Bantamweight Title Headliners Ian Loveland, Casey Olson On Point for Tachi Palace Fights 14

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Tachi Palace Fights bantamweight champion Ian Loveland has been given the green light to defend his belt against Casey Olson at TPF 14 "Validation," as both competitors hit their contracted weights at Thursday’s weigh-ins.

Loveland tipped the scales at 134.4 pounds, while Olson checked in at 135. TPF 14 takes place Friday at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif., and streams live on Sherdog.com. The event also features a featherweight title showdown pitting reigning 145-pound king Georgi Karakhanyan (144.4) against WEC veteran Micah Miller (144.4), as well as a welterweight confrontation between Tachi Palace staple Poppies Martinez (153.4) and Jason Drake (154.6).

Featherweight prospect “Bad” Brad McDonald (144.4) will also compete at the event, as he squares off with 15-fight pro Art Arciniega (146).

Loveland, 28, saw a seven-fight winning streak halted by a pair of UFC appearances last year, when “The Barn Owl” was outpointed by Joseph Benavidez and then Yves Jabouin. After taking nine months away from competition, the Oregonian rebounded from the defeats by capturing Tachi Palace Fights gold on May 10, winning the promotion’s bantamweight title by knocking out Alexander Crispim in just 4:23 at TPF 13.

Olson, meanwhile, has won three straight fights heading into his showdown with Loveland, returning from a two-year absence on March 9 to top Cody Gibson at TPF 12. Prior to his extended leave, “The Underdog” finished Chris Culley at Strikeforce Challengers 4 and then outpointed Shawn Klarcyk at TPF 4 in May 2010.

Tachi Palace Fights 14 Weigh-In Results:

Casey Olson (135) vs. Ian Loveland (134.4)
Georgi Karakhanyan (144.4) vs. Micah Miller (144.4)
Brad McDonald (144.4) vs. Art Arciniega (146)
Ricky Wallace (144.4) vs. Andre Fili (145.4)
Jason Drake (154.6) vs. Poppies Martinez (153.4)
Antonio Duarte (135) vs. Rolando Velasco (136)
Sergio Quinones (145.8) vs. Anthony Avila (145.4)
Angel DeAnda (204.8) vs. Drew Montgomery (204)
Javier Galas (139.6) vs. Alex Perez (139.4)
David Bollea (170.6) vs. Zeth Martin (168.6)
Kristen Gatz (129.2) vs. Jessica Rakoczy (125.4)