A blockbuster card has been unveiled for the annual Mortal Combat Fight Night at Whakatāne War Memorial Hall tomorrow night.

Organiser Carl Cowley said they had another exciting card lined up, which included several fighters from the Eastern Bay.

“We have a lot of local talent on offer this year. Again, we have a good spread of kids, teens and adults entering the ring.”

He said making the card as even as possible was always difficult.

“So many of these fights are evenly matched and will be extremely competitive and entertaining.”

One of the fights he is excited to see is between Eru Stirling, 16, and Trace Raymond, 17, who he describes as “two dedicated and very talented teenagers”.

“They are very experienced and are some of New Zealand’s top youth fighters and are ones to watch-out for in the future.”

With New Zealand champion Liam Witbrock unavailable to defend his New Zealand Muay Thai title because of work and family commitments, it has opened the door for a NZ Youth Muay Thai title.

Saturday’s main fight is now in the lightweight division (maximum weight 58.967kg) with Stirling and Raymond vying for national honours.

Cowley said another much-anticipated battle would be between Byron Smith and Jayden Lloyd.

“Both are explosive local adult fighters who are future title contenders.”

Other interesting battles include Hohepa Pukepuke and Ed Maui – two hard-hitting heavyweights – the clash between Fern Tuari-Hape and Terewai Hurkmans, and Cash Ryan and Seth Manawatu, two young and up-and-coming local teens.

Rapid fire rounds have been a staple of the annual fight night for at least 10 years and are a crowd favourites, providing 15 straight minutes of non-stop action by the three pairs.

“These are designed to give the less-experienced fighters shorter rounds (one minute) with more rest (two minutes) between rounds, while the other two pairs complete their rounds.”

A new addition this year is the tag team event.

Ticket sales have been steady, and Cowley urges people wanting a table to get in quick, with only a few left. Doors open at 3pm, with the first fight scheduled to take place at 4pm.