Burkman, Rossborough lose UFC and PFL bouts; SteelFist results

It was a tough Saturday for two Northern Utah, Salt Lake  City MMA veteran professionals who fought web-televised preliminary bouts on major MMA cards. Nick Rossborough, a heavyweight, was pounded by Jared Rosholt over three rounds in Everett, Wash., as part of the Professional Fighters League, formerly the World Series of Fighting. Rossborough had no answer for Rosholt's ground game and took a lot of punishment although he survived to a decision loss.

In a UFC 214 preliminary in Anaheim, Josh Burkman suffered his fifth straight UFC loss, being stopped by Drew Dober in the first round. A recap of the lightweight bout, televised on UFC Fight Pass, is here.

STEELFIST RESULTS:

Friday night's SteelFist card in Salt Lake City had Carson Gregory stopping Jeff Roman after one round in an 170-pound bout. Also, Troy Dennison stopped AJ Garcia in round one in an 155-pound bout. Former Ute and NFL football player and heavyweight Ben Moa won his pro debut, stopping Trevor Kuresa after one round. Amateur Michael O'Laskey, defeated TJ Mitchell in a bout for the promotion's 170-pound title.

To get all the results go to Jeffrey Dutcher's Fighting Out of Utah MMA News Facebook page.

SteelFist 51 card Friday night, Horn card in Ogden next month

Tomorrow night is SteelFist 51 in Salt Lake City. It starts at 7 pm at Riverbend Sports and Event Center. Main bouts are listed above in the poster. We have interviewed both AJ Garcia and Troy Dennison. The entire card is listed here. Your blogger would love to be there but he works on Friday nights. We will be keeping an eye on the results and share them. 

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Some news on boxer Jose Haro's recent opponent, Daniel Franco. By the way, although he faces many challenges, Franco, has recovered well from an injury that was life threatening after his loss to Haro. You can read his dad's latest post here. (There is still opportunity to donate to help Franco)

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Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night will have an MMA card on Friday, Aug. 11 at the Weber County Fairgrounds. We hope to have a photographer there. Thomas Hughes, a member of the USA kickboxing team, will be fighting his first pro MMA bout. Hughes is undefeated in MMA. Also fighting will be Top of Utah amateur 205 pounder Eric Munoz. He says it will be his final MMA bout. We hope to interview both Hughes and Munoz over the next couple of weeks. Also, in September SteelFist has a Saturday card on the 16th that matches John Valentine against Rowdy Akers, a farewell bout for both. Here's a look at upcoming cards via the state's athletic commission.

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I chatted with Julian Stevens of Lights Out gym in Clearfield and he provided an update on how some of the boxers who train there did at the Junior Nationals Golden Gloves in Mesquite last week. 

"James Cox, 65 pounds, Dylan Bahena, 65 pounds, Oxmanny Sanchez, 75 pounds, all fought great for only training for six to eight months. They all lost but learned a great deal at the tournament. Preston Tiffany won his first fight and fought Randy Canaday, whom he beat at the national Junior Olympic finals to win the tournament. (He) lost a close decision," Stevens said.

AJ Garcia, Troy Dennison to meet in SteelFist MMA bout

In a pro lightweight bout on July 28 in Salt Lake City, Troy Dennison will meet AJ Garcia in an intriguing match. Garcia defeated Rowdy Akers in his pro debut and Dennison has enjoyed a successful pro career that included a shot for a SteelFist promotion title. (Above is, at top, Garcia after winning a bout, and below, Dennison (at left) with others at Victory MMA.)

We've chatted with both fighters and share the conversations as a preview for the bout:

Troy Dennison:

1) What motivates you about the bout. What drives you to get out there and train daily?

Dennison: What motivated me to compete in MMA is (SteelFist promoter) Pat Patton. I was a street kid fighting in the streets almost every day in my life, got real good at it and was in and out of trouble all the time wuth the law. Pat Patton took me under his wing, helped me get my life right and got me my very first MMA fight way before SteelFist was around and I feel in love with all the positives that came with it. I was so used to negative in my life; it was a big difference,  gave me a reason to stay out of trouble and work and fight for something worth fighting for. 

