Isabel, Elbanna Turning Pro at Ring of Combat 43 this Friday

Fight Network Staff / January 24, 2013 - 11:20am

This Friday, January 25, two EFC Sports Management fighters will make their highly anticipated pro debuts at the "Louis Neglia Presents: Ring of Combat XLIII" professional MMA event at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City.

Appearing in support of the ROC Welterweight Championship main event between Ryan LaFlare and Andrew Osborne will be EFC's own undefeated (now former) Heavyweight Champion Gil "Blackout" Isabel and undefeated Palestinian-American Ashure "The Lionheart" Elbanna in separate bouts.

Isabel is scheduled to face former Virginia Cagefighting Championships Super Heavyweight Champion Joseph Ray of North Carolina, while Elbanna will face fellow Jersey resident Frank Buenafuente, the former Ring of Combat Amateur Welterweight Champion, also making his debut.

Both men will be up against younger opponents with more experience. 24-year-old Ray was 9-3 as an amateur (35-year-old Isabel was 4-0). 25-year-old Buenafuente was 5-0 in the unpaid ranks (32-year-old Elbanna was 3-0).

"They both wanted to be challenged in their first fights, so that's what we got them," said EFC Sports Management head Hani Darwish. "They're both extremely talented, so we didn't have to baby them like you might have to with a typical fighter. Ring of Combat is where top guys like Matt Serra, Frank Edgar, Josh Koscheck and Kurt Pellegrino began their careers. They're both going to be looking to make a big impact in the pro ranks fairly quickly, so this is the perfect place to start."

Ring of Combat is run by world kickboxing champion Louis Neglia. Tickets for "Ring of Combat XLIII" are priced from $45 to $125 and can be purchased online at www.ringofcombat.com. The event will be broadcast live online on Go Fight Live (www.gofightlive.com), beginning at 8 pm.

About EFC Sports Management:

EFC Sports Management is owned and operated by well-known fight-promoting duo The Darwish Brothers, Hani and Wally Darwish. Long-time staples of the New Jersey fight scene, the pair have also managed several high-profile fighters including 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist and WBA Junior Middleweight Champion David Reid and six-time super middleweight challenger Omar Sheika.

For more information on EFC Sports Management, log on to www.efcmma.com.