| Matchup | Disc. | Div. | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morrow vs Eddlemon | BK | 135 | Pro |
| Munoz-Ramirez vs Akin | Box | 135 | Pro |
| Pickens vs Weaver | Box | 200 | Pro |
| Ariza vs Boggs | MT | 154 | Am |
| Doyle vs Roth | MT | 147 | Am |
| Lyons vs McElroy | MT | 154 | Am |
| Koziol vs Harwick | MT | 112 | Am |
| Rojas vs Jimenez | KB | 135 | Am |
| Martinez vs Lawson | KB | 135 | Am |
| Wood vs Stepanek | KB | 154 | Am |
| Al-Waeli vs Jake Wood | KB | 140 | Am |
| Perez vs Gomez | MT | 140 | Am |
| Landa vs Mejia | KB | CW | Am |
| Vargas vs Valdez | MT | HW | Am |
| Dutton vs McCoy | KB | 147 | Am |
BK = Bare Knuckle · Box = Boxing · MT = Muay Thai · KB = Kickboxing
Dynasty Combat Sports has built Ring Rivals 3 around a main event that earns the headline. Nate Morrow and Michael Eddlemon are both 1-0 in bare knuckle competition. Both have been developing their craft for over a decade. And both have been watching each other compete on the regional circuit for years — Eddlemon recalls watching Morrow on one of his first amateur cards in Tarkio, Missouri.
The respect is genuine on both sides. So is the drive to come out on top Saturday night.
“Getting a chance to fight Nate, who’s undefeated in bare knuckle — I’m excited to test myself and see what level I’m at.”— Michael Eddlemon, Main Event
Morrow has spent fifteen years building his foundation across Nebraska and the Midwest. His BKFC debut was a turning point in understanding his own ceiling. Eddlemon drives 197 miles round-trip multiple times a week to train at Premier Combat Center in Nebraska City — a gym whose alumni include UFC veteran Anthony Smith.
Second-generation combat athlete out of Hard Drive Performance Center in Cedar Rapids — the gym that produced world champions Eric Koch and Steve Karl. Former D2 college football safety. Makes his kickboxing debut in Lincoln, in enemy territory, by choice.
20 years old. 53 amateur bouts. National champion. 2-0 as a pro. His last appearance at Royal Grove ended in a first-round TKO. He trains at Skywalker 101 and CW Boxing in Omaha and is building toward the WBC at 130 lbs.
A preschool teacher by day and a Muay Thai and boxing competitor by dedication. Team Doyle. Five years of development. Her entire community makes the trip to Lincoln Saturday to see her compete for the first time close to home.
Main Event Deep Dive
Professional Bare Knuckle · Bantamweight · 135 lbsNate Morrow has been competing in combat sports across Nebraska and the surrounding region for fifteen years. Through Tri-State cards, Dynasty shows, and the full circuit of Midwest regional competition, he has built a foundation that most combat athletes only see from the outside. His bare knuckle debut with the BKFC was a turning point — not just in record, but in how clearly he now understands what he is capable of.
“From the first punch Josh landed on me, I felt his knuckles on my teeth,” Morrow has said. “We’re playing a whole new game.”
Now 1-0 and backed by sponsors Doubting Law, Husker Army, and Good Life Construction, Morrow enters Saturday with a grounded confidence built over a decade and a half of showing up. He is the kind of combat athlete who has already proven he belongs at every level he has competed at. Saturday night is about proving he belongs at the next one.
“We’re playing a whole new game.”— Nate “The Badman” Morrow
Michael Eddlemon’s path to the ring is one of the most distinctive stories in regional combat sports. Born in Brighton, Colorado and raised in Tarkio, Missouri, he spent a decade riding bulls professionally on the PRCA circuit — breaking his jaw along the way — before turning his full focus to fighting. He has been developing his craft in combat sports for thirteen years.
Today he works on wind turbines and drives 197 miles round-trip, multiple times per week, to train under Derek Minner at Premier Combat Center in Nebraska City — a gym whose alumni include UFC veteran Anthony Smith and the Minner family. His coaches recognized his power and durability and pushed him toward bare knuckle. He went 1-0 in his debut, shattered his hand, and kept going.
He enters Saturday fighting in memory of two young boys who passed away recently, including his close friend Trace Lawson’s son Charlie and a Nebraska boy lost to brain cancer.
“If those little boys had to withstand that, I can withstand a training camp and put my body on the line.”— Michael “The American Hillbilly” Eddlemon
Professional Boxing
Two Professional Bouts on the CardAt 20 years old, Jesus Munoz-Ramirez is already 2-0 as a professional boxer — a milestone built on nine years of development and 53 amateur bouts, including a national tournament title in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He trains at Skywalker 101 and CW Boxing Gym in Omaha, where working alongside UFC and former UFC talent has broadened his technical range beyond what a traditional boxing environment provides.
He can fight two ways: apply forward pressure or control from the outside behind the jab. His last appearance at Royal Grove ended in a first-round TKO — two knockdowns, clean execution, instinctive finish. His long-term sights are set on the WBC at 130 pounds, with Emmanuel Navarrete as the kind of elite matchup he is building toward.
