Eric “Red” Schafer dropped to middleweight for the first time at “XFO 41: Outdoor War 7″ and proved it was the correct path for his career. Needing just a minute and forty one seconds, he submitted Chris Albania in the first round with a triangle choke that he set up with some strikes from the bottom. Schafer said in a post-fight interview he wanted to put together some wins so he could earn his way back to the UFC.

Joe Silva must have been watching the fight as Schafer got the call back to the UFC after just the single victory.

Schafer will replace Nick Catone at UFC 136 and take on Aaron Simpson on the preliminary card. Simpson will be riding a two-fight win streak into the fight with victories over Mario Miranda and Brad Tavares.

UFC 136 takes place on Saturday October 8 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event will feature two title fights with Jose Aldo defending his featherweight title against Kenny Florian and Frankie Edgar going to battle against Gray Maynard for the third time.

XFO 41: Outdoor War 7 took place at Sideouts Bar and Grill in Island Lake, Illinois. The day of action saw twenty seven mixed martial arts fights. The amateurs kicked the day off just after 2pm and the pros took to the cage around 8pm after a rain delay.

The professional card saw many fan favorites including Eric Schafer, Chris Albandia, Will Brooks, Christian Reynoso, Greg Reddington, Kent Rexford and Joey Diehl.

A full recap of the professional fights as well as the quick results from the event can be found here.

The first professional fight of the night was quick as Chris Haney needed just ten seconds to knock Dexter Wright out cold. Haney came out with a big leg kick, reset and then threw a high kick that sent Wright to the canvas unconscious.

Team Curran’s Mike Marrello made his return to action against Brad Scholten. Marrello opened with a big leg kick, and Scholten tried to counter. Scholten then threw a leg kick of his own, but Marrello caught it and threw a straight right. He followed it up with a high kick that rocked Scholten. Marrello quickly swarmed and nearly finished, but Scholten started to regain his composure. Marrello passed to mount and landed punch after punch and elbow after elbow. Scholten tried to use the cage to escape but ultimate gave up his back. Once Marrello had his back, he sunk in a fight ending rear naked choke.

Up next was fan favorite Kent Rexford taking on Quartus Stitt. Stitt came out with a leg kick and rushing jabs that forced Rexford against the cage. Both fighters exchanged knees before Rexford landed a clean uppercut. Stitt landed a low knee and time was called for him to recover. After the restart the fighters quickly clinched again and dirty boxed. Rexford decided to put the fight on the ground and had a beautiful trip takedown landing in mount. Stitt was able to quickly pull guard, but he spent nearly the rest of the round on his back eating punches and elbows. At one point Stitt escaped and got back to his feet, but was quickly taken down again. At the start of the second round Rexford landed a big uppercut on Stitt as he was rushing forward. Rexford followed with a swarm of punches and Stitt appeared to defend well. Rexford continued his assault and Stitt gave up his back, only to eat more punches forcing the ref to stop the fight.

Flyweights Joey Diehl and Josh Epps went to war. Diehl tried to keep his distance with leg kicks and a push kick. Epps landed a straight jab and as Diehl was backing up, he slipped on the canvas. Epps landed a massive knee that was heard through out the arena. Diehl quickly recovered and took the fight to the ground. Diehl worked for a heel hook, but couldn’t get it. He then transitioned to an arm triangle and it looked tight. Epps kept his composure and worked to escape, forcing Diehl to let go of the choke. Diehl from the mount threw a big elbow and then again looked to finish with the arm triangle choke. This time he was able to get the right pressure as Epps tapped out just as he was about to go to sleep.

Will Brooks kept his undefeated streak going by submitting Joe Richardson. Brooks opened the fight with a high kick that just barely missed the mark. Both fighters looked to box and it was Brooks who was getting the better of the exchanges. Brooks then dropped down and scored a big takedown on Richardson landing in side control. Richardson didn’t panic and he was able to escape and stand back up. Brooks again looked for the high kick and just missed and Richardson tried for one of his own. Brooks immediately took the fight to the ground again and worked elbows from half guard. While trying to pass to mount, Richardson gave up his back and Brooks controlled from there. Richardson tried to stand up and Brooks looked to suplex him, but Richardson quickly dropped back down to the canvas. Brooks transitioned to an armbar from the back and fought for it. Richardson defended it for a bit, but once the arm was fully extended he had no choice but to tap.

Greg Reddington and Christian Reynoso put on an action packed three-round fight. Reddington was making his professional debut and didn’t look nervous at all. Reddington in the first round took the fight down after a body kick by Reynoso. Reddington was patient in looking for his openings for attacking and capitalized when they were there. Not finding much to work with, Reddington stood up and let Reynoso stand too. With both fighters clinched against the cage, Reynoso jumped for a guillotine, but Reddington was able to escape. The second and third round were much of the same as both fighters looked to start the fight out strong. Both times it was Reddington who landed the better combo and then took the fight to the ground. Reddington controlled the action on the ground and ultimately won the unanimous decision.

