Mixed martial arts veteran lightweight Isaac Vallie-Flagg has signed a contract with World Series of Fighting.
Vallie-Flagg’s first bout for the promotion will be September 18, when he takes on Estevan Payan.
Multiple sources confirmed the news to Bleacher Report on Thursday afternoon.
Vallie-Flagg’s career began on the independent scene in 2003, and he signed with Strikeforce in 2011. After winning two consecutive fights in the promotion, he was moved to the UFC after Zuffa purchased Strikeforce from its previous owners. He dropped three consecutive losses, however, and was released by the UFC late in 2014.
Vallie-Flagg returned to the independent scene where he began his career, scoring a win over Travis Coyle in June. He then signed with Titan Fighting but lost to Jason Witt via disqualification when he landed an illegal knee to Witt, who was grounded at the time. Witt was unable to continue, and the fight was ruled a DQ loss for Vallie-Flagg.
Vallie-Flagg, known as “Ike” by those in the MMA space, has been a longtime member of the Jackson’s MMA gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico, training under the tutelage of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn alongside Jon Jones, Clay Guida, Cub Swanson and others.
Payan, who trains out of Arizona Combat Sports, is also a veteran of the MMA scene, with a career record of 16-8 dating back to 2007. He has fought for Strikeforce and the UFC, and this will also be his first fight under the WSOF banner.
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