The first time I saw Steven Peterson, I was in the Combative Sports Facility in Arlington, Tx and he was beating the living hell out of some guy (Jeremy Hontz to be exact... thanks MixedMartialArts.com!) and seemingly not breaking a sweat while doing it.

Pounding out Hontz in the first, having a smoking hot ring girl wrap his United States Amateur Combat Association 145-pound title around his waist, and then being greeted by a building full of newly converted fans isn't a bad way to spend a night.

And yeah, I was one of them! I immediately sought him out for an interview. Granted, most of the evening's fighters were out and about post-fight but only Steven had a giant, bad ass flaming Superman logo tattooed on his chest.

Estimated cost? I'd say about a grand.

I was lucky enough to have him on my old radio show, Tap or Snap Radio (pour out your 40s), and now I'm lucky enough to be interviewing him on the eve of the biggest fight of his career for NTF.

In case you were wondering, I'm pretty damn lucky.

Peterson is set to throw down in San Antonio tonight for Bellator Fighting Championships. BFC is no stranger to Texas having already had one show in San Antonio as well as a big show here in Grand Prairie. That show was like a Fitness Fight Factory showcase as Johnny Bedford, Doug Frey, and Chas Skelly all picked up wins that night. So it's great to see Bellator coming back to the Lone Star State and taking advantage of all the great talent coming out.

I asked Steven what he had been up to since he last spoke and he said he was training, training, training. It's like a full-time job for this kid. He's been “working on cleaning up... striking and getting more technical with [his] ground game.”

When your nickname is “Jitsu” you better have some damn good jiu-jitsu skills.  Well, there is no fronting on Joe “Jitsu” Christopher’s BJJ skills.  Hell, dude has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu which means he can choke me out with his pinky.  Still, in light of Christopher’s mad talents he was beaten pretty convincingly by Joey Gorczynski in the main event of Steele Cage 3 last month.  Styles make fights, and Gorczynski’s smothering wrestling would give most fighters fits. 

With the bitter taste of defeat still fresh in his mouth; Christopher will look to get a win back in his record when he takes on Houston’s Andrew Chappelle on the local undercard portion of Bellator 27 taking place tonight at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio.  With an impressive win tonight Christopher exorcises the demons from his last fight and can move forward with a career that seems primed for takeoff. 

Also reppin’ the DFW on Bellator 27 is heavyweight Dale Mitchell of Dallas who will face Richard Odoms

MMA Junkie has confirmed that Arlington founded but Las Vegas-based managerial group, Team Takedown, and Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu Academy founder Mark Laimon are planning on relocating to the Lone Star State.  The managerial group, their fighters, and Laimon are planning on occupying The Gym, a 30,000 square-foot training facility in Arlington. 

Team Takedown is most notable for their unique approach to fighter management.  Fighters under Team Takedown are given a salary and have both their living expenses, and training expenses paid for.  In return for these perks, fighters are required to submit half of their fight purses to the managerial group.  Consider it an off-beat form of MMA communism.  According to the report, it takes approximately $450,000 a year to support each fighter. 

Team Takedown began in 2007 when they signed collegiate wrestlers, Johnny Hendricks, Shane Roller, and Jake Rosholt.  While none have truly found superstar success, Hendricks is undefeated and rapidly earning respect from fight fans and media types. 

"We want everything right there where we're at," Team Takedown co-founder Ted Erhardt said. "That's because now we're really going to push forward and start to grow this thing that we've seen is proven."

Laimon, a coach for Team Takedown, is best known for the success of his Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy, Cobra Kai.  Laimon will make the move to Texas along with Team Takedown and plans to open a franchise of his Vegas-based Cobra Kai academy. 

"I think we're in a situation now where it's the right time to grow and expand the brand," Laimon said.

The move to Texas solidifies the regions reputation as a burgeoning hotbed of MMA talent.  New MMA academies seem to pop up monthly here in the DFW and with the influx of training centers come a wave of talented fighters from here in North Texas. 

No official date has been set for the move to Texas, but Team Takedown’s inclusion into the North Texas combative sports scene will be a welcomed addition. 

