'Combat sports extravaganza.' Mixed martial arts fights coming to Canton with Julian Lane

CANTON − Mixed martial arts fighting is coming to the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

Caged Thunder 25 Hall of Fame Fights, powered by Tigerlyfe Energy, is promoting the Dec. 16 event as a "combat sports extravaganza."

Both professional and amateur bouts are being showcased, including Stark County brawlers who train locally. Mixed martial arts fighters will square off in a hexagon-shaped cage in a style similar to that popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a mixed martial arts organization known for pay-per-view events.

Featured in Canton's main event will be Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship veteran Julian “Let Me Bang” Lane. The Northeast Ohio resident is a bruising fighter known for his stint on UFC's Ultimate Fighter 16, earning his spot on the MMA reality television series by defeating Diego Bautista in a decision before losing to Bristol Marunde.

Lane will face Canada’s Xavier “Spartacus” Nash in a welterweight showdown. Lane's record in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bouts is listed at 5-7, including a Nov. 4 victory against Murat Kazgan.

Caged Thunder 25 is not affiliated with UFC.

Tickets for the local event cost $35 and $45, and are on sale at https://www.ticketmaster.com/ and through the Civic Center box office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1101 Market Ave. N. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. Caged Thunder 25 also will be shown via pay-per-view for $34.99 at https://cagedthundermma.com/.

Canton McKinley alum 'Mo Show' featured in co-main event

Founded in 2017, Caged Thunder is a mixed martial arts promotion company based in Northeast Ohio featuring up-and-coming professional and amateur fighters in the combat sport.

The co-main event features Canton McKinley alum Mo “Mo Show” Miller facing Detroit’s Usama Rahman in a professional bantamweight matchup.

Other professional bouts scheduled for Caged Thunder 25 include:

• Cleveland’s Jon Cunningham against Findlay’s Jayden “The Tank” Taulker

• Nate Davies versus Charles “OneWay Manson” Payne

• Pennsylvania’s Logan Thompson taking on Bolivar’s Hunter Watt

• Jeremiah “The Prophet” Scott facing James “The Merc” Pfeiffer

• Lucas “The Main Event” Mast against Tyler “The Outlaw” Collins

Amateur bouts will be fought for Caged Thunder titles in the lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and welterweight divisions.

Stark County MMA gym represented

Northeast Ohio fighters on the card also include lightweight Devon "The Prodigy" Watkins representing Stark County's Victory MMA gym in a match against Mansfield native "Kut Throat" Kanyon Tackett.

Unbeaten competitors will face off in the welterweight division when Garrett Hersberger (4-0) squares off against Chase "The Guardian" Archangelo (4-0) for a vacant amateur title.

Luke McMurtry of Canton (5-0) will defend the promotion's featherweight title against Simeon Teague (6-1) of Indiana. The final amateur championship bout features Brandon Billiter from Canton’s Victory MMA (5-2) taking on Davis “The Great Nuke” Music (4-1) for the bantamweight title.

A super heavyweight clash features Indiana's Santiago Orta versus Canton's James "The Menace" Dennis.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: MMA event in Canton features Julian Lane of UFC Ultimate Fighter