RUF Nation

Bilbo Sportswear

Ringside Unified Fighting - Arizona’s #1 mixed martial arts show! RUF MMA 70 Aug 29th at the Legendary Celebrity Theatre in PHX AZ! This is how LEGENDS are made!

The absolute best fighters outside of the UFC, choosing RUF MMA as their stage! RUF MMA, the country’s only Native American-owned fight promotion, is getting its due. It recently inked a deal with ONE Championship fight promotion, which is considered the “UFC of Asia.” ONE Championship’s vice president is Rich Franklin, an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in UFC. The partnership

is a win-win. ONE Championship is looking to get its foot in the door of the U.S. market, and RUF MMA is helping with that. Concurrently, partnering with a promotion as big as ONE Championship only points to positive signs ahead for RUF MMA.

“Our focus has been on creating a quality product,” says RUF MMA matchmaker Jason Martinez.

“We pride ourselves on our relationships with our fighters, gyms, coaches and our community. That work ethic of ours translated into us getting the exposure that got us the attention from ONE Fight Championship.”

Founded by Joel Lopez, a Tohono O’odham Native American, and his cousin, Adrian Romo, as a boxing promotion, RUF MMA slowly transitioned to MMA from 2007 to 2010.

“RUF MMA is a 100% tribally owned fight promotion out of Phoenix,” Martinez says. “The deep relationship with local gyms, local fighters, UFC fighters, stars, media, city-state tribal councils and leaders is really instrumental in our quest to grow the promotion outside of Arizona and potentially global.”

While other promotions were forced to shutter or are just getting their feet back, RUF MMA did its work early and has held three events this year.

“Even though we weren’t doing events at the time, we were planning on events the entire time,” Martinez says. “We were working on having fights as soon as we got the green light. We were ready to grow into a bigger venue and then the pandemic kind of put everything on pause. So now, we are ready to make that leap into the Celebrity Theatre and get that place filled up.”

RUF MMA has been growing for the past decade in Phoenix. That doesn’t mean it sits complacent. It’s ready to take on new challenges whenever it gets the call to do so.

“We have entertained interest to go out of state, but for whatever reason it hasn’t materialized yet,” Martinez says. Historically, RUF MMA was a casino-only promotion thanks to its strong ties with the tribal councils and casinos here. They have come a long way since then and only continue to grow. The brand is growing, but the staff only has four people running the show — Martinez, Joel Lopez, Adrian Romo and Cj Pitman.

“There are four of us on the administrative team,” Martinez says. “If you were to come to one of our live events, you would not even believe that it was run by four guys who just hang out with each other all the time.”

That’s not to say they do it alone, though. Without fighters, coaches and trainers, there would be no show. RUF MMA shows have a sense of unity, or even family. There’s a good reason for that.

“When we do events, our wives, our kids, our cousins, our nephews — that’s our staff. The family atmosphere that we have in this promotion is bar none,” Martinez says. RUF MMA has helped elevate fighters to the UFC or Bellator over the years because of its quality shows. While it’s happy to do so, it wants to be on a larger stage as well.

“We are really at a point where we could blow up and become a major competitor,” Martinez says. “It would be really awesome, and I feel like we are just right on that doorstep. We are already in direct competition at some level with promotions like the UFC and Bellator because we have, over the last few months, been in contract debates over very specific fighters.”

During the next few years, RUF MMA hopes it can continue its upward trajectory as an MMA promotion.

“We are ready to host events in other states. It’s about finding a venue and a commission to support it and then we’re good to go,” Martinez says. By Grant Greabell | July 12, 2021

08/29/2026

LIVE TONIGHT!
etix: www.celebritytheatre.com
Livestream: https://spectationsports.com/events/ruf-70

08/29/2026

🚨 RUF 70 OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD IS SET! 🚨

Tomorrow night, RUF Nation takes over the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix with a stacked lineup of professional MMA, amateur action, a championship bout, and a special No-Gi Cagejitsu Superfight.

🔥 Main Event: Amari Sengsavanh vs. Kurtis Ellis
🔥 Co-Main: Adam “Space Ghost” Amado vs. Jesse Langarica
🔥 Plus a loaded undercard from top to bottom!

📅 Saturday, August 29
🚪 Doors: 6:00 PM
🥊 Fights: 7:00 PM

This card is locked in. Phoenix, get ready.

