Shuffled contests complete five-fight main card for Aug. 9 event at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
LAS VEGAS (July 23) – With undefeated Bulgarian standout Krasimir Mladenov (10-0) forced to withdraw from next month’s “World Series of Fighting 12: Palomino vs. Gonzalez” event, submission ace Kelvin Tiller (6-0) has agreed to drop down to 195 pounds and meet Elvis Mutapcic (13-3) in a catchweight affair.
That switch left Brazilian veteran Ronny Markes (14-3) without an opponent for the night’s co-main event, but promotional newcomer Cully Butterfield (13-3) has agreed to step in to fill the void.
The two new matchups now complete the five-fight main card for “World Series of Fighting 12: Palomino vs. Gonzalez,” which takes place Aug. 9 at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The two-hour NBCSN broadcast kicks off at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT local time). Preliminary contests will be announced shortly and will stream live on NBCSN.com.
Tickets for “World Series of Fighting 12: Palomino vs. Gonzalez” start at just $39 and are on sale now at AXS.com.
The 26-year-old Ronny Markes is a member of Brazil’s famed Nova Uniao fight team, home to some of the top fighters in the world. Markes returns to the 205-pound division, where he won 12 of his 13 bouts as a professional before embarking on a four-fight run at middleweight. He now meets Cully Butterfield, a Wisconsin native who fights out The Grind Fitness Factory. “The Mason” turned pro in 2009, and while he opened his career with a respectable 3-2 record, he’s since gone 10-1 in his past 11 appearances. Additionally, 10 of his 13 career wins have come by way of stoppage.
Kelvin Tiller is perfect through the first six fights of his career and now looks to prove himself on a national stage. Tiller has earned four of his six wins by submission, and three of those came in the opening round. He now faces Elvis Mutapcic, who was a member of World Series of Fighting’s inaugural middleweight championship tournament but suffered a decision loss to tourney finalist Jesse Taylor. Still, Mutapcic is 5-1 in his past six career outings, and 11 of his 13 career wins have come by knockout or submission. Meanwhile, the durable fighter has never been finished, as all three of his losses came by way of decision.
