FFC MMA card features fighters with win streaks

 

Two MMA pros with win streaks headline the next Fierce Fighting Championship card Saturday, Aug. 15 in Farmington, Utah, at the Western Sports Park, in Farmington, Utah, 25 N Sports Park Way 84025.

Doors open at 4 p.m., fights begin at 5 p.m. 

Roy Utah's Teague Vigil, 5-4, fights Colorado's Miguel Barrientes, 5-2, for the FFC pro featherweight bout. Vigil has won his last five bouts.

Ammon Garcia, 4-1-1, of Layton, Utah, on a four-fight win streak, meets Davon Duncan, of Las Vegas, in a professional 160-pound catch weight fight.

In other pro bouts, George Lo, of North Carolina, fights Avtandil Khimshiashvili, of Las Vegas, welterweights; in a pro cruiserweight bout, Tracy Hardy, of Layton, fights Thomas Boyer, of Idaho Falls, Idaho; in a pro welterweight bout, Kamuela Mamone, Hawaii, fights North Carolina's Gabriel Muscat; pro flyweight David Kim, a hometown fighter from Farmington, fights New York's Haseeb Khetab; in a heavyweight bout, North Carolina's Michael Delozier fights Montana's Braden Peterson; and flyweight Dietrick Jessop, of Layton, meets Las Vegas fighter Alex Castenada. There's even two more bouts in the professional ranks, with Spanish Fork, Utah's Tyler Call fights Sandy Utah's Justin Vialpando. The other matches light heavyweight Sam Van Wynen, of Kaysville, versus Cody Beierle, of Montana.

The top amateur bout is for the FCC light heavyweight belt. Mike Gillion of Syracuse, Utah, fights Ethan Ojukwu, of Florida. Also, the FCC amateur belt is being contested with Aiden Egler, of Saratoga Springs, Utah, meeting Braeten Jorgensen, of Las Vegas. 

Other amateur bouts include Layton's Bryon Sneed meeting Arizona's Pike Jones, heavyweights; Hannah Silva, Las Vegas, fighting Layton's Ashley Zolnik, featherweights; and amateur strawweights Katerina McDermott, of Russia, fighting Samaira Wisner, of Texas.

For tickets, contact the fighters or the FFC website. For PPV info go to the FCC website.

Prospect Samuel Flores scores second win at Ogden boxing card

 

Highly regarded pro featherweight boxing prospect Samuel Flores, of Ogden, (photo above) scored his second win with an impressive wearing down of veteran Jesus Marin, of El Paso, Texas. 

It was via a TKO very late in the fourth and final round. After a close first round that arguably could have gone to Marin, 1-7, Flores, 2-0 took control of the bout, each round getting more one-sided. It looked as if the durable Marin - who has fought very tough competition and was not stopped in his previous bouts - was going to last the distance. But Flores landed a strong body shot that visibly hurt Marin and backed him into a corner. Several punches later, the bout was stopped at 2:43 of the round. Both Flores wins are by knockout.

The semi main was a four-round junior middleweight rematch between Sandy, Utah's Bobby Tabile and Ogden's Eligio  Hernandez Jr. Their first fight was a war - both possess equal skills and talent - and this fight was again action-packed. The judges gave Tabile, 5-0, another narrow win via majority decision over Hernandez, 1-3.  (Above are two photos. Hernandez is in the red, white and green trunks.) 

During the bout Hernandez was more aggressive with Tabile counterpunching well. With no disrespect intended to the judges or Bobby Tabile, who is a talented boxer, this bout should have at least been called a draw. Utah Fight Game scored it 39-38 for Hernandez but a draw would also have been appropriate. If there is a rematch it'd be interesting to see it scheduled for five or six rounds. 

Another intriguing bout matched cruiserweights Shon Cross and Zack Partridge, both from the Salt Lake area. (These are two of the nicest guys in the Utah combat sports scene.) Partridge has successful experience in MMA and bareknuckle boxing, but this was his debut in boxing. Cross came in 1-2 as a pro. Partridge had a good first round, but the taller, methodical Cross begin rallying in a close second round. Cross dominated the final two rounds as Partridge tired, particularly in the final round. The fight was a majority draw, with one tally at 39-37 for Cross, which is also how Utah Fight Game scored the bout. Despite Cross' strong finish, calling the first two rounds for Partridge is not way out there. A rematch seems likely, but again it'd be interesting to have it five or six rounds. 

