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.

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. 

Larry Gomez fights in televised bout; Collard boxes again on Dec. 12

From the pen of the iconic Thornton Wilder, July 29, 1918.

Today's a quick Utah Fight Game with some important subjects. At the end we take a look at some of newspaper clippings of the great Jack Dempsey's fight with Fred Fulton, the No. 1 heavyweight contender in 1918. Dempsey, who once fought in Ogden, Utah, knocked out Fulton in less than a half minute. Nearly a year later he was heavyweight champ, stopping Jess Willard in 1919.

Look at the wonderful 1918 cartoon published two days after the bout. More clips at bottom of post.

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But, on to the most important news.

On Thursday night in Los Angeles, welterweight pro Larry Gomez, of West Jordan, fights on TV (NBCSN network, Channel 34, Xfinity). Gomez is 10-1 and last fought a year ago, scoring a decision win over highly regarded Brian Mendoza, 18-1. On Thursday, Gomez meets Brian Ceballo, 11-0. It's a great match up between two young contenders. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. The TV card starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Gomez v Ceballo will likely be the first bout.

Utah/Idaho professional boxer Clay Collard, usually a light middleweight to super middleweight, said on social media this week that he will be boxing on Dec. 12. I don't know the opponent but it's probably a Top Rank card at The Bubble in Las Vegas. On that day Shakur Stevenson will be defending his featherweight title and I assume Collard is on the undercard. Google Collard on this blog to read about his remarkable 2020 boxing year.

A boxing card is scheduled on Dec. 12 in Grantsville, Utah. I hope it survives any Covic-19-related postponement or cancellation. Salt Lake City pro heavyweight Helaman Olguin, who recently won on an ESPN-Plus Top Rank card, will be fighting Carlos Reyes. The scheduled card is on this page. 

Young professional boxer Jesus Haro, who has won several bouts this year, recently served as a sparring partner for WBO world mini-flyweight champ Wilfredo Mendez. You can see a picture of the pair here. They were in Las Vegas at The Mayweather gym.

MMA: As we noted in this post, Lehi, Utah, professional MMA welterweight Carson Hardman won his first bout in an XFCwelterweight tournament. Hardman will fight again in the next round of the XFC tourney in early 2021.

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HERE ARE OLD NEWSPAPER CLIPS OF JACK DEMPSEY's KO OVER FRED FULTON 102-plus years ago.

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.

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.

Collard opponent set in boxing; Westin to headline MMA card

Just a quick few notes: (UPDATE BELOW)

According to ESPN's Steve Kim, MMA/boxer Clay Collard has an opponent for an Aug. 22 boxing card in "The Bubble" MGM Grand in Las Vegas, promoted by Top Rank. Collard (8-2-3), winner of four bouts this year, will face middleweight Maurice Williams (7-1).

The bout will likely be broadcast on ESPN as Collard has gained a following as boxing's most consistent face, and winner, during this pandemic year. Collard is seen above stopping L.T. Nelson in his most recent win.  ... Noted also is that 17-year-old professional boxer Jesus Haro, of Merced, Calif., logged his first win last weekend in Tijuana, Mexico. Haro, a prominent amateur, has family in Utah. Also winning on the card was Miklo Arnold, a 16-year-old professional, of North Plains, Ore.

And in MMA news, Mountain Force MMA is planning a card in Evanston, Wyo., on Aug. 1. Utah professional Westin Wilson, of Orem, will headline the card, meeting Kurt Steinke. The card is here. Mountain Force's Facebook page is here. Its website is here. ... On the weekend of Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, FitCon 2020 is planning to have amateur MMA bouts. Its Facebook page is here. Utah amateur MMA fighter Brittany Guillemin is scheduled to fight on Aug. 21.

ALSO, on Friday, July 31, Utah MMA pro heavyweight, Zac Cavender, (3-1) fights in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Legacy Fighting Alliance 87 card, which is being broadcast on UFC Fight Pass. Cavender meets debuting Zac Pauga. The card starts at 7 p.m. MST.

UPDATE TO WESTIN and CAVENDER MMA bouts: Cavender, 3-2, lost a three-round decision in his streamed bout against Pauga, a highly touted amateur who was making his pro debut. Westin, 8-5, stopped the debuting Steinke in the first round.