(PRESS RELEASE) -- He earned his title shot in North Carolina, won his title fight in Florida, and now, after signing a new multi-fight deal with Xtreme Fighting Championships, Scott Holtzman is set to defend his Lightweight Title in his home state of Tennessee! On October 18th, LIVE from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, Scott Holtzman will answer the challenge of North Carolina’s Roger Carroll, in the Main Event at XFC 26: Night of Champions III.
For now, it seems the “Hot Sauce” era is upon us. Scott Holtzman (5-0) has taken the MMA world by storm. One of Fight Magazine’s “New Blood” fighters of 2013, Holtzman earned his first professional title at XFC 24, in Tampa, when he dismantled former XFC Lightweight Champ John Mahlow in devastating fashion. Nearing the end of his current contract, Scott Holtzman and the XFC entered into negotiations to extend the relationship between the growing International promotion and their hot new champ. After deciding to stick with the company that gave him his big break, Holtzman and XFC President John Prisco inked a deal that ensures the XFC fans get to enjoy many more “Hot Sauce” moments. The next order of business was when and where Holtzman would defend his title. Fortunately for “The Hooligans” (Scott’s dedicated Tennessee fans), this was an easy decision. The company had recently announced a return trip to Nashville for their yearly Night of Champions card, and this seemed more than fitting a place for his first title defense. Scott Holtzman will take his relentless pace and smothering style of ground and pound to Nashville, where he will meet Roger Carroll, a man that went to the XFC and personally asked for a shot at Holtzman and his shiny new belt. Scott Holtzman will look to keep his undefeated streak in tact at the expense of “The Leperchaun”, and treat his rabid Rocky Top fans to another spectacular victory. Scott had this to say about his upcoming title defense, “You guys haven’t seen the best Scott Holtzman yet. The guy you saw go 5-0 and win the title was just the tip of the ice burg. Buy your tickets, or tune in to AXS TV on Oct 18th, and you will see a whole new level I’m about to take this to.”
“I can’t stress this enough. This was a huge week for the XFC”, said XFC President John Prisco. “Not only were we able to book Scott Holtzman’s first title defense, we were able to sign him to an extension that solidifies our commitment to each other. It’s not easy finding the next generation of MMA superstars, but it’s even harder to keep them after they have enjoyed success and great amounts of promotion from our organization, spread throughout the industry. Scott has displayed the characteristics we want to see in our champions, so we are proud to say that you’ll see more “Hot Sauce” in the XFC . He believes in what we are doing here, and he didn’t just want to win a title, he wants to defend his title against all comers, and give the other guys in the division the same opportunity he received. When we announced that the XFC was headed back to Tennessee, Scott and I both knew we had to get this deal done, so Scott could give back to the hundreds of fans that have traveled around the Southeast supporting him. Unfortunately, that’s where the favors ended (laughing). Roger Carroll dropping down to 155 is a tall order for the new champ. Holtzman is relentless, but Roger Carroll is one of the toughest guys to ever step foot in our cage. The guy is hard to finish; this is going to be a good old fashioned scrap! We know both these guys can dish out punishment, so the question is going to be, who can take the punishment and keep coming.”
Xtreme Fighting Championships returns to Music City USA for XFC 26: Night of Champions III on October 18, 2013. The event is presented by ICRealTime Security Solutions and Throat Punch Industries Apparel and will be broadcast Live on AXS TV from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, beginning at 9pm Central. For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, visit www.officialxfc.com.