The World Series of Fighting 19 is scheduled for March 28 at the Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz. and the show features a main event between Justin Gaethje and veteran Luis Palomino. The five-round bout does not have odds yet, but look for the undefeated Gaethje (13-0) to be favored to successfully defend his WSOF Lightweight title heading into the fight.
Gaethje was in a tough fight in his last outing, where he won a split decision over UFC veteran Melvin Guillard. Guillard, as is normal for him, missed weight, so Gaethje’s title was not on the line. That is unlikely to be the case with Palomino. At 6-0 in the WSOF and with a lack of quality opposition, it will be interesting to see if the WSOF retains Gaethje, or if a win over Palomino could see him heading to the UFC.
Palomino has put together a 2-0 record in the World Series of Fighting, and both of those wins have come via stoppage by way of his big fists. He has been in there with a high level of competition throughout his career, and his list of opponents includes former Bellator champion Pat Curran, UFC vets Jorge Masvidal, Yves Edwards and Daron Cruickshank and Japan-scene stand outs Charles “Crazy Horse” Bennett and Gesias Cavalcante. Palomino easily represents Gaethje’s toughest test so far, though Garthje has wiped his share of veterans, owning wins over Cavalcante, Drew Fickett and Dan Lauzon. Also worth mentioning is that Gaethje owns a 7-0 amateur record, so his undefeated streak goes back to 2008.
The live event features twelve fights overall, with the co-main event featuring UFC veterans Thiago Silva and Matt Hamill in an eliminator match for the WSOF’s Light Heavyweight tournament. Silva has not fought since October of 2013, when he defeated Matt Hamill in the UFC. Since then his personal life unravelled and he has spent time in jail and had his UFC contract terminated. That was also Hamill’s last fight, as he has retired from the sport a few times now and come back. The WSOF re-shuffled opponents to make this rematch happen.
