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.

Haro, Collard and McGee among fighters with upcoming bouts

We have a lot of news since we last posted in the blog.  I hope I remember what I have memory stored of late. The mentions will be pithy. But this is a big fall for boxing and MMA in Utah.
First, some results:
Middleweight boxer Clay Collard, 9-2-3, stopped a badly outmatched Maurice Williams in The Bubble in Las Vegas on Aug. 22. Williams, 7-2, was saved by the referee in round 2.
BIG NEWS: Top Rank announced that Collard will fight on Oct. 17 in The Bubble on the Lomachecko versus Lopez supercard. No opponent named yet.
Minimum weight boxer Jesus Haro, of Merced, Calif., and a relation to Utah boxer Jose Haro, moved to 2-1 with a quick TKO on Aug. 29 over Francisco Garcia in Baja California. His Haro Bros' stablemate, Miklo Arnold, 1-1-1, also fought. I never got his opponent's name but it was a draw. I had Arnold winning three of the four rounds. (For some bizarre reason Boxrec.com is not archiving Haro's two wins, nor Arnold's. It appears to be a tiff with the promoter?)
Speaking of Jose Haro, the West Jordan, Utah, boxer resumed his career earlier this year. And, on Sept. 23, on Fox TV, Haro will meet Mark Magsayo for the IBF International Featherweight championship. The bout is in Los Angeles.
There's an excellent feature on Jose Haro at BoxSocial.com.
MMA
Court McGee (seen above) will be fighting Carlos Condit on Oct. 3 on UFC Fight Night at UFC Fight Island.
Eric Munoz, of Ogden, 185 pounds, fights in the pro cage again on Sept. 26 in Logan, Utah for Mountain Force MMA. In the main event, Munoz fights Montel Williams. MFMMA's Facebook page is here.
On that same card in Logan, 135 pound MMA fighter Jessica Poole, who trains at Foley's gym in Ogden, makes her pro debut against Wendy Freeman. (fight photo with both below).

Check out this interesting interview in which Poole, an accomplished body builder, talks about preparing for her MMA career. It's at MyMMANews.
Also, on Oct. 17, on a Mountain Force MMA card, in Grantsville, Utah, middleweight pro Aaron Thomson, of Salt Lake City, will fight Cole Shafer.
Amateur MMA fighter Destiny McCubbin is returning to the cage on Oct. 3 in Tampa, Fla. She will fight Naomie Young for the World Class Fighting League 125-pound title.
Fitcon recently had an all-amateur MMA card in Lehi; results are at Fighting Out of Utah MMA Facebook page.
Idaho-native MMA pro Kerry Lattimer, who has fought in Utah, has a bout this Saturday, Sept. 12, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, against Ben Hollier of Idaho. The card is promoted by Mountain Force MMA.
Finally, Rowdy Akers, a fighter who has fought often in Utah and currently lives in Boise, Idaho, tried out for a spot with the Bare Knuckle FC recently. He did not get the call but by all accounts it seemed a very positive experience, working out with Chris Leben, among others.
Also, Orem MMA pro DeAnna Bennett fights Liz Scarmouche Saturday at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut at Bellator 246.

Chats with James Francis, Kelsey Skillman and Destiny McCubbin

This week includes a couple of chats with MMA fighters competing at the Friday June 29 SteelFist MMA card at the Union Event Center in Salt Lake City (Doors open at 6 p.m.). James Russell Francis takes on returning LJ Schulz in the co-main three round event. They’re featherweights. Francis, in his career, holds a pair of wins over Daniel Stratton and fought Steven Siler earlier in his career.

Here’s our chat with Francis:

JAMES RUSSELL FRANCIS

Utah Fight Game: What got you interested in MMA, who are some MMA athletes you admire? Where are you training for the bout. Who are your coaches? What other fighters are training, or sparring with you? What are your strengths, what are your opponent’s strengths and what’s your strategy to come out on top? Where do you hope to be in your career a year from now?

FRANCIS: I’ve been in the fight game for quite a while and I can definitely say why I took my first fight and why I decided to stay fighting are not the same. My next opponent LJ and I go way back. He is a very dangerous and talented opponent, so I look forward to the challenge that he brings to this fight. There is no doubt in my mind we will be fight of the night. Regardless if it ends in round one or round 3, I guarantee it will be the best fight. 

As far as my future, I’m climbing up the hill in age and my goals are to put focus on coaching and improving my coaching skills, along with other skills. I look to open my own MMA school in the next 5-8 years if possible. Nothing is set in stone for my future goals though as far as time frame... except that LJ is going to get a beating on Friday June 29th ha ha ha!! We both come from very high-quality gyms, but I will come out on top for this fight.

Also fighting on the card is Kelsey Skillman, (below) an amateur from KOA Kingdom gym in Davis County. Kelsey is fighting Shandra Sisneros. The bout’s at 135 pounds. Utah Fight Gamde  asked her the same questions.

KELSEY SKILLMAN

Skillman: I am 27, a single mom of two little girls and I own Salon Vibe in West Jordan. I started out just kickboxing to lose weight after dropping 50 pounds and being in the MMA gym consistently I decided I wanted to take a fight and fell in love with MMA and the MMA community. My biggest influences in MMA are my coaches David Castillo and Miles Welk. On an UFC level I like Thug Rose and Holly Holm. 

I train out of KOA Kingdom in Layton. My coaches are David Castillo, Miles Welk, Bobby King, and Anthony Lobato. We have a super strong team right now, I train with- Miles Welk, Bobby King, Bryce Edminster, Hector Lopez, Brandon Rease, Tyler Trantham, Bryce Scanlon, Edgar Sorto, Alonzo Salas, and Sammy Conners. 

