Thursday, September 27, 2007

UFC Welterweight Champion & T.U.F. 6 Coach Matt Serra arrives soon


UFC Welterweight Champion & T.U.F. 6 Coach Matt Serra arrives soon
Colorado Springs, CO — September 21, 2007 — Before deciding that MMA (mixed martial arts) is nothing but a violent and barbaric sport, check with the current UFC Welterweight Champion of the World, Matt Serra. Whether you are a fan or a critic, Matt can show you just why mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world. Matt will be holding a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clinic at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Sunday, November 4, 2007.
On May 23, 2000 Matt Serra was awarded a Black Belt from Renzo Gracie, member of the famed Gracie Jiu Jitsu family. This made him the first American Black Belt under Renzo Gracie. Matt went on to place second in the 2001 Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships. Soon after he began to fight in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships). He defeated all challengers to win the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show. Earlier this year he defeated Georges St. Pierre by TKO in round one to win the UFC Welterweight Championship of the World. Currently Matt is one of the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 6 which will begin airing September 19, 2007.
Colorado has become a hotbead of talent for the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Mixed Martial Arts in general. We are bringing Matt out to give our young fighters a taste of what is required and needs to be known to fight at the UFC level. In this clinic Matt will focus on four basic areas of instruction, the guard, side control, the mount and the back mount. Learning these techniques from the Welterweight Champion of the World will allow some of our young, upcoming fighters to receive training unlike they have ever had. All participants attending this event will receive a certifcate of completion signed by Matt Serra and will of course have numerous photo opportunities with the champ.
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Friday, September 14, 2007

Sept 15th RING OF FIRE 30 main card announced!

