The lineup is set for this weekend’s Caged Vengeance 16 card, as the NAAFS returns to Canton with a deep pro/am lineup on tap. In all, the fight card features six pro bouts and eleven amateur fights at this point.
Headlining the night’s action will be a 175-pound catchweight bout featuring longtime NAAFS veteran Nick Duell (11-4) taking on Dom Steele (11-5). The NAAFS pro heavyweight title will also be on the line, as former champion John Hawk (10-5) faces unbeaten rising star Curt Lemmon (4-0) in the co-feature.
Duell, a member of the Strong Style Fight Team, fights for the first time since a June 2013 loss at the hands of current UFC fighter Hector Urbina. The 32-year-old has competed exclusively for the NAAFS during his professional and most of his amateur career, and he has become a fan favorite known as a knockout artist, having finished seven of his victims via strikes. Steele comes into enemy territory as he travels from Cincinnati for the fight. He is looking to rebound from a loss to Jose Figueroa in his last outing, a TKO that snapped a five-fight winning streak for Steele.
Hawk will compete in his fourth NAAFS title fight, as the former heavyweight champion had a long and successful run at light heavyweight including a pair of wins inside the Bellator cage before returning to heavyweight last year. Hawk has been impressive in his return to his old division, earning victories over veterans William Penn and Bobby Brents under the Driven MMA banner last year. Lemmon has yet to taste defeat in his MMA career, as he was 7-0 as an amateur and has finished all four of his victims since making the jump to the pro ranks in 2013.
In a highly anticipated lightweight bout, veterans Joey Holt (4-2) and George Comer (5-1) will square off. Holt has earned finishes in all four of his MMA wins, and he also possesses a 3-0 pro boxing record to go along with his impressive MMA resume. Comer has won five straight bouts since dropping his debut, and the GriffonRawl fighter is inching toward a potential shot with a national organization with a win.
West Virginia based fighter Wes Hanson (3-1) will look to bounce back from his first loss as a pro, as he takes on Mansfield’s J.P. Jaranowski (4-2) in what could be a sleeper for fight of the night.
Former NAAFS amateur champion Dave Lastafka (1-1) looks to gain footing as a pro, as he takes on Canada’s Aaron Jeffery (1-0) in a welterweight bout, and the pro card will be kicked off with the pro debut of standout amateur John Gunther (0-0, 11-2 am) against another Canadian in Xavier Nash (1-0).
The amateur card also features a handful of standout fighters, including unbeaten middleweight Darion Peterson (4-0) – who is one of six Strong Style fighters on the card – as well as an intriguing featherweight bout pitting Tobiaus Taylor (6-1) against undefeated rising star Amir Niknazar (3-0).
Former NAAFS fighter and current UFC bantamweight Cody Garbrandt is also slated to be at this event as a special guest signing autographs for fans.
NAAFS: Caged Vengeance 16 takes place this Saturday night at the Canton Civic Center in Canton, Ohio.
The full lineup for Caged Vengeance 16 (suject to change):
170 lbs – Josh Krizan (8-1) vs TBA
155 lbs – Anthony Romero (0-0) vs Richie Smith (0-1)
135 lbs – Jeremy Durbin (0-0) vs Joe Riley (0-1)
150 lbs – Trevon Bates (0-0) vs Damonte Robinson (0-0)
185 lbs – Adam Walters (0-0) vs Tommy Finegan (1-1)
265 lbs – Corry Boyd (0-3) vs Seth Sharp (0-2)
155 lbs – Jacob Wheaton (0-4) vs Dustin Mohedano (0-1)
215 lbs – Mesmaran Sunsearay (3-2) vs Nick Dowe (4-3)
160 lbs – Dylan Finegan (1-0) vs Kenny Locsei (2-0)
170 lbs – Anthony Grine (6-4) vs Emmanuel Kangah (3-2)
145 lbs – Tobiaus Taylor (6-1) vs Amir Niknazar (3-0)
185 lbs – Jose Martinez (5-3) vs Darion Peterson (4-0)
Professional Bouts
155 lbs – Xavier Nash (1-0) vs John Gunther (0-0)
170 lbs – Aaron Jeffery (1-0) vs Dave Lastafka (1-1)
140 lbs – J.P. Jaranowski (4-2) vs Wes Hanson (3-1)
155 lbs – Joey Holt (4-2) vs George Comer (5-1)
265 lbs – Curt Lemmon (4-0) vs John Hawk (10-5) – for heavyweight title
175 lbs – Dom Steele (11-5) vs Nick Duell (11-4)