Two undefeated prospects will collide for the vacant NLC Lightweight MMA Championship when Roman Belcher faces Braedon Herron in the main event of NLC 48 on August 22 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
Belcher and Herron may each officially hold a 1–0 amateur MMA record, but neither enters this championship fight as an inexperienced competitor.
Representing Category Five Jiu Jitsu, Belcher has established himself as one of the most accomplished and versatile athletes on the NLC roster. The 6-foot-3 lightweight is undefeated across 14 combined amateur MMA, boxing and kickboxing bouts, with an additional draw in kickboxing. He currently holds the NLC Lightweight Kickboxing Championship, NLC Middleweight Boxing Championship and West Virginia Super Welterweight Boxing Championship.
Belcher has won seven consecutive striking and MMA contests since his 2024 draw against Eathan Baker—and that streak grows even longer when his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu victories are included.
His lone MMA appearance came against anything but a typical debut opponent. Belcher faced former NLC Featherweight Champion Griffen Leombruno, who had moved up to the lightweight division for the matchup. Belcher passed that test with a third-round TKO victory, immediately establishing himself as a contender at 155 pounds.
Standing across from him will be Hybrid MMA’s Braedon Herron, a former Kentucky high school state wrestling champion from Elizabethtown.
Herron made an unforgettable MMA debut at NLC 41, stopping Justin Cox just 57 seconds into the opening round. Herron’s powerful slam ended the fight immediately and introduced him as one of the region’s most dangerous young wrestling prospects.
Both men have already developed reputations as difficult opponents to match. Belcher is dangerous on the feet and on the ground, while Herron brings the type of high-level wrestling capable of changing a fight in an instant.
The matchup also adds another chapter to the growing rivalry between Category Five Jiu Jitsu and Hybrid MMA. With an undefeated record, regional bragging rights and the vacant NLC Lightweight MMA Championship on the line, Belcher and Herron will settle it across five three-minute rounds in the NLC 48 main event.
NLC 48 takes place Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
View the complete NLC 48 fight card and purchase your tickets today.
