Olguin, Douglas, Jesus Haro score boxing wins; Siler versus King MMA headliner

 

Some boxing news: On Jan. 30 of this year in Tooele, Utah, northern Utah professional boxers Helaman Olguin, heavyweight, Brandon Douglas, featherweight, and Eric Wahlen, heavyweight, all scored KO wins. Olguin, of West Jordan, 9-3, ended the bout in round one against Carlos Reyes, 7-13-2. Olguin has won his last 8 bouts. Douglas, 10-1, stopped Rondarius Hunter, 4-8-2, in round one. And Wahlen, 6-0, defeated Joshua Brown, 1-3, in round two. (The photo above shows Douglas, at right, measuring his opponent. It is a photo posted on Facebook.)

Winners in other pro bouts were Danielle Bennett, Deborah Willies, Juan Higuera and Cody Woslager. To see all the fighters' names and amateur muy thay fighting results, go here.

On Oct. 31, in Tijuana, Mexico, Jesus Haro, a light flyweight professional boxing prospect who fights out of Merced, Calif., but has family ties in Northern Utah, won a four-round unanimous decision over Fernando Molina. Jesse Haro, now 4-1, fights in Mexico City on March 5. 

On Nov. 20, in Shelbville, Ky, at the Shelby County Fairgrounds, Idaho boxer/MMA fighter Clay Collard meets undefeated Maidel Sando in a middleweight main bout. Collard won five of six boxing matches in 2020. Livesportscaster.com is supposed to stream the card. ... After this fight he competes in the 2021 PFL MMA tournament beginning April 23. Collard will fight in the lightweight division. ESPN has broadcast rights.

In Utah MMA Mountain Force MMA, Fierce Fighting Championship and SteelFist have cards planned in February and March. The Feb. 27 FFC card at The Maverik Center in West Valley headlines pro featherweights Steven Siler and Bobby King in the main. More on that card, which features many local fighters, is here. Info on the MF MMA card Feb. 13 is here. 

Siler meets King in FFC MMA title bout; Hardman fights on XFC card

 

Update: Due to the uptick in Covid-19 cases in Utah, it was announced on Nov. 12 that the FFC card has been postponed: Assuming Covid-19 doesn't stop things, this is a big week for MMA action locally. On Saturday, Nov. 14, at The Maverik Center, Steven Siler meets Bobby King in a featherweight FFC title tilt. King has been winning of late, but UFC and PFL veteran Siler will be a tough test. Look below at the matchups. Several of these fights would be excellent main events on any local card. The card can be streamed for I think $20. Info is here.

HARDMAN TO FIGHT ON XFX 43

Update: Hatdman, 9-2, scored a first round stoppage win via strikes. His opponent was Steven Newell. 9-2, who stepped in as a sub for Bradley Desir. Also, Utah County professional MMA fighter Carson Hardman fights in XFC 43 on Wednesday, as part of a tournament. He fights Bellator veteran Bradley Desir. Here is the card, a portion of which is televised on NBCSports TV network at 7 p.m. (Xfinity 34). The card is in Atlanta. I assume there will be streaming for earlier bouts. 

Finally, Mountain Force MMA had a card in October in Logan. Montell Williams scored a decision win over Ogden's Eric Munoz in the pro main event. Card results are here. 

BOXING

Two weekends ago in Tijuana, Mexico, professional prospect Jesus Haro scored a decision win over Uziel Pinto Jimenez. Haro boxed very well, winning every round. By the way, Haro has several pro wins, more than the two Boxrec.com claims. Haro's stablemate, Miklo Arnold, scored a TKO win over Alejandro Leon Martinez. Arnold also has wins not acknowledged by Boxrec.com.

On Oct. 24, previously undefeated Salt Lake City pro boxer Brandon Douglas suffered his first loss in Agua Prita, Mexico. Douglas (9-1), lost a 10-round decision to veteran Juan Jimenez, 28-19-3. 

West Jordan welterweight pro boxer Larry Gomez, 10-1, who upset then-undefeated Brian Mendoza late last year on a Top Rank card, will fight undefeated, 11-0 Brian Ceballo on Dec. 3 in Los Angeles. The bout will be televised by NBCSports network.

Rowdy Akers earns a bare knuckle fight date with BKFC

A while back we noted that Rowdy Akers, an Idaho combat sports veteran who has fought MMA many times in Utah, journeyed to Kansas for a tryout with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships. At the time we noted that despite a good tryout, it appeared that Rowdy -- who has pro bare knuckle fighting experience -- was not going to get a call to fight for the promotion. However, that changed. We are pleased to announce that Rowdy was signed to BKFC 13, in Salina, Kan., on Oct. 10. He will meet LJ Hermreck in a preliminary bout on the PPV card. Information on getting the PPV event can be found at the BKFC link above.