Sept 15th RING OF FIRE 30 main card announced!
ROF promoter Sven BOOGIE Bean announces the final fight card for ROF 30: DOMINATION . The 11 bout MMA event will take place on Saturday, September 15th 2007 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
UFC, K-1 and Strikeforce veteran, Duane BANG! Ludwig headlines a talent packed fight card. The card will have International appeal with fighters coming from 3 countries including multiple UFC veterans.
"As always, there are some last minute changes. But after seven years in the industry I now expect it to happen. This a sport where the demands on the athletes are very high, especially in training. These guys (and girls) are breaking their bodies down daily and injuries are bound to happen." said Bean. Most notably in the main event, Serbian boxer Dragan Bakula broke his hand in training. Wanting to keep the ROF USA vs. ROF Europe theme intact, Bean went on a search for a qualified replacement. German fighter Mario Stapel was contacted and immediately agreed to take the opportunity.
ROF Light Heavyweight Champion Eliot Marshall was slated to face UFC veteran Rob MAXIMUS MacDonald in his first title defense. However, Marshall was the victim of a severe staph infection to his knee. The infection was so bad that his knee grew to the size of a grapefruit and doctor's had no choice but to deem him unfit to participate. "It's really depressing. Training was going great. I was looking forward to fighting Rob and defend my belt." said Marshall. MacDonald will still make the trip from Canada to attend the show as plans are being made for this match to happen on the next ROF event.
Main Event: ROF USA vs. ROF Europe Last year ROF opened it's European branch in Belgrade, Serbia. The inaugural event was a huge success and was covered in both the European versions of Playboy and Maxim magazines. In February of this year the first ROF European fighter, Damir made his US debut. At ROF 30 that tradition continues as German fighter Mario Stapel will represent ROF Europe. Stapel, is a veteran of Shooto and Cage Warriors. He has wins over Orlando Wiet, Takahiro Kamikozono, and John Cronk. He has a record of 13 wins with 8 losses, and will be facing one of the most feared strikers in the sport. Duane BANG! Ludwig will represent ROF USA and is looking foward to the matchup. "I was getting ready to face a stand up guy but Mario is much more well rounded. He is more of a true MMA fighter. I changed my game plan accordingly. For this fight I tightened up my game by training at Extreme Coutore in Las Vegas. The training was great and I feel prepared for whatever happens. I love fighting at home and can't wait for Saturday" said Ludwig.
265 lb Super Fight ROF has long been known as a launch pad for fighters careers. But it has also been known mostly for the lower weight classes. That is all about to change on September 15th. One of the most athletic heavyweights in the game will make his long awaited ROF debut. Shane MONSTER Carwin is a NCAA Division II National Wrestling Champion , 3 time NCAA Division II Wrestling All-American and a 2 time NCAA Division II Football All-American. He stand 6'4" tall and weighs 265 lbs. He also has a perfect 5-0 record in MMA. Once you get past the sheer size of Carwin, you would be hard pressed to believe he is a fighter. The "gentle giant" is very calm, polite and respectful... unless you happen to be standing across the cage from him. Once the cage door closes and the bell rings the Monster comes out. None of his previous 5 matches have made it past the first round and he has finished all of his opponents. Rick NOTORIUS Slaton has a bit of a bad reputation. Slaton was part of the now infamous Ultimate Athlete show in 2002 . He has also had his fair share of scrapes with the law, but has since seen the error of his ways. With a new outlook and a fresh start Rick is ready to take the MMA world by storm. He has channeled his energy into training and wants to make a serious run at becoming a threat in the heavyweight division. Rick has sought out some of the best trainers in the San Diego area to help improve his game. His last fight was in October of 2006 where scored a TKO victory at the Total Combat 17 event. Life is all about second chances, but the Badboy has a mountain to climb and a monster to slay to fulfill his dream.
115 lb FEATURE BOUT Women's combat sports has shown an incredible increase in fan support in the last few years. Promotions such as Strikeforce, Elite XC and Bodog Fights have consistantly featured female athletes. Recently the Oxygen Channel contributed with the reality based program Fight Girls. One of the stars of that series, Michelle Waterson will return to MMA competition at ROF 30. Waterson is known as much for her good looks as for her fighting ability. Her nickname "The Karate Hotty" comes from her work as a Hooters girl and bikini model. But don't judge the book by the cover, Waterson can fight. She has been trained in the martial arts from an early age progressing from Kung Fu to Muay Thai, and eventually BJJ and MMA. While based in Denver, she trains her ground game at Team Jackson's in Albuquerque, NM. Currently 1-1 in MMA, Waterson is hoping to continue to represent MMA in a positive way for women all over the world. Her opponent also has a base in Muay Thai but has progessed to MMA. Action MMA fighter Jaime Cook relies heavily on her stand up skills but is also very comfortable on the ground. She has a perfect 2-0 record in MMA. She has finished both opponents by TKO, with one having a 30 lb weight adavantage. Cook is also the sparring partner and teamate of top ranked Bodog fighter Shayna Baszler.
