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 News from Around Banderas Bay | February 2008 
WFL Martial Arts Competition at Collage
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
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Click image to enlarge | | This will be the first Mixed Martial Arts or UFC bout ever held in Puerto Vallarta. It is dangerous stuff - but incredibly popular. | | |
The first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) full fight card ever held Puerto Vallarta will be held this Saturday, February 16th at the Collage Club beginning at 6 pm. Tae Muay Gym, owned and managed by Jesus Gonzalez is presenting "WFL"; the acronym standing for "Warriors Fighting For A Living."
Mixed martial arts burst onto the International scene in 1993 and emerged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, based on the concept of pitting different fighting styles against each other with minimal rules in place, in an attempt to determine which system would be more effective in a real, unregulated combat situation.
During the period from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, mixed martial arts implemented additional rules for the safety of the athletes and to promote acceptance of the sport, while maintaining as much of the "no holds barred" concept as possible.
With those changes, the sport has grown rapidly in popularity, to the point of regularly scheduled pay-per-view televised events breaking viewing records.
Mixed martial arts go by many names; No Holds Barred, Ultimate Fighting, Cage Fighting and Vale Tudo, which is what will be held in Puerto Vallarta. Vale Tudo is actually Portuguese for "anything goes." This event is being called Vale Todo; the same, but utilizing the Spanish language.
The first person to bring the concept to the vast public was actually the famous Bruce Lee, who, in the 1970s, demonstrated his theories of mixing various martial arts styles in his many movies. It took about 25 years for the sport to come to the popularity it enjoys today.
The techniques utilized in mixed martial arts competitions generally fall into two categories: striking techniques (such as kicks, knees and punches) and grappling or wrestling techniques (such as clinch holds, pinning holds, submission holds, sweeps, take downs and throws.)
Now that I did some research to provide the best information possible about what to expect, we will give our readers particulars for Saturday night's event. First, it will be more dangerous than other types of fighting that we have seen in Puerto Vallarta and children under the age of 12 will not be permitted to enter. There will be a cage over the ring, which is traditional in these events.
Nine (9) fights are scheduled, with five amateur fights and four professional fights. The first fight will be two women competing against each other. Five Puerto Vallarta fighters will compete in the amateur fights against opponents from Talpa, Guadalajara, and Aguascalientes. Some of the amateurs will be fighting this style for the first time while others have up to 7 MMA bouts experience.
The professional fights will have only one Puerto Vallarta fighter; Jose Luis "El Rayo" Uribe, who has fought mixed martial arts fights 24 times. The other professionals have at least 8 fights experience, and ranging from 8-28 bouts. The other professional fighters are from Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, and Puebla.
WFL promises to be a new experience and an entertaining evening for those that have been followers of MMA and those new to watching the sport. If you have Telecable, MMA is often seen on various evenings.
Some sponsors of Saturday night's Mixed Martial Arts event at Collage are Pizza Papa Don, Cosmored, Restaurant Rio Grande, Domino's Pizza and Cruceros Princesa, among others.
Come experience yet another first in Puerto Vallarta! Tickets to the fights, which will begin at 6 pm at the Collage Club this Saturday, cost just $160 pesos in advance or $200 pesos at the door. For more information, call 223-2566 or 044-322-228-9599. |
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