent for Kevin Joe Elmore was really a no brainer. This fight is a coin flip either way. The only prediction I’m willing to make is that Kevin will definitely have the crowd behind him in his hometown.”

XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown is sponsored by ICRealtime Security Solutions and will air live on AXStv from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC August 3rd, 2012. Tickets are on sale now through BEAFANtickets.com & Crown Tickets. To learn more about the XFC, visit www.officialxfc.com, and follow them daily on Facebook & Twitter (@officialxfc).

The XFC middleweight division has been put on notice by Reggie Pena after his come from behind win over John Salter in the main event of ‘Music City Mayhem’ live on HDNet. After being dominated by Salter for most of the first round the Florida native caught the UFC veteran in a guillotine forcing him to tap just 36 seconds into the round. With the win Pena improves to 4-0 in the XFC.

“Reggie Pena is a warrior and I’m very happy with his performance at XFC 18,” XFC President John Prisco said. “John Salter is one of the top 185ers in the world and Pena submitted him after clearly losing the first round of the fight. On paper, Pena was the underdog and honestly I thought if the fight went to the ground that Salter was going to be the favorite. But, that’s the one thing about Pena that makes him one of the best in our middleweight division. He’s just so tough and you have to just about kill him to beat him. Everyone watching saw that armbar Salter had him in, and Reggie still refused to tap. Kid has incredible heart. He is very well rounded and he’s clearly one of the top guys at 185 in the XFC right now.”

Heading into the co-main event there were some questions about Heavyweight fighter Scott Barrett, after he broke his hand in his last appearance in the XFC cage. But, for three rounds Barrett displayed superior wrestling and impressive dirty boxing to grind out a split decision win over Heavyweight jiu jitsu ace Gabriel Salinas Jones.

“Scott Barrett is back,” exclaimed Prisco. “The last time we saw him he broke his hand and he didn’t get to perform like he usually does. Saturday night, Scott showed the world what he can do and now he’s sitting atop our Heavyweight division. Gabriel has defeated some of the best heavyweights in the world and Scott manhandled him. He took him down at least half a dozen times and made it look easy. Scott has a bright future with the XFC and I can’t wait to see him back in action.”

In the featured bout of the evening, Heather Jo Clark returned to her winning ways with a dominant win over Avery Vilche. It took just over a minute for Clark to sink in a rear naked choke to secure the victory. While womens MMA fans around the world were probably hoping for a much longer fight than what they received, Clark wanted to make quick work to show why she should be labeled as the top 125er in the XFC womens division. After the fight, Clark called out Marianna Kheyfets and put her notice that she was gunning for a rematch after their controversial doctor stoppage at XFC 16 earlier this year. Will matchmaker and president John Prisco make it mandatory, we are eager to see!

Joe Ray opened the televised portion of the card with fireworks against Nashville’s own Dustin West. The two men went toe to toe for most of the first round, before Ray landed a big knee that hurt West seconds before the round ended. In the second it was all Ray as he got the fight to the ground and sank in an arm triangle to get the submission and his third straight victory.

In addition to the live part of the show on HDNet / AXStv which also hosted victories the XFC Fighter Scott Holtzman, an exciting win by Donny Wallace, and a great matchup won by Luke Sanders; the undercard featured impressive knockout wins by local fighters Nate Landwehr and Justin Pennington. Landwehr made his pro debut a successful one by knocking out Billy Mullins in the second round and Pennington picked up his third straight win, with a big KO win over Dave Hurst in the first bout of the evening. Michael Graham and Devan Plaisance also picked up wins, by decision.

“I’m really proud of the all the guys who competed on the card,” said Prisco. “The undercard was terrific and we saw some future stars get their first XFC win. Justin Pennington looked sharp in his XFC debut with his big first round KO win and Nate Landwehr and Michael Graham were dominant in their pro debuts as well. Then when we went live on HDNet things really picked up. Scott Barrett and Scott Holtzman looked really sharp Saturday night and you will see them back in the XFC cage in a few months.”
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The top MMA promotion in the Southeastern United States, Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) will return to Knoxville, TN on February 10th 2012 when they invade the Knoxville Civic Auditorium-Coliseum. The show will be broadcast live, nationally on HDNet. The XFC 16: High Stakes fight card is being finalized by President John Prisco, and will be announced over the next two weeks. To view the up to date fight card, click here.

The XFC christened Tennessee with the states’ first ever pro MMA sanctioned show, back in 2009 with “XFC 7: School of Hard Knox”; a few months after the state’s commission was put into place. The show featured Rafaello Oliveira and O’Vince St. Preux, who later went on to fight in Strikeforce and the UFC. This will be the promotion’s third venture into Knoxville, as they continue to feature the top prospects not only in the south, but from all over the world.
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The largest MMA promotion in the southeast United States, Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC), is excited to announce that they have officially signed a new deal with HD Net beginning in 2012.

According to the new agreement, HDNet will broadcast eight to ten live XFC events for two years beginning in 2012 with an option for 2014.

The popular Florida-based promotion has been on a fixture on “HD Net Fights” since 2009 when they debuted on the network with ‘XFC 8′ that featured two unknown prospects, Rafaello Oliveira and Ovince St. Preux. Since then the XFC has given many exciting, up-and-coming fighters the opportunity to display their talents to millions of viewers on HD Net.

According to XFC President John Prisco, “We are very excited to continue out partnership with HD Net and look forward to putting on many more exciting fight cards for ‘HD Net Fights’. In addition to the Saint Pete Times Forum in Tampa, we are looking to add the Mohecan Sun to our schedule in 2012. We are also looking at coming back to the great State of Tennessee where we have had a lot of success in the past.”

In addition to a new television deal Prisco has brought in some new partners that will bring a lot of experience in promoting MMA that will help the XFC become the #2 MMA promotion in the world.

“ This is an exciting time for the XFC,” explained Prisco. “We have added some very prominent partners to the promotion that we will announce at a later date. I really feel that they will help take us to the next level. We are also in negotiations with some of the top free agents in MMA and are looking to sign many of them to multi-fight deals. We will be making some big announcements about the fighters and a schedule for the remainder of 2011 and 2012 in the upcoming weeks.”