Super lightweight prospect Dillan Nguyen, 3-0-1, took a unanimous four-round decision over debuting Joshua Jose Rivas, 0-1. Rivas showed good skill for a fighter making his pro debut, but was overmatched by the more experienced, aggressive Nguyen, who seems a good prospect. Utah Fight Game scored bout 40-36 for Nguyen.

Nineteen-year-old welterweight Jose Angel Mata had a successful pro debut, knocking out Jeremiah Rodriguez, 0-1, in 80 seconds. Mata pressured his opponent for 70 seconds and then scored a two-punch combination that ended it.

In a junior welterweight rematch, Emmanual Aldair Gonzales Secion, 3-0, stopped Zaden Clark, 0-3, who had to retire after round two. Clark landed occasional shots, but Gonzalez Secion was in control, damaging Clark's ribs in round two.

William Wirthlin, 0-2, was willing and aggressive but lacked the technique and resilience to hold off better boxer Darien Orvin, 1-0. After a competitive first round, Orvin opened up and ended the middleweight bout at 1:16 of round two.

The Golden Spike Exhibit Hall at the Ogden Fairgrounds was filled on Saturday night for the card. Ring announcer Destiny McCubbin interviewed former U.S. pro boxing champion Jose Haro during an intermission. Haro suggested a comeback might be in order, but perhaps it was tongue in cheek. Haro had the crowed laughing after he suggested that his wife might be amenable to the idea if he regained "six-pack abs" on his body.

The entire fight card results, with links to each fighter, are here. Photos are from Tommy Presnell. 

-- Utah Fight Game

Ogden hosts more pro boxing this weekend

 

Nearly nine months ago, super welterweights Bobby Tabile, then 1-0, and Eligio Hernandez Jr., then 1-1-, fought an exciting four-round match in Ogden, as part of the Rival Series III card.

In the photo above, Tabile (at right) lands a right hand against Hernandez, but Eligio had some good moments too. Tabile got the decision. This reporter described this fight as "a war" between two warriors. (Below both boxers embrace after the 2025 bout).

This Saturday night, June 13, at The Golden Spike Exhibit Hall at the Weber County Fairgrounds, the pair meet in a much-anticipated rematch at Rival Series V. Tabile is now 4-0, Hernandez 1-2. The card also features former amateur star turned featherweight pro Samuel Flores, of Ogden, 1-0, who meets Jesus Marin, of El Paso, Texas. Marin has never been knocked out and scored a TKO win in Rival Series' first promotion, in Syracuse, in early 2025. All seven bouts are scheduled for four rounds. The entire card is linked here.

Utah Fight Game interviewed Hernandez, who lives in Ogden, while training for his fight against Salt Lake City's Tabile. 

"Training has been going good. I try stay in the gym working as much as I can. I have had some good sparring in camp," Hernandez said, stressing things have been positive. 

We asked Eligio if he was considering any changes in strategy for bout two with Tabile. They also fought each other in the amateurs.

"As far as strategies, I honestly go with the flow," Hernandez said. "Everyone's got a plan until they get punched, you know. I just try to be prepared for it all. Bobby’s a good dance partner and we always have a good fight, so we’ll see how things go. it’s up to God in the end," Hernandez explained.

Hernandez shared observations on his future in professional boxing.

"I see myself doing this for a while longer; not really sure how much longer. I'd say five fights, I say 10, who really knows though. I just love the sport and I’m going to do it as long as my body lets me," Hernandez said.

REST OF BOUTS

An intriguing cruiserweight bout matches two well-known Salt Lake City area boxers. Shon Cross, 1-2, a notable trainer in Utah, fights debuting Zack Partridge, who has enjoyed success in MMA and bare-knuckle boxing.

Also, middleweights Darien Orvin, debuting, and William Wirthlin, 0-1, meet.

Salt Lake City super lightweight prospect Dillan Nguyen, 2-0-1, meets debuting Joshua Jose Rivas, of Elroy, Ariz.

Undefeated super lightweight Emmanuel Aldair Gonzalez Secion, 2-0, meets Zaden Clark, 0-2.

And debuting welterweight Jose Angel Mata meets Jeremiah Rodriguez, of Port Angeles, Wash.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Fights start at 7 p.m. There will be a pay per view option. The Golden Spike Exhibit Hall is at 1000 N, 1200 West, Ogden. Tickets can be obtained from boxers or from All Heart Gym, 1968 N 2000 West Farr West, UT 84404. Email: allheartboxingshows@gmail.com.

