Justin Gaethje (10-0) will face Rich Patishnock (6-1) for the World Series of Fighting’s inaugural lightweight title in the Jan. 18 event titled “World Series of Fighting 8: Gaethje vs. Patishnock,” which takes place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
The co-main event features hard-hitting light-heavyweights Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (15-4) and Mike “MAK” Kyle (20-10-1) meeting in a bout that has been postponed twice due to injuries.
WSOF CEO Ray Sefo spoke on how the inaugural lightweight title came together:
“Injuries are an unavoidable aspect of MMA,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo. “I am very proud of my team here at WSOF for finding a very worthy opponent in Rich Patishnock to fight against Justin Gaethje for the title. I know that both of these guys have very crowd-pleasing fighting styles, and I can’t wait to see what happens when that cage door shuts.”
Patishnock’s original opponent, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (21-9) will now face a tough challenge in MMA veteran Jorge “Macaco” Patino (35-14-2-1).
“Macaco,” a Brazilian MMA practitioner, began fighting professionally in 1995 and has had several historic fights including his victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and two epic battles with recently signed WSOF fighter Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons. The 40-year-old Patino has won both the lightweight and welterweight titles with the Legacy FC promotion, a lightweight title with Predator FC, and fought for UFC welterweight championship against one of the sports legends in Pat Milletich.
The WSOF 8 main card is below:
- Justin Gaethje vs. Rich Patishnock for inaugural lightweight title
- Anthony Johnson vs. Mike Kyle
- Jessica Aguilar vs. Alida Gray for inaugural womens strawweight title
- Cody Bollinger vs. Tyson Nam
- Luis Palomino vs. Jorge Patino
Tickets for “World Series of Fighting 8: Gaethje vs. Patishnock,” start at just $29, and are on sale at Ticketmaster.com. The bout tops a five-fight card that airs live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The fights will also be broadcast on Brazilian television network, Esporte Interativo. A six-fight undercard, which will stream live atwww.WSOF.com, will be announced shortly.