We asked Rowdy to tell us a little about the opportunity he's been presented with. He replied:

So, with the pandemic and everything I decided that I would go try out for the BKFC in Kansas a month or so ago. They were giving away two contracts. I went down there by myself with some sponsors that got me a plane ticket in a hotel. The staff at the BKFC said that they were going to let us know in 5 to 7 days. They didn't say anything for a while, a couple of weekends, and then they decided to pick me and give me a fight October 10^th.  I don't know much about my opponent. he's got some MMA fights and this is his bare knuckle debut. I'm 1 and 0 as a professional bare knuckle fighter. My coach is doing the research and me and Jesse Rock will head down to Kansas on Thursday morning and we will do what we need to do. I've been training my ass off and I would love to get my Utah fans something to watch.

We wish Rowdy the best this Saturday.

In other news, in a UFC bout on Oct. 3, Utah's Court McGee lost a competitive decision to Carlos Condit. At the end of a close first round, Condit floored McGee with a right hand. It took Court much of round two to recover although round three was more or less even. 

Also on Oct. 3, former Utah MMA fighter Destiny McCubbin traveled to Florida to fight for the World Class Fight League promotion's flyweight title. Destiny was defeated by Jordyn Orgera. 

Recently MMA professional fighters Kerry Lattimer lost to Ben Hollier in Idaho and Orem MMA pro DeAnna Bennett was defeated by Liz Scarmouche in a Bellator promotion bout, on TV, in Connecticut. 

Due to Covid 19, a Mountain Force MMA card in Logan has been pushed back from a scheduled Sept. 26 date to Friday, Oct. 23, still in Logan. Local fighters Eric Munoz and Jessica Poole are on that card. Munoz' son, Jordan, an amateur MMA fighter, will compete on an Mountain Force MMA card in Grantsville on Oct. 17.

Last night on social media MMA pro Steven Siler announced he will challenge Bobby King for the Fierce Fighting Championship Nov. 14 at The Maverik Center in West Valley.City. That will be an interesting matchup. On the undercard Utah's Thomas "T-train" Prestriedge will make his pro debut.

February MMA, boxing results in Utah

MMA

On Feb. 15 at The Maverik Center in West Valley, Fierce Fighting Championship hosted an MMA card. featherweight Bobby King scored a third round stoppage of Samson Phommabout in the main event. King, who has enjoyed success of late, seems ready for an opportunity in Bellator, etc.

The entire card is here. In other bouts, Mike Hamel defeated Fabio Serrao via decision, Kyle Stewart and Carson Hardman scored first round wins over Mike Jones and Nate Kearsley, Josh Quinlan and Tracy Hardy scored submission wins over Aaron Thomson and Eric Munoz, and Trever Bradshaw and Brian Mitchell stopped Randy Rowland and Thomas Hughes in the first round.

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On Feb. 21 in Salt Lake City, SteelFist hosted an MMA card. In the main bout, professional Cole Shafer, 1-0, 185 pounds, made a successful pro debut, stopping Nick Martinez in round one. In an amateur promotional title fight, 185 pounds, Ryan Thaxton stopped Zack Partridge in round 2. Undefeated amateur 265 pounder Bryce Scanlon stayed unbeaten, stopping Kendrid Wolf in round 3.  And in a battle of 145-pound amateurs, Austin Atkinson stopped Jordan Munoz in the second round. The entire card is here.

BOXING

At the 801 Event Center in Salt Lake City, there was a boxing card. In the main bout, professional heavyweight Helaman Olguin, 7-3, stopped Mexico's Alfredo Trevino, 9-7-1. Also, local Jalel Lopez, Lopez, 9-3-2, defeated veteran Edgar Ivan Garcia, 7-22-1. Undefeated Brandon Douglas defeated Carols Apodaca, 3-15-2, Ray Corona won his pro debut over Gary Bailey, 0-1-1, and Maryguenn Vellinga-Heinz, in her pro debut, defeated Jennifer Michelle Woods, 0-2.

On Feb. 22, there was an amateur boxing card at Foley's gym in Ogden. Below is a photo of the card with victors circled.

And in other news ...

