PFL's Collard competes in Salt Lake City MMA bout

 

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Some hooks and jabs involving Utah boxing and MMA: Utahn Clay Collard will be in Utah for the second round of this year's PFL MMA tournament. The Jon Huntsman Center in SLC will host next card June 21. It was also be televised and streamed on ESPN. Collard, in the lightweight division, fights Mads Burnell.

Foley's gym in Ogden will have an amateur boxing card Saturday May 11. The gym is 375 31st St in Ogden. Doors open at 3 pm. Fights start at 4 pm. Cost is $15 for adults, $10 for kids 5 to 12. Undefeated heavyweight Shakeem Barnwell, who is returning after a long layoff, is on the card.

SteelFist MMA has a card scheduled Saturday, June 8, at the Union Event Center. On the card will be pro middleweight Hayden Brown, also resuming his career after a long layoff. In a SteelFist card in SLC on April 27, Justin McDonald defeated Rusty Pearson in a main bout. Entire card results are here.

Fierce Fighting Championships will have an MMA card May 31 at The Maverik Center. On the card will be pros Eric Iman and Joel Haro, and amateur Ammon Garcia. On April 20, in Orem, Mike Jones successfully defended his FFC pro middleweight title, stopping Trent Miller in first round. In a FFC light heavyweight title bout, Hamza Salim took a split decision over Jarome Hatch. Entire card results are here. I heard recently that former FFC amateur champ Hannah Silva is slated for a title bout with the promotion this summer.

The May 25 pro/am boxing match at the Salt Air in Magna is taking shape. The card is here. Pro fighters competing include Francisco Jalel Lopez, Bishop Le'i, Isiah Rodriquez, Joshua Pirela and Armando Heurta. Ticket information is here.

Some results: Jesus Haro, minimum weight, lost a 12-round decision, in a bout in Puerto Rico, to former world title holder Wilfredo Mendez; Northern Utah featherweight pro boxer Brandon Douglas won a decision over Raymond Chacon on April 27. The fight was in Maumelle, Ark.; On April 4 in Costa Mesa, Calif., Provo-based cruiserweight pro boxer Juan Higuera scored a decision over Ricky Frausto; And Utah MMA pro, 135-pounder Thomas Prestreidge lost a decison to undefeated Amari Sengsavanh on April 20 in Phoenix, Ariz; Former national amateur standout boxer Aaron Maximus Garcia Jr., of Payson, will look to go 2-0 as a pro when he boxes June 15 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Collard, Raddon, Garcia score fighting wins, update on future cards, fights

 

Last weekend brought some success to local fighters. In a nationally televised MMA bout on ESPN2, Utah native Clay Collard stalked and wore down Bellator veteran Patricky Pitbull at PFL 2 card in Las Vegas on April 12. The 155-pounders competed in the first round of a yearlong tournament. Pitbull knocked down Collard in the first round but by the end of the round Collard was in control of the bout, frequently cutting off his opponent. The bout ended roughly 90 seconds into round two, with Collard pummelling a near-defenseless Pitbull. Collard recently attended an MMA card in Ogden.

In Atlantic City on the same day, in a bout of 155-pound MMA pros, former local fighter, Kaecy Raddon, who now fights out of Denver, scored a submission early in the third round over Armando Gjetga. A rear naked choke ended the bout. The card was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

In boxing (also on Friday), standout Payson boxer Aaron Maximus Garcia, who was consistently a top-ranked national amateur, made a successful pro debut in Ensenada, Mexico, stopping Moises Cortez in round 2. 

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Upcoming fight cards in Northern Utah include Fierce Fighting Championship on April 24 at UCC  Center in Orem. Fights start at 5 pm. Headlining in separate bouts are established pros Mike Jones and Jarome Hatch. More information on card, tickets, address, is here.

On April 27 SteelFist Fight Night will have a card at The Union Event Center in Salt Lake City. It's a 7 pm start. Main bout matches 170 pounders Justin McDonald versus Rusty Pearson. More information, including tickets, address, card, is here.

On May 25, 801 Productions is having a pro/amateur boxing card at The Great Salt Air in Magna. It starts at 7 p.m. I learned recently that Ogden featherweight pro boxer Isaiah Rodriguez is scheduled to fight on the card.

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More jabs and hooks: Utah pro 135-pounder MMA Thomas Prestriedge, on a three-bout winning streak, travels to Phoenix, Ariz., this Saturday to fight undefeated Amari Sensavanh. More info on the card is here. ... Jesus Haro, a California/Nevada-based pro boxer who is related to former world-ranked featherweight Jose Haro, travels to Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico to fight Wilfredo Mendez Saturday night for the 105-pound World Boxing Association Gold Title. ... And former Utahn, veteran super middleweight boxer Christian Aguirre, lost a six-round decision to undefeated Justin Figuerora in San Antonio on March 30.

Ruiz, Owens, Silva among winners at Fierce Fighting MMA card

 

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Julian Ruiz, Ha'va Owens and Hannah Silva were among winners at the Fierce Fighting Challenger Series MMA card in Ogden on Matrch 23.

Before a large crowd that filled the Bonneville High School gymnasium, Ruiz, a 4-0 pro featherweight, wore down Desmond Manabat, 3-5, earning a TKO win by strikes in the first round.

The co-main pro bout matched two young veteran welterweights, Ogden's Ha'va Owens and Stephen Stirewalt. Owens, 4-4, (see bout photo below) dominated all three rounds, punishing a game Stirewalt, 4-6, the entire bout. Scores were 30-27 and two calls of 30-26.

The rest of the bouts matched amateurs. In the top amateur bout, Brendon Meyers, 4-2, caught Jordan Munoz, 3-8, with a triangle choke, bringing an early end to the flyweight bout.

In the co-main amateur, St. George's Hannah Silva, 5-3 (see photo above of Silva's cage walk in) used a strong ground game to wear down Hailey Hoard, 3-6. The bout was stopped in round 2.

In perhaps the most competitive bout of the night, between lightweights, Sidney Blackwood, 3-1, took a narrow 28-27 unanimous decision over Brenden Ferreira, 2-3. Blackwood controlled rounds one and three on the ground. Ferreira took round two, fought mostly boxing style. (see bout photo below article)

In a welterweight bout, one punch abruptly ended a competive match, with RJ Wilgar, 3-1, KOing Nick Jackson, 1-2, in round one. Welterweight Spencer Hansen, 1-1, submitted Arjhan Jahromi, 0-2, in round one. In a lightweight bout, Austin Munoz, 2-0, stopped Isaac Allen, 1-1, in round 2.

Also, a competitive bout between welterweights Austin Cardon, 1-0, and Skyler Burnasconi, 1-1, ended dramatically in round 2 when a right hand from Cardon dropped Burnasconi, who remained on the cage floor for several minutes. In a bout between debuting welterweights, Nico Suescon submitted Michael Trunzo in round one.

In two amateur kickboxing bouts, welterweight Brandon Ramirez stopped Tyler Harris in round two. Both were debuting. And in a women's catchweight 120-pound bout, Makia August, 1-1, used ring generalship to score a unanimous decision over debuting Mallori Melling.

The card was well promoted, with fights starting soon after the 5 pm announced time. The night was finished by 9 p.m. Fighters names and records were provided by promotional program.

-- Doug Gibson, at the fights.