This weekend is loaded with fights and it doesn’t come as a surprise to us fans because well, the turn of the year is approaching soon and MMA promotions across the Asian region are looking to end 2013 on a high note.
China-based Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation, or RUFF for short, has established a reputable roster of fighters that have hit massive strides in the Asian MMA landscape for the past years or so. The promotion has nurtured a myriad of local Chinese talents to date, and this weekend, at RUFF 11, fans can expect to see more fighters looking to make a name for themselves at a national stage.
RUFF 11 promo video and preview
RUFF 11 takes place Saturday, November 30th, at the Hongkou Indoor Stadium situated in Shanghai, China.
As previously mentioned, the headlining bout for this installment is set feature a 145-lbs tilt between unbeaten combatants Wang Guan (12-0-1) and Bekbulat Magomedov (11-0). The latter was set to compete against Will Chope in January’s UFC Fight Night 34, but was scratched from the card due to contractual obligations with RUFF. The Russian has finished 10 of his 11 victories and is just one of several prospects from Russia looking to take the Mixed Martial Arts scene by storm.
And he’ll be up against a crowd favorite. Guan (pictured) will be competing not only for national pride but also to keep his pro MMA record unscathed. He fights out of Xian Sports University, a camp that has, to date, produced the likes of Jumabieke Tuerxuan among others.
Brandon Resnick, Director of Talents and Match Making, said,”This fight is happening at the perfect time in these fighters careers. Both are undefeated and have been beating their opponents quite easily, now its time for them to step up their competition. Both of these fighters know they need to win this fight if they want to be looked at as the top fighter coming out of the region”.
RUFF champions Rodrigo Caporal and Zhang Meixuan will also be hoping to make a statement come fight night as they look to stake their claim as worthy champs of the promotion.
Caporal (10-4) is in for yet another tough fight after his Unanimous Decision victory at RUFF 10. He takes on Combat Sambo champ Iftikhor Arbobov (10-4), who will be stepping into the cage to see if he will be the one to finally put a stop to Caporal’s perfect RUFF record.
The always-exciting Meixuan (6-1) will be tested when he faces Amu Rijirigala (7-2) for a second time. The latter earned his shot at redemption by defeating both Zhifa Shang at RUFF 9 and will have to be at the top of his game to snap the current win streak of his opponent, Meixuan.
Other notable match-ups include Bantamweights Han Jie (0-3) vs. Zhao Ya Fei (1-2) and Cui Liucai (3-3) vs. Lv Zhenhong (4-1).
RUFF has also announced that veteran and popular MMA referee Herb Dean will serve as the head official for this weekend’s RUFF 11. Dean, a former fighter himself, is one of the greatest referees that the sport of Mixed Martial Arts has ever produced. Dean is best known for making prompt interventions during fights, and has officiated well over a thousand MMA bouts.
Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more updates on RUFF 11 and future RUFF events.
Here’s a reminder of the bouts going down this weekend, along with an exclusive promo video:
MAIN CARD:
- Guan Wang vs. Bekbulat Magomedov
- Zhang Meixuan vs. Amu Rijirigala
- Rodrigo Caporal vs. Iftikhor Arbobov
- Zhenhong Lu vs. LuiCai Cui
- Zhao Yafei vs. Han Jie
UNDERCARD:
- Sandro Da Silva vs. Baasankhuu Damlanpurev
- Alateng Heili vs. Yadong Song
- Rasul Khairulaev vs. Amartuvshin Khuukhenkhuu
- Haotian Wu vs. Tom Woodfin
- Zhifa Shang vs. Xiaoyang Liu
- Jianbing Yang vs. Wulalibieke Baheibieke
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