Arena MMA hosts Fundraiser/Smoker featuring newest members of their fight team
A VIP guest at Saturday’s show was the Japanese MMA champion Daiki Hata. In late April, Hata, better known as “DJ. Taiki” defeated the Deep-62 Impact champion Yoshiro Maeda to become their new Bantamweight Champion. With his second round stoppage, he avenged a 2006 loss to Maeda for the Pancrase featherweight title. Hata (l) posed for this photo with Charles Martinez, an MMA instructor at the Arena. It wasn’t long ago that Hata had dyed his hair blonde (see inset), which made him a curiosity in Japan. Spotting a renown fighting sports champion at The Arena, either training or teaching, has become routine.
December 7, 2013
On Saturday, The Arena gym in Point Loma, San Diego, CA was the site of a high spirited combination Fundraiser plus Boxing/Muay Thai Show with the proceeds going to the Toys for Joy organization and the Lone Survivor Foundation.
Since the gym first opened on February 22, 2010, just two months shy of five years ago, The Arena, with its 950 plus members, has become the recognized leader in MMA (G and no-G) within San Diego. Since they also offer weekly classes in Boxing and Muay Thai, they decided it was time to showcase their newest crop of talented boxers and Muay Thai fighters at Saturday’s show.
In the coming weeks, they plan to improve their standing in these fighting sports – Boxing and Muay Thai – by increasing not only their square footage (they’re annexing an additional 3,000 square foot of space from an adjoining property), then add a second boxing ring, plus hire additional instructors to increase the number of classes per month.
This is how it’s done. While waiting for the show to start, young Victor Alvarado impressed everyone with his ability to not only explain several exercises, but perform them as well.
Now for our analysis of Saturday’s show:
You talk about an adrenaline rush and peer pressure, each of the 26 participants on Saturday afternoon’s fight card were announced as fighting for the first time in public, in other words their first time fighting in front of a loud, boisterous, standing room only audience of friends, relatives and diehard fans. For some, their performance may have belied that claim.
Four Boxing bouts led off the show. Bout #1 featured Rick Norton going up against Theo Shwarz. In the first round there was a bit of wildness from both. By the second round, the hands finally came up to block, but the jabs were still few and far between. Then, in their third and final round the spectators got their money’s worth as the boxers went toe to toe for an all-action finale.
Bout #1, a boxing match featuring Rick Norton (l) going up against Theo Shwarz (r) was refereed by former pro-boxer, now trainer, Lucky Nhlengethwa (c).
In Bout #2 it was Brandon Coleman going up against Jose Sanchez. In this one, Sanchez took full advantage of his height, reach and edge in power to land the majority of telling blows.
After pounding it out in Bout #2, Brandon Coleman (r) and Jose Sanchez (l) had their arms raised by their coach, former pro-boxer Phineas “Lucky” Nhlengethwa (c).
Bout #3 featured the rarely seen battle of southpaws, Carl Stricker and Chris San Nicolas in a very entertaining bout. You’d have to say San Nicolas took this one as he was the busier fighter and did land a much higher percentage of punches.
Two southpaws, Carl Stricker (l) and Chris San Nicolas (r) battled it out in Bout #3.
Bout #4 featured Juan Perez and Nicolas Equiguren. Perez had Equiguren’s number from the git-go and kept landing these big overhand rights to the side of Equiguren’s head. They weren’t enough to knock him out, but good enough to out-point him.
Bout #4 featuring Juan Perez (r) and Nicolas Equiguren (l) was refereed by former pro-boxer, now trainer Ernest Martinez (c) a member of The Arena coaching staff.
During intermission it was announced one of The Arena’s employees, Uzi Hangadi, was leaving the company to join the Navy and become a Navy Seal. Mike, The Arena’s General Manager added several comical remarks, then presented Uzi with an engraved, all purpose Navy Seal knife, a token of the company’s appreciation for his loyal service.
At the conclusion of this presentation, the show switched over to the Muay Thai portion of the fight card. In Bout #5, it was the shorter Pablo Alatorre taking on Justin Smith. Smith dominated Alatorre in all facets. Every time Alatorre landed a punch, Smith made certain to land three or four punches in response. Smith had the same attitude, same response, when he was kicked.
In the first Muay Thai match, Bout #5, it was Justin Smith (l) going up against Pablo Alatorre (r). Muay Thai/MMA instructor Greg Roberts (c) refereed the match.
