Liguori-Malyutin on Ring of Combat 35 Marquee

Ring of Combat lightweight champion Chris Liguori will meet seasoned M-1 Challenge veteran Mikhail Malyutin in a featured 155-pound bout at Ring of Combat 35 on Friday at the Tropicana Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

Liguori (Pictured) last fought at DaMMAge Fight League “The Big Bang” in November, when he notched a unanimous decision against John Salgado. The 27-year-old New Jersey native trains alongside former middleweight King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida and current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Liguori -- who has won three fights in a row, five of his last six and nine of his past 12 -- owns notable victories against “The Ultimate Fighter” alums Matt Brown and Dorian Price.

Sixteen of Malyutin’s 27 fights have gone the distance. The 29-year-old Russian last competed under the ProFC banner in November, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Gor Harutunian in Armenia. Malyutin has alternated between wins and losses in each of his last five fights. Wins over KSW veteran Niko Puhakka, South Korean lightweight Yui Chul Nam and Pride Fighting Championships alum Luiz Azeredo anchor his resume. In 27 professional outings, Malyutin has never been knocked out.

Other featured matchups at Ring of Combat 35 pit Kurt Pellegrino protégé Justin Haskins against Liam Kerrigan, UFC castaway Sean Salmon against Renzo Gracie disciple Tom DeBlass and middleweight prospect Uriah Hall against Aung La Nsang. The New Jersey-based promotion has spawned a number of top talents in recent years, including the world-ranked Jim Miller, former International Fight League champion Dan Miller and unbeaten middleweight prospect Chris Weidman.

Ring of Combat 35
Friday, April 8
Tropicana Resort and Casino
Atlantic City, N.J.

Chris Liguori vs. Mikhail Malyutin
George Sullivan vs. Elijah Harshbarger
Justin Haskins vs. Liam Kerrigan
Gabriel Miglioli vs. George Sheppard
Sean Salmon vs. Tom DeBlass
Uriah Hall vs. Aung La Nsang
Ryan Vaccaro vs. Evan Chmielski
Michael LaDuke vs. Claudio Ledesma
Tom English vs. Mike Prokop
Michael Andrillo vs. Daniel Akinyemi
Joe Abouata vs. J.A. Dudley
Frankie Perez vs. Andre Shuler