Hill avoids hype, wants tough fights

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Corey Hill isn’t much for the hype these days. And the 31-year-old mixed martial artist isn’t really too concerned about getting back into the spotlight.

“Screw the hype, you know,” said the Brooksville, Fla. product. “I’m 31 years old and blessed with some talent and potential and I’m at the point in my career where I want to fight tough guys. This fight is a personal goal and will let me and my team know where I’m at.”

Hill (4-3) will be featured in the co-main event of Tachi Palace Fights’ “High Stakes” against former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Rob McCullough (18-6).

“He’s a former champ and tough as hell,” Hill explained. “He’s done a lot of great things in the cage. We are just excited and blessed with this opportunity to fight him.”

McCullough will make his return to the cage after a first-round technical knockout of Fresno, Calif.’s Isaac DeJesus (9-2) in July.

“It was good to be back fighting on the reservation and channeling that warrior spirit,” said the Huntington Beach native of his return to the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. in July. “I think being back out there really helped me get back in the zone. I think that Isaac was the favorite and had all that crowd support, but I was really able to feed off being back in Lemoore.”

McCullough returned to his roots, fighting back at the Palace after losing two of his last three bouts in the WEC.

Hill has also had to fight back through some serious adversity. In December 2008 he severely broke his leg in a fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with Dale Hart, but has since comeback to win two of three bouts, including a July submission victory over Kit Cope.

“I know that he’s tall,” McCullough joked about the 6-foot-4 Hill.

“He’s coming off of a good win over Kit Cope and trying to establish his career,” McCullough added. “I think this is a veteran versus newcomer type of fight. I know he has somewhat of a wrestling pedigree and might try and take the fight to the ground. I think we will definitely see my hand raised at the end of the night, though.”

Tickets can be purchased at www.tachipalace.com or charge by phone at 1-800-225-2277. Tickets may also be purchased at the Tachi Palace Gift Shop and start at a low price of just $30 for general admission seating.

The 9-bout card also features a middleweight main event that pits Visalia, Calif.’s Doug Marshall (12-3) against Sacramento, Calif.’s Kyacey Uscola (18-15). Marshall is currently unbeaten in the middleweight division and carries a 5-fight win streak into the bout. Meanwhile, Uscola is coming of a stint on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” show.

Tachi Palace Fights will crown its first-ever middleweight champ, as Coarsegold, Calif.’s Anthony Ruiz (25-13) clashes with Oakland, Calif.’s Leopoldo Serao (16-7).

Also on the card in a featherweight special attraction, Athens Ga.’s Micah Miller (14-4) battles Atlanta, Ga.’s Diego Saraiva (18-9-1).

In other bouts;

-Hanford, Calif. flyweight Luis Gonzalez (2-2) vs. Chino, Calif.’s Darrell Montague (7-1).

- Thousand Oaks, Calif. middleweight Joseph Henle (3-0) vs. Santa Rosa, Calif.’s Collin Hart (2-1).

-Hanford, Calif. flyweight Paulina Ramirez (1-0) vs. Fresno, Calif.’s Stephanie Frausto (2-2).

-Lemoore, Calif. middleweight Andrew Martinez (6-2-1) vs. Sacramento, Calif.’s Mark Matthews (3-4).

-Fresno, Calif. featherweight Gabriel Solorio (5-2) vs. Fresno, Calif.’s Art Becerra (2-1).