Gomez decisioned by Ceballo in welterweight title bout

 

(UPDATED WITH CLAY COLLARD OPPONENT FOR DEC. 12) West Jordan, Utah professional boxer Larry Gomez, (shown above at left in a bout earlier in his career), traveled to Los Angeles, Calif., on Dec. 3 for a nationally televised (NBCSports) bout against Brian Ceballo, of New York City.

After 10 rounds, Ceballo, 12-0, won the WBO Intercontinental welterweight championship, with a unanimous decision over Gomez, 10-2. 

Ceballo, started strongly, winning four of the first five rounds, according to this observer. He dictated the pace, with head movement, an effective jab and some strong left hand shots to the body, particularly in round four. Gomez rallied to make the second half of the bout even, scoring with the left hook and right hand more often. I gave him rounds six and seven and the final round.

I scored the bout 96-93 for Ceballo, as did one judge. Gomez was docked a point in the final round for losing his mouthpiece for the fourth of fifth time. Two other judges over-scored the bout for Ceballo, giving him eight and nine rounds. Ceballo earned the win, but a tally giving him six or seven rounds is a more fair assessment.

The fight was a grueling, hard-fought affair, the most competitive one on the card. We hope to see Larry back in the ring soon.

NOTES ... We reported that Utah/Idaho middleweight boxer Clay Collard will be fighting on Dec. 12, presumably in The Bubble in Las Vegas on the Shakur Stevenson title defense card. It's not listed on Collard's boxrec.com page yet. UPDATE: Collard ,9-2-3, will face Quincy LaVallais, 9-0-1. The pair fought a draw in June 2019 when Collard was 1-1-2 and LaVallais 7-0.  ... As we updated in our last blog post, the Grantsville, Utah boxing card planned for Dec. 12, has been postponed due to Covid-19 related issues. ... SteelFist MMA is planning to resume MMA cards after Covid-19 stalled the promotion the final nine months of 2020. Jan. 23 at the Union Event Center is the plan. 

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.

---

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.

---

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.

Utah MMA cards, Larry Gomez set to fight, Collard wins in boxing again

Some MMA news first. Here is an update on the Fierce Fighting Championship card set for Feb. 15 at the Maverik Center in West Valley, Utah.

The main bout matches Samson Phommabout against Bobby King. The rest of the card features similarly well-matched bouts. They include:

Fabio Serrao versus Mike Hamel; Mike Jones versus Kyle Stewart; Carson Hardman versus Nate Kearsley; Eric Munoz versus Tracy Hardy; Aaron Thomson versus Josh Quinlan; Trever Bradshaw versus Randy Rowland; Thomas Hughes versus Brian Mitchell; and Nathan Owens versus Justin Horsley; with more bouts. A complete scheduled card is here. More info at FFC's Facebook page. This is a damned good card.

---

Speaking of good MMA cards, SteelFist has another card six days later, Feb. 21, at the Union Event Center. The main bout matches Nick Martinez versus Cole Shafer. The co-main matches Hayden Brown against Craig Grove. And undefeated Lehi Dominguez against Jeff Carson, and another pro bout. Ryan Thaxton and Zack Partridge meet in an amateur promotional title bout. Another amateur bout matches Jordan Munoz against Austin Atkinson. Jordan Munoz is the son of professional Eric Munoz, who, as mentioned, fights on the FFC card six days earlier. The scheduled card is here. For more information, go to SteelFist's website.

BOXING

Utah's Clay Collard, a UFC-quality mixed martial artist, continued his remarkable barnstorming-around-the-nation boxing career by scoring another solid win over a previously undefeated professional boxer ... usually in their home towns. On Jan. 1, in Cincinnati, Collard defeated Quashawn Toler, who is now 9-1. Collard is now 5-2-3. In the past seven months, Collard has fought nine times against opponents with a combined record of, I believe, now, 51 wins and three losses. He has won four of those fights, lost one by decision and drawn three times. His only stoppage loss was against a "super-prospect," Bektemir Melikuziev, on the undercard of the Canelo Alavarez victory over Sergey Kovalev.

