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MARSHALL, THATCH SCORE WINS AT RING OF FIRE 39
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Saturday,
August 28, 2010 - by Ken Pishna and J.R. Gordon - MMAWeekly.com
(Photos by April Pishna, courtesy
of Ring of Fire)
DENVER – The historic Fillmore Auditorium, home
of UFC 2 and the first Ultimate Ultimate tournament (when it was named
the Mammoth Event Center), hosted Ring of Fire’s “Summer Brawl” on
Friday night.
Eliot Marshall and Josh Haynes, each an “Ultimate
Fighter” veteran trying to find his way back to the UFC, squared off in
the light heavyweight main event. Haynes pressed early with powerful
punches and did a good job stopping many of Marshall’s takedown
attempts. Marshall progressively edged ahead as the fight wore on,
establishing a strong jab and solidifying the fight by nearly finishing
with a rear naked choke in round three.
Marshall walked out of
the cage with a unanimous decision victory in his first fight since
exiting the UFC on a loss to Vladimir Matyushenko.
It surely
wasn’t enough to land him right back in the Octagon, but it’s a step
forward for Marshall.
“I’ll be back in the gym on Monday,” he
said after the fight. “I got work to do.”
The co-main event
featured local favorite Brandon “Rukus” Thatch in an amazing return to
the cage. It was his first fight in more than a year and a half after
suffering a broken neck when a chiropractor tried to make an adjustment
for a misplace disk.
Thinking he would never fight again, Thatch
returned with a vengeance, and a new team in Grudge Training Center.
Primarily a striker in the past, Thatch showed tremendous improvement in
his grappling game, taking Danny Davis Jr. to the mat, working his way
into a fight ending rear naked choke late in the opening round.
In
one of the most action packed fights of the night, Ring of Fire women’s
Young Guns champion Michelle Blalock had one of the toughest fights of
her young career. Marciea “Black Widow” Allen took the fight to Blalock
from the opening bell, landing a couple head kicks early in the fight.
Blalock came back strong, but lost a point after multiple warnings for
holding on to the fence.
Blalock came close to finishing with a
rolling Kneebar in round two, but Allen escaped, the two women bruising
each other with a furious exchange of punches and kicks.
Blalock
scored a takedown early in round three and was finally able to work into
full mount and finish the fight with a punishing attack of elbows that
had referee Eric Heinz calling a stop to the fight.
It was a
tremendous effort by both women that had the crowd on its feet, Allen
laid out on her back, and Blalock without the steam to remain on her
feet after the finish, a huge mouse under her left eye.
Professional
Bouts:
-Eliot Marshall def. Josh Haynes by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Brandon
Thatch def. Danny Davis Jr. by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:12,
R1
-Angelo Duarte def. Ron Muir by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Bruce
Ries def. Vellore Caballero by TKO (Strikes) at 0:27, R2
Elimination
(Amateur) Bouts:
-Michelle Blalock def. Marciea Allen by TKO
(Strikes) at 1:57, R3
-Todd Meredith def. Tyrone Wright by Verbal
Submission (Rib Injury) at 2:10, R1
-Chasen Finkelstein def. Howie
Spratte by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Zach Walsh def. Olajuwon Rodgers
by Verbal Submission at 0:48, R2
-Richard Delfin def. Cody Freeman by
Unanimous Decision, R3
-Steve Hanna def. Larry Williams by
Submission (Armbar) at 2:33, R1
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RING GIRL SEARCH FINALS TONIGHT!!
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It's that time!! It's week 3 of the RING GIRL SEARCH hosted by ROFMMA's own Miranda. Come watch the finalists from weeks 1 and 2 see how they stack up to this weeks entries.
The INK'D OUT crew will be in the house, and the CLVR TV team will be there filmning the festivities.
Ladies there is still time to enter!!!
$500.00 in cash and prizes for first place, $250.00 in cash and prizes for second. All girls who enter get a free ticket to SUMMERBRAWL.
Competition will be held at Lucky Strike Wednesday August 25th.
To enter contact Miranda 402-750-7551 or miranda_renner@hotmail.com
50% OF TOTAL SCORE IS BASED ON CROWD SUPPORT, SO LADIES BRING YOUR LOUDEST FRIENDS!!
We'll see you at the Strike!
SUMMERBRAWL OFFICIAL WEIGH IN THURSDAY
WHAT: SUMMERBRAWL OFFICIAL WEIGH IN
WHEN: Thursday, August 26th, 2010, 7:00 PM
WHERE: Dave & Busters Westminster Showroom
Come on over to the SUMMERBRAWL OFFICIAL WEIGH IN at Dave & Busters Westminster. The event is open to the public so grab your cammera and watch as the fighters weigh in, and get nose to nose for the first time. There is no better place to be to get pumped up for Friday's event.
