XFO 42 took place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL, on December 10th, 2011.  The night of action saw eight amateur bouts and eleven professional fights.  Read on for the full recap of the professional fights as well as quick results of the amateur bouts.

Anthony Goodwin vs Robert Couillard

The fighters felt each other out on the feet early. Goodwin finished a double-leg take-down into Couillard’s guaround Coullard returned to his feet and Goodwin went for another takedown, but was smashed with a vicious knee instantly knocking him out. Couillard pounced with a huge hay-maker to an unconscious Goodwin before the ref intervened.

Johnny Coleman vs Chris Haney

Coleman caught a Haney flying knee and took his opponent down early. Haney gained top position, and passed Coleman’s guard to back mount. He flurried, and Coleman tapped out due to strikes.

Will Serment vs Vince Ramos

Vince Ramos shot early and briefly got Serment’s back. The fighters exchanged positioning, and Ramos wound up on top. Ramos passed to half guard, and remained on top for the majority of round 1. Round one went to Ramos, 10-9

Ramos was all over Serment with a wrestling attack. Serment is able to earn top position, and passed to half guard. Ramos powered up and returned to Serment’s guard. Serment swept to the top position and the round ended there. It was a debatable round, but we will edge it out to Serment, 10-9

Serment came out throwing heavy punches and snapping kicks, and shot on Ramos. Ramos again proved to the be the superior wrestler and pressed Serment into the fence. A long, stalled-out shot was finished by Ramos, eating up the entire second half of the round. Serment wins the final round on the early flurry, 10-9

Ed Blake vs Matt Tobie

Big kicks from Blake opened the round. He clinched Tobie against the fence and went for a trip take-down. Tobie twisted and landed on top in half guard, but Tobie was swept and Blake passed to mount. A buck of the hips created a scramble for Tobie, and he returned to his feet. The fighters clinched, and Blake successfully tripped Tobie to the ground. Blake improved his position twice and blasted Tobie with a big right hand before the round ended, winning it, 10-9

Blake hammered Tobie with a big right hand early, collapsing his opponent to the canvas. Tobie survived and stood to a clinch. Blake took Tobie down, but Tobie swept him and scrambled to take his back. Blake stood up to avoid, and the fighters exchanged take-downs. Blake was on top, delivering knees, as the horn signaled the end of the round. The round went to Blake, 10-9

Tobie opened up with a flurry, stunning Blake with a right hand. Blake got a take-down, and Tobie nearly tapped him with a guillotine. Tobie swept him with the near choke and flurried from mount, with multiple points near a stoppage. Blake survived the onslaught and stood to a clinch. “10 seconds” was yelled out to the cage, and Tobie breaks away in a flurry, hurting Blake. The round ended before Tobie could capitalize. Tobie wins the third round handily, 10-8, meaning that mmarecap as this one a 28-28 draw

Brandon Wood vs Joey Diehl

The fighters traded glancing one-twos to open. Diehl nodded to the sound of his coach and unleashed a vicious combination. Wood turtled up and was pounded out for a quick stoppage.

Danny Rodriqez vs Adam Ward

Ward stormed out and started putting his hands on Rodriqez, hurting him with a right hand and taking him down with a double leg. Rodriquez stood up, but was blasted with a head kick soon after. He survived, stood again, and was met with a straight cross, knocking him out cold.

Kent Rexford vs Darren Jacoby

The fighters circled early and Rexford delivered snapping leg kicks. Rexford pressed in with punches and Jacoby was clinched against the fence. Jacoby began opening up with his punches and dropped Kent with a big shot. Rexford survived and stood, but got into a firefight with Jacoby. Jacoby landed a full-force right hand, collapsing Rexford to the canvas.

Chase Beebe vs Lloyd Carter

Beebe opened with aggressive striking, but Carter was getting the better of him with quick hooks. Beebe shot and wrestled his opponent to the mat. He took his back and worked him with punches for the rest of the round. Beebe won it, 10-9

Carter began the round with his hands low, circling away from Beebe. Beebe threw a flurry and quickly took Carter down, passing his guard and dominating the grappling. Carter stood, and when Beebe shot on him he locked up a tight guillotine. Beebe stacked him and pressed, surviving the position to end up in guard. He passed and dominated from the top position to win the round, 10-9

Carter tried to suck Beebe into a striking match, waving him in, but Beebe had none of it, finishing a double-leg early. Beebe took the back and controlled the position, later in the round taking mount. Carson was able to stand, but Beebe suplexed him, providing what was surely the highlight of the fight. The round ended, Beebe taking it 10-9, and the fight 30-27

Brandon Adamson vs Kevin Knabjian

The fighters exchanged early, and Knabjian ducked under a head kick from Adamson. Adamson attempted a heel hook, failed, and Knabjian started landing heavy shots. He passed to side control, locked up a kimura, and cranked it for the tap.

