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.

Interview with MMA professional Thomas Hughes

Thomas Hughes (at left with teammate Jarrett Kelton) is making his professional MMA debut Friday, Sept. 12 in Ogden as part of the Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night card during the Weber County Fair. Although Hughes has a 3-0 amateur MMA record, he's better known as a kick, who, along with Kelton, is a member of the U.S. kickboxing team. He's a national champ and has fought internationally.

I had the opportunity to chat with Thomas:

1) What was the motivator to turn pro? And while it's an MMA fight is your primary goal to compete in kickboxing?

Hughes: I've been trying to get a fight since January with SteelFist and they've not been able so get me an opponent and when Jen (of Horn's Elite) called me -- she had two people pull out from fighting me as well -- ... I knew I had to turn pro or else I wouldn't get a fight! 

2) What do you know about your opponent, Marcel McCain (6-0 amateur). Is there any specific training for him?

Hughes: All I know is he holds a few belts and is undefeated! That doesn't intimidate me at all. My game plan and training is pretty simple; work hard and go for the finish! 

3) Where are you training and with whom? I assume Jarrett and others are helping? What's the daily routine?

Hughes: I've been working at One Hit MMA for striking, Blackout (gym) with Lucus Montoya and a lot of phenomenal grapplers, and also down at Mori Training Center (in Ogden) with guys like Ryder Campo.

4) After this bout, what's on tap long-term?

Hughes: I'm making my run to the UFC. Within 2018 I'll have a contract in the UFC. I'm actually looking to transition and move down to Vegas in the coming weeks with my family after the fight!

5) So you are moving toward UFC rather than Glory or Bellator Kickboxing? Where will you train in Las Vegas? 

Hughes: I've got a few connection at Xtreme Couture and syndicate so I'm going to pray about it to know for sure! Yes I'm going full toward UFC and leaving the kickboxing behind.

Hughes certainly has the talent to move up in MMA and he swish him well in his pro debut and future. 

NEXT WEEK we will be interviewing some fighters from The Pack at Foley's gym in Ogden who will be competing in amateur bouts at the Horn's Elite card, including veteran Eric Munoz.

ALSO, just a reminder that The Garage's amateur Bryce Edminister is fighting in Boise, Idaho, at the Front Street Fights MMA card at the Century Link Arena. His opponent will be Kellen VanCamp. We'll try to chat with Bryce in a couple of weeks.

SOME AMATEUR BOXING: Last weekend there was a Legends amateur boxing card in SLC. Some All Heart gym fighters competed. Kam Santiago of All Heart defeated Jose Hernandez of Louie's gym. Edgar Taracena of All Heart was defeated, do not have his opponent's name.

Interviews with LJ Schulz and Tim Carroll, Jose Haro fights Saturday on TV

The big news this weekend is that West Jordan featherweight boxer Jose Haro fights on CBS Sports Network on Saturday night (Xfinity 269) against Daniel Franco for the United States Boxing Association title. This is arguably the biggest fight for a Utah pro since heavyweight Billy Zumbrun lost, via a disputed decision, a televised bout against former heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe a decade back or so. Good luck trying to find a TV listing at CBS Sports website but fightnews.com has it starting a 10 pm EST, which would be 8 pm locally.

We'll get back to boxing, including a preview of Friday's boxing card at The Complex in SLC and an interview with one of the boxers. However, as part of our preview of the June 23 SteelFist MMA card in SLC, we were fortunate enough to chat with One Hit MMA's LJ Schulz (seen training above at left) who is fighting The Garage's Anthony Miller in the main event. The 150 pounders are competing in a 5-round SteelFist title challenge. Miller defeated Jeremiah Guzman to win the belt recently.

So, here's the interview:

1) Tell me a little about yourself. What got you interested in MMA, who are some MMA athletes you admire?

Schulz: I'm 28, married and a proud father of 2 kids. I got into MMA right about the time the first ultimate fighter came on. I was just a fan for a while. I didn't even start training until about 2 years after my first fight. When I did decide to train, I was lucky to be able to train with Shane Brennar at his basement gym. He created a lot of my grappling foundation to this day but he left to California after a year. I had to find a gym and knew Jordan Smith was the top guy in Utah at the time and he trained near me.
 
2) Where are you training for the bout. Who are your coaches? What other fighters are training, or sparring with you?

Schulz: That's how I found One Hit and the head trainer Aldo Oreggia. I've been training there for 6 years now and we prove every fight card we're the top gym in Utah. I train with the best and because there is too many to name, I'll stick with the upcoming talent that are fighting with me on June 23. Cory Rose, Gavin Weston, and Kaden Weston, will set One Hit up with a 3-0 before I get our fourth and my shiny new belt. 

3) What are your strengths, what are your opponent’s strengths and what’s your strategy to come out on top? 

