Upcoming Event | Tuff-N-Uff “Xtreme Couture vs. Team Quest” | 8-6-10
Xtreme Couture vs. Team Quest: Tuff-N-Uff hosts epic clash at Orleans Hotel & Casino on August 6
Former Olympic wrestlers and mixed martial arts legends Randy Couture and Dan Henderson have long enjoyed a friendly relationship, but in August, both former champions will be represented on opposite sides of the ring.
Tuff-N-Uff returns to the Orleans Hotel & Casino’s Mardi Gras Ballroom in Las Vegas on Friday, August 6, and Las Vegas’ premier amateur fight promotion is proud to host a special event, “Xtreme Couture vs. Team Quest.”
Six fighters from Couture’s Las Vegas-based Xtreme Couture camp will clash with six combatants representing Henderson’s California-based Team Quest academy in a showdown for the ages, and in addition to respect and bragging rights, Tuff-N-Uff’s featherweight title also hangs in the balance.
Tickets for Tuff-N-Uff’s Aug. 6 event, which start at just $25, are available at the Orleans Hotel & Casino’s box office or online at OrleansCasino.com and TuffNUff.net.
In the night’s main event, Tuff-N-Uff 145-pound champion Jimmy Jones (6-3) represents Xtreme Couture putting his title on the line against tough Team Quest challenger John Gorton (4-2).
An eight-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran, Jones opened his career in 2008 with three-straight decision losses. Since then, Jones has gone on a tear with six-straight wins – including four via stoppage – en route to claiming Tuff-N-Uff’s 145-pound title.
Meanwhile, Gorton, who earned a submission win under the Tuff-N-Uff banner in August 2009, has put together a 4-2 record and looks to halt Jones’ impressive run.
Xtreme Couture featherweight Jesse Romero (2-0) meets Team Quest’s Craig Cook (2-0), Xtreme Couture’s undefeated Gil Guardado (5-0) faces Team Quest’s Brandon Morris (4-2) in a 160-pound affair, Xtreme Couture lightweight Jake Swinney (3-0) squares off with Team Quest’s Ronald Carroll (1-0) and Xtreme Couture lightweight John Hahn (2-0) clashes with debuting Team Quest fighter Ozzy Abarca (0-0) and Zach Conely (3-0) from Xtreme Couture battles Brock Pagan (2-0) as both men look to remain undefeated. Team Quest will also bring their lone female fighter and Army Sergeant Autumn Richardson (1-1) taking on local Christy Tada (1-5)
While Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu squad won’t be participating in the evening’s “Xtreme Couture vs. Team Quest” challenge, the fight team will be represented by three promising young fighters – Rick Borden (2-1), Trace Gray (0-0), and Casey Picard (0-0) – who will look to make a splash against opponents yet to be determined.
In addition to the exciting team challenge, Tuff-N-Uff’s Aug. 6 event also sees the semifinals of the promotion’s ambitious 125- and 135-pound female tournaments, which will ultimately crown the organization’s first-ever champions in the divisions in September.
In the semifinals of the talent-rich 125-pound tourney Lindsay Jones (1-0) fights Jen Yum (5-0), and Stephanie Eggink (1-0) faces Katie Klimansky (0-0).
Jones advanced to the semifinals with a unanimous-decision win over Trish Clarke. The Jackson’s MMA product fought valiantly in an action-packed affair, and though Clarke offered an ample test, Jones was able to pick up her first career win with a combination of effective striking and active grappling.
Yumm entered the tournament as the early favorite, and while first-round opponent Nicole Hess pushed her to the limit, little has changed. Yum survived a scare after being caught in an armbar in the second round of her quarterfinal bout, but with five-straight wins to open her career, she remains the woman to beat.
Eggink qualified for the semifinals with an impressive win over Jillian Lybarger. The West Coast Fight Club product threatened with a triangle choke in the opening round before finally securing the hold in the third. A spinning backfist also hit its mark before the final tap.
Meanwhile, Klimansky enters the bout as the freshest fighter in the bracket as her first-round opponent, Kim Novak, withdrew from their quarterfinal matchup. Klimansky seeks her first amateur win after receiving a fortunate bye into the semifinals.
In the 135-pound bracket, Tsui-Jen Cunanan (3-1) faces Michelle Velebit (1-1) while Jocelyn Lybarger (1-0) meets Ashley Weakley (3-0).
Cunanan impressed in a July quarterfinal bout by swarming a favored Mollie Estes from the opening bell. The Phoenix Combat Academy product rocked her opponent early in the opening round before locking in a fight-ending guillotine choke.
Meanwhile, Velebit used a grappling-based attack to ground and pound opponent Sarah Marang in their opening-round affair. Velebit appeared safely in control of the contest, though she ultimately walked away with a tight split-decision victory.
Lybarger advanced to the semifinals with a July win over Amanda Lauland. Lybarger used a relentless assault from the opening bell and continued the attack for three-straight rounds en route to a unanimous decision in her amateur debut.
Weakley also earned a unanimous-decision win against a tough Emily Peters-Kagan in the opening round. The undefeated Team Leo Dalla fighter showed a powerful Thai clinch as she battered her opponent with brutal knees throughout.
The winners of the semifinal contests in both tournaments will return for the final round on Sept. 24, when two valiant combatants will join 115-pound belt-holder Ashley Cummins as Tuff-N-Uff female champions.
In addition to the evening’s featured matchups, a full lineup of aspiring amateur fighters from some of the world’s top academies will compete at Tuff-N-Uff’s Aug. 6 event.
The full fight card is available for viewing at TuffNUff.net, and the entire event will stream on GoFightLive.tv.
Come see the future stars of mixed martial arts.