175 lb FEATURE BOUT UFC veteran Chad Reiner has a reputation for being one of the hardest workers in the industry. He prides himself on his conditioning and feels that is his strongest weapon in the cage. This was very evident in his ROF 24 perfromance against Jay Jack. Reiner was non stop in a punishing attack that gave him a unanimous decison after 3 rounds. He credits his time in the marines for instilling his work ethic while training. Reiners record is an outstanding 18-4 and is a VFC Champion. Chilo Gonzalez has a love- hate relationship with the fans. Half the crowd wants to see him win, the other to see him lose, but none the less they come to see him. He can appear brash, and often times even disrespectful to his opponents. It's all part of the game to Gonzalez however and see's it as a way to get into his opponents head. When asked about his opponent, true to character he responded " He is a really good fighter. I respect his wrestling but I just wonder how many teeth he is willing to lose before he gives up a submission!". Gonzalez is a WEC veteran with tremendous athletic ability. He has had an up and down career but always brings agression, intensity and tenacity in the cage. Gonzalez normally fights at middleweight and Reiner prefers welterweight so a catch weight of 175 lbs was agreed upon for the bout.
145 lb FEATURE BOUT Until recently, if you were a fighter and you weighed less than 155 lbs, your options were limited. Basically you fight on the smaller, local events and hope that you could find your way to Japan. With promotions such as the WEC and Strikeforce pushing the lower weight classes the "little" guys now have new opportunities available to them. At ROF 30 we will see two of the top fighter's in the region try to make their way up the 145 lb ladder. Active duty Air Force wrestler Jacob Hey is hoping to make a big splash at the event. Besides being a Greco Roman All American, and competing on the Air Force WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) team, Hey was picked as the first recruit to officially join Matt Hughes new MMA team. Hughes team, the H.I.T. Squad (Hughes Intensive Training) also includes Icon Middleweight Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler. Hey's opponent, Texan Jeff Striley also has an extensive wrestling background. Once a college level wrestler, Striley now splits his time between MMA Training and coaching local youth wrestling. Striley hails from one of the oldest MMA camps in the nation, the Scorpion's Lair. Originally founded by Iranian national wrestler Ali Elias in the mid nineties, the Scorpion's lair produced some of the strongest talent in the now defunct USWF. The winner of this match will find himself in the top 5 rankings on the ROF roster, and a possible future showdown with champion Christian Allen.
UNDERCARD BOUTSThe preliminary and undercard matches will round out an amazing night of fights. Some of the best up and coming fighters in the region are featured. Brandon Thatch, the son of Sabaki legend Clarence Thatch, will attempt to improve on his undefeated record against new comer Doug Saiez. Kenneth Seegrist, also undefeated, will be facing the rugged Anselmo Martinez of Lubbock, TX. Sambo stylist Seth Bregman will face the "Gentleman" Jesse Henley. Infinite Martial Arts fighter Ralston Baker faces Brad Fox of T's KO Boxing. Fusebox fighter Sean Doherty (4- 1) will match up against Progressive Martial Arts Miguel Martinez (3-0) at a catch weight of 140 lbs. And starting off the show is Division 1 All American wrestler, Jason Ramstetter, as he meets Battle Quest 6 standout Alfredo Corona.
WORLD CLASS ARENA The 45 million dollar Broomfield Event Center opened in November of 2006. It is home to the Colorado RAGE hockey team and the Colorado 14ers basketball franchise. The facility is state of the art and there is not a bad seat in the house.
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW!!Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at the Event Center Box Office,
Charge by phone at 303-410-T I X S, or online at www. broomfieldeventcenter.com. Ticket Prices are $25.00, $35.00, $45.00 and $55.00 for reserved seating (facilty fees not included).
As always if you would like to see the show in style 8 seat VIP tables or VIP Party Suites can be reserved at 303- 246-5237
ROF 30 COMMERCIAL