And .... Collard is readying to fight another undefeated prospect on Feb. 1. In Biloxi, Miss., he will fight on the undercard of a Fox Sports TV fight card, meeting Raymond Guajardo. Guajardo is only 19 and he has looked great in his brief career. However, he has met no fighter as remotely experienced or talented as Collard.

Larry Gomez, who defeated Brian Mendoza on a Top Rank boxing card late last year, will be back in the ring in Salt Lake City on Feb. 7 at the Union Event Center. His opponent has yet to be announced. Also scheduled to fight on the card is undefeated heavyweight Eric Wahlen, undefeated featherweight Brandon Douglas, heavyweight Helaman Olguin, superlightweight Francisco Jalel Lopez, and undefeated lightweight Gabriel Chairez. The scheduled, still sketchy for opponents at this date, is at the bottom of this webpage.

ALSO, Mountain Force MMA and Cache Valley Boxing are hosting an amateur boxing card on Jan. 25 in Logan at the Cache County Event Center.

Gomez defeats Mendoza on ESPN-Plus card

Just a few minutes ago, after a thrilling eight-round fight between two of the best young welterweight prospects in the world, West Jordan's Larry Gomez (seen above scoring a KO in an earlier bout) scored an eight-round split decision over previously unbeaten Top Rank-promoted boxer Brian Mendoza. We previewed this bout yesterday.

The scores were 77-75 twice for Gomez and 77-75 once for Mendoza. They consider the win an upset on ESPN-Plus, but we Utahns, having followed Larry's career, know better. This was no upset.

It was a great fight. Mendoza had the edge in the first two rounds as Gomez counter punched. Gomez, using aggression and sharp hooks, swept round three through five. Mendoza rallied to win round six with boxing skills. A key moment arrived late in round seven, a close round until Gomez hurt Mendoza with hard shots.

Gomez dominated round 8 over a tired, bloodied Mendoza. Both fighters fought with a lot of courage. Perhaps a re-match may be in the cards? In any event, we congratulate Larry and look forward to his next fight.

Larry Gomez scheduled to fight on ESPN+ Saturday

The big news in the Utah fight game this week is that Northern Utah welterweight Larry Gomez (9-1) (above left) fights Brian Mendoza (18-0) in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 30, in a fight that will be streamed on ESPN-Plus. It's part of a major card that features a few championship fights. As I mentioned, the Gomez v Mendoza bout is scheduled to be on the stream. The prelims will be streamed on ESPN-Plus beginning at 4:30 p.m. That's the best time to start watching. ESPN-Plus costs about $5 a month.

Larry has had a superb career to date; we wish him the best. The fight card is on this page.

In other news:

Mixed martial artist Aaron Thomson, of Utah, who had a good amateur career the last several years, made his pro debut recently, and it was a successful debut. Aaron, 180 pounds, traveled to Salem, Ore., and on Nov. 16 stopped previously undefeated Tobias Baker in round one,

One Nov. 15 in Salt Lake City, heavyweight contender Junior Fa decisioned Devin Vargas to win the WBO Oriental Heavyweight Title. The entire card, at the Salt Palace, is here.

On Aug. 22, in Salt Lake City, young professionals Lehi Dominguez, 155 pounds, and Hayden Brown, 170 pounds, scored wins in the main bouts of our local promoter, SteelFist MMA card. The results for all the fights are on this page.

Valentine, Guillemin win bouts, boxing card scheduled

Saturday night, in an MMA card in Colorado Springs, Colo., a couple of Northern Utah fighters participated. Amateur Brittany Guillemin, of Layton, scored a decision win over Brandi Hancock (29-28 on all cards).

In a professional bout, Eric Munoz, of Ogden, suffered his first loss as a pro against veteran Josh Watson. In the second round a punch from Watson broke Munoz' nose, leading to a stoppage.

In Las Vegas, in a no-submission match, John Valentine stopped Arron Carson at around two minutes. Both fighters had their moments before Valentine managed a leg lock to force a tap from Carson. Valentine's win came on a card that raised money to assist our Troops.

MMA fighter turned boxer Clay Collard fought on the Alvarev versus Kovalev super-card at MGM Grand in Las Vegas two weekends ago. Collard had enjoyed success barnstorming the nation, defeating prospects. However, his opponent, Bektemir Melikuziev, of Uzbekistan, is one of the top prospects in the world. The UFC fighter Collard was stopped in this bout.

