Mixed martial arts card draws a crowd

Published 4:40 pm Thursday, August 21, 2008

Las Vegas or Atlantic City may not be right around the corner for Pacific Northwest fight fans, but as the 22nd installment of the Ax Fighting Championship successfully wrapped up Saturday night at Edmonds Community College, anyone looking for a healthy dose of combat has one opportunity hidden in their backyard.

A crowd of around 2,000 filled the EdCC’s Seaview Hall to watch 13 fights of all styles, most combining techniques of kickboxing, martial arts and even wrestling. Everything about the presentation screamed of authenticity, from the red and blue boxing ring flooded with lights in the darkened gymnasium to the entrance music accompanying each fighter. Bikini models were even present to announce each incoming round and present the winners with their trophy, all the while absorbing many of the crowds wandering whistles.

But the resemblance to official Ultimate Fighting Championship matches should come as no surprise considering Aric Wiseman, co-promoter with Charles Pearson for the Ax Fighting amateur league and the Max Fighting professional leagues, has been promoting his grassroots fights since 1990 – three years before the UFC existed.

“We’ve been on-going and very grassroots longer than the UFC,” Wiseman said before Saturday’s event. “Most people around don’t even know about us.”

Despite the low profile, the impact of Wiseman’s leagues have been enormous.

“We sponsor pro fights all over the nation,” he said. “We’ve put more guys into the UFC than any other organization in the world.”

The fighters who filled out Saturday’s event did include some UFC hopefuls, among them Demetrious Johnson, the reigning Ax Fighting champion who remained undefeated after beating Jose Garza in the final fight of the night, and Jeff Sweeney, whose match was declared a “no contest” after an illegal kick left his opponent, Zack Peterson, unable to recover.

“I do want to go pro,” confessed Sweeney, 23, on Saturday. “I’ll get a couple of years under my belt and see where it takes me, what makes sense to me.”

Sweeney, who’s been fighting for four years, praised the Ax Fighting league for sponsoring and managing amateur fights in “a respectful and professional way.”

“Mixed martial arts are becoming real big right now,” said Sweeney, who, through training at Arlington Kickboxing Academy, received both sponsors and equipment. “A lot of people are starting to follow it.”

For others, the competition is more of a hobby than professional dream.

“I used to get picked on as a kid,” said Christian Ortiz, 21, who has been fighting for about one year. “As a small guy, fighting helped me gain confidence.”

Fights were not limited to bouts of testosterone on Saturday. In fact, the kickboxing match between Sarah Weeks and Allison Russell was the first to bring the entire crowd screaming to their feet — twice.

“It was a great experience,” Russell said after losing her Ax Fighting debut to Weeks in round 2. “Sarah is a great fighter. I’d love to work with her.”

A second-degree black belt and second-year kick boxer, Russell balances her Edmonds Community College education with conducting kickboxing classes and training seven days a week, most of which are spent fighting men at the Center for Creative Martial Arts in Everett.

“Sometimes there are girls to fight, but mostly it’s all guys in the gym,” said Russell.

Combining a roster of locally trained and sponsored fighters with the high-intensity Vegas flair gives the Ax Fighting Championship an unusual blend of big time spectacle and grassroots intimacy. One can cheer on their favorite fighter from the rafters and then congratulate them in person on their victory. Try doing that in Vegas.

The next Ax Fighting event, subtitled “Halloween Havoc,” is scheduled for Oct. 25 at Edmonds Community College. More information can be found at www.axfighting.com.