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South-Hill Highlights XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown


Charlotte, North Carolina will be the host for XFC 19 as two of the promotions top Welterweights, Jason South and Corey Hill look to establish themselves as the top fighter in the weight class. The two men are the latest editions to the XFC welterweight division and the fallout of the matchup will go a long ways in establishing the pecking order at 170.

After a dominating run through smaller shows in the Southwest United States, Jason South will make his XFC debut in the main event of 'Charlotte Showdown' live on AXStv / HDNet. South is undefeated in 8 bouts and has never been to a decision. In his last outing ‘The Mover’ submitted the previously undefeated Bellator veteran Tim Ruberg in the second round in February. Now, in the biggest fight of his career, South will step up in competition to face arguably the most well rounded fighter on the XFC roster, Corey Hill.

"I'm really excited about facing Corey Hill in Charlotte," said South. "Corey is a big name and he is a very tough opponent. I understand this is my time to show people what I can do and I guarantee that when we get to XFC 19 next month you are going to see the best Jason South in that cage. I hope Corey has put in the work too because I expect a war and I look forward to putting on a show for the fans."

After a year off and a move up to a new weight class, there were a lot of unknowns for Corey Hill coming into XFC 'Tribute' last December. Facing a red hot Charlie Rader on a six fight winning streak, Hill knew he had to answer the critics with a strong performance. Once the bell rang Hill proved he was still 'The Real Deal' as he had his way with the Ultimate Fighter standout by taking him down and submitting him with just over a minute left in the first round. With millions of XFC fans watching on HDNet, Hill proved that he was still a force to be reckoned with in a new weight class. After his strong performance the Florida native was rewarded with a multi-fight deal by XFC President John Prisco earlier this year.

"The XFC has done a lot of big time main events over the years," said Prisco. "But South vs. Hill is going to set the bar for our Welterweight division. Everyone knows Corey Hill and how good he is on the ground. He has reach on everyone on our roster and is arguably the toughest draw for anyone at 170. Jason South has been on a roll and we locked him down to a long-term deal back in the Spring. He has never gone to a decision and with a perfect 8-0 record, he deserves this opportunity to face Corey in the main event. This should be a great fight and I wouldn't dare make a prediction because both men are that good."

XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown is sponsored by ICRealtime Security Solutions and will air live on AXStv from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC August 3rd, 2012. Tickets are on sale now through www.beafantickets.com. To learn more about the XFC, visit www.officialxfc.com, and follow them daily on Facebook & Twitter (@officialxfc).

Nick Newell Sets Sights on XFC 19 on August 3


“Notorious” Nick Newell joined the XFC lightweight ranks in late 2011 and has since taken on challengers from each of the regions the promotion has visited along the way. Newell’s next MMA fight is set for August 3 at XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown, live on AXStv vs David Mays.

In December of 2011, Newell made his XFC debut vs. Miami Florida’s Dennis Hernandez. With 5 career first round victories already sealed on his record, Newell added yet another by submitting Hernandez by heel hook in less than 2 minutes. Months later, Newell returned to the XFC cage as the promotion journeyed to Jackson, Tennessee. This time, Chris Coggins, a Lightweight from Clarksville, Tennessee had been matched against ‘Notorious’. Coggins, widely reguarded as one of the top Lightweights in Tennessee, carried a 5-1 record going into the bout, including 3 straight submission victories. After three rounds of back and forth momentum, Newell was announced the winner by majority decision.

Now venturing to Charlotte, NC Newell has again been matched with one of the regions top up &coming Lightweights, David Mays. Mays, making his XFC debut at XFC 19, enters the cage with a 6-3 pro record that includes 5 first round submission victories. Much like Newell, Mays has proven he can finish fights quickly and surely making a point that he could very well be Newell’s most challenging opponent yet.

XFC President John Prisco spoke about the match up for Newell, “I’ve always said we don’t give anyone easy fights and Nick knows that as an XFC vet. He wanted to fight tougher opponents, which is why he came to our organization and we wanted to see his full potential. Each opponent we’ve given him has been tougher than the previous and David Mays is no exception. This is a tough fight for both guys and it has potential to be another 3 round war like the Coggins fight.”

