The World Series of Fighting 11 will take place on Saturday afternoon at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida and the event will mark the network television debut for the Las Vegas based promotion.
The event will be headlined by a title fight of undefeated fighters as Justin Gaethje makes his first title defense since winning the title in January as he will be challenged by Nick Newell.
Also on the card, Jon Fitch looks for his second straight win in the World Series of Fighting as he meets fellow former UFC fighter Dennis Hallman and Melvin Guillard makes his debut in the promotion as he meets JZ Cavalcante in a lightweight title eliminator fight.
The main card will air live on NBC at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT and here are five reasons why you should make sure to check out this event.
1. The main event
When you look at all of the fights taking place this weekend in mixed martial arts, Gaethje and Newell is one of the best fights. It’s a matchup of undefeated lightweights, and as I have stated many times before, Newell is must watch television. Everyone knows his story and he finally gets the opportunity he has been asking for since signing with the World Series of Fighting last year. When it comes to must watch television, the same could be said for Gaethje. He has a fighting style that fans love as his last six wins have come by knockout.
2. Can Jon Fitch secure a potential title shot
When this card was initially booked, Dennis Hallman was not the opponent for Fitch. Hallman was not the second or third opponent, he was the fourth. This is a huge opportunity for Hallman in the World Series of Fighting welterweight division and Fitch has to show he is still one of the top welterweights in the world. A victory by Fitch could secure a title shot against current champion Rouismar Palhares or a trilogy fight with Josh Burkman.
3. World Series of Fighting debut of Melvin Guillard
Guillard is one of multiple former UFC fighters that has been signed by the World Series of Fighting over the past year and a victory on Saturday afternoon will secure him a title shot against the winner of the main event. He currently trains at American Top Team in South Florida and he use to train with the Blackzilians, where Cavalcante trains at.
4. Bollinger and Alfonso looking for a title shot against Marlon Moraes
The opening bout of the main card will be a bantamweight bout as Ultimate Fighter 19 alum Cody Bollinger meets Pablo Alfonso in a bantamweight bout. Both fighters won their promotional debuts with the World Series of Fighting as Bollinger scored a decision over Tyson Nam and Alfonso submitted former WEC champion Miguel Torres.
5. NBC has shown a commitment to mixed martial arts
In the past, NBC would air taped mixed martial arts events on late Saturday evening, but Saturday afternoon will mark the first live mixed martial arts events on the network. Not only is this huge for World Series of Fighting, but this is huge for the sport in general as NBC joins CBS and Fox as network television stations airing live mixed martial arts.