On Saturday March 7, two of the biggest fight promotions are joining forces to make history at Madison Square Garden with Warrior Series 3, bringing the best amateur and professional fighters together under one stacked card filled with non-stop action and carefully executed lethal technique as Muay Thai and kickboxing fighters spanning from NYC to the United Kingdom battle it out under the bright lights at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
The event was created by Warriors Cup and RFC Promotions, two powerhouse fight organizations that have made major headway over the past few years by putting on high-level shows at Melrose Ballroom in Queens, quickly raising the bar for the East Coast fight scene and beyond, each show filling the venue with electric energy, a packed crowd, and a plethora of upcoming and established talent. After the promotions first began working together for the Warriors Series in 2024, the pair decided it was time to expand their vision and head toward a bigger challenge by taking on Madison Square Garden, accepting the high-risk, high-reward venture of going from a 1000-person capacity venue to filling 5600 seats with their upcoming show at The Theatre in MSG.
Vllasaliu and James Guccione, one of the three founders of Three Pillar Promotions that runs Warriors Cup, have forged markedly different paths over the years, but merged together from sharing a similar laser-like focus and non-stop work ethic that only a few possess to move the needle and set a standard in their industry. For Guccione, Warriors Cup has been a full-time passion project that he’s worked on relentlessly since joining forces with fight game veterans Chris Tran and Eddie Marini in 2016 while simultaneously working a full-time career with Con Edison, along with being a union shop steward and executive board member for the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2.
“It just really progressed for me, from matchmaker to owner, especially when I wasn’t fighting anymore, and although it’s busy, especially with work, at the end of the day, this is what I was meant to be doing,” said Guccione. “Being involved in the fight world, managing fighters, cutting deals with other fighters and promotions-I really found when I’m doing that, it doesn’t seem like work to me.”
At its inception, Warriors Cup was a no-frills fight event before Three Pillar Promotions got involved, often held in gymnasiums in Yonkers, although the card often featured high-level fighters. Around the same time the Friday Night Fight Series was prominent for bringing a high quality event to the East Coast Muay Thai circuit, founded by Justin Blair in 2006, a reputable name on the Muay Thai scene known for opening Church Street Boxing Gym and providing a platform for prominent amateur and professional Muay Thai fighters long before the sport became mainstream like it is today. Guccione had fought professionally on Friday Night Fights, while also working as a cutman, where he built a reputation for being a neutral ally amongst gyms which later played a role in how he built a rapport as a reliable matchmaker. In 2016 he got involved with matchmaking for Friday Night Fights along with Tran and Marini where they became immersed in the promoter’s side of the business. Eventually the trio formed Three Pillar Promotions in 2019, with a vision to take Warriors Cup to the next level, set in a night club-esque event venue set with bright lights, bigger crowds, top industry announcers and professional fight commentary. For a promotion whose first-ever event was cancelled just days before its scheduled date due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in March 2020, booking an iconic venue like MSG just six years later speaks volumes to the group’s reputation for taking care of the fighters, making even matches, and putting on a great show.
“This show above anything else is proof of concept,” said Guccione. “We’ve done Westchester County Center [for Warrior Series 2], which was good, but MSG is the ultimate risk, so when this goes good, we know we could do good anywhere.”
For Guccione, the event is even more profound for the retired professional Muay Thai fighter, who trained out of Sitan Gym in Astoria and fought his last fight at MSG nearly 10 years ago in 2017 for Glory kickboxing to be returning to the garden with his own event.
“The last time I was at the garden for fights, it was the last fight of my career,” said Guccione. “It’s kind of a full circle moment to be able to do a show there where I’ve grown from being a fighter and retiring, and not leaving the sport, but taking it on in a different way.”
“I was doing so many events that when he wanted to start doing shows, he reached out to me, and we hit it off, so I helped him with a lot of stuff when he was new to doing shows,” said Guccione. “From the start, I was like, I could do business with this guy, so we stayed in touch, and when Ricky reached out about using Melrose Ballroom, I asked him if he wanted to do it together, and that’s how Warrior Series was formed.”
In September 2026, Vllasaliu, a WKA European kickboxing champion and amateur Muay Thai champion, will mark 10 years since he moved from Kosovo to the U.S, where the Albanian professional fighter was born and raised. From the time he first moved to the U.S. to now, he has gone from holding roles in restaurants and working in construction to opening Rigoro Gym, which now has three locations in the U.S, including Rockland County, Midland, N.J, and Cocoa Beach, Florida. He’s also responsible for running three fight promotions under the RFC Promotions umbrella, including K-Series, a mixed-card series, and Blitz MMA, the fourth current NYC-based MMA promotion, which just launched this past September. As the first Albanian-owned fight promotion in the United States and the first Albanian to hold a fight event in Madison Square Garden, the milestone is more than just another accomplishment to check off his list, however, Vllasaliu concedes taking all of the credit for himself, noting the opportunities that moving to the U.S has presented to him which have paired hand in hand with his unrelenting work ethic.
“In September this year, it’s going to be 10 years since I came to the United States, and I’m blessed to live in the greatest country in the world,” said Vllasaliu. “I’m thankful to this country for all the support it gave to me, and this is the place where you make your achievements with hard work and believing in yourself.”
Prior to their next event at MSG, Warrior Series made history just a few months ago, when they held a show at the 5,000-seat Westchester County Center last October. The promotions continue to aim higher together, looking to continue to solidify themselves as the elite fight promotions in the U.S. and beyond. While the concept of taking Warrior Series to MSG was always an idea the pair would weigh the pros and cons of, the opportunity finally presented itself after connections Guccione had made through USA Boxing, who host the FDNY boxing event at MSG, vouched for the promotions, solidifying a connection with the iconic venue. After several months, MSG locked down a date for Warrior Series 3, marking a historic milestone for the promotions and blending the best of Muay Thai and kickboxing fighters on both the local and international scenes.
“RFC has worked to become the biggest kickboxing promotion in the United States, and we always try to bring the biggest platform here and the best fights,” said Vllasaliu. “The plan came through with Warriors Cup, the biggest Muay Thai organization in the U.S. The third Warriors Series is going to be the best at Madison Square Garden.”
The fight card is slated to feature at least 20 fights, including 5 professional bouts, including the main event, a title fight for the WBC Muay Thai Nai Khanomtom welterweight title featuring Dzmitry Varats vs Kenny Carey, hailing from Liverpool, England, and the co-main event, Anna Toole vs. Cici McDonald. Toole is a seasoned veteran in the ring, and the match is a big step up for McDonald, who is making her pro debut and was eager to accept a challenge for her first professional bout.
“Cici is making her pro debut, and she’s going against Anna, who is a very experienced pro,” said Guccione. “Most people try to protect their pro debut and will only take easy fights, but she went right in against Anna, who’s a top-ranked fighter and who’s been around for a lot of people, so we have a really good card.”
In addition to a slew of professional bouts, the card will showcase standout amateur fighters to keep fans on the edge of their seats throughout the evening, enjoying a roster of up-and-coming and established talent. The moment would certainly seem like a bit of good karma for both promotions, which have built a reputation for putting in the extra effort to match fights evenly and make each event feel special, while bringing something unique to the fighters and gyms they’ve worked with over the years.
“We’re doing everything for the fighters, and I think when you do good things, good things will come back to you, so we try to do everything the right way,” said Vllasaliu. “We’re all about real fights, even fights, and good match-ups.”
Tickets for Warrior Series 3 are on sale now and may be purchased on Ticketmaster. To learn more, follow @warriorscup_3pp and @rfc.promotions.