Danny Aguirre vs Jake Grigson

Aguirre pressed in with fast punches, but was met with a driving double leg from Griggson. Griggson elevated him and dropped him on the mat, landing in side control. Aguirre returned to his feet, and lit Grigson up with a vicious flurry. Grigson caught a knee and wrestled Aguirre to the mat, only to be caught in a reverse triangle. With a few seconds remaining, Grigson broke free and stood over Aguirre, delivering kicks to his legs and being weary of up-kicks. Aguirre won the opening round, 10-9

Round two opened up with a bang as both fighters pressed and exchanged. Grigson shot and Aquirre answered with rubber guard. He elbowed Grigson repeatedly, and then hit a tight armbar forcing the tap.

Mike Marrello vs Miodrag Petkovich

It wasn’t hard to tell who the hometown hero was as the heavyweights made their way to the cage. A steady “Boo” rang throughout the area as Petkovich walked to the cage. It was followed by an enormous, thundering cheer for Marrello.

Marello opened with a big right hand and take-down attempt, stuffed by Petkovich who snatched a guillotine. Marrello broke free and the heavyweights exchanged, ending in a clinch. Marrello had double under-hooks but did not secure a body lock or do anything with them, and thus the fighters were broken apart. They exchanged single shots back and fourth for the rest of the round, and Marello won it, 10-9

Marello pressed into Petkovich, clearly the more aggressive striker early. Petkovich made him pay for his aggression, catching Marrello with a counter. Marrello shot in on a rushing Petkovich to stay alive, and he recovered. The fighters took center cage again, with momentum shifting from Petkovich to Marrello as the round wore on. At the bell, Marrello caught Petkovich with a clean one-two. Still, Petkovich won the round, 10-9

A clinch was initiated by Marrello early, pressing Petkovich into the fence and landing short body shots. The fight returned to the center, and Petkovich hammered Marrello with a powerful punch. He pounced on his hurt opponent, trying to finish the hometown hero, but Marrello survived and clinched Petkovich to recover. Exchanges and some brief clinch-work again ensued. The ref broke a stalled clinch, and after some brief striking, the round ended. Petkovich won the final frame, 10-9, and the fight, 29-28

Amateur quick results
Stephon Vonaulock defeated Jake Klipp by technical knockout at 1:13 of round 2
Josh Estrada defeated Mike O’Conner by unanimous decision
Alonzo Fuller defeated Tommy Hawley by unanimous decision
Zach Ottow defeated Oliver Vazquez by Unanimous Decision
Pat O’Conner defeated Eddie Escobar by triangle choke at 1:30 of round 1
Andre Feliciano defeated David Williams by unanimous decision to become the new XFO flyweight amateur champion
Cory Galloway defeated Pedro Velasco by arm bar at 1:11 of round 2 to become the new XFO featherweight amateur champion
Richard Dey defeated Vince Romadine via body kick knockout at 3:54 of round 1 to become the new XFO bantamweight amateur champion

Professional quick results
Danny Aguirre defeated Jake Grigson via armbar at 2:19 of round 2
Miodrag Petkovich defeated Mike Marrello by unanimous decision
Kevin Knabjian defeated Brandon Adamson via kimura at 1:44 of round 1

Carson Beebe defeated Lloyd Carter via unanimous decision

Darren Jacoby defeated Kent Rexford, via KO at 4:13 of round 1

Adam Ward defeated Danny Rodriguez via KO at 2:00 of round 1

Joey Diehl defeated Brandon Wood via TKO 0:47 of round 1

Ed Blake defeated Matt Tobie via majority decision

Guillermo Serment defeated Vince Ramos via unanimous decision

Chris Haney defeated Johnny Coleman tap via strikes at 2:25 of round 1

Robert Couillard defeated Anthony Goodwin, KO-Knee at 3:22 of round 1

<h5>Injuries abound have forced changes to this weekend’s XFO 42 event at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.  Chris Tickle injured his shoulder and had to withdraw from his fight with Will Brooks.  A replacement is being sought out for Brooks at this time.</h5>

Another injury forced David Sachs out of a highly anticipated fight with Carson Beebe.  Stepping up to fight Beebe on short notice is Llyod Carter.

