Tried and tested contenders Tanner Saraceno and Trukon Carson both embody everything Fight For It stands for.
Saraceno made waves back in 2015 as a finalist on WWE Tough Enough. When he wasn’t selected for a pro-wrestling contract, he made a return to unscripted combat and worked his way to an impressive professional MMA record of 10-6, with half of his wins arriving via knockout and half by submission. The most recent of those victories came in February of 2023 at Fight For It XIV, when Saraceno stopped Cub Hawkins in the second round.
But at Fight For It XVIII, Saraceno will be up against another proven finisher in Trukon Carson, whose 2-0 professional record started with a devastating first-round knockout over Matthew Messer at Fight For It VIII. Carson notched his second win with a unanimous decision over Arthur Walcott-Ceesay at Valor Fighting Challenge 66 in November of 2019, and has since spent most of his competition time battling for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. This year, Carson earned a pair of first-round KOs bringing his BKFC record to 2-1.
As these two multi-sport titans clash for a welterweight title, we can expect an explosive showcase of martial prowess — and a likely victory by stoppage. Both are proven finishers, with Carson’s lethal striking poised to give Saraceno a real challenge. Saraceno, on the other hand, has proven adept at battling in all dimensions of the game, and would do well to lean into his grappling skills to neutralize Carson’s fists.
However it plays out, this will certainly be a dynamic display of true mixed martial arts, with both athletes drawing from a deep and diverse well of experience and technique to put their skills — and their opponent’s — to the test.
Fight For It XVIII kicks off 2024 with a powerful card of kickboxing and MMA action at Charlotte’s Grady Cole Center on Saturday, Jan. 27. Catch every moment live or streaming via pay-per-view. Kickboxing prelims start at 3 p.m., and the MMA card ignites at 7 p.m. Tickets for the live event and pay-per-view stream are available now via fightforitcompany.com.
And be sure to download the Fight For It app on on The App Store or Google Play to pick your fantasy winners at Fight For It XIV. The pool is free to play and will award the top three scorers with their share of a $500 cash prize.
