Clash features fighters of all styles
by Megan Bodily
staff writer
With an amicable tap of the gloves, the fighters square up and the fight starts. A combination of punches and kicks draw bloodfall as the mixed martial arts fighters face off at Castle Manor in the second Cache Valley Clash.
Boasting eight total fights, the Clash has been gaining recognition as the premier MMA event to debut as an amateur fight. Bringing in fighters from across the state, as well as California and Colorado, the event has been introducing the sport of MMA to Cache Valley.
Co-producers Travis Chambers and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner both said they were pleased with the turnout of fighters.
“It was a great success. The fights were really good, we had a large variety and we had a lot of good takedowns and submissions,” Chambers said. “We had fights that went just seconds and fights that went all three rounds.”
Starting off the Clash, Tim Cook and Matt Jackson met each other in the 155-pound class but what started out promising ended just 24 seconds into the first round. The referee called the bout after Jackson took a heavy right hand to the head, snapping his head backwards.
Anthony Miller, a Richmond, Utah, native, went three rounds with Tanner Cohen also at the 155-pound weight class. After submission could not be gained, the decision went to the judges’ score cards which gave the win the Cohen.
Emmanuel “The Spider” Mendoza used his street fighting background to eliminate Andrew Christensen in the 170-pound weight class. Christensen started out strong, lifting Mendoza off the ground to throw him to the mat. Emmanuel Mendoza was not affected and came back to use a traditional boxing style to beat Christensen around the cage. The referee called the match for repeated strikes at 2 minutes, 49 seconds into the first round.
Utah State student Ivan Pacheco tapped out to Nick Swenson after Swenson straddled Pacheco to deliver punches to the face. Just 2:17 into the first round, the 6-foot, 170-pound fighter had the lighter fighter pinned to the ground, with a bloodied nose. Pacheco’s original opponent backed out just a week before the fight, giving Pacheco the option to fight in a heavier class.
“My fighter dropped out but they offered me a fight in a heavier weight class and I took it because I wanted to fight. I have just been eating pretty much the past week,” Pacheco said. “I was at my top physicality point because I was trying to gain weight.”
Pacecho weighed in at 161 pounds and 5 feet 7 inches, whereas Swenson weighed in at 9 pounds heavier.
“Nine pounds doesn’t seem a lot, but when it comes down to it, it matters,” Pacheco said. “Swenson had a good fight and I want to give him props.”
Brady Garner traveled from Bakersfield, Calif., to participate in the Clash. A Preston, Idaho, native, Garner’s background is in wrestling. Fighting in the 185-pound weight class, Garner wasted no time pounding Javier Mendoza and earned the win with repeated strikes, 36 seconds into the first round.
Tiffany Anderson and Mackenzi Allen stepped into the ring at the 125-pound female class. Anderson, a mother of seven who debuted in the first Cache Valley Clash, tripped Allen on the inside to bring her down for the tapout 2:47 into the first round.
Anderson’s road to the Clash started 11 months ago when she decided to lose weight.
“Last year I decided to lose some weight, I started at 180 pounds and now I am 125 pounds and have abs,” Anderson said. “I feel great, I trained really hard and came here to win and feel good about it. I was confident that I was ready for whatever Allen could dish out.”
Gardner said that involving women into the MMA world has been positive for the sport as well as the women who participate in it.
“This Anderson’s second fight and Allen’s first fight and to have them come in here and put themselves out there is great,” Gardner said. “I think it’s a great sport to see the evolution in and it empowers women.”
The fight of the night came from Dustin Jenkins and Jelani Smith in the 155-pound weight class. Smith, from Denver, Colo., and Jenkins were the most technical MMA fighters in the event, and exhibited a higher level of skill. After three rounds, the fight went the judge’s scorecards which, unanimously gave the win to Jenkins.
“The best textbook match, evenly matched going toe-to-toe was Smith and Jenkins,” Chambers said. “They went back and forth and they both spent equal time trading blows and I feel like it was an evenly-matched fight, which is what we look for in MMA.”
Gardner said the fight was not just about fighting, but about a comeback for Smith.
“To see Smith and Jenkins go at it was great,” Gardner said. “This is Smith’s first fight back after a death of a friend and having him die has really affected Smith. To see that makes you realize what you have to live for. Although it was only a fight, it symbolizes what we put into it and what we get out of it.”
Mike Foster and Robert La Cruix wrapped up the Clash, fighting at the 185-pound weight class. La Cruix came into the fight undefeated, but Foster took the fight within seconds.
“The fights were stopped a little early in a few of them, but in the end of the day the fights were phenomenal,” Gardner said. “They are still at an amateur level. It’s a starting progress and a lot of debuts tonight.”
– mega.bodi@aggiemail.usu.edu
DUSTIN JENKINS WAILS ON JELANI SMITH in a 155-pound match that went three rounds and came down to judges’ decision. KIMBERLY SHORTS photo