Advertisement

7 former UFC fighters among notables added to XMMA 5 in South Carolina

Nolan King
·5 min read

XMMA is back and bringing another event filled with notable names to South Carolina.

This time, six UFC alumni, a former WSOF champion, and two Bellator veterans are on tap for the July 23 event. XMMA 5 will take place at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C., and streams free on YouTube.

The promotion launched in January 2021 with XMMA 1 in West Palm Beach, Fla., and was headlined by Andre Fialho vs. James Vick. XMMA 2 took place in July 2021 with a Ben Saunders vs. Ramsey Nijem main event. XMMA 3 followed shortly thereafter in October, headlined by Cody Gibson vs. John Dodson. XMMA 4 took place on April 2, headlined by John Dodson vs. Francisco Rivera.

Keeping with notable names as top-billing, XMMA 5 features 14 fighters who made at least one appearance in the UFC. Scroll below to see which UFC alums and other notables are currently scheduled to compete.

Collin Anglin (8-4)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 13: (L-R) Collin Anglin punches Sean Woodson in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC record: 0-2

XMMA 5 matchup: Featherweight vs. James Brown (9-5)

Since his UFC departure… [autotag]Collin Anglin[/autotag] dropped his one and only appearance, a unanimous decision defeat to Edwin Chavez at Colorado Combat Club 12 in June.

Chris Beal (10-6)

UFC record: 2-3

XMMA 5 matchup: Bantamweight vs. Josh Rettinghouse (16-5)

Since his UFC departure… Chris Beal has continued to struggle in finding an elusive victory to break his skid. He exited the UFC after three consecutive losses. Outside of the promotion, he has since lost three more fights for CXF and Combate Global promotions.

Joe Gigliotti (7-2)

Trevor Smith

UFC record: 0-2

XMMA 5 matchup: Welterweight vs. Demarques Jackson (12-6)

Since his UFC departure… [autotag]Joe Gigliotti[/autotag] has not competed. His last fight was at UFC Fight Night 102 in December 2016. He was scheduled for an April 2019 bout vs. Jason Jackson, which was ultimately canceled.

Jared Gooden (20-7)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Jared Gooden punches Alan Jouban in their welterweight bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC record: 1-3

XMMA 5 matchup: Middleweight vs. Impa Kasanganay (9-3)

Since his UFC departure… Jared Gooden has won back-to-back fights. After a unanimous decision over Aaron Highbaugh, Gooden finished fellow UFC alum Curtis Millender with strikes at XMMA 4 in April.

Austin Hubbard (13-6)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 21: (L-R) Austin Hubbard punches Vinc Pichel in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 21, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC record: 3-4 UFC

XMMA 5 matchup: 165-pound contract weight vs. Julian Lane (12-9-1)

Since his UFC departure… [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] hasn’t competed. He’ll look to get back in the win column after an August loss to Vinc Pichel.

Impa Kasanganay (9-3)

UFC record: 2-2

XMMA 5 matchup: Middleweight vs. Jared Gooden (20-7)

Since his UFC departure… [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] has lost his only appearance, which took place in March at Eagle FC 46. It was a split decision loss to Raimon Magomedaliev.

Jesse Taylor (33-16)

Jesse Taylor

UFC record: 1-1

XMMA 5 matchup:

Since his UFC departure… [autotag]Jesse Taylor[/autotag] served his USADA suspension and resumed competition. In 2019, Taylor returned and lost at ACA 100 in Russia. Since then, he’s gone 2-0 on the American regional circuit including a win over fellow UFC alum Seth Baczynski.

Andre Harrison (22-2-1) – former WSOF champ

Andre Harrison

WSOF/PFL record: 7-2-1

XMMA 5 matchup: Featherweight vs. Maike Linhares (16-3)

Since his PFL departure… [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] has competed once in his near-three years outside of the promotion. He defeated Mauro Chaulet by first-round TKO due to doctor stoppage at CES 65 in November.

Demarques Jackson (12-6) – former Bellator fighter

Bellator record: 1-2

XMMA 5 matchup: 165-pound contract weight vs. Joe Gigliotti

Since his Bellator departure… [autotag]Demarques Jackson[/autotag] competed once in Eagle FC. He defeated Miles Hunsinger by 54-second knockout due to punches.

Julian Lane (12-9-1) – former TUF, BKFC fighter

XMMA 5 matchup: 165-pound contract weight vs. Austin Hubbard (12-2)

In recent years… Despite fights in the world’s largest MMA promotion, [autotag]Julian Lane[/autotag] has acquainted himself greatly with UFC fans over the years. Why? Well, he wanted to bang, bro. In one of the most memorable moments in “The Ultimate Fighter” history, Lane’s tear-filled “Let me bang, bro,” flip-out in the fighter house made him a legend of sorts. Lane has competed mostly under the BKFC banner, where he’s headlined events and compiled a 2-6 record.

Keith Lee (7-5) - former Bellator fighter

Bellator record: 2-2

XMMA 5 matchup: Featherweight vs. Westin Wilson (13-6)

Since his Bellator departure… [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] has yet to compete, but his TikTok career has continued to flourish. He is now up to 1.4 million followers for his clever videos centered around his family and cooking recipes.

Josh Rettinghouse (16-5) - former TUF, WSOF alum

XMMA 5 matchup: Featherweight vs. Westin Wilson (13-6)

Since his ‘TUF 29’ departure… [autotag]Josh Rettinghouse[/autotag] has not competed. His original opponent, Keith Richardson, withdrew from XMMA 5 before Beal stepped in.

The full XMMA 5 lineup includes:

  • Jared Gooden vs. Impa Kasanganay

  • Keith Lee vs. Westin Wilson

  • Jackson Farias vs. Cody Jones

  • Andre Harrison vs. Maike Linhares

  • Collin Anglin vs. James Brown

  • Josh Baker vs. Quintezs Sapp

  • Ty Freeman vs. Jesse Taylor

  • Chris Beal vs. Josh Rettinghouse

  • Austin Hubbard vs. Julian Lane

  • Jason Faglier Jr. vs. Tyler Wilson

  • Zac Dalen vs. Monte Deon Ogbonna-Morrison

  • Julian Birch vs. Thomas Lane

1

1