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.

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.

Neal, several other locals, on September LFA card in West Valley

Some quick updates on the Utah Fight Game:

On Sept. 6, in West Valley at The Maverik Center, Ogden's Jon Neal is the co-main event on an LFA card, fighting Idaho's Andrew Cruz. Several area  MMA professionals are on the card, including Samson Phommabout, Westin Wilson, Carson Hardman, Eric Iman, Kaytlin Neil, Trever Bradshaw, and Mike Jones. The entire card is here.

On Oct. 19, at The Union Event Center in Salt Lake City, professionals Rowdy Akers and Gregg McFarland head the SteelFist MMA card.

On Sept. 21, at the Eccles Ice Arena in Logan, professional Dom Gero of Ogden meets debuting Max Riddle in the pro main bout for Mountain Force MMA.

Some recent MMA cards:

SteelFist, Aug. 9: In the main event, former amateur champion Hayden Brown made his pro debut against veteran Nick Martinez, who used his experience to score a win. The entire card is here.

Mountain Force MMA, Aug. 3: Veteran Aaron Sutton, of Idaho, announced his retirement after losing in the main bout to Billy Carothers. Results are here. ... Also Utah's Court McGee will meet Sean Brady in a UFC bout Oct. 18 in Boston.

Fierce Fighting Championships, Aug. 3: Phommabout defeated Randy Rowland in the main bout. On the undercard, Thomas Prestriedge won the 135 pound amateur belt, defeating Simon Prado. Results are here.

Idaho professional MMA pro Kerry Lattimer remained busy, scoring a win in Hawaii and a loss in northern California.

Finally, Utah MMA pro Court McGee is back in the UFC cage on Oct. 18 in Boston. He meets Sean Brady.

BOXING:

On Aug. 31 at the One Event Center in SLC, there is a boxing card. Professional Helaman Olguin will be fighting. Bouts that included featherweight Jose Haro and super middleweight Christian Nava will not be occurring. ... Salt Lake City welterweight pro Christian Aguirre is scheduled to fight on Sept. 6 in northern California.

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.

Rodriguez wins SteelFist bout; Proving Grounds Invitational

At the SteelFist MMA card in SLC last Saturday night, 205-pound Joe Rodriguez (seen above) won the main event stopping Hank Weiss in the first round. In another pro bout, debuting Eric Munoz stopped veteran heavyweight Andy Witt in the first round. And in a professional 125-pound women's MMA bout, Katlin Neil ended her fight with Andrea Miller in round one. The best amateur bout was a highly competitive match between Augustin Valdez and Thomas Prestriedge for the 135-pound belt. Valdez earned a split decision win. The entire card is here.

The next SteelFist card is Feb. 16 at the Union Event Center in SLC. Bouts include Carson Gregory versus Craig Grove, Eric Iman versus Joshua Brown and Trever Bradshaw versus Jo Maama.

The Proving Grounds Invitational 5 is on Jan. 19 at 370 S 300 East in Salt Lake City. One intriguing superfight matches Sean Powers versus Josh Burkman. Competing again in the grappling competitions is Lucus Montoya, among many other local competitors.

Also, Mountain Force MMA has a card in Logan at the Cache Events Center on Jan. 19. Mike Jones headlines the main event. Card is here.

SteelFist kicks off new year with MMA card; pro boxing results

Two veteran professional MMA light-heavyweights will headline SteelFist MMA's first card of 2019 on Saturday, Jan. 25, at The Union Event Center, 235 North, 500 West, in Salt Lake City.

Joe Rodriguez, 7-5, who has logged wins over Damarques Johnson, Eti Palu, and Eric Wahlen, takes on 50-plus fight veteran Hank Weiss, 31-20, who in a long career has notched wins over Jarome Hatch, Sean O'Connell, Mike Crisman, Josh Burkman and Nick Rossborough, among others. Both fighters are 41 years old.

The entire scheduled card is here. A pro women's MMA bout matches Kaytlin Neil versus Andrea Miller and professionals Jared Toothaker and Andy Witt meet as well. Amateur bouts include Thomas Prestriedge and Augustin Valdez competing for a SteelFist title belt and Alonzo Salas meeting Aldyn Ashcraft. Doors open at 6 p.m. in this card for all ages.