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Tap or Snap: King of the Hill

Tap or Snap: King of the Hill
It’s time to add another name to the short list of local fighters that are primed for breaking out big.
Let me introduce James Funny.
First of all, his opponent, Jeff Ford, has the credentials that no doubt caused worry for Funny's supporters. Two time ISKA champion; two time USKA champion; two time Muay Thai champion; golden gloves champion. This man is a legitimate fighter. No, make that a serious threat to anyone coming inside the ring. Throw in that he is a personal trainer at LA Boxing and you are left with the image of a lean-mean-fighting-machine with a past history of proven success.
James Funny isn't any slouch either. With a fantastic record of 15-1, Funny brings a local reputation as a heavy hitter who enjoys trading leather. The son of a Tae Kwon Do instructor, this Widefield high graduate entered the U.S. Marine Corp out of high school and served his country as an infantryman. For some reason, Semper Fi, just seems to fit him. Now at age 30, he finds himself the underdog at his biggest fight of his career.
We have one world class kick-boxer (Ford) vs. one local heavy hitter (Funny). The bell rings, the crowd stands, and Funny moves around the ring quickly. He is ultra aggressive and doesn’t let Ford set anything up. Ford wants some space to strike and Funny takes it away. If you saw the infamous UFC fight -- CroCop vs Gonzaga, same idea, same fight. Funny gets inside and uppercuts, Funny takes him down and introduces his elbow to Ford's face over and over again. Here is the critical part: Funny doesn’t stop hitting Ford even when his hits are non-effectual, he just constantly pounds Ford's head. Eventually Ford stops protecting himself and the referee calls the fight at 3:28 in the first round.
Add to Funny's resume – this is one smart fighter. He tells us after the fight that he watched tapes of Ford and had a plan of attack on how to beat him. He knows Ford’s game is standing up. He knows Ford is one dangerous man face to face. So the plan is Ground and Pound. Funny had his game-plan and stuck with it. For those that don’t know what Semper Fi means, the Marine credo translates to: Always Faithful. He was faithful to his plan and it worked.
Funny, when he isn't upsetting fighters, works as a heavy equipment operator outside the town of Security (S. of Colorado Springs). Married with one child, this former high school wrestler and football player trains 6 days a week. His night-before ritual is always watching either ‘Gladiator’ or (lately) ‘300’ before his fights to prepare himself. It gets him in the right state of mind, "It’s what we do, were modern-day Gladiators."
Before the fight started, Ford shared, "on paper, I should win but I've learned everyone has a puncher's chance." When this Kansas City native was growing up, he found out that because of his mixed race heritage, he never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Fights came to him whether he wanted it or not. "Not black enough or too black, not white enough or too white. I started fighting early and often." At the end of 7th grade, Ford had been in numerous fights and suspended multiple times. That is when his first mentor found him and helped him channel that energy into the ring. A champion fighter was born. After winning a golden gloves championship, someone told him about MMA. "He said, you can punch, knee, kick, elbow to win, and I said, seriously? Sign me up!"
The Tap or Snap promoters, Steve Valdez and Brian Lee, are expanding their area of comfort with this latest event held at Douglas County Fairgrounds. Usually promoting out of Pueblo and Colorado Springs, the Douglas County Fairgrounds gives them their first 'toe in the water' for the Denver metro area – bringing the Colorado Springs and Denver crowds together. Each promotion has it’s own vibe and Tap and Snap seems to have more of a small town feel to it. It reminds me of the state high school wrestling championship judging by the customers.
The promoters have a few good new ideas we haven’t seen at other local venues. First of all, they had a Pride-like walkway for the fighters. Fighters enter on this elevated walkway to music, lights and even smoke. If the walkway was longer, the fighters might have more of their song to enter to instead of just 10 seconds but it was a good idea nonetheless. They also had a large, catered VIP section to view the fights from. With a good number of vendor tables at the event, including a Marine Corp table offering prizes for the most chin-ups, the event seemed like a great success. They have never had a single serious injury in the Tap and Snap career (28 events in 2 years). Unlike some promotions, they relied heavily on radio ads featured on the Fox (103.5 Denver) and Kilo (94.3 Colorado Springs) instead of pre-booking tickets through gyms or fighters. This impressive show-down sold out 2,000 tickets without a website or much on-line presence. This is proof the MMA is gaining in popularity and appeal. Families, couples on dates, tough-guys and even ladies’ night out – Tap or Snap is doing a great job of bringing MMA out of the back alleys and into the mainstream.
Bill Chamberlin / Misha Schryer
bchamberlin@coloradofightevents.com
bill@mma-colorado.com

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Colorado Fight Events: Kickdown 39

When I watched Lawrence Gaytan walk towards the ring, blasting out Jimi Hendrix's Along the Watchtower, surrounded by his family and friends, I smiled. As fighters have done thoughout time, that walk, that long walk from our normal world to their ring, they make that walk with their family and friends, shoulder to shoulder. This, ladies and gentlemen, this is MMA.
His challenger, Prentice Ingram, entered to soft hip hop. Jaw forward and head twitching side to side, he cut an imposing presence for Gaytan. Gaytan comes in with a reputation for his excellent striking and strong Brazilian Ju-Jitsu skills. Ingram, in his professional debut, looks like the real deal. Lean and muscular, he is known for his hand speed and relentlessness. If Gaytan trades punches and decides he doesn't like the deal so far, he will want to take the fight to the mat.
After a beautiful staredown, neither fighter took a step back. The sold out crowd cheered as they watched this war. Ingram begins with a flying knee. He pushes the action nonstop, while the veteren Gaytan weathers the storm. Gaytan doesnt like what he is seeing and takes Ingram down to the mat only to have Ingram stand up. With a flurry of uppercuts and a right roundhouse punch, Gaytan's legs give out and Ingram gains his first professional knockout 2:54 in the first round. Afterwards, Ingram showed true concern for his opponent and thanked him for the opportunity.
The main event, the Kick Down Featherweight Title, is a fight that sometimes never happens but always should. We have two fighters at the top of their class, both known for their striking yet both well rounded. Tom Johnson, who seems more like a coporporate IT Manager than a top contender, and Pete Vandervort also a 'regular sort of guy' - neither men you really expect to see fighting in the Main Event in the MMA. Tom Johnson is the majority owner of Innovative Martial Arts. This Littleton High School Grad is happy to be where he is and says things about his opponent such as "Pete is a true profesional and peer and I have a lot of respect for the man. We are hard-core atheletes who train year-round." Pete Vandervort of Loveland explained to me before the fight, "This is not about violence, this is total sport. We all train hard, we treat each other with respect. These Fighters, Steve (the promoter), this is my extended family." Vandervort lost in the first round to a lighting
fast
armbar at 1:20.
The atmosphere of Kick Down 39 was similiar to that of a cocktail party. Many of the women wore dresses, drinking wine or microbrews, however the biggest difference I note is this cocktail party is one with a more than average amount of bulging muscles, wide shoulders and tattoos. This is a classy group of people here to cheer on these warriers. It's not your father's 'Tough-Man' contest. Promoter Steve Alley has really made an effort to bring a level of class and taste and even promoting family values. It is a far cry from the image most people may have when thinking of the MMA. It's not all blood, vengence, and anger, it's more athleticism, respect, and honor (well yeah... and there still is the blood..).
In fact, there is nothing here like those long ago days. Words like tough man are an affront to fighters such as huge local favorite, Joey Welch, aka The Brighton Badboy.
Steve Alley, hugs his fighters, slaps people on the back and dispenses information such as the history of the Muay Thai head pieces that are worn. "We've never had a serious injury here, never had an insurance claim, we really care about our fighers and I hope it shows," said Steve. When he is not promoting his Kick Down shows, he is training fighters at Mahany's Gym.
Says Welch, "the coolest part of this sport is how big this is getting and being a part of it. Just good people and we're all here for fun."


