HIGH COUNTRY HARLEY presents
RING OF FIRE 30: DOMINATION!!
8-25-2007
Denver,
CO
RING
OF FIRE 30 MAIN CARD ANNOUNCED!
ROF promoter Sven BOOGIE Bean is happy to announce the fight card for ROF 30: DOMINATION . The 12 bout MMA event will take place on Saturday, September 15th 2007 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
UFC, K-1 and Strikeforce veteran, Duane BANG! Ludwig headlines a talent packed fight card. The card will have International appeal with fighters coming from 3 countries including multiple UFC veterans.
Also, for the second time in the seven year history of the promotion, all matches will take place in a cage instead of a ring. " We took a poll at the April event, when we first used the cage, and the response was overwhelming." said promoter Sven Bean. "I would say at least 95 percent of the fans were in favor of it, so I can pretty much say that the cage is here to stay".
Main Event: ROF USA vs. ROF Europe
Last year ROF opened it's European branch in Belgrade, Serbia. The inaugural event was a huge success and was covered in both the European versions of Playboy and Maxim magazines. In February of this year the first ROF European fighter, Damir made his US debut. At ROF 30 that tradition continues as Serbian fighter Dragan Bakula will represent ROF Europe. Bakula, who bring 3-0 MMA record combined with over 20 boxing matches, will be facing one of the most feared strikers in the sport. Duane BANG! Ludwig will represent ROF USA and is looking
forward to the match up. "The guy is good. He has great hand speed and punching power and has won all of his mma fights. It's hard to tell how good
his ground game is but the European fighters are such good athletes that they are always dangerous. He only has a couple losses in boxing also so I am excited to fight him. I love fighting at home, but besides just representing Colorado, I'm representing the US here too. It adds some pressure for sure, but that will just make me train harder!" said Ludwig.
205 lb CHAMPIONSHIP
It has been said you are not a champion when you win the belt, rather you are a true champion when you defend it. ROF Light Heavyweight Champion Eliot FIRE Marshall couldn't agree more. The BJJ Blackbelt added ROF champ to his long list of credentials in April when he defeated Marcus Sursa via submission. The task of defending the belt will not be an easy one as faces his toughest challenge to date. Canadian Rob MAXIMUS McDonald is a 3 time UFC veteran and appeared on season 2 of the Ultimate Fighter
television series. Macdonald was the 2002, 2003, 2004 Canadian Jiu-Jitsu Champion. In 2003, he was ranked #2 by the IKF in Kickboxing (amateur) and has an extensive wrestling background. "I have been training harder than ever for this fight and I look at this as the biggest fight of my career thus far. Eliot Marshall is the real deal, his credentials in the fight world and BJJ world speak for themselves. Myself and my trainers Shah Franco and Brian Bynoe have put together a great game plan for success and with hard work
I'm confident it will pay off. I really just want to be the best fighter in the world and reach my potential as an athlete. Winning the Ring of Fire title and fighting quality opponents like Eliot bring me closer to that goal."
115 lb FEATURE BOUT
Women's combat sports has shown an incredible increase in fan support in the last few years. Promotions such as Strikeforce, Elite XC and Bodog Fights have
consistently featured female athletes. Recently the Oxygen Channel contributed with the reality based program Fight Girls. One of the stars of that series, Michelle Waterson will return to MMA competition at ROF 30. Waterson is known as much for her good looks as for her fighting ability. Her nickname "The Karate Hotty" comes from her work as a Hooters girl and bikini model. But don't judge the book by the cover, Waterson can fight. She has been trained in the martial arts from an early age progressing from Kung Fu to Muay Thai, and eventually BJJ and MMA. While based in Denver, she trains her ground game at Team Jackson's in Albuquerque, NM. Currently 1-1 in MMA, Waterson is hoping to continue to represent MMA in a positive way for women all over the world. Her opponent also has a base in Muay Thai but has
progressed to MMA. Action MMA fighter Jaime Cook relies heavily on her stand up skills but is also very comfortable on the ground. She has a perfect 2-0 record in MMA. She has finished both opponents by TKO, with one having a 30 lb weight
advantage. Cook is also the sparring partner and teammate of top ranked Bodog fighter Shayna Baszler.
175 lb FEATURE BOUT
UFC veteran Chad Reiner has a reputation for being one of the hardest workers in the industry. He prides himself on his conditioning and feels that is his strongest weapon in the cage. This was very evident in his ROF 24
performance against Jay Jack. Reiner was non stop in a punishing attack that gave him a unanimous
decision after 3 rounds. He credits his time in the marines for instilling his work ethic while training. Reiners record is an outstanding 18-4 and is a VFC Champion. Chilo Gonzalez has a love- hate relationship with the fans. Half the crowd wants to see him win, the other to see him lose, but none the less they come to see him. He can appear brash, and often times even disrespectful to his opponents. It's all part of the game to Gonzalez however and see's it as a way to get into his opponents head. When asked about his opponent, true to character he responded " He is a really good fighter. I respect his wrestling but I just wonder how many teeth he is willing to lose before he gives up a submission!". Gonzalez is a WEC veteran with tremendous athletic ability. He has had an up and down career but always brings
aggression, intensity and tenacity in the cage. Gonzalez normally fights at middleweight and Reiner prefers welterweight so a catch weight of 175 lbs was agreed upon for the bout.
265 lb FEATURE BOUT
ROF has long been known as a launch pad for fighters careers. But it has also been known mostly for the lower weight classes. That is all about to change on September 15th. One of the most athletic heavyweights in the game will make his long awaited ROF debut. Shane MONSTER Carwin is a NCAA Division II National Wrestling Champion , 3 time NCAA Division II Wrestling All-American and a 2 time NCAA Division II Football All-American. He stand 6'4" tall and weighs 265 lbs. He also has a perfect 5-0 record in MMA. Once you get past the sheer size of
Carwin, you would be hard pressed to believe he is a fighter. The "gentle giant" is very calm, polite and respectful... unless you happen to be standing across the cage from him. Once the cage door closes and the bell rings the Monster comes out. None of his previous 5 matches have made it past the first round and he has finished all of his opponents. Rick
NOTORIOUS Slaton has a bit of a bad reputation. Slaton was part of the now infamous Ultimate Athlete show in 2002 . He has also had his fair share of scrapes with the law, but has since seen the error of his ways. With a new outlook and a fresh start Rick is ready to take the MMA world by storm. He has channeled his energy into training and wants to make a serious run at becoming a threat in the heavyweight division. Rick has sought out some of the best trainers in the San Diego area to help improve his game. His last fight was in October of 2006 where scored a TKO victory at the Total Combat 17 event. Life is all about second chances, but the Badboy has a mountain to climb and a monster to slay to fulfill his dream.
UNDERCARD BOUTS
The preliminary and undercard matches will round out an amazing night of fights. Some of the best up and coming fighters in the region are featured including Brandon Thatch, Cody Donovan, Kenneth Seegrist, Jesse Henely, Seth Bregman, Brad Fox, Jason Ramstedder, Ralston Baker and Sean Doherty.
WORLD CLASS ARENA
The 45 million dollar Broomfield Event Center opened in November of 2006. It is home to the Colorado RAGE hockey team and the Colorado 14ers basketball franchise. The facility is state of the art and there is not a bad seat in the house.
