NASHVILLE--Caleb Plant has vowed to bring the heat to his upcoming title defense. Vincent Feigenbutz has already countered by bringing the Fire.

The visiting mandatory challenger from Karlsruhe, Germany didn’t waste any time making new friends from the moment he arrived in Music City for his title fight versus Ashland City’s Plant (19-0, 11KOs). The two collide this weekend at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena (Saturday, FOX, 8:00pm ET/7:00pm local), which is the home to the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and previously to the Nashville Kats of the now-defunct Arena Football League.

Roughly 20 miles south exists a new game in town, with the Music City Fire set to begin its inaugural season with the Elite Indoor Football League. Their home games will take place at the Williamson County AG Expo Center in Franklin, Tennessee [Writer’s note: also the adopted hometown of this scribe], beginning in March. The team decided to get a head start on its marketing strategy, courtesy of this weekend’s challenger.

“I am a very big fan of (American) football,” Feigenbutz (31-2, 28KOs) told krikya360.com, while proudly clutching a Fire football helmet and escorted by Sparky, the team’s mascot. “We bonded with them immediately and with everyone else we've met. People here are very excited to meet a real boxer, since none of them or anyone else here has ever heard of Caleb Plant.”

The union has all been a part of Feigenbutz embracing the city ever since he and his team arrived more than a week ago. His family claims to be huge fans of Johnny Cash, with the team having frequented country music museums and taking in all that Nashville’s famed Broadway strip and downtown area has to offer.

It has resonated with at least one faction of the city.  

“This football team for Nashville have all bought ringside tickets from us,” revealed Feigenbutz, a claim validated by Fire personnel on hand for Thursday’s final pre-fight press conference. “We had to do it, we want to see people at this event. Nobody is here to see Caleb.

“The only people here who know who he is, want to see Caleb Plant go down. That is what I will do for my fans here in Nashville, since he doesn't have any of his own.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox