Active Varner Headlines XFC, Titan Events on HDNet

The 26-year-old will headline two events airing live on HDNet inside of one month. First, Varner will lock horns with Alonzo Martinez on Sept. 23 in the Titan Fighting Championship 20 main event before headlining Nate Jolly on Oct. 21. Officials announced both matchups on Tuesday.

Varner once ruled the World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight division, knocking out Rob McCullough in 2008 to win promotion's championship. Varner defended his belt twice successfully over the next year, knocking out Marcus Hicks and edging out Donald Cerrone via technical split decision.

Recently, however, Varner has fallen on hard times, losing his title to Ben Henderson in January 2010 and following that defeat with a split draw against Kamal Shalorus.

The lightweight then suffered back-to-back defeats that saw him dispelled from the promotion, dropping a clear-cut, unanimous decision to Cerrone in their rematch before submitting to Shane Roller this past December at WEC 53.

Now training with AMA Fight Club in New Jersey, Varner returned to his wining ways in May, submitting Tyler Combs with a north-south choke at XFO 39 while competing as a welterweight.