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July 24, 2015

Warrior Nation XFA XI 7/25/15 TEASER


Warrior Nation is pumped to host their 11th show this Saturday in Boxborough Mass.  This will be their second time coming to the Holiday Inn and they are always memorable.  Jesse Camp had a little scare this week as their main event fighter Vovka Clay was injured in training.  He scrambled and found an awesome fighter to step in and keep the title fight intact.  Now Pedro Gonzalez will take on Chris Foster for the coveted WNXFA 145 PRO title.  With that fight intact there are a total of 11 fights and 3 of them are pro.  If that isn't enough to whet your appetite then come out to see the gorgeous Warrior Nation Ring Girls who are so incredible they have their own Facebook account. Also Prime Athletics will be there selling their awesome merchandise.  Follow along as I break down the fight card.



165 AM Greg Perry (0-0 Strike Zone MMA) vs. Joe Leonard (2-4 Team Ravenous)

In the first match up of the night Greg Perry takes on Joe Leonard in an amateur battle.  Now this fight was agreed at both of the fighters regular walking weight so there will be no cuts.  Both fighters will be able to see how they feel with no weight cut involved.  Greg Perry trains with Strike Zone MMA and will be making his amateur debut.  His opponent is Joe Leonard and he is a huge part of WesternMassMMA.com.  He trains out of Greenfield, Mass with Team Ravenous and comes into this fight with a 2-4 record.  He has 1 win by ko/tko and 1 win by way of submission.  He is on a 2 fight losing streak which The Wild Ginger is looking to break this Saturday.  You don't want to miss this battle!

125 AM Richard Santiago (1-4 Rivera Athletic Center) vs. Matt Allen (1-0 Ultimate MMA)

At 125 lbs Richard Santiago will face off against Matt Allen.  Richard trains with Rivera Athletic Center and comes into this fight with a 1-4 record.  He has his sole win by ko/tko against Jessie Pires.  For his losses he lost 3 by submission and 1 by decision.  He always comes ready to fight and full of energy.  His opponent is Matt Allen and he trains with Ultimate MMA.  Matt comes into this fight with a 1-0 record with a submission win over Allen Edgecomb at a previous Warrior Nation show.  Richard's key to success is to keep this fight standing and use his heavy hands to his advantage.  For Matt Allen, he will want to take this fight to the ground and work a submission.

200 AM Nick Rankin (0-0 Strike Zone MMA) vs. Chaz Gray (0-0 Young's MMA)

Nick Rankin takes on Chaz Gray at a catch weight of 200 lbs.  Rankin trains with Strike Zone MMA and will be making his amateur debut.  His opponent is Chaz Gray and he fights out of Young's MMA.  Young's will be coming all the way down from Maine to fight and they don't want to be coming home with a loss.  Both of these big boys are coming from solid schools so you know they are going to be ready to throwdown.

170 AM Dan Bardellini (1-2 Rivera Athletic Center) vs. Anthony Lauria (Ultimate MMA)

At 170 lbs Dan Bardellini challenges Anthony Lauria at WNXFA this Saturday.  Bardellini trains with Rivera Athletic Center and comes into this fight with a record of 1-2.  He has 1 win by  majority decision at Warrior Nation 8.  For his losses he lost 1 by ko/tko and 1 by decision.  His opponent is Anthony Lauria and he trains with Ultimate MMA.  Lauria will be making his amateur debut.  As you can see another close match up which should make for a great fight.

135 AM Steve Karr (0-4 Gracie Farmington Valley) vs. Carl Langston Jr. (5-8 Young's MMA)

At 135 lbs Steve Karr will square off against Carl Langston Jr.  Karr trains with Gracie Farmington Valley and comes into this fight with an 0-4.  He lost 2 by ko/tko and 2 by decision.  Don't let his record fool you, Steve always comes ready to fight and he can take a punch.  Just scroll up and see the poster of him eating a punch if you don't believe me.  His opponent is Carl Langston and he trains with Young's MMA.  Carl comes into this fight with a 5-8 record with 1 win by ko/tko, 2 by sub and 2 by way of decision.  For his losses, he lost 2 by ko/tko, 3 by sub and 3 by decision.  Carl has been constantly improving in each and every fight and I see this one coming down to a decision.

145 AM Randy Francis (0-0 Strike Zone MMA) vs. Tyler Cronk (0-1 Renzo Gracie)

Next up at 145 lbs Randy Francis will take on Tyler Cronk.  Francis trains with Strike Zone MMA and he will be making his amateur debut.  If you are keeping track that is Strike Zone's 3rd fighter on the card.  His opponent is Tyler Cronk and he trains with Renzo Gracie in CT.  Cronk fought his first fight against Todd Matulis and he lost by submission in Rd 1.  Both fighters are just starting out their amateur careers and it is going to be fun watching them go head to head.