Other changes have been made in the past two weeks and the full lineup currently looks like:

Mike Marrello vs Miodrag Petkovich
Daniel Aguirre vs Jake Grigson
Kevin Knabjian vs Brandon Adamson
Carson Beebe vs Lloyd Carter
Kent Rexford Jr. vs Darren Jacoby
Adam Ward vs Daniel Rodriguez
Joey Diehl vs Brandon Wood
Matt Tobie vs Ed Blake
Vincent Ramos vs Guillermo Serment
Christopher Haney vs Stanton Gavia
Kenny Booker vs Evian Rodriguez
Anthony Goodwin vs Robert Couillard

Photo via Joey Hill (JoeyHill.com)

XFO 42 will be taking place on Saturday, December 10th from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The night is scheduled to feature fourteen professional mixed martial arts fights in addition to a handful of amateur action. Leading the way on the professional side of the card is a catchweight bout between Carson “Lil Juggernaut” Beebe and Dave Sachs at 140lbs.

Beebe recently signed to fight for the Texas based Legacy Fighting Championship but wanted another fight in his hometown of Chicago before he entered the cage in the Lone Star State. Beebe made a push on his social networking sites to get as many people as possible to spread the #getCarsonXFO tag. The message worked as he is a late addition to the impressive lineup for XFO 42.

Beebe will be riding a two-fight win streak into fight. Most recently he defeated Dan Aguirre at Chicago Cagefighting Championship 4 on October 15. Beebe used his wrestling to prevent Aguirre from landing a big punch. When Aguirre threatened with a submission from the bottom, Beebe set his base and held his position.

Prior to the Aguirre fight, Beebe had a time-lapse with regards to fights. He was called up the UFC to participate on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter, but when he lost his fight to get into the house he was left waiting. Before the first episode aired, Beebe was cleared to fight for Rockford Cage Fights where he defeated Matt Wikoff by armbar in the second round.

Sachs has greatly improving his game over the past year. After starting his career at with a 2-2 record, Sachs has gone on to win five in a row leading up to this fight. He holds a notable victory over Billy Vaughan in 2008. Sachs finished Vaughan in the first round with a triangle choke. Vaughan recently competed at XFO 39 losing in the main event against Jeff Curran.

Sachs took a break from fighting in 2010, but in 2011 he has competed twice for the Wisconsin based Combat USA. Both fights Sachs was able to finish his opponent in the second round. His first fight for the promotion he stopped Stanton Gavia by TKO and his second he submitted Josh Steery by rear naked choke.

While this is a late addition to the card, this is a fight that could have a lot of eyes on it from other organizations.

It’s been nearly two weeks since Will Brooks was in the toughest fight of his career, but he’s already back at the gym training for his next fight.  Brooks is scheduled to meet Chris Tickle at XFO 42, a fight that will take place at the Sears Centre, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.  For his fight with Tickle, MMA Recap is going to check in on Brooks through out the training camp to see how things are going for this fight.

Let’s start off with your most recent win against Ryan Bixler.  That was the toughest fight of your career to date.  In the first round you suffered an accidental eye poke and weathered a storm of punches from Bixler.  You were able to recover after taking him down and held on to him.  How much trouble were you in while he was unloading on you?

Before the fight went to the ground I believe I was in more trouble being that I couldn’t see and he was able to land some very solid shoots. Once I was able to hold him I didn’t feel in trouble as much I was more focused on getting my vision back in my eye.

In the second round you looked extremely fresh compared to Bixler.  And it showed as you took him down again with ease.  I noticed that you took his back, much like you did in your previous two fights, only this time you had to finish with the rear naked choke instead of the armbar.  Did you attempt the armbar or was it just straight for the rear naked choke?

When I took his back I was looking to gain control more than looking for any type of submission. I didn’t really look for any submission in particular I I just took what was presented and at the time it was the rear naked choke.

How much time did you take off before you got back into training for your upcoming fight?

I took about a week off that has kind of been the routine of my last couple of training camps and fights lucky not because of injury but just to rest, relax, and go back home to Gurnee to spend time with my family and friends.

You are scheduled to fight Chris Tickle, have you researched your opponent at all and if so what skills do you think are his best?

Yes I’m scheduled to fight Chris at the XFO 42 I’m very excited for this fight it will be another tough opponent and I look forward to it. I haven’t researched him I don’t really research many of my opponents my coach does most of that for me. It’s works better that way so I can focus on more the training camp I trust my coaches and know that they will put together a great game plan for the fight.

With this training camp is there one thing in particular that you want to improve on with your own skill set?

This training camp will focus on just getting better in every aspect just like previous training camps. We train not to focus on working one thing during training camps because we feel as though it takes away from the instinct to work other aspects of MMA.

Talk to us a bit about the start of training camp.  What’s the schedule like for the first week or two?