This Friday in Salt Lake City, DiBella Promotions is putting on a boxing card at the Salt Palace. The main event matches heavyweight contender Junior Fa against former Olympian Devin Vargas. The  card is here, on bottom of page. More information is on the poster above.

Some reminders: Super middleweight boxer Larry Gomez has a big fight on Nov. 30, in Las Vegas, fighting undefeated Brian Mendoza on an ESPN Plus card. And SteelFist is back on Nov. 22 in Salt Lake City, at the Union Event Center. Hayden Brown and Lehi Dominguez are professionals competing in separate bouts.

Larry Gomez to box, Court McGee tabbed for MMA bout, more

Lots of nuggets of fight news in Utah right now. Let's start with the earliest:

On Friday, Oct. 11, at the 801 Event Center in Salt Lake City, there will be a pro boxing card, with also some amateur kickboxing. In the main bout, for the FKF promotion state pro heavyweight championship, Helaman Olguin (above middle) fights Joseph Jones. In another pro bout, undefeated Utahn Ignacio Chairez, fights Anthony Curtiss. In a third pro bout, Joey Borrero meets Edison Charley. The card is near the bottom of this page (link).

Also, northern Utah pro boxer Larry Gomez (9-1) has a major bout on Nov. 30 in Las Vegas against undefeated Brian Mendoza, 18-0. Scroll down this link to see the entire ESPN-Plus streamed card, which includes work-class boxers Oscar Valdez, Arnold Barboza Jr., and Carl Frampton in bouts.

Finally, Jon Bryant, who took the Bronze in the national open Golden Gloves, is competing in the Eastern Qualifiers over the next few days. He is seeded fifth in his category and won his first bout last night. He has several more bouts. Jon is seeking an opportunity to earn a qualifying spot in the Olympics trials.

MMA

On October 18, on the card UFC on ESPN 6, veteran Utah MMA pro Court McGee, 19-8, fights undefeated Sean Brady, 10-0. The entire card is here. It's a preliminary so bout will likely be streamed via ESPN.

Oct. 19, in Salt Lake City at The Union Event Center, is the next SteelFist pro/am MMA card. The main bout pits veteran pros Rowdy Akers and Gregg McFarland. Matt Oyler of Undefeated by Choice has interviewed McFarland here and I imagine Akers will be interviewed as well. The entire card is here.

On Oct. 4, on the Front Street Fights card in Boise, Idaho, pro MMA fighter Kerry Lattimer, of Idaho, who fights often in Utah, was defeated by Darrell Flores in the co-main event.

Finally, on Nov. 9 in Colorado Springs, Colo., Ogden area MMA pro Eric Munoz, who is undefeated, takes on Josh Watson on the card No Mercy 68, Also on the card will by Northern Utah MMA amateur Brittany Guillemin.

Jose Haro to fight in near future, more news

SOME UPDATES: Plans have changed, and Jose Haro will fight but not in Wendover on Aug. 17.  According to Haro, plans are for a bout in the near future in Salt Lake City. Also, Aaron Thomson has had to withdraw from pro MMA bout against Eric Munoz on Aug. 3 in Price. No news yet of whether there is a replacement to fight Munoz.

It has been a while since Northern Utah boxer Jose Haro (seen above earlier in his career) has been in the ring. In his last bout he won a United States professional championship. On Saturday, Aug. 18, he fights for FKP promotions in Wendover against an opponent to be named. Also on the card will be Northern Utah professional Larry Gomez. Both Haro and Gomez also hold American Boxing Organization titles as well.

Clay Collard is a world class MMA fighter but for two months this year he boxed four times, barnstorming around the nation fighting preliminary bouts against -- I presume -- hometown favorites. He did very well considering the strong opponents and rushed schedule, compiling one win, one loss and three draws. His overall boxing record is now 2-1-3.

The Junior Olympics national championship was held recently. Several local boxers represented the Rocky Mountain states. Payson fighters Aaron Garcia Jr. and Austin Garcia were among those crowned champions.

In the last SteelFist card, Brian Thomas decisioned Carson Hardman in the main bout. Thomas' ground game was the difference. Eric Iman also scored a win. Entire card is here.

