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Xtreme Fighting Championships

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Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) is one of the leading United States mixed martial arts (MMA) organizations. XFC has produced stadium fight cards in Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee, runs MMA-themed gyms[1] , and sells MMA-related merchandise. The company is also pursuing international ventures in at least 12 other countries[2]. Based out of Tampa, the organization was credited by the Tampa Tribune for setting the Florida statewide attendance record for an MMA event when they drew over 11,000 fans to the St. Pete Times Forum on November 11, 2007[3] and was credited in September, 2008 by Yahoo Sports for being "the best kept secret in the sport[4]." On February 20, 2009, XFC produced the first-ever professional MMA fight card in Tennessee state history, drawing 5,200 fans at the Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville.[5]

XFC programming airs in various regional markets, as well as nationwide on HDNet, with four live fight cards airing on HDNet in 2009, four live fight cards in 2010, and options for 2011.[6]

About XFC[]

Differentiating itself from rival MMA organizations like UFC, Affliction and Strikeforce, XFC has adopted a more grassroots, fan-friendly persona[7].

According to XFC president John Prisco, the company's philosophy is that "...there’s more undiscovered talent in MMA than established talent. Modern MMA is only about 18 years old, and each year exponentially more aspiring fighters join the sport by training in an MMA gym, entering amateur tournaments, or competing on the pro level. ...XFC firmly believes that there are dozens of fighters – maybe more – toiling away in anonymity in MMA gyms and low-end fight cards worldwide that could dominate the most celebrated champions of today. Maybe not right now – maybe they’d need a year or two of intense training, combined with the support of a promotion like the XFC that’s willing to invest its resources in their long-term development – but the undiscovered talent is definitely out there... And we’re gonna find it."[8]

XFC also owns and operates MMA training facilities for professional fighters, amateur fighters, and children. For kid's MMA training, the children wear protective gear and "fight" in a controlled environment to limit injuries.[9]

XFC's stadium shows[]

Xtreme Fighting Championships has produced seven stadium MMA shows: [10]

XFC 1: Dynamite[]

The organization's first stadium event was called XFC 1: Dynamite and was staged at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida on November 11, 2007. The show officially drew over 11,000 MMA fans, tripling the former record for attendance at an MMA event in the state of Florida.[3] XFC president John Prisco claims that the actual attendance number was closer to 13,000.[11]

XFC 2: Rage in the Cage[]

The XFC returned to the St. Pete Times forum on March 2, 2008, with a show called XFC 2: Rage in the Cage. Among the celebrities in attendance was former professional wrestling star Hulk Hogan, who watched his nephew David Bollea win his professional debut on the XFC undercard.[12] Bollea had issued a to boxer-versus-MMA fighter challenge to boxing champion Floyd Mayweather leading up to his fight.[13]

XFC 3: Battle in the Bluegrass[]

XFC 3: Battle in the Bluegrass event was the company's first show staged outside of Florida, taking place at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky and drew 6,000 fans on Saturday, June 7; a small riot broke out after the main event, when local favorite Benny Stanley was choked out by Scott Porter in 13 seconds, leading to one arrest.[14] WNKY, Lexington's NBC News affiliate, reported that XFC set the Kentucky statewide record for MMA attendance with the promotion.[15]

XFC 4: Judgement in the Cage[]

XFC 4: Judgement in the Cage[16] returned to the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa on June 28, 2008 and drew over 10,700 fans, at the time the second largest crowd for an MMA promotion in Florida history.[17] -- trailing only XFC's first Dynamite for the overall Florida attendance record. John "Mulatto Mauler" Mahlow defeated Eben "The Big O" Oroz by unanimous decision for the XFC lightweight title in the main event, and in the undercard, the much-heralded Matt Juncal—a three-time high school state wrestling champion from nearby Brandon, Florida and a former college All American wrestler[18] -- made his MMA debut, defeating the also-debuting Jeff Mansir by submission in the first round.