 I'm known as a striker but I feel good standing or going to the ground. I don't know much about my opponent besides she's only had one fight. Strategy for the fight is just to stay focused and take it where ever I want it to go. 

This time next year we want to have a couple titles and just keep progressing in the sport.

MCCUBBIN FIGHTS IN LAS VEGAS

Destiny McCubbin, (below training on top) a Top of native who now lives in Las Vegas, is fighting for a Tuff N Uff amateur title in Las Vegas on June 30. Destiny is a popular fighter here who recently won on a Fitcon card. She fights Nadine Mandiau. We asked Destiny the same questions as the others.

DESTINY MCCUBBIN

McCubbin: I started my MMA Journey in 2014. I fought a lot growing up and once I turned 18 I got mixed up with the wrong crowd and was just going down a really ugly path. Once I hit rock bottom I woke up and realized I was not here to live this life I was living and decided to step into a MMA gym. That was summer of 2014 and since that day fighting has been my life. My dad and I would watch a lot of Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture when I was younger. Fighters I admire would be Rose Namajunas, Lomachenko, Triple GGG, Connor McGregor(for his work ethic) All of the fighters I train with are amazing. I admire anybody who works their ass off for a dream nobody can see but them.

I am training in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture. My Head coach is Dennis Davis. He runs all of my practices and he as amazing fight IQ he can break down any opponent I face. Danny Davis is my strength and conditioning coach as well as my overall coach he is very good at his craft and always coaching me in every aspect of camp. I've been working with Max Rohskopf on my wrestling, He's a very high level wrestler/grappler, also a professional fighter. We just started working together but I plan keeping it going in and out of camp. My main partners for this camp have been a little bit of everybody honestly! Our team is always there for whatever I need. Cheyanne Vlismas is always there for sparring and drilling. Tai Emery has been working a lot of wrestling with me , she's been a huge help. She also is really great at sports massage so she keeps my body healthy! Josh Morales holds pads for me as well. mostly at night for the late night sweats after road work, we also work a lot of hand/eye coordination drills.

My strengths have grown a lot over the last few months. I am a striker but that isn’t all the tricks I have up my sleeve! I am confident wherever this fight goes, My teammates make sure I see every situation in the gym so nothing is unfamiliar in the cage. Nadine is a gritty striker with a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu so I expect a tough fight. The strategy is to just go out there and fight my fight. It can be a first round finish or a 3 round war. Either way I'm ready to play.

A year from now I'd like us to be ready to start taking things to the next level and preparing for the pros.Going to keep grinding In and Out of camp, the future is bright!

We wish all three of these fighters the best of luck, as well as to their opponents and all competitors on the SLC and Las Vegas cards.  ... A COUPLE OF NOTES: It's Pat Reeves Fight Night with Mountain Force MMA in Logan Saturday night. If you can't make it the card will be streamed on the FITE APP. It will cost $14.99 but the App is available free for download. I've used it on my Android often. ... Also, a couple of MMA pros with Utah ties are fighting tonight on national TV as part of a Professional Fighters League tournament. Sean Connell and Ramsey Nijam meet opponents on the card, with is aired on NBCSports (Xfinity 34) starting at 7 p.m.

Siler scores win at PFL MMA tourney

Ogden's Steven Siler, who now fights out of Provo, (seen in a file photo above) scored his first win in a major competition in a while with an exciting, comeback first-round submission of young contender Magomed Idrisov.

It didn't come easy, through. In the Professional Fighters League featherweight bout, Siler (30-17) was losing the striking battle to Idrisov (8-2). A couple of minutes into the round, Siler was floored by a hard shot by his opponent. The Utah fighter, who has competed in Showdown, the UFC, Titan and PFL, probably came within a punch or two of the referee stopping the bout.

But he survived, and got off the ground, shakily resuming action. In the final minute, Siler's 47-bout experience paid when, with Isidrov getting a takedown, Siler skillfully maneuvered his opponent into a triangle choke and expertly tightened it. At that point, Isidrov was finished, with the submission tallied at 4.19 of round one.

Despite dominating most of the first round, Isidrov seemed wary, perhaps with reason given the ending, of engaging his veteran opponent on the ground. On more than one occasion he allowed Siler to get to his feet.

The card, at New York City's Madison Square Garden Hulu Theater, had its early portion (including Siler's win) streamed via PFL's Facebook page. Later bouts were televised on NBCSports cable TV network.

Two recent opponents Siler lost decisions to, Lance Palmer and Andre Harrison, also scored wins on the card. Siler is part of a featherweight PFL competition/tournament that could net the winner $1 million.

You can watch the entire card, including Siler's fight (roughly 45 minutes in), at PFL's Facebook page. Here's a recap from mmafighting webpage.

This was a good win for Steven, and we hope that some of Utah's "legacy media" will note his well-deserved win.

RESULTS FROM THE COMPLEX BOXING CARD

Last Saturday there were several pro bouts at The Complex in Salt Lake City. The card results are at the bottom of this boxrec webpage. Winners included Gabriel Chairez, Eric Wahlen and Jerhed Fenderson.

ETC:

Later this month there will be MMA in Logan on June 23, (Mountain Force MMA) in Salt Lake City on June 29 (SteelFist), and  an amateur boxing card on June 30 in Clearfield (from Lights Out gym). Starting next week, we will begin interviews with participants on these cards. To see a future schedule of state MMA, boxing, kickboxing events, go here.

