Tag Archives: Melvin Blumer

mixed martial arts, MMA, RFA

RFA 32: MEET THE BASH BROTHERS

Leave a comment

 
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH LIVE ON AXS TV
LIVE from  Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
 
Tickets on Sale Now at  Ticketmaster.com
Support Your Favorite Fighter at CAGETIX.com
The 80’s had Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco crushing baseballs out of stadiums and the 90’s had Fulton Reed and Dean Portman in The Mighty Ducks movie series. However, it wasn’t until the new millennium that the nickname the “Bash Brothers” was  attached to a pair of twins just north of the “Twin Cities” that finally brought out its true meaning.
That was when Minneapolis’ daily newspaper the Star Tribune dubbed Marvin and Melvin Blumer the “Bash Brothers” after they both won amateur MMA titles on the same night. The Blumers are identical twin brothers from Lindstrom, Minnesota that have been making a name for themselves in the Upper Midwest since they began training MMA in 2008. They have since made their pro MMA debut on the same card, have fought in Japan on the same card, and are now set to fight on national television together for the second time on Friday night.
Marvin is looking to pick up a second impressive win in the RFA, when he meets fellow RFA vet Bill Kamery in the bout two fights before his brother’s fight. Melvin is set to face one of Brazil’s top prospects in the main event of RFA 24. He will be fighting Leandro “Pitbull” Higo, who is a jiu-jitsu balck belt and trains alongside the world famous Pitbull Brothers, Patricio and Patricky Freire.
In the interview below, the “Bash Brothers” discuss everything from their big fights on Friday to what it was like growing up in the same house with an equally tough mirror image of each other.
They also reveal some fun facts about each other and how they have used a typical sibling rivalry to help push each other to greatness.
Name: Melvin Blumer
Nickname: Career Killer
Born: February 18, 1982
Nationality: American
Ht: 5’9″
Wt: 135 lbs.
Reach: 70.5″
Division: Bantamweight
Hometown: Lindstrom, Minnesota
Team: Minnesota Militia at the Minnesota School of Martial Arts
Head Coach: Denny Anderson
Name: Marvin Blumer
Nickname: The Terminator
Born: February 18, 1982
Nationality: American
Ht: 5’9″
Wt: 135 lbs.
Reach: 70.5″
Division: Bantamweight
Hometown: Lindstrom, Minnesota
Team: Minnesota Militia at the Minnesota School of Martial Arts
Head Coach: Denny Anderson
Twitter: @MarvinBlumer82
RFA 32 will be the promotion’s third event to take place in the state of Minnesota. The entire main card of RFA 32 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, November 6th.
Please visit RFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. RFA is also on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAfighting, Instagram at @RFAfighting, and Twitter at @RFAfighting.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents live events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 43 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).

About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.
About MYSTIC LAKE CASINO HOTEL:
Mystic Lake CasinoHotel, the premier gaming facility in the Midwest, continually creates new, fun and exciting entertainment experiences for its guests. Mystic Lake® offers gaming, three lively bars, exceptional dining at seven restaurants, headline performers, unique special events and luxurious accommodations. Located 25 minutes southwest of Minneapolis / St. Paul in Prior Lake.
mixed martial arts, RFA

RFA RETURNS TO THE LAND OF 10,000 LAKES WITH BLUMER vs HIGO

Leave a comment

 
                                         MAIN EVENT:
MELVIN “CAREER KILLER” BLUMER 
vs 
LEANDRO “PITBULL” HIGO
BANTAMWEIGHT SHOWDOWN
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH LIVE ON AXS TV
LIVE from  Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
 
