Tuff-N-Uff Festibrawl Set for Jan. 18 in Las Vegas

[keithlewis]

Tuff-N-Uff Festibrawl Set for Jan. 18 in Las Vegas


With a new year upon us, the world's premier amateur mixed-martial-arts promotion is back and better than ever with the company's first "Festibrawl" of 2013.

"Tuff-N-Uff: The Future Stars of MMA" returns to Las Vegas' South Point Arena on Friday, Jan. 18, for the latest installment of its now-legendary nights of entertainment filled with high-paced MMA action, live music, free beer sampling and some of Sin City's finest BBQ for the promotion's one-of-a-kind "Festibrawl."

"We had a fantastic year in 2012 and believe really found some of the sport's next stars in both the male and female divisions," Tuff-N-Uff president Barry Meyer said. "We're back at South Point Arena on Jan. 18 with another exciting lineup of four championship bouts, a tournament-final matchup and a few very intriguing grudge matches. We looking forward to kicking off the new year in style and proving again why Tuff-N-Uff really is home to the future stars of mixed martial arts."

The "Festibrawl" pre-party, which includes food, drinks and live music, starts at 5 p.m. The night's first fight is at 7 p.m.

The "Tuff-N-Uff: Festibrawl" main event sees a highly anticipated rematch between Cobra Kai flyweight Carlo Juinio (4-2) and Team RYU's Shai Lindsey (2-2). As nearly 3 million YouTube viewers can attest, Juinio scored one of the most memorable knockouts in Tuff-N-Uff history in the pair's first meeting in a flyweight tournament semifinal bout. Lindsey, known as one of the most exciting fighters in the promotion, was caught with a crushing front kick to the face just moments after lifting his arms in a showboating taunt.

Despite the incredible win, injury forced Juinio out of the tournament, and Lindsey was brought back into the bracket as a replacement fighter. Lindsey went on to win the tournament title with a decision victory over Bryce Harley, but Juinio is now back to claim the belt he believes was never Lindsey's to claim.

In additional featured action, Syndicate product and Tuff-N-Uff welterweight champion Kawika Lagasca (3-1) defends his title against undefeated welterweight prospect Jeff "The Bullet" Roman (4-0). Aptly nicknamed, "The Bullet" is unquestionably the most dangerous opponent Lagasca has ever faced, as Roman has yet to see an opponent last more than 54 seconds with him in the cage. This past October, Roman needed just 10 seconds to score a TKO win over Joshua Bleeker and earn his shot at Lagasca, who seeks to defend his title for the first time.

In a bantamweight tournament final bout, red-hot Wand Fight team product Donovan Frelow (5-1) meets rebounding House of RYU fighter Jesse Romero (5-4). Frelow advanced to the finals of the 135-pound bracket with a submission win of Corey Jeffers, marking the 27-year-old's fourth-straight win by stoppage. Meanwhile, Romero snapped a three-fight losing streak with an upset submission win of Edy Sanchez. The result came after a one-year break from competition, and Romero showed impressive development in his first action following the time away from the cage.

Additionally, Tuff-N-Uff remains committed to the women's game, as Xtreme Couture's Kari Lichtenwalner (2-4) drops from 135 pounds to meet New Mexico's Raquel Ramirez (1-1) in a 125-pound bout. The former home of the first-ever female UFC champion Ronda Rousey, Tuff-N-Uff has hosted more amateur female bouts than any promotion in the nation.

In addition to the night's headlining contests, a full lineup of aspiring amateur fighters from some of the world's top academies – including Cobra Kai, Fallen Not Forgotten, One Kick Nick, Team Cavalcanti, Ream Richard Steele, House of RYU, Syndicate, Ten Tigers Martial Arts, Wand Fight Team and Xtreme Couture – will compete at Tuff-N-Uff's Jan. 18 "Festibrawl."

Tickets for the event, which start at just $25, are available by calling the South Point Arena Box Office at (702) 796-7111 or online at SouthPointArena.com.

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

Come see the future stars of mixed martial arts.