XFC 5: Return of the Giant[]

The main event of XFC's fifth show, XFC 5: Return of the Giant, which took place on September 13, 2008 at the St. Pete Times Forum, featured the MMA comeback of Gan McGee[19]. McGee, who stands six-foot, 10-inches tall and is known as "The Giant," had last fought on American soil during a UFC Pay-Per-View, when he battled heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia for UFC's world title. The fight ended up being highly controversial; Sylvia defeated McGee, but tested positive for steroids in a post-fight drug test. Sylvia was suspended by the Nevada Boxing Commission for six-months and was stripped of his title[20], but McGee was never granted a rematch, nor was the loss expunged from his record. McGee faced Johanathan Ivey, a 250-pound brawler who stated that McGee "should've stayed retired.[21]"

Ivey failed to deliver on his pre-fight promise: a record-setting 11,200 fans watched McGee defeat Ivey by second round knockout.[22]

XFC 6: Clash of the Continents[]

On December 5, 2008, XFC closed out the year with its sixth promotion, XFC 6: Clash of the Continents, returning once again to the St. Pete Times Forum. The show featured a heavyweight showdown in the main event, with the top-ranked heavyweight in Africa, South African heavyweight champion Rico Hattingh, against undefeated American heavyweight Chad Corvin.[23] Also on the card was the MMA debut of four-time world female boxing champion of Chevelle Hallback, in the XFC's first-ever female cage fight.[24]

Hallback won by TKO in the first round[25], and Corvin obliterated Hattingh, knocking out the South African heavyweight champion in just 19 seconds, and breaking his nose in several place.[26]

Among the celebrities in attendance were Linda Hogan, her young boyfriend, and Nick Hogan. When the three were introduced to the crowd, the audience booed loudly. Video of the Hogans getting booed at the XFC event aired on E!, TMZ, and celebrity websites like Perez Hilton.[27]

XFC 7: School of Hard Knox[]

XFC made history on February 20, 2008 when it produced the first-ever professional MMA show in Tennessee state history[28]; the Tennessee state legislature had legalized MMA only months earlier.[29] At XFC 7: School of Hard Knox, former University of Tennessee football player Ovince St. Preux knocked out CT Turner with a kick to the head[30] and Chad Corvin stayed undefeated by stopping the then-6-0 Scott Barrett in the first round.[31]

XFC 8: Regional Conflict[]

The company returns to Knoxville on April 25 for XFC 8: Regional Conflict; the event will also be broadcast live nationwide on HDNet. Undefeated Bruce Connors, a former sniper scout with the U.S. Marines who served in Afghanistan, and also an officer with the police department SWAT division, will battle Jarrod Card for the XFC featherweight world title.[32] Ex-WWE star and three-time NAIA national wrestling champion Bobby Lashley will be at the event to present the winner of the fight a newly-designed world title belt.[33]

Current XFC world champions[]

Bantamweight Champion: Jason Goodall

Featherweight Champion: Jarrod Card

Lightweight Champion: John Mahlow

Other noteworthy XFC fighters[]

Former UFC heavyweight title contender Gan McGee

Four-time female world boxing champion Chevelle Hallback

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Chad Corvin, who's widely viewed as one of the top young American heavyweights.[34][35][36]

Featherweight contenders Bruce Connors and Jarrod Card

Numerous media reports have linked Bobby Lashley with the XFC. John Prisco has confirmed that Lashley and the XFC are both in serious discussions, and hope to sign a contract for Lashley to fight in the XFC soon.[37]

XFC in other media[]

In an article previewing Matt Juncal's pro debut, Tampa Tribune sportswriter Eddie Daniels reports that XFC is in talks with a movie production company to allow it to film "Versus" -- a movie about an ex-Marine who ends up fighting for the MMA light heavyweight title—at one of XFC's upcoming events[38].

