Martial Arts, one of the fastest growing sports in the country and outdrawing boxing in several major cities and pay per view offerings, took place at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia Friday.
Up until now MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) has been most popular on the west coast. A crowd of 2,452 was on hand to see 10 bouts of all out hand-to-hand combat between fighters of all weight classes.
The action was fast and furious as fighters went mano e mano in an exhibition of skill and will. Several bouts featured vicious knockouts, blood cuts and choke hold submissions.
Johnny Curtis, a native of Fairfax, Virginia and former All- American wrestler and graduate of George Mason University, made his pro debut and was victorious with a forced submission at the 1:44 mark of the first round.
Curtis, who rode in the arena in a motorized trike said after the event, "The debut couldn't have been in a better place. It's good to have family and friends here to see me."
Curtis went on the say, "I found out about the event three weeks ago and could only train one night a week to prepare for it."
Curtis, who runs a tree removal service, is positive that this area can become a hub of combat sports. "It's crazy how popular this sport is getting but if they keep promoting these events, the attendance will rise."
Curtis's bout was the ninth of 10 and the results were as follows:
Ben Gonzalez (3-2) TKO over Will Clark in 1st round (0-1)
Philip Wyman (2-1) winner over Antonio Grant (1-2)
Beau Baker (4-0) submission winner over Darryl Moore (1-2) 1st round
Robert Houston (2-2) TKO winner over Jay Cox (0-1) 2nd round
Dwayne Shelton (4-3) TKO winner over Todd Guimond (5-3) 3:58 2nd round
Chris Reedy (9-6) submission winner over Kyle Baker (3-2) 59 seconds 1st round
Reshad Woods (4-1) KO winner over Adam Lehman (4-5) 2:20 1st round
Antwain Britt (4-0) TKO winner over Isaiah Larson (2-1) 4:04 2nd round
Travis Wiuff (48-11) TKO winner over Travis Fulton (181-44-9) 3:27 2nd round
Both local boxer Jimmy Lange and Jackie Kallen of Ice Promotions expect MMA to catch on in the DC area but will probably chose a smaller venue in the future.
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