Fight Hard: Ellington vs Rosener - Preview

The training ground for many of today's local pros returns Saturday when Fight Hard sets up at shop at the Family Arena on the eve of Father's Day.

This is only the second event of the year for Fight Hard, whose ownership is sharing space with the new indoor football team, the River City Raiders. Matchmaker Kain Royer has put together 14 ammy fights that includes three women's bouts, which are usually a lock to steal the show.

Headlining the event will be one of the top amateurs in the area, "The Big Dogg" Eric Ellington (10-1) taking on a seasoned Jon Rosener from Watson Martial Arts. Ellington was victorious over Rosener in April at Prime FS, and Saturday's event will see Rosener, who lost in the first round, getting another crack.

Strong and athletic. Ellington comes out fast with intense pressure from the first bell but does slow down in later rounds. If Rosener can withstand the early pressure, he will have a decent shot at winning. Rosener's submission game is his strength and Ellington will need to be cautious when engaging on the ground. Ellington's power punching is the x-factor, as he can end the fight at any moment.

Tina Brown will face Savannah Shahan in the co-main event. Shahan returns after defeating Izzie Robinson in March. Despite losing the first round decisively, Shahan battled back and got a TKO victory in the second. Brown, out of Dark Horse MMA in South East Missouri, is 3-1 and while much older, doesn't have a lot more experience as one would imagine, getting into the sport late.

Rodney Cotton and Trevon Crawford will square off in the evening's other co-main event. Cotton trains along side Rosener at Watson's and all four of his wins have come by way of submission. Crawford lost to Brandon Schehl at Shamrock FC two weeks ago and could never get his offense going. He is a durable fighter and always comes in ready for victory.

Fresh from a blistering, 11-second KO of Susie Wyatt at the March Fight Hard, Brittney Cloudy will return to action against Alexis Ragsdale. Cloudy won the women's division of St. Louis Golden Gloves and shows a ton of potential. The best we can tell, Ragsdale hasn't competed in a while, but looks to favor the ground and pound.

One bout that sticks out is the matchup between Fred Freeman and Andrwe Terhune. Freeman, out of Modern Combat Systems, is always exciting to watch and Terhune comes into the fight winning his last two.

The War Room's Dakota Zimmerman will take on Maddie Reid. Zimmerman, the former Lindenwood-Belleville grappler, brings a strong top game and will be a tough challenge for Reid.


Fight fans can get free tickets by clicking on this link.

Here is the full card:

Eric Ellington vs Jon Rosener
Savannah Shahan vs Tina Brown
Trevon Crawford vs Rodney Cotton
Brittney Cloudy vs Alexis Ragsdale
Mark Kirland vs Kevin Roper
Alex Macias vs Jarod Kirby
Colin Parr vs Aaron Lake
Free Freeman vs Andrew Terhune
Clayton Whaley vs Juan Molina
Nick Marton vs Corbin Howard
Steven Coleman vs David johnson
Dakota Zimmerman vs maddie Reid
Jon Graves vs Jacob Cruzen
Aaron Fahr vs Eugene Swartz

Fight Hard: Ellington vs Rosener
Saturday, June 18th
The Family Arena, St, Charles, MO