(PRESS RELEASE) -- Las Vegas, NV – RFA today officially announced it will bring its action-packed fighting cage and MMA stars to the 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado for “RFA 7: THATCH vs. SILVA.” As revealed tonight on AXS TV’s Inside MMA, in the featured main event Denver’s own Brandon Thatch (8-1), a Grudge Training Center superstar and Georges St-Pierre protégé, will take on Brazil’s Leandro Silva (18-7) in what promises to be a sizzling 170-pound showdown. RFA 7 will take place Friday, March 22 and will be televised live on AXS TV starting at 10:00 p.m. ET.“The crowd in Denver is going to cheer for hometown hero Brandon Thatch , but they will respect both fighters once this main event gets underway,” said Ed Soares, RFA President. “Both of these guys are aggressive and like to stand and go for the knockout. Leandro has 11 KOs on record and Brandon has won six of his nine pro fights by first round KO. This is going to be a fast-paced main event that delivers for the fans, and I think RFA 7 as a whole is going to be packed with highlight reel finishes.”Tickets for “RFA 7: THATCH vs. SILVA” are on sale now and available through Tickethorse.com or by calling 866.461.6556 (8am - 8pm M-Sat, 9am - 5pm Sun). Denver customers can dial locally at 303-53HORSE. Tickets start at $25. For VIP Status, eight-seat catered cage-side VIP tables are available by calling 303-521-0966. Doors for RFA 7 open at 5:30 p.m. MT; first bout starts at 6:00 p.m. MT and the main card goes live on AXS TV at 8:00 p.m. MT/10:00 p.m. ET.In preparation for Silva, Thatch is currently training in Montreal at the famed Tri-Star Gym with UFC Champion Georges St-Pierre. He was selected as a training partner to help GSP prepare for his successful title defense against Carlos Condit and has been working with the team ever since.“It’s amazing being at Tri-Star and working with GSP – he’s definitely one of my favorite fighters because he is so classy and effective,” said Thatch. “I’m going to stay here working with GSP and the team until the first week of March and then finish up my training with Grudge back home in Denver.”Thatch says he was honored to be selected as the headliner for RFA 7 and is excited to represent his hometown.“Headlining RFA 7 against Leandro Silva on AXS TV is a huge opportunity to further my career and to fight an athlete who will bring out my best,” says Thatch. “It’s an amazing when I walk out and the whole crowd is cheering. I feel like the arena is my house, and I truly consider myself the fighter who represents the 303.”Training out of the equally respected Blackhouse Gym in Southern California, the Jiu Jitsu black belt Leandro Silva expects to ink yet another headline news MMA victory for his native Brazil at RFA 7.“On March 22, I’m going to show American fans what the Brazilian fans already know, that I am a complete fighter,” said Silva. “Everyone is going to see what I’m capable of in the cage on AXS TV, and believe me, they will be talking about my win at RFA 7.”In RFA 7’s middleweight co-main event, rising star Chidi Njokuani (9-3) who is riding a four-fight win streak and coming off a TKO victory at RFA 4, will face knockout specialist Jeremy Kimball (8-3) also on a four-fight tear with six of his last eight wins via TKO/KO. In addition, former NFL player for the Denver Bronco’s Leandro Veal (1-0) makes his return to the cage after stunning the “Ring of Fire” Denver crowd with a first round KO over Chad Wicks in his MMA debut. Veal is set to collide with Carl Postma.Also on the televised card are bantamweights Sergio Pettis (6-0), younger brother of Anthony Pettis and Matt Manzanares (5-1) who’s coming off a spectacular first round KO over Kevin Gray at RFA 5. This bout will decide the number one contender spot for RFA’s 125-pound division.Also on the main card, a featherweight matchup between undefeated 21-year old American Top Team phenom Mirsad Bektic and Colorado’s own Nick Macias . Bektic is looking to continue a 5-0 win streak with a victory over Littleton’s FactoryX Muay Thai camp Macias (6-2) who’s beaten five of his last six opponents.More fights for RFA 7 will be announced soon, please visit RFAFighting.com for bout updates and information. RFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAFighting and Twitter @RFAFighting.About RFA RFA Fighting showcases the top contenders in the sport and provides the national stage for aspiring fighters to showcase their MMA prowess. Operating between Kearney, Nebraska and Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most respected nationally televised MMA stages in the fastest growing sport in the world.About AXS TV Fights AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in depth fighter coverage and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from Lion Fight, Legacy Fighting Championship, RFA Fighting, Titan Fighting Championship, XFC, Maximum Fighting Championship and BAMMA every Friday night, at 7PM PT/10PM ET.