XFC 22′s Recap of action from Charlotte, North Carolina

XFC 22 is in the books following a night full of great match ups, including a Lightweight Contender-determining main event. Fighters from North Carolina and across the country participated in the nights events that had the Charlotte crowd on its feet late into the night. Local fighters started the night off in Charlotte for 5 undercard bouts, one of which ended up being the fan choice for FON, and six bouts were shown live on AXStv.

Carlos Vivas (2-0) made his second appearance with the XFC and once again defeated his opponent quickly (3:56, Rd1) with his superior striking. That bout was followed by a 155lb contest of two pro-debuts Cody Wells (1-0), and Luke Neyland (0-1). Wells starts his pro career off with a bang, ending the bout with a first round TKO before the 3 minute mark. Rahshun Ball (1-0) was successful in his pro-debut after defeating the more experienced Thomas Campbell (3-3). On a night that saw numerous armbar attempts, perhaps in honor of the coming Rousey fight, the lightweight fight between Aaron Osborne (0-1) and Jeremy Severn (1-0) ended in the final 10 seconds of the first round with Severn earning the victory in his pro-debut. One fight that most XFC fans did not get to watch, and one that will earn thousands of hits once reaching YouTube was a Bantamweight match between Joseph Carroll (8-6), and Len Cook (3-2). Carroll made his first cut to 135 successfully and needed every pound to earn a unanimous decision over Cook after three rounds of back and forth, hard hitting action.

In a bout that had seen more than its fair share of pre-fight trash talk, D’Juan “Dirty South” Owens (7-4) outpointed Tennessee’s Nate Landwehr (2-1), the first loss of Landwehrs young career. The fight went the distance and with mixed reviews. AXStv commentators Pat Miletich, and Michael Schiavello thought that Landwehr’s take downs and control would earn him the nod, but the judges saw Owens as the better fighter. Owens by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

In the first Flyweight bout in XFC history, D’Angelo Bynum (2-0) and Jimmy Fowler (5-2) proved how exciting the division will be going forward. An out-sized Fowler could not keep up with Bynum’s faster, longer hands, but had him in trouble a few times while working from his back. After the first round and a half, it was clear Bynum had found his groove and worked his way to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Roger Carroll improves to (11-8) following his second win over Josh Eagans (6-3). In a rematch from a year ago, Carroll showed some speed in his striking that had not been seen in his last appearance. It was his Black Belt in jiu-jitsu however, that earned him a second round victory via a triangle choke.

In Pearl Gonzalez’s XFC debut she showed why Women’s MMA is on the rise. Gonzalez wowed the XFC 22 crowd with her Tribal style fight “skirt” and then with her accurate striking. But, in a fight that was expected to be all stand up, Gonzalez attacked her opponents strengths, taking Suzie Montero to the ground and getting an armbar victory in the final 10 seconds of the opening round. Gonzalez improves to (1-1), Montero falls to (1-2).

Ricky Rainey (5-1) was back in action in front of his home town crowd in Charlotte, taking on South Carolina’s Joseph Corneroli (3-1). In a tough match-up of two talented strikers, Rainey was forced to work from the clinch and the ground to avoid the onslaught of side-kicks being thrown by Corneroli. In a fight that saw both sides staggered by big shots, Rainey was able to maintain composure and earned a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Rainey improves to (2-1) in the XFC.

In the Main Event of XFC 22: Crossing the Line, Scott Holtzman faced off with Jason Hicks to determine the first challenger to the newly crowned Lightweight Champion Nick Newell. The action started without any pause and was exciting from the opening bell. Flying knees, dirty boxing, and heavy slams had the Grady Cole Center on their feet. in a crowd that was split between the two fighters. After a challenging first round, Holtzman began to separate himself on the judges cards and was able to keep earning take downs. Hicks, showing comfort on his back, allowed the fight to be brought back to their feet on a few occasions by referee Gary Copeland. In the final frame, Holtzman finally landed the big right he had been waiting for all fight and sent Hicks falling to the mat. Hicks covered up and was able to avoid the TKO, but Holtzman maintained control on the way to a unanimous decision win. (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Holtzman improves to (4-0) and will move on to challenge Nick Newell later this year. Hick sees the first defeat of his career now (5-1).

Article by N. Ganster