By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET --- Uxbridge will never be confused as the mecca of mixed martial arts, but for the next few months, this town will certainly make its presence felt on the New England scene.
Mixed martial arts will make its debut in Uxbridge tomorrow night when the Habitat for Sports complex on 374 West St. hosts ICE’s (International Combat Entertainment) “No Man’s Land” show.
Seven Blackstone Valley fighters (four out of the Elite MMA compound on Smithfield Avenue in Pawtucket) will be featured on the 12-match card, with two Pawtucket fighters squaring off in a title match and two more Pawtucket residents engaging in a full contact Phillipino Kali stick fighting match.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Habitat for Sports complex will host a larger event on Aug. 8, “Thunder Run I”, on its outdoor soccer field. This event will feature 20 mixed martial arts and 10 Muay Thai boxing fights, as well as a five-man team stick fighting competition between competitors from New York and New England. 
“I made (Saturday night’s event) a little appetizer to show what’s in store for the biggest show I have ever promoted,” said Elite MMA trainer and fighter and ICE promoter Manny Neves. “This Aug. 8 show is going to be better and more exciting than any UFC (Ultimate Fighting Challenge) show that’s ever come to New England.”
Neves will be hard at work with the four Elite MMA fighters he’s bringing up Route 146 for tonight’s weigh-in (which is 5-7 p.m. and open to the public) and tomorrow’s event, and he will keep a sharp eye on Pawtucket heavyweight Jay Bouchard, who owns a 3-1 record and will defend his Super Fight title against crosstown rival Ken Hazard of Ultimate Fitness Center on Main Street in Pawtucket.
Elite MMA’s other three fighters will take undefeated records into their respective fights -- Woonsocket 140-pounder Josh Raymond and 155-pounder Jeff Anderson (both 3-0), and Pawtucket 145-pound Muay Thai fighter Neil Goulet (2-0).
While Bouchard’s title fight promises to be a highlight of the night, so will be the three Kali stick fighting matches and the crosstown showdown between Pawtucket’s Pat Derby and Dave Ring.
This fight will consist of two 2-minute rounds, and the fighters will use hard, bamboo sticks that are 3-4 feet in length to strike and defend and be able to use elbows, knees, punches, kicks, and submission holds.
“They will wear eye goggles and gloves, but they won’t have any body armor or protective pads anywhere on their body,” said Neves. “And if a fighter gets disarmed and drops his weapon, the other fighter can attack him and beat him to a pulp until the fight is stopped.”
The “Thunder Run I” show, which Neves hopes to make an annual summer event, will be an all-day event that starts at 11 a.m. with a custon bike and car show and 10 different bands highlighting the pre-fight festivities and continues at 5 p.m. with close to six hours of fights.
Once the summer is over, Neves hopes to keep a mixed martial arts presence in the area by opening his second Elite MMA compund on West Street, just a stone’s throw away from the Habitat for Sports complex, in late September. This compound will be over 3,000 square feet and cater to MMA enthusiasts who live near the state line and drive a long way to train for their sport.
“There’s a lot of interest in mixed martial arts in that area,” said Neves. “A lot of guys go in Worcester to train, and that’s a 20- or 30-minute hike from where they live.”
Tickets for tomorrow’s event are still on sale and priced at $35, $45, $60, and $100, and table seating is also available at $200. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the first fight is slated for 7:30 p.m. For tickets or more information, call 728-1356 or visit www.icefighter.org.