Before we get to the main story, a couple of notes:
Trifon Petrov, of boxing’s Imperial Boxing promotions, told
us that it looks like Imperial’s next card, scheduled for July, will have nine
bouts with 56 rounds;
And we reported on Northern Utah MMA fighter Steven
Siler’s win in New York City in the first round of the PFL featherweight
tournament (here).
This week’s focus is on Mountain Force MMA’s June 23Pat Reeves Night card in Logan at the Eccles Ice Arena. Part of the proceeds will
be donated to the family of the late Reeves. Several of the bouts feature
fighters who trained with Reeves’ MMA group, The Pack, at Foley's gym in Ogden. We’ve interviewed a few
of the fighters who benefited from Reeves’ training skills below. Thanks for
reading. (My thoughts on Pat, published a few months ago, are here.)
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ERIC MUNOZ (Eric is fighting Max Riddle for a
promotional amateur belt):
Tell me a little about yourself.
What got you interested in MMA, who are the people most key to your training
success?
Munoz: I've always had an interest
in fighting and until a few years ago never thought I would be doing it. I was
considered too old for the sport in most people’s eyes. I have a career my kids
are grown, etc. My son wanted to get into fighting and so we started training
at Foley's. They needed wrestling coaches so I volunteered to help. I have
twenty years of wrestling and coaching. My son decided he has other passions
and I stuck around and got the itch to fight. Dave Foley set me up for my first
fight with Jeremy Horns Elite at the Weber County Fair. That was more than
three years ago and now I'm going into my 15th fight. After training for that
fight is when Pat Reeves brought a few of us stragglers together and formed The
Pack and trained us the way we should have been training all along and made us
all better fighters.
Can you share an anecdote about Pat
Reeves, or tell us how he inspired you to be a better fighter?
Munoz: Pat was a perfectionist and
he never let us just slack to get by. He always critiqued our footwork and our
movements and our punches, wrestling and ground game. If we had a fight he
would go over the fight with everyone and show us how we could of done things
different.
What are your strengths, what are
your opponent’s strengths and what’s your strategy to come out on top?
Munoz: I'm a wrestler through and through and though
I have gotten better all-around in MMA my go-to will always be wrestling. My
opponent is undefeated and had a few wins by submission so my assumption is
that he has a background in wrestling or Jiu-Jitsu. The plan is always the same;
go out and fight like we train and get the win whatever way possible.
Where do you hope to be in your
career a year from now?
Munoz: I plan to keep going until I
can no longer keep up and right now I'm in the best shape of my life and have
no plans on stopping anytime soon.
JOE FLORES. Joe fights Caden Phelps
for a promotional amateur title.
Tell me a little about yourself.
What got you interested in MMA, who are the people most key to your training
success?
Flores: I grew up in Willard. I have
wrestled since I was in kindergarten. My dad actually told me his friend’s son
trains at foleys (Miles Welk) and I should go over to check it out. It was
during the summer, before I went to go wrestle at Western Wyoming Community
College my freshman year. I instantly
fell in love, I always say wrestling was my passion but MMA is my purpose. My
training partners are from The Pack and One Hit MMA in Layton. My coaches are Aldo
Oreggia, Jarret Kelton, and my coaches before them, PAT REEVES and Sean Powers.
It's so cool because you take a little bit from each coach to add to your
repertoire.
Can you share an anecdote about Pat
Reeves, or tell us how he inspired you to be a better fighter?
Flores: Pat Reeves affected my life
in so many ways. He was always pushing me to become the best person I could be,
not just as fighter but the best me. My second fight I ended up winning in a
unanimous decision fight, but with losing two points for kicks to the groin and
after that fight I was just so disappointed in the way I performed; I just broke down crying. Pat came up to me to
rub my back and he said, “It's alright man, why are you crying? You won to
fight." I told him I just wasn't happy with the way I performed and he
looked at me and said "You won but we just need to work on your inside
kicks that's all don't beat yourself off over it just learn from it, don't
dwell just move on. I know you did perform the way you wanted to but when we
get back to practice on Monday we will work on your kicks.” My next fight I
ended kicking the guy so hard he tapped 30 seconds into the 1st round. One
thing that I loved about Pat is no matter what happened he always told me to
learn and move on and that's something that's stuck with me ever since and
that's something that will probably stick with me for the rest of my life. He
wasn't just a Coach, he was a big brother, a friend, and a mentor.
What are your strengths, what are
your opponent’s strengths and what’s your strategy to come out on top?