References[]

  1. ↑ XFC MMA Training Homepage. XFC (November 12 2008).
  2. ↑ Uncaged. Gulf Coast Business Review (March 27 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Record Crowd Flocks To MMA Event At Forum. Tampa Tribune (November 12 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
  4. ↑ Xtreme Fighting Championships drawing record-setting crowds in Florida. MMA Junkie (September 03 2008).
  5. ↑ State's first mixed martial arts event is a wild time at Thompson-Boling. Knoxville News Sentinel (February 21 2009). Retrieved on 2009-02-21.
  6. ↑ XFC Announces Multiyear Television Deal with HDNet‏. MMA News (January 26 2009). Retrieved on 2009-01-26.
  7. ↑ Xtreme Fighting selects FWV to broaden brand. PR Week (June 26 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-26.
  8. ↑ Exclusive: One-on-One with XFC President John Prisco. Fight Ticker (February 16 2009). Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
  9. ↑ Mixed martial arts trains kids to defend themselves. St. Petersburg Times (August 6 2008). Retrieved on 2008-08-06.
  10. ↑ XFC Fight Cards. XFC.
  11. ↑ Local MMA Company Beating Back Economic Woes. Tampa Tribune (March 2 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-09.
  12. ↑ Bollea's Quest Leads Him To MMA. Tampa Tribune (March 1 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  13. ↑ Hulk Hogan's Nephew 'King' David Bollea: Bring Me Floyd Mayweather in MMA Bout!. Impact Wrestling (February 29 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  14. ↑ Rondo helps prevent theft — passes out 16 dimes. The Times Tribune (June 10 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
  15. ↑ BATTLE IN THE BLUEGRASS. WNKY (June 13 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  16. ↑ Salute to Our Armed Forces. XFC (June 13 2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
  17. ↑ 10,700 Mixed Martial Arts Fans Flock to the St. Pete Times Forum. Sherdog (June 30 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-30.
  18. ↑ Wrestling success leads former Brandon star to mixed martial arts. St. Petersburg Times (September 28 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-28.
  19. ↑ McGee returns to the cage. Sports Illustrated (July 30 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-30.
  20. ↑ Stanozolol. Medic8 Medicines.
  21. ↑ Gan “The Giant” McGee Returns To MMA On September 13th. MMA Extreme (July 30 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-30.
  22. ↑ MMA: 13" height advantage sees Gan "The Giant" McGee prevail in comeback fight. Vancouver Sun (September 14 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-14.
  23. ↑ Africa's Top Two Heavyweights Invade America at Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC)'s "Clash of the Continents". iFight365 (December 9 2008). Retrieved on 2008-11-11.
  24. ↑ Female boxing champ Chevelle Hallback moving to MMA, debuts Dec. 5. MMA Junkie (November 3 2008). Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved on 2008-11-03.
  25. ↑ XFC Makes History, Hallback Earns Victory In Debut. Tampa Tribune (November 3 2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-06.
  26. ↑ XFC 6: 2 title fights, 2 top South African heavyweights, 1 female pro boxing Champion, and a stunningly vicious knockout. Pro MMA (December 6 2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-06.
  27. ↑ The Hogans Get Booed !!!!!. Perez Hilton (December 9 2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-09.
  28. ↑ Former Vol on card for Mixed Martial Arts event at Thompson-Boling. Knoxville News Sentinel (January 12 2009). Retrieved on 2009-01-12.
  29. ↑ State approves legislation allowing mixed martial arts, creates new athletic commission. Memphis Business Journal (May 30 2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  30. ↑ XFC 7: St. Preux wows crowd with KO. Knoxville News Sentinel (February 21 2009). Retrieved on 2009-02-21.
  31. ↑ Exclusive: XFC 7 Post-Event Interview with Chad Corvin. Fight Ticker (March 19 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-19.
  32. ↑ Connors vs. Card Set for XFC FW Title on Apr. 25. Fight Network (March 31 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
  33. ↑ XFC 8: Lashley to be 'special guest'. Knoxville News Sentinel (March 31 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
  34. ↑ XFC 7: A closer look at Chad Corvin. Knoxville News Sentinel (March 19 2009). Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
  35. ↑ MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: Still unbeaten, Corvin taking a short break. The News-Enterprise (March 19 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
  36. ↑ A fighter on the rise. Courier-Journal (March 19 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-29.
  37. ↑ Bobby Lashley not fighting Marcus Jones at XFC 8. MMA Fighting (March 30 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-30.
  38. ↑ Juncal Set To Make Pro Debut. Tampa Tribune (September 28 2008). Retrieved on 2008-09-28.

External links[]

Template:MMA organizations

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