An excellent card set this Friday night in Price. Two pro bouts of note are Samson Phommabout versus Randy Rowland and Eric Munoz versus Aaron Thomson. Undercard includes veteran amateurs Thomas Prestriedge and Brandon Rease in separate bouts. Card is here.

Aaron Sutton headlines on Aug. 3 in Idaho Falls, Idaho against Billy Carrothers in a Mountain Force MMA event. Card is here.

Aug. 9, Friday, is the next SteelFist card in SLC at Union Event Center. Amateur middleweight champion Hayden Brown makes his pro debut in the main event. Card and more information is here.

And Utah MMA pro Steven Siler, who was a finalist in the PFL featherweight tournament last, was eliminated last week from this year's tourney in a nationally televised bout.

Gomez, Jones, Chairez, Bradshaw among recent fight winners

Boxing:

Last Saturday in Wendover Utah boxers Larry Gomez and Christian Aguirre met in a rematch of a 2018 bout won by Gomez. Gomez won the rematch as well, with Aguirre retiring after three rounds. In other bouts, local professional Bladmir Estrada lost via decision to Kevin Hand and professional Helaman Olguin scored a win over Joseph Jones. Card is here..

A couple of weeks ago in SLC professional boxing brothers Ignacio Chairez and Gabriel Chairez competed in separate bouts. Gabriel won a decision over Edison Charley and Ignacio (seen above on right defeating Jorge Soto in a previous bout) ended in a no contest bout against Mikhail Lyubarsky. Early in round one, Lyubarsky, preferring to hold and clutch Chairez rather than fight, dragged Chairez to the floor. Things spiraled out of control and the bout was halted.

MMA

In the most recent SteelFist card in May, Mike Jones stopped Tracy Hardy in the main pro bout. In another pro bout, Trever Bradshaw knocked out Joe Maama in the first round. Card is here. On June 28, Carson Hardman headlines in a pro bout against Brian Thomas. The card, which also includes a heavyweight pro bout between Eric Iman and Mike Robinson, is here.

Father and son MMA fighters Eric and Jordan Munoz have separate bouts set. On Aug. 3, in Price, Utah, in an intriguing match, Eric Munoz (2-0) fights pro debuting Aaron Thomson, a one-time amateur of note. And on Aug. 9, on a SteelFist card, amateur Jordan Munoz (1-0) meets Doug Anderson.

Bryant gets bronze at Golden Gloves, Rose takes kickboxing bout, more

Some very quick Utah Fight Game notes:

We neglected to mention that Top of Utah amateur boxer Jon Bryant (seen above at left) earned a medal in the recent national Golden Gloves tourney, 132 pounds. Jon will later this year attempt to earn a spot in the U.S. Olympics team qualifying competition.

Both Ignacio and Gabriel Chairez, Northern Utah professional boxers, are slated to fight against separate opponents on June 8 in Salt Lake City. Two other area competitors, professional boxers Larry Gomez and Christian Aguirre, headline a June 15 card in Wendover.

Utah MMA professional Clay Collard had his second professional boxing bout last weekend in Dearborn, Mich. Collard, a former UFC fighter, is now 1-0-1 after holding undefeated Tipton Walker, 6-0-1, to a six-round draw. Given that Walker is from Michigan, achieving a draw speaks well for Collard's effort.

On May 31 and June 1 at The Utah Stair Fairpark, Junior Olympics amateur boxing champs from Utah and three other Rocky Mountain States will be competing for a chance to go to the national tournament in Wisconsin.

Last weekend in Farmington, Cole Rose wrested a regional 170-pound Mountain Force Kickboxing pro title via a five round decision over former titlist Jarrett Kelton. Results of the entire card were posted May 19 on the promotion's Facebook page here.

And, in SLC on May 31, SteelFist has another professional/amateur MMA card. Tracy Hardy and Mike Jones headline the card in a professional bout. Other professionals competing include Thomas Hughes and Trevor Bradshaw. Entire card is here.

And last Thursday, Northern Utah MMA professional Steven Siler was defeated in his first bout in the 2019 PFL Featherweight MMA tournament. Siler, a finalist last year, dropped a decision to Gadzhi Rabadanov. Siler can still move further into this year's tournament with a win in his next bout this summer.