The first 2 weeks aren’t too much different from later weeks of the training camp. The only difference is that I’m more just focused on getting some weight off and getting back in the mix of strength and conditioning.

Any sponsors or people you want to thank?

I would like to thank LVRG clothing, GNC in south Elgin, the academy of advanced athletics, and last but not least my family and friends.

XFO 42 is set to take place on Saturday, December 10 at the Sears Centre, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The night of fights will feature a combination of amateur and professional bouts with a scheduled thirteen professional fights.

Included on the professional card are fan favorites Mike Pitz, Kent Rexford, Will Brooks, Adam Ward, Joey Diehl and Kenny Booker. The current card includes:

Mike Marrello vs Miodrag Petkovich
Mike Pitz vs Kent Rexford Jr.
Daniel Aguirre vs TBD
Kevin Knabjian vs Brandon Adamson
Will Brooks vs Chris Tickle
Vincent Ramos vs Guillermo Serment
Adam Ward vs Daniel Rodriguez
Matt Tobie vs Frank Pizzirulli
Joey Diehl vs Joe Voitik
Anthony Goodwin vs Robert Couillard
Andrew Krzeptowski vs Quartus Stitt
Kenny Booker vs TBD
Christopher Haney vs Stanton Gavia

Some fantastic fights on the card that could produce fireworks. Will Brooks will look to hold onto his undefeated record against a very tough Chris Tickle. Tickle has won five straight and finished his opponent four times in those five bouts.

Anthony Goodwin had a successful professional debut in August after a very successful amateur career. Goodwin spent a lot of time as an amateur honing his skills before turning pro.

Tickets are on sale at the Sears Centre box office or at www.xfomma.com

Xtreme Fighting Organization will be making a return to the Sears Centre on December 10. The night of action will be capped off with two heavyweight battles as Bryan Humes will take on Antwjuan "Herc" Hayes in the main event and Mike Marrello will take on Miodrag "Pele" Petkovich in the co-main event.

Several top fighters from the midwest will also be featured on this card including: Daniel Aguirre, Giovanni Moljo, Kent Rexford Jr., Will Brooks, Adam Ward, Matt Tobie, Dennis Dombrow, Greg Reddington, Joey Diehl and Kenny Booker.

XFO 39 was held at the Sears Centre in May of this year and featured a main event of Jeff Curran versus late replacement Billy Vaughan. Curran won the fight and shortly after was called up to the UFC.

XFO 42 takes place on Saturday, December 10. Tickets will be available soon at the Sears Centre box office.

An interesting heavyweight fight has been added to the undercard of “Strikeforce: Henderson vs Fedor”.  Sources close to the promotion revealed to MMA Recap that Bryan Humes will be taking on Gabe Salinas-Jones.

Humes will be returning to action after over a year.  His last fight was at Shark Fights 11 where he went toe-to-toe with Paul Buentello for fifteen minutes ultimately losing a unanimous decision.  Humes was supposed to fight Eric Prindle at XFO 38, but had to withdraw due to suffering an injury during training.

Salinas-Jones has remained undefeated in his professional career since turning pro in May of last year.  He most recently defeated John Hook via rear naked choke at Supremacy 3 in Hammond, Indiana.

The Xtreme Fighting Organization put on the largest mixed martial arts event since November of 2009 in the greater Chicagoland area.  The night of action saw eleven professional contests headlined by Jeff Curran versus Billy Vaughan.  Read on for the full recap and results.

The first fight of the night was extremely quick as Hector Garcia needed just thirteen seconds to knock Nicholas Scotti out.  Both fighters went to the center of the cage and looked to throw combos.  Garcia landed a right hand that sent Scotti to the canvas.  Garcia pounced quickly and landed three more shots before the Scott Fischer called a halt to the action.

Lightweights Will Brooks and Bobby Reardanz were up next.  In the first round Reardanz looked to throw Brooks off with spinning attacks.  Brooks quickly found his range and hurt Reardanz with a straight right.  Brooks controlled the rest of the round with varied strikes including knees, elbows and punches.  The second round Brooks came out with a big body kick and followed it up with a one-two and a knee that sent Reardanz to the canvas.  Brooks took Reardanz down again worked to secure his back.  As Reardanz was standing up, Brooks landed a massive belly to back suplex.  Brooks finished the round with knees to the body while on the ground.  Reardanz was clearly hurt as the third round started and Brooks looked to capitalize on it with a flying knee followed with four more knees.  Reardanz looked to pull guard, but did nothing from the position and the ref stood them up.  Brooks dropped Reardanz again and this time passed to side control.  Brooks was working for a rear naked choke and couldn’t get it but transitioned to a beautiful armbar forcing Reardanz to tap.

