AM Ford Fight Night’s “Demolition” is drawing national attention for its unprecedented three-title bouts, highlighted by a must-see main event between Pride Gym’s Brad “Kama” Causey and Jesse “The Body Snatcher” Ronson.
Top MMA News ranked the Causey-Ronson battle the number-one “Maple Leaf Match Up” in Canada for the month of April, declaring: “Fans in and around Trail would be silly to miss a fight as big as this.”
A win for the 10-2 Causey against 8-2 Ronson will catapult the Pride Gym fighter among the nation’s elite lightweights, elevating him into Canada’s top-10.
Causey says his last fight, a win against American Daniel Swain in Cage Rage 5, wasn’t his best performance, but considering he had an 18-month layoff previous to the bout, the outcome was satisfying.
“It was my first fight back in over a year, so I got some ring rust off, and feel like I’ll hopefully put on a better show this time,” said Causey.
Ronson may be the Pride Gym fighter’s toughest test yet. The Adrenaline Training Centre fighter out of London, Ont. is riding a three-fight winning streak since last April.
“I watched a few of his fights, he looks like a pretty good guy, pretty technical, a decent striker,” said Causey. “I haven’t seen much of his ground game but I’m sure it’s good, coming from the camp he’s coming from.”
But the 31-year-old doesn’t expect the tilt with Ronson to be a grappling match.
“I’ll stand there with him, and see what happens. If he’s getting the better of me then I’ll try to take him to the ground, if not, then I guess we’ll stand up and hit each other until one of us falls down.”
While the Causey-Ronson fight has all the makings of a classic main event, the rest of the dozen bouts promise an equally exciting card, says Pride Gym trainer Glen Kalesniko.
“Like they (Top MMA News) say, this is one of the top fights to watch in Canada,” says Kalesniko. “It`ll be a great main event and with three titles up for grabs, and with River’s fight, it’s going to be a good night.”
Number-three ranked Morgan-River Jones will take on Texan Jade De Haas for the bantam-weight title and Chilliwack fighter Stefan Fricta will defend his middle-weight crown against Calgary`s Jason Gorny.
Pride Gym`s Jordan Knippelberg moves up a weight class to fight Brandon MacArther of Fernie, Landon Giguere (Pride Gym) takes on Justin Boardman of Kelowna in a Muay Thai event, David Felton (Pride) throws down against Wyatt Yake of Lethbridge, Pride`s D. J. Packer fights Simon Pregent of Chilliwack, and Johnny Forry will have his first Pride tilt against Calgary`s Andrew Kloot.
Other matches to watch include Calgary’s Josh Kitchen versus Shawn Smith from Dallas, Tex., Sheldon Doll from Cranbrook goes against Chilliwack’s Darwin Douglas, Nelson fighter Jason Warshawsky battles Mark Dolbie of Penticton, Miller Rogers from Whitehorse goes toe-to-toe with Cranbrook’s Adam Wills and James Sullivan of Nelson takes on Kamryn Winter from Langley.
While ticket sales have been sluggish, Kalesniko is hoping the community rallies over the next few days to support the event and especially Pride fighters.
“It’s always good when you’ve got people cheering behind you,” said Causey. “When you hear a few familiar voices in the crowd, it kind of gives you that momentum to continue, and drag yourself through the war.”
Join the fighters at the fight night weigh-in on Friday at the Crown Pointe Hotel at 7 p.m. Residents can mingle with the competitors and get primed for the biggest night of the year.
AM Ford Fight Night kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Trail Memorial Centre, Ringside tickets go for $125, VIP tickets $80, $50 for floor seats and $30 general seating or pick them up at the door for $10 more.
Tickets are on sale Pride Gym, Performance Fitness, AM Ford, Wolf’s Den, Gericks Cycle, Element, Fruitvale Pharmacy and Tribute Board Shop.