Professional boxing results

On Nov. 30 in Salt Lake City local pro boxer Ignacio Chairez remained undefeated with a unanimous decision win over previously undefeated Anthony Curtiss. Chairez is 6-0-1 in his pro career.You can see all results here. Eric Wahlen, also an MMA pro, also won on the card, remaining undefeated as a professional boxer.

On Dec. 6, Salt Lake City professional boxer Christian Aguirre, 8-4 as a pro, traveled to Costa Mesa, Calif. to meet undefeated, former amateur star Andreas Katzourakis. Aguirre was dropped in round one but survived, and fought competitively against his larger opponent through rounds 2 and 3, although Katzourakis kept an edge with strong body shots.

Midway through round, the referee inexplicably stopped the bout, awarding Katzourakis a TKO victory. It deprived the usually resilient Aguirre of an opportunity to rally and perhaps grab a win, something he has done more than once. Results from the entire card can be found here.

Siler advances to final of MMA million-dollar tourney

Last Friday night, in New Orleans, on national television (NBCSports network) Northern Utah MMA professional Steven Siler advanced to the finals of the PFL featherweight tourney that offers $1 million to the winner. Siler, who has been on a major roll this year, outclassed Nazareno Malegarie in the quarterfinals and Alexandre de Almeida in the semifinals (his second win over Almeida in the tourney). The entire card is here.

The first bout, two rounds, was technically a draw, but Siler dominated the most-important round one, flooring Malegarie with a right hand. Because a draw would be decided by the winner of the first round advancing, Siler fought a conservative second and final round, avoiding wild swings by a desperate Malegarie. Siler advances after a draw of 20-18 (Siler) and 19-19 twice.

In the semifinal bout, Siler dominated a round-plus against de Almedia, who the Utah fighter had stopped last summer in a preliminary non-knockout round of the tournament. Early in round two, de Almedia was disqualified when, on the ground, he landed an illegal left upkick to the right side of Siler's face, who was kneeling above him.

On New Year's Eve, in a nationally televised match, Siler will fight Lance Palmer in the finals with the winner earning a $1 million purse. Palmer defeated Andre Harrison in the other semi-final bout. Last year, Palmer scored a decision win over Siler.  ... Also, Saturday night Utahn Sean O'Connell fights -- potentially twice -- in the 205 pound PFL quarter/semifinals in the tournament. One the undercard is often-Utah MMA pro Ramsey Nijem.

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Mountain Force MMA had a fight card last Saturday in Logan. Results are here at Jeffrey "Dutch" Dutcher's Utah Fighting Out of Utah MMA news. In the main bout for an 145-pound amateur belt, Tyson Craig stopped Lee Critchlow. In a pro bout, 170 pounds, Aaron Chambers stopped Andy Pitcher.

-- This Friday night in Salt Lake City SteelFist has a card (here). In pro bouts Nick Clem fights Nick Burgos for the promotion's 125-pound belt, Carson Gregory fights Kerry Lattimer (170 pounds) and Dom Gero fights Tracy Hardy, 185 pounds.

In amateur title bouts, Hayden Brown and Lehi Dominguez meet, 170 pounds, Jordan Marshall meets Robby Minor, 125 pounds, and Thomas Preistridge fight Justin Horsely, 135 pounds.

The card is at the Union Events Center, 235 N. 500 West. Fights start at 7 pm

--- A host of local amateur boxers are in Tennessee fighting in a regional championship. We'll try to get results next week.

Mountain Force MMA card this weekend, more

Mountain Force MMA is having its inaugural card in Utah this Saturday in Logan. Let's hope that a good crowd shows up. In recent years a couple of regular MMA promotions in Northern Utah has ceased operating, although SteelFist is still going strong and Jeremy Horn's has a couple of cards a year. It's at the Eccles Ice Arena at 7 p.m. Website is here. The promotion has a strong Facebook presence here. The card is here. Main bout matches Anthony Miller versus Allen Silva, pros. Another pro bout has Nick Clemm meeting Justus Minardi, who is a fill in for an injured Miles Welk. A pro bout matches Andy Pitcher and Ben Goins. An amateur 205 pound title bout matches Joe Flores versus Colton Hildebrand. Another amateur fights has Brittany Guillemin against Stephanie Hernandez.