Bout #6 featured Justin Sphabmixay and Arthur Seropyan. Both of these fighters appeared to have far too much ring savvy (expertise) to be first timers. From the opening bell, Seropyan’s footwork was flawless, the way he threw his punches and kicked implied he had several years of fighting experience. He even landed the more difficult flying back fists and kicks. Everything he threw landed. To his credit Sphabmixay hung in there and at times delivered some mean payback.
In Bout #6, it was Justin Sphabmixay (l) taking on Arthur Seropyan (r).
Bout #7 had Paul “Black Magic” Sample going up against Ramses Mena. Mena came out strong in Round #1, and either by countering or in combination landed the majority of the cleaner shots to the head. By the end of Round #1, it appeared there was no way Sample could last against the much superior striker.
But that’s why they have you go more than one round. After getting the proper coaching from his corner, Sample rebounded and turned the fight around. Soon, it was Mena who was in trouble with blood streaming from his nose. At the end of Round two, the fight doctor had been called and twice she examined Mena’s bloody nose.
Back and forth went this “fight of the show” and after that rough start, it did appear Sample would have been declared the winner if the bout had been judged.
In what had to be “the Bout of the Show”, it was Paul “Black Magic” Sample (black trunks) coming from behind to give Ramses Mena (red trunks) a contest he’ll never forget.
In Bout #8, it was Ahad Abib taking on Tristen Quidachay. With Abib having the faster hands, being taller and having a distinct reach advantage this ended up being a mismatch. Despite the mismatch, Quidachay kept taking the licks and holding his ground until the bitter end.
At the conclusion of Bout #8, the Muay Thai fighters along with their support staff posed for a photo. (l to r) Epic Fighting champion Tyler Sidders, fighter Tristen Quidachay, fighter Ahad Abib and Epic Fighting Champion Thomas Watson.
Bout #9 featured heavyweights, Erland “Techno Viking” Ese and Mike “Psycho” Ward who tipped the scales at 260 pounds.
Ese, here on loan from Norway, won this match by using his superior footwork. After kicking and punching Ward with authority, he’d then move quickly out of harm’s way. Over time, Ward’s hands started to drop and at that point he became easy prey for Ese’s quicker hands that started landing punches almost at will.
Bout #9 featured heavyweights, Erland “Techno Viking” Ese (l) from Norway and Mike “Psycho” Ward (r) from San Diego. MMA trainer Charles Martinez (c) refereed the match.
In Bout #10, it was Landon Bergenthal taking on Carson Gill both 170 pounders. For all three rounds, Gill applied this smothering pressure. The two gents ended up going the distance after whacking each other with body kicks until both mouths were ajar and they were gasping for air.
In Bout #10, it was Landon Bergenthal (l) taking on Carson Gill (r) both 170 pounders.
Bout #11 featured another all-action bout between Sevo Nervuzdyan and Sam Yang.
From the opening bell, the battle revolved around these furious kicks that kept whacking their opponent’s legs. Near the end of Round #1, you could see Nervuzdyan had begun to win this battle of attrition. At one point, Yang even turned his back to Nervuzdyan which is a no-no in Muay Thai.
To his credit, Yang showed a lot of persistence and eventually pulled out all the stops in the final round. He went with every means possible to stop Nervuzdyan. After failing to land his wide KO punches, he’d either sweep kick or trip his opponent for a takedown.
Coach and referee Charles Martinez (c) raises the arms of both Sevo Nervuzdyan (l) and Sam Yang (r) after their most entertaining bout. All photos: Jim Wyatt
In Bout #12, it was Harry Wilson taking on Nicolas Johnson. Early on, there was a lot of technique being played out, plus a lot of clinching by Wilson. It wasn’t until the third round that the taller Johnson began to dominate and Wilson began to tire.
In Bout #12, it was Harry Wilson (l) taking on Nicolas Johnson (r).
In the Main Event, Bout #13, the final bout of the show, it was 18 year-old “Jazzy” Jeff Creighton of San Diego by way of Florida taking on the more experienced Gabriel “El Angel” Pizarro of San Diego.
In Round #1, it was Creighton using the better leverage and subsequent power shots to dominate Pizarro. By round #2, Pizarro had turned the tide and switched his attack from kicking to throwing more punches to the head. Then, off a combination, right to the head followed by a strong kick, he managed his first knockdown. It wasn’t until late in Round #3 that you could see these two warriors were slowing down. At the final bell, both fighters were completely exhausted.
In the Main Event, Bout #13, it was “Jazzy” Jeff Creighton (l) of San Diego by way of Florida taking on the more experienced Gabriel “El Angel” Pizarro of San Diego.