Middleweights Kent Rexford and PJ Cajigas were up next.  Cajigas looked to establish his striking skills and hurt Rexford with a hook.  Rexford decided to put the fight in his realm and took Cajigas down.  Once on the ground, Rexford worked short elbows and strikes.  Cajigas tried to escape, but Rexford kept heavy pressure on him.  Cajigas attempted to roll to break free, but Rexford was able to just take his back and lock in a rear naked choke ending the fight.

The first of two women’s fights were up next as Amanda LaVoy took on Michele Gutierrez.  The first half of round one Gutierrez used her boxing to keep LaVoy at bay.  Gutierrez continually countered LaVoy’s leg kicks with big rights that sent LaVoy to the canvas.  After being knocked on her butt twice, LaVoy changed tactics and went after Gutierrez.  A big knee by LaVoy in a clinch was immediately noticeable as Gutierrez’s left eye started to swell.  The second round started out much like the first ended with the two women clinching.  LaVoy landed a big knee and when the ladies separated a huge gash was visible on Gutierrez.  The ref called the doctor in who stopped the fight.

Jason Graves opened up his fight with Dan Stittgen with a good one-two combo.  Stittgen just laughed it off and Graves immediately took him to the ground.  Graves was looking to pass his guard when Stittgen shifted and locked in an armbar to end the fight.

Fight of the night featured Lucas Gwaltney and Jon Murphy.  Murphy through out the fight press forward and score takedown after takedown.  Once on the ground he would work small strikes but it was Gwaltney who would work his way back to the feet where he was landing punch after punch.  The first round was clearly for Murphy and the second seemed likely for him as well after a cut was examined by the doctor.  The third round was a very close round and MMA Recap scored the fight 29-28 for Murphy.  When the judges’ scorecards were read, it was a unanimous decision for Gwaltney.

Bantamweights were up next with Terrance Kinney and Dan Aguirre.  Kinney shot for a takedown and Aguirre looked for a guillotine.  Aguirre attempted to pull guard with the choke, but Kinney escaped into his guard.  Aguirre used his wiry legs to lock up a triangle choke.  Kinney defended well until Aguirre started to transition to an armbar.  Aguirre again readjusted this time pulling down on his opponent’s head and forced a tap.

Mike Stumpf returned to action after a nearly three year layoff against Dan Bolden.  The three round fight saw Bolden land his powerful right hand when the fight was standing.  But it was Stumpf who controlled the fight as he had takedown after takedown.  Once on the ground Stumpf landed several small strikes to keep the fight on the ground.  Many times it looked like the ref was going to stand it up, but Stumpf was able to keep it there.  In the end the judges didn’t have a difficult decision as Stumpf clearly controlled the fight.

The women were up again as Felice Herrig took on Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc.  Rivera-Calanoc quickly rushed Herrig and pushed her up against the cage, but Herrig reversed and bullied her against the cage.  Both fighters looked to throw knees and when they separated, it was Herrig who landed a big overhand right.  Rivera-Calanoc shot for a takedown, but couldn’t get it.  Round two and again Rivera-Calanoc rushed but this time she landed a left hand that found it’s mark.  Herrig looked to throw straight punches while her opponent wanted the overhand variety.  Herrig started to change levels and work shots to the body, Rivera-Calanoc against rushed her to the cage.  Herrig scored a big takedown and threw a couple of elbows forcing Rivera-Calanoc to try to escape.  In the ensuring scramble, Herrig was able to get her back and finished the round working for a rear naked choke.  The final round Herrig was able to get her back while standing, but in the scramble out, Herrig found herself in a deep guillotine choke.  Rivera-Calanoc squeezed to end the fight, however Herrig was able to pop her head out.  Once again Herrig worked to get Rivera-Calanoc’s back and finished the round working towards a rear naked choke.

The co-main event featured former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner taking on Tyler Combs.  Varner came out with a fast combo to set up his takedown.  He then landed several strikes ranging from elbows to hammer fists.  Combs tried to escape, but Varner moved to north-south and locked in a choke.  Combs looked like he was defending well, and then went unconscious.