Also, amateur MMA fighter Destiny McCubbin, who recently won the Utah state flyweight title, will be fighting for a Tuff N Uff belt on June 30 in Nevada. We hope to speak with her prior to the fight, as well.

Bryant, Alvarez among Golden Gloves champs

This week's Utah Fight Game blog was late because we wanted to get a lot of the info from FitCon reported after it happened. There was an MMA card and the Rocky Mountain Golden Gloves championships, with open winners moving on to nationals.

Those moving on to nationals include Jon Bryant, (top photo left) a repeat winner, from Lights Out gym in Clearfield, in the 152-pound division. Also, Diego Alvarez, (bottom photo left), a repeat winner from Los Gallitos gym in Ogden, is champ at 132 pounds. Alvarez was the national Golden Gloves champ in 2016. Ismael Milo Guttierez, of Herriman, is the 141-pound champ; Billy Wagner, of Montana, is the 165-pound Rocky Mountain champ after defeating Utah's Heneli Paea; Utah's Marquise Bowman is the 201-pound champ; Kendra Reeves, of Idaho, is the women's 152-pound champ; and Stephanie Mendoza, of SLC, is also moving on after winning Saturday. Boxers who moved through via walk overs to nationals include Northern Utah's Michele Maya.

Most of the boxers, including Bryant, Alvarez and Gutierrez, had to win on Friday and Saturday to move to the national Golden Gloves championships, held in May in Omaha, Neb.

There were a lot of "show" bouts on both days, that were not part of the Golden Gloves semifinals and finals. Some results: On Saturday, Dylan Bahena of Lights Out defeated Daren Cafero (Montana), 65 pounds, and James Cox, Lights Out, defeated Donel Velorde, Montana, 75 pounds. At 95 pounds, Colin Tuilevuka, Northern Utah, defeated Elijah Willet, Ogden. Both are talented amateurs who have fought three times recently with Tuilevuka getting the nod in competitive bouts. Also, Saul Gamino, Brigham City, defeated Ozmanny Sanchez, at 70 pounds. Both Willett and Sanchez are trained by Victor Palafox.

In Friday "show" bouts, results include: Cox defeated Cafero at 70 pounds; Bahena defeated Velorde at 65 pounds; and Tanner Gurule (Fullmer Bros gym) defeated Andrew Lopez, (Louie's gym). Some amateur boxers received $2,000 Golden Gloves scholarships. Santana DeCarlo, who fights out of All Heart Boxing Gym, was among the recipients.

MMA card:

There was an MMA card at FitCon as well. In the main event, professional 205-pound fighter Jarome Hatch defeated Ben Robinson via third round stoppage. In another fight, Northern Utah fighter Destiny McCubbin, who trains and lives in Las Vegas, won the promotion's 115-pound belt with a 5-round decision over Lauren Chidester, of Hidden Valley gym in Sandy. Jeffrey Dutcher, of Fighting Out of Utah MMA News, said "These girls were bloody and left it all in there; a great fight."

In a pro bout, 160 pounds, Bobby King defeated Andy Perez via unanimous decision. To get all the results, including other amateur promotional title fights, go to Fighting Out of Utah MMA's Facebook page.

We'll have more news next week, including some upcoming fights scheduled and a look athe April 13 SteelFist card, headed by a match between Clay Collard and Carson Gregory. 

Aguirre takes close nod over Estrada in boxing match

The Complex in Salt Lake City hosted a pro/am boxing card on March 16, and the main event matched undefeateds Christian Aguirre and Bladimir Estrada in a promotional six-round title fight at 168 pounds. It was a fantastic bout (I had the opportunity to view it via Facebook Live (thanks Julian Stevens). It matched the Jake LaMotta-like aggression of Aguirre against the strong boxing and counterpunching skills of Estrada. Aguirre was the winner via a split decision, which was fair, but if Estrada had gotten the nod it would have also been fair. What likely earned Aguirre a win was a knockdown he scored in round 5. I'd love to see these two good prospects fight a rematch, this time over eight rounds.

Here is the undercard: You can see the results at the bottom of this webpage:

Debuting featherweight Brandon Douglas, who Utah Speaker of the House Greg Hughes believes is a great prospect, won his pro debut with a KO in 35 seconds over Andre Kennedy.

Undefeated heavyweight Frank Sanchez Faure defeated Eric Salazar

Heavyweight Eric Wahlin, also an MMA pro, is 2-0 as a boxer after defeating Uchendan Alete.

INVICTA

On Saturday, March 17, the Union Event Center in SLC hosted an Invicta card that was also streamed on UFC Fight Pass. In the semi main, Orem-based DeAnna Bennett won a split decision over Karina Rodriguez, of Mexico. In a preliminary bout, Spanish Fork's Kaytlin Neil lost a unanimous decision to Tracy Cortez of Phoenix, Ariz. The entire card is here. Thanks to Eric Tillotson for keeping us informed of the results via Facebook.

MORE: FitCon MMA card is April 6 at the Salt Palace. In the main event veteran MMA pro Jarome Hatch meets Ben Robinson. A series of amateur state title belts include Destiny McCubbin versus Lauren Chidester, Nathan Owens versus Daniel Arelleno (a rematch of a bout won by Arellano) and Hector Lopez versus Julian Ruiz. The scheduled card is here. ... The regional Golden Gloves are also at FitCon on April 6-7. ... Finally, Northern Utah professional MMA fighter Miles Welk will fight May 18 for SteelFist. He meets another undefeated fighter, Nick Clem, for the promotion's 125-pound belt. The pair were scheduled to meet in Logan earlier this month but Welk was injured.

