With a pair of nine-second KO’s on his record, Dustin West (5-4 MMA, 1-1 SF) knows all about starting a fight off with a bang.
West will be taking his KO show on the road in the first bout of the “XFC 16: High Stakes” televised main card live on HDNet Feb. 10 in Knoxville, Tenn.
The heavy-handed former Marine will be facing off against Stoney Hale (4-2 MMA, 1-0 SF, 1-1 BFC) in a bout between two of Tennessee’s most popular and respected fighters. If past performances are any indicator of how this bout will go down, fireworks can be expected for sure.
Coming off of a nine-second KO of MMA legend Johnathan Ivey in a recent heavyweight bout, West isn’t letting the success of that fight distract him from the task at hand in this middleweight showdown.
“After a fight is over I don’t think about it anymore,” West told ProMMAnow.com.
“Regardless of how that fight turned out, Stoney Hale now presents a whole new set of problems that I have to try and figure out. I know who Stoney Hale is and if I think for a minute that what happened in my last fight will affect the outcome of this fight, I will end up on the wrong end of a highlight reel.”
West, a product of Ed Clay’s Nashville MMA, is no stranger to the big stage, having fought for Strikeforce on two occasions in addition to traveling abroad to fight in Ireland this past year. Plagued by horrible injuries and frustrating losses, West is focused on making the most of this opportunity in what will be his XFC debut.
“This is an honor and a huge opportunity to be asked to kick off the live televised HDNet main card,” said West. “This is a chance of a lifetime that a lot of fighters will never get. I am absolutely grateful to John Prisco and the XFC for trusting Stoney and I with this responsibility.”
One thing is for sure, when West wins, he does so in dramatic fashion, and that’s exactly what he will be looking to to against Hale on Feb. 10.
“It’s going to be our job to set the tone for the night, and all I know is, they won’t be disappointed with their decision. This is our chance to show the world who we are.”