Tara LaRosa returns for 'Caged Combat' on June 5 in Atlantic City

On June 5-6 an MMA doubleheader comes to the Trump Marina in Atlantic City, combining two respected MMA promotions and spawning a new name in East Coast entertainment.

Caged Combat -- the brainchild of veteran promoter Monte Cox and World Cagefighting Alliance promoter Derek Panza -- hits the shore for two nights of top MMA fighting.

"This will be fun," Cox said. "You take what I've done over the past dozen years -- nearly 600 shows -- and combine it with what Derek's been able to successfully do in a short time out East and I think we've created something special for the hardcore and mainstream fans."

Cox will use his Extreme Challenge brand in the co-promotion with the WCA.

"I am excited by all the possibilities WCA and Extreme Challenge bring to the MMA community. I believe by joining forces with Monte we are going to consistently produce the best MMA events in the Northeast," Panza said.

The MMA twin bill will have a card full of top East Coast names, including the woman's No. 1 fighter in Tara LaRosa.

Cox's reputation in the sport is arguably unmatched. As a manager he has a long list of UFC champions, a stable of fighters competing at the highest levels all over the globe and as a promoter he has been on the forefront of the sport since 1996. His Extreme Challenge promotion has started the careers of more UFC champions than any other -- a list that includes Pat Miletich, Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Sean Sherk, Dave Menne and Rich Franklin. Also fighting for Extreme Challenge have been Jeremy Horn, Robbie Lawler and Spencer Fisher.

Panza's WCA has made quite a splash as well, with two events loaded with well-matched cards.

"Matchmaker Gary Marino has a lot of talent to work with," Panza said. "Gary has a reputation for matching the best fights in region, including our last WCA show where an undefeated Paul Bradley narrowly escaped Nathan Coy. Now we add Monte's pool of talent to our team and, well, June 5-6 should be action-packed."

Here is the current lineup for 'Caged Combat:'

Caged Combat card for Friday, June 5:

Tara LaRosa (17-1) vs. TBA (0-0)
Dominic "I Hate You So Much" O'Grady (8-1) vs. Tom Gallicchio (10-4)
Lester Caslow (3-3) vs. Munil Adriano (0-2)
Kevin Roddy (10-8) vs. Marcos Rodrigues (6-10)
Mervin Rodriguez (1-1) vs. Vincent Vellucci (4-0)
Zachary Burhans (3-1) vs. Tyler Venice (3-1)
Anthony Morrison(12-5) vs. Tim Troxell (6-2)
Andrew Main (1-0) vs. Steve McCabe (1-6)
Brian DeMuro (2-6) vs. Anthony D'Angelo (3-4)
Hercules Benjamin (3-1) vs. J.A Dudley (0-3)

Caged Combat card for Saturday, June 6:

Douglas Gordon (9-6) vs. Justin Haskins (4-4)
Zach Makovsky (5-1) vs. TBA (0-0)
Zack Davis (2-1) vs. Greg Soto (5-0)
Jeff Lentz (2-0) vs. Steve De Angelis (9-4)
Mike Geurin (2-0) vs. Plinio Cruz (1-1)
Samuel Oropeza (0-0) vs. TBA (0-0)
Mustafa Hussaini (5-5-2) vs. Tuan "Kid Thunder" Pham (1-0)
TJ Sumler (1-1) vs. Greg Killian (1-1)
Al Buck (4-7) vs. Joey "Knockdown" Brown (1-5-1)
Mitch Filer (11-4) vs. Bryan Danner (1-0)
Rich Lictawa (5-3) vs. Chris Presta (0-1)

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at the Marina box office or through Ticketmaster. Both shows begin at 9 p.m. with doors opening at 8 p.m.