Billy Vaughan stepped up on short notice to fight Jeff Curran in the main event of the evening.  Vaughan looked to have a reach advantage, but Curran used his kicks to keep Vaughan in the position he wanted.  Curran landed several striking combos as he clearly wanted a knockout victory.  At the end of the first round Curran showcased some of his jiu jitsu when Vaughan shot in for a takedown and Curran was able to secure a guillotine.  Vaughan started to escape so Curran went for an armbar as time expired in the round.  The second round both fighters wanted to finish the fight in highlight reel fashion, but both were just missing with their strikes.  Vaughan at one point threw six punches in a row to just have Curran dodge and avoid them.  The second round clearly for Curran like the first due to his consistent ability to land his strikes.  Vaughan came into the third round like he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Both fighters quickly clinched and Curran started to work his dangerous knees.  Vaughan decided to risk his chances on the ground, but Curran immediately attacked his arm with a kimura attempt.  After some readjusting, the kimura looked really deep, but Curran just used it to pass to get back control.  Curran nearly had a rear naked choke though Vaughan rolled out of it into an inverted triangle choke.  Vaughan tried to free himself by grabbing ahold of Curran’s foot and cranked it.  The fight ended with both fighters trying to finish with a flurry of strikes.  In the end, the fight went to Curran and he announced it was the last time we would see him inside the XFO cage.

Quick Results

Hector Garcia defeated Nicolas Scotti by TKO at 0:13 of round 1

Will Brooks defeated Bobby Reardanz by armbar at 3:22 of round 3

Kent Rexford defeated PJ Cajigas by rear naked choke at 4:47 of round 1

Amanda LaVoy defeated Michele Gutierrez by doctor stoppage at 0:34 of round 2

Dan Stittgen defeated Jason Graves by armbar at 1:10 of round 1

Lucas Gwaltney defeated Jon Murphy by unanimous decision

Dan Aguirre defeated Terrance Kinney by triangle choke at 2:20 of round 1

Mike Stumpf defeated Dan Bolden by unanimous decision

Felice Herrig defeated Nicdali RIvera-Calanoc by unanimous decision

Jamie Varner defeated Tyler Combs by north south choke at 1:30 of round 1

Jeff Curran defeated Billy Vaughan by unanimous decision

The weigh-ins for XFO 39 will be taking place today at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.  The same venue will play host to tomorrow night's action.  Fighters are scheduled to step on the scale at 5pm CST and fans are welcome to attend.

XFO 39 is headlined by Jeff Curran taking on late replacement fighter Billy Vaughn.  In the co-main event, former WEC champion Jamie Varner looks to rebound after going just 0-3-1 in his last four against Tyler Combs.

Other notables on the card include Felice Herrig, Michele Gutierrez, Mike Stumpf, Vince Ramos and more.

Tickets are still on sale and are just $25.

The co-main event for XFO 39 will feature former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner taking on top Midwest prospect Tyler Combs.  This marks Varner's first fight outside of Zuffa after being released when the UFC absorbed the WEC.

Varner fought for the UFC twice before jumping ship to the WEC.  In 2006, Varner lost his UFC debut to Hermes Franca when he got caught in an armbar late in the third round.  He would rebound from the loss against Jason Gilliam at UFC 68 when he need just over ninety seconds to secure a fight ending rear naked choke.

After the two-fight contract in the UFC, Varner made his WEC debut at WEC 29 against Sherron Leggett.  Varner quickly became a fan favorite after earning a TKO victory over Leggett in the first round.

The victory led to Varner getting a title shot against then champion "Razor" Rob McCullough.  After a close back and forth first round, Varner looked to land body-head combos in the second without much retaliation from the champ.  The third round opened with McCullough landing a right hand that knocked Varner's mouthpiece out.  Varner called for a timeout to put the mouth guard back in and the ref allowed it.  After the restart Varner countered a low kick with a well-timed right that stunned McCullough.  Varner continued to follow up with shot after shot dropping McCullough more than once.  By the third time McCullough's butt hit the canvas, the fight was over and Varner became the lightweight champion.

Varner's first title defense came six months later against Marcus Hicks at WEC 35.  Hicks came out and quickly took the champ to the ground only to have him pop back up and but Hicks got the takedown again.  As Varner worked his way back up the second time, Hicks nearly finished with a guillotine choke.  As Varner escaped he landed a big knee that hurt the challenger.  Varner quickly swarmed and started to tee-off on him.  Varner measured and loaded up a big right that dropped Hicks and forced an end to the fight.

The next fight for Varner is one that led to a lot of bad blood between Varner and Donald Cerrone.  The fight was the first time the two would meet inside the WEC cage, but after the ending, all anyone could talk about was the two of them fighting again.  Varner clearly won rounds one, three and four, with Cerrone winning the second round.  In the fifth Cerrone was able to get his first takedown of the night and when both were scrambling to stand, Cerrone landed an illegal knee to Varner's head.  Varner was given time to recover, but was unable to continue and the fight went to the judges' scorecards.  The judges were split in their decision, but ultimately awarded Varner the fight.

