Ricky “The Sniper” Rainey will be back in action under the XFC banner, as the promotion returns to his backyard of Charlotte, North Carolina on Feb. 22nd. Rainey made his latest appearance at XFC 21 with a quick win over XFC-vet Donny Wallace, less than two minuted into the first round. The Sniper is now (1-1) in the XFC Welterweight division going into February’s nationally televised Co-Main event match with Joseph Corneroli.

Rainey and Corneroli will be another edition of the underlying North Carolina vs. South Carolina theme of XFC 22, and with the particularly similar skill sets featured by the fighters, it has the potential to be fight of the night. Rainey loves to keep his fights standing and as far as XFC Welterweights are concerned, he is one of the bigger fighters in the division standing 6’1’’ with a 79-inch reach.

Those two attributes make it nearly impossible for most opponents to establish their striking against Rainey, as they find themselves stuck either outside their own range, or right inside of Rainey’s. Once the Team Renegade fighter gets his opponents covering up, he turns on the pressure and puts an end to his night’s work.

Rainey enters the bout with a near perfect record, taking on Joseph Corneroli from Upstate Karate. Corneroli may be the most talented striker that Rainey has faced yet. The South Carolina fighter is the main training partner of kickboxing sensation Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and has also worked with GSP and Firas Zahabi at the Tri-Star gym in Canada.

Corneroli is also a purple belt of the Carlos Machado BJJ lineage. With that, Rainey will be best off keeping this fight standing, where his advantages are abundant. In previous fights he has shown his ability to defend against takedown attempts, with his height and strength also playing to his advantage in those situations.

With the announcement that the XFC would like to have a champion named in the Welterweight division before the end of 2013, a win for Rainey would only move him closer to that opportunity. First he will have to make it through a gifted opponent in Corneroli at XFC 22.

To see “The Sniper” in his return to Charlotte, North Carolina visit www.OfficialXFC.com and purchase tickets to the February 22 event. XFC 22: Crossing the Line is presented by ICRealTime Security Solutions and ThroatPunch Ind. Apparel and will air live on AXStv from the Grady Cole Center beginning at 9pm. For more information on XFC22 and to keep up with XFC news, follow the promotion on Facebook and Twitter ‘@OfficialXFC’.

One thought on “Welterweight Ricky Rainey ready for Co-Main position at XFC 22”
  1. […] Welterweight Ricky Rainey ready for Co-Main position at XFC 22 The South Carolina fighter is the main training partner of kickboxing sensation Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and has also worked with GSP and Firas Zahabi at the Tri-Star gym in Canada. Corneroli is also a purple belt of the Carlos Machado BJJ lineage. Read more on Pro MMA Now […]

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