Buckeye Fight Night
October in Ohio means football, crisp air, and—this year—a whole lot of cage-fighting chaos. Legends Fight Series Presents Buckeye Fight Night on Saturday, October 24, 2026, bringing 15 aggressive bouts straight to downtown Columbus. Everything goes down inside KEMBA Live!, a venue known for packing the crowd right on top of the action. Between the deep undercard and a main event that regional MMA fans have been circling for months, it is shaping up to be one of the rowdiest nights on the Midwest combat calendar.
A Main Event Nine Months in the Making
At the top of the bill sits the vacant LFS Welterweight Championship. Cincinnati’s own Perry Stargel is stepping up to defend his home state against Appleton, Wisconsin standout Kegan “Machine Gun” Gennrich. Fight fans with a good memory will recognize this matchup. These two were originally booked to throw down back in January 2026 before the fight fell through at the last minute. That false start only added fuel to the fire, and after nine months of unfinished business, the cage door is finally locking behind them.
Perry Stargel Defends Ohio Turf
Representing Vision MMA out of Cincinnati, Perry Stargel walks into Columbus with an 11-9 pro record and the wind back in his sails. He desperately needed a win in August 2026 after hitting a rough three-fight skid—and he delivered in a big way at Shamrock FC 377, handing 4-0 prospect Jacob Highley the first loss of his career by unanimous decision. Stargel has always carried real heat in his hands. Back in his 5-2 amateur days, four of his wins came by knockout, and that heavy-handed style carried right over to the pros. He now holds six professional KO/TKO finishes,none quicker than the 43 seconds it took him to flatten Marcelo Quines at Peak Fighting 28. With a partisan Ohio crowd barking behind him, Stargel will be hunting for Gennrich’s chin from the opening bell.
Kegan Gennrich Brings Big-Show Pedigree
Spoiling the hometown party is the sole mission for Kegan “Machine Gun” Gennrich. Fighting out of Fox Valley Grappling Club, the Wisconsin native holds a sharp 13-5 pro record (after going a perfect 5-0 as an amateur) and is having the best year of his career. He has already fought three times in 2026 and won all three, pushing his active streak to four straight. Look at the names on his recent resume and you see why he is such a problem. In March, he choked out UFC veteran Austin Hubbard with a fourth-round arm-triangle, then followed that up in August by outpointing 36-fight Bellator vet Emmanuel Sanchez. Seven of Gennrich’s pro wins have come by way of submission—including a grueling fifth-round finish over JaCobi Jones at LFA 174—meaning the deeper this championship fight goes, the more dangerous he gets.
Tickets, Doors, and How to Watch
If you are heading to Columbus to catch the fights live, KEMBA Live! is located at 405 Neil Ave. Doors swing open at 6:00 p.m. for the Fan Xperience and the Legends Lounge, with the first pair of fighters making the walk at 7:00 p.m.sharp. Primary tickets are still up for grabs through AXS and PromoWest Live, while resale seats on sites like Vivid Seats are currently hovering between $126 and $162+ depending on how close you want to be to the cage. Can’t make it to the arena? You can still stream the entire card live on Combat Sports Now PPV for $34.99.
Legends Fight Series: Buckeye Fight Night Card
Pro Main Card
- Main Event — LFS Vacant Welterweight Championship (170 lbs | 5 x 5 Min | Pro):
- Perry Stargel (11-9, #29 US Midwest Welterweight) vs. Kegan Gennrich (13-5, #4 US Midwest Lightweight)
- Lightweight Bout (155 lbs | 3 x 5 Min | Pro):
- Cory Dulaney (5-13, #214 US Midwest Lightweight) vs. Jimmy Sandlin (12-14-1, #38 US Midwest Lightweight)
Amateur Main Card
- Welterweight Bout (170 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Josh Hoschar (0-3, Unranked) vs. Caleb Garner (0-2, #657 US Midwest Am. Welterweight)
- Flyweight Bout (125 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Frank Lasota (3-4, #110 US Midwest Am. Flyweight) vs.Colton Elser (4-6, #183 US Midwest Am. Bantamweight)
- Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Dashawn Haynes (2-2, #193 US Midwest Am.Bantamweight) vs. Armando Lopez (3-4, #207 US Midwest Am. Bantamweight)
- Light Heavyweight Bout (205 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Brody Rutledge (3-1, #51 US Midwest Am. Light Heavyweight) vs. Jacob Ray Ross (3-2, #59 US Midwest Am. Light Heavyweight)
- Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Nathan Johnson (1-0, #308 US Midwest Am.Featherweight) vs. Jonathan Piatt (0-0, Unranked)
- Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Cameron Lehman (1-1, #370 US Midwest Am.Featherweight) vs. Sean Whaler (2-1, #156 US Midwest Am. Bantamweight)
- Catchweight / Heavyweight Bout (225 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Christian Ramirez (0-0, Unranked) vs.Benedict John Paul (1-0, #104 US Midwest Am. Heavyweight)
- Featherweight Bout (145 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Matthew Devoll (0-0, Unranked) vs. Anthony John Paul (0-1, #524 US Midwest Am. Featherweight)
- Featherweight Bout (145 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Marc Izzi (2-1, #228 US Southeast Am. Featherweight) vs. Brandon Pietroytys (0-0, Unranked)
- Welterweight Bout (170 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Danny Beebe (2-0, #134 US Midwest Am. Welterweight) vs. Diego Sterling (0-0, Unranked)
- Heavyweight Bout (265 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Austin Grundy (1-0, Unranked) vs. Peyton Woosley (0-2,#275 US Midwest Am. Heavyweight)
- Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Ashton Bray (0-3, #501 US Midwest Am.Bantamweight) vs. Damount Anthony (0-4, #518 US Midwest Am. Bantamweight)
- Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs | 3 x 3 Min | Amateur):
- Nate Deeds (0-0, Unranked) vs. Nathaniel Goodwin (0-3,#509 US Midwest Am. Bantamweight)