Tickets on Sale Now at Ticketmaster.com 
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) president Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to Minnesota with RFA 32 – Blumer vs. Higo in November. The main event will feature a bantamweight showdown between two of the promotion’s most exciting prospects as Minnesota’s own Melvin “Career Killer” Blumer battles Brazilian dynamo Leandro “Pitbull” Higo. RFA 32 – Blumer vs. Higo will take place Friday, November 6th inside the Mystic Showroom in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
“Melvin Blumer and Leandro Higo are both coming off huge wins over former RFA title challengers”, stated Soares. “I can’t wait to see what happens when these two step inside the RFA octagon together at RFA 32 in Prior Lake, Minnesota.”
Tickets for RFA 32 – Blumer vs. Higo are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com or the Mystic Box Office at952-445-9000  You can also support your favorite fighter by purchasing your tickets through CageTix.com/RFA.
Blumer (12-2) returns to the the building where he recorded a front-runner for “KO of the Year” this past March at RFA 24. He won his RFA debut with a scintillating back-hand KO over the iron-chinned MMA pioneer Jeff Curran. The KO came with just two seconds left in the first round in a manner that was just as shocking as it was telling. The significance of Blumer’s win was that it showed the world what the Upper Midwest has known for years… Melvin Blumer is a special talent that can finish a fight anywhere at any moment. Blumer is now ready to take the next step in his career by facing one of Brazil’s elite.
“I am more than happy to be in the main event for RFA where I can put the finishing touches on a stacked RFA 32 card,” stated Blumer. “I was at Leandro Higo’s last fight where he finished a guy that just went five rounds with the champ. I definitely don’t see this fight going the distance, but I do look forward to getting my hand raised against another tough and worthy opponent.”
Higo (14-2) made a statement in his RFA debut last month at RFA 29, that was similar to the significance of Blumer’s RFA debut. Just like Blumer, he finished an opponent who had just gone 5-rounds with an undefeated RFA champion in their most recent outing. Higo was able to submit Terrion Ware via Rear Naked Choke with just two seconds remaining in their fight. The win, also like Blumer, proved what Higo’s local fans in Brazil have been saying for years… Leandro Higo is one of the top up-and-coming fighters in MMA. Higo is now eager to face Blumer in a battle of two of MMA’s most exciting and promising bantamweight prospects.
“To headline RFA 32, an international show, is a great feeling,” Higo exclaimed. “I’m very happy to be a part of RFA and my main goal is to become the champion and no one will stop me from achieving that. After my last fight I met Melvin and his brother. I thought they were from another weight class because they’re too big, too strong. I even joked with Pedro Falcao like “Look at that Pedrinho, the size of the guys we’ll have to take down (laughs)”.
“We had a good interaction, although we don’t speak the same language, we had a good time. He seems to be a pretty cool guy, I like to think I’m one too myself, so it wasn’t difficult. I’m sure we’ll have a great duel, he’s coming from a big win, I’m coming from a big win, and I believe the winner of this fight will fight for the belt. Then we’ll have a new RFA champion and his name will be Leandro Higo.”
Also scheduled to fight at RFA 32 in the RFA’s return to Minnesota are three of the state’s biggest MMA stars. Former RFA welterweight champion Benjamin Smith (14-3), the identical twin brother of Melvin Blumer and the other half of the famed “Bash Brothers” Marvin Blumer (11-5), and the state’s top ranked lightweight Chad Curry (7-0) who has finished all seven of his fights. Smith, Blumer, and Curry are all slated to compete on the main card of RFA 32.
While Smith’s opponent will be announced soon, Blumer and Curry know who they will face at RFA 32. Blumer’s third fight in the RFA will come against fellow RFA vet Bill Kamery (13-4). Kamery has submitted his last three opponents and looks to continue that streak in his return to the RFA. Meanwhile, Curry will make his RFA debut against Landon Vannata (6-0) in a battle of undefeated lightweight prospects. Vannata was originally set to make his promotional debut at RFA 28 last month, but his opponent pulled out of the fight on the day of weigh-in. Vannata is now primed, ready, and eager to finally step foot in the RFA octagon.
The full RFA 32 fight card and further information regarding this event will be announced soon. RFA 32 will be the promotion’s third event to take place in the state of Minnesota. The entire main card of RFA 32 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, November 6th.
Please visit RFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. RFA is also on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAfighting, Instagram at @RFAfighting, and Twitter at @RFAfighting.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents live events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 43 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).

