New main event for mixed martial arts card Aug. 5 at Savannah Convention Center
There's a change at the top of the professional mixed martial arts fight card on Aug. 5 at the Savannah Convention Center.
The promoter of iKON FC 4 has announced that an injury will prevent Savannah-based featherweight Josh Blyden (9-2) from fighting Steven New (8-3) of Tennessee in the main event.
Instead, the 10-fight card will be headlined by bantamweight Amun Cosme (4-0), a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., now fighting out of Milledgeville. In his third iKON event under promoter and UFC star fighter Jorge Masvidal, Cosme is scheduled to fight Diego Gomez Manzur (5-0) of Chile.
It's on: UFC star fighter/promoter Jorge Masvidal bringing mixed martial arts card to Savannah
“iKON FC Savannah’s new main event features 4-0 Amun Cosme, who is a fight away from getting the call from a UFC matchmaker," Masvidal said in a statement. "Amun’s opponent also is undefeated and trying to steal that shine and trying to take that top spot. With stakes this high, we are all guaranteed violence no matter what.”
In the co-main event, featherweight Quinten Culpepper (5-1) of Macon faces Canaan Kawaihae (6-2) of Hawaii.
Flyweight Lydia Warren (1-0) of New Mexico will be in her second iKON promotion and is slated to battle Valerie Wong (1-2) of Chico, California.
iKON FC 4 also is slated to include middleweight Joe "Stitch 'Em Up" Schilling, a native of Dayton, Ohio and a veteran of four combat sports, having fought in boxing and MMA, and holding championship belts in kickboxing and Muay Thai.
In welterweight action, Macon native Lindsey Jones (4-0) will face Kenny Gaudreau of Sterling, Virginia.
Also on the undercard, 145-pounder Brandon Moran (1-0) of Savannah vs. tbd; 185-pounder Torrez Finney (2-0) vs. Louis Brewington (0-1); 155-pounder Eddie Lamonte of Savannah in his pro debut vs. tbd; and 135-pounder Malcolm Wellmaker (1-0) of Augusta vs. Kasim Ruffin (2-2).
The Grand Ballroom will seat about 2,000, with the doors opening at 6 p.m., and the first bout at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 for general admission, $1,000 for a VIP table of 10 seats. Tickets are on sale at ikonfc.com.
A segment of the card will be streamed live on the UFC Fight Pass subscription service.
Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: MMA in Savannah: Fight card change in event under UFC's Jorge Masvidal
