Xtreme Cage Wars hope their first Yorkton-based event on January 19 at the Gallagher Centre will be a box office knockout.
"We think we will sellout," says Dave Lochert, a promoter of the event for the Saskatoon-based organization. "We sold 991 tickets in Moose Jaw in September and we only have 300 seats for this event, so we expect them all to be bought up quickly."
The seating includes cage-side VIP tables at $500 a piece, each table seats 10 people, single cage-side seats for $65, and general admission at $25.
The event's main attraction is a lightweight title defence match between Saskatoon native Dauda Keita and Winnipeg native Ryan Starkell. Both fighters have made names for themselves across Saskatchewan's mixed martial arts scene.
"Keita is 5-0 and is a very strong fighter," says Lochert. "He has won the 155-pound title, 170-pound title, and 155-pound toughest man title. So he has a great track record and whenever he is in a match it tends to be a good one."
"Starkell is one of the top up and comers in our province. A different organization, Hard Knocks, might give him a shot at a big title event if he wins in Yorkton."
Other matches at the event include a bantamweight title match between Matthew Fiddler and Dillon Adam, a midweight title contest between Evander Masuskapoe and Denny Heathen, and a welterweight fight between Scott Eppen and Mariuz Bloch.
"We have a handful of matches that should bring fans to their feet," says Lochert. "These guys are padding their resumes at the amateur level to get to the professional level, so they fight hard and make it very exciting."
If all goes well with the event, Xtreme Cage Wars would like to return to Yorkton for more cage fights.
"Mixed Martial Arts is the No. 1 growing sport right now, so we think the markets for our events will just grow," says Lochert. "If our event in Yorkton is a success, and we think it will be, we definitely will want to come back."