About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.
About MYSTIC LAKE CASINO HOTEL:
Mystic Lake CasinoHotel, the premier gaming facility in the Midwest, continually creates new, fun and exciting entertainment experiences for its guests. Mystic Lake® offers gaming, three lively bars, exceptional dining at seven restaurants, headline performers, unique special events and luxurious accommodations. Located 25 minutes southwest of Minneapolis / St. Paul in Prior Lake.
mixed martial arts, RFA

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK:  The Jeff Curran Story

Leave a comment
JEFF CURRAN: DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK!

  

RFA 24 IN MINNESOTA

FRIDAY MARCH 6TH LIVE ON AXS TV

 

BY K. David Bena 
@kdavidbena


 

UFC, PRIDE, WEC, WFA, IFL, Strikeforce. Only ONE FIGHTER has fought for all six of these promotions that are currently under the Zuffa umbrella. That fighter? Jeff “Big Frog” Curran.

Curran ends his 19-month retirement and enters the octagon at RFA 24 on Friday, March 6th at the Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The event will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV. The veteran bantamweight, Curran (36-16-1) will test his mettle in the co-main event against the surging Melvin Blumer (11-2) who is touting a 5-fight win streak.

Think back to 1991… What were you doing? Well, Curran was a wide-eyed 14-year old that decided to train jiu-jitsu. Curran explains, “My first class, I learned something called ‘paint the floor’ also known as an Americana and I knew that’s what I wanted to do and I just continued training jiu-jitsu ever since. I kept the focus on myself as an athlete and a fighter and one thing kept leading to another.”

Fast-forward to August 16, 2013 at RFA 9, Curran lost a split decision in a bantamweight title fight against Pedro Munhoz. “I retired after my last fight in the RFA. I’ve fought for a world title and been in every major show in the sport and been fighting, at that time, for 17 years. I just felt that with my business and the gym, where I was at that stage in my life, my kids and family, I thought that it was time to retire.”

Curran adds, “But, mainly, I didn’t want to be second best, I never wanted to be average as a fighter. Once I felt the dream was gone or the opportunity was gone to climb back to the UFC, to fight the best guys in the world, I felt it was best to stop since my prime has kind of passed.”

However, after careful introspection and the smoldering desire to continue fighting, Curran decided to step back into the cage. “I wanted to win the fight, win the belt, and go out on top. I felt it would be a real admirable way to retire, but it didn’t go my way. So I retired – and it never sat well with me,” Curran explained. “And the more time that went on, I felt the need to fight. I started to look for opportunities and RFA found an opportunity for me to fight again. So here I am.”

Juggling roles as a family man, business man, coach, and fighter might make some people’s head spin, but Curran explains, “I had my gym before I had my first fight, so I was always used to the responsibility of splitting my time, but now it’s a lot more in-depth than it used to be because my fighters are at different levels and require more time. Business is also on a different level – and I have two boys that are growing faster by the day and I have my wife. There’s responsibility across the board and it’s more than it was schedule-wise than back when I was opening a school. Yeah, it’s a lot to juggle, but I do it.”

Through all his responsibilities, Curran maintains focus for his upcoming fight with the dangerous Melvin Blumer, “His win streak speaks volumes, especially in the Midwest because a lot of the guys you fight are pretty similar in strength and skill set, so you get tough competition and local promoters in the Midwest are always looking to put on good fights. A guy that is 11-2 (Blumer) and on a 5-fight win streak is impressive to me and it’s exactly what I want.”

Curran explains further, “I don’t want to fight some bum or fight someone I know I can beat. I want to fight someone that can challenge me and let me know if I still belong in the game or give me the right sense of accomplishment if I win, so Blumer’s a great opponent. Blumer is tough. I give him enough respect to train my ass off and treat him as a top ten guy. But with that being said, I know I’m top ten caliber, so I’m bringing everything I got and I think it will make for a good fight.”

And what is Curran’s next step with a victory? Even he isn’t sure, “I don’t know what my next move is. I didn’t make a definite decision one way or another. To be honest, I know when I lost, retirement didn’t fit well with me, but with the right win it most likely could, but at the same time with the right win, I can get the attention of the UFC and decide if I want to chase my first UFC victory.”

On Friday, March 6th, Curran and everyone watching will be wondering what the “Big Frog’s” next venture in life will be.

About RFA:
RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents up to 10 fights annually around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 40 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About AXS TV Fights:
AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.