XTREME FIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

will be in Austin, Texas June 14, 2008

at the Republic of Texas Biker Rally

www.xfcfights.com

www.rotrally.com

KING OF KOMBAT

World Class Cage Fighting

“Where Kings Emerge”

by: Maribel Alkek

King of Kombat had a successful night at the Crockett Center in Austin, Texas on April 05, 2008. A long line of fight fans anxiously waited to enter the Crockett Center for a night full of entertainment.

From the first fight event until now, King of Kombat featuring their third event of “World Class Cage Fighting” continues to bring in the fight fans and are filling the seats quickly.

This night brought a half time show of martial arts kids entertaining the crowd with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, bo staff forms and a few other freestyle forms. The crowd enjoyed every minute of that entertainment as they also enjoyed the live band on stage.

First fight of the night started off with Garrett Bennett (Grapplers Domain) and Louis Sims (Texas Gladiators). Both fighters started off with some stand up, but soon Bennett was on Sims back striking from the top. Sims could not fend off Bennett and was tapping out at 2:51 in R1.

Ralph Calvillo d. Chris Kuntschik (Marra Senki BJJ) - TKO 1:49 of R1 ref. stoppage due to strikes. Kuntschik motioned that a strike from Calvillo had apparently scraped his eye, but the fight had ended and boos from the crowd began. Calvillo known as the most hated fighter in Texas had some choice words for the fans.

Conan Cano (Team Xtreme) caught Ryan Caranza in an arm bar at a swift :42 in R1.

Randy Vera (Relson Gracie) took on Adrian Sanchez (Marra Senki BJJ) and had him tapping out at 1:58 in R1 with an awesome triangle choke.

Bloody fight of the evening was Chief Flores vs. Jared Hess (Fighters Inc) with cuts in R1 at 1:52 ref. stoppage. Jared Hess was the winner of this fight by TKO.

Ryan Larson ( Relson Gracie) immediately took Maxwell Smith (Grapplers Edge) to the mat to execute a triangle choke at 1:02 in R1.

Patrick Miller (Grapplers Lair) didn’t give Brandon McDowell (Death Row MMA) a chance to counter as he took back control and struck McDowell on the head and ear to end this match in 4:13 of R1.

In the super heavyweight, we would see Matt Thompson (South Austin Gym) and Chris Guillen (Scorpion's Lair). Most of these rounds were spent on the mat as Thompson attempted a triangle on Guillen but took no affect on him. Guillen dropped some strikes from a standing position and applied some ground and pound on Thompson, but it wasn’t enough to submit Thompson. At the end of the three rounds, Guillen defeated Matt Thompson by split decision.

Kamal Shalorus would end his fight against Jeff Davis in 1:06 of R1 TKO with strikes from the top. Shalorus took home a sword and a a very expensive necklace.

Fight of the night would have to be James “Deuce” King (Grapplers Domain) and Lane Yarbrough(Death Row MMA) two very tough competitors. Lane started off with a running knee strike at Deuce, but the knee strikehad no effect on King. Yarbrough and King went toe to toe, and exchangedseveral blows.While King seemed very relaxed, Yarbrough continued to take the punishment from King. Yarbrough, threw a round kick to King’s head and again it didn’t seem to phase him. After three rounds of going back and forth and an attempted arm bar by King on Yarbrough, the final score gave King the win with a unanimous decision from the judges.

James "Deuce" King vs Lane Yarbrough

Next event will take place July 26, 2008 in Austin, Texas at the Crockett Center where you can see Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez defend his title against James “Deuce” King. This will be a heck of an event to see and remember seats fill fast at this event. Check out King of Kombat at www.kingofkombat.com for updates on future events.

Urban Rumble Championships

Boxing & MMA

Pasadena, Tx.

April 04, 2008

by: Maribel Alkek 

Day 1

The Urban Rumble Championships took place in Pasadena, Texas on April 4, 2008, but before the fights got under way, the weigh-ins had taken place at Hooters the day before.

I drove almost three hours to get to the weigh-ins, through tolls at $1.50 per toll, three or four maybe. I pissed off some woman who crept through the toll and I suppose she thought I was going to run into her car.  Apparently, she must have forgotten that you need to merge left because the lane ends at one point or another. Okay, I know I made her a bit angry because she was flapping her trap and I could only imagine what she was trying to convey to me. For some reason, I thought it was funny. She raced her car passed me like a streak of lightning.  Sorry, I’m not into road rage, so again I found it amusing. But, the best part was when I drove about a mile up the road; Mrs. Thing was sitting in the medium stalled out. Now, I wouldn’t have mind helping her out, but one, this was Houston, two, Mrs. Thing might of not been too happy to see me. So, I went on my merry way to the weigh-ins.

Hooters

I arrived about 3:45 p.m. at Hooters and was greeted by Joe Tamez and David Landry of Urban Rumble Championship.  As soon as I walked to the patio area I felt like this was a mixed martial arts reunion for me. I saw a lot of folks I knew, like Paul Glasco and Adam Villareal with Beat Down TV (www.beatdowntv.com), Tony Orozco from Silverback MMA, Justin “The Viking” Wren from Dallas, Chris Reed out of League City (League City’s Administrator), Warren “Baby Dynamite” Stewart from Austin and many more. The weigh-ins got underway and if you ever want to know how to lose 34 pounds in 8 days, just ask Izzy Johnson.