Kelton meets Rose in kickboxing title tiff

Tomorrow night, May 18, Mountain Force Kickboxing will be at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington. Main bout has promotional champ Jarrett Kelton defending his 170 pound belt against Cole Rose. It's an intriguing match. More information on card is at the promotion's Facebook page. ... In other kickboxing news, Kaecy Raddon, who is a Mountain Force champ, announced that he has been selected as a member of WAKO Team USA Kickboxing and will represent our nation at the World Championships in October at Saravejo, Bosna Herzegovina.

Last Friday night LFA 66 MMA card was at West Valley. Jon Neal met former UFC TUF fighter Tyler Diamond in the main bout. It was very competitive with Diamond earning a hard-fought decision. Neal started strong early but was stunned midway through round one and had to focus on defense to recover. Round two was more even with Diamond's ground game giving him an edge. Utah Fight Game scored round three for Neal, who rallied the final third of the round as Diamond seemed to be tiring. The decision for Diamond was unanimous. In the c-main Josh Burkman announced his retirement after losing a split decision to William Macario. Other bouts included Joe Rodriguez dropping a hard-fought decision to undefeated Trevino, and LJ Schulz being decisioned by undefeated Hunter Azure. The entire card results are here.

On that same night in Las Vegas, Top of Utah Fighters Hayden Brown and Tyson Craig earned TuffNUff amateur titles, Hayden at 185 pounds and Tyson at 155 pounds.The card results are here.

IN BOXING NEWS ... Utah professionals Larry Gomez and Christian Aguirre, who fought a memorable fight last year, won by Gomez via decision, have signed for a rematch June 15 in Wendover. And this weekend there is Junior Olympics state tournament amateur boxing at Foley's gym in Ogden. Bouts start at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Lattimer, Munoz among SteelFist winners, LFA card nears

(The poster above advertises one of the pro bouts from LFA on Friday May 10, at The Maverik Center in West Valley. Ogden's LJ Schulz fights Hunter Azure in a bantamweight bout. This card is, to use a cliche, stacked. Ogden's Jon Neal meets Tyler Diamond in the main event. Here is the card on Tapology. Fighting against various tough opponents are Josh Burkman, Joe Rodriguez, Westin Wilson, Katlyn Neil, and two others, Bobby King and Fabio Serrao, meet in a highly anticipated bout. Although Tapology does not include, undefeated pro Zac Cavender is also on the card. His bout shows on MixedMartialArts page. The card will be televised on AXS, which is carried by Dish and DirectTV.

-- Last weekend SteelFist results -- Two of our better 155 pound regional vets, Kerry Lattimer and Troy Dennison, headlined. It was Lattimer's night, winning via submission in round one. In another pro bout, middleweight Eric Munoz went to 2-0 with a first round stoppage of Nick Martinez. And Munoz's son, Jordan, won his amateur debut in a competitive bout with Jayden Marshall, via third round stoppage. In two amateur title bouts, Michael Eastwood stopped Jordan Marshall in round one (115 pounds) and in a brutal bout, Tanner Hinds stopped Cole Shafer in round 2, 165 pounds. The entire card results are here. Also, you can watch the card here via YouTube. The next SteelFist card is May 31 in SLC. Tracy Hardy fights Mike Jones in the main bout. Also fighting is professional Thomas Hughes. Card is here.

Layton amateur middleweight MMA fighter Hayden Brown travels to Las Vegas travels to Las Vegas on May 10 to fight Theo Greenidge for the Tuff-N-Uff belt.

... In what was an extremely close professional boxing match in Las Vegas recently, Midvale's Larry Gomez, 8-1, dropped a split decision to 7-1 Kevin Johnson. You can see excerpts from the bout, courtesy of the promoter, Final Fight Championship, on Larry's Facebook page here. On that same card, in an MMA bout, Utah professional Clay Collard also won. Some local pro fighters, Christian Aguirre, Gary Cobia, Gabriel Chairez, and Bladimer Estrada, have recently said they will be back in the ring soon.