Boxing, MMA Jiu Jitsu results and more

A quick blog this week:

Some boxing news: There was a pro/am card last weekend at The Complex in SLC. I'm a bit frustrated at not getting results but here is what I have: Undefeated young pro Bladimar Estrada is now 5-0 after logging a win. Female boxer Lisa Carroll was a winner as was amateur boxer Jay Wright of Foley's gym. If we get more results we will share them.

The Complex may have another card in March. Also, as we have mentioned, West Jordan pro boxer, and world ranked featherweight Jose Haro will fight March 17 on ESPN, nationally televised, at Madison Square Garden in New York City against another world-class boxer, Jean Carlos Rivera.

Jiu Jitsu -- As we mentioned last week, John Valentine, who is competing in Jiu Jitsu and has won a world belt, competed professionally in a Submission-Only card alongside his three sons, Cody, James and Kyle, in five-minute bouts. All competed well and you can read about the fights, see photos and watch a video at John Valentine's Facebook page. Valentine went the distance, meaning a draw, with Mark Wegener.

On social media this past week Valentine announced he will have another sub,mission-only bout soon in Utah. We'll keep on top of that.

In MMA, Rowdy Akers, a pro fighter from One Hit MMA, headlined a pro card in Casper, Wyo., but came ups short against Kehlin Rozsel. (You can see a photo spread of the card via the local media here). Unfortunately, Rowdy broke his hand in that bout and will miss a planned March fight.

More info: Amateur MMA fighter Destiny McCubbin will fight at FitCon in April in SLC for a Utah belt. Pro Jarome Hatch is also on that card. Amateur Brandon Rease will be fighting for a Fierce Fighting Championship belt soon. Pro Bryce Edminister of KOA gym plans to fight again soon. Kaecy Raddon, who has relocated to Colorado the past year or so, fights Dean Cotton for the Sparta Combat League amateur featherweight belt in Denver on Feb. 10. 

And remember The SteelFist MMA card this month is on the 24th at the Union Event Center in SLC. Cody Bunderson versus Fabio Serrao is a strong main pro bout but there are a lot of bouts, including a pro bout between Trever Bradshaw and Benjamin Daniel Grass. Here is the promotion's Facebook page.

Jose Haro looks to 2018, Owens meets Roberts for MMA belt

Happy holidays from Utah Fight Game blog! We'll likely take a break next week but we wanted to get some news in. Jose Haro (seen above at left on the attack) the US featherweight champ, is featured in an article at fightnetwork.com (here). Jose, of West Jordan, almost fought for the world title this fall. But the bout failed to materialize. We hope he gets his shot in 2018 -- we think he'll win.

In MMA ... The January 13 SteelFist card is taking shape. Ha'va Nathan Owens (Mori) will fight Tyson Roberts (One Hit MMA) for the SteelFist amateur bantamweight title. Also, Alonzo Salas (KOA) will fight Lehi Dominguez for the amateur welterweight title. The entire scheduled card, which highlights Clay Collard versus Troy Dennison and Carson Gregory versus Mike Jones, is here.

Also, Top of Utahn amateur MMA fighter Destiny McCubbin, who fights out of Las Vegas and recently fought for a Tuff N Uff title, will be back in the cage on Feb. 3 fighting Valerie Wong. The bout is in Jackson, Calif.

Finally, a promotion, Mountain Force MMA, is presenting its first card in Utah on March 17 in Logan at the Eccles Ice Arena. The promotion's website is here. Several promotions are planned for next year.

MMA fighter David Castillo retires, updates in boxing, MMA

Davis County MMA professional David Castillo announced his retirement recently via a social media post. Castillo, an 155-pounder, has had a very distinguished career. He won a couple of belts, most recently a Front Street Fights title, and fought for Showdown and RFA titles.

Here's a look at his accomplishments in the cage (here) and he has a personal page as well. Castillo is currently involved in the sport as a coach, training partner and student at KOA Kingdom in Layton.

ON TO BOXING, ... The Factum gym in Sandy had an amateur boxing card on Nov. 11. Above shows Jesus Rodriguez, of Louie's gym in SLC, at left, fighting Joe Gibson of Foley's gym in Ogden (87 pounders). Gibson received the decision. In other fights involving Top of Utah boxers, 66 pounds, James Cox, of Lights Out in Clearfield, lost a decision to Diego Leidecker, Unbreakable; Ogden's Elijah Willet lost a decision to Collin Tuilevuku, 85 pounds; Christian Pasillas, Lights Out, decisioned Alex Poncde, Factum, 160 pounds; and Shakeem Barnwell, Foley's, decisioned Tristan Solies, Louie's, heavyweights.

Also, professional boxer Jose Haro, USBA and ABO featherweight champ, announced on social media that he had been called to fight for the IBF world featherweight in a London bout, only to learn later the promoters changed their minds and went with a different opponent. Jose may very well  be the finest featherweight boxer in the world. We hope he gets the chance to prove it.

MORE MMA: Several Utah MMA pros fought last weekend. In Boise, Idaho, at a Front Street Fights card, Bryce Edminister was defeated in his pro debut. In Las Vegas, amateurs Destiny McCubbin and Aaron Thomson lost decisions in Tuff-N-Uff promotional title bouts. On the same card, John Valentine, who recently retired as a pro MMA fighter, fought a submission-only five-minute Ju Jitsu match. It went to a no decision. Valentine announced on social media he will be fighting in Anaheim, Calif., at the World No Ju Jitsu Championships Dec, 16-17. Finally, Utah's Court McGee, a UFC veteran for several years, lost a close decision to Sean Strickland on Nov. 11 at UFC Fight Night 120 in Norfolk, Va.