SteelFist is having a Kickboxing card March 6 at the Union Event Center in Salt Lake City. Tyson Roberts will be fighting on the card ... On March 7, grappler John Valentine will be competing in a submission-only bout in Las Vegas. His sons will also be competing on the card.

Boxer Jose Haro signs with Sheer Sports Management

West Jordan, Utah, professional featherweight boxer Jose Haro is shown above in a promotional poster for a bout he won in 2018, earning the United States Featherweight title. Haro has not fought since the win. However, he recently signed with Sheer Sports Management and plans to resume his career in 2020. Haro is a world-class fight who can compete on an equal level with any featherweight in the world today.

On Dec. 14, in Salt Lake City, there was a boxing card. Among professionals, Francisco Jalel Lopez, Antonio Brown, Brandon Douglas were among winners. The full card results are at boxrec here. I appreciate Utah professional boxer Christian Aguirre keeping the blog up to date on results that night.

UFC MMA fighter Clay Collard, who has scored several wins as a pro boxer, plans to step into the boxing ring again on January 3 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He fights undefeated Quashawn Toler, 9-0. Based on the caliber of opposition both fighters have faced, I'm choosing Collard, 4-2-3, to win.

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Congratulations to professional kickboxer Kaecy Raddon, who holds a Mountain Force Kickboxing belt, for scoring a KO win, and a PanAmerican Kickboxing Confederation belt, in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, on Dec.14.

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SteelFist MMA has a great fight card scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 4 at the Union Event Center in Salt Lake City. the main pro bout matches Eric Iman versus Zac Cavender for the 265-pound belt. Another pro fight matches Rowdy Akers versus Justus Minardi at 135 pounds. Also at 135 pounds, undefeated pros Warren Weingartner and Justin Horsley meet. The card also includes four amateur title belts. More information is here at SteelFist's website.

Another MMA card, from Fierce Fighting Championship, is set for Feb. 15, at the Maverik Center in West Valley City. The main event is a great match -- Bobby King versus Samson Phommabout. More on this card in a later post.

Iman, Cruz among winners at LFA card in Utah

A quick Utah Game Blog:

On Sept. 6 at The Maverick Center in West Valley, LFA 75 had its pro MMA card. In the main event, Idaho's Andrew Cruz upset Utah's Jon Neal at 145 pounds via a rear naked choke in round two. In the co-main, in a very close bout, Mauro Chaulet of Brazil took a split decision over Utah's Samson Phommabout, 145 pounds. Also, heavyweight Eric Iman of Utah (above) scored a left hook KO in round one over previously undefeated Tony Darling.

In a bout between Utahns at 145 pounds Bobby King defeated Westin Wilson, via decision. At 175 pounds, Idaho's Miles Hunsinger defeated Utah's Nate Kearsley via decision. At 185 pounds, Ty Gwerder stopped Mike Jones of Utah with a body kick in round one. And in a slugfest between two Utah pros, Dominico Salas stopped Trever Bradshaw, via strikes, in round two. The entire card's results are here.

-- A reminder that on Sept. 21 in North Logan, Mountain Force MMA 12: Homecoming, has a pro and amateur event. The main event matches local pros Dom Gero and Max Riddle, 175 pounds. The card is here.

BOXING: Top of Utah professional welterweight boxer Christian Aguirre traveled to San Bernadino. In the main event, he was defeated by unbeaten Leo Ruiz Acevedo.

Interview with MMA pro Joe Rodriguez, LFA MMA card Friday

It's a big night tomorrow for Utah MMA. Legacy Fighting Alliance is in West Valley City at The Maverik Center. The AXS TV card headlines Jon Neal, of Ogden, against Tyler Diamond. Also fighting in bouts are Josh Burkman, LJ Schulz, Westin Wilson, Kaytlin Neil, Zac Cavender, and Marco Sanchez. Also, Bobby King meets Fabio Serrao.

Also on the card is veteran 185 pounder Joe Rodriguez, who trains out of One Hit MMA and University of Grappling. He meets Emilio Trevino. We've followed Joe's successful career for years and appreciate him granting Utah Fight Game a pre-fight interview.

What does it mean for you to return to an LFA fight card, particularly one in Northern Utah?

Rodriguez:  I wasn't expecting to fight on a big show. After Glory kickboxing, an injury put me out for a year then I couldn't find any fights a year later for 185 lbs. (After) two years of not fighting I was about to call it quits. Beginning of 2018 I moved up to 205 lbs to fight a guy from Colorado, then I had another one after that and now LFA will be my 3rd fight at 205. I'm honored to fight for LFA given the fact that I am 41 years of age so maybe I do have some fight left in me.

