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Being sandwiched between the Bellator Fighting Championships “Summer Series†and two UFC events is no easy task, but the XFC is up to task. Headlining this card is an intriguing battle featuring a UFC veteran looking to get back on the bigger stage. Also, there is an interesting women’s MMA fight and several top MMA prospects will be competing on Friday Night.
Kicking off the action is a welterweight division fight as Joe Ray (8-3-0) does battle with Dustin “D-West†West (6-4-0). Joe Ray has won two straight fights headlining into Friday Night, with those victories coming over Levi LaLonde and Ricky Goodall. Dustin West is currently undefeated in XFC competition, having defeated Stoney Hale by TKO at XFC 16. This fight was a good choice to kick off the evening, but it will be Joe Ray pulling out the victory in the end.
Another welterweight division fight is up next as Scott “Hot Sauce†Holtzman (1-0-0) competes against Matt Metts (1-0-0). Scott Holtzman made his professional MMA debut back at XFC 16, defeating Brandon Demastes by submission. Matt Metts made his professional MMA debut in late-2011, defeating Jason Keen at a Hard Rock MMA event. This is a competition between two young up and comers, but it will be Scott Holtzman remaining undefeated in the end.
More welterweight action is next as Jason Blackford (3-0-0) stands across the cage from Donald “High Intensity†Wallace (4-3-0). Jason Blackford is an undefeated fighter who has competed once in Strikeforce, defeating Jeremy Boczulak. Donald Wallace has only won one of his last four, plus he has not competed in an MMA fight in nearly a year. Jason Blackford is riding a lot of momentum heading into this fight and he will keep the momentum as he wins here.
Featherweights step into the cage next as Luke Sanders (3-0-0) has signed on to fight Chris Wright (6-1-0). Luke Sanders made his professional MMA debut at Strikeforce Challengers 13, defeating Josh Jarvis by TKO in the opening round. Chris Wright is currently undefeated in XFC competition, having defeated Len Cook by unanimous decision at XFC 16. This fight could easily be the show stealer of the event and it will be Chris Wright ending his foe’s undefeated streak.
A women’s flyweight division fight is up next as Sofia Bagherdai (4-2-0) takes on Heather “Hurricane†Clark (4-2-0). Sofia Bagherdai has only won one of three heading into this fight, with one of the losses coming to the top ranked Carina Damm. Heather Clark is currently winless in XFC competition, losing to Marianna Kheyfets by doctors stoppage at XFC 16. This is a really interesting women’s fight to check out, but it will be Heather Clark emerging victorious in the end.
Up next is a heavyweight division fight as Scott “The Bear†Barrett (12-3-0) battling Gabriel Salinas-Jones (5-2-0). Scott Barrett has spent some time in the Bellator Fighting Championships, defeating Ty Lee and suffering a defeat to Damian Grabowski. Gabriel Salinas-Jones is coming off of a two fight run in Strikeforce, where he split both of his fights. This is a pretty good heavyweight battle for fans to watch, but it will be Scott Barrett getting the win in the end.
Headlining this card is a middleweight division fight as John Salter (8-2-0) will take on Josh Samman (9-2-0). John Salter has won three straight since getting released by the UFC, including a victory over UFC veteran Kalib Starnes. Josh Samman is currently undefeated in XFC competition, having defeated Mikey Gomez by submission at XFC 16. This is definitely a great choice to headline this card, but it will be John Salter getting his fourth straight win here.
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