Fight Club PHX, promoted by Northstar Sports Advocates, will host its inaugural event on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Downtown Phoenix’s Arizona Center, bringing together boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA), live music and fan experiences.
The event will kick off with an MMA pro-am card, featuring top Valley and end with eight professional boxing fights.
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In the main event, “Mesa Mick” Micky Scala (12-1, 6KO) returns to the Valley for the first time since 2024, as his last three bouts in New York. The middleweight, who is promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, is known for his fan-friendly style, having dispatched six of his opponents by knockout.
In the co-main event, undefeated Phoenix prospect Isaac “El Mero Mero” Chavez will face veteran Jesus Ramon “Diamante” Perez (15-23-1, 9KO) in a six-round bout at lightweight. Also featured on the card, Farid Ngoga (11-1, 6KO) returns at super welterweight.
The MMA card will include professionals Osama Awadall, Jorge Mendez and Iasmim Casser in separate bouts, along with four amateur bouts.
Doors will open at 3 p.m. with a DJ set, red carpet arrivals and vendor activations. Fights start at 4 p.m., with the main event at approximately 10:10 p.m. A VIP after-party follows at 11 p.m.
In addition to the fight card, the event will feature food vendors, cocktails, local brews, luxury lifestyle brand activations, and immersive photo opportunities. Tickets start at $40.
Fight Club PHX is the first live event produced by Phoenix-based Northstar Sports Advocates, which represents professional athletes and high-profile talent.
Event ambassadors include two-time World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter and two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
“We’re incredibly excited to launch Fight Club PHX and introduce a first-of-its-kind combat sports and entertainment experience in Arizona,” said John Lennon, founder of Northstar Sports Advocates.
“This event brings together fighters, music, and fans in a way we haven’t seen here before, and it’s an exciting step for our organization as we expand Northstar Sports Advocates into live events.”
Porter stressed the Fight Club PHX event is open to all. “This has been a part of my message for a very long time, and I think it’s going to be well received at the event on Saturday night,” said Porter, who lives in Las Vegas.
“As I tell people, we got something for everyone—we got music, we got boxing, we have MMA and the other vendors. This is definitely a family-oriented event. That’s what we want to be known for.”
Porter knows this well, as he started boxing in Cleveland at age 4; competitively at 8. The sport has become second nature to him.
“My dad was a boxer,” Porter said. “He had a rule for me and my brothers: When he went to the boxing gym, we weren’t allowed to sit down.
“That called for us to be in the mirror doing the fundamentals of boxing. A few years later, you’re in the ring, doing it against other guys. Boxing isn’t something that you necessarily choose to do. You’re taken to boxing. It’s not something you think about and say, ‘Oh yeah, I want to box.’ It’s usually someone who knows someone who knows someone who gets you into it. As soon as you learn to walk, you learn to box.”
Porter retired in 2021 after a successful, yet rollercoaster of a boxing ride. Now he serves as a sport ambassador and broadcaster.
“I go to Australia a couple of times a year for broadcasting,” he said. “I didn’t go to school for broadcasting. I just had a father who believed in being able to articulate yourself well. I’ve been able to do that outside of the ring in such a way that people around the world invite me over to do broadcasting.”
Porter remains an advocate of the sport. He has been involved in a cognitive, neurological brain study as well.
“My brain health has not decreased at all over the years,” he explained. “You need to remember sequences and see what your opponent’s going to do next. That has helped me maintain good brain health.”
Still, he is not encouraging his sons — ages 8, 6 and 2 — to get into boxing. They’re not exactly chomping at the bit, either.
“They have seen the scars over my eyes from the work that I’ve put in over the years,” he said. “They don’t want any of that, nor do I want that for them. I respect the game for everything that it’s given me, but when it comes to my boys, I’m like, ‘Nah.’
“They can find something else to do; something else you would enjoy and doesn’t take life away from you. Let’s be honest, boxing will take life away from you. Not everybody is built for this. That needs to be said about athletes in general.”
