Caged Thunder 25 heads to Canton Civic Center with Julian Lane vs. Xavier Nash
Caged Thunder 25 will be the biggest event in the promotion’s history, as they will head to the 5,200 seat Canton Civic Center in downtown Canton.
A large venue requires a massive card to fill the stands, and matchmaker Scott Corbin has put together the deepest fight card the Buckeye State has seen in years. Eight pro bouts are currently set for the card, in addition to four amateur title fights.
In the main event, TUF and Bellator veteran Julian Lane returns looking to capitalize off of his first MMA win since 2017 at Caged Thunder 23 in September, as he submitted Andrew Law with a guillotine choke in the first round. The win was the eighth submission of his career, and his overall record stands at 13-10-1. Lane also earned a bare knuckle boxing TKO victory over Murat Kazgan at BKFC 53 in November.
Nash makes the trek from Canada looking for the biggest win of his career. He’s 9-7 overall and is coming off of a submission win over 5-0 Alex O’Neil at Unified MMA 53 in October. This will be his fifth fight of the year, and he looks to improve on his 2-2 record.
In the co-main event, Mo Miller looks to right the ship after losing three of his last four. The Strong Style Fight Team product started his career 6-0 but has just one win in the past two years. He will welcome upset-minded Michigan fighter Usama Rahman to Ohio in a bantamweight contest. Rahman is just 6-10 overall, but he has won three of four and also holds a victory over TUF veteran Vince Murdock.
At lightweight, James Pfeiffer looks to rebound from a disappointing nine-second knockout loss in his last outing when he faces South Carolina’s Jeremiah Scott. Pfeiffer may have been the victim of a slightly early stoppage in his bout against Motaz Askar at Anthony Pettis FC 7 in September, but the loss snapped a five-fight winning streak. He now faces Scott, who has eight of his nine wins via stoppage and has won two in a row.
A bout with two fighters both having a quick turnaround was a late addition to the card, as Lucas Mast and Tyler Collins will square off at 165 pounds. Both fighters earned victories at Caged Thunder 24 last month, with Mast submitting J’Mar Moore for his second win of the year, while Collins returned from a long layoff to submit Darnell Truett.
In another intriguing bout, former NFL defensive tackle Jon Cunningham will face Jayden Taulker at 195 pounds. Cunningham played college football at Kent State and then spent time with the Atlanta Falcons. After a first round knockout in his pro debut, he lost his second bout on the PFL Challengers Series last year. He now trains at Strong Style and is looking for his second win over the tough Taulker. Taulker represents Demolition Fight Team and is a Bellator veteran with two of his three wins via knockout.
Two standout amateurs will square off in their pro debuts, as Hunter Watt faces Logan Thompson at welterweight. Watt was 8-1 as an amateur and won multiple titles en route to the No. 1 amateur ranking in Ohio and the Midwest according to Tapology. Thompson comes in from Pennsylvania for his pro debut after a 5-3 amateur run that included winning the Bizzarro Promotions title.
Two young unbeaten featherweights with identical 1-0 records will throw down, as Ohio’s Chris Porter faces Virginia’s Brandon Doyle. Porter won his pro debut via first round TKO, while Doyle picked up a decision victory in his first pro contest.
And rounding out the pro card will be another set of debuting welterweights, as Nate Davies faces Charles Payne. Davies was 7-4 as an amateur while Payne was 6-4.
On the amateur side, four titles will be on the line. At lightweight, champion Devon Watkins (5-2) defends against Kanyon Tackett (5-1). At featherweight, champion Luke McMurtry (5-0) defends against Indiana’s Simeon Teague (6-1). At welterweight, two unbeaten fighters square off for the vacant title when Garrett Hershberger (4-0) faces Chase Archangelo (4-0). And at bantamweight, Brandon Billiter (5-2) and David Music (4-1) square off for the vacant crown.
Caged Thunder 25 streams via iPPV on Combat Sports Now.
