Great Amateur Fights @ XFS 54

As is frequently the case, a few fights were dropped last minute. A couple were due to food poisoning, others due to some apparent confusion regarding the rules for amateur fighters. Whatever the case, Knockout still came through with a solid night of fights for the fans! I enjoyed myself immensely at cageside (blood spatter and all).

There were fights that kept us on the edge of our seat, there was one fight in which the fighter tapped to strikes at just 24 seconds into the first round, and pretty much everywhere in between. We witnessed many debuts of fighters, and saw a few fighters that have been to the cage a few times in the past. What really stood out to me at XFS 54 was the level of sportsmanship exhibited be each and every competitor. I was proud to be a part of this event.

It was also great to see and talk with Mike Kyle who has fought in the UFC, WEC, King of the Cage, Pancrease, and is a current Strikeforce contender. Originally from the Treasure Valley he has gone on to represent Idaho and have a great MMA career for the past several years. He seems to be a stand-up guy (no pun intended) with a great commitment to MMA. It was awesome to have him come out and show his support of our local fighters.

And now what you've all been waiting for... Images from XFS 54! Click on the gallery link at the left, and enjoy the latest shots of MMA action in Idaho. And if you haven't yet (or for a while), check out the older galleries as well. It will be well worth your time!

XFS 54: MAYHEM on October 1st!

That's right boys and girls, Knockout Promotions is again bringing you a night of non-stop, MMA action. Their press release is interesting, leaving many to question the accuracy as to who is fighting whom. Does it matter? Not really, because you know they will be putting on a great show, with great fights, featuring great athletes, and all right here in the Treasure Valley at Qwest Arena on October 1st! Be sure to come down and check it out... I'll be there capturing the action from cageside. See you there! Oh yeah, and here's the press release:

Boise, Idaho: MMA history will be in the making as Keith Forester returns to Idaho soil to take on Light Heavy Weight XFS World Champion Ronny “A Tron” Rhodes in a much anticipated grudge match.
“With Forester fighting and training in Texas against some of the top MMA talent in the country.” says Knockout Promotions President Kasey Thompson. “This will be a MAJOR test for the A Tron”
XFS Heavy Weight Champion Jason Torpey will put his undefeated record on the line against undefeated challenger Tyrell Butikofer.
There will be a total of (4) CHAMPIONSHIP belts on the line, in a night of action-packed, full-contact, cage fighting action!
PLUS a whole lot more - with a total of 14 fights! That's XFS #54 - "MAYHEM" in the octagon on FRIDAY, October 1st at Qwest Arena! Tickets start at JUST $12.... Exclusively through the Qwest Arena box office, while supplies last. Charge tickets on-line atwww.QwestArenaIdaho.com or call 331-TIXS.

Rage in the Cage III: Part 2

Tuesday, August 17th was to be a fantastic night of fights, with many VIPs from the automotive dealer world. Unfortunately of the 10 fights scheduled, only 5 fights occurred, most ending quickly. As such, the athletes gave it their all & the place was packed.

I'm confident the next FSF event will not be plagued by the many anomalies that wreaked such havoc on that fateful Tuesday night. On a lighter note, I heard the after party at Liquid was a rip-roaring good time!

As always, a few images from the event, can be found in the gallery (link to the left).

8/17/10: Rage in the Cage III

That's right, a mid-week MMA event at the Boise Knitting Factory put on by First Strike Fights! And while the card is being kept fairly quiet, I am confident it will be a very night of fireworks, MMA style! You'll be able to see fighters Talon Hoffman, Sarah Marang and more.

Tickets start at only $19, and there's not a bad seat in the house. Besides, what else are you going to do on a Tuesday night? So head downtown to the Knitting Factory Tuesday night and support local fighters, local gyms, local business, and local MMA! You'll be glad you did.

As always, look for fight photos in my gallery (link to the left) after the event. I'm sure you will enjoy. See YOU at the fights!

XFS 53 Grudge Match 8/6/10

HOLY S%@T! That was my reaction last Friday night... and that was just after the first fight! Josh Wick, a 15 year old from Kuna was the first victor of the night in what was surely "Fight of the Night", winning by referee stoppage in the 3rd. Other victors of the night included Marcos Titano, Pablo Ayala, AJ Paulsen, David Manery, Ryan Carpenter, Erin Quinn, John Medbery, Salvador Ramirez, Sara Thomas, Ronny RHodes, and last but certainly not least, Jeremy "Yabo" Yablonski. Congratulations to all the fine competitors!

While some of the fights went exactly as expected, there were several upsets as well, and many fighters making their debuts attained victory. The skill some of these previously untested fighters was incredible, and I believe we only caught a glimpse of what the future of local MMA holds at XFS 53.

Fans were left with a few questions though... what happened to the extravagant title belts of yore (new ones were a bit, eh hem, "light")? Why didn't David Herrera and Jeffery Jalon fight (they were on the card)? And what's with Aric Iverson? This is, I believe, the third event in a row where he was scheduled to defend his title, and the third in a row that he didn't (I heard a locally well-known long-time amateur came knocking, and Aric said no to the fight, but that is merely hearsay). Whatever the case, let's get the belt back up for grabs!

And now, what you've all been waiting for... pics! Click on the "Gallery" link to the left and visit a sampling of my fight photos... I think you will enjoy them!