by Bill Chamberlin
writer, mma-colorado.com
720-936-2510

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

This interviewer had the good fortune to accompany Localfightevents.com Founder and President, Dan Magnie, to an evening with Steve Alley at the Mahany Gym in Aurora, Co on June 6, 2007.

Interviewing Steve Alley, Denver’s premier dynamic local MMA promoter and ring announcer is like being in the presence of raw energy. His eyes dance and his arms wave as he expresses his passion for this sport that captured his interest in 1994.

Steve had found himself parked outside of Innovative Martial Arts gym in Aurora on his way to a local health food store. He noticed that the gym was offering a Special and found himself gravitated to the front door. Once inside, he was introduced to Sensei, Tom Johnson who encouraged Steve to become a participant rather than just an observer. It ultimately took three visits before the hook was set and 3 years 3 months later, Steve had his black belt.

As this reporter spent an evening with Steve Alley in interview and observation, it became clear that a career in sports and broadcasting has been his birthright. Steve’s father had been involved in radio sales which opened the door for young Steve to be used in several radio spots. He was mesmerized by listening to his father describe the excitement of the play-by-play radio announcing of a Joe Lewis fight. As a young man, he would turn down the volume on the TV to announce his own play-by-play action of televised football and baseball games in the same spirit of how David Stern made the games come alive for his radio listeners in the 1920s.

During the years Steve spent with Tom Johnson at Innovative Martial Arts, he got his first opportunities to ring announce at two of Tom’s events. In 1999 Steve also made application to the UFC for media credentials to ring announce for their events as well. Some of his early announcing highlights included the 1st Gladiator Challenge that came out of California, 4 Ring of Fires and 6 Rocky Mountain Bad Boys competitions. Steve estimates that he has ring announced 90 – 100 fights since his first two opportunities at Tom Johnson’s gym where Steve had started.

Also, in 1999, just five short years after entering his first martial arts gym, Steve launched his own radio program that aired Sunday evenings on clear channel KTLK. His time slot unfortunately clashed with the Broncos weekend update so Steve then moved his broadcast to his current web-site of MartialArtsRadio.com where the listening audience was greater even than that on clear channel.

During the course of our interview, we were joined briefly by Steve’s original Sensei, Tom Johnson. It will be exciting to watch Tom fighting again at the up-coming Kick Down 38, being produced and ring-announced by Steve on June 29, 2007 at the Red Lion Hotel in Denver. Tom was awarded his first professional win at Kick Down 37 in just 1 minute 16 seconds into the first round!

