Tag: Tuff-N-Uff

Press Release – The next superstars of mixed martial arts are returning to action in Las Vegas, and Sin City’s Cox Pavilion for the first time welcomes the nation’s premier amateur mixed martial arts organization.

“Tuff-N-Uff: The Future Stars of MMA,” in association with Justice Entertainment Group, heads to the Cox Pavilion on Friday, May 27, with the 12-bout event “Tuff-N-Uff: Church vs. Jordan,” featuring a middleweight title fight and a host of explosive matchups.

One of the exciting fights features an intriguing lightweight matchup between undefeated prospects Matt Church (5-0) and David Jordan (6-0).

A two-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran, Church looks to build on the momentum of a stunning 22-second knockout of previously undefeated fan favorite Trace Gray. The always-exciting

Throwdown product has gone to the distance just once in his career, and another stoppage win would put him in a prime position to challenge for the Tuff-N-Uff 155-pound title.

Meanwhile, Jordan returns to the Tuff-N-Uff cage for the first time since November 2010. The 21-year-old Team Beastman fighter has a penchant for taking fighters into deep waters, with four third-round victories on his résumé. Jordan has his eyes on a successful professional career, and a second win under the Tuff-N-Uff banner would be step in the right direction.

The night’s co-feature sees Tuff-N-Uff middleweight championEdmond Xhelili (5-1, pictured to the left) put his belt on the line against top contender Ben Sergent (9-1).

Xhelili earned the belt with a March 2010 decision victory over Tim Bowman and returned this past March to defend the belt in a grudge match with Jason Richey. Xhelili sports a 5-0 mark in the Tuff-N-Uff cage and looks to keep that record unblemished against Sergent, a Kentucky native who made his promotional debut in March.

Sergent has yet to fight to a decision in his amateur career, and six of his victories have come via submission.

“This is an exciting new era in our promotion’s history, and I think we’ve put together a card worthy of the occasion,” Tuff-N-Uff president Barry Meyer said. “We constantly strive to feature the sport’s brightest prospects, and May 27 is no exception. The four contestants involved in the evening’s two featured bouts own a combined 25-2 record. “Add in a full slate of bouts featuring up-and-coming fighters from some of the world’s top camps, and we’re prepared to rock the Cox Pavilion.”

In additional featured action a featherweight grudge match sees Larry Mir (2-3, pictured to the right) seek revenge against Chris Barden (1-0).

Barden made his amateur debut in October 2009 with a first-round knockout of Mir’s teammate, Justin Vadnais. Mir now seeks revenge while also hoping to snap a two-fight losing streak.

Other intriguing matchups at the May 27 event include a featherweight bout between unbeaten prospectsShane Benbow (2-0) and Cesar Campos (4-0), as well as appearances by Tuff-N-Uff fan favorites Troy Remer (3-0), Rudy Morales (2-1), Tyler Jeppesen (2-1) and Damian Jackson (2-0).

In addition to the night’s featured contests, a full lineup of aspiring amateur fighters from some of the world’s top academies – including, TapouT, Team Cascao, Throwdown, Wand Fight Team and Xtreme Couture – will compete at Tuff-N-Uff’s May 27 event.

Tickets for “Tuff-N-Uff: Future Stars of MMA!” which start at just $20, are available at UNLVTickets.com and TuffNUff.net.

The full fight card is available for viewing at TuffNUff.net.

Come see the future stars of mixed martial arts!

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.

Press Release

Long before Barry Meyer was a member of martial arts’ Masters Hall of Fame, the tae kwon do black belt was a fight fan, and he remembers fondly Nov. 12, 1993 – the day the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first event and revolutionized modern combat sports.

Now 17 years to the day after that landmark event, Meyer is celebrating the anniversary of the birth of MMA by once again bringing the sport’s brightest amateur prospects together for another action-packed night of fighting.

The president of Las Vegas’ Tuff-N-Uff Fighting Championships, Meyer is proud to announce Tuff-N-Uff’s return to the Orleans Hotel & Casino’s Mardi Gras Ballroom in Las Vegas on Friday, Nov. 12.

The ladies take center stage on Nov. 12, and Tuff-N-Uff kicks off an eight-woman female tournament that culminates in February and sees the promotion crown its first-ever 145-pound female champion.

Tickets for Tuff-N-Uff’s Nov. 12 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.

Leading the 145-pound tournament field is early favorite Ronda Rousey (1-0). While the 23-year-old Rousey is still young in her mixed martial arts career, the two-time Olympic judoka carries high expectations. Owning some of the most impressive credentials in the history of U.S. judo, Rousey counts a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games among her many accomplishments.

Rousey takes on gritty Team Quest product Autumn Richardson (3-1) in an opening round contest. The 27-year-old Richardson, a four-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran, carries a two-fight win streak to the ring in her bid for Tuff-N-Uff’s 145-pound crown.

On the opposite side of the bracket, undefeated 19-year-old prospect Taylor Stratford (5-0) stands poised as another likely contender. Since turning pro in November 2009, Stratford has reeled-off five-straight wins and is widely considered among the best 145-pound prospects in the nation.

Opposing Stratford is debuting Team Quest product Shauna Dugger (0-0). A boxing specialist, Dugger enters the matchup as the underdog, but her team warns opponents that underestimating her chances would be unwise.

The remainder of the eight-woman field will be announced in the coming weeks, but with four entrants already official, expect one of the most ambitious amateur tournaments ever held in the women’s 145-pound class.

“It’s amazing to see how for mixed martial arts has progressed in just 17 years,” Meyer said. “I remember watching the first UFC live on pay-per-view, and I knew immediately that I had to be involved in the sport.

“For mixed martial arts to now be attracting Olympic veterans at the amateur level just 17 years later shows how wonderful this sport is and how bright the future can be.”

Winners from the Nov. 12 tournament bouts return for the semifinals on Jan. 7, 2011, while the finals will be conducted on Feb. 11.

In addition to the female tournament bouts, Tuff-N-Uff’s Nov. 12 event also hosts a number of intriguing matchups in the men’s division.

In middleweight action, Xtreme Couture’s Zach Conley (3-1) meets Wand Fight Team’s Matt Dahlkemper (3-0). A four-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran, Conley looks to rebound from the lone loss of his career, while Dahlkemper hopes to keeps his unblemished record intact in this contest of rival Las Vegas camps.

Meanwhile, Team Tompkins lightweight Jonathon Rodeffer (7-2) meets newcomer Shane Johnson (0-0) of Xtreme Couture in a battle of experience vs. highly-touted youth.

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, Fasi/Drysdale, Legends MMA, Striking Unlimited, TapouT Las Vegas and Xtreme Couture – will compete at Tuff-N-Uff’s Nov. 12 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.