Boxing at The Complex tonight; Siler defeated by Palmer in MMA bout

There is professional boxing at The Complex in Salt Lake City tonight. Also planned are amateur bouts. Main event matches Michael Gomez and Christian Aguirre for the state middleweight titled. Also included is noted amateur Gabriel Chairez making his pro debut. For more information, go here. Fights start at 8 p.m.

Last night at a charity/auction event in Washington D.C. promoted by Professional Fighters League, Top of Utahn Steven Siler was in the co-main event, and fought former World Series of Fighting (now the PFL) featherweight champ Lance Palmer. It was a good, competitive match with Palmer's ability to get Siler on the ground providing him the edge. Although the judges scored every. round for Palmer, we thought he merited round three, where he fought impressively on his back on the ground for most of the round.

Some notes:

One Hit MMA amateur Kaecy Raddon, who now lives in Colorado, won an MMA bout last weekend in that state. Raddon will fight Dec. 2 for a Tuff N Uff amateur title.

Davis County amateur Bryce Edminister makes his pro debut a week from today on Boise, Idaho, on the Front Street Fights card.

Destiny McCubbin, of Weber County but training in Las Vegas, fights for an amateur Tuff N Uff titlre on Nov. 11 in Las Vegas.

The Factum gym is hosting an amateur boxing card on Nov. 11 in Sandy. 8383 S. 700 West.

Sports training business starting; updates on MMA, boxing

Matt Oyler, and impressive athlete that I've known for a while, is starting a business that offers physical training for young athletes and also assists coaches. It's titled Undefeated by Choice and an Indiegogo account is helping provide funding. Below is a news release about the new business. We wish Matt, an amateur MMA fighter, success with the venture.

UNDEFEATED BY CHOICE:

A new website is soon to be launched by a Weber County based company, Undefeated By Choice (UBC). This website is designed for use by young athletes and their coaches in both the city sponsored sports programs, and the junior high and high school levels. Using this UBC tool, young athletes can greatly improve their skills during the off-season, by following specifically designed drills for speed, agility, and endurance. product will contain general training techniques, future versions will incorporate training that will be sport specific, and specific to different levels and ages. Their coaches and athletic directors can use the site to track the participation and progress that their players are making.

This tool and concept is being developed by Matt Oyler, (seen above) a lifetime Weber County resident. As a player, coach, and certified athletic trainer, Matt has come to understand the lack of resources that most athletes have access to during their off season. He has seen that the need to develop a year round program of fitness and skill training is essential to those young athletes who desire to reach their full potential.

As an athletic trainer himself, Matt knows that most of these young people cannot afford to hire a personal trainer. While his website will have a very minimal cost, it will certainly be affordable for any income level of family. Matt has met with numerous players, coaches, and athletic directors throughout Utah as he has developed this concept and tool. Their enthusiasm and support for his plan has been hugely encouraging, and has given him many additional ideas for his development of the UBC site, “myteamtrainer.com”. In addition to the training material, the site will provide Mattʼs unique, humorous, and wildly enthusiastic motivational advice.

An Indiegogo account will soon be opened to provide additional funding for ongoing development of a high quality website, and marketing efforts. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/my-team-trainer-sports/x/17548311#/ (Here).

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MMA update:

Mike Jones, Idaho MMA pro, fought in Atlantic City last weekend for the CFFC promoltion 170-pound pro title. Jones was stopped in round 2 by Sean Brady.

A trio of local fighters have matches within the next couple of weeks or so. Steven Siler fights the main event in Washington D.C. against Lance Palmer in a web-televised pro MMA bout promoted by Professional Fighters League, once The World Series of Fighting. A web telecast will be on several sites, including Facebook.

Top of Utah amateur MMA fighter Bryce Edminister, who fights out of The Garage MMA, will make his pro debut on Nov. 10 in Boise, Idaho, on a card promoted by Front Street Fights.

Weber County amateur MMA fighter Destiny McCubbin, who trains in Las Vegas, fights for the Tuff-N-Uff Straw-weight title on Nov. 11 in Las Vegas.

The December SteelFist card, which will be at the Rail Event Center on Dec. 9, is starting to take shape. The main event is worth the price of admission. It matches Ben Moa and Eric Iman for the promotion's heavyweight title.

Finally, in UFC action, Court McGee fights on  Nov. 11 when he meets Sean Strickland in Norfolk, Va., as part of UFC Fight Night 120.

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BOXING:

Remember that Nov. 3 is boxing at The Complex. A pro bout between middleweights Michael Gomez and Christian Aguirre headlines. Also scheduled to fight are Gabriel Chairez (pro debut), Ignacio Chairez, Larry Gomez, and Bladimir Estrada.

Cache Valley Boxing, run in the garage of Ryan Gregory, was recently featured by USU Aggies news. Here's the news feature. Congrats Cache Valley Boxing.

There was an amateur card at The Legacy Events Center last weekend. It was promoted by All Heart gym. (Above, Shakeem Barnwell (at left) wins a decision over Filimone Fontongia, heavyweights).