What do you know about your opponent?

Rodriguez: I know my opponent has a karate background, fights southpaw and orthodox. Doesn't matter to me, I've trained with the best southpaw in Utah (Jordan Smith) for years. He hasn't fought the level of guys I have fought so I'm sure I'll be a challenge for him but I will not underestimate him.

How has training gone? It's at One Hit MMA and University of Grappling.

Rodriguez: Training has been good, One Hit MMA (Aldo Oreggia) and University Of Grappling (Marc Brewer). I train and spar with all my guys, big and small with experience from both gyms. It's good to have a variety of styles and people always making the movement different.

Where do you hope to be in your career a year from now?

Rodriguez: I am 41 years old. I didn't imagine fighting this long so where I'll be in a year, I really can't say. I've accomplished something that I never would have imagined doing, Fighting Bellator twice, RFA, Glory Kickboxing and now LFA. Not many people can say they've done what I have starting at 34 years old with absolutely no fight experience, not knowing a thing about MMA.

Good luck Joe, tomorrow night, as well as the others on the card. 

A couple of extra notes. As we mentioned last week, Utah MMA amateur Hayden Brown fights for a Tuff-N-Uff title Saturday in Las Vegas. Also, last week, MMA fighter Rowdy Akers scored a first round stoppage in his debut as a professional kickboxer, winning a Bare Knuckle Combat League title. And last weekend in Georgia, Kaecy Raddon, formerly of Utah now living in Colorado, who is a Mountain Force Kickboxing champion, scored a kickboxing win over Mexico's Luis Espinosa in international competition sanctioned by the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO).

Montoya, Collard main bout at SteelFist; more boxing, MMA results

SteelFist has a big fight Friday night at The Union Event Center in SLC. It matches comebacking former WSOF MMA fighter Lucus Montoya against SteelFist welterweight champ Clay Collard, who of course had a long stint in the UFC. Both these fighters are returning to where they excelled early in their careers and the winner will likely see a path back into the PFL, Bellator or UFC. Although Montoya has competed in grappling events, he hasn't been in the cage since he broke his forearm in WSOF 20, on nationally TV, almost four years ago. Collard, after winning a title at SteelFist, suffered a setback late last year Final Fight Championship 33.

The entire SteelFist card is here. Undefeated pro Zac Cavender fights at 205 pounds against Chris Thompson. In another pro bout for the women's 125-pound belt, Kaytlin Neil fights Shannon Sinn. In a 115 pound women's amateur title fight, Brittany Guillemin fights Sadie Ault. Others on the card include Ryder Newman and Zack Partridge in separate bouts.

A couple of weeks ago at the Utah State Fairpark, Fierce Fighting Championships had an MMA card. In the main bout for the promotion's 155-pound title, Bobby King stopped Nate Kearsley. In an actin-packed pro co-main that saw a lot of ebb and flow over five minutes, Randy Rowland, 155 pounds, stopped Thomas Hughes just prior to the end of round one, referee call due to strikes. The entire card is here.

BOXING

In SLC on March 8 undefeated Midvale pro welterweight Larry Gomez moved to 8-0 with a first round KO over veteran Mikhail Lyubarsky. Counter left hooks eventually left Lyubarsky stunned and on the canvas. In other bouts, former MMA fighter Eric Wahlen remained undefeated as a boxer, defeating Garrard Williams, heavyweights; Helaman Olguin defeated Anjel Osiris, heavyweights; Brandon Douglas defeated Mulapi Enjani, featherweights; In an amateur bout, Jay Wright defeated Emmanuel Gonzales, and amateur Gary Bailey also was a winner.

Last weekend at the Utah State Fairpark, there was the state Golden Gloves. Jon Bryant repeated as Utah 152-pound Golden Gloves champ with a decision on Saturday over Julian Ruiz. And 132-pound GG champ Diego Alvarez also repeated with a decision win over the aforementioned Wright, who fights out of Foley's gym. In the 165-pound GG final, Danny Galloway defeated Bailey for the state title. I don't have all Sunday results but here's a few: Carlos Padilla decisioned Isaac Lugo, 150; anfd Juan Higuera decisioned Robert Martinez, 201-plus pounds.

On Saturday, which included some semifinal bouts, winners were Eric Castanada, Dillan Neuyen, Alvarez, Kathryn Lopdez, Ruiz, Emmanual Gonzales; Carson Matthews; Jayden Lopez; Wright; Jesus Garcia; Galloway; Dan Butterfield; and Toa Piutua.