Source: MMA Junke Radio

When Randy Couture easily submitted former multi-weight class boxing champion James Toney in the co-main event of UFC 118, MMA fans rejoiced at the perception that their sport bested boxing.  The problem is that there is blatant fallacy in such simplistic thinking.  Yet, none the less the build up to this fight was not that of two supremely gifted warriors on the tell end of their respective careers.  Rather, the UFC, along with fans, and some media outlets took this as a chance to trumpet the argument surrounding which sport is superior: boxing or MMA.

It’s a senseless argument given that the sports are completely different from each oher.  It’s not like an argument comparing the NFC to the AFC in professional football.  While there are some similarities in the basics of MMA with that of the techniques found in boxing, the sports’ similarities truly end there.  MMA is a sport comprised of various aspects of combative sports: boxing, kicks, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, et cetera.  Boxing is, well, boxing.  To compare the two would be like comparing a basketball player to a soccer player.  After all, those two sports are comprised of running and passing, right?

Sure, it’s silly to compare the sports of basketball and soccer against each other, but that type of improbable comparison is exactly what the debate between boxing and MMA is.  Boxing and MMA may both be combative sports; sports were you are allowed to pummel your opponent senseless.  But, just because a fighter is a boxer it does not mean that a transition into MMA would be smooth sailing.  James Toney proved that this past Saturday.  Likewise, an MMA fighter would struggle in the ring against skilled boxers.  The differences between the sports are so great that debating which is better is lesson in futility.

Look, the argument is simple, do you as an individual prefer boxing, or is MMA your type of thing. Both sports offer up fans distinctly unique experiences.  Personal preference is all that should be taken into consideration between the two sports.  Boxing versus MMA is an argument that needs to be put to rest.  The fact of the matter is that there is room in the world for both sports, neither is “better” than the other; it is as simple as that.

Inarguably, the single most impressive thing about the DFW boxing scene is the close-knit community that is composed of the various players in the sport.  This communal feeling was well in display this past weekend as the North Texas boxing scene collectively mourned the unexpected passing of one of its own, boxer Franco Dunmoodie. 

Dunmoodie died in a motorcycle accident Thursday night.

Franco Dunmoodie lived life like he boxed, full speed ahead.  Fans of the Harrison Boxing Group’s Texas Slugfest series no doubt remember Forth Worth’s Dunmoodie for his aggressive style and dedication to give fans their money’s worth.  He never failed to achieve these desires.  His 2008 fight with James Freeman would go down as one of the greatest fights to take place in North Texas.  It was classic Dunmoodie, a man who did things in fifth gear but always with the temperament of a warrior. 

News of his premature death sent a shockwave through the Fort Worth boxing community.  On the night that his younger brother, Joshua Dunmoodie, was set to make a return to the ring following an 18-month hiatus, the younger Dunmoodie would be forced to contend not only with the punches of his opponent, but the mental anguish of loosing his brother. 

“It felt like someone punched me in the face,” Joshua Dunmoodie explained moments after pulling off a spilt decision victory Friday night.  “I just went down to the floor.” 

I had the pleasure of covering Franco Dunmoodie early in my career and I always came away in admiration for the heart and tenacity he possessed in the ring.  Outside the ring, Dunmoodie was always cordial and accommodating.  He never turned away an interview request and always was there in support of his brother when the elder Joshua would fight. 

Though Dunmoodie had been inactive for the last two years, he will always be considered a member of the North Texas boxing fraternity.  His sudden and tragic passing undoubtedly weights heavy on the hearts of both fighters and fans here in the DFW. 

Dunmoodie was what you wanted to see in a fighter, and that will never be forgotten.

(Photos © Edward Garza/NorthTexasFisticuffs.com)

It has rapidly turned into the premier fundraising event in Fort Worth, and this past Friday night some of North Texas’ most generous, and well-to-do, citizens converged upon the regal Worthington Renaissance in downtown Fort Worth.  The black-tie gala was the annual fundraiser for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Worth and by all accounts it is a magical blend of fun and charity. 

So, what the hell was I doing there?

The headlining entertainment of this annual soiree is a professional boxing card aptly titled, “Boxing at the Ballroom.”  While the event is closed to the public, the fact that there is a boxing card, featuring a slew of North Texas talent was more than enough to draw us to this most baller of events.  Adding to the intrigue was the fact that this year marked the first time Paulie Ayala Productions would host the event.  In the past, Fort Worth’s Harrison Boxing Group put on the fight card, to much critical acclaim.  With PAP putting on the fight card, the tradition continued as the throngs of people in attendance were treated to a night of great fights.