Steve invited us to stay after the interview to watch one of his training sessions with Anthony Sanchez Jr. Anthony will be matched against Kyle Johnson on June 29th at Kick Down 38 for the Kick Down amateur welter-weight championship.

As animated as Steve was in our interview, that same energy was now poured into his training session with Anthony. Steve had Anthony performing punches, jabs, knee-lifts and calisthenics in rapid change-ups. Steve also enlisted feedback from another of his fighters, Jack Johnson, the current and recently crowned (5-12-07) ISKA amateur Muay Thai World Champion. Together they coached the smiling, sweating and totally focused Anthony Sanchez Jr. in strategies that could help him wrest the Kick Down welter-weight championship from Kyle Johnson.

The fighter that has been with Steve the longest, is the exciting Colby Snyder who has been a friend and participant for the past 5 ½ years. Unfortunately Colby Snyder will not be fighting at Kick Down 38 on June 29th at the Red Lion due to a broken thumb that occurred at Kick Down 37 on May 12 of this year in Loveland, Co.

When Steve first started coaching fighters, he worked out of his home basement that had been entitled: The House of Martial Arts. When “accidental” damage occurred to the very small home where Steve lived with his wife Sherry and their infant daughter, Sherry lovingly encouraged Steve to find a new facility to work with his fighters! It was at this time that Steve followed his excellent business instincts and found space at his current gym-home of Mahany’s Gym in Aurora, Co. Tom Johnson joined him and this successful MMA duo continues their encouragement, support and promotion of young fighters.

In order to make ends meet, Steve relies on his events such as his Kick Downs and on his continuing income from his original career path as that of a mortgage banker. Although there is money to be made once a fighter, trainer or promoter makes it to the UFC, local fighters still struggle to make ends meet. As Steve so eloquently describes it: “Martial Arts folks are so broke they can’t pay attention much less pay for gym time to train.”

As we left the gym, LocalFightEvents.com President Dan Magnie used the expression “electrifying” when describing the hours we had just spent with Steve Alley.

The Denver and Colorado fight scene is very fortunate to have Steve Alley producing and ring announcing for us locally. Don’t miss an opportunity to attend one of his events while they remain relatively accessible. This interviewer predicts that within the next few years, Steve Alley will have moved onto become a presence on the larger MMA circuit.


Ann Dain
June 2007 This interviewer had the good fortune to accompany Localfightevents.com Founder and President, Dan Magnie, to an evening with Steve Alley at the Mahany Gym in Aurora, Co on June 6, 2007.

Interviewing Steve Alley, Denver’s premier dynamic local MMA promoter and ring announcer is like being in the presence of raw energy. His eyes dance and his arms wave as he expresses his passion for this sport that captured his interest in 1994.

Steve had found himself parked outside of Innovative Martial Arts gym in Aurora on his way to a local health food store. He noticed that the gym was offering a Special and found himself gravitated to the front door. Once inside, he was introduced to Sensei, Tom Johnson who encouraged Steve to become a participant rather than just an observer. It ultimately took three visits before the hook was set and 3 years 3 months later, Steve had his black belt.

As this reporter spent an evening with Steve Alley in interview and observation, it became clear that a career in sports and broadcasting has been his birthright. Steve’s father had been involved in radio sales which opened the door for young Steve to be used in several radio spots. He was mesmerized by listening to his father describe the excitement of the play-by-play radio announcing of a Joe Lewis fight. As a young man, he would turn down the volume on the TV to announce his own play-by-play action of televised football and baseball games in the same spirit of how David Stern made the games come alive for his radio listeners in the 1920s.

During the years Steve spent with Tom Johnson at Innovative Martial Arts, he got his first opportunities to ring announce at two of Tom’s events. In 1999 Steve also made application to the UFC for media credentials to ring announce for their events as well. Some of his early announcing highlights included the 1st Gladiator Challenge that came out of California, 4 Ring of Fires and 6 Rocky Mountain Bad Boys competitions. Steve estimates that he has ring announced 90 – 100 fights since his first two opportunities at Tom Johnson’s gym where Steve had started.

Also, in 1999, just five short years after entering his first martial arts gym, Steve launched his own radio program that aired Sunday evenings on clear channel KTLK. His time slot unfortunately clashed with the Broncos weekend update so Steve then moved his broadcast to his current web-site of MartialArtsRadio.com where the listening audience was greater even than that on clear channel.

