Joe Soto Returns Against Eddie Yagin at TPF 10; DeJesus Suspended by Athletic Commission

Joe Soto

A tough run for former Tachi Palace Fights featherweight champion Isaac DeJesus has opened the door for former Bellator champion Joe Soto to return to his roots and fight for a belt in his first bout since September 2010.

Soto will return to Tachi Palace, a venue he called home early in his career, to fight for the Tachi Palace featherweight title on Aug. 5 as he takes on Eddie Yagin.

The bouts were confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by Tachi Palace Fights coordinator Jeremy Luchau on Friday. Soto’s return was first reported by MMAJunkie.com.

Meanwhile, DeJesus has not only been stripped of his Tachi Palace Fights featherweight title due to missing weight for his last fight against Russ Miura, but he’s also been suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for a failed drug test.

California State Athletic Commission officials confirmed with MMAWeekly.com on Friday that DeJesus tested positive for marijuana following his last fight and has been suspended for six months and fined $500.

Due to the suspension and being stripped of his belt, DeJesus will obviously not be fighting at the Tachi Palace Fights show in August, so Soto vs. Yagin has been plugged in as a third title fight on the night’s card.

Joe Soto (9-1) returns to his roots at Tachi Palace, but more importantly returns to fighting after suffering a detached retina in his last fight against Joe Warren that also cost him the Bellator featherweight title. After Soto completely dominated Warren early in the fight, he got caught in the second round and knocked out. The diagnosis after the fight was a scary prospect for the young fighter.

Soto was told he may never fight again, but months of rehab and healing time allowed him to get back in the ring.

Eddie Yagin (13-4-1) gets the fight with Soto coming off a loss to former UFC fighter Diego Saraiva, but prior to that defeat he had reeled off five victories in a row.

The bout between Soto and Yagin will be the third title fight on the upcoming Tachi Palace Fights 10 show with both the flyweight and middleweight titles being defended on the card as well.

Damon Martin is the lead staff writer and radio host for MMAWeekly.com.
Follow @DamonMartin on Twitter or e-mail Damon a question or comment.

Follow MMAWeekly.com on Twitter and Facebook.