Jon Neal to headline LFA card at Maverik Center

Some quick recent takes from the Utah fight game:

On May 10, undefeated MMA featherweight Jon Neal headlines an excellent pro card in West Valley City. Neal meets Tyler Diamond in a bout that will be televised through the AXS network. Also competing on the card in bouts are Joe Rodriguez, LJ Schulz, Westin Wilson and Josh Burkman. Another excellent match on the card (here) is Bobby King versus Fabio Serrao.

On April 27, on a UFC card telecast on ESPN Plus, 170-pound pro Court McGee fights Dhiego Lima.

On April 26 at the Union Event Center in Salt Lake City, veteran 155 pound pro Troy Dennison and Kerry Lattimer headline the SteelFist MMA card. Another pro bout matches Eric Munoz versus Nick Martinez. Card is here.

Here are results from a card in Logan on March 30 from Mountain Force MMA. The promotion's kickboxing unit plans a card May 18 in Farmington that will headline Jarrett Kelton versus Cole Rose.

Results from the Fitcon MMA card April 12 in Salt Lake City included Dustin Clements stopping Eric Iman in a heavyweight pro bout and Mike Chavez taking a split decision over Lehi Dominguez for the promotion's 155 pound amateur title. Professional Mike Jones also logged a win.

Amateur middleweight MMA fighter Hayden Brown will fight for a TuffNUff middleweight title on May 10 in Las Vegas.

BOXING

On April 12, Rocky Mountain Golden Gloves met to determine who will send fighters to the nationals in Tennessee next month. Locals Jon Bryant, Diego Alvarez and Jay Wright are among those making the trip. A story on the bouts in SLC is here.

Utah professional boxer Christian Aguirre fought on national TV last Saturday against undefeated middleweight Money Powell IV. The bout was scheduled for six round. Early in round 6, Powell floored Aguirre and the fight was stopped.

Undefeated pro boxer Larry Gomez, of Midvale, announced this week he is fighting 6-1 pro Kevin Johnson is Las Vegas Friday, April 19.

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.

Raddon wins kickboxing title; Hughes among MMA fights this weekend

On Feb. 23 in Farmington at Mountain Force Kickboxing 2, Kaecy Raddon, 6-4, stopped Ian Scott, 5-3, in round one to win the promotion's lightweight title belt. Raddon, who has competed internationally, had too much experience for the game Scott, who has dropped seconds after the opening bell and then pummeled until the bout was stopped. You can see the bout at Raddon's Facebook page.

At the card it was announced that the promotion's pro welterweight champion, Jarrett Kelton, will defend his title on May 18 against Cole Rose. (See poster above)

This Saturday in Salt Lake City Fierce Fighting Championship 10 will have an MMA card at the Utah State Fair Park. The main event matches Bobby King and Nate Kearsley for the promotion's 155-pound belt. The co-main matches Ogden MMA pro Thomas Hughes against Randy Rowland. Local fighters competing on the card include Brandon Rease, Jeffery Prado-Morales and Kelsey Skillman. More info on FCC is here.

In boxing news, as we reported previously, undefeated pro Larry Gomez headlines a card in SLC on March 8 and Christian Aguirre fights Thomas Hill in Texas on March 16 on the undercard of Erroll Spence Jr. versus Mikey Garcia world welterweight championship bout..

Gregory wins at SteelFist; Larry Gomez to box on March 8

Some nuggets of fight news in Utah.

At the SteelFist MMA card last Saturday, 170-pound pro Carson Gregory (7-1) scored a first-round win, via strikes, over Craig Grove. After withstanding an early attack from Groves, Gregory took charge, wearing his opponent down before bout was stopped at 2.37.

In other pro bouts, heavyweight Eric Iman and 170-pounder Trever Bradshaw scored first round stoppages over Joshua Brown and Joe Maama. And 185-pounder Tracy Hardy stopped Marco Sanchez in round two in a pro bout. In a 265-pound amateur title bout, Dakota Witkopf stopped Kent Mafileo in round 4. All card results are here.

--- On March 8 in Salt Lake City, undefeated boxer Larry Gomez, (7-0), of Midvale, will headline a boxing card. It's at the 801 Event Center. Fights start at 7 p.m. Above photo shows Gomez after a KO win.

