Get ready, Queens! A brand new MMA promotion, Blitz MMA, is launching on September 27 for a night of explosive fights at Melrose Ballroom with a fight card that’s guaranteed to pack a punch.
The inaugural event will take place at 36-08 33rd St. in Long Island City and feature a stacked card of amateur and professional bouts, with multiple title fights on the line. Fans can expect a night of non-stop action and static energy at the venue.
“We decided to start an MMA promotion because we wanted to give more options to the fans,” said Ricky Vllasaliu, the promotion’s founder and owner of RFC Promotions. “Other organizations have a lot of uneven fights where someone who’s [fight record] is 0-7 is fighting someone 3-0, and that’s such a bad fight. With Blitz, you’re going to see really good match-ups and even fights.”
The newest MMA promotion is under the RFC Promotions umbrella, founded in 2021, which also includes their K-Series kickboxing organization as well as their mixed card series, which often features a line-up of kickboxing and Muay Thai, or MMA. Vllasaliu, a WKA European kickboxing champion, amateur Muay Thai champion, and owner of Rigoro Gym, has used his extensive experience as a fighter and kickboxing coach to create high-quality fight events that take careful consideration of every detail of the event, from the match-up process to the night of the star-studded show.
“RFC Promotions always had a mixed card; we started with events that included kickboxing, Muay Thai, and MMA, but after that I decided to start another promotion, so under RFC we have K-Series, which is K-1 [kickboxing], and the strategy is to have a separate promotion for kickboxing, MMA, and a mixed card, kind of like One Championship.”
Blitz is slated to be one of only four MMA organizations based in NYC, as the state was the last in the country to legalize MMA on April 14, 2016, with the law going into effect in Sept. 2016. The legislation, which was signed by former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, was a major stride for fighters’ safety and closed a loophole for unregulated amateur competitions. As New York marks its 9-year anniversary this month, it would seem like perfect timing for Blitz MMA to be making its debut in the heart of Queens.
“’I know what fighters need and what fights are about,” said Vllasaliu. “With RFC, it’s more about the fans and fair match-ups.”
Blitz MMA 1 will take place at Melrose Ballroom on Saturday, September 27, at 6 p.m. RFC’s next events will be the K-Series and Warriors Cup kickboxing and Muay Thai mixed card on October 18 at the Westchester County Center, followed by RFC K-Series at Melrose Ballroom on Jan. 9.
To purchase tickets to Blitz MMA 1 or learn more, visit their website or follow them at @RFCPromotions.