Newell will be the first “amputee” to fight professionally in North Carolina. Currently, the state does not license amputee fighters, however an exception has been agreed on for Newell because he was born with only half of his left arm. Licensed to fight in 4 other states, Newell has proven that he deserves to be in the cage, just like any other fighter. Charlotte MMA fans will see some of XFCs biggest names, when the promotion visits in August. Along with Newell, Felice Herrig, and TUF veteran Corey Hill some of the States top fighters will also participate in the Charlotte Showdown.

For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, go to www.officialxfc.com. Follow the promotion daily on Facebook and Twitter ‘@OfficialXFC’. XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown is presented by ICRealtime Security Solutions, with the event being held in Charlotte’s Grady Cole Center, aired live on AXS TV starting at 9PM ET on August 3rd.

Corey Hill Looks to Make Statement at XFC 19 on August 3


Four years ago some people questioned whether Corey Hill would ever be able to compete in MMA again. In 2010, Hill suffered a gruesome leg break, snapping his lower leg nearly in two, during the second round of his fight with Dale Hartt. At that moment the Spring Hill, Florida native had his MMA Superstardom placed on hold. Hill, once a High School and College standout wrestler would not let chance decide his fate.

Just 23 months after injury Hill was back in action competing in an event in Niagara Falls. where he was able to pick up a victory by unanimous decision. Since his successful return to the cage, Hill has been also secured 2 other victories, both by submission. His last win, a first round Brabo choke of TUF veteran Charlie Rader at XFC 15, making his debut fight at his new home in the XFC a great one.

Now, facing a chance to return to the top of the MMA world, the 6’4” welterweight will make up one half of the Main Event at XFC 19: ‘Charlotte Showdown’. In a 170 pound event that could set the stage for a 2013 Welterweight Title run, Hill has been training tirelessly. As XFC makes its debut in the Charlotte area, Hill welcomes opponent & recent XFC newcomer, Undefeated Jason “The Mover” South to the opposite corner.

The Main Event fight will no doubt be one of the best fights on the stacked XFC 19 card. Both fighters, Hill & South are strong on the ground, with Hill having the slight advantage for take downs and take down defense from his wrestling background. The “Real Deal” will also have the advantage of experience with big show events. The Utah based fighter, Jason South, will be making his first appearance on a nationally televised event and will deal with nerves he hasn’t faced yet in his career. Either way, the winner of this fight will not let the judges make any decisions. All but a few of Hill and South’s combined 13 wins are by submission or TKO.

Hill has been to the top once before. Now, with a new XFC contract paving the way, he will have the opportunity to return to greatness; showing MMA fans that he is the "Real Deal" and one of the best welterweights in all of MMA.

For more information on XFC 19: “Charlotte Showdown” visit www.OfficialXFC.com. Follow the promotion daily on Facebook and Twitter ‘@OfficialXFC’. Follow XFC 19 Main Event fighter Corey Hill on Twitter ‘@CoreyHillMMA’ as well. XFC 19 is presented by ICRealtime Security Solutions and takes place Aug 3 from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina and live on AXS TV with tickets on sale now on the XFC website.

Open Fighter Tryout Winner Hicks Headed to XFC 19


The XFC staff has put together a stacked card, featuring all the essentials for the exciting events they are known to produce. The card already includes Nick Newell, Women’s MMA star Felice Herrig, and two top Welterweights undefeated Jason South & Corey Hill as the last three bouts of the evening. If that wasn’t enough, 2010 Open Fighter Tryout winner Jason “The Ronin” Hicks has been added to the card to take on undefeated local, Shane Crenshaw. With XFC 19 just two short weeks away, Jason Hicks is our featured fighter in todays XFCinsider article. -Hick’s returns to the XFC cage for the first time since his contract-winning debut in late 2010. Hicks was the co-winner of the 2010 Florida OFT in Tampa and subsequently matched against fellow co-winner Mike Milmerstadt, in a fight for a 5-fight contract with the XFC. Hicks came into the fight on a mission that took him little time to complete, getting the KO in just 1:36 into the first round. The victory gave “The Ronin” just enough time to showcase his precision striking and KO power, as he earned his seventh straight win, dating back to his amateur career.