I'm looking for a title shot again for SteelFist after this fight. That has been my main goal is getting the belt. In today's world the fighter that inspires me is Connor McGregor; to see him getting welfare checks one day and a few years later a self-made millionaire shows me anything is possible if you work hard enough and truly believe you can do it. The thing that is most important to me bout this fight is winning. It is just another fight, nothing too important, just a other day doing what I like to do. And the thing that pushed me the most to train and keep in shape is to prove all the doubters that I still have it. I feel there is alot of people who have forgot who I am and are doubting me on this fight.

AJ Garcia:

1) How is training going? Any changes based on learning from your first bout?

Garcia: Training is going great. My fight with Rowdy was my first pro fight so it was the first time having five minute rounds along with a few other rules that are different. Now that I know what that feels like I feel I'll be even more ready for this fight and in even better shape. 

Troy Dennison:

2) What's your fight style and how do you hope to neutralize your opponent? (Dennison seen below)

Dennison: My fight style is most definitely striking. I'm known as a stand up fighter with power in both hands. Out of my 8 wins 6 of them are TKO in the first round. The key strength of my opponent is his wrestling. I feel he will try to get me to the ground and control the fight there.Of course he will try to pound me out or submit me. The way I neutralize that is by footwork and sprawl, get in and out and not stand right in front of him.

AJ Garcia:

2) What do you know about your opponent and what does this fight mean to you?

Garcia: Troy is a tough guy that's been around for a while. He has over 10 pro fights compared to my one, but I had a lot of amateur fights and fought the best guys around here so that I could be ready for anything when I went pro. Getting a win over a vet like Troy would be a big deal for a guy with one pro fight. I feel solid everywhere but always know that I can fall back on my bread and butter which is my ground game.

Troy Dennison:

3) How goes training? Who trains you and who do you train with? 

Dennison: My training is different this time around than my last fights. I am mostly focusing on strength and conditioning. I have not been to the gym much this fight camp due to work but I'm always training every day, whether it be in the gym sparring and working take down defense. If I'm not there, (I'm still)  hitting the bag and running in high altitude, always doing something every day to keep my cardio up. When I do go to the gym it's Victory MMA. The coaches are Kam Tuller, Jake Paul, Cole Rose, and Kyle Herrera. My two favorite people to train with and spar with is Cole Rose and Kyle Herrera.

AJ Garcia:

3) How is training going and who are some of those helping you, both in the gym and outside? (Below, Garcia on top in the bout versus Rowdy Akers).

Garcia: The guys at The Pack MMA are getting me ready along with Anthony Lobato. Digital Smoke has also helped me a ton and just bought me a ton of new training gear for this fight as a bonus for winning my pro debut. I honestly wouldn't be able to train the way I do if it wasn't for them so big shout out to them. I can't wait for this fight and will be ready to bring it when that cage gets locked.

Troy Dennison:

4) How has MMA changed your life and what are your future plans in the sport?

Dennison: I have been competing an MMA for the last 7 years and it has changed me into a better man in all ways of life: respect honor discipline, things that I have never learned as a kid it has completely changed my life. I was into gang,s heavy drugs by the time I was 13 years old, stealing cars and just really going down a dark road. I feel if it was not for MMA I would be dead or in prison. It changed me in every way; took all that negative and turned it into positive. I have a 4 year old now and a beautiful woman that I may not have (today) if MMA did not change my life.

We wish both Garcia and Dennison the best later this month in the cage. We appreciate all they do for the sport.

The entire SteelFist card is here.

