(above Brandon Thatch)

There is no more dynamic exciting fighter in the welterweight division then Brandon RUKUS Thatch. He is a lifelong martial artist whose father and grandfather were both professional fighters. After a short stint in Kickboxing Thatch set his sights on MMA, and has never looked back. Although being known mostly for his devastating striking ability, he has proved his worth on the ground as well, with exactly half of his victories coming by way of submission.

A neck injury de-railed the young star, and after a 20 month absence he returned at ROF 39, where he finished Danny DEE-1 Davis in a non title bout. Thatch then went on to KO rival Chris Holland at ROF 40 in just 19 seconds of the first round to defend his Young Gun title.

Thatch now has his sights set on Njokuani and the ROF World Title. Knowing that a win here will most likely propel him to the UFC, he realizes this could be the last chance his local fans will get to see him fight live. With that in mind and presented with multiple opponents for this bout Thatch simply stated. “Whoever is the toughest, that’s the one I want to fight. I want to be challenged. I want a war. I want the toughest match up possible.” But once the fight with Njokuani was agreed to Thatch added “Well now its also about bragging rights, he’s from Las Vegas, and everyone knows I fly the 303 flag proudly. Denver is my home town, and I will represent!”

(above Chidi Njokuani)

(above Tyler Toner)

Making his return to the RING OF FIRE will be fan favorite Tyler THUNDER Toner.  Toner is a former ROF Champion and launched his big league career through the promotion. After debuting in the WEC and then getting absorbed into the UFC, Toner now finds himself climbing his way back up the ladder. Toner has shown Fight Of The Night efforts in almost all of his MMA matches and never disappoints. Excited to be fighting in front of his home crowd again, Toner is training hard for his return. Facing Toner will be Bodog Fights veteran Glibert JR Sims. Sims has an extensive boxing background and a style that should bring out the best in Toner.

(above Bojan Velickovic)

(above Jason Lee)

The fighter chosen by the promotion to welcome Bojan to the US is Jason THE DRAGON Lee. Lee was voted the ATO 2010 Amateur Fighter of the year. Lee debuted at ROF 40 with a decision victory over Hit Squad fighter Coltin Cole. With a 4-1 amateur and 3-0 professional record, Lee looks to be one of the top prospects on the circuit. Lee is training hard at GRUDGE Training center preparing for his clash with Velickovi, and is looking forward to representing America in this International battle.

(above Ryan Martinez)

The newest addition to the RING OF FIRE roster is #1 Ranked heavyweightRyan Martinez. Martinez is a monster in the cage and sports a 4-0 amateur and 4-1 professional record. Having made his way up the ranks on the smaller regional shows Martinez wanted to step up his game. After seeing other Heavyweights such as Shane Carwin and Brendan Schaub have boosts to their careers from ROF, Martinez saw it as the next progression on his path.

With all of his Ryan’s wins coming by way of K.O., ROF president Sven Bean knows talent when he sees it. “I have had Ryan in my sights for quite a while actually and we have had some discussions in the past, but the timing was right now.  We are extremely happy to have signed the best heavyweight in the region to a multi fight deal.” said Bean

Stay tuned as the full fight card will be released next week!