Tickets for Strikeforce’s October 7th mega-card on sale now
A unique figure in a number of ways, the 28-year-old Cabbage has become a standout in the sport of mixed martial arts largely due to his uncanny durability. Time and time again, the Hilo, Hawaii native has flaunted his rock-solid chin while withstanding punishment from some of the heaviest hitters in prize fighting, including former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight king, Andrei Arlovski (Pictures).
The 6 foot 3 inch, 260 pound Cabbage’s resilience has also been a key factor in several of his notable victories, including a stoppage of Joe “Diesel” Riggs and a technical knockout of Travis Wiuff (Pictures) that Cabbage brought about with a barrage of strikes.
Despite his penchant for a raw, toe-to-toe slugfest, Cabbage boasts a strong foundation in both Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that he has honed while training with former UFC welterweight champion and fellow Hawaiian, B.J. Penn (Pictures).
At 6 feet 4 inches tall and 280 pounds, Villareal is one of the larger heavyweights in the sport. The 36 year old who hails from Calousa, California made what was arguably his greatest stand to date when he battled former UFC champion and mixed martial arts legend, Don Frye (Pictures), to a draw on May 13, 2006.
Recently, Villareal demonstrated his warrior spirit as well as his inclination for risk-taking by accepting a matchup with another one of the sport’s legends, Bas Rutten (Pictures), with little more than 48 hours notice after an injury forced Rutten’s original opponent to withdraw from the engagement. Villareal was defeated, but gained a newfound sense of respect from fight fans.
Originally a professional wrestler, Villareal migrated to the rapidly growing world of mixed combat in 2003 and reeled off victories in his first four starts that came on the Gladiator Challenge circuit.
Tickets for the October 7th Strikeforce event are priced at $200, $150, $100, $75, $50, and $30. On Thursday, tickets will also be available for purchase at select Save Mart supermarkets as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.
The card will be comprised of 10 mixed martial arts bouts including a headlining matchup between heavyweight sluggers, David “Tank” Abbott and Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello. All bouts are subject to approval by the California State Athletic Commission.
The Save Mart Center is home to the Fresno State University men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as minor league hockey squad, The Fresno Falcons.
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion that, on Friday, March 10th, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock (Pictures) against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie (Pictures) at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to 18,265 fans, the largest-ever attendance at a mixed martial arts fight card held in North America.
David Abbott vs. Paul Buentello (Pictures)
Wesley Correira (Pictures) vs. Ruben Villareal (Pictures)