Stacked lineup set for Lion Fight 42 at Foxwoods

Lion Fight Promotions, a worldwide leader in Muay Thai combat, returns to the renowned Foxwoods Resort Casino for the second time in 2018 with another lineup of elite-level fighters.

Lion Fight 42 will take place on Saturday, April 21 inside the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and is already headlined by three title fights including the main event pitting reigning women’s world super lightweight champion Antonina “The Panther” Shevchenko against Claire “The Vegan” Baxter. Tickets for Lion Fight 42 go on sale Friday, March 2 at www.foxwoods.com. Broadcast details for Lion Fight 42 will also be forthcoming.

Lion Fight will also crown its second North American title-holder, this time in the super cruiserweight ranks as fan favorite Steve “Put Em To Sleep” Walker faces his toughest test yet in taking on Olivier Fairtex. In addition to those title bouts, Lion Fight’s partner promotion Muay Thai Grand Prix is bringing

its super lightweight champion into the Lion Fight ring as Carlton Lieu puts his crown on the line against dangerous striker Jafar “The Cookie Monster” Toshev.

“The Lion Fight 42 lineup bring some of our organization’s best talent together for one of the biggest shows we have ever set up,” said Lion Fight CEO Scott Kent.

“Our worldwide fan base has wanted the return of Antonina Shevchenko and we have made it happen in a serious challenge to her title against Claire Baxter. Steve Walker has become one of the most talked about names in American Muay Thai in just over a year, and it is time to see how he fares against a Thai-trained rising star like Olivier Fairtex.

“Then add what could be an absolute show-stealer with Jafar Toshev challenging Carlton Lieu for the MTGP belt, and Lion Fight 42 has all the right ingredients for being a spectacular show.”

Trio of Title Bouts

Shevchenko (40-1) has run through all challengers to her Lion Fight throne with dominant decision victories over Ilona Wijmans and Paola Cappucci. But the Kyrgyzstan-born, Peru-trained champion and sister of UFC standout Valentina Shevchenko, will get a stern test from Baxter, a six-year veteran pro from Australia and multi-time champion.

Looking rather unstoppable with a trio of convincing knockout wins, Boston’s Walker (3-0) will take a major step up in competition in facing Olivier (7-3), who is originally from Quebec, Canada, but now trains at the Fairtex camp in Thailand. Toshev (2-0), who was born in Uzbekistan but now lives in Brooklyn, New York, has scored a pair of highlight-reel knockouts inside the Lion Fight ring and is aiming to dethrone England’s Lieu (7-3).

Return of Mauceri, Debut of Jays

In a featured welterweight matchup, New York’s Chris Mauceri (9-5), who previous tenure with Lion Fight included an impressive knockout win over Nick Chasteen, makes his long-awaited return to the organization as he takes on Eric Rocha (5-4). The Toronto, Canada, product made a splash in his organizational debut when he notched a first-round TKO victory over Alex Olave back in July.

Teammates are a common theme in two other bouts set for Lion Fight 42.

Evan Jays (2-1), one of England’s brightest prospects and a teammate of Carlton Lieu, arrives in Lion Fight for the first time in a featherweight clash against Maryland’s Ricardo Mixco, who will be making his professional debut. Mixco’s teammate Keeman Diop, who earned a TKO victory in his pro debut at Lion Fight 37, gets back in the ring as he faces rookie pro Shawn Ellis, a teammate of newly crowned Lion Fight North American light heavyweight champ Brett Hlavacek.

More Main Card & Prelim Bouts

More bouts for Lion Fight 42 will be announced shortly including a major matchup for rising stars Eddie Abasolo and Amine “The Moroccan Freak” Ballafrikh as well as high-end prospects Mike Triana and Julian Nguyen. The fight card will also include several top amateur fighters from the New England area.

Antonina “The Panther” Shevchenko vs. Claire Baxter – Lion Fight Women’s Super Lightweight Title

Steve “Put Em To Sleep” Walker vs. Olivier Fairtex – Lion Fight North American Super Cruiserweight Title

Carlton Lieu vs. Jafar “The Cookie Monster” Toshev – MTGP World Super Lightweight Title

Eric Rocha vs. Chris Mauceri – Welterweight

Ricardo Mixco vs. Evan Jays – Featherweight

Keeman Diop vs. Shawn Ellis – Super Welterweight

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Roberto Villa

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.