MMA in Parma

Burly dudes descend on Parma tonight as an evening of mixed martial arts slams down at the Ohio Nets Sports Complex. Headlining tonight's Ultimate Cage Battles: Stars and Stripes are two particularly gnarly characters — Brazilian Muay Thai striker Eduardo Pamplona and up-and-coming H.I.T. Squad product Joe Bunch — meeting in a 178-pound catchweight bout. Mixed martial arts has a rapidly growing fan base in NEO, and nobody knows that better than UCB founder and former mixed-martial-arts world champeen Dan "The Bull" Bobish. "We promised that we were going to bring the best fighters in the world to Northeast Ohio," he says. "Having a talent like Pamplona in the Midwest, I don't think anybody can match what we are doing." Doors open at 5 p.m. at 12665 Corporate Dr. in Parma; general admission starts at $23. Snag your tix, get more information, and hum along to the UCB theme song at ultimatecagebattles.com. — Cicora