Tonight’s lineup for the WCK Muaythai show at the Four Points By Sheraton Hotel
Entourage or cheering section? Without a doubt, a fighter needs a strong fan base. Check out this group who showed up Friday to see their hero Francisco Garcia weigh-in for his fight on Saturday.
Back and forth the fighters come, one show in Los Angeles followed by another in San Diego and with each thrilling show, they always sell-out. Tonight’s show will be like the rest. One of the champions, Selena Flores of Vista, recently returned from an intense training camp in Thailand with its daily regime of mosquito bites, food deprivation and long hours of training. Tonight, she’ll be tested big time by the undefeated Ashley Smallwood from nearby Victory MMA who as they say has been lying in wait. Waiting for her opportunity to take possession of Flores’ crown.
Up and down the line-up you see the wannabes ready to take down the champ. The up and comers get impatient. They feel it’s their time. Their swifter delivery of an elbow, punch to the face or kick anywhere will surely send the reigning champ into oblivion.
Bout #1 features the ladies, lightweights Erica Heine (2-0) (left) is from Steel MMA in Tierrasanta, going up against Angel Montano (right) of Switch Muaythai who now trains at 10th Planet Jui Jitsu in Spring Valley. Montano, being three inches shorter, will need to get inside to be successful in this her debut. For Bout #2, they have the 5’3″ tall David Cung (right) (3-0) of San Diego who trains at The Boxing Club in East Village. Like Montano above, Cung will need to get inside on Warren Yee who is taller. (photo, left) Lying on the canvas (r), directly in front of his coach David Huey, the smug Mr. Yee likely feels the victory will be his when facing the shorter opponent. He best think twice. David Cung goes nonstop and rarely if ever misses his target.In Bout #3, it’s Manuel Medina (4-0, left) of Team Parusa San Diego who trains at the UFC Gym in Fashion Valley taking on the more experienced Felipe Aparicio (6-3-1) from the Steel MMA Gym in Tierrasanta. This could be an example of the young champion, Medina, moving up in class before he’s ready. Even though Aparicio has three losses, those losses came in title fights that could have gone either way. You only have to compare their body types to recognize that Aparicio (right) appears to be stronger since losing a maximum of body fat (referred to as “cutting“) while preserving as much muscule mass as possible, while the younger Medina appears uncut and still developing.Along comes a third bout for the giant killer in all of us. In Bout #4, both fighters have tons of experience. Sweet Baby James Gregory (shown here) has fought 23 times while his opponent Evan Boulton from Long Beach, Calif. is a veteran of 26 fights. Boulton, who missed his weigh-in on Friday, will have to weigh in on Saturday. The biggest discrepancy will be their height and reach. Boulton will tower over Gregory who is just 5’7″ while his opponent, Boulton, stands 6 foot four”.In Bout #5 you have two gents who are very, very good, and the man holding the championship belt (c) has no intention of giving it up. Actually, both are champions, the 27-year-old Brandon Kurosawa (9-0-1) (l) from The Boxing Club, Downtown, is the IKF Champion while the 6’1″ tall Clarence Watson (c and r) from Ontario, Calif. is the IAMTF Champion. On Saturday, Watson is hoping to celebrate not only the title victory but his 25th birthday.
Jordan Huber, another elite fighter was scheduled to go in Bout #6, but since his opponent missed the weigh-in, that fight against Yannick Krapp (8-3) from Temple City, Calif. is in jeopardy. Bout #7 might well be the “Bout of the Night” with Ashley Smallwood planning for over a year to upset Selina Flores’ apple cart. Smallwood feels she might be catching the champion at the best time, as this fight comes only a few weeks after Flores returned from a trip to Thailand, which could have been either a vacation trip or perhaps a very challenging boot camp.Bout #8 has Sean Kervick of The Arena MMA (l) by way of Ireland taking on tough guy James Acosta (r) out of Los Angeles.Man with the huge fan base!Bout #9 has Francisco Garcia (7-2) from Undisputed Fitness, San Diego, facing fellow Pro, Chris Culley (9-3) from Millenia MMA of Victorville, CA. Will Garcia be ready? He is returning after a long lay-off. Bout #10: a Pro WCK Muaythai Full Rules Lightweight bout has Marvin Madariaga (r) taking on Ron Scolesdong of Irvine, Calif. In Bout #11 it’s Edson Perez (0-1) who trains at the Gracie Carlsbad Gym in Carlsbad with Coach Andy Scott going up against David Young (0-1) from Upland, Calif. who trains with Squirrel Muay Thai in the UFC Gym in Ontario, Calif.
In Bout #12 they have C. Patrick Harrington (l) who trains at City Boxing with coach Denis Grachev going up against Eric Michael Ross of San Diego, who trains at Pacific Roots Muay Thai with coach Shaun Shepard.
Bout #14 will be an IAMTF Women’s Atomweight match between Jessica Cook (1-0-1) from Team Parusa in Mission Valley and Debbie Chen (1-0) from Steel MMA.In the final contest, Bout 15, they have super welterweight Barack Sekander (1-1) of The Arena MMA gym in Point Loma taking on Torger Torgeren (2-0) who is trained by Antonio Arango of the Undisputed Fitness Gym in Center City. Sekander’s weapon of choice? He’s one heck of a power puncher.
