Bryce Edminister fights on Front Street Fights MMA card

On Friday, we will post a photo gallery of the Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night Show at the Ogden Fairgrounds Aug. 11.

Today, we are chatting with Top of Utah amateur MMA competitor Bryce Edminister. He trains out of The Garage MMA in Layton and has compiled a 7-3-1 record. Tomorrow night he'll be competing in Boise, Idaho, fighting undefeated Kellen VanCamp. For more information, go here and here.

Our interview with Bryce:

What do you know about Kellen Van Camp. How do you match with him? What's training like?

Edminister: From what I know Kellen seems like a tough martial artist. He has been doing well in the east and has an undefeated record. I know he is seven fights in and seems well rounded. I think we match up extremely well, honestly. I see this fight being very taticle and surely a fun one to watch for the fans in Boise Idaho. My training regimen is something I'm proud of. Strength and conditioning is a daily habit and each day of the week brings about a new focus on my craft from Striking, Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling and blending them all together. I have a staff of extremely experienced and well rounded coaches. Jason Tafoya has completely reshaped my striking and turned this Jiu Jitsu guy into a Jiu Jitsu guy that is getting sharper with his hands. I also have Anthony Lobato of course who has been with me since the beginning and truly one of the best Jiu Jitsu coaches this state has to offer.. Then David Castillo who is a fighter himself, and a great one at that. Having a coach that lives and breathes the life of a fighter has been valuable. 

Front Street Fights has had some good promotions. How did this fight come to be? Who are you working out with at The Garage?

Edminister: I couldn't agree more, Front Street Fights seems like an outstanding promotion and I look forward to putting on a show. They center the fights in the CenturyLink Arena which gives it that next level feel. The fight came about just from basic networking. We've had teammates fight for Todd and Front Street in the past, then we have our coach David Castillo who is their current 155 champion. Of course when the opportunity came about I was super excited to bring a taste of the Utah combat scene to Boise. Being said, man the amount of support I've received is humbling both inside and outside of my gym. Past training partners and fighters reaching out and then of course I have my squad at The Garage who always help me get an unlimited amount of fast paced rounds in. My coaches, and then Bobby King, Miles Welk, Nate Owens, Hector Lopez, Josh Garlick, Alonzo Salas, Brandon Rease, Edgar Sorto and Steph Anie to name a few. In addition I was lucky enough to travel to Washington DC and New York to get work in with other teams and locations such as Radical MMA and Pentagon Mixed Martial Arts.

What are you MMA goals a year from now?

Edminister: My goals are pretty simple. Step into the pro world, become a champion, and then take that walk to the cage for a major promotion with my corner and squad beside me ... then we start phase two. I've been in this game for a while now and have learned many lessons. I can confidently say that my fight game is clicking more and more. The future is looking bright. Keep an eye open!

Good luck tomorrow night, Bryce. Remember, blog readers, photos from the Horn's Elite show should be posted on Friday.

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.