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.

John Valentine chats about upcoming bout with Arron Carson

One of the featured super-bouts on Saturday, Nov. 9 in Las Vegas at Sam's Town features John Valentine versus Arron Carson in a submission-only contest. They have fought previously with Valentine earning a win. It's Operation Knockout card, which is designed to help our Troops through Xtreme Couture's G.I. Foundation. 

Valentine, who lives in Las Vegas, enjoyed a long relationship with the Utah Fight Game, overseeing a women's' MMA program at Shadow Valley Gym and working with SteelFist MMA. He also is a former pro MMA fighter who continues in combat sports as a world-class no-submission competitor. We appreciated the opportunity to chat with him about Saturday's bout.

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1) How is training going for the bout? 

Valentine: My training has been solid, strong and consistent.  I changed a few things around this time starting with my lifting and dieting protocols.  I’ve had some really tough training partners who have taken every liberty of beating me up on a daily basis which is what you need to be strong going into the match.

2) What is a typical training day? 

Valentine: Typical training day starts at 4:30 a.m. in the morning six days a week where I lift and get in cardio work.  It can be grueling some days.  In the afternoons following work and family obligations I get in targeted training focused on three disciplines in Jiu Jitsu, Judo and wrestling training from 6-8 p.m. about four days per week.  It’s exhausting but the event and the cause keep me focused and motivated.  A sense of purpose is powerful thing.

3) Tell us about Arron Carson? What are you expecting in the rematch? 

Valentine: First I have nothing but respect for him.  He reached out to me almost a week after our last match last year long before we had another opponent selected and asked for this rematch.  He had some family situations that led him to want to do It again.  His brother, a former vet who walked him out for our last match, passed shortly after that night and Arron wanted to honor his memory and give back to the vets.  I was honored to see this and glad we could make it work.  While he will bring war neither of us care much about winning, simply supporting the vets that night by killing each other live! I know he will bring his A game. 

Our last match he was much stronger than I expected and his wrestling was in point as he slammed me and clearly out-wrestled me in the early part of the match up until I caught in the rolling heel hook.  I expect him to be focused and more aggressive this go round.  At 48 I am over 22 years his elder and I am sure he wants to test my cardio and that’s fine with me.  I have a good game plan and expect nothing but fireworks.  I am honored he stepped up and cares as much as he does.  We both respect each other and I know when the doors close we are not friends again until they open.  That mentality ensures a great show!

4) How has the effort to help the troops gone as the card approaches? 

Valentine: The response has been overwhelming. The arena is almost completely sold out.  Since the fight was announced response from my supporters have been crazy. Once again in the history of the 10-year event with the help of everyone and private donors I was able to generate almost $15,000 for the troops and in the end that’s all that counts, that’s all I care about.  That's a lot of revenue for a sub grappling match. That’s what makes the training, weight loss and grind worth it.  I am humbled that again we broke revenue records.  We all can give back we just need to want to. 

5) What are your fight plans after this? 

Valentine: Following this fight I would like to get 100 percent healthy and either compete in the Jiu Jitsu Pan-American games in March followed by taking another crack at The World Championship in November 2020.  I plan on dropping two weight classes from where I won previously in 2017.  This will take some time to do it correctly.  I also have some grappling super fight options on the horizon I’d like to explore. 

6) Is there anything else you wish to add to our readers?

Valentine: I want to say thank you to my family, friends and coaches at Robert Drysdale Jiu Jitsu.  My cage-side coaches have been with me for years. The decorated black belts, Utah’s own Brandon Guzzo and Gregory Kaleteich, have me laser-focused physically, spiritually and mentally so I thank them for their commitment.  

Most importantly I want to say is thank you, thank you to all of those who stepped up and showed actionable support for our men and women in uniform.  For those who stepped up so that the event could be a success.  I am humbled and honored as is my opponent to put on a show that night for them as well.  We both feel winning or losing really doesn’t matter all that matters is the people in the crowd and that the veterans benefit from one special night.  

Thanks to everyone the Randy Couture Operation Knockout 10 for the Troops will be a success! 

Good luck, John and Arron, we're proud of both of you. 

Akers wins at Steelfist; Olquin wins boxing belt

In an 150-pound pro bout, Rowdy Akers stopped Gregg McFarland in the main event at the SteelFist MMA card in Salt Lake City on Oct. 19. Results of all bouts on the card are available at the Fighting Out of Utah MMA News Facebook page.

Also on Oct. 19, at a UFC MMA card in Boston, Utahn Court McGee dropped a three-round decision to undefeated Sean Brady.

Speaking of Akers, he was scheduled to fight in a submission-only limited-rules 7-minute bout in Las Vegas Nov. 9 at Sam's Town against John Valentine. The pair fought a memorable MMA bout a couple of years ago that Akers won. However, this past week Valentine announced on social media that Arron Carson will be replacing Akers. It will be the second bout between the pair. Valentine won the first match.

SteelFist's next card is Nov. 22 in Salt Lake City at the Union Event Center. Bouts include professional fighters Hayden Brown and Joe Maama fighting at 175 pounds. Also, Lehi Dominguez will fight Jordan Marriott in a lightweight pro bout.

BOXING

In Salt Lake City on Oct. 11, heavyweight Helaman Olquin won the FKF promotional state pro heavyweight title with a majority decision over Joseph Jones. In two other pro boxing bouts, both super-lightweight, undefeated Ignacio Chairez scored a decision over Anthony Curtiss and Joey Borrero decisioned Edison Charley.

According to state athletic commission website, DiBella Entertainment is planning a pro boxing card on Nov. 15 at the Salt Palace Convention Center. I have heard no information on that card as of yet.

KICKBOXING -- This week professional kickboxer Kaecy Raddon, who now lives in Colorado, is competing in Sarajevo in the 22nd WAKO Masters World Championships. Raddon is Mountain Force Kickboxing promotional pro champion. On Wednesday Raddon was defeated in the tourney by Marzaq Soufiane of Morroco. Mountain Force Kickboxing plans a kick boxing card in Ogden on Nov. 16.

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.

Gero wins MMA main bout, Collard gets more boxing wins

Last weekend in Logan, Dom Gero, of Ogden, (seen above in a photo from his Facebook page) used strong wrestling skills to defeat pro debuting Max Riddle. Gero is now 2-2 as a pro. Riddle is a former Mountain Force MMA amateur champ. The rest of the card is here.

SteelFist MMA has a fight card planned for Oct. 19 in Salt Lake City. Rowdy Akers versus Gregg Mcfarland is the main pro bout. Card is here.

BOXING:

Utah UFC MMA pro Clay Collard continues what has been a remarkable year in pro boxing, barnstorming across the nation, fighting highly regarded prospects in their home areas, and mostly defeating them. Collards's latest win was Saturday, Sept. 21 over Gerald Sherrell (10-2) via unanimous decision over six rounds at Meadows RaceTrack and Casino, Washington. I watched round one via social media and Collard, using good ring generalship, slowly moved inside his opponent's strong jab, eventually flooring him with a counter shot and nearly ending the bout early. On Dec. 6, Collard (4-1-3) knocked out DuShane Crooks (13-2) in New Orleans.

FKP Promotions plan another pro am boxing card in Salt Lake City on Oct. 11 at 801 Event Center. The card will include a heavyweight pro bout with Helaman Olguin, of West Jordan, 5-3.

Mountain Force MMA, which also has kickboxing, announced on social media that it plans to promote boxing cards in 2020.

Foley's gym in Ogden plans an amateur boxing card at its gym in Ogden on Oct. 19.

Louie's Boxing Club will have an amateur boxing card at the Northwest Rec Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 26.