John Prisco announced the fight to media staff last week with great excitement for the event as a whole. “We have a sick main event, a women’s bout with Felice Herrig, Nick Newell, now an Open Fighter Tryout Winner to challenge a local up and comer.” More specifically Prisco said of Hicks, “I’m excited to have Jason back; he’s a very legit fighter. He finished his first 6 fights by submission, won a decision, and now he’s riding 2 knockouts.”

Hicks will need to have another strong performance to remain undefeated. His opponent Crenshaw has the ability to grind out long fights to a decision and can control the pace of the fight with his wrestling. Hicks does have the ability to fight from his back, if Crenshaw should take the fight in that direction. If he can stop the take down, “The Ronin” will hold the advantage in standup and will be certainly use his Muay Thai to potentially earn another TKO in front of the Charlotte masses.

Hicks has not fought, but has been training constantly, since his entrance to the XFC Lightweight division and a stellar performance against Crenshaw could get him right back into the mix of the one of XFC’s most competitive divisions. The Lightweight division has been entertaining from the top to the bottom with all of the divisions fighters staying very active, putting on very exciting fights. It is also the largest XFC division, which will challenge Hicks to be at his best in every fight. For now however, there is only one thing on Jason’s mind and that is his the next fight in Charlotte.

Mike Bronzoulis ready for XFC19 Main Event vs Welterweight Corey Hill


Corey Hill, scheduled to participate in the XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown main event on August 3, received a call 2 weeks ago from XFC President John Prisco that his opponent Jason South has dropped from the fight for personal reasons. Prisco extended the invitation to replace South with 14-5-1 Mike Bronzoulis, to which Hill quickly agreed saying “Let’s do this!” The change, announced publicly today via XFC staff, comes just a few short weeks before the promotion ventures into Charlotte, North Carolina for the first time.

Bronzoulis is a Strikeforce and Legacy FC veteran with 20 professional fights that include 14 victories. He has earned a reputation for his fan friendly style of fighting which boils down to constant forward movement combined with precision power striking. In 14 professional wins “The Greek” has been able to get a stoppage or knockout of his opponents 10 times. It would be fair to say once Bronzoulis “smells the blood” there is a good chance his fight will soon be ending.

Though he will be facing a new opponent, Corey Hill will still have had the advantage of being in camp for the past 6 weeks, an advantage that could be the difference maker in this match-up of two very talented Welterweights. Hill gives up some experience to Bronzoulis who has double the amount of professional fights and nearly three times as much success inside the cage.

Physically the fight is going to offer some interesting challenges to both fighters. Bronzoulis is accustomed to constantly moving forward, eating punches while waiting for his opportunity to strike. But in this case, Hill is going to have a long reach advantage over Bronzoulis which is going to make it much more difficult for “The Greek” to close the gap between them. Hill will also be the better wrestler in this fight and should Bronzoulis get in close to Corey, he will need to be aware of the take down skills that his opponent has. If either fighter ends up in top position the fight could be ended at any time. From the top, Hill will use his length to stay in advantage and work for submissions. Should the positions be reversed and Bronzoulis end up on top, it could be only a matter of seconds before the ref steps in to stop the fight. Going into the main event of XFC19: Charlotte Showdown, one thing is certain, both fighters are ready to give the fans one of the most exciting main events in MMA history.

XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown takes place August 3 from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event is presented by ICRealTIme Security Solutions and airs live on AXStv starting at 9PM ET. In addition to the Bronzoulis vs. Hill main event, XFC Fighters Felice Herrig and Nick Newell will also be featured on the first XFC event in North Carolina. To purchase tickets and more information, go to www.OfficialXFC.com and be sure to follow the promotion daily on Facebook and Twitter ‘@OfficialXFC’.