Food

Salad, pasta and of course wings were set out in the patio for everyone to enjoy. All the fighter’s chowed down some good eats and I did to. Most were ready to eat and get the weigh-ins over with.  I hadn’t eaten all day and was walking around on two hours of sleep. I was really surprised I wasn’t disoriented with the lack of sleep. I even stopped on my drive to Pasadena and picked up a 20 oz. cup of coffee which I didn’t drink and a 20oz. coke which I took only a small sip.

The Weigh-Ins

During the weigh-ins, the fighters squared off with their opponent. Daniel “Lil Pit” Pineda and Warren “Baby Dynamite” Stewart were two fighters I couldn’t wait to see because of some bad blood between them. This would be the second time these two fighters would meet.  Chris Reed squared off with Josh Lee and this was another fight I couldn’t wait to see because of the size difference in the two.  I just knew Chris was going to hurt Josh, but things didn’t happen that way.

Beat Down Tv

As the evening neared, all the fighters were gone and I hung around at Hooters with Paul Glasco, Adam Villareal, Don and Eric who were helping out a bit with Beat Down TV. I had no place to be so there I was just hanging out. We went inside to grab a bite to eat. David Landry sat with us for a short time and then headed out. 

Beat Down TV had a show to do at 8:00 p.m. out on the Hooters patio.  The show got underway with an interview with two of the Hooters girls. It was fun watching them do the interview and listening to some of the fans on the patio enjoying the live show.  They somehow came up with a sign that said “Show me your tits”. They were having a blast with it. Go to www.beatdowntv.com and view the show from April 03, 2008.

I finally, headed in the direction of the Marriott to get a room. I hadn’t even done that yet, but lucky for me they had rooms available. The day was beautiful, sunny, and breezy and I also got to spend the afternoon with some great people. What more could I have asked for.

Day 2

Friday morning seemed to roll around early.  I got dressed, watched a scary movie, got my camera batteries charged up and had it ready to go for the Urban Rumble Championships.  I went to my car about 11:00 a.m. and as I was going to get in the elevator I ran into Justin Wren and Cleburn Walker who was one of the fighters on the fight card.  I then ran into another fighter on the card, Warren Stewart. We sat in the lobby and talked about the fight, fighters, sponsors and martial arts, since we have both done the tae kwon do tournaments at one point in our lives. 

It was getting late and we were getting hungry so Warren and I decided to grab a bite. We found a Seafood restaurant down the road.  After we finished eating we headed to the hotel and about an hour later to the venue.

I mingled and chatted with the fighters, coaches and did some networking. 

The fights finally got started with three boxing matches that were really exciting.

The first boxing match took place with Larry Pryor and Cornelius White exchanging some powerful body punches. Both fighters went full force, but Cornelius White proved to be the stronger of the two, landing more hits that rocked Larry Pryor. Of the two, Cornelius White would be the victor.

Ross Brantley surprised me when he hung on to Justin Jones’ leg like he was begging for mercy at the beginning of the boxing match.  I’m not sure what he was trying to accomplish, but it didn’t seem like he came prepared for a boxing match.  He did that several times and the ref. ended the fight in R1 at 2:21.

Third Boxing match of the night was Jerry Perez from Rosenberg, TX and Ramiro “Rambo” Cano out of Houston, TX.  These guys were here to fight and that they did. It was a constant exchange of body punches and it seemed like neither one was going to let up. This boxing match was very different that the previous one in that it was real. Neither fighter hung on to each other much, but just kept boxing.  At one point, I thought their sweat had landed on my hand while taking pictures, but as I later looked down on my notepad there were blood spots on it and on the table.  Now you know you are ring side when that happens.  In the end, Ramiro Cano won by decision.  This was an excellent fight.

 Chris Reed (Bushi Ban) 185 lbs. weight class and Josh Lee (Adrenaline Fight Club) took their fight the full three rounds. I couldn’t wait to see this fight because the size difference between the two made me wonder whether Josh Lee could take on Chris Reed. Josh had a mission as did Chris and he proved he could hold his own. Chris Reed was in control of all three rounds and at the end he had won by unanimous decision.  This was a very exciting fight to see. Chris is sponsored by Furia Fight Wear.

Cleburn “The Spartan” Walker (Team Owen) fighting Matt Rangel (Bushi Ban) in the 185 lbs. weight class ended this fight in R1 tapping out his opponent due to strikes.  Cleburn Walker looked relaxed and ready to rumble; almost like he was right at home.  Cleburn is sponsored by Choke Combat Gear.

Jose Santibanez (Silverback MMA) and Steve Garcia (Elite Martial Arts) fighting in the 155 lbs. weight class took the full three rounds to end this fight. Round 1 Jose landed knee strikes to Steve’s midsection and Steve returned the knee strikes as well.  Both fighters mixed it up with stand up, leg kicks, and ground work. These two fighters had the fans cheering throughout the three rounds. Jose Santibanez was the winner by unanimous decision in this battle. 

The next fight was a long awaited fight just waiting to happen and seemed to be long overdue for both fighters.  The gestures made in the ring before the fight had the fans in an uproar and that was just the beginning.