Readers may have noticed the belt above. It will be at the Mountain Force MMA card. Stackd Fitness and AlphaSetBoxing have come together to donate this MMA championship belt to a child who is undergoing his cancer treatment. They will be surprising him this Saturday at the MMA event. If anyone wants to know more about this and offer assistance you can message professional fighter Christian Nava via Facebook. We give kudos to Stackd Fitness and AlphaSetBoxing for sponsoring this effort.

Mountain Force MMA also plans a June 2 card in Ogden. It will be a Pat Reeves Fight Night with some of the proceeds benefiting the late fighter's family. MMA pro Thomas Hughes will be fighting on the card.

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Fierce Fighting Championship in Price was last Saturday. In the 155-pound pro main event Nate Kearsley scored a decision over Cy Nelson. In a 125-pound amateur title bout Brandon Rease scored a decision (5 rounds) over Thomas Prestriedge. I was able to watch that bout via a smart phone video over Facebook. Both fighters competed very well. To get all the results go to Facebook's Fighting Out of Utah MMA News here.

I also watched amateur kickboxer Kaecy Raddon win a WAKO bout Saturday in Wisconsin thanks to a smart phone and social media. Raddon, who also fights as an amateur MMA, fights for a belt next month in the Pacific Northwest.

Invicta is having an MMA card Saturday, March 24 at the Union Event Center in Salt Lake City. The card is here. DeAnna Bennett is part of the co-main, fighting Karina Rodriguez of Mrexico. The undercard includes local Kaytlin Neil against Tracy Cortez of Arizona.

Finally, The Complex in Salt Lake City is scheduled to have a boxing pro am card on March 24. I have not garnered much information on it but it has been reported on social media that undefeated professional boxers Christian Aguirre and Bladimir Estrada will be meeting with the state title on the line (middleweight?). 

Interviews with Brandon Rease, Thomas Prestriedge

(UPDATE: We learned this early afternoon that MMA pro Miles Welk has to pull out of his March 17 bout in Logan. He suffered a severe MCL sprain in hand and knee as well as a severely sprained thumb. We wish him well in his recovery. He hopes to fight again in April or May. )

This Saturday night is Fierce Fighting Championship's latest card. You can see it here. The main pro bout matches Cy Nelson against Nate Kearsley. An amateur rematch places Brandon Rease against Thomas Prestriedge. It's for a promotional title and we're very intrigued by this fight. Utah Fight Game interviewed both Thomas and Brandon:

THOMAS PRESTRIEDGE:

UFG: You fought Brandon a couple of years ago, lost a split decision. Now it's for a title. What are you looking for from your opponent? Do you think there's more to learn about your opponent? Or are looking for an updated version of the same bout? 

Prestriedge: I'm looking for a good fight from him, I'm really hoping Brandon has improved since the last time we fought like I have. There's nothing I hate more then a easy fight . I only wanna fight the best! It's the only way I'll ever reach my goal in life.

UFG: What is training like? Who are your main coaches, who are you training and sparring with? 

Prestriedge: To me training is a awesome experience. It's where I get to work on all my weaknesses and spend time with awesome people. I always train harder then the day before! My main coaches are professor Rob Handely, Pedro Sierra, Paul Tom, and coach Pat Garcia and I work on my Jiu-Jitsu at Paul Tom's academy of BBJ and I work on my wrestling sparring and my MMA training at Absolute MMA.

UFG: What advantages do you take into the bout? What are some challenges that your opponent will bring to you?

Prestriedge: I think my advantages in this fight are gonna be my stand up and my Jiu-Jitsu, not to mention my mentality. I am not willing to give up no matter how hard he comes at me! And I think one of the biggest challenges he will bring at me is having the same mindset; he is not gonna be willing to give up either and when both opponents aren't willing to give up that's when the fight really becomes interesting.