The co-main event featured Casey Dyer taking on Dan Aguirre. Both fighters looked to just go out and let it all out. Both fighters were exchanging kick after kick and punch after punch. There was hardly any time where either fighter was not throwing a strike. The fighters worked from the clinch and threw multiple knees. Dyer decided to change the game up with a takedown and scored it rather easily. Unfortunately he left his neck open and Aguirre grabbed a hold of it with a guillotine choke and squeezed until Dyer tapped.

Eric Schafer and Chris Albandia headlined the night of action. The fight marked the first fight for both fighters in fifteen months and the first fight for Schafer at middleweight. Albandia took the center of the cage and looked to keep Schafer on the outside with leg kicks. Schafer landed a right hand that seemed to hurt Albandia and followed it up with another combo that definitely rocked his opponent. Albandia then shot for a takedown and Schafer grabbed a guillotine. Albandia escaped and was patient working body punches. Schafer grabbed Albandia’s arm and then threw it outside of his leg to set up the triangle choke. After a quick adjustment, the choke was in tight and Albandia was forced to tap.

Professional Quick Results

Chris Haney defeated Dexter Wright by knockout at 0:10 of round 1

Mike Marrello defeated Brad Scholten by rear naked choke at 1:16 of round 1

Kent Rexford defeated Quartus Stitt by TKO at 1:17 of round 2

Joey Diehl defeated Josh Epps by arm triangle choke at 1:57 of round 1

Will Brooks defeated Joe Richardson by armbar at 3:49 of round 1

Greg Reddington defeated Chrisitan Reynoso by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Dan Aguirre defeated Casey Dyer by guillotine choke at 2:19 of round 1

Eric Schafer defeated Chris Albandia by triangle choke at 1:41 of round 1

Amateur quick results

Mike Oconnor defeated Deshaun Fergson by rear naked choke at 1:23 of round 1

Pat Oconnor defeated Dustin McIntire by tap out due to strikes at 1:07 of round 1

Al Nelson defeated Jared Baily by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28

Sean Fallon defeated Brian Radtke by triangle choke at 1:44 of round 3

Tim Lagray defeated Levi Rose by guillotine choke at 0:20 of round 2

Charlie Radtke defeated Dennis Sherman by TKO at 1:00 of round 1

Danny Martinez defeated John Cabel by rear naked choke at 2:30 of round 1

Dom Singleton defeated Don Wendt by rear naked choke at 1:32 of round 1

Shawn Bridgeman defeated Jason Bottomhagen by guillotine choke at 1:36 of round 1

David Sorenson defeated Devin Orton by TKO at 1:59 of round 1

Mike Giger defeated Nick Hernandez by rear naked choke at 1:20 of round 1

Peter Tonev defeated Drew Stout by rear naked choke at 0:36 ovf round 1

Aaron Meyer defeated Matt Vance by guillotine choke at 0:35 of round 1

Dustin Stusse defeated Matt Eisenzimmer by TKO at 2:23 of round 3

Armondo Calderon defeated Jeremy Kuldniski by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Tyler Reese defeated Mike Blake by rear naked choke at 2:22 of round 2

James Gilmore defeated Pat Hastings by guillotine choke at 2:35 of round 1

Sean Bottoms defeated Greyson Plate by KO at 0:23 of round 1

Kevin Switalla defeated Tom Lagray by rear naked choke at 2:50 of round 1

Eric “Red” Schafer will make his return to the cage at XFO Outdoor War on September 3.  He will be fighting Midwest Training Center’s Chris Albandia in the night’s main event.  MMA Recap caught up with Schafer to talk about the fight, the layoff, and the drop down in weight.

You are returning to the cage after nearly a year and a half off. So first question is why the long layoff?
In my last UFC fight I messed up my hand, so I took a few months off to heal that. It started healing up, but by then I had left the Roufusport team at the end of the summer of 2010, and didn’t have a gym to train at.. In December I started my own gym, which kept me busy for a while. The gym settled down a bit this summer, so I started training harder and signed for my first fight this September.

Are you at all worried about the ring rust with such a long layoff?
I am not worried really. I have kept my competition up by doing grappling competitions. Since May of last year I have been undefeated in 35 no-gi matches at 12 different events, so I have remained active. Grappling is not the same as fighting, but it helps me work on mental and physical aspects of competition. I feel I have made huge gains in the psychological aspects of the game. I have been involved with UFC camps with Brock Lesnar and Pat Barry, so I have been sparring with some real monsters in the off-season.