Valentine meets Akers in a farewell pro MMA bout

Yesterday evening SteelFist made an early announcement on a Sept. 16 Salt Lake City pro MMA bout. Undefeated John Valentine meets another veteran, Rowdy Akers. Valentine, 46, now lives in Las Vegas but used to reside locally and is the female matchmaker for SteelFist. Akers, 42, trains out of One Hit MMA in Layton. Both fighters plan this to be their final pro MMA bout.. It is being advertised as a "Dual Retirement Fight."

I plan to interview both as fight date draws near but I did chat with Valentine earlier this week and he offered reasons for ending his pro career. He said this, which was also published earlier on social media):

Recently I sat on the mats and I watched my children who at a young age have accomplished so much such as judo and Grappling state titles and recently securing National Ju Jitsu titles.  I asked myself how far they would be with even more coaching, more effort from me their father and coach.  Answer: a lot 

As a result I made the easiest decision in my life.  I wanted to let you know that while I feel I have another 10 years of fighting in me that for my family I decided to take one last fight (I will still do my Ju Jitsu superfights and tourneys) bit I have nothing more to prove. My goal is to retire undefeated and I am working towards that.

Valentine has high praise for Akers, calling him a strong competitor (the bout will be at 150 pounds). He says he will be at his best and expects his opponent will also be at his best. 

He's grateful for all the support SteelFist has provided him over the years, calling it a fitting location for a final bout. Pat, Kevin, Brady, Troy and the crew have been like family and I am grateful for this opportunity, he said.

Akers, as mentioned, represents One Hit MMA. Valentine represents Team Zenith and Robert Drysdale. We will have original interviews with both competitors as the date draws near. We're big fans of both these competitors and will miss seeing them in the pro cage. They have condusted themselves as strong professionals with integrity and are worthy of the respect this final bout provides. Here is SteelFist's website.

Garcia and Denniston to be interviewed

Next week we will be interviewing MMA pros AJ Garcia and Troy Dennison, who will be facing off in a pro bout July 28 at the SteelFist card in SLC.

Edminister to fight in Idaho

Another note: Bryce Edminister, an amateur MMA fighter with The Garage gym, has signed to fight Aug. 18 in Boise, Idaho, as part of the Front Street Fights card that night. According to his Facebook page, Bryce will fight Kellen VanCamp, of Kentucky.

Finally, next week we'll keep an eye on Junior National Golden Gloves in Mesquite, Nevada and let you know how locals do.

More on SteelFist card, local pros plan bouts, amateur boxing

SteelFist has announced several more bouts for its July 28 card in SLC. They include Ranu Meah versus Kent Mafelio, Lauren Chidester versus Cat Myers, Lauren Su'a versus Curt Leifson, Ului Pupuno versus Joshua Young Tauteoli, Brian Johns versus Bobby Simpson, Cory Rose versus Matt Unruh, Jordan Taylor versus Justin Vialpando, Marco Sanchez versus Jon Wixom, and Hector Lopez versus AJ Palante.

The entire card, as we know presently, is here.

Some local fighters have fights scheduled, with more details to come. John Valentine, who lives in Las Vegas but still is well involved in MMA locally, says he has another pro fight in the works. So does One Hit MMA pro Rowdy Akers, set to fight in September. Among amateurs, Bryce Edminister (The Garage), will be parft of the Front Street Fights card in Boise on Aug. 18. And kickboxer Thomas Hughes, who has competed internationally as an amateur, will be part of the Horn's Elite card in Ogden next month.

The Junior Golden Gloves Nationals are later this month in Mesquite. Participants from Lights Out Boxing include Ozmanny Sanchez, 70, James Cox, 65, and Dylan Bahena, 60. From All Heart Boxing Adriano Bdenn (119) and Mehki Benn (106) will be there. Also, competing will be Preston Tiffany, 95. Tiffany, a former Junior Olympics national champ, is well after rehabbing from some injuries.

Speaking of the Junior Olympics, Aaron Garcia, a Payson, Utah amateur boxer, competed recently in the nationals. Univision 32 produced this great feature on the successful young boxer.