During the course of our interview, we were joined briefly by Steve’s original Sensei, Tom Johnson. It will be exciting to watch Tom fighting again at the up-coming Kick Down 38, being produced and ring-announced by Steve on June 29, 2007 at the Red Lion Hotel in Denver. Tom was awarded his first professional win at Kick Down 37 in just 1 minute 16 seconds into the first round!

Steve invited us to stay after the interview to watch one of his training sessions with Anthony Sanchez Jr. Anthony will be matched against Kyle Johnson on June 29th at Kick Down 38 for the Kick Down amateur welter-weight championship.

As animated as Steve was in our interview, that same energy was now poured into his training session with Anthony. Steve had Anthony performing punches, jabs, knee-lifts and calisthenics in rapid change-ups. Steve also enlisted feedback from another of his fighters, Jack Johnson, the current and recently crowned (5-12-07) ISKA amateur Muay Thai World Champion. Together they coached the smiling, sweating and totally focused Anthony Sanchez Jr. in strategies that could help him wrest the Kick Down welter-weight championship from Kyle Johnson.

The fighter that has been with Steve the longest, is the exciting Colby Snyder who has been a friend and participant for the past 5 ½ years. Unfortunately Colby Snyder will not be fighting at Kick Down 38 on June 29th at the Red Lion due to a broken thumb that occurred at Kick Down 37 on May 12 of this year in Loveland, Co.

When Steve first started coaching fighters, he worked out of his home basement that had been entitled: The House of Martial Arts. When “accidental” damage occurred to the very small home where Steve lived with his wife Sherry and their infant daughter, Sherry lovingly encouraged Steve to find a new facility to work with his fighters! It was at this time that Steve followed his excellent business instincts and found space at his current gym-home of Mahany’s Gym in Aurora, Co. Tom Johnson joined him and this successful MMA duo continues their encouragement, support and promotion of young fighters.

In order to make ends meet, Steve relies on his events such as his Kick Downs and on his continuing income from his original career path as that of a mortgage banker. Although there is money to be made once a fighter, trainer or promoter makes it to the UFC, local fighters still struggle to make ends meet. As Steve so eloquently describes it: “Martial Arts folks are so broke they can’t pay attention much less pay for gym time to train.”

As we left the gym, LocalFightEvents.com President Dan Magnie used the expression “electrifying” when describing the hours we had just spent with Steve Alley.

The Denver and Colorado fight scene is very fortunate to have Steve Alley producing and ring announcing for us locally. Don’t miss an opportunity to attend one of his events while they remain relatively accessible. This interviewer predicts that within the next few years, Steve Alley will have moved onto become a presence on the larger MMA circuit.


Ann Dain
June 2007













This interviewer had the good fortune to accompany Localfightevents.com Founder and President, Dan Magnie, to an evening with Steve Alley at the Mahany Gym in Aurora, Co on June 6, 2007.

Interviewing Steve Alley, Denver’s premier dynamic local MMA promoter and ring announcer is like being in the presence of raw energy. His eyes dance and his arms wave as he expresses his passion for this sport that captured his interest in 1994.

Steve had found himself parked outside of Innovative Martial Arts gym in Aurora on his way to a local health food store. He noticed that the gym was offering a Special and found himself gravitated to the front door. Once inside, he was introduced to Sensei, Tom Johnson who encouraged Steve to become a participant rather than just an observer. It ultimately took three visits before the hook was set and 3 years 3 months later, Steve had his black belt.

As this reporter spent an evening with Steve Alley in interview and observation, it became clear that a career in sports and broadcasting has been his birthright. Steve’s father had been involved in radio sales which opened the door for young Steve to be used in several radio spots. He was mesmerized by listening to his father describe the excitement of the play-by-play radio announcing of a Joe Lewis fight. As a young man, he would turn down the volume on the TV to announce his own play-by-play action of televised football and baseball games in the same spirit of how David Stern made the games come alive for his radio listeners in the 1920s.