Jay Pages Jiu-Jitsu & MMA MMA Fighting MMA Stalker Celebrity Theatre Ultimate Kombat Fitness Visit Phoenix HeadKick Audio Phoenix Suns Andres Ponce Legion MMA Arizona Cardinals FOX 10 Phoenix PHOENIX magazine Awesome Events - Phoenix

08/29/2026

🏆 MAIN EVENT
🔥 AMARI SENGSAVANH vs. KURTIS ELLIS 🔥
| PRO CW (140)

🚨 NEW OPPONENT. SAME MISSION. 🚨

The RUF 70: LEGENDS Main Event just got even more interesting.

A new challenge has entered the spotlight, but the mission stays the same.

Amari Sengsavanh is still locked in and ready for war, but now standing across from him will be Bareknuckle veteran Kurtis Ellis — a tough, experienced, no-nonsense fighter bringing grit, pressure, and serious edge to the Main Event.

This one has all the makings of a can’t-miss showdown.
New opponent. Same mission. Same destination. Victory.

📍 Celebrity Theatre | Phoenix, Arizona
📅 Tomorrow-Saturday, August 29
🚪 Doors 6:00 PM
🥊 Fights 7:00 PM

🎟️ Tickets start at just $45 www.celebritytheatre.com
Get yours before they’re gone!

Who takes the Main Event?
👊 SENGSAVANH or ELLIS?

08/29/2026

RUF 70 Weigh-Ins: Sengsavanh Returns in Phoenix Main Event | MMA Stalker RUF 70 is official in Phoenix with nine MMA bouts, an amateur middleweight title fight and Amari Sengsavanh facing Kurtis Ellis in the main event.

08/29/2026

🚨 LAST-MINUTE ADDITION TO RUF 70! 🚨

We’re stacking the card all the way to the finish.

🔥 CAGEJITSU BJJ MATCH ADDED! 🔥
Andres Ponce vs. Gabriel De Los Santos
Two dangerous grapplers. One cage. One submission-focused showdown.

This special NOGI CAGEJITSU matchup is a last-minute addition to RUF 70: LEGENDS and brings a whole different kind of intensity to fight night — pressure, control, technique, and the hunt for the finish.

📍 Celebrity Theatre — Phoenix, Arizona
📅 Saturday, August 29
🚪 Doors 6:00 PM
🥊 Fights 7:00 PM

Who takes the grappling battle — PONCE fro (Ultimate Kombat Fitness or DE LOS SANTOS (Jay Pages Jiu-Jitsu & MMA)?

08/29/2026

🧠🥊 RUF 70: FIGHTING FOR MORE THAN A WIN 🥊🧠
Tomorrow Night, RUF Nation and Lopez Wellness & Performance are coming together to shine a light on Mental Health Awareness through the power of MMA, education, healing, and community.

Behind every fighter is a story. Behind every struggle is a person. And sometimes the toughest battles are the ones no one can see.
Join us at RUF 70*as we celebrate strength in all its forms—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

📅 August 29, 2026
📍 Celebrity Theatre | Visit Phoenix, Arizona
🔥 RUF 70
Fights. Awareness. Hope. Community.
Together, we fight stronger.

08/29/2026

🔥 AMATEUR FLYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN! 🔥
Isidro Benavidez III takes on Zach Carter at RUF 70: LEGENDS in a fast-paced amateur flyweight matchup!
🥊 Isidro Benavidez III vs. Zach Carter
⚡ Amateur Flyweight
📅 August 29, 2026
📍 Celebrity Theatre —Visit Phoenix, AZ
Two young fighters looking to make a statement. Who gets the win? 👊

08/28/2026

Let’s go!! Weigh-ins coming in hot.

08/26/2026

This Friday in Chandler AZ🔥

08/26/2026

🔥 RUF 70: LEGENDS — PRO FEATHERWEIGHT ACTION! 🔥

Patrick Quick takes on Ethan Goodwin in a high-energy professional featherweight showdown at RUF 70!

🥊 Patrick Quick vs Ethan Goodwin
⚡ PRO M-FTW
📅 Saturday, August 29
📍 Celebrity Theatre — Phoenix, Arizona

Two hungry pros. One cage. One chance to make a statement.

Who are you taking? 👊

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