(Tucson, Arizona) — Take downs, tackles, turnovers. Thinking college football? Think again. More fierce, raw, and intense than what any stadium has to offer, cage fighting is back and is live at the Diamond Center. Friday, September 15th, Desert Diamond Casino is playing matchmaker with the budding new extreme sport and Southern Arizona by once again hosting a full-fledged night of Rage in the Cage..
Special guests and UFC megastars, Joe Riggs and Kyle Kingsbury, will also be in attendance. Tickets range from $25 to $100 in advance and are on sale now. They can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location, by calling 520-321-1000, by contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com. Doors open at 7:00 P.M. The action begins at 8:00 P.M.
With sixteen scheduled fights, including three title bouts, Rage in the Cage 86 boasts of a mixture of top local fighters and out-of-town favorites. Headlining the event is Tucsonan and RITC Southwest Lightweight titleholder, Robert “The Pounding Puerto Rican” Maldonado (10-5). He last appeared at the Diamond Center on November 11, 2005, where he earned a win against Gabe Casillas. He is putting his title on the line as he takes on former wrestler and Globe resident, Yaotzin Meza (6-3).
Marquis Navarro (3-0) fighting out of Tucson will go up against Phoenix’s Rich Alten (4-2), who boasts of 6% body fat, in the RITC Southwest Light Heavyweight Title co-main event. They’re joined by another Tucson-Phoenix combo: John Smith (12-2) and Seth Beczynski (5-3). Baczynski and Smith will round out the title bouts of the evening, vying to be called the RITC International Middleweight champion. Jon Gilbert (3-0) and Justin Dusek (16-1) will battle it out in the third and final co-main event.
Fighters on the undercard include: Steve Breen (2-2), Jon Tsosie (4-4), Shannon Green (2-1), Sean Ballantine (3-1), George Roop (2-1), Robert Davis (3-3), Daniel Porter (2-2), DJ Hollingsworth (0-4), Sonny Howard (0-0), Miguel Garcia (1-0), Bret Whitley (0-0), Jeremy Larsen (0-0), Allan Gressler (0-0), Dave Graf (0-0), Rudy Baez (0-0), Nic Stone (0-0), Justin Vnenchak (0-0), John Ivicevic (1-1), Joe Stojak (1-3), Cameron Mayer (1-3), Jason Sterling (1-2), Eric Regan (0-3), Daniel Hinsen (0-0), and Stevie Maulstby (0-0).
Treena Parvello, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, commented, “After a three month break we’re bringing Rage in the Cage back to Southern Arizona. The fan base in the area is enormous and we’re pleased to offer them a venue to see the excitement live in their own backyard. September 15th will be a night where great champions are sure to emerge.”
Desert Diamond Casino, with locations on Nogales Highway minutes from the Tucson International Airport and just off of I-19 on Pima Mine Road, and the Golden Hasan in Why, Arizona are enterprises of the Tohono O’odham Nation. Further information can be found at http://www.desertdiamondcasino.com/ or by calling 866-DDC-WINS.