- Utah Fight Game

 

Blood on Canvas ... is a fascinating look at the 'B' side of big-card boxing

 

Author Ryan Gregory, longtime Utah boxing trainer and manager, has provided a book, Blood on Canvas: Between Bells, that will satisfy the interests of both boxing fans and people who have a casual interest in the sport.

This is a narrative that goes deep under the gloss of the sport. It is a tale of the wanna-bes, the fighters and managers from obscure locations, without financial support, who travel to the glitzy TV cards as "B opponents," essentially enjoying two or three days to pick up a loss to a top prospect backed by the promoters.

Nothing is fixed, the fights are on the level. However, the hardscrabble life of the "B Team" - the late calls to fight, the struggles to make weight, the pressures, lead usually to a loss.

In Blood on Canvas, author Gregory takes readers on a very few days of a B fighter, and his coach, getting the opportunity to fight on a top-level card. It's a true story, but names have been changed.

It's an incredibly compelling read of an immature but talented boxer and his financially challenged coach. Both have flaws, particularly the boxer, but they are so well developed that the reader will grow to admire both despite their insecurities.

There's a whole cast of other characters, fighters, promoters, managers, event staff, all well developed.

A manager fretting that his uninspired fighter will miss the paid-for flight. The absolute fear and panic when a fighter is 16 pounds overweight a day before the weigh-in. The fighter, clad in rubber suit, jogging with his manager/trainer in the early-morning hours before dawn. The fighter skipping rope in 108-degree temperature minutes before weigh-in while his manager pleads for a weight adjustment. The strange but real camaraderie between the A and B trainers. The efficient monied assured confidence of a top promotion, including the above average lodging. All of this, including more, is in the book. 

Author Gregory provides great detail. The fight, a near upset, is fascinating to read and experience. The post-fight turns from optimism to panic when the fighter gets drunk most of the night and almost misses the only bus that will get them back to the home flight.

The unique characters at every big promotion. The top fighters, trainers, hangers-on. Gregory provides interesting sketches of the long weekend, that also includes other Utah fight people on the undercard. This will fascinate boxing fans and provide an excellent introduction of the fight game to others. The goings on at the hotel where the fight takes place reminds me of reading The Harder They Fall, Budd Shulberg's classic '50s novel of the boxing game.

This may also be the best book about boxing -- from the club fighters' perspective -- written since Fat City. It gives readers an accurate look at the sport.

-- Doug Gibson

Amateur boxing results: Foley's gym, May 23, 2026

 

On Saturday, May 24th, at Foley's gym in Ogden, a large crowd enjoyed 20 amateur boxing matches. 

(The photos above, from Top to down, show Foley's Luciano Salazar pressuring Fight City's Edmundo Rodriguez into the corner of their 168-pound bout, won by Salazar. Next shows Foley's Evan Dominguez forcing Fight City's Luis Torres into the ropes in their 172-pound bout, won by Dominguez. Next Foley's Achilles Salazar (left) boxes Reyes' Armando Aquero in a 145-pound bout won by Aquero. And Foley's Rachel Siniscalchi (left) boxes Jordan Landing's Heather Kingston in a 112-pound bout won by Kingston.)

Here are the results of the bouts on the card:

57 lbs - Miliano Hernandez, BoxFit decisioned Isaac Diaz, Mi Familia

110 lbs - Emanuel Soria, Palafox, decisioned Ramon Vaca, Reyez

75 lbs - Jayden Cuenca, Mi Familia, decisioned Legion Afeaki, Boxing Roots

112 lbs - Kingston (see above) decisioned Siniscalchi (see above)

172 lbs - Dominguez (see above) decisioned Torres (see above)

90 lbs - Angel Mendoza, Tafoya's, decisioned Julian Cendejas, Munecos

105 lbs - Julian Garcia, Boxfit, decisioned Lehi Perez, Reyez

195 lbs - Rogelio Aguirre, Munecos, decisioned Garrett Schoss, Foley's

112 lbs - Bryon Sanchez, Rick's, decisioned Francisco Rodriguez, Fight City

125 lbs - Christian Sanchez, Boxfit, decisioned Damien Murdock, Foley's

125 lbs - Josh Mangrum, Factum, decisioned Johnny Gonzalez, Foley's

150 lbs - Kohel Robinson, Pouha, decisioned Arturo Espinoza, Rick's

147 lbs - Andrus Antunez, Dave's Boxing Academy, decisioned Ben Gill, Foley's

145 lbs - Aquero (see above) decisioned A Salazar (see above)