DIRECTIONS:
From US Hwy 36/the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, take the Church Ranch Blvd/104th Ave exit and head north 1 block to the mall's entrance drive. You may use the following Google map to the Westminster Promenade dining and entertainment mall to get a better idea of where you'll be heading.
Click HERE for More Info!
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INTRODUCING MARCIEA THE BLACK WIDOW ALLEN
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Fresh off her Young Guns
Championship victory at ROF 38, Michelle THE BOBCAT Blalock returns to
competition. Blalocks skill set improves with each outing, and at ROF 38 she
controlled her opponent for all 3 rounds. No small task considering her opponent
was a world class wrestler. Now holding a 4-0 record in MMA, she is a force to
be reckoned with. Michelle will be facing Marciea THE BLACK WIDOW
Allen from Watertown, SD. Marciea is a freestyle fighter training out
of the MMA Factory. She has a 3-1 record with 2 KO's and is an incredibly
conditioned athlete. Sometimes training three times a day, her natural athletic
ability makes her a nightmare for opposing fighters. This non title fight will
be contested at 130 lbs.
What are your thoughts on your
opponent?
I try not to focus on the opponent I'm facing. My
personal opinion is when you get caught up in your opponent it takes the focus
away on what's more important and that's playing my game.`
What do you think are the keys to victory
in this match up?
Being able to capture on every mistake that my opponent
makes is going to be the key to victory in this match up.
What is the importance of this fight to
you?
Being able to take all the experience that I've gained
and utilizing it in every aspect of the fight.
How do you feel about fighting on a RING OF
FIRE event?
It's truly an honor to fight for RING OF FIRE. It's not
every day a fighter gets asked to fight for such a large promotion.
Do you have a message to
the fans?
It's going to be a good one you don't want to miss it.
If the fans don't know me now they definitely will get to know me. I would like
to leave a lasting impression that they won't forget.
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What are your thoughts on thoughts on
your opponent Eliot Marshall?
This is a great fight. I am
very excited for the opportunity to face an opponent of Eliot's caliber. This is
one of those style match ups that is very dependent on who can impose their game
and dictate the flow of the fight. I have been on a bit of a break from the
game and this is a hell of a fight to come back to. Eliot is a legit fighter
who has had a fair amount of success. He offers a challenge in his fighting
style that I am very interested in figuring out.
I have respect for the man
and when it is all over I'll be the first to buy him a drink. I think he would
agree though, when that cage door closes it's time to whoop some ass, and it
just so happens that whooping ass is something I'm pretty good
at.
What do you think are the keys to
victory in this match up?
Work hard, sweat a lot, bleed some,
give up all your free time and embrace the process. Victory is a decision! It is
an absolute refusal to quit, to fail! My biggest fear isn't the fight, it's not
the man, it's the fear of losing. I use that motivation to drive me to train
harder. Victory is earned, it is never given, it will not be any different in
this fight.
What is the importance of this
fight to you?
This fight is extremely important. Every fight
is! I want this fight and I want this win. I am looking forward to this chance
to get back into the game. If I make things happen as I plan this is just the
first step in my climb back to the UFC. I appreciate Ring Of Fire and Eliot
Marshal giving me this opportunity, I fully intend to make the most of
it!
How do you feel about fighting on a RING
OF FIRE event?
Ring Of Fire is giving me a great opportunity.
There I a solid stable of fighters associated with ROF an a lot of potential
for some great fights. I am looking to find an organization that I can stay with
for a bit and this may be a great fit.
Do
you have a message to the fans?
My only message is this. I
hope to put on a great show for the fans. I appreciate the fact that you would
take time out of your schedule to spend a night with us fighters and the ROF
organization. I can assure you that my coach, Shawn Tompkins and my training
partners at Tapout Training Center will have me ready to go. I expect no less
from Eliot Marshal an his camp.
This will be a war and I fully intend to be
standing when it I over. Just don't blink, it might be that fast.
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Miranda, Ring of Fire's Offical Ring Girl, is looking for
some help for the August 27th Summer Brawl MMA show at the Fillmore, downtown!
1st place is $500 in cash and prizes 2nd place is $250 in cash and
prizes!
Competition will be held at Lucky Strike Wednesday August 11th,
18th, and 25th.
These will be 3 separate contests with the winners of
week 1,2,and 3 competing in the finale after the 3rd competition on August 25th.
To enter contact Miranda 402-750-7551 or miranda_renner@hotmail.com
50%
OF TOTAL SCORE IS BASED ON CROWD SUPPORT, SO LADIES BRING YOUR LOUDEST FRIENDS!!
We'll see you at the Strike!
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