You are scheduled to fight Chris Albandia, who is also coming back from a long layoff. Do you think that you both sort of negate each other’s ring rust?
Exactly, we both have not fought in a while, so if anything, I should have less ring rust, do to my competition in BJJ. But I assume Chris has been busy training hard too, so I am training to fight Chris at his best.

What are your thoughts on Chris as an opponent?
Chris is an accomplished fighter (IFL and M-1 vet) with good wrestling and good ground tactics. Those types of fighters have given me trouble in the past, so this is the perfect opportunity to test myself, and see if I have patched some holes in my game.

The fight is going to be taking place at XFO Outdoor War. Is there anything you prepare for with the fact that the fight is going to be outside?
I have been to some outdoor fights were the surface has gotten slippery do to some dew as the night cools, but I am a pro at using slippery mats to my advantage. I am ready for what ever the weather brings us.

This is your first fight since being cut from the UFC. Are you looking to use this as a springboard back into the organization?
I would love to go back and fight in the UFC. I feel that I still have not realized my full potential, so I want to give it one more shot. I also feel much better at this lighter weight (185 versus 205), so I think I will be much more dangerous at this weight.

This also marks the first time you will be fighting at middleweight. What’s the reason for dropping down in weight?
I feel much more athletic at 185. I am faster, more flexible, more agile, and my cardio is at a much higher level. I have had many grappling matches of over 30 minutes in the last year (including an hour plus marathon), and have never quit. I should have been this weight from the start.

Which one of your fights stands out the most to you in your career?
I think my Houston Alexander win is currently my career defining moment.. I was the underdog in his hometown. I had a rough start, but overcame that to turn the tide and submit him at the end of the round. That was a special moment considering the whole storyline.

Where can the fans find you at?
My website is redschafer.com, where I write a blog with pictures and videos of all my matches. My twitter is twitter.com/redschafer and my facebook is facebook.com/redschafer. My gym also has a facebook page, facebook.com/redschafermma.

Any sponsors or people you want to thank?
I just want to thank all my family and my teammates at Red Schafer MMA and the Rebel Alliance fight team. Also, my boxing coach, Scotty Sievewright; my wrestling coach, Tony Senner; my kickboxing coach, Adric Kennedy, and my main sparring partner, Karl Turek. I’d like to thank Brian Butler from Suckerpunch Entertainment for setting this fight up and helping out with sponsors. PS If anyone is looking to sponsor me, then please contact me! Everything helps.

Xtreme Fighting Organization is nearly finished finalizing their September 3^rd professional card.  In the main event, former UFC fighter Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer will be taking on Midwest Training Center’s Chris Albandia.  Also on the card is an exciting welterweight matchup between Mike Stumpf and Tony Parker.

XFO Outdoor War 7 will take place at Side Outs Bar and Grill in Island Lake, Illinois.  The day of action will start with several amateur mixed martial arts fights and then continue onto the night with the professionals.  It is the largest outdoor gathering of mixed martial arts in the greater Chicagoland area.

Tickets are available at mmafreeagent.com and start at just $35.

The full professional lineup now looks like:

Eric Schafer vs Chris Albandia

Mike Stumpf vs Tony Parker

Mike Pitz vs TBD

Daniel Aguirre vs Stanton Gavia

Mike Marrello vs Alex Rozman

Matt Tobie vs Baron Rotza

Christian Reynoso vs Greg Reddington

Joey Diehl vs TBD

Eric Acuna vs Christopher Haney

Kenny Booker vs Robert Couillard

Xtreme Fighting Organization hosts one of the largest outdoor fights in the Midwest every year.  After a scheduling conflict that forced a date change, Outdoor War will now be taking place on Saturday September 3.  While only a handful of fights have been confirmed already, several individual fighters have committed to the card including Eric Schafer, Matt Tobie, Mike Pitz, Joey Diehl and more.

An exciting flyweight fight will feature Eric Acuna and Chris Haney doing battle.  Both fighters are coming off of a victory over Joey Diehl and both fighters put on exciting battles.

Also on the card Greg Reddington will finally be making his professional debut against the very popular Christian Reynoso.  Reynoso won his pro debut in March at Chicago Cagefighting Championship 3 against Ray Grindstaff.

The full pro card for XFO 41 looks like:

Eric Schafer vs TBD

Mike Marrello vs Alex Rozman

Matt Tobie vs Baron Rotza

Christian Reynoso vs Greg Reddington

Mike Stumpf vs TBD

Daniel Aguirre vs TBD

Mike Pitz vs TBD

Joey Diehl vs TBD

Kenny Booker vs TBD

Eric Acuna vs Christopher Haney