In MMA, a combat sport whose athletes train as hard as they compete, it is commonplace at all competitive levels for last-minute injuries to alter fight cards. The mark of top quality fight promotions is their ability to roll with these punches to consistently deliver fan-pleasing events.

As such, few observers were shocked when undisclosed injuries forced Saied Mirzaie from a coveted Welterweight title fight against submissions maestro Leo Xavier (2-1) at Battlefield Fight League 12 (Nov. 18th), but most will be pleased to learn striking dynamo Marco Caffiero (2-0) has stepped-up to the challenge on short notice.

Originally slated to appear in a separate fight earlier on the night’s main card, Caffiero is an always-dangerous Axe Capoeira specialist training out of Studio 54 Athletics in Victoria, B.C. He made an immediate impact in his BFL debut with a highlight reel KO over Sonny Sohota at BFL2, only to return with a third-round TKO stoppage over Jason Keller, a BFL stand-out in his own right, at BFL5.

Battlefield president Jay Golshani had the following to say about Caffiero’s very game decision to step up to this challenge:

“We would not give Caffiero a title shot against Xavier if we did not feel he was fully qualified. Marco is very highly touted and he is 2-0 within our organization… Marco has had a full camp training for another fight on this card, so he will be more than ready. This is Leo’s third different opponent for this card, so it will be tough on both guys with only a week to prep for each other, but come Friday night, this fight has all the makings of fight of the night.”

This Welterweight title fight for the currently-vacant BFL strap is yet another clear example of the oldest stylistic rivalry in MMA, striker vs. grappler, as Leo Xavier is a black belt in BJJ. Training out of Universal MMA in Vancouver, B.C., Xavier wowed BFL fans with smooth positional transitions and a devastating armbar submission in his promotional debut at BFL5. The bonafide fan-favourite and has never looked back since.

That said, Xavier may have to work a bit harder than usual to resist the temptation to look too far forward after it was recently announced that the winner of his match with Caffiero at BFL12 will face the currently injured number one contender Stuart Deleurme (4-1) in early 2010. After all, Xavier is still just a few months removed from an agonizing split-decision loss to that same Kelowna-based fighter at BFL9.

So, which will it be for the BFL amateur welterweight title? Caffiero’s capoeria or Xavier’s jits? Find out for yourself this Friday night (November 18th) at Battlefield Fight League 12: Brakefield vs. Kornelson II at Vancouver’s historic Vogue Theatre.
Limited tickets are still available through Vogue ticketing at: https://tickets.voguetheatre.com/Online/seatSelect.asp?BOset::WSadmissions::admission::performance_id=74D7B7A4-EA8D-40B1-AF2A-4F35E4CC38A7

Battlefield Fight League 12 will be televised live across Canada on the Fight Network. The prelim fights will be aired live on http://www.facebook.com/battlefieldfight?sk=events.

More more information on this events please visit www.battlefieldfl.com