As Battlefield Fight League fans already know, Denis Kang (33-12-2) was set to face Jesse “JT Money” Taylor (18-6) at BFL 7: “Invasion” in Nanaimo, B.C. on March, 26th. Both men are ranked within the world’s Top-30 middleweights, which made this match arguably the most significant ever set for a main event at a regional B.C. promotion.

Then, with just ten days remaining until fight night, disaster struck as Kang was forced to withdraw with a bicep tear.

As they say, however, all good things come to those who wait. That is true in this case as Nanaimo’s rabid MMA fan-base will get a second shot at seeing this epic showdown at BFL8 on May 28th. In fact, all tickets for Battlefield 8 have been reduced in price by 20 to 30%. After watching Taylor positionally dominate the BFL7 main event over B.C.’s physically-larger Clay Davidson (5-3), many fans will be even more eager now to see how Kang, who grew up just across the pond in Vancouver, fares.

Whether they know it or not, MMA fans all across B.C. owe Kang a small debt of gratitude. Before departing for Korea and Japan, where Denis enjoyed most of his stunning mid-career twenty-three fight unbeaten streak, Kang was an integral player in MMA’s original rise to prominence in the province. Indeed, back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Kang helped lay groundwork for MMA’s B.C. future by claiming five wins on home soil, while suffering no losses and earning one no-contest. He also headlined three of those six events, which took place in both Vancouver and Kelowna.

Kang’s last appearance in B.C. came in 2002 when he headlined a major professional MMA event at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre. It was World Freestyle Fighting 4: “Civil War,” where Kang competed alongside such current and former MMA stars as Bill Mahood (20-7-1), Nick Ring (11-0) and Ivan Menjivar (21-8). Interestingly, it was this last win in B.C. that truly launched Kang onward to greater glory as it marked the beginning of his now-legendary unblemished streak.

Now, just over nine years later, after a once-defended Sprit-MC heavyweight championship, seven PRIDE fights, three UFC bouts, and one injury-delay, one of B.C.’s most accomplished mixed martial artists will finally return to where it all started.

At BFL8, the consummately well-rounded Kang will look to build on the momentum of his controversial draw against world-class middleweight Paulo Filho (22-2-1) in Australia last July, but he’ll face stiff competition from a dyed-in-the-wool wrestler in Taylor. A stand-out at the legendary Team Quest gym, “JT Money” is currently riding a four fight win streak and has gone 12-3 against top competition ever since his lone UFC fight in 2008.

Along with a stellar main card featuring many up-and-coming B.C. fighters making their long-awaited professional debuts, BFL8 will be topped by a B.C. legend in Kang and the relentlessly resilient Taylor who square-off for a continued shot at something those 0-0 youngsters can currently only dream of — a permanent spot in MMA’s history books.

Ticket Information for Battlefield 8:
http://www.battlefieldfl.com/bfl8-seating-chart/
Fight Card for Battlefield 8:
http://battlefieldfight.com/bfl8/