Mixed martial arts fight at Araneta Center to spotlight Monson

Fans of mixed martial arts will have the chance to watch on December 9 the "Ring of Fire: World Team Challenge" live at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. The event, organized by Platinum Firewall Productions and Proelite.com, will have world's leading MMA fighters - Team Gokor, Team Shamrock, Team Gracie and Team Barnett - colliding in a one-day spectacle billed as the biggest and most prestigious mixed martial arts competition to be held in the country. Among the big-name stars seeing action are Jeff Monson, Renato "Babalu' Sobral, Rico Rodriguez, John Marsh, Yuki Kondo and Jorge "Macaco" Patino, the organizers said Saturday in a statement. "It will be a marvelous day for mixed martial arts fanatic all over the county," said Ron de la Torre of the organizing Platinum Fighting Productions. "Bringing together the world's leading MMA fighters is like casting coup for us. It will be a great opportunity for local mixed martial arts enthusiasts to see all these fighters in no-holds barred encounters." Team Gracie is slated to compete against Team Shamrock while Team Barnett will square off against Team Gokor with the winners advancing to the finals in Macau, China. After their first two shows, Platinum Fighting Productions will host three more fights in Korea, Japan and back to Manila for a total of five shows. Under the MMA format, four male fighters and one female fighter from each of the four teams will compete against five fighters from one of the opposing teams; the winning team advances to the finals. The fights will be held in a circular cage with elbows, stomps and knees to the head of grounded opponents all being legal. The California State Athletic Commission will supply the judges for the event. Most of the foreign participants are scheduled to arrive in the country starting Monday, December 3. The MMA fighters are also scheduled to make several appearances in local shows to promote the event. Organizers said that tickets are available at all SM Department Stores Customer Service Area and at the Araneta Coliseum Ticket Booths. Fans can contact tel. 911-5555 for ticket reservations. More pieces of information are posted at www.mmafighting.com. - GMANews.TV