In the year that followed, Varner and Cerrone would not rematch as Varner was recouping from injuries sustained in the fight.  This led to the WEC setting up an interim title fight between Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson.  Henderson won the fight and thus was able to fight Varner to unify the titles.

Even with the long layoff and what many call cage-rust, Varner was the aggressor in the fight.  He came close to finishing the fight with a deep guillotine choke, but Henderson was able to escape.  The second Varner was able to get Henderson down to the canvas on multiple occasions, but Henderson seemed to do more damage.  In the third Varner went for a double leg takedown, but Henderson defended with an arm-in guillotine choke and was able to force the tap.

The loss was just the first step in a bad skid for the former champion.  After Henderson, Varner went on to fight to a draw against Kamal Shalorus at WEC 49.  He then got the rematch that many had been wanting since 2009 against Donald Cerrone.  This time Cerrone was the victor in the fight earning the unanimous decision.

Varner, a staple of the WEC, was given one more shot at the final WEC event in December of 2010.  He took on Shane Roller and landed several right hands that were finding their mark.  Roller then went for a takedown but Varner was able to defend it.  In the ensuing scramble Roller was able to get the former champions back and lock in a fight ending rear naked choke.

Combs is a formidable opponent for Varner having been a staple in the Midwest.  Combs was tapped to fight Jorge Gurgel at Strikeforce Columbus but had to withdraw from the fight.  Combs's last fight was at Chicago Cagefighting Championship when he lost to Mike Lullo who went on to sign with the UFC after the fight.

XFO 39 takes place this Friday, May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Joe Pearson has had to withdraw from his XFO fight this weekend after being involved in a car accident.  In Pearson’s place to fight on short notice is Billy Vaughn for the main event of XFO 39.

This will be the second fight in a row for Vaughn to step up on short notice.  In March, Vaughn took on Jorge Gurgel after Gurgel’s opponent Tyler Combs had to withdraw from the fight due to an injury.  Vaughn is a veteran of the Midwest having competed against several popular local fighters including York Ash, Ryan McIntosh, and Brandon Knight.

Curran was looking to fight at bantamweight but with the new short notice opponent, the fight will be contested at featherweight.  In an interview with MMA Weekly Curran stated, “I am disappointed because I had to pull out last year for the Outdoor War because of an injury and timing was very bad.  So I feel that we are destined not to fight.  I wish Joe and his family a good recovery and I know that if it was truly up to him he would be in the cage with me this Friday. Family comes first.”

XFO 39 takes place this Friday, May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.  Tickets start at just $25.

XFO 39 is almost finalized as the card is filing up quickly.  Newly announced fights by the promotion include: Jon Murphy versus Ryan Bixler, Will Brooks versus Chris Garcia, Mike Stumpf versus Dan Bolden, Jacob McClintock verson Dan Gilbert, Dan Stittgen versus Jason Graves, Christian Reynoso versus Daniel Aguirre, and Kent Rexford versus Brandon Saling.

XFO 39 takes place on Friday, May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.  Tickets are available at www.searscentre.com.  The event will be headlined in a bantamweight fight between Joe Pearson and Jeff Curran.

The lineup currently includes:

Jeff Curran vs Joe Pearson
Jamie Varner vs Tyler Combs
Felice Herrig vs Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc
Jon Murphy vs Ryan Bixler
Michele Gutierrez vs Amanda LaVoy
Will Brooks vs Christopher Garcia
Mike Stumpf vs Dan Bolden
Jacob McClintock vs Dan Gilbert
Dan Stittgen vs Jason Graves
Nicholas Scotti vs Frank Pizzirulli
Christian Reynoso vs Daniel Aguirre
Kent Rexford Jr. vs Brandon Saling

Michele Gutierrez Breast Cancer Awareness photo by Suckerpunch Entertainment

XFO 39 isn’t pulling any punches with their upcoming May 13 card.  After announcing that Jeff Curran would headline, former WEC champion Jamie Varner would co-main, and Felice Herrig would also be on the card, one has to imagine that the big name talent would be calling to be on the card.  MMA Recap has confirmed from sources that Michele Gutierrez will be taking on Amanda LaVoy at the event.

Gutierrez was originally scheduled to fight at XFO 38, however she broke her hand while training just weeks before the fight.  Gutierrez started her career as a boxer having gone 7-2 as an amateur boxer and 2-0 as a pro.  Shortly after making her professional debut, Gutierrez decided to try her hand at mixed martial arts and moved to Team Wanderlei in Las Vegas.  In 2010 she went 3-0 earning TKO victories in two of her three fights.