The card:

Fierce Fighting MMA card Saturday, Hatch wins in Oklahoma

Saturday night, in Tooele, at the Desert Peak Complex, Fierce Fighting Championship has its latest MMA card. Matches include Tanner Cowan versus Nate Kearsley, Cy Nelson versus David Putvin, and Trever Carlson versus Antonio Arroyo in pro bouts and Aaron Thomson versus Ali Farkhar for the promotion's amateur middleweight title and Justin Oswald (champ) versus Zac Cavender in a 205-pound amateur title bout. Tickets are $30 GA and $50 VIP. ... Here's the scheduled card.

Thomson, by the was one of the division winners at last week's Proving Grounds International 3 grappling competition.

SOME MORE INFO:

Top of Utah MMA amateur Destiny McCubbin, currently living and training in Las Vegas, will be fighting in that city on Nov. 6, she announced via social media. She'll be fighting Genia Goodin on Nov. 11 at Sam's Town. Readers of the blog will note that McCubbin's Sept. 16 fight in Mesquite was called off when her opponent pulled out.  ...

Jared Hatch, who used to be familiar professional fighter in Utah, fighting bouts against pros such as Clinton Williams and Ed Whitmore, returned to the cage last weekend in Oklahoma. He was successful, defeating Chad Leonhardt in round 2 via a TKO, according to his Facebook page. ...

Finally, Utah woman MMA pro Kaytlin Neil won her first victory last weekend, taking a unanimous decision over Brooke Mayo in a preliminary match at Bellator 183 in San Jose, Calif.

Akers motivated by family as he makes final journey in cage

This Saturday night SteelFist promotions will have an MMA fight card at Riverbend Sport Complex. The co-main matches John Valentine, 47, versus Rowdy Akers, 42. It's the final MMA bout for both. We interviewed John last week and today we follow with a chat with Rowdy, who trains at One Hit MMA in Layton. (Above, he's seen (on top) fighting in a SteelFist bout against Jeff Carson. Credit for the photo goes to SteelFist Fight Night's Amanda Lynn, sports photographer.)
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UFG: What's on your mind as you decide to step into the cage for the final time? What's your motivation?

AKERS: My motivation is my son and my new son; I just found out recently that I have a 23-year-old son. I (also) have custody of my ten-year-old son. It's time for me to move on and to create a career for myself and my family. My motivation to step into the cage is to prove to everybody that all my hard work was worth something in our lives. Fighting has taught me the lessons that are supposed to be learned. I have a lot on my mind satisfying the fans, making my coaches proud, my children proud and (finally) walking away from something that I've been doing for a decade.

UFG: What are the best things about being an MMA fighter? What were some of the lows or challenges? What advice would you give to youngsters starting out?

AKERS: It has been a journey, a hell of a learning experience. I have learned a lot and made a lot of great friends. One of the the best things about being an MMA fighter is keeping my body in tip-top shape. Another is making lifelong memories with friends. A key challenge is always pushing yourself. I have been injured quite a bit in training. That's got to be one of the lows in the sport. To youngsters starting out, first, find a gym; make it a home, put in the work, get involved in the classes and market yourself. Your amateur career is important. You have to get everybody to look at you and to notice you so when you're ready for sponsorship, you are marketable. One more piece of advice for all youngsters that are starting out: work hard, forget about the image. People honor hard work a lot more than they honor image.

UFC: Who in the gym, trainers, gym-mates, sponsors, have had a big impact on your career? Who is helping you for this bout?

AKERS: I train out of One Hit MMA in Layton. Aldo, Bruno, LJ, Crystal and Jordan Smith, Gustavo Rodriguez and so many more. All my teammates are so important. They have been there for me; they have sacrificed their time, their bodies, everything to push each other.

UFG: What do you know about John Valentine? How are you training for him? What are your strengths and weaknesses against him?

AKERS: I know John as part of the promotion for SteelFist. He conducted interviews and he did interviews with me for previous fights. I know that he has a very good ground game and he is very fit. I am training like I would train for any fight, definitely working more on defense because I don't really want to go to the ground with him. My strengths are probably my cardio and pressure. A weakness is probably going to be getting away from him on the ground.

UFG: What are your plans after MMA? Will you stay active in gyms, training, help with promotions, work with fighters?
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AKERS: I plan to go to work full time and to be a father. I will stay active in the gym and help my teammates when they need it. I plan to pursue Jiu-Jitsu and not stop training. I will help with the promotion of SteelFist fight night and continue to be the production foreman. I am in charge of the cage, the lights, the sound, the fighters' entrance. I build and fight for the promotion and I tear it down when I'm done. I've had a lot of sponsorships throughout my career. My current sponsors include Vapor Mania, Breaking Bad Bail Bonds, the Spider Web tattoo, Rockwell watches, Trammell Construction, Black Label MMA apparel, Those are the people that are walking with me into the fight. I thank every sponsor that has ever sponsored me and every teammate that has ever been there for me. It has been an ongoing learning experience for a decade and I have came a long ways from a guy that had two left feet when he started. 

Thanks for chatting with us, Rowdy, and good luck on Saturday in Salt Lake City.

(Below, in a photo from SteelFist Fight Night's Amanda Lynn, sports photographer, Akers fights MMA pro Kyle Herrera (in green trunks).

A few more things: A couple of weeks ago we interviewed MMA amateur Destiny McCubbin, who was scheduled to fight in Mesquite on Sept. 16. Unfortunately, Destiny's opponent pulled out of the bout. Destiny is training daily in Las Vegas and we're sure she'll be ion the cage soon.

Also, Ogden's Steven Siler, who most most recently fought on an MMA card with the World Series of Fighting, announced he's fighting on Nov. 2 with the Professional Fighters League, which is the name of the revamped WSOF. 