180 lbs - Alfonso Chavez, Tafoya's decisioned Dom Perez, Factum

Heavyweight - Pule Alo, Pouha, walkover win

147 lbs - Deylan Deboer, Tafoya's decisioned Skylar Stedman, Foley's

168 lbs - L Salazar (see above) decisioned Rodriguez (see above)

147 lbs - Jayden Marquez, Boxing Roots, decisioned Kenneth Anderson, SLC

205 lbs - Ryahn Moore, Foley's, decisioned Esiloni Malafu, Boxfit

152 lbs - Jorge Bustamente, Rolling with the Punches, decisioned Josh Strong, Pouha

-- Utah Fight Game blog

(Names and gyms were taken from the card program. Pat Nielsen handled announcing duties.)

Haro suffers KO loss in FFC main bout; Owens outlasts Ruiz in co-main

 

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In the main event before a nice crowd at the Maverik Center in West Valley City Saturday May 16, Suleiman Bouhata, of Montreal, Canada, scored a shocking upset over highly favored Joel Haro. 

The featherweight pro MMA bout ended in 41 seconds after Bouhata, 16-10, floored Haro, 7-3, with a right hand. Haro was pummeled on the ground before the bout was stopped. Bouhata was taller and slightly heavier than his opponent. Haro was very groggy for several minutes after the stoppage.

In a strongly anticipated co-main event between two solid professionals, Ha'va Nathan Owens, Ogden, 144, scored a mild upset with a second round TKO over Julian Ruiz, 5-3, 146, of Salt Lake City. (The photo above is of Ruiz, at left, congratulating Owens after the bout.)

Owens had the upper hand in a close first round, showing strong boxing. Ruiz rallied in round 2 with a strong right hand and put Owens to the ground. However, Ruiz was hampered by what appeared to be a broken nose, which bled profusely. Late in round 2, after they were up, Owens staggered Ruiz with hard shots that sent him against the ropes. The fight was stopped at 4.59. (The below photo is of Owens (at left) and Ruiz competing in round 1.)

In a pro welterweight bout Teague Vigil, of Roy, 5-4, sent Desmond Manabat, 4-8, fighting out of Las Vegas, to the canvas early. Vigil finished the bout in 32 seconds with a rear naked choke submission.

In the final pro bout, bantamweight David Kim, 1-2, of Provo, picked up his first win with a hard-fought three-round decision over Jordan Gonzales, 0-2, of Salt Lake City. Scores were 29-28 and 29-27 twice. Utah Fight Game scored the bout 29-28 for Kim.

In a five-round amateur bout for the Fierce Fighting Championship bantamweight title, Talon Carvalho, 7-3, generally controlled the action over challenger Rey Lee, 5-3, of Gardenia, Calif. Judges scores were 50-45 across the board. Utah Fight Game scored it 49-46 for Carvalho.

In other amateur bouts:

Ashley Green, 2-0, from Las Vegas, scored a mild upset over Provo's Nicole Fuga, 4-4. Scores were 29-28 unanimously, which is how Utah Fight Game saw the women's bout too.

In a bout between 190-plus pounders, Hunter Birdsley, 3-1, of Salt Lake City, used hard punches to quickly end the unbeaten record of Park Abegglen, 2-1, of Cedar City. The bout was stopped after 34 seconds.

In a 150-pound catchweight bout, Park City's Chris Ventura, 3-2 with 1 no contest, needed one right cross to end his bout with Morgun Colledge, 5-9. The fight was stopped at 41 seconds

In a welterweight bout Edgar Mixan, 3-1, of Bozeman, Mont., used a big right hand to stop Provo's Lance Lovoie, 1-1, in 42 seconds of round 1.

In a match between debuting 155-pounders, Brady Gourson, wore down debuting Joseph Marshall to score a second-round submission win. Both are Northern Utah fighters.

In a lightweight bout between Northern Utahns, London Van Camp, 1-2, caught Chris Vandemyle, 1-1, with a hard shot midway in the first. The bout was stopped at 1.57 of the first with Van Camp the winner.

In a featherweight bout, Eric Lazo, 2-0, defeated Pouya Bahamin, 0-2, via unanimous decision. Utah Fight Game scored the bout 29-28 for Lazo.

In the first bout of the night, between 200 pounders, Traie Buhler,1-0, scored a close unanimous 29-28 win over heavier Raven Janis. Utah Fight Game agreed with the 29-28 tally.