Schulz: My strength is the ability to go anywhere. I've improved my boxing a lot during that pro boxing try I had. However, I've always been known as a ground guy. I recently earned my purple belt in BJJ but keep in mind I've done No-Gi grappling a lot longer. He'll most likely try taking me down which is fine, I'll be the one picking if we go there.

4) Where do you hope to be in your career a year from now?
Schulz: Not quite sure where I'll be. I'd love to get another shot at LFA but I'm more than happy to defend this belt a couple times then take the 145lb SteelFist belt. My training partner and friend Jon Neal will relinquish it because he'll be in the UFC by then.

We wish Schulz, as well as Miller, the best of luck on the 23rd. We may have some more interviews as the date of fight night approaches. Also, read these previous interviews of June 23 competitors here and here.

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More boxing: As mentioned, there is a pro/am boxing card Friday night at The Complex, which starts at 8 p.m. The main event matches Tim Carroll, (above) who teaches boxing at Factum gym, with Christian Aguirre. The bout is for the state middleweight title. 

We chatted with Carroll recently about the fight:

Utah Fight Game: Tim, what do you know about Christian Aguirre and how are you training for him? Who coaches you and helps you with your training? What is a typical day of training like? You've had some fights with tough opponents and I thought a couple should have went your way. What have you learned from tough bouts? What's it like being the coach at Factum? You started late as a pro. Where would you like to be a year from now?

Carroll: My days are pretty busy. I work 10 hours a day as electrician then I go to Factum and train people for a couple of hours. After that I try to fit in some time to train with (former pro) Gary Gomez, then go home to my beautiful wife and seven-month-old baby.

I turned pro at 34, I'm 37 now me and Christian (and I) used to be sparring partners. We both trained with Gary Gomez. I've worked the corner against him in three out of his four fights. He is a good boxer. (At this point Carroll expressed concerns with some comments Aguirre has allegedly made prior to the fight.)  ... but all of his trash talking just gets me more excited. I have forgotten more about boxing than he knows as a coach. I put more pressure on myself to win but I just want to show all the people I train just to leave it all in the ring.

That's all I expect people to do that I train; is to leave it all out there so that's what I try to do every time. 

Good luck Tim, and to all the competitors, including undefeated Ignacio Chairez, who are fighting on the card. Unfortunately, undefeated boxer Larry Gomez's fight was cancelled.

We will report boxing results through the weekend.

Chan, Welk talk before SteelFist MMA clash, plus more

UPDATE ON DAVID CASTILLO MMA BOUT SATURDAY: David Castillo, who runs The Garage MMA gym, fights Saturday in Council Bluffs, Iowa, meeting another veteran, Dakota Cochrane. Card is here; good luck David. ... Today we are chatting with the two MMA professionals meeting in the co-main even on June 23 in SLC at the SteelFist card. Both were successful local amateurs. Miles Welk, of The Garage MMA, is 1-0 and Steve Chan, of Victory MMA, is making his pro debut. This is a tough match for novice pros but even a loss is better than five wins over outmatched competitors. The whole card is here.

So, here we go with the interview:

1) Tell me a little about yourself. What got you interested in MMA, who are some MMA athletes you admire?
 
CHAN (Seen below) When I was younger my dad would teach me karate and Kung Fu, We would watch a lot of martial arts movies like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, So I've always been interested in combat. When I got a little older I started watching shows like Dragon Ball Z and Power Rangers and started reading X-men comics, So I got really into the whole superhero/combat/ fighting atmosphere. Later I found an interest in boxing and then discovered MMA one night flipping through the channels. It was Ben Henderson fighting and I was immediately hooked. I started watching the local late-night MMA shows and was very impressed with the sport: the grappling, striking, everything. I continued boxing and later decided to try Muay Thai and my obsession just grew from there. I admire Anderson Silva because of his unorthodox style, it is really exciting to watch. I also admire Zach Zane, his heart, passion and aggressiveness for the sport taught me that you don't have to walk around like a tough guy to earn respect outside of the cage. Chan Sung Jung, Jose Aldo, Demetrious Johnson are also fighters that I enjoy watching. 

WELK (Seen below with trainer David Castillo): I'm 27. I wrestled for a while and after school I missed wrestling and that type of workout and competing. I admire my coach David Castillo and my stand-in big brother Lucus Montoya, Chris Weidman, George St. Pierre Matt Hughes and Jeremy Horn are fighters I admire.

2) Where are you training for the bout. Who are your coaches? What other fighters are training, or sparring with you?

WELK: I'm full time at The Garage in Layton, Utah. My coaches are David Castillo, Jason Tafoya, Anthony Lobato. I have a solid group of teammates who I would be nothing without. (They include) Bryce Edminister, Anthony Miller, Bobby King, Nathan Owens, Brandon Rease.