BRANDON REASE:

UFG: You fought Thomas a couple of years ago, won a split decision. Now it's for a title. What are you looking for from your opponent? Do you think there's more to learn about your opponent? Or are looking for an updated version of the same bout? 

Rease: I’m looking to see a mor improved Thomas. I have a feeling he’s gonna come at me with everything he’s got and I will be bringing everything I got to him. I know this fight will be a war.

UFG: What is training like? Who are your main coaches, who are you training and sparring with?

Rease: Training, I’m not gonna lie is very brutal. I train at KOA which is now the home for the Garage MMA and we got some high-skilled "bangas" in there, like Bryce Edminister, Bobby King, Miles Welk, Hector Lopez, Bryce Scanlon, Alonzo Salas, Edgar Soto and Kelsey Skillman; so many well-skilled fighters. My coaches are Anthony Lobato, David Castillo and Bobby King! Those are some big names in Utah MMA. Sparring at KOA isn’t no walk in a park and I love it.

UFG: What advantages do you take into the bout? What are some challenges that your opponent will bring to you?

Rease: Advantages I will bring into this fight are I already beat him -- that’s gonna be on his mind this fight -- (and) also my skills in everything have improved since we last fought. The challenge he will bring to me is his reach and heart; that kid can bang. ... also this fight is dedicated to Pat Reeves (Ogden MMA fighter who recently died).

We wish both Thomas and Brandon the best. I admire both these veteran amateurs. Brandon rebounded well from some tough, early losses in his career, and improved to become a consistent winner. Thomas, in his last fight, won a SteelFist crown after taking quite a beating in round one against a very talented opponent. He withstood the early attack and battled back to take a five-round decision. Saturday's bout is also for five rounds.

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A reminder that Mountain Force MMA card is next Saturday in Logan. We have interviewed Miles Welk, pro fighter on the card. The entire card is here. Anthony Miller fights Allen Silva in the main pro bout. Also on the card are debuting pros Andy Pitcher and Ben Goins, and amateurs Hayden Brown and Joe Flores. ... Hector Lopez, 3-0, amateur out of KOA, is fighting on the April 6 FitCon card in SLC. 

Notes: Amateur MMA fighter/kickboxer Kaecy Raddon, who fights out of Colorado now, is competing in a WAKO Team USA  K1 Kickboxing card this weekend in Janesville, Wisc. Raddon will be back in the  cage on April 7 in Everett, Wash., fighting for the Sparta Combat League 155 pound amateur belt. ... By the way, Eric Tillotson is calling the Fierce Fighting Championship card on Saturday in Price. He recently previewed the card on a podcast. You can find it here on Facebook.

SteelFist results, upcoming bouts

A quick Utah Fight Game blog post this week: Last Saturday SteelFist had its MMA pro/am card in Salt Lake City. In the main event Fabio Serrao defeated Cody Bunderson in round three and in another pro bout, Trever Bradshaw stopped Daniel Benjamin Grass is the opening stanza. Amateur winners included Jordan Matrshall, Jayden Marshall and Hayden Brown. ALL THE RESULTS are at the Facebook page Fighting Out of Utah MMA News here.

There was an amateur card Saturday at the South Salt Lake PAL. I don't have all the results but here is what I have:

Austin Garcia dec. Diego Cabrera, 50 pounds (both Team Unbreakable)

Alyssa Mendoza (Alpha Boxing Club) dec. Soledad Rodriguez (Louie's Boxing Club) 114 pounds

Shane Saunders (SSL PAL) dec. Corbin Lloyd (Team Unbreakable) 65 pounds

Erik Castenada (Fullmer Bro. Boxing Club) dec. Joe Gibson (Foley's gym) 95 pounds

Fernando Quintanilla (SSL PAL) dec. Guillermo Martinez (Louie's Boxing Club) 85 pounds

John Ortiz (Reyes Boxing) dec. Robert Chaiarez (Salt Lake City)