A scheduled bout between amateur middleweights James Prescott, 4-1, and Jett Swain, 2-1, was scrapped when Swain had to pull out. Prescott entered the cage and thanked fans for their support.

-- Doug Gibson

Haro headlines FFC card; Ruiz versus Owens an intriguing MMA co-main

 

NOTE: ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED: Mixed martial arts fighter Joel Haro, of Herriman, is the headline name for Fierce Fighting Championship 49's Saturday night MMA card at the Maverik Center, in West Valley. Haro, 7-2, who is on a two-bout win streak, takes on Canada's Suileman Bouhata,15-10, in a professional featherweight bout scheduled for three rounds. The Canadian won a modified cage/boxing match last fall in Canada but has not competed in MMA since 2021, when he suffered a defeat.

The co-main three-round bout has intrigued combat sports gyms in Utah. Featherweights Julian Ruiz, 7-2, and Ha'va Nathan Owens, 4-5, are matched. Both are young veterans who have enjoyed recent success. More on these two later in this article.

In another pro MMA bout, lightweight Sergio Mamone Jr., makes his pro debut against Washington's pro debuting Andrew Martinez. Mamone fights in Utah often but lives in Hawaii. He had an impressive MMA amateur career. Mamone also made a successful pro boxing debut recently in Ogden. Martinez is 4-0 as an amateur but has not competed for three years.

UPDATE: The Mamone vs Martinez fight is no longer on card. It has been replaced by a 135-pound pro bout matching David Kim, 0-2, versus Jordan Gonzales, 0-1. Both are from Northern Utah.

The other pro bout matches featherweight Teague Vigil, 4-4 against Nevada's Desmond Manabat, 4-7.

--

Utah Fight Game interviewed both Ruiz, of Salt Lake City, and Owens, of Ogden. Below are their responses. (The photos below, in order, are of Owens and Ruiz.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What's your typical training day like?

RUIZ: Monday and Friday I train 2-3 times; Thursday I only train in afternoon. I always finish with Saturday morning workout, then take rest of weekend off.

OWENS: My typical training day will have at least two training sessions. The first session will either be a strength, or cardio workout. The second session will either be Jiu Jitsu, boxing or kickboxing; a minimum of four miles roadwork every day as well.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: Who is training you? Who are you sparring with. 

RUIZ: The Pit, (and) Agema Jiu Jitsu and MMA. (And) a few different boxing coaches. My head coach (at gym) is Ramsey Nijem and my other coach is Dayne Aristizabal.

OWENS: My coaches are Eduardo Mori and Ernest Chavez. My sparring partners are a handful of talented competitors, Alex Johnson, Ryder Campo, Van Woods, and many others.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What do you know about your opponent? Do you have a style of fighting that differs with him?

RUIZ: He's experienced and he's down to scrap. He's well known around here. People talk highly of him, so I know he's a good guy. And (he) works hard. Our styles are similar. I'm just the 2.0 version. He's good with his hands but not on my level. I can't wait to show.

OWENS: What I know about my opponent is that he has power and is dangerous at any moment. My style of fight that I have set for him, however, is a perfect counter to his more power-heavy approach.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: Where do you hope to be a year from now in your career?

RUIZ: A year from now I'd love to be in Contender Series or in talks to fight across seas! (I'm) taking it all the way!

OWENS: I hope to see myself on a larger stage, against higher-caliber opponents, testing myself to my absolute limits to reach the best version of myself.

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There are several amateur, mostly three, three-minute round contests, a couple for FFC championships They are (updated):

- James Prescott vs Jett Swain, for the FFC Amateur Middleweight belt. (Five rounds)

- Hunter Birdsley vs Parker Abegglen, heavyweights.

- London Van Camp vs Chris Vandermyle, lightweights

- Pouya Bahamin vs Eric Lazo, lightweights

- Nicole Fuga vs Ashley Green, 150 pounds

- Morgun Colledge vs Chris Ventura, 150 pounds

- Brady Gourson vs Joseph Marshall, 155 pounds

- Lance Lavoie vs. Edgar Mixan

- Raven Janis vs Traie Buhler

- and for the FFC Amateur Featherweight belt, Taylor Carvalho vs Rey Lee (Five rounds)

Tickets are available online from the promoter FFC and the Maverik Center website. The Maverik Center address is 3200 South Decker Lake Drive in West Valley. The gates open Saturday at 4 p.m. Bouts begin about 5 p.m. Fierce Fighting Championships has a Facebook page but make sure it's legitimate because spoofers try to clone it.

- Doug Gibson