CHAN: I am training at Victory MMA, where we have amazing coaches that make sure we are prepared for war. My coaches are: Jake Paul, Kam Tuller, James Foster, Matt Raines and Kyle Herrera Some of my teammates I am working with are: Brenda Enriquez, Clay Abrams, Jayden and Jordan Marshall, Kelleck Diamond, Drew, Erick, Dan, Joshua Tauteoli, Ethan Shepherd, Pedro and a handful of other guys and girls.

3) What are your strengths, what are your opponent’s strengths and what’s your strategy to come out on top?

CHAN: I believe I am a well-rounded fighter and I am looking to come away with the win wherever the fight goes. My opponent likes to wrestle, and I like to do all of it, wrestling included. 

WELK: My opponent is a tough guy with a deep gas tank I know he's training hard. He has good hands and decent ground awareness from the video I've watched. I'm just working hard to get better everywhere so I'm comfortable no matter where the fight goes.

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

WELK: In a year I would like to be 4-0 maybe 5-0 with a local title.

CHAN: A year from now I will be an even better fighter, with much sharper tools and farther in my journey to become the best mixed martial artist I can be.

We wish the best to both Welk and Chan, two great competitors with strong futures in the sport.

SOME MORE NEWS:

On Saturday, there is amateur boxing at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington. The card is sponsored by All Heart and Lights Out gym. We hope to have results and perhaps photos to share on the blog.

Also on Saturday is Fierce Fighting Championship MMA card in Price. Of particular interest is the Jordan Chandler versus Cy Nelson fight. It's likely the last fight for Ogden's Chandler as he moves with his wife to Arizona to continue his education.

June 9 there is a pro/am boxing card at The Complex in SLC. Undefeated local pros Ignacio Chairez and Larry Gomez are in separate bouts and Utahns Tim Carroll and Christian Aguirre fight for the state middleweight title. Chairez, by the way, was noted as one of the top 12 prospects in boxing by Inside Boxing.

Next week we'll have interviews with Carroll and One Hit MMA's LJ Schulz as he prepares for his main-bout fight at SteelFist on June 23.

Finally, remember that Utahn Jose Haro is fighting for a national featherweight title on June 10 in Sloan, Iowa, against Daniel Franco, and the fight will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

Read our interviews with amateurs Ben Guymon and Kaden Weston, who are fighting on the SteelFist card,

Talking with boxer Larry Gomez, MMA fighter Nathan Owens

I have wanted to chat with undefeated Utah professional boxer Larry Gomez (seen above after a win). The Midvale boxer, who hopes to be in the ring again next month, is 6-0. He had a strong amateur career as well. He answered questions that included his goals in 2017 and his training methods and fighting style.

GOMEZ: "I was back in the gym a week and a half after my big win over undefeated Donald Griffin (in December). My plan is to fight every other month. I will be fighting toward the end of February. 

"As much as I'd love to fight here at home there's much bigger opportunities for me to start traveling and showing my talent to the world and maybe some day become champ of the world. To get there I will do my best to stay undefeated this year.

"My goal is to have six to eight fights this year then work my way on to ShowBox The Next Generation. My next fight may be in Chicago next month. I plan to stay at 147 (pounds) for the rest of my career.

"I'd like to thank everybody who has helped me; my uncle, Gary Gomez, for getting me where I am today. Michael Hermosillo for being there and providing a nice gym (Hidden Valley MMA) for me to get ready in, and all the sparring partners who have been there for me: Michael Gomez, Jose Haro, Jon Bryant, and many more from Utah."

Gomez concludes by expressing his appreciation to his fans and reiterating his desire to win a world championship one day. We express our thanks for him chatting with the Utah Fight Game blog.

MMA FIGHTER NATHAN OWENS

We mentioned that Fierce Fighting Championships is Saturday in Salt Lake City. It's at the Utah State Fair Park, 155 N. 1000 West, SLC. The card, doors open at 5:30 p.m., can be found here. Samson Phommabout was scheduled to fight in the main event but the card has been changed. Now Race Sawyer will fight Mike Hamel for a promotional belt, five rounds scheduled.

A couple of amateur bouts with fighters from The Garage MM gym are intriguing. Alonzo Salas (The Garage) fights Mitch Ramirez at 180 pounds, and Ha'va Nathan Owens (The Garage) fights Daniel Arellano (both are undefeated) at 125 pounds. I've known Owens (photo below) for a awhile and was kind enough to chat briefly about the fight.

OWENS: "I have a tough fight coming up this weekend. (My trainer is Dave Castillo). I've had to make sure that everything I'm doing is on point. My fighting style is (traditional) MMA.

"I love it all. In a year from now, I would like to see myself as (amateur) champion of my division; undefeated.

Thanks Nathan, and good luck Saturday.

TIDBITS: Next week we'll have more on SteelFist's February 18 card. The promotion announced on Jan. 18 that it will have four cards this year at the Riverbend Sports Complex in Salt Lake City. Also, MMA pro John Valentine, who matches female MMA fighters, plans to announce some future bouts as well as a five-bout contract for one MMA fighter, soon.