Press Release
Las Vegas has long been known as “The Fight Capital of the World,” and now a group of Sin City-based fighters will get a chance to prove it.
Las Vegas’ premier amateur mixed martial arts organization is proud to announce the promotion’s return to the Orleans Hotel & Casino’s Mardi Gras Ballroom in Las Vegas on Friday, Jan. 7, with the 15-bout event “Tuff-N-Uff: Las Vegas vs. 10th Planet Riverside.”
Fighters from top Las Vegas gym such as Xtreme Couture and Striking Unlimited unite to take on a crew from California’s 10th Planet Riverside academy.
In addition to the six-bout Las Vegas vs. 10th Planet Riverside series, the Jan. 7 event will also feature two quarterfinal matches in Tuff-N-Uff’s talent-laden 145-pound tournament, which kicked off this past November.
“Las Vegas is home to many of MMA’s top training facilities,” Tuff-N-Uff president Barry Meyer said. “But as the sport continues to grow, there are great academies opening all over the country, and 10th Planet Riverside is one of those outstanding gyms. With this event, we’ll get to see which camp has the best up-and-coming fighters.”
Tickets for Tuff-N-Uff’s Jan. 7 event, which start at just $25, are available at the Orleans Hotel & Casino’s box office or online at OrleansCasino.com and TuffNUff.net.
Fans from around the globe can watch the fights live at GoFightLive.com or TuffNUff.net, while highlights of the action air in more than 47 million homes across the nation on Tuff-N-Uff’s weekly highlights show on SportsSouth and Sun Sports.
Headlining the Las Vegas vs. 10th Planet Riverside series are undefeated lightweights Jake Swinney (3-0) and Trace Gray.
Fighting out of Xtreme Couture, Swinney seeks to keep his unblemished mark intact as the head of the Las Vegas squad. The four-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran fought most recently September 24th defeating Travis Wright of 10th planet in 24 seconds of the 1st round. His other wins include a unanimous decision win over Marco Davila. Swinney’s previous other wins both came via submission.
Meanwhile, Gray also seeks his fourth-straight win. The three-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran made his debut in August and has quickly rattled off three consecutive wins, including a 30-second TKO victory in October.
There will be more than just pride on the line in the Swinney vs. Gray matchup, as the winner is likely to be tapped for a future shot at the lightweight title.
The remaining lineup includes fighters from famed Las Vegas academies Striking Unlimited and Xtreme Couture teaming up in battle for bragging rights against Southern California’s 10th Planet Riverside academy.
Additionally, Tuff-N-Uff continues its ambitious 145-pound tournament with Jessamyn Duke (1-0) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-0) and Tori Adams (2-0) vs. Tamikka Brents (4-0-1).
The 5-foot-11 Duke hails from Kentucky’s AFS Academy. A Muay Thai specialist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt, the 24-year-old made her debut in October and earned a first-round victory via submission due to strikes. Duke also sports an amateur kickboxing record.
Meanwhile, Evans-Smith trains out of California’s Gladiator Training Academy under the tutelage of UFC and Strikeforce veteran Eugene Jackson. A high school wrestling standout Evans-Smith has pro aspirations, and winning the Tuff-N-Uff 145-pound tournament would certainly be a step in the right direction.
Adams is a highly decorated wrestler who earned a pair of national championships while in high school and has twice earned the spots on the U.S. national team. Adams has opened her MMA career with two stoppage wins, including a November submission win over two-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran Tsui-Jen Cunanan.
A Navy veteran, Brent is undefeated through the first six fights of her career. Training out of Illinois’ Warrior Concepts academy, Brents relies on a wrestling base that has earned her three stoppage wins in five total victories.
The quarterfinal winners return for the tournament’s semifinals in February. The Duke vs. Evans-Smith winner draws two-time Olympic judoka Ronda Rousey, while the Adams vs. Brent winner faces undefeated 19-year-old prospect Taylor Stratford.
In addition to the night’s featured matchups, a full lineup of aspiring amateur fighters from some of the world’s top academies – including 10th Planet Riverside, Legends MMA, Striking Unlimited, Team Tompkins, TapouT Las Vegas, Throwdown and Xtreme Couture – will compete at Tuff-N-Uff’s Jan. 7 event.
The full fight card is available for viewing at TuffNUff.net, and the entire event will stream live on GoFightLive.tv.
Come see the future stars of mixed martial arts.