(PRESS RELEASE) -- DENVER, Colorado - Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) announced that it will make its first foray into the state of Colorado with RFA 7 - Thatch vs. Silva on Friday, March 22nd. The event will take place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, which is a suburb of Denver, Colorado.
Thatch and Silva have knocked out a combined 17 opponents, including 14 in the first round. That all but guarantees this main event will be filled with nonstop, crowd-pleasing action, as these two talented KO artists look to entertain their nationally televised audience.
Thatch and Silva are also stablemates of two of the best fighters in the world. Thatch trains alongside UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, while Silva trains with UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.
That means this fight could add another layer of intrigue to the potential superfight between St-Pierre and Silva. While the two UFC champions will not be fighting this spring like many had hoped, Thatch vs. Silva will surely intensify that rivalry, as both men are longtime friends and training partners of the RFA 7 headliners.
In preparation for Silva, Thatch is currently training in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the famed Tri-Star Gym with St-Pierre. He was hand-picked as a training partner to help St-Pierre prepare for his successful title defense against Carlos Condit last fall and Thatch has been working with the team ever since.
"It's amazing being at Tri-Star and working with GSP. He's definitely one of my favorite fighters, because he is so classy and effective," said Thatch. "I'm going to stay here working with GSP and the team, until the first week of March, and then finish up my training with Grudge back home in Denver."
Thatch also said he was honored to be selected as the headliner for RFA 7 and is excited to represent his hometown.
"Headlining RFA 7 against Leandro Silva on AXS TV is a huge opportunity to further my career and to fight an athlete who will bring out my best. It's an amazing feeling when I walk out and the whole crowd is cheering. I feel like the arena is my house and I truly consider myself the fighter who represents the 303," said Thatch.
Training out of the equally respected Black House MMA gym in southern California, the Brazilian standout Leandro Silva expects to secure another headline news victory for his home country of Brazil at RFA 7, after making a successful American soil MMA debut last year.
"On March 22nd, I'm going to show American fans what the Brazilian fans already know. That I am a complete fighter. Everyone is going to see what I'm capable of in the cage on AXS TV, and believe me, they will be talking about my win at RFA 7," said Silva.
The co-main event of RFA 7 will feature a 177-pound catchweight special attraction between RFA welterweight star Chidi Njokuani and local middleweight champion Jeremy Kimball.
The main card of RFA 7 will also include the return of Sergio Pettis as he squares off with fellow RFA fan favorite Matt Manzanares in a highly-anticipated flyweight bout. Njokuani and Pettis are the younger brothers of UFC stars Anthony Njokuani and Anthony Pettis, while Kimball and Manzanares train locally and will enjoy the home crowd.
Tickets for RFA 7 - Thatch vs. Silva are on sale NOW and available through www.Tickethorse.com or by calling 866.461.6556.
Colorado customers can dial locally at 303-53HORSE.
Tickets start at $25. For VIP Status, eight-seat catered cage-side VIP tables are available by calling 303-521-0966.
Doors for RFA 7 open at 5:30 p.m. MT; first bout starts at 6:00 p.m. MT and the main card goes live on AXS TV at 8:00 p.m. MT / 10:00 p.m. ET