Pairings in food, music, and film have long been a way to accentuate two perfectly wonderful things that have a way of touching a person’s emotional core. Would Star Wars have been as impactful without the score of John Williams? Is a wonderful burger not made better when accompanied by a full-bodied beer? Pairings elevate two connected mediums in such a way that you almost don’t want one without the other. For many fight fans in Portland, the new pairing that can’t be missed is Rumble at the Roseland and Submission Underground (SUG). When Chael Sonnen created SUG, he said that he wanted to find out who the baddest person on the planet was. This singular goal meshed perfectly with what the Full Contact Fight Federation (FCFF) has been doing for the last 15 years, putting on exciting fight cards with top up and coming athletes from across the state.
Modern day mixed martial arts fans are both ravenous and well educated when it comes to the violent art that is MMA. Fans of the sport have been known to scream aggressively for elbows, knees, and fight-finishing flurries while applauding politely for guard passes and back mounts. These fans crave the blood and chaos that is sometimes effortlessly poetic inside the steel cage but also want more than just 15 minutes of control-based grappling. Chael Sonnen and the folks at FloCombat have found a perfect marriage with SUG and the FCFF. For the price of one UFC ticket, a fight fan can purchase a ticket to Rumble at the Roseland and come right back the next day and for SUG. Seriously, $50 will get you into both cards, a great value no matter how you slice it.
The night of the Rumble at the Roseland there is a buzz in crowd thanks to the presence of SUG main card fighters who weigh-in live, inside the FCFF cage. With names like Jake Shields, Chad Mendes, Dan Henderson, and Jon Jones having all competed at SUG, it’s no wonder fans love the cross over. This appeal has proven to bring out the masses and peak interest in competitive grappling. Thanks to SUG, the Eddie Bravo Invitational, and Metamoris, jiu-jitsu has taken center stage and is basking in the spotlight like never before. The difference between SUG and the others is that Chael Sonnen and his team have found a pairing between SUG and Rumble at the Roseland that makes you not want one without the other.
If you want a taste of this perfect pairing, you aren’t too late. You can still purchase tickets for both shows that are set to go down this weekend at the Roseland Theatre in downtown Portland. Come out Saturday night, May 13th, to support the local talent from Oregon as they step into the FCFF for Rumble at the Roseland 92. Then come right back on Sunday afternoon, May 14th, to watch some of the worlds best grapplers compete to see who the baddest person on the planet is. Plus, you can help cheer on birthday boy and MMA legend Urijah Faber as he makes his SUG debut.
***Please visit www.thefcff.com to purchase tickets to either or both events