While LaVoy is bringing in a three-fight losing streak to the fight, one cannot count her out as she always brings the fight to her opponents.  LaVoy has fought tougher competition than Gutierrez and will look to use that experience inside the cage.  LaVoy fought Jessica Eye, Patti Lee and Felice Herrig in 2010.  Now able to bring a full training camp into the fight, LaVoy and Gutierrez should have an epic throwdown.

XFO 39 takes place on Friday, May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.  Tickets are available at www.searscentre.com.  For more information on the XFO check out the recently redesigned webpage at  www.xfomma.com

The full card as it stands includes:

• Jeff Curran vs Joe Pearson
• Jamie Varner vs Tyler Combs
• Felice Herrig vs Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc
• Michele Gutierrez vs Amanda LaVoy

Former WEC champion Jamie Varner will step back into the cage in his first fight since being released from the WEC against Tyler Combs.  The fight is scheduled to be the co-main event of XFO 39, which will be headlined by Jeff Curran taking on Joe Pearson.

Varner, a three-time WEC champion, was released from the organization after parent company Zuffa merged the WEC with the UFC.  Having lost three of his last four with the other going to a draw was not what the UFC was looking for when assimilating the lightweight talent from the WEC to the UFC.

Combs was supposed to fight Jorge Gurgel at “Strikeforce: Feijao vs Henderson” but a late injury scrapped him from the fight.  Combs last saw action at Chicago Cagefighting Championship 2 in an exciting fight against Mike Lullo where he unfortunately was submitted in the third round.  Combs has fought four previous times for the XFO against top names Michael Corey, Erik Koch and Bart Palaszewski.

XFO 39 will take place on Friday, May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.  Other fighters scheduled to appear on the card include Jon Murphy, Felice Herrig, Michelle Gutierrez, Chris Garcia, Will Brooks, Ryan Bixler, Christian Reynoso, Dennis Dombrow, Mike Stumpf, Matt Tobie, Jason Graves, Vince Ramos and more.

XFO officials announced earlier today that Jeff Curran will be taking on Joe Pearson in a bantamweight fight at XFO 39.  XFO 39 takes place on Friday, May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Curran has won three of his last four fights and is coming into this fight after having successful surgery on his arm.  Curran aggravated an old injury in his fight against David Love, but was able to push through and continue on to win the fight.  Curran has fought in nearly every major organization including Pride, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator and the UFC.

Pearson snapped a three-fight losing streak in January of this year by submitting Jeremy Marts at Extreme Challenge.  Pearson has been in with some of the best including recent “Knockout of the Night” award winner Eric Koch and former WEC champion Urijah Faber.

XFO 39 tickets will be available starting at 10am on Monday March 21.  Tickets can be purchased at www.searscentre.com with the presale code of “XFO39″ and start at just $25.

Stay tuned to MMA Recap for more on this fight card as it becomes available.

XFO officials announced today that XFO 39 will be taking place on Friday, May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.  Jeff Curran is expected to headline the card at the nearly 12,000 seat arena.

Curran last fought at XFO 37 against David Love in a very exciting three-round fight.  Love caught Curran with a kick that forced Curran to wince as an old injury was acting up.  After the fight Curran saw a specialist and had a steel plate removed from his arm as well as a nerve repositioned.  Curran’s recovery was originally expected to be much longer, but the injury was not as bad as it was first thought to be.

Several fighters are rumored to be apart of this historic card, however no fights have been confirmed at this time.  Stay tuned to MMA Recap for more details on this exciting announcement.

Long time WEC competitor Jeff “The Big Frog” Curran (29-12-1) has signed a deal with Strikeforce and plans to fight for the organization on the preliminary card for the big November 7 event at the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois that will feature a heavyweight battle between Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers.

No opponent has been named for the Chicago-based fighter.

Curran operates his own mixed martial arts gym, Curran Martial Arts, in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He has dropped his last four fights including loses to Mike Brown and Urijah Faber. Curran has competed in all of the major organizations such as the UFC, PRIDE, the IFL, and the WEC throughout his 12 year career.

“The Big Frog” is also scheduled to fight at his XFO event on December 5.

The current lineup for “Strikeforce: Emelianenko vs Rogers” is now:

Main Card

•    Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers

•    Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Jake Shields (for vacant Strikeforce middleweight title)

•    Champ Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (non-title match)

•    Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum

Preliminary Card

•    Erin Toughill vs. Marloes Coenen (CBS reserve fight)*

•    Jeff Curran vs. TBA*

•    Shamar Bailey vs. John Kolosci*

•    Deray Davis vs. Mark Miller*

•    Jonatas Novaes  vs. Christian Uflacker*

*not officially announced by Strikeforce officials yet