During the years Steve spent with Tom Johnson at Innovative Martial Arts, he got his first opportunities to ring announce at two of Tom’s events. In 1999 Steve also made application to the UFC for media credentials to ring announce for their events as well. Some of his early announcing highlights included the 1st Gladiator Challenge that came out of California, 4 Ring of Fires and 6 Rocky Mountain Bad Boys competitions. Steve estimates that he has ring announced 90 – 100 fights since his first two opportunities at Tom Johnson’s gym where Steve had started.

Also, in 1999, just five short years after entering his first martial arts gym, Steve launched his own radio program that aired Sunday evenings on clear channel KTLK. His time slot unfortunately clashed with the Broncos weekend update so Steve then moved his broadcast to his current web-site of MartialArtsRadio.com where the listening audience was greater even than that on clear channel.

During the course of our interview, we were joined briefly by Steve’s original Sensei, Tom Johnson. It will be exciting to watch Tom fighting again at the up-coming Kick Down 38, being produced and ring-announced by Steve on June 29, 2007 at the Red Lion Hotel in Denver. Tom was awarded his first professional win at Kick Down 37 in just 1 minute 16 seconds into the first round!

Steve invited us to stay after the interview to watch one of his training sessions with Anthony Sanchez Jr. Anthony will be matched against Kyle Johnson on June 29th at Kick Down 38 for the Kick Down amateur welter-weight championship.

As animated as Steve was in our interview, that same energy was now poured into his training session with Anthony. Steve had Anthony performing punches, jabs, knee-lifts and calisthenics in rapid change-ups. Steve also enlisted feedback from another of his fighters, Jack Johnson, the current and recently crowned (5-12-07) ISKA amateur Muay Thai World Champion. Together they coached the smiling, sweating and totally focused Anthony Sanchez Jr. in strategies that could help him wrest the Kick Down welter-weight championship from Kyle Johnson.

The fighter that has been with Steve the longest, is the exciting Colby Snyder who has been a friend and participant for the past 5 ½ years. Unfortunately Colby Snyder will not be fighting at Kick Down 38 on June 29th at the Red Lion due to a broken thumb that occurred at Kick Down 37 on May 12 of this year in Loveland, Co.

When Steve first started coaching fighters, he worked out of his home basement that had been entitled: The House of Martial Arts. When “accidental” damage occurred to the very small home where Steve lived with his wife Sherry and their infant daughter, Sherry lovingly encouraged Steve to find a new facility to work with his fighters! It was at this time that Steve followed his excellent business instincts and found space at his current gym-home of Mahany’s Gym in Aurora, Co. Tom Johnson joined him and this successful MMA duo continues their encouragement, support and promotion of young fighters.

In order to make ends meet, Steve relies on his events such as his Kick Downs and on his continuing income from his original career path as that of a mortgage banker. Although there is money to be made once a fighter, trainer or promoter makes it to the UFC, local fighters still struggle to make ends meet. As Steve so eloquently describes it: “Martial Arts folks are so broke they can’t pay attention much less pay for gym time to train.”

As we left the gym, LocalFightEvents.com President Dan Magnie used the expression “electrifying” when describing the hours we had just spent with Steve Alley.

The Denver and Colorado fight scene is very fortunate to have Steve Alley producing and ring announcing for us locally. Don’t miss an opportunity to attend one of his events while they remain relatively accessible. This interviewer predicts that within the next few years, Steve Alley will have moved onto become a presence on the larger MMA circuit.

Ann Dain

June 2007

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

And . . . now from Iowa

As they become aware of the ferocity of MMA, many states are considering legislation to control what they perceive as a gap in their legal role of protector of their citizens.

KETV.com
Iowa Considers Deregulating Extreme Fighting
POSTED: 3:52 pm CST February 8, 2006
UPDATED: 4:05 pm CST February 8, 2006
OMAHA, Neb. -- The state of Iowa is considering a plan to end regulation of extreme -- or ultimate -- fighting.
Iowa's athletic commissioner said he fears it can't provide adequate oversight to these fights, and if someone gets hurt, the state of Iowa could face a steep lawsuit.
The plan under consideration in the Iowa Statehouse would stop the state from sanctioning the fights.
Supporters of the sport fear that without the state's approval, promoters would be reluctant to sponsor fights themselves.
boxing / wrestling / submission / coloradofightevents.com / ultimate fighting / kick-boxing