These are the two fighters that had a lot built up between them and whatever else for that matter. They were meeting for the second time for another mixed martial arts fight.  Daniel “Lil Pit” Pineda (4 oz. Fight Club) and Warren “Baby Dynamite” Stewart (Grappler’s Domain) were on their way to face off for what probably seemed like a lifetime of waiting.

Daniel and Warren squared off and it was time to prove who had the skills to submit the other.  Warren came out with a powerful right that connected to Pineda. After that connection, Pineda took the fight to the ground and mounted Warren’s back and never let up from there. The ref. stopped the fight in the first round which sent Warren off on a frenzy.  Warren jumped up and was in awe of the whole situation. He stomped out of the ring but came back to shake hands with the opposing coaches.  This was one fight Warren had his mind set on winning, but Pineda had a thing or two to show.  Pineda would win by TKO due to strikes. 

Jon “El Jaguar” Kirk (DeLeon Fight Club) and Izzy Johnson (Badboy Freestyle) 185 lbs. weight class were the main event of the night.  This fight lasted only a few seconds as Izzy Johnson took a kick to the head soon after touching gloves with Jon Kirk. Seems like that plan of attack worked well as Jon took Izzy’s back and landed strikes that gained the victory for Jon Kirk.

I ran across this interesting email from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Temporary Restraining Order to Stop X-treme Fight Night

Temporary Restraining Order to Stop X-treme Fight Night Dallas based Promoter Ordered to Stop Activity

April 3, 2008

For Immediate Release Contact: Susan Stanford 512-463-3208

AUSTIN – Travis County District Judge Suzanne Covington signed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) Thursday against X-treme Fight Night promoter, Ben Jackson, of Dallas.

The Temporary Restraining Order, filed by the Texas Attorney General on behalf of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), bans Jackson from staging combative sports (boxing) in Texas venues.

 Jackson promotes X-treme Fight Night events in bars. Contestants, recruited from bar customers, have little or no training and are encouraged to engage in activities reserved for trained amateur or professional combative sport competitors.

“Ben Jackson is endangering the health and safety of Texans in the unregulated X-treme Fight Nights he insists on promoting,” states William Kuntz, executive director of TDLR, which regulates combative sports in Texas. “Unlike regulated fight events Mr. Jackson has no medical physicians on-site, no ambulance at the venue and no evacuation plan in case of severe injury. Furthermore, he is completely ignoring a worse case scenario of head trauma and the known fact that survivability is greatly reduced when alcohol consumption is involved.

” Senator Eddie Lucio Jr., author of Texas Senate Bill 796, which outlawed elimination tournaments in Texas, the best known of which are Toughman contests states, “In 2005, I authored legislation to make certain that when combative sports take place all necessary safety measures are in effect, including a registration period, medical staff, and insurance. I made a promise to the families of those that died or were injured in ‘Toughman’ competitions that these irresponsible promoters would no longer profit at the expense of Texans being injured or killed for cheap entertainment. I am deeply concerned if events such as ‘X-treme Fight Night’ are circumventing the law, they may be needlessly putting lives at risk.

Kuntz continues, “Mr. Jackson’s business plan does not provide medical and life insurance coverage for the participants. The State requires licensed promoters to carry $50,000 medical and $100,000 death benefit insurance. Instead, Mr. Jackson has participants sign waivers of liability. If an X-treme Fight Night contender is injured he must pay all medical costs. In the event of death the family is left to deal with their loss without any compensation.

” Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation oversees the Combative Sports program by ensuring the health and safety of participants and observers at events. TDLR issues licenses to promoters and fighters while Department inspectors make sure state laws and rules are complied with to protect the well-being of participants and the industry.

This was Mark Cuban's response to Leonard Shapiro's ignorance about MMA.

www.blogmaverick.com/2008/03/18/this-guy-proves-anyone-with-a-keyboard-can-be-stupid/

This Guy Proves Anyone with a Keyboard can be Stupid

Mar 18th 2008 2:51PM

I ran across this article today, which opened my eyes as to how igonorant some people can be. Leonard Shapiro is a Sports columnist for washingtonpost.com. Stay tuned for Mark Cuban's response to Shapiro's blog. Cuban is owner of the Dallas Mavericks and of HDNet fights and HDNet.

Mixed Martial Arts Set to Sully Network Television

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/

It was bound to happen given the increased visibility of mixed martial arts. But who knew that proud old CBS, the long-time home base for the likes of Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, The Masters and Final Four would be the first major American television network to stoop so low as to elevate this so-called sport into a prime time slot on Saturday nights.

Perhaps you missed the announcement made last month that CBS will be airing four two-hour prime time MMA telecasts in the coming year, perhaps as soon as March Madness ends in three weeks. News of the network's troubling new partnership with ProElite Inc., one of MMA's main promoters, was released the same day ESPN also announced that Bob Knight would be joining its NCAA tournament coverage, a story that got far bigger play in sports sections around the country.

And wouldn't it be something if CBS aired its first MMA telecast a few hours after its Saturday afternoon Masters coverage on April 12? Perhaps network publicists could refer to the twin bill as Beauty and The Beast.

At the risk of once again clogging the e-mail boxes listed below with a batch of vile and occasional hate messages from rabid (in every sense of the word) followers of MMA, let me say what a revolting development it is that CBS has become party to this reprehensible programming.

