Las Vegas Weekly

January 15, 2009 · 12:38 PM

Road to MMA stardom for men and women begins at Tuff-N-Uff

By Robin Leach

Sam Raimist and Jimmy Salerno in the ring during Tuff-N-Uff Fighting Championships: The Future Stars of MMA Return.

Photo: Ray Kasprowicz Photography/www.ultravista.com

A mixed martial arts fighter begins his long journey for fame and fortune, as an eventual king inside the UFC Octagon, as a lowly amateur. The money isn’t staggering -- it just about pays for the gym, the long and lonely hours of training and a ringside team of corner and cut men. Instead of the glitz and glamour of the giant MGM Grand Garden Arena, they fight in a much smaller venue -- a ballroom at the off-Strip The Orleans.

Don’t get me wrong, though. This is as exciting as it gets! Fans of the amateur Tuff-N-Uff Fighting Championships are ecstatic with the quality of the bouts and the enthusiasm of the fighters. It’s a monthly sellout as the fighters jockey their way up the ladder. Fans love the nonstop action as the bell rings for the shortened three-round fights. Actor-director Kevin Smith has been a regular attendee.

There were 18 bouts when I went to The Orleans, and five of them were female fights.

“You will never see a boring chick fight,” said former Playboy model Latasha Marzolla, who herself is managed by UFC star Randy Couture’s wife Kim, also a fighter who sat nearby at ringside. Latasha, a stunning blonde, is now the mother of two kids but doesn’t think twice about traveling the world to fight.

Latasha told me that MMA is becoming an ever-growing sport for women, and she said that although they don’t wear any protective clothing, they are skilled enough in the ring to avoid serious injuries even if they pummel the hell out of each other while grappling on the floor! Latasha, who lives in Las Vegas, has fought as far afield as Thailand and Japan, and she hopes the day comes when UFC will include female fights!

UFC fighter Frank Mir was the special guest when I watched the action, and his Xtreme Couture team won several matchups. Fighters from Warrior Training, Throwdown and Striking Unlimited also pounded the stuffing out of each other! Contributing sports photographer Ray Kasprowicz kindly provided Vegas DeLuxe with this amazing collection of action photos in the ring.

Lori Smith, Tuff-N-Uff’s media director, told me: “Our mission is to provide an activity and safe environment that promotes and enhances the physical and emotional well-being and social development of young athletes. It also develops their individual athletic skills, work ethic, discipline, sportsmanship, self-respect and pride and provides entertainment at the same time. We are here to help the younger generation of fighters to pursue their dreams of becoming professional MMA athletes.”

For now, there’s no giant, lucrative cable TV contract as UFC has with Spike TV. Tuff-N’-Uff simply has local cable Channel 19 record the fights on video for broadcast the next night. There’s no $1,500 ticket for this -- it’s a meager $20 per ducat, so the value is magnificent for such heart-stopping excitement. But what might be lacking on the showbiz side of the sport is easily made up by the intensity of the action. These fighters go at it full blast as they gain the experience and skills to compete at much higher levels later. They’re billed as “The Future Stars of MMA,” and having seen it close-up for myself, I can guarantee you that you will see them achieve that height.

The next Tuff-N-Uff events are Feb. 15, March 27 and April 28, with the World Open Invitational inked for May 30 in the larger Orleans Arena space. Go see them do battle for a bargain price. It’s the best sports value in town!

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