The ongoing effort to boost retirement pay for fighters has led to the creation of a rare multi-discipline combat sports card in the wine country of Northern California.<\/p>\n
Veteran MMA promoter Scott Coker (Strikeforce, Bellator) will stage an intimate July 25 card at Raymond Vineyards in the Napa Valley that will include scheduled appearances by guests Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, Vergil Ortiz Jnr, Arnold Barboza Jnr and Gina Carano.<\/p>\n
Bouts will be staged in boxing, MMA and kickboxing while attendees can participate in charitable auctions, luxury hospitality, premium wine, entertainment and VIP experiences in St. Helena, California.<\/p>\n
Proceeds will be distributed to the national Association of Boxing Commissions\u2019 Retired Fighters Charity and the California State Athletic Commission Fighter Pension Fund.<\/p>\n
General admission tickets start at $500, with ringside seats going for $1,000.<\/p>\n
The California commission, in a campaign that included Rousey\u2019s heartfelt backing, sought to raise funds for its pension by enlisting advertising on the backs of its referees\u2019 shirts. That effort stalled in legislative purgatory, however, as a new bid to raise money through designer license plates has been launched.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is also a good idea, that came from commissioner Ron Fiore\u2026 he knew Jean-Charles Boisset (the Raymond Vineyards Proprietor), and he graciously has donated the winery and gone all out for the cause and the fighters,\u201d CSAC Executive Officer Andy Foster said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to find new ways to generate money for the fighters that need some help.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event, Napa Knockout, will feature bouts including a boxing exhibition by San Francisco\u2019s Marley McNealey, 17-2 (5KOs), former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Scooby Wright in a three-round MMA heavyweight fight against Eddy Herrera and kickboxers Matt Baker and Tony Charles going head-to-head. <\/p>\n
\u201cNapa Valley has always been a place of innovation, culture, and celebration,\u201d Boisset said in a prepared statement. \u201cNapa Knockout introduces a bold new energy\u2013bringing together world-class sport, entertainment, philanthropy, and wine country hospitality in one unforgettable experience.\u201d<\/p>\n