According to Kelly Kahl, the see-no-evil senior executive vice president of CBS prime time for the network's entertainment division, it's mostly being done for a possible ratings bump and more advertising dollars from the primo male 18-34 demographic MMA just might draw on the slowest night of the week on network television, once the CBS domain of Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart.

"No matter how you feel about the sport, it's growing in popularity," Kahl said in a telephone interview last week. "We're putting it on Saturday night, a time period all the networks are neglecting. We think there's an audience for it, and part of our mission is to get more fans for the sport. We hope to expand the audience and we think that can happen once people check it out."

Question? If CBS had been in business during the Anthony and Cleopatra soap opera years, would it also have jumped at the chance a hundred years later to air the ultimate reality show featuring Lions vs. Christians? After all, the spectacle always drew sell-out crowds of 50,000 to the Coliseum, so why not allow the entire Roman Empire to get in on the action?

Obviously, that's a stretch. But MMA also easily could be described as MMM, as in mixed martial mayhem -- not that far removed from street fighting. You put two guys (usually heavily tattooed) in a ring enclosed by a cage, surrounded by a howling mob, and just watch the blood flow as they pummel themselves into submission, or occasionally break a bone or three. That's entertainment?

Oh yes, women will also fight it out on CBS, yet another revolting development. Sadly in the first decade of the 21st Century, it really has come to that. I know from past experience that MMA aficionados will point out the high level of skill involved. It allegedly incorporates principles of karate, judo, wrestling and boxing and has been somewhat sanitized over the last decade from its earlier roots as basic no holds barred brawling more suitable for your friendly neighborhood alley.

So why is it that nearly any time I happen to surf past the Spike or Showtime cable networks that currently carry MMA events, the combatants are beating the bloody bejabbers out of each other? You'd like to think they're at least are getting big paydays for their efforts, and you know promoters are raking it in from $500 ringside seats and mega-pay-per-view shows that bring in millions.

Google MMA and you'll also learn that Anheuser Busch has become a big-time sponsor, once again because of the young male demographic that likes to swill its product while watching these matches. No doubt they handled the Budweiser concession at the Coliseum, as well.

Even billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is getting involved, promoting MMA matches and also airing them on his HDNet channel on DirecTV. For that alone David Stern ought to fine and suspend him. He probably yells at those refs, too.

My next blog continued with Mark Cuban's response to Leonard Shapiro's article.

LONESTAR BEATDOWN

COLLEGE STATION, TX 

by: Maribel Alkek

www.maribel2.proelite.com

Hurricane Harry’s brought in a packed house for the Lonestar Beatdown event of amateur Mixed Martial Arts and Thai boxing on February 22, 2008 in College Station, Texas.  The two hour drive to College Station was a lonely drive as my sister bailed out on me on this road trip.  But, that was alright, she sacrifices her weekends for me most of the time. Only thing is, she makes great company.

I arrived in College Station about 6:30 p.m. and drove around trying to find Hurricane Harry’s before I headed down the road to find a hotel since I hadn’t made reservation prior to my arrival. 

I stopped at a McDonald’s and asked the security guard if he knew where Hurricane Harry’s was located and little did I know I was only a few hundred feet from the place. I thanked the security guard, walked out to my car, drove through the parking lot and there it was. Hurricane Harry’s bar was staring me in the face. 

So, I made my way down the main drag, whatever that was and I stopped at the first hotel I saw, which just happen to be the Hilton ($$$). Okay, I could have traveled a little further for a cheaper hotel, but I was tired and didn’t have much time to get ready for the event. Actually, I just wanted a little snooze before I headed out for the fights. I was super tired and could have slept all night so I just laid there on the small couch that was in the room and watched about 15 minutes worth of whatever. I can’t even remember what it was I watched.

Eight o’clock rolled around so I headed to the Hurricane Harry’s bar where the Lonestar Beatdown was to take place. Outside of the event was a long line of people waiting to get in. I waited a few minutes before I finally received my press pass and headed indoors. The place already had quiet a few people inside waiting to view the 14 exciting fights.

Lonestar Beatdown got started and as I watched the fights, took down information, took pictures; I was really into each and every one of the fights.  The matchmaker did his job well as all the fights seemed to be a perfect match.  The fights were mixed martial arts and Thai boxing amateur fights, but they were excellent fights none the less.

Some highlights of the Lonestar Beatdown are as follows:

The first fight of the night was 135 lbs. division, Navied Sadeghi (4 oz. Fight Club) who defeated Adam De La Garza (Jaimie Miller Powerhouse Gym) by decision. Adam put out some explosive kicks in the beginning of round 1, but took no affect on Navied. Most of round one was spent on the mat by both fighters.  Adam attempted a guillotine, but Navied was able to escape the hold. Round two, Navied stood up and slammed Adam on the mat as Adam attempted an armbar and was unsuccessful in holding the armbar.  Round three was another round on the mat and   Navied took advantage of this round while he had side control, he landed several knee strikes to Adams back.

At the beginning of this match, Adam Garza (Weapons at Hand) and Justin Sitz (Brazos Valley MMA) went toe to toe, throwing a few punches.  Shortly, both fighters ended up on the mat with Justin attempting to get a rear naked choke on Adam but, Adam was able to get his chin down before Justin could slip in a successful rear naked choke.  At the end, in round 1 Adam Garza was able to defeat Justin Sitz with a choke from a half guard position.