Flores: My strengths are my
wrestling, and my ground game, I've competed with the best of the best. From
what I heard my opponent's strengths are probably his stand-up and he's a
strong dude. I'm just going to go out there and do what I know best, read the
situation and adapt to the situation that's it. Fighting is all about adapting;
you have a game plan until they get punched in the face. At this point I'm prepared
for whatever is going to unfold in those 15 minutes.
Where do you hope to be in your
career a year from now?
Flores: In a year from now I hope to at
least have 6 more amateur fights and maybe be on to my pro debut. But I just
want to be more evolved as an artist in a year from now. I want to be cleaner
crisper and have a new arsenal in my repertoire while sharpening and evolving
my tools I already have.
AJ GARCIA, in the main bout, AJ, a
pro, is fighting Paul Crawford. (Above, Garcia, (on top) is shown in a previous bout.)
Tell me a little about yourself.
What got you interested in MMA, who are the people most key to your training
success?
Garcia: I got into fighting to turn
my life around. I spent years of my life struggling with addiction but finally
was able to get clean and used fighting as a way to stay busy and not go back.
I also had a son around the time I got clean and was given custody of him so I
turned my life around for him and used training and fighting to get there. My
son Jaiden is a big key to my success. Also Anthony Lobato was the first real
coach I’ve had and worked with and was a huge part of who I am today. Now I
have Aldo Oreggia and Jarret Kelton.
Can you share an anecdote about Pat
Reeves, or tell us how he inspired you to be a better fighter?
Garcia: Pat Reeves was an amazing
inspiration to me. He brought me in when I left one gym and had nowhere else to
train; he brought me in with his team and from day one always treated me like I
was with him from the beginning. It’s hard not to give your all with a guy that
lives and breathes fighting the way he does.
What are your strengths, what are
your opponent’s strengths and what’s your strategy to come out on top?
Garcia: I’m not great at any one
skill but I’m good everywhere and I’m great at mixing things up and keeping
people guessing. I don’t know much about Paul but I’m just gonna go out and do
what I always do. That’s got my hand raised over 10 times in my career.
Where do you hope to be in your
career a year from now?
Garcia: I’ve lost two fights in a
row for the first time in my career and it really hurts. I’ve worked so hard to
turn that streak around and hopefully will be on a win streak this time next
year. I’d love to win a pro title in front of my family before retiring.
DOM GERO, he fights Justin Van Horn
in a pro bout. (Above, Dom, at right, is shown with Pat.)
Tell me a little about yourself.
What got you interested in MMA, who are the people most key to your training
success?
GERO: I grew up watching a lot of
MMA and was always interested in it. When I realized that they had amateur
shows I decided I wanted to try it out. I started training with my father in
law, Ray Burton, and one of my best friends, Brayden Percival. After my first
couple fights Dave Foley invited us over to train at his gym. I met a lot
awesome individuals. Dave Foley, Justin Roberts, Francisco Alcantara, Joe
Flores, Eric Munoz, Geovanni Gavilanez. , Pat Reeves, Ben Guymon, Nate Owens.
All these guys have helped shape me as a fighter and the person I am today.
Can you share an anecdote about Pat
Reeves, or tell us how he inspired you to be a better fighter?
Gero: Pat Reeves' favorite quote was
“Passion is Everything.” That’s exactly how Pat lived his life. He kept us
honest and would text me every day to make sure I was showing up to practice
and keeping up on my diet. He was one of the hardest working people I’ve met.
He loved watching the team progress and learn together. The memories and things
he taught will live on forever.
What are your strengths, what are
your opponent’s strengths and what’s your strategy to come out on top?
Gero: I feel my strength is my
toughness and my ability to grapple and take the fight to the ground. I’m
physically strong and athletic. My opponent is also a great athlete and tough
opponent. I plan to go out and show the best version of myself. Give the fans
what they deserve, which is a great fight.
Where do you hope to be in your
career a year from now?
Gero: A year from now I hope to be
training other athletes in their sport of choice, as well as helping people
reach their fitness goals. I plan on continuing to train martial arts and enjoy
life with my friends and family.
We are very grateful for these
fighters taking the time to chat with us. Here is Mountain Force MMA’s Facebook page. We hear tickets are selling well. Other local fighters competing include Geovanni
Gavilanez (A Pack fighter), Hector Lopez, and Nathan Owens.
Next week we’ll talk to a couple of
MMA fighters competing at The SteelFist card on June 30.
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