Interview with MMA amateur Destiny McCubbin

Mixed martial artist Destiny McCubbin, formerly of West Haven, has been in Las Vegas a while, training very hard as she pursues her goals in the cage. (She's seen above training in the Rich Castro photo and in the two mat photos below she's training with Dewey Cooper) On Saturday, Sept. 16, in Mesquite, Nevada, she's part of a TuffNUff card at the CasaBlanca. McCubbin, whose moniker is "My Time," faces Cindie Torango.

I recently interviewed the Northern Utah fighter:
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UTAH FIGHT GAME: Destiny, relate some about your experience training in Las Vegas? The gym, your gym mates, your trainers, how has it improved your skills and cardio and strength? 

DESTINY: Hey Doug! My experience thus far training in Vegas has been everything I expected and more. I knew it was going to be straight grind mode day in and day out once I stepped foot through those doors. It's different here. This is all people have it's all we do. Train, Eat, Rest, Repeat. Xtreme Couture is great. It is a big gym with big names. Lol I went from being a big fish in a small pond, to a tiny fish in a huge lake. Awesome coaches full of so much knowledge, and they've all seen and done it all. My head coach is Dennis Davis, a vet of our sport. Dewey Cooper is my striking coach - Black Kobra Striking Systems. He's amazing. Also a vet. I'm his only amateur, and although he trains fighters such as Kevin Lee (UFC), Raquel Pa'Aluhi (Invicta FC) and tons of great boxers , he still puts the time and effort into me. Both of my coaches are very dedicated to coaching and being the best, I'm definitely blessed to be apart of their team. Miesha Tate works with me a lot as well whenever she is in which is awesome because she's such a vet. It's cool to see her still care so much about helping WMMA grow even though she is retired. 

Not only great coaches, but I'm surrounded by teammates who are hungry and grind day in and day out. They push me way passed my limits, Making me dig deep. (They) give me the beatings I need in the gym so we have a nice day come fight night! My two main training partners are Cheyenne Vlismas and Gina Mazany. Cheyenne is getting ready to turn pro. If you haven't watched her check her out. She is actually who inspired me to move to Vegas. I used to tell Josh (Morales, Destiny's friend, and a pro boxer), one day I'm going to train with her - just wait. Now she's my main partner and has helped me so much. Gina recently signed under the UFC. That girl has taken me under her wing and is always there to remind me who I am whenever doubts kick in. She's helped a lot with my wrestling and has made me fall in love with it. 

As far as for me, it's made me so much stronger. My body is starting to change into the body of an athlete. My skills have leveled up so much! I'm stoked about my next fight to see where I stand in this sport now. Something tells me I'm going to shock everybody, including myself. Since I've been here I've been training full time. It's hard training full time as well as working full time, so sometimes it's a struggle staying above water. And it's not like there's not money to be made, it's Vegas. There's money all over the place at the tip of my fingers. But I didn't come here to work a ton of hours at a hotel serving cocktails (lol), or sit and work a 9-5 at a desk. I came here to grind, and grow and chase this crazy dream of mine. So that is what I will do, no matter what it takes. I miss my family and they help me so much whenever they can so I've been blessed with them.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What do you know about your opponent?

DESTINY: I know she has some slick hands and she's a 4 stripe blue belt in Jiu Jitsu from Missouri with a record of 5-1. I think she's going to bring a good fight for sure but I know there isn't any situation that the fight can go to that I haven't been in during my training. It's funny, everybody asks "Is she tough?" or "So is she good?" Lol , yes of course she is. At this point in my career, even as an amateur, they are all going to be good with the sport evolving like it has everybody is pretty well rounded. And even if she's not, as far as I'm concerned she's the best in the world and I have to train to go out there and beat the best in the world. 

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What do you think your main cage strength is?

DESTINY: Four months ago I would have said stand up, mostly boxing with that "pull the trigger" demeanor. Now I feel so much more well rounded in my wrestling, and ground game. Dennis has tons of cool, dirty tricks up his sleeve that I can't wait to use! My stand up isn't just a boxing stand up anymore either after working with Dewey. He's showing me how to use all of the weapons I have. "No hesitation with the combination " as he always says. I've only been with him about 2 months now, but I'm very excited to see where my striking is at in 6 months.

Thanks so much for sharing time with us, Destiny, and good luck on Sept. 16. 

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Some tidbits: Former Davis County prep athlete Court McGee, now well-known as a UFC veteran, returns to the Octagon on Nov. 11, where he'll meet Sean Strickland in Norfolk, Va., as part of UFC Fight Night 120.

Fierce Fighting Championships is unveiling its card in Tooele on Sept. 30. Main event matches Trever Carlson versus Antonio Arroyo. Another pro match that seems very interesting matches veteran Tanner Cowan against Nate Kearsley.

MMA pro Mike Jones, who often fights locally, will compete against Adam Vigil at Legacy Fighting Alliance 22 on Sept. 8 in Broomfield, Colo.

Next week the blog will interview MMA pro John Valentine on his upcoming SteelFist bout on Sept. 16 against Rowdy Akers. The week after we should have an interview with Akers. It's the final pro bout for both.