Jeff Rexroad (Metro Fight Club), cornered by Saul Soliz had a successful night at Lonestar Beatdown with opponent Justin Browning (Militech Fighting System) cornered by Sam Hoger. Both Jeff and Justin stayed in a clinch and exchanged knee strikes to the body. After a few knee strikes, Jeff landed a solid knee strike to Justin’s chin and dropped the fighter down on the mat. Jeff obtained a full mount and in turn punished Justin with some ground and pound. Jeff Rexroad defeated Justin Browning in R1 by TKO.

Another successful fighter coming out of Metro Fight Club was Jimmy New who in round 1 defeated his opponent, Adam Longoria (Rocky Long) by rear naked choke.

Immediately after the break were a super charged Evon Rodriguez (Southeast Asian Martial Arts) and Irlanda Ibarra (Weapons at Hand) in the ring for the second Thai boxing bout of the night.  Evon was too much for Irlanda as she came in with some massive blows that rocked Irlanda in the first few seconds of the fight. Irlanda came back with some solid punches but it wasn’t enough to stop this tough thai boxer. Evon overpowered Irlanda with consecutive one, two punches that sent Irlanda to the mat in a daze.  Evon  Rodriguez def. Irlanda Ibarra in R1 by TKO.

This fight was on the mat for the 1:47 of round 1 with Chris Jones (Bill Albrecht) having a closed guard on Chris Spicer (Death Row MMA) or “Guido” as his friends Lane and Austin called him.  Spicer sprawled out and slipped out of Jones’ hold, stood and slammed Jones’ on the mat.  Jones turned and gave his back to Spicer.  Spicer quickly got in position to administer the rear naked choke on Jones which had Jones tapping out immediately.

Another super Thai boxing bout was Daniel Kim (Elite MMA/Kru Pong) and Jason Nelson (New World Combat). These fighters exchanged so many leg kicks; I was waiting to hear the broken foot syndrome. But, these guys were so conditioned it was amazing hearing the loud sounds coming from each kick that landed. Neither fighter showed much trauma after three rounds of punches, knee strikes to the legs and body. At the end of round three the winner by unanimous decision was Daniel Kim.

Last event of the night was Marc Ortiz (Weapons at Hand) who defeated Justin Reiswerg (Optimum MMA) by armbar in R1. What I remember most about this fight, well, it wasn’t the fight. It was the after fight booty shake by Marc Ortiz which got the fans going.  I hurried over to take the picture but I started laughing as I saw Marc doing the booty shake, rather nicely, that I didn’t get the picture.

I’m anxious to return to another Lonestar Beatdown event as I’m sure a lot of fans of mixed martial arts are to.  By the crowd’s reaction, I would say this was a very successful event. Lonestar Beatdown held at Hurricane Harry’s was the place to be on this action packed night. To look for Lonestar Beatdown’s next event, visit www.lonestarbeatdown.com.

1. Navied Sadeghi (4 oz. Fight Club) def. Adam De La Garza (Jaime Miller Powerhouse Gym)- by decision
2. Adam Garza (Weapons at Hand) def. Justin Sitz (Brazos Valley MMA)-R1 by tapout (choke)
3. THAI BOXING BOUT:  Joel Haesecke (Joao Crus) def Anthony Harris (U of H MMA) – R1 by tapout (armbar)
4. Mark Sayer (Lewis Wood) def. Gabriel Ibarra (Weapons at Hand) by decision
5. Anthony Zavala (Texas Gladiators) def. Jason Johnson (Brazos Valley MMA)-R2 by tapout (guillotine)
6. Gabriel Ratliff (Saekson Janjira) def. Matt Goss (Rising Sun Karate) by decision
7. Jimmy New (Metro Fight Club) def. Adam Longoria (Rocky Long)- R1 by tapout (Rear Naked Choke)
8. THAI BOXING BOUT:  Evon Rodriguez (Southeast Asian Martial Arts- Valentin Expiricueta) def. Irlanda Ibarra-R1 by TKO
9. Jeff Rexroad (Metro Fight Club) def. Justin Browning (Militech Fighting System)-R1 by TKO (knee strike to chin-ref. stoppage)
10. Nathan Crowsey (Optimum MMA) def. David Goolsby (Ray Garza Boxing) by tapout (rear naked choke)
11. Chris Spicer “guido” (Death Row MMA) def Chris Jones (Bill Albrecht)-R1 by tapout (rear naked choke)
12. Reggie Weathers (Texas Gladiators) def. Lorenzo Billescas (Presicion Martial Arts) R1 by TKO
13. THAI BOXING BOUT- Daniel Kim (Elite MMA/Kru Pong) def. Jason Nelson (New World Combat) by decision
14. Marc Ortiz (Weapons at Hand) def Justin Resiwerg (Optimum MMA)-R1 by tapout (armbar)

Interview

with 

Justin "The Viking" Wren

 by: Maribel Alkek

www.maribel2.proelite.com

www.myspace.com/karategalmaribel

A different name, Justin "The Viking" Wren, but the same great fighter.

Maribel: Hey Justin How’s it going? It’s was good seeing you in Dallas a few weeks ago at No Limit Fighting. How was it as a spectator compared to being in the cage?