-- Tomorrow night, Saturday, March 23, at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington, Mountain Force Kickboxing will have its second promotion. Kaecy Raddon, formerly of Utah and now fighting out of Colorado, will fight for the promotion's super- lightweight belt against Ian Scott. A list of the bouts is here. One fighter, Joe Flores, had to pull out due to injury.

--- Finally, last night in Southern California, for Fight Club OC promotion, at the Hangar in Costa Mesa, Calif., Utah pro MMA welterweight Westin Wilson (7-3) scored a first-round choke submission over Javier Garcia, (4-3). Westin stunned Garcia with a leg shot from the floor before getting him into a choke finish.

O'Connell advances in PFL, Aguirre wins boxing match, SteelFist results

We haven't mentioned Utah's Sean O'Connell as much as we have Steven Siler this year in the MMA PFL tournament. But he merits mention now after a remarkable Saturday night in Long Beach, Calif., in which the 205-pounder scored upsets in the quarterfinals and semifinals to advance to his weight division tournament final. Like Siler, a featherweight,O'Connell will fight December 31 for a million-dollar purse, that goes to the winner. Both O'Connell and Siler merit media attention from Utah's daily newspapers and television news stations for these accomplishments. If they don't get it it will speak ill of our state's news sources.

Also Saturday, in a preliminary, non-tournament bout, Utah-based fighter Ramsey Nijem scored a pro win in Long Beach.

STEELFIST -- Results of the SteelFist card on Friday night are in. You can read them at Jeffrey Dutcher's Facebook page Fighting Out of Utah MMA news. In a pro flyweight title bout, Nick Burgos defeated Nicholas Clem, and in another pro bout, Carson Gregory decisioned Kerry Lattimer. In amateur title belts, winners were Hayden Brown, Justin Horsley and Jordan Marshall.

BOXING -- Last Friday in Costa Mesa, Calif., super-welterweight Christian Aguirre, of Salt Lake City, (seen above at left in an earlier fight) scored an upset KO over previously undefeated Joey Alday, Jr., of Odessa Texas. In the fourth round, trailing on points, Aguirre (8-3) flattened Alday Jr., with a left hook. You can see the bout at Facebook here.

I chatted with Christian about the bout. Here is our conversation:

Utah Fight Game: Tell us how the bout came to be and training?

Christian: This bout against Joey Alday was the hardest bout I’ve had in my career. In all my other fights I would try to brawl and turn it into a street fight but I knew I had to really dig inside and change my style into a boxing style. I sparred Jon Bryant, Gary Bailey and worked with Rick Manzanares on my boxing skills. It was an 8 day notice so I had to make it happen.

I thought I was looking all the rounds honestly but I knew my experience of tough fights would kick in, in the later rounds. I was really patient and I told my trainer in one of the rounds that Alday’s power was diminishing. I also told my corners (Jesse Reid and Jason Parillo)  that I was going to set up my left hook and counter Aldays left hook because he was landing it a lot. Alday tried to break me down mentally and physically but my experience helped a lot and in the 4th round he was in the corner and I threw a simple 1,2,3 and he fell face first. It was the hardest fight of my career but I had God on my side that night.

Utah Fight Game: So what are your fight plans for the future?

Christian: My plans for the future are to avenge my losses but first I will be fighting in November. I don’t know with who but I will fight anybody, anywhere, any time. I give my Lord and savior all the glory and I’m thankful for those who have been with me through the good and the bad.

ONE MORE BOXING NOTE: Larry Gomez, undefeated and with a win over Christian on his record, said last week he plans to fight in November. More information coming soon, he added.

Chat with Christian Aguirre, Horn MMA card at fair

Let's start with some boxing. Christian Aguirre, (see above at right) who recently lost a tough fight to Larry Gomez in Layton, has been quite active. In fact, a week after his loss to Gomez, he traveled to Connecticut and lost an eight-round decision at Foxwoods Resort to Jimmy Williams, who holds a national welterweight title. And Aguirre, later this month, will fight on a televised Top Rank card Aug. 25 in Phoenix, meeting undefeated Sagadat Rakhamankulov. Aguirre is training with a boxing legend, Jesse Reid. Utah Fight Game chatted with Christian as he prepared for the fight later this month.