170 AM Matt Alger (0-0 Rivera Athletic Center) vs. Marty Thompson (0-0 Fighting Arts Academy)

At 170 lbs Matt Alger takes on Marty Thompson this Saturday.  Alger trains with Rivera Athletic Center and will be making his amateur debut.  His opponent is Marty Thompson and he trains with Fighting Arts Academy in Western Mass.  He also will be making his amateur debut.  Not much to predict as both of these fighters have never fought before but the unknown can be exciting too.

125 PRO David Baxter (USMMA 0-0) vs. Shane DeCristoforo (1-1 Team United Muay Lao)

In the first pro fight David Baxter takes on Shane DeCristoforo in a 125 lb showdown.  Baxter trains with USMMA and he will be making his pro debut.  He has a 2-1 amateur record with 1 win by ko/tko and 1 by sub.  His only loss came by submission at the hands of Javier Rodriguez.  Now Warrior Nation fans will remember the crazy fight against Justin Kristie in which Baxter went unconscious right at the end of the round and came back into the second round and won by ko/tko to strikes.  However that was overturned to a No Contest but the fight was crazy and went viral.  Baxter has tremendous heart and is always ready to battle.  His opponent is Shane DeCristoforo and he trains with Team United Muay Lao.  He comes into this fight with a 1-1 record as a pro with 1 win by ko/tko and 1 loss by submission.  As an amateur, Shane went 3-4  and this will be his second time returning to the Warrior Nation cage.  This is going to be a good scrap for sure.

155 PRO Keenan Raymond (2-1 Rivera Athletic Center / NE MMA) vs. Sam Watford (0-0 Renzo Gracie)

In the second pro fight of the night Keenan Raymond will square off against Sam Watford in the 155 lb division.  Raymond trains with Rivera Athletic Center and also NE MMA so he stays busy!  He has a 2-1 record with 1 win by decision and 1 win by submission.  For his one loss he lost to Jay Bakanowski by ko/tko.  He usually fights for CES and this will be his first time during his pro career that he fights in Massachusetts so let's give him a warm welcome fight fans.  His opponent is Sam Watford and he trains with Renzo Gracie.  He will be making his pro debut and as an amateur had a 5-1 record.  He has 2 wins by ko/tko, 2 by sub and 1 by decision so far in his pro career.  His only loss came by a decision at a previous Premier FC fight and all the rest of his fights were taken place in New York.  It is great to see two fighters travelling out of state to fight for us and put on a show!  Both of these guys are finishers and I don't see this one going to a decision.

135 PRO Derek Rodriguez (0-0 Team Link BJJ) vs. Allen Edgecomb (0-0 Bushido Academy/Metal Dog Muay Thai)

In the co main event Derek Rodriguez takes on Allen Edgecomb at 135 lbs professionally. Derek trains with Team Link BJJ and he will be making his pro debut.  El Animal has one pro fight in which it was ruled a no contest back in 2014.  His opponent is Allen Edgecomb and he trains with Bushido Academy and Metal Dog Muay Thai.  He also will be making his pro debut and as an amateur was 2-2.  He is no stranger to the Warrior Nation cage as this will be his 5th time stepping into the cage.  Both of his wins came by decisions and for his losses they were 1 by ko/tko and 1 by sub.  Allen is never in a boring fight and he leaves it all in the cage every time.  There is no surprise here as why this fight is co main and has all the makings of a fight of the night contender.

145 PRO TITLE Pedro Gonzalez (10-5 Redline Fight Sports) vs. Chris "Cassius" Foster (8-4 DCNU)

In the main event Pedro  Gonzalez will go head to head with Chris Foster for the coveted 145 lb Warrior Nation XFA belt in a scheduled 5 round title fight.  Gonzalez stepped in literally this week to fight and we all thank him for that.  He trains with Redline Fight Sports and comes into this fight with a 10-5 record.  For his win column he has 9 wins by submission and 1 win by decision.  For his losses, he lost 3 by sub and 2 by decision.  He has a ton of fight experience and has been fighting professionally since 2008.  His opponent is Chris Foster who trains with DCNU and comes into this fight with an 8-4 record.  He has 5 wins by ko/tko  and 3 wins by decision.  For his losses, he lost 1 by ko/tko, 2 sub and 1 by decision.  I saw his second to last fight and he won with a brutal knockout against Taylor Trahan in a mere 18 seconds.  This fight is going to be an absolute war and it has fight of the night written all over it.  You don't want to miss this one fight fans.

That puts a wrap on this preview for this Saturday.  As you can see once again Warrior Nation has put together a solid card and we thank you Jesse Camp for all of your hard work.  We will be there live with the live play by play so you all can stay in the loop.  If you haven't ever come out to see a Warrior Nation then this is a great central location for our East Coast fight fans to not have to travel far.  Comment below and tell us what fight you are most excited for.