Kansas City, KS — The Titan Fighting Championship (www.TitanFighting.com) on Wednesday announced its finalized card for next Friday's (March 25) seven-bout lineup to air live nationally on HDNet (www.HD.net).
The show, branded Titan Fighting Championship 17, will emanate from the historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas and will feature seven pro fights on the HDNet telecast, which will begin at 10 p.m. ET (the night's undercard will begin at 7 p.m. CT).
The finalized lineup just announced by Titan Fighting includes a late change to the night's main event, which will feature former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley. Kansas City-based heavyweight James Jack (6-2) had been scheduled to fight Lashley but has been pulled from the show and replaced by John Ott (9-7).
Jack's departure from the card comes under questionable circumstances.
“We had an agreement with Jack to fight Lashley but he's essentially gone MIA. James missed several scheduled media shoots and no longer was returning our calls,” said Titan Fighting CEO Joe Kelly. “It became abundantly clear that James had no intention of showing up to fight Bobby on March 25 so we had to make a change.”
Ott, a standout amateur wrestler, is veteran of the Bellator Fighting Championships and holds notable wins over Brian Imes, Isaiah Larson, and Mitchell Harris.
Normally a competitor in the 185 and 205 lbs. division, Ott, an amateur body builder, is currently walking at 225 lbs.
“John might be a little heavy for the fight but the extra weight he is carrying is all muscle,” said Kelly. “From a pure strength standpoint, he will be able to go in and compete with Bobby. His strong amateur wrestling credentials will also potentially allow him to neutralize Bobby's takedowns and force the fight to stay on the feet.”
While the main event for Titan Fighting Championship 17 has been altered, the remainder of the card remains intact. Former UFC and PRIDE star Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni will challenge local fan favorite Nick Nolte while Abe Wagner, a veteran from the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter, will square off vs. Strikeforce veteran Aaron Rosa.
Additionally, the card will also feature former Bellator Fighting Championships featherweight tournament competitor Eric Marriott; renowned Roberto Godoi black belt Willian De Souza; former WEC veteran James Krause; Adrenaline MMA veteran Alonzo Martinez; as well as Titan Fighting Championship 16 standouts Anthony “Sharkbait” Guiterrez and Aaron Derrow.
The complete seven-bout card for Titan Fighting Championship 17 is as follows:
7. Heavyweight: Bobby Lashley (5-1) vs. John Ott (9-7)
6. Heavyweight: Abe Wagner (8-3) vs. Aaron Rosa (15-3)
5. Middleweight: Phil Baroni (13-13) vs. Nick Nolte (3-2)
4. Catchweight (150 lbs.): Eric Marriott (19-5) vs. Willian De Souza (3-1)
3. Lightweight: Alonzo Martinez (28-14-1) vs. Aaron Derrow (9-2)
2. Lightweight: James Krause (11-3) vs. Nathan Schut (13-4)
1. Bantamweight: Anthony “Sharkbait” Guiterrez (1-0) vs. Jon Hollis (2-1)
Tickets for Titan Fighting Championship 17 are now on-sale at all local Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com (www.Ticketmaster.com), as well as the Memorial Hall box office. Tickets for the event start at $25.
Weigh-ins for the event will take place on 5:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 24 at the Argosy Hotel & Casino (www.StayArgosy.com) and will be open to the public. Titan Tighting Championship 17 will take place at Memorial Hall on Friday, March 25 with doors for the event opening at 6:30 p.m. CT with the first bout of the undercard commencing at 7:00 p.m. CT. The HDNet-televised main card will start at 9:00 p.m. CT (10:00 p.m. ET).
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