Jay Wright (Foley's gym) dec. Abuch Jones (Team Unbreakable) 141 pounds

Nicole Sontag (Logan, UT) dec. Bethanny Wurster (Cache Valley Boxing Club) 141 pounds

Heneli Paea (Salt Lake City) defeated Tyson Haddon (Cache Valley Boxing Club) 165 pounds

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Back to MMA: SteelFist has a great main event on April 13, Clay Collard versus undefeated Carson Gregory. An amateur 185-pound bout will match Eric Munoz, who trains at Foley's, against Cole Shafer. ... Next week is the Fierce Fighting Championships card. A great amateur title bout matches Thomas Prestriedge against Brandon Rease. We should have interview with both on the blog next week.

Here is a list of upcoming events in Utah courtesy of the state athletic commission website. Mountain Force MMA and Invicta are in Logan and Salt Lake City March 17 and March 24. Rumor has it a boxing card is on tap in March kin SLC but it's not listed as of yet. Mountain Force MMA plans an Ogden card in June, and Jeremy Horn's will be in Ogden in August.

An interview with MMA pro Miles Welk

On March 17 Mountain Force MMA will have its first promotion at the Eccles Ice Arena in Logan. The card is set and you can see matchups at the promotion's Facebook page. One of the pro bouts matches Miles Welk (of KOA gym in Layton) (at left above) with Nick Clem. Both fighters are undefeated. We have observed Welk's career for several years, from a successful amateur who captured regional titles through two successful pro bouts. We took the time to chat with him recently.

Miles, there have been fairly long gaps between your two pro fights. Do you have plans to fight more often?

Welk: Yeah I've struggled to stay in the gym and be consistent in my training. I've rededicated myself and I'm going to see if I can't take my career to the next level so I'm planning to fight at 3 times this year maybe 4 depending on how healthy I stay.

How is training going? You train at KOA. Who are your trainers and other fighters you work out with?

Welk: I do train at KOA. I love it. It's an amazing gym and it has so much to offer to everyone, especially fighters. It's a great fit for me. Training is good. I'm working hard in every aspect. I’m just trying to get better at being a mixed martial artist every day. My head coach is David Castillo, my Jui Jitsui Coach is Anthony Lobato, My strength and conditioning Coach is Bobby King. I have a room full of great partners. Bryce Edminister, Bobby King, Hector Lopez, Edgar Sorto, Brandon Rease, Kelsey Skillman, Bryce Scanlon,Alonzo Salas. We have a pretty stacked team right now.

How do you match strongly against your opponent?

Welk: My opponent is Nick Clem from Colorado. He's a tough guy, had 12 amateur fights, 1-0 as a pro. He has good footwork and lateral movement and I can tell he likes to wrestle and grapple so I feel like I match up well against him. I feel like I can wrestle with anyone in the 125-pound weight class and my striking is getting better every day and so is my jui jitsui . Overall I'm ready for whatever and match up well with him.

You are fighting, and getting some good publicity, from a new promoter. What are your plans beyond this bout. Do you have a schedule, plans to move forward in MMA?

Welk: This is a new promotion Mountain Force MMA. They have been awesome to work with. Juan (Pablo) is the man, and I'm looking forward to fighting and trying to get the W on the very first card. Hopefully they'll have me back. I don't have anything scheduled yet but I have plenty of teammates who do so I'm just going to stay in the gym and stay ready for the next fight and help my teammates get ready.

Thanks Miles for your time and good luck on March 17.

Some extra news: SteelFist has announced a very strong matchup for its Friday the 13th April card. Undefeated Carson Gregory versus former UFC veteran Clay Collard. This will be highly anticipated; either a gate for Gregory to move up early in his career or perhaps a means for Collard to move back into the major promotions. ... Locally, we are intrigued by a Fierce Fighting Championship promotional amateur title fight between Thomas Prestriedge, of American Fork, and Brandon Rease, who fights out of KOA. The pair fought two years ago at at SteelFist card with Rease getting a split decision. It's in Price on March 10, and we'll likely try to interview both soon.

