James Vick is back in action but at a new promotion. On Jan.30 he will go to battle against Andre Fialho at the XMMA show. The XMMA promotion announced the bout on their Instagram page on Wednesday.
The former UFC lightweight athlete suffered a series of bad losses prior to his departure from the organization. Essentially the 6′ 3″ lightweight struggled with striking defense. Consequently, this weakness was shown most notably in his loss to former interim champion, Justin Gaethje. Aside from that devastating knockout, Vick (13-5) would go on to drop a decision loss to Paul Felder. Then suffered a rough TKO loss to a top lightweight contender, Dan Hooker. Finally in his dramatic loss to an emphatic finisher, Niko Price by an up kick, the UFC decided with Vick to let the fighter test free agency. With all of that behind him, the lightweight’s determination has led him down a new path.
James Vick competes at XMMA
In Vick’s way is no newcomer or pushover. Fialho (10-4) brings a wealth of experience from the Legacy Fighting Alliance to Bellator MMA. Similarly, Fialho is also looking to bounce back after a series of setbacks. Particularly, the 26-year old dropped two losses in the Professional Fighting League’s 2019 season. Also in more recent events, Fialho lost at LFA 92 to Antonio dos Santos Jr. but the American Kickboxing Academy trained product looks to turn the tide.
However, it’s important to note that Vick won the first nine of his ten octagon appearances. Despite the damage endured, “The Texecutioner” is an imposing threat for anyone opposed to him inside the cage. At XFFC fans will have the pleasure of seeing James Vick once again compete in mixed martial arts, and who definitely has his hands full with Fialho looking for redemption.
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