Audio By Carbonatix
SAT, 9/6
Ten years after being banned from competing in the city’s public facilities by a skittish city council, the ultimate warriors of the World Cage Fighting Championships return to Denver for a “Global Domination” event that goes to the mat tonight at 7 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. Part boxing, part mixed martial arts, cage fighting is a no-holds-barred battle in which contenders — men or women — throw punches and land kicks in a steel cage no bigger than most living rooms.
Violent? Probably no worse than pro boxing or football. It’s also not as bloodthirsty as it used to be, thanks to safety rules and time limits instituted in 1996 by its governing body, the International Fighting Championships.
Local heroes to root for in tonight’s light-middleweight division include Nathan Marquardt of Denver, Chilo Gonzalez and Pat Cross of Colorado Springs, and Ron Waterman of Greeley; Denver’s Amanda Buckner is also in a bid for the IFC Women’s World Middleweight Championship. Tickets start at $20; call 303-830-8497 or log on to www.ticketmaster.com to get yours. — Hart Van Denburg
Gearhead Paradise
FRI, 9/5
For some, a car is a way to get from point A to the next gridlock. For others, it is a passion, a place that fuses memory and emotion, art and heart. And odds are that the folks who will flock to Pikes Peak International Raceway this weekend for the K&N Filters/Goodguys 6th Colorado Classic fall into the latter group. A few will have even driven their cars cross-country to be part of the expo, which features some 2,500 vintage autos. Many of the vehicles hail from the glory years of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Some represent massive obsessions.
“It depends on how much someone wants to spend. We have cars that cost several hundred thousand to rebuild; each part is handmade,” says event spokeswoman Betsy Livingston.
Admission to the metallic gathering, which runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, is $12 for adults and $4 for kids ages seven to twelve. For details, call the raceway, just south of Colorado Springs, at 1-719-382-7223 or log on to www.good-guys.com. — Ernie Tucker
Walk the Walk
Colorado MS Challenge goes the distance
SUN, 9/7
For most of us, it’s easy to take the little things in life, such as simply putting one foot in front of the other, for granted. But small things often have big meaning. That’s why, during the past three days, more than 400 walkers have traveled fifty miles, from Colorado Springs to Denver, as part of the inaugural Colorado MS Challenge Walk. The event is a fundraiser for the Colorado Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “We have walkers of all ages and abilities joining us,” says spokeswoman Clare Sinacori. “There are just so many touching stories.”
The MS Challenge Walk will wind up today at 2 p.m. with a celebration in Cheesman Park. “The rate of MS in Colorado is so high that everybody probably knows someone who suffers from the disease,” Sinacori says.
Registration for the walk is closed, but donations are still being accepted online; visit www.fightmscolorado.org for more information or to make a pledge. — Julie Dunn