And more ... Kelsey Skillman, amateur at KOA, is set to fight in April for SteelFist, and this weekend, Kaecy Raddon, formerly at One Hit MMA, who now fights out of Colorado, is fighting Roy Sarabia for a Sparta Combat League 155-pound amateur belt.

Akers rallies to stop Valentine in SteelFist retirement bout

In an exciting mixed martial arts bout Saturday night, Rowdy Akers withstood an early-bout surge from previously undefeated John Valentine to take charge in the final round, scoring a stoppage at 1.42 of round three. In the photo above, Valentine and Akers (back to cage) mix it up early in the bout)

The highly anticipated bout was billed as a retirement fight for both 40-something professionals, who have fought much of their careers with the promotion, SteelFist MMA.

In the 150-pound bout, Valentine (4-1) started aggressively, attempting to end the fight early via a submission or through ground and pound. Akers, fighting mostly on the defensive early, was successful in preventing Valentine from having an early night.

The fight started to turn in round 2, when Akers (5-4), after surviving another submission attempt, drove Valentine back with his own attack. Valentine fought back, scoring a takedown. However, by the end of the round Akers was gaining the upper hand.

In round three, Akers, who snapped a three-bout losing streak, took charge early, taking Valentine down and punishing him for a least a minute before the bout was stopped.

After the fight, Valentine congratulated Akers, saying "he was the better man tonight."

SteelFist promotion honored both fighters after the bout, presenting them with plaques and promotional belts.

An emotional Akers, his voice breaking at times, thanked a host of individuals, including Aldo Oreggia, owner of One Hit MMA, for all their support and assistance. "My God is good," Akers added, grateful for the MMA sport for helping lifting him up as an individual the past several years. (In the photo below, Akers, in green trunks, talks with Valentine after the bout)

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In the main professional bout, Jerry Shiparo (9-1), who fights out of Las Vegas, stopped Jai Santos (7-4), who fights out of Team Link Utah, in round one via rear naked choke. With the win Shiparo collected the SteelFist 135-pound pro title bout. (The main event result is courtesy of the Facebook page Fighting Out of Utah MMA News)

In the other professional bout, Idaho's William Dunkle (2-2) upset local favorite Josh Bateman (4-4) with a win via strikes in round one. After being taken down by Bateman early, Dunkle stunned his 170-pound opponent and pummeled him until the referee called it.

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The highlight of 11 amateur bouts was an extremely competitive bout between Thomas Prestriedge (8-6) (Absolute MMA) and Jordan Marshall (3-1) (Victory MMA) for the promotion's 125-pound amateur belt. Prestriedge, a skinny fighter whose frame masks quite a bit of talent and ring generalship, used experience and a strong jab to defeat his stronger, more aggressive opponent over five rounds.

Marshall nearly ended the bout early, scoring a knockdown, but Prestriedge fought off his opponent's follow-up attack and gradually gained confidence, keeping a boxing edge through the competitive match.

Other competitive amateur bouts included 135-pounded Clay Abrams ( 2-2, Victory MMA) scoring a decision over Braxton McBride (0-2, One Hit MMA), 140-pounder Morgan Colledge (2-0, Fusion MMA) decisioning Kaden Schick (0-1, Victory MMA), and 145-pounder Julian Ruiz (5-3, Fusion MMA) used his experience to take a decision over Gavin Weston 3-1, One Hit MMA).

The opening bout of the card had heavyweight Zephaniah Na'oupu (2-0) putting on the heat late in round two, pounding opponent Kingzlee Tabile (1-2). Tabile was unable to meet the bell for round three. In other bouts, that ended in the first round:

Matt Marshall stopped Jeff Isham, 175 pounds.

Justin Horsely stopped Dakota Culley, 140 pounds.

Jayden Marshall stopped Christian Gilford, 125 pounds.

Hayden Brown stopped Brian Reed, heavyweight.

Rico Valdez stopped Kieran Merton, 145 pounds.

And Jon Wixom stopped Tracy Hardy, 185 pounds.

The fights of SteelFist 52, Defend Your Honor, were in Salt Lake City at the Riverbend Sports Complex before a large crowd.