UFG: What do you know about Rakhamankulov? Are you excited to fight with Top Rank?

Aguirre: I don't know much about Sagadat but I know I'm going into the ring ready to fight. Yes, I am excited to fight for Top Rank but even more excited for that bell to ring.

UFG: Tell us what it's like to train with Jesse Reid? Who else are you working with in the gym? Are you spending more time out of state?

Aguirre: Jesse Reid is an honest man that only wants the best for me. I've been training in Las Vegas for this upcoming fight. I live with my sparring partner, Tommy Hartshauer, and boxing is all we focus on.

UFG: What are your goals over the next year?

Aguirre: My goals over the next year are to continue to work in the gym and improve on my skills. I'll most likely fight in Mexico in September and then fight in Utah in October.

We wish Christian the best later this month in Phoenix.

MMA

Tomorrow night is the Horn's Elite card at the Weber County Fair in Ogden. I'm intrigued by one pro bout, debuting Ha'va Nathan Owens versus Steve Chan. Both were good amateurs. Chan, in his second bout, lost his pro debut to the very talented Miles Welk. An amateur bout matches Eeric Munoz against Graham McMillan. The entire card is here.

SteelFist results from last Friday are here and here. In pro fights, AJ Garcia stopped Karl Grace very early and and Leo Plaz stopped Joe Rodriguez in 2. .... Mountain Force MMA had a card in Pocatello last Saturday. Kerry Lattimer scored a win in one of the pro bouts.

Lattimer will be facing Carson Gregory in the next SteelFist card. Also fighting opponents on that card are pro Dominic Gero, amateur Hayden Brown, and amateur Xasha Lopez, who recently dropped a decision in Wyoming. In a pro flyweight promotional title fight, Nicky Barz meets Nicholas Clem. The card is Oct. 12 in Salt Lake City.

SteelFist card Friday, interview with Brandon Rease

Tomorrow night SteelFist MMA has a pro/am card in Salt Lake City at the Union Event Center. Interesting pro main event matches Joe Rodriguez, of One Hit MMA, and University of Grappling,, on a comeback, fighting Leo Pla, 205 pounds. Also fighting in a pro bout is AJ Garcia, of One Hit MMA, who meets (I think Karl Grace). Garcia had an opponent pull out recently so this is a late substitute. He recently had an opponent pull out at the Mountain Force MMA Pat Reeves Fight Night.

An intriguing amateur title bout matches Brandon Rease, (seen above at right in a previous bout) who fights at 125 pounds, against Robby Miner. It will be the second bout for the pair. Rease won the first via a stoppage due to strikes. Card starts at 7 p.m. More info on tickets at the SteelFist website. Next week we'll look at the upcoming MMA card at the Weber County Fairgrounds from Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night.

Here's an interview Utah Fight News had with Rease as he prepares for the SteelFist title bout with Miner.

Utah Fight Game: Brandon, you just won an amateur belt. How does it feel to go after another?

Rease: Yes I’m very excited to get a chance to win another belt I never thought I would be able to do that in my Ammy career. Utah Fight Game: How has your game improved recently?

Rease: I’ve change a lot I’ve been working on a lot on my kick boxing and strength and conditioning

Utah Fight Game: Tell us how training is going? Rease: I’ve been training with a lot of (fighters) at KOA Kingdom like Bobby King, Bryce Edminister, Bryce Scanlon, Miles Welk, Edgar Soto, Alonzo Salas and Hector Lopez.

Utah Fight Game: What's up for the future?

Rease: After this fight I plan on defending one of my belts and going pro.

Good luck to Rease, Miner and all the competitors at the card on Friday night. It'll be a great night of fights.

If you are in Pocatello, Idaho, on Saturday night Mountain Force MMA has a card there. One bout matches Kerry Lattimer against Billy Carothers. Here is the promotion's Facebook page.

SOME BOXING

This weekend, Friday and Saturday, there is amateur boxing at South Salt Lake PAL. Here is the Facebook Page for the 2018 Pete Suazo Invitational. ... Both Larry Gomez and Christian Aguirre may have pro bouts soon. Gomez may fight in Washington and Aguirre is slated to fight on a Top Rank card in Arizona. Hopefully both bouts, or others, will develop.