SteelFist MMA card takes shape, amateur boxing, FitCon in SLC

(YET ANOTHER UPDATE!!! LIGHTS OUT'S JON BRYANT HEADING TO NATIONAL GOLDEN GLOVES, ALONG WITH GABRIEL CHAIREZ AND OTHERS) (UPDATED WITH THE REST OF THE PHOTOS FROM FOLEYS' AMATEUR BOXING CARD)(UPDATED WITH RESULTS FROM FITCON MMA CARD) (UPDATED WITH FOLEYS' FIGHT NIGHT PHOTOS) The next SteelFist MMA card is starting to take shape. As mentioned, the main event is LJ Schulz (One Hit MMA) versus Anthony Miller (Garage MMA)

Co-main is Steve Chan (Victory MMA) versus Miles Welk (Garage MMA). Other announced bouts include Ben Guymon (seen above) (Foleys/The Pack MMA) against Kaden Weston (One Hit MMA), Ahmed "AK" (Absolute MMA) versus Cory Rose (One Hit MMA) and Shayne Bonner (Heber Boys) versus Gavin Weston (One Hit MMA). The card, the promotion's 50th, is set for June 23 at Riverbend Sports Complex in SLC. We'll update as more bouts are announced.

This Friday night is the FitCon MMA card. It starts at 7 at the Salt Place in SLC. Here is the card: And we have results

Josh Tyler vs Daniel Ruiz, pros -- TYLER WINS ROUND 1 VIA REAR NAKED CHOKE
Nick Burgos vs Gabe Pelayo, pros -- BURGOS TAKES UNANIMOUS DECISION
Hunter Azure vs David Maggio, amateur -- AZURE WINS VIA TKO, ROUND 2
Justus Minardi vs Angelo Trujillo, amateur -- MINARDI WINS VIA RNC, ROUND 3
Jessica Kruger vs Xasha Lopez, amateur -- KRUGER WINS VIA DECISION
Scott Foster vs Eric Munoz, amateur -- FOSTER WINS VIA FIRST ROUND AMERICANA
Nino Genao vs Spencer Olson, amateur -- GENEO WINS, 1ST ROUND TKO
Jacob Lamb vs AJ Pallante -- APPARENTLY SCRATCHED
Eli Christiansen vs Mark Chavez, amateur -- CHAVEZ WINS VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
Ping Moli vs Brent Peterson, amateur -- PETERSON SCORES UNANIMOUS DECISION WIN

Results are courtesy of Fighting Out of Utah MMA News. Thanks Dutch, Jeffrey Dutcher Jr.

One more thing: West Haven amateur MMA female Destiny "My Time" McCubbin has signed with Fight Path Consulting, a combat sports consulting firm based in Idaho.

BOXING

Here are the results of the amateur boxing card (as much as we have) at Foleys gym in Ogden last Saturday. We have dozens of photos taken and hope to publish them soon but are working through some techie-type glitches to get them on the site. Here's results:

100 pounds -- Jesus Rodriguez (Train Station) decisioned Carson Mathews (Foleys)
92 pounds: Leo Sanchez (PAL) decision over Elijah Willett (Foleys)
127 pounds - Santana DeCarlo (All Heart) decisioned Jonathan Monte Longo-Reyez
90 pounds -- Jesus Rodrigues (Louie's) decisioned Vinnie Apodaca (Foleys)
85 pounds -- Collin Tuilevuka (Independent) defeated Aaron Garcia (Unbreakable)
90 pounds - Kayden Robbinette (Fractured) decisioned Jaiuard me Sanchez (Spartan Boxing 970)
135 pounds - Luis Cornejo (Foleys) decisoned Christian Zavala (Unbreakable)
130 pounds - Eduard Andrade (Louie's) decisioned Jesse Brown (All Heart)
122 pounds - Kathy Grant (Louie's) defeated Macy White (Foleys)
170 pounds - Andy Jensen (Foleys) decisioned Chris Nanney (Mane Event Boxing) 
125 pounds - Michelle Maya (Louie's) decisioned Monica Lazalde (Fullmer's) "They went to war ... and received fight of the night," said gym owner and trainer Dave Foley.

JUST A REMINDER ... Rocky Mountain regional Golden Gloves is this weekend at the Salt Palace. Good luck to all the local boxers hoping to move on to nationals. More information. Also, the next weekend is the amateur Junior Olympics regional tournament at the Sorenson Center.

UPDATE!!! The regional Golden Gloves have finished and we have Utah boxers advancing to the open National Golden Gloves. Jon Bryant, of Clearfield gym Lights Out, defeated Idaho's Austyn Broncho to move through in the 152-pound division. In the 132-pound division, Gabriel Chairez, brother of undefeated pro Ignacio Chairez, defeated Wyoming's Jalen Gibson to move to nationals. Other Utahns going to nationals include Halatoa Piutau and Milo Guitierrez. Here's a link to an excellent Deseret News recap. Also moving to nationals from Lights Out gym is heavyweight Jose Torres.

I chatted with Jon via Faceback Messenger last night who offered us some comments: 

It went pretty well! I used my jab very effectively! I waited a little bit too much which I need to pick it up at nationals! My jab was landing every time! I just need to let my hands go! I felt very comfortable and confident going against a nationally ranked fighter! What comes next is Louisiana for Nationals! My goal Is to win the whole tournament! I know I can do it if I fight my fight!

After that, is USA Qualifiers in October. I want yo put Utah On the map For boxing like Diego (Alvarez) did.

I Would Love To Have a shout out to my great-grandmother who raised me that passed away the day before my 13th birthday. Her name was Harriet P. Wilken.

UPDATE! We have photos from Foley's amateur card, courtesy of Katie Aurich, freelancing for us. I'll put about six up now, and dozens more through weekend. Unfortunately, no captions. Email doug1963@gmail.com if you have a caption for a photo. (Sunday, April 23, rest of photos, 40-plus more, also added)