Bruce Hoyer got two video interviews with both Elliot Marshall and Rob MacDonald. Check them out!December 1st is the date of the next installment of one of the premier shows in the Midwest Ring of Fire. You may have seen the event on HDNet or as a feature in an episode of Tapout. The Ring of Fire 31 main bout will be a title fight featuring two great fighters. The current champion is Eliot Marshall, a well known Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter with multiple Pan-Am victories to his name who has made a great crossover to the world of MMA. He became the Ring of Fire champion after defeating Marcus Sursa. The challenger is Rob MacDonald, a 29-year old Canadian fighter, who a lot of you might remember from Season 2 of the Ultimate Fighter. This bout was actually scheduled to happen earlier this year but was postponed due to Marshall getting staph infection on his knee. I had a chance to sit down with both of them at Ring of Fire 30 to discuss their upcoming fight and the disappointment of having to postpone the original bout.
Rob MacDonald
Eliot Marshall
*Ring Of Fire announcement below
ROF promoter Sven BOOGIE Bean is happy to announce the next installment RING OF FIRE 31: UNDISPUTED !!. The 12 bout MMA event will take place on Saturday, December 1st 2007 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
The show was named UNDISPUTED, as there will be a total of three ROF Championships contested that night. The promotion’s Light Heavyweight, Heavy weight, and Flyweight titles will all be up for grabs.
MAIN EVENT:
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 televison 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.
CHALLENGER Rob MacDonald:
“It means the world to me to fight for a title as prestigous as Ring of Fire Light Heavyweight Champion. I know Eliot had a bout with staph infection that delayed thes fight from taking place. I am glad he is healthy now as I want to fight a 100% Eliot Marshal. I think he is a great warrior and an honorable person and I think our styles will make this the Ring of Fire fight of the year. December 1st I will be more ready than ever to show the world the true Rob “Maximus” MacDonald. To all the fans dont miss this one. Its gonna be spectacular. Two great warriors, a great event, great fans. Its gonna be something special. An absolute war”
CHAMPION Eliot Marshall:
“I am excited for this fight. I feel it is a big step up in competition, and the most challenging of my career. I don’t want to be the fighter who has a nice padded record. I want to fight tough, dangerous opponents and that’s exactly the kind of fighter that Rob is. Ring Of Fire is a great event and I am proud to be the Champion. It is going to be a great fight December 1st, but come December 2nd I will still have my belt. It’s staying with me”