Friday, MMA’s Epic 4 takes center stage
Fight fans from all over San Diego and the surrounding area are poised for the big Mixed Martial Arts show on Friday evening at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in San Diego. With all their MMA training, the over 40 competitors, many from local gyms, are anxious to show their friends and themselves, how far they have progressed in this most exciting sport.
Epic Fighting, a San Diego based mixed martial arts promotion, supports a strong roster of local fighters and is one of the premier MMA organizations in the country. Their shows are a central platform for amateur MMA fighters to get the needed exposure to go on to the professional ranks.
Within Epic Fighting you have several elite local MMA fight camps, namely the Blackhouse Gym’s Team Nogueira on Miramar Road, both the Victory MMA and The Arena MMA Gym in Point Loma, Undisputed Fitness and Training Center Downtown, the Alliance Training Center in Chula Vista, Team Quest of Oceanside and Temecula, Spirit Wolf MMA of Poway, CA. and the Proving Grounds in Lakeside, CA.
With so many competitors (40 plus on hand):
there are a ton of story lines. Jessica Pearce of the Lion’s Den will be facing Shauna Dugger of Quest. Our local Military Bases will be represented by Sergeant Francisco Castro from MCAS Miramar along with fellow Marines Al Bose, Raymond Sylverne and Rogelio Reyes.
At 31 years of age, Ken Sells of the Proving Grounds says he's more than ready for his debut bout. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Last time out in Epic 3, 31 year-old Ken Sells of the Proving Grounds was set to make his debut and at the last minute his opponent bowed out. As you can imagine, Sells went from being all pumped to being deflated by the news of the cancellation.
Sells is married, has three children and lives in Ramona, CA. After work, he trains four hours a day. While his peers grew up playing baseball, football and basketball, Sells was heading off to the gym to learn Karate, Judo/Akido mixed, JuJitsu, Grappling, Boxing, and Muay Thai. He’s been a devotee of the combat sports on and off for 18 years. His strengths include quickness, striking ability, grappling techniques and high kicks.
You’ll see the soft spoken, mild-mannered Marvin Madaringa of the new Black House Gym on Miramar Road making his debut. The 5’9″, 155 pounder is a student at Platt College, has a degree in Graphic Design and is now starting courses in Animation. He grew up on the island of Maui and if you saw him on the street you would never suspect he could handle himself in the octagon.
Here we see Marvin Madaringa practicing a high kick into the mitts held by acclaimed Muay Thai Kickboxing instructor Alex Palma. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Madaringa’s opponent, Carlos Caliso of Spirit Wolf MMA, has fought before and has more of that tough guy look with muscles on top of muscles. Their match-up will feature speed against strength; striker versus grappler. Although he’s expected to win, Caliso better not get over confidant. Madaringa has gained a leg up from some top notch instructors, first, he has a brother who was a state wrestling champion, a second brother who’s a top Muay Thai coach, and at the Black House Gym his classes have been with the widely known Alex Palma and Erin Beach. Plus, Madaringa wrestled and took Judo lessons in high school. I believe he’ll be ready
With 20 bouts scheduled, this is a can’t miss event. The Four Points by Sheraton is located on Aero Drive, right where Interstate 805 and Interstate 63 intersect. The doors open at 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7 p.m.