Justin: Being a spectator is always fun and I was able to go with some people that I really enjoy spending time with so it was awesome getting to relax and enjoy the fights. The friends I went with are really interested in mma so I was able to explain some things from a fighter’s prospective and then I was able to listen to some educated fans’ opinions. Overall I enjoyed the experience, I just wish the match ups would have been a little less one sided that night.

Maribel: Can you tell us a little about your wrestling background? How was the transition from wrestling to mma? Actually how did all this mixed martial arts come about?

Justin: I started wrestling when I was 15 years old and I have always been blessed with the best coaches who I really give a lot of the credit for anything I will ever accomplish. I actually watched my first UFC when I was 13 and knew I wanted to do it. Wrestlers were dominating in the early days so I decided it would be awesome to try out. In high school, I had two Olympic Gold Medalist coaches coaching me daily, as well as the Texas State Wrestling Director. They pushed me daily and I ended up winning 10 State Titles in the three styles of wrestling and I was a 2 time National Champion and a 5 time All American. I couldn't have done any of that without God's blessings and my coaches. Transitioning into mma was easier than I expected because it translates into the sport so well and my style of wrestling fits the sport. I was actually never formally trained in bjj or stand up for my first 7 pro fights I just wrestled. At the time, I was recovering from surgery and I lived in Ames, Iowa training with Cael Sanderson and the Iowa State Wrestling team. I was training and I signed with Iowa State to be on scholarship and compete in the NCAA's but I discovered my love for mma. I needed to pay some bills so I started taking fights. After my loss it fueled me to learn everything and I decided to move to Fort Worth and train with the awesome coaches and training partners I have.

Maribel: You recently had a change in your fight name. Why did the name change? Whose idea was it? Personally, I like it.

Justin: Well if you know my personality I don't seem much like "The Punisher" haha. I got that nickname from my first 5 fights not going past 2 minutes in the first round and the guys not being too pretty after the fight. I am definitely a big jokester and don't take much seriously except for dreams and aspirations. I also look like a Viking that’s for sure and it’s in my blood. The nickname came about from the snickers commercial. There is a Viking that gets mad and starts throwing around trash cans and a lot of the guys at the gym say I am the guy in the commercial. I haven't heard of a fighter named "The Viking" so when people started calling me that it just kinda stuck.

Maribel: Last time I saw you fight; you won your fight in Conroe, Texas and recently won your fight in Oklahoma as well. What is your MMA record as of now? Justin: I am 8-1 with 7 wins by TKO and 1 RNC and I am excited to start showing my stand up skills in my upcoming fights. Maribel: When and where will you fight next? Who is your opponent? What strategy do you have planned for this coming fight?

Justin: I was supposed to be fighting for the IFC's World Championship Belt at their new weight class for Cruiserweight (206-230) Feb. 23rd. My opponent was Jared Hamman but he had to back out because of circumstances he couldn't prevent. I completely understand and from what I know of Jared he is a truly great guy so hopefully that fight can happen later down the road. As of right now I don't have anything finalized but my manager is talking with IFC for the future as well as the Art of War and I believe HDnet fights along with several other promotions.

Maribel: Looks like you shed a few pounds. Are you going to be fighting in a different weight class than you normally fight? Or are you a struggling mixed martial arts fighter and you haven’t eaten in days?

Justin: haha well at first when I moved back to Texas I wasn't eating because all my money went into expense for living and training. I use to cut anywhere from 10-20 pounds to make heavyweight but I realized that this sport is about a lot of different things. You have to be a great fighter but you also have to be marketable. Losing the weight I think benefits me in all areas. It has made me tons faster and I am still as strong plus I am on a great diet which helps me practice better and look more appealing. I still hear after all my fights that they thought I was going to get dominated just by our appearances so I know I am not done yet I need to still try and trim up a bit and also bulk back up some. I think my perfect fighting weight will be around a lean 230.

Maribel: Where do you train? Are you a very disciplined person when it comes to training or do you need motivation, like a good swift kick in the ass(LOL)?

Justin: I cross train at many gyms. I think technically I train at 6 gyms but I have three main ones for mma. I do my bjj and some of my sparring at Travis Lutters in Fort Worth and I am thankful for Travis and all the great guys in there that spend time with me making me learn everyday and pushing me. I also still wrestle with my high school coach who is the wrestling legend Kenny Monday Olympic Gold and Silver medalist. I also do my striking with Phil Sawyer who has a true gift for coaching stand up. Alex Andrade is the guy I work out with more than anyone else and he is the one that helped me get on a perfect diet and drop 40 pounds in a little over 4 months. I would say I am a pretty disciplined guy but it needs to get better. I am a very positive and motivated person so I think I have that going for me when it comes to training. There is no way I will burn out anytime soon I get a smile every time I am on my way to the gym. I am always looking to improve and I have all the pieces of the puzzle right in front of me I just have to solve the jigsaw.

Maribel: What plans do you have as far as MMA is concerned? Where do you want to be a few months from now or a couple of years down the road? If you say married and children, uhhh I’m giving you a beating you’ll never forget. Okay, I just thought it sounded good(LOL).