You have to admire the oft-maverick attitude of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR), the regulatory body that governs combative sports here in the Lone Star state.  When the state of New York placed the late Edwin Valero on indefinite suspension, the TDLR bucked the trend of following other commissions’ leads and granted the Venezuelan a license to box.  Going against the grain has always been a source of pride to Texans.  Hell, it’s why we remember the Alamo and cherish the singular star on the state flag. 

But with such a contrarian ideology come its fair share of criticism.  The TDLR is far from perfect.  Their instance on not testing fighters for illicit drugs prior to fighting in mixed martial arts is not only irresponsible, but dangerous.  But in light of the criticism volleyed at the TDLR, the commission continues to march to the beat of their own drum.

All of which it should have come as no surprise when news broke Thursday afternoon that the TDLR has approved disgraced pug Antonio Margarito’s application for a boxing license in the state of Texas.  Margarito, you may remember, was given a year-long suspension by the state of California when his former trainer Javier Capetillo was caught trying to place a plaster like substance in Margarito’s hand wraps prior to his 2009 bout with Shane Mosley.  While Margarito claimed he had no knowledge of Capetillo’s intentions, California revoked his license, thus banning the Tijuana-based boxer from fighting in the Unites States.

With the year-long suspension having passed, Top Rank, Margarito’s promoter, had tried to get him licensed to fight in Las Vegas but the Nevada boxing commission insisted that Margarito first reapply for a license in California.  However, California denied Margarito’s application for a license.  It was at this time that Top Rank contacted the TDLR who stated they would take a look at Margarito’s application after hearing all the facts from his previous hearings in Nevada and California.

Seems that the TDLR was content in Margarito’s claims of ignorance and after deliberating over his application this week agreed to grant him a license.  Margarito’s licensing sets the stage for a November 13 showdown with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium.  Pacquiao drew nearly 51,000 people to the stadium this past March in his title defense against unheralded Joshua Clottey.  Margarito, a much bigger draw than Clottey, is expected to contribute to a draw that would exceed the Clottey fight. 

Word on the street is that Top Rank will hold a press conference in Dallas next Friday to officially kick off the promotion.

Ok, so that title may be a bit of a stretch. Still, in light of Couture's highly anticipated showdown against James Toney at UFC 118, we present to you, Captain America.

Have you ever had the desire to be objectified for your appearance?  Do you lay awake at night thinking of how great it would be for the masses to see your face plastered in various advertisements?  Do you feel a surge of adrenaline whenever you hear Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy?” 

If you said to yourself, “F**k yeah!” to any of the above mentioned scenarios, then perhaps the glamorous life of modeling is for you.  If you happen to a male boxer, Hispanic, and 25 years-old or older, then tomorrow your long held dream of being famous (at least regionally) may come to fruition.  

An open casting call is being held tomorrow in Dallas by a local advertising firm specifically looking for Hispanic boxers, 25 years old and up to be featured in some print work.  Fit fighters need apply so all you Chris Arreola look alike, sorry, but keep your tubby nalgas at home. 

Casting Call Info

Those interested in heading the call to model need to be available tomorrow morning.  Info below:

When: Friday, August 25, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Where:  1999 Bryan Street, Suite 2700 (27th Floor), Dallas, TX

Contact: Ask for Kaitlyn Cunningham (214-259-8000)

For various reasons, amateur boxing isn't everybody's cup of tea.  Despite a wildly successful career fighting in headgear, Ray Ximenez, Jr. apparently feels the same.  In the last several days, Ximenez (along with father, Ray Sr.) has decided he'd rather fight for money than medals and trophies, henceforth.

You could grow old rattling off the titles and accomplishments Ximenez has garnered, but above all was his # 1 United States ranking in his weight class (114 pounds).  To say the least, the 2012 Olympics was a realistic goal, but citing politics and favoritism (among other things), Ximenez doesn't want to waste another two years on something that could prove to be unattainable. 
 
DFW boxing fans will get one last chance to watch Ximenez at a reduced rate on the upcoming "Best of the Best Boxing Championships" on September 11th at the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center.  I know I’ll be there!

(Photo credit: DallasPal.com)