The Future Stars of Mixed Martial Arts

Event notes

Nov. 12, 1993 was the day the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first event and revolutionized modern combat sports. Now 17 years to the day after that landmark event, Tuff-N-Uff is celebrating the anniversary of the birth of MMA by once again bringing the sport's brightest amateur prospects together for another action-packed night of fighting. Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Fighting Championships is proud to announce “The Future stars of MMA!” return to the Orleans Hotel & Casino's Mardi Gras Ballroom in Las Vegas on Friday, Nov. 12. The ladies take center stage on Nov. 12, and Tuff-N-Uff kicks off an eight-woman female tournament with winners moving on to the next event and crown a 145-pound female champion. Tickets for Tuff-N-Uff's Nov. 12 event, which start at just $25, are available at the Orleans Hotel & Casino's box office or online at OrleansCasino.com and TuffNUff.net. Fans from around the globe can watch the fights live at GoFightLive.com or TuffNUff.net, while highlights of the action air in more than 47 million homes across the nation on Tuff-N-Uff's weekly highlights show on SportsSouth and Sun Sports. Leading the 145-pound tournament field is early favorite Ronda Rousey (1-0). While the 23-year-old Rousey is still young in her mixed martial arts career, the two-time Olympic judoka carries high expectations. Owning some of the most impressive credentials in the history of U.S. judo, Rousey counts a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games among her many accomplishments. Autumn RichardsonRousey takes on gritty Team Quest product Autumn Richardson (3-1) (see picture) in an opening round contest. The 27-year-old Richardson, a four-time Tuff-N-Uff veteran, carries a two-fight win streak to the ring with her only loss as ref stoppage from a bloody nose and looks forward to her bid for Tuff-N-Uff's 145-pound crown. On the opposite side of the bracket, undefeated 19-year-old prospect Taylor Stratford (5-0) stands poised as another likely contender. Stratford has reeled-off five-straight wins and is widely considered among the best 145-pound prospects in the nation. Opposing Stratford is debuting Team Quest product Shauna Dugger (0-0). A boxing specialist, Dugger enters the matchup as the underdog, but her team warns opponents that underestimating her chances would be unwise. The remainder of the eight-woman field will be announced in the coming weeks, but with four entrants already official, expect one of the most ambitious amateur tournaments ever held in the women's 145-pound class.