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Vargas enjoys role as pioneer promoter

Jones Jr. joins dual promotion game; UFC 96 finalized

Vargas in Studio

Former World Champion Boxer and current Promoter Fernando Vargas joins Alex Adeyanju to talk about the Worlds Collide event going on on Saturday.

Aspiring actor and former world champion boxer Fernando Vargas made the point that he was the last one to die in his latest movie role alongside Tom Berenger in the film “Stiletto” when talking to the media Thursday.

But Vargas, who dabbles in the Hollywood industry, might play an even bigger role off-screen; helping to ensure the sport he loves stays alive for many years to come.

“Of course I love boxing, it’s my first love. But I looked at Roy Englebrecht (promoter) and told him I want to put on an mixed martial arts show,” Vargas said, of his transition into the promoting aspect of the fight game.

“There’s a new rage and craze in the world and it’s MMA. But I wanted to be the first one to do a show with both.”

Thus the concept behind this Saturday’s “World Collide,” a combined MMA and boxing card held at Buffalo Bill’s Star of the Desert Arena in Primm.

Tickets, which are priced at $35, are still available at ticketmaster.com or at Buffalo Bill’s Web site for the 7 p.m. event, which will include eight fights alternating back-and-forth between three-round MMA matchups and four-round boxing bouts.

Saturday’s event is the first quarterfinal of the World’s Collide $175,000 Tournament, a six-show series with the finals concluding in December.

“The MMA world, the boxing world is going to be looking at what’s gonna happen at Star of the Desert Arena on Saturday,” Englebrecht said.

“It’s the first time there will be professional boxing and professional MMA in the same ring in the same building on the same night. We are gonna do it differently than anyone’s ever done it.”

Jones Jr. joins new fight game — Vargas apparently isn’t the only former boxing champ to step into the promotional world of a dual card show.

Jones Jr.’s Square Ring Promotions is putting on “March Badness,” a mixed boxing/MMA card, on March 21 at the Pensacola Civic Center in Florida.

“Why do people keep trying to pull us apart?” Jones Jr. said in an interview with Sherdog.com. “Why not come together and make for an even bigger situation and make it better for both sports? MMA has something that boxing doesn’t have, which boxing needs to acknowledge.”

The show will feature Seth Petruzelli, who gained fame for knocking out underground legend Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. Former WWE star and three-time NCAA wrestling champion Bobby Lashley also will be on the card.

UFC 96 finalized — In addition to the light heavyweight showdown between Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine, the UFC confirmed nine more bouts for its third trip to Columbus, Ohio.

Heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga looks for his third straight win against undefeated Shane Carwin. The Buckeye State’s own Matt Hamill will take on former WEC light heavyweight champ Mark Munoz, who is making his UFC debut.

Others bouts include Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller, Matt Brown vs. Pete Sell, Brandon Vera vs. Mike Patt, Kendall Grove vs. Jason Day, Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz, Tamdan McCrory vs. Ryan Madigan, and Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson.

WEC heads to Chicago — World Extreme Cagefighting will make its first trip to the Windy City for an April 5 card that features WEC bantamweight champ and East Chicago, Ind., native Miguel Angel Torres (35-1) putting on his third title defense against unbeaten Brian Bowles (7-0).

Island Lake, Ill., native Jeff “Big Frog” Curran will have to get by Joseph Benavidez if he wants a future shot at Torres and the title.

Tickets, priced from $45 to $175, go on sale at 8 a.m. PST on Saturday.

Andy Samuelson can be reached at [email protected] or 702-948-7837.

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