World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 19 was shaping up to be a good card with the announcement that Justin Gaethje would defend his lightweight title against Luis "Baboon" Palomino, along with the opening round of a four-man light heavyweight tournament featuring Ronny Markes, Thiago Silva, Matt "The Hammer" Hamill, and Vinny Magalhaes.
The latest announcement from WSOF makes this card even deeper.
Jake "The Honey Bear" Heun (7-3) of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) fame will go against once-beaten Teddy Holder (8-1) in a heavyweight showdown. With a matching record of 8-1, Timur "Lucky" Valiev will take on former Bellator bantamweight fighter Ed "Wild" West (18-9).
Rounding out the newly-announced bouts is former UFC and Bellator fighter Clifford "Big Cat" Starks (10-2) -- something of a surprise given Starks won his last Bellator fight in just 52 seconds -- making his WSOF debut against undefeated WSOF promotional veteran Krasimir "The Wrestler" Mladenov (12-0).
It's fairly clear from this new set of fights that WSOF is waiting in the wings to scoop up any talented fighters not kept under a longterm contract by UFC or Bellator MMA. The show takes place March 28th at the Comerica Theatre in Phoenix. Tickets are on sale now.