Charles Bennett steps in to face Cody Stevens in new Big Guns 23 main event
Charles Bennett vs. Cody Stevens
Promoter Matt Trukovich knew there would likely be some card shakeups required when his Big Guns 23 event was forced to be pushed back a week due to damage at their venue, but nobody knew that RFO would bring a legend in to compete at the event.
That’s exactly what’s happening, as longtime MMA veteran Charles “Felony” Bennett (30-31-2) – formerly known as “Krazy Horse” – will step in to face longtime Ohio MMA veteran Cody “The Wolverine” Stevens (12-9-1) next weekend at the Masonic Auditorium in Cleveland.
The 37-year-old Bennett returned to MMA in 2015 after a three-year hiatus, and he’s 4-3 since. All four of his wins have come in under two minutes, including a 7-second TKO over Minoru Kimura at Rizin FF 2 last September. Along with Rizin FF, Bennett has also competed in PRIDE FC, King of the Cage, and EliteXC. He’s known for his antics inside the cage as well as multiple run-ins with the law, which is perhaps the reasoning behind the nickname change.
Stevens returns to action for the first time since October, when he was topped by John De Jesus via TKO in the third round of the main event at Big Guns 20. The bout was marred by a bit of controversy, as the referee refused to stop the bout despite a clear injury to Stevens’ leg.
Stevens is just 1-4 in his last five bouts, but the Strong Style fighter has been focusing on improving and fighting through various injuries. He also opened a gym in his native Mansfield recently. This will be one of the biggest bouts of Stevens’ career, ranking with his fight against Shinya Aoki in 2013.
Big Guns 23 takes place on March 24 at the Masonic Auditorium in Cleveland. The event will stream live via FloCombat.