Justin: Lets see... Tough question because I just got out of a relationship that I never saw an end to till it smacked us in the face. I would have said kids and marriage in the next 5 years or so but now I am just winging it haha. Right now I am focused on my career and I am concentrating on my training and getting my priorities in line. I am a young guy and I know that this sport eats people up and spits them out daily. I never want to be one of those guys that almost made it then came down with a drug problem or had some woman issues or anything like that. I am working as hard as possible to stay grounded and I want to keep my friends and family close and strengthen my faith so I can stay focused on the task at hand. My goal is to be the best Mixed Martial Arts fighter that I can possibly be whether that is being able to make a career out of the sport or be a legendary World Champion. I know in my heart I want to be the best guy around and I am going to do everything possible to see that happen but if it doesn't happen I am a pretty ambitious guy so I will find somewhere that I will succeed. In five years from now I hope to see myself 10 times the fighter I am now and hopefully being a guy that people hold in high regard in the cage and in life. I want to be the best at everything which includes my faith, career, family, and friendships.

Maribel: Justin, can you tell us what you are like outside of the cage? What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not doing mma ?

Justin: Man MMA completely consumes me as of now. I am training full time training to be the best I can be which definitely takes sacrifices but I believe its all going to pay off in the end. Outside the cage I am not a mean guy like my fight pictures might indicate. I am a goofball when it comes to how I act with my friends and I like to not be too serious. Life is too short not to have fun and not to pursue your aspirations with your loved ones near. I am completely surrounded by great people who are an inspiration to me so it is awesome that I am able to look up to them and seek advice whenever I need it.

Maribel: How or where can you be contacted for future MMA fights?

Justin: You can contact me on my myspace just search Justin Wren or you can email me at JustinWren@live.com

Maribel: Who are your sponsors? Feel free to give them a shout and anybody else who you feel deserves one.

Justin: I would like to thank House of Pain for their past sponsorships and hopefully their continued support and then also TAGG Radio for having me on their radio show and for sponsoring in my last fight. MMA Pitwear for their support and then also my newest sponsor which I just picked up is Buffalo Wild Wings. They support me big time and their staff and UFC watch parties are golden! www.houseofpain.com www.taggradio.com Tagg Radio has an mma talk show from 11-12:30 every monday-Friday so make sure to check that out www.buffalowildwings.com and here is the link to the one sponsoring me. http://direct.where2getit.com/cwc/apps/w2gi.php?&W2GI_QFIELD =STOREID&W2GI_QVALUE=120&SORTBY_MoreInfoDealer=DISTANCE&DIST ANCE=4&client=bww&template=moreinfo_new

Maribel:  Justin if there is anything you would like to add please feel free to do so.

Justin:  Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. I would like to say thanks to you for the opportunity for this interview and sorry if I was long winded haha. I would also like to thank all the people who support me! I am very blessed to have the backing that I do and it feels like its getting better everyday. I would like to thank my coaches and training partners Travis Lutter, Alex Andrade, Kenny Monday, Phil Sawyer, Kenny McClure, Kendrick Releford, Jeff Owens and many more over at Travis' school that I am leaving out. Without these guys I wouldn't be anywhere in mma and I know that with their help I can hopefully make an impact. I am only 20 years old so I am hoping to make a long career out of this sport and not just be a blip on the radar.

NO LIMIT FIGHTING

Dallas, TexasJanuary 26, 2008 

By: Maribel Alkek

maribel2.proelite.com

No Limit Fighting took place at The Palladium Ballroom in Dallas, Texas on January 26, 2008. Even though the doors were to open at 3:00 p.m. and the fights were to start at 5:00 p.m., of course it didn’t go as planned. I arrived at 3:15 to pick up my press pass but was told they weren’t there yet. Four o’clock rolls around and no passes yet.

Lucky for me Justin Wren’s dad was outside waiting for the same thing so we started talking about Justin’s up coming fight in February and MMA stuff.  Thanks to him, time went by really fast and I suppose we finally got our passes somewhat close to 5:00 p.m. 

As I’m standing outside the Palladium, I notice the parking lot is nearly empty, so I’m hoping that the fights don’t start at the time planned. As time goes by, I finally make my way inside to an almost empty ballroom, but then as I walk around and start checking things out, I notice the place is rather huge. It’s not as empty as it looked. 

I met up with my buddies Billy McDonald, the Texas roving reporter for TaggRadio and another friend Billy Watson from Hedkase. Pete Spratt and Warren “Baby Dynamite” Stewart were also in the venue as was Frank Frye with XFC. 

Another celebrity in the house was Ronnie Dunn from none other than Brooks and Dunn.

I also ran into Justin Wren who is an up coming fighter out of Dallas, Texas.  We had a short conversation which led to an interview hooked in the near future. Make sure you keep an eye out for him because he’ll be making some waves in the world of mixed martial arts. 

The Palladium opened the doors at 4:00 p.m. and the fights started at about 7:30 p.m. The fights went by really fast. I wondered what was up with the fights since only one made it passed the first round. The fights went by so fast it was hard keeping up with who was fighting next and how long the fights lasted each round.  I was looking forward to the Don Frye vs. Bryan Pardoe fight which came rather quickly. 

There was one fight that has to go on record as the shortest fight ever. It was the one with Joe Crawford and Chris Mares. This is how it went down, both fighters touch gloves, Joe throws a straight punch at Chris and daises him. Joe steps forward and lands a right hook. Four seconds later down goes Chris, end of story. Joe Crawford comes out with a four second knockout and the fastest knockout I’ve heard of.  