“I come to win. I come to dominate. That’s what I train for.”— Jesus Munoz-Ramirez
James Pickens makes his professional debut at cruiserweight Saturday night. The 28-year-old from Lincoln trains out of The Lab Boxing Club and steps into the ring in front of a home crowd for the first time at this level. A professional debut is a milestone in any combat athlete’s journey — the first time everything built in the gym gets tested against the professional standard. Pickens has done the work to arrive here.
Every event streams live and on demand — full cards, replays, and the archive.
Watch on MMA FuturesAmateur Muay Thai
Five Bouts — Multiple Weight ClassesThis matchup has been building in the background of the Omaha Muay Thai community for months. Both athletes train in the same city, develop in the same regional scene, and on Saturday night at 112 pounds they finally share the same ring.
Alexis Koziol walked into Mid-America Martial Arts seven years ago with no prior martial arts background. Everything she has built came from the ground up. At 1-4, her record reflects a combat athlete who has consistently sought out competition and kept growing through every experience on the way.
Bethany Harwick has spent five years developing her boxing and Muay Thai foundation at Team Doyle. During the day she teaches preschoolers at a Head Start program in Omaha. In the gym, years of training against larger partners have built the kind of aggressive confidence that emerges when the competition is finally even. Her family, colleagues, and community arrive in Lincoln Saturday to see her compete for the first time close to home.
“I know she’s had more fights than me. But I’ve been training for a while. I have skills. I have heart.”— Bethany Harwick
Harwick has spoken about what this fight represents beyond the record — an opportunity to show the broader Omaha community what women’s combat sports in Nebraska looks like right now, and to inspire more women to explore training and competition locally.
Lyons is undefeated at 4-0 out of Precision Combat Sports — a southpaw with a wrestling base and three years of dedicated Muay Thai development. McElroy brings 15 years of martial arts experience and arrives fresh from a training camp in Thailand where he logged his first two sanctioned bouts. Undefeated regional athlete vs. internationally-seasoned debutant.
One of the deepest amateur matchups on the card. Ariza (6-2, Mid-America MA) is a seasoned striker. Boggs (4-2, Premier CC) is a clinch-oriented Muay Thai specialist also 2-0 in MMA and prepping for the TBA Tournament in June.
Doyle (Team Doyle) is a Muay Tae style Nak Muay who builds his game around kicks and teeps. Roth (Next Edge Academy) brings forward pressure and power from Sioux Falls. Range vs. pressure — a classic dynamic.
Perez is a counter-striker who builds his game behind the jab and head kicks. Gomez is a mechanic who balances a full career with his love for Muay Thai — a combat athlete who keeps showing up and keeps growing.
Keaton Valdez makes his competitive debut at 18 years old out of Apex Muay Thai in Omaha. He has the frame and the gym behind him to make a statement from the first bell.
Amateur Kickboxing
Six Bouts — Debuts, Regional Records & Stories Worth FollowingTwo combat athletes make the drive from Cedar Rapids to Lincoln Saturday — both making debuts, both carrying the Cedar Rapids fight legacy with them.
Blaine Stepanek’s story is one of the most compelling on this card. The 21-year-old from Cedar Rapids is a second-generation combat athlete out of Hard Drive Performance Center — a gym that has produced world champions including Eric Koch and Steve Karl. He grew up in that building watching his father compete and watching those champions develop.
He began training at age five in Hard Drive’s youth kickboxing program, went on to play college football as a safety at Upper Iowa University, and returned to combat sports three years ago with full intention of building a career. Coach Keoni Koch has emphasized mental preparation alongside physical development. Stepanek has embraced that fully and made this trip to Lincoln by choice — specifically wanting to test himself in a new environment with the crowd against him.
“I’m living the dream of what I thought about as a kid. Just keep pushing, keep going after the opportunity in front of me.”— Blaine “Suave” Stepanek
Robbie “Soldier of God” Rojas is 18 years old and 1-0, backed by 13 years of wrestling and four years of martial arts at Precision Combat Sports in Lincoln. He brings a grappling-first foundation into a kickboxing context that creates unique problems for opponents. Alexander Jimenez makes his debut out of Premier Combat Center in Omaha. Two young combat athletes at the very beginning of their journeys — two of the region’s powerhouse gyms on opposite sides.
Kamron Lawson arrives with the experience advantage at 4-1 out of Grunt Kickboxing — a forward-pressure specialist with a strong regional record. His opponent Dilan Martinez makes his debut out of Vicious Cycle in North Platte, representing the growing depth of combat sports development outside Nebraska’s major metros. Martinez has trained Muay Thai since childhood and competed at the TBA Classics. Saturday is where everything he has built gets tested.
Mark Landa is a retired 20-year Army veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, now serving as a Lincoln police officer. His journey into competitive combat sports is a powerful example of what the sport offers at any stage of life — discipline, growth, and the pursuit of something that demands everything you have.
KickboxingJake Wood is 36 years old and 1-0 out of Premier Combat Center — a combat athlete who has invested in developing his kickboxing craft and continues to pursue competition. His matchup with Mehdi Al-Waeli rounds out the kickboxing card and showcases the full range of athletes and development paths in the region.
15 Bouts · Bare Knuckle · Boxing · Muay Thai · Kickboxing
