Rumble World Entertainment Announces ROTR Qualifiers
Blaisdell Center Arena Hosts First-Ever ROTR Qualifiers Event
HONOLULU — Hawai‘i Sep 14, 2005 On Saturday, September 17th, 2005, Rumble World Entertainment (RWE) will for the first time bring the ROTR Qualifiers (formerly Proving Grounds) event to the Blaisdell Center Arena. The event will feature an eight man welterweight tournament featuring some of Hawai‘i`s up-and-coming Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes as well as two superfights featuring local and Brazilian MMA veterans Ron Jhun and Thalles Leite. Doors open at 6:30pm and the action begins at 7:30pm.
Featured in the eight man tournament are:
Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez (Hilo – BJ Penn MMA) Sidney Silva (Honolulu – Romolo Barros) Tyson Noho‘ikai‘ka (Maui – Jeff Mcgee) Kaleo Padilla (Kona – Westbrook Boxing) Jason Daquel (Honolulu – Mixed Breed) Dirty Curty (Honolulu – Team Submit) Daniel Devers (Honolulu – 808 Fight Factory) Mark Moreno (Honolulu – Bull`s Penn)
Superfights scheduled for the evening include well-known MMA veterans:
Ron Jhun (Honolulu – 808 Fight Factory) vs. Thalles Leite (Brazil – Nova Uniao)
Iron Mike Aina (Hilo- BJ Penn MMA) vs. Kaleo Kwon (Honolulu – Eastsidaz)
Preliminary bouts will feature:
Dean Lista (Honolulu – HMC Academy) vs. Pako Woods (Hilo – BJ Penn MMA)
Mark Bonilla (Hilo – BJ Penn MMA) vs. Taurus Kabab (Honolulu – Team MMAD)
*Card subject to change.
The winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the November 19th ROTR 8 World Championship event. Weigh-ins for this weekend`s ROTR Qualifiers will be held at Roundtable Pizza in Waikiki on Friday, September 16, at 5:30pm.
According to JD Penn, president of RWE, “As the sport continues its evolution as Hawai‘i`s mecca of MMA, the ROTR Qualifiers event is a welcome opportunity for our fighters to show us what they`ve got and possibly get the chance to win a shot at one of ROTR`s headliner events. These events have been instrumental in helping us to cultivate local talent and build our sport to new levels locally and globally,” he said.
The ROTR Qualifiers offers local fighters the opportunity to compete in the bigger shows by testing their skills in a professional-level environment. RWE utilizes qualifier events to scout talent for its bigger shows in Honolulu and throughout Hawai‘i.
Formerly named “Proving Grounds,” the event was first held two years ago in Hilo on the Big Island. This will be the fifth ROTR Qualifiers event for RWE. Future qualifiers are planned for the island of Maui on October 7 and Hilo on the Big Island on November 5.
Tickets to the event are priced as follows:
Risers $35 Floor (Rows) 7-11 $50 Rows 3-6 $75 Rows 1-2 $125
About Rumble World Entertainment
Rumble World Entertainment is a Hawai’i-based entertainment company who produces Rumble on the Rock (ROTR), Proving Grounds and RumbleVision. In less than two years, Rumble World Entertainment, formerly Prodigy Productions, has taken ROTR from a small Hilo-based show to a globally recognized event broadcast in 90 countries including Japan Pay-Per-View and U.S. Pay-Per-View. RWE hopes to bring their events to California and Las Vegas in the near future. MMA Weekly, a popular MMA radio show and news-driven web site rated ROTR as the world’s third most popular MMA event in 2004. Website: http://www.rumbleontherock.com