Kevin Barber stepped into the cage with a mission and that was to become the light weight champion that evening. Kevin and Joe Vigil exchanged leg kicks in the first few seconds of the fight. Kevin went in for the takedown and got Joe on the mat and ended up in Joe’s full guard. As he got out of the guard, the roles were reversed and Joe ended up in Kevin’s guard. As Joe turned away to escape the guard, Kevin locked Joe in and retained an ankle lock which eventually had Joe tapping out.  Kevin Barber defeated Joe Vigil for the Lightweight Championship title in 2:11, R1 with an ankle lock.

                                                     Kevin Barber

                                               Eric "Shortbus" Regan 

Middleweight title went to Marcus Gaines who defeated Jahyson Rodgers withthe refstopping the fight in the first round. Gaines took Rodgers to the ground immediately and end the round with a ground and pound.                                             

            Marcus Gaines

For the Heavyweight Championship title, it was Richard Blake defeating Zane Frazier with ground and pound in round 1. Frazier came out and threw a straight punch at Blake which looked as if it might take Blake out. It did the total opposite and woke Blake up. I would say that needed wake up call. Blake turned that hit into a comeback as he landed some punches and took Frazier down to get a full mount. Blake turned on the ground and pound to earn the Heavyweight Champship title.                                                                               

 Richard Blake

                                       

                                                           Don Frye

King of Kombat

World Class Cage Fighting

Crockett Center

Austin, Texas

November 03, 2007

 article by: Maribel Alkek

www.maribel2.proelite.com  

I returned to the Crockett Center in Austin, Texas to the second King of Combat World Class Cage Fighting. I received my welcome back from many of the folks with King of Kombat.  

The event started on time at 8:00 p.m. and was very well organized.  Many fans filled the Crockett Center seats and were anxiously waiting to see what King of Kombat had in store for them.  Once the first fighters of the night were announced, Scott Zufelt got the ball rolling.  It was one good fight after another. 

The fighters were evenly matched by Scott Zufelt, president of the King of Kombat organization. With that being said, the night followed with nine fights. 

First fight of the night started with Ryan Caranza defeating Louis Simms in R1 4:01 with a tap out.  There was a discrepancy on the tap out, but it was clear that Louis had tapped out. 

Second fight of the night was Sergio Mara defeating Jeff Stirley with an armbar in R1 1:08. These two guys were so well matched it was hard distinguishing between the two fighters. In the end it was clear who the winner of this fight was. 

Garrett Bennett returned for his second round with King of Kombat, but this time his fight ended a little different than the last time. Garrett defeated Britton Elliot in R1 1:52 TKO.

Marcelo Lumakang came in the cage immediately striking John Springer and landing some good punches.  At one point, he rocked John, but apparently it was the wake up call John needed. John Springer defeated Marcelo in R1 2:28 TKO. 

This next fight didn’t last long, but it was well worth the 25 seconds.  Luke Holderolf defeated Adrian Sanchez in R1 :25 with a guillotine choke. Luke wasted no time as he jumped up, wrapped his legs around Adrian to take control and bring him down in his guard. He quickly slipped in the guillotine choke for the win. That my friends was an awesome take down, one that I didn’t even see coming.

Jeremy Cross defeated Mike McLennan in R2 2:42 by tap out due to strikes. 

The seventh fight of the night was between two Austin natives, Sherif Ghaly and James “Deuce” King.  These two fighters went the full three rounds with some stand up and some ground and pound.  At times it looked like Sherif might have gotten a guillotine choke on Deuce, but then the fight turned around and it looked as if Deuce might come out the victor. 

Eventually James “Deuce” King defeated Sherif Ghaly by unanimous decision. 

The eighth fight of the night was between two rivals, Jared Taylor and Jay Peche.  The fight started off with both men taking some hits. Immediately into round one, Jay took a knee strike to the groin and gained a time out.  Both fighters continued to go at each other exchanging punches and taking it to the mat to work some elbow strikes, mounts and ground ‘n pound.

Ten seconds into round two, Jay Peche was still sitting in his corner and could not continue the fight.  The fans definitely reacted to Jay not coming back to the fight.  The fight ended with Jared Taylor defeating Jay Peche R2 :10 by TKO.

The final fight of the night brought Phillip Preece up against Isidro “Chilo” Gonzales.  Phillip defeated Isidro in R1 with a stand up rear naked choke. Philip gained back control and was moving into the rear naked choke while Isidro stood up and could not get out of the hold.          

King of Kombat is holding its next fight on April 05, 2008. Don’t miss out on these exciting and well executed matches where “kings emerge”.

Results at a glance:

Ryan Carranza d. Louis Simms: Tapout R1
Sergio Marra d. Jeff Striley: 1:08 R2 Armbar
Garrett Bennett d. Britton Elliott: 1:57 R1 Americana
John Springer d. Marcelo Lumakang: 2:28 R1 KO
Luke Holderof d. Adrian Sanchez: :25 R1 Guillotine
Jeremy Cross d. Mike McLennan: :42 R2 Tapout
James "Deuce" King d. Sherif Ghaly: Unanimous Decision
Jared Taylor d. Jay Peche: TKO :10  R2 Peche not able to continue after R1
Phillip Preece d. Isidro "Chilo" Gonzalez: 2:28 R1 Standing rear naked choke