thedrifter
01-04-08, 10:44 AM
Returning local vets step into cage fighting
Friday, January 04, 2008
By Doug Vanderlaan
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- During the house-to-house searches and the road patrols in Iraq, Hector Vargas and Justin Andrews watched each other's backs.
In the safety of their company's bunking quarters, the two Grand Rapids men watched Vargas' martial arts movie collection and vowed they'd try the sport when they returned to Grand Rapids.
Their day comes Saturday when the two U.S. Marines will be part of the expected 30-bout amateur card for the UCF Cage Combat Mixed Martial Arts event at Deltaplex.
Andrews and Vargas will be among more than 200 marines and sailors of Alpha Company who will be honored during the evening for
their service in an Iraqi tour of duty that ended in April.
"It should help," Vargas, 26 and a Sparta native, said of fellow Marines cheering him on in his first competition. "But we both feel confident, as far as not being intimidated or afraid. We've been to Iraq."
It may be that same wary anticipation, the threat of imminent danger and possible violent engagement that draws both participants and fans to the growing "ultimate fighting" sport.
Saturday's event, which begins at 8 p.m., is expected to draw more than 3,000 spectators and follows a similar event in June that drew nearly 2,000 to Deltaplex.
Competitors will compete in a 20-foot boxing ring surrounded by a ten-foot octagonal steel padded cage. All bouts are schedule for three rounds of three-minute duration.
"Boxing was considered to be brutal and barbaric in its early days, too," said Andrews, 26, an East Kentwood graduate who's currently studying manufacturing engineering at Grand Rapids Community College. "This a new kind of challenge because, in addition to boxing skills, you need to know takedowns and ground fighting which gets you into judo, jujitsu, and more intense martial arts."
Though overseen by the state of Michigan, the sport, unlike amateur boxing, is not licensed by the state. Contest promoters say their physical exams and careful matchmaking, however, make it safer than requirements for traditional amateur boxing events. In addition to standard physical examinations, competitors will be blood tested for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C. They will be matched according to weight, age, and experience.
"This is the true essence of sport," said Bob Serulla who, through his local business Warren Nutrition, is co-sponsoring the event with Deltaplex owner Joel Langlois and hosting the 200 marines and sailors as their guests. "You mix styles in an event like this which means you can put anybody in that ring and everybody's got a chance."
If you go
UCF Cage Combat Mixed Martial Arts
When: 8 p.m. Saturday; doors open at 7 p.m.
Where: Deltaplex
Tickets: Available through TicketMaster outlets and phone and at the door Participants: 30 bouts expected of amateur ultimate fighting in a mixed martial arts competition within a caged ring. No purse or prize winnings Honorees: 200 Marines and Sailors of Alpha Company who completed an eight month tour of Iraq in April
Send e-mail to the author: sports@grpress.com
Ellie
Friday, January 04, 2008
By Doug Vanderlaan
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- During the house-to-house searches and the road patrols in Iraq, Hector Vargas and Justin Andrews watched each other's backs.
In the safety of their company's bunking quarters, the two Grand Rapids men watched Vargas' martial arts movie collection and vowed they'd try the sport when they returned to Grand Rapids.
Their day comes Saturday when the two U.S. Marines will be part of the expected 30-bout amateur card for the UCF Cage Combat Mixed Martial Arts event at Deltaplex.
Andrews and Vargas will be among more than 200 marines and sailors of Alpha Company who will be honored during the evening for
their service in an Iraqi tour of duty that ended in April.
"It should help," Vargas, 26 and a Sparta native, said of fellow Marines cheering him on in his first competition. "But we both feel confident, as far as not being intimidated or afraid. We've been to Iraq."
It may be that same wary anticipation, the threat of imminent danger and possible violent engagement that draws both participants and fans to the growing "ultimate fighting" sport.
Saturday's event, which begins at 8 p.m., is expected to draw more than 3,000 spectators and follows a similar event in June that drew nearly 2,000 to Deltaplex.
Competitors will compete in a 20-foot boxing ring surrounded by a ten-foot octagonal steel padded cage. All bouts are schedule for three rounds of three-minute duration.
"Boxing was considered to be brutal and barbaric in its early days, too," said Andrews, 26, an East Kentwood graduate who's currently studying manufacturing engineering at Grand Rapids Community College. "This a new kind of challenge because, in addition to boxing skills, you need to know takedowns and ground fighting which gets you into judo, jujitsu, and more intense martial arts."
Though overseen by the state of Michigan, the sport, unlike amateur boxing, is not licensed by the state. Contest promoters say their physical exams and careful matchmaking, however, make it safer than requirements for traditional amateur boxing events. In addition to standard physical examinations, competitors will be blood tested for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C. They will be matched according to weight, age, and experience.
"This is the true essence of sport," said Bob Serulla who, through his local business Warren Nutrition, is co-sponsoring the event with Deltaplex owner Joel Langlois and hosting the 200 marines and sailors as their guests. "You mix styles in an event like this which means you can put anybody in that ring and everybody's got a chance."
If you go
UCF Cage Combat Mixed Martial Arts
When: 8 p.m. Saturday; doors open at 7 p.m.
Where: Deltaplex
Tickets: Available through TicketMaster outlets and phone and at the door Participants: 30 bouts expected of amateur ultimate fighting in a mixed martial arts competition within a caged ring. No purse or prize winnings Honorees: 200 Marines and Sailors of Alpha Company who completed an eight month tour of Iraq in April
Send e-mail to the author: sports@grpress.com
Ellie