Last night my wife and some friends went to the amateur fights here locally. The place was hard to find and when I did find it, I realized why...it was in a barn. That being said it was packed. We got there 30 minutes after start time and were told the only tickets left were the $100 ringside tickets and $45 dollar tickets. Having just gone to the UFC, my MMA budget was a little tapped out so I said thanks but no thanks. I was then promptly told that I could get in "standing room only" for $20. That sounded good to me so I took it and the only few few left in the whole place to stand was in front of the concession stand and bathrooms.
It wasn't too bad standing all night, and EVERYWHERE is close to the cage when you are in a big barn. They did have a nice cage and a professional sound system. They also had a screen for when you couldn't see but unlike other shows with the Jumbotron above, this was a screen in the back so one would have to swivel 180 to see what was on the screen. Overlooking a loooong intermission and some technical difficulties with the lights it was a good time. The crowd was pretty drunk and really into the fights. It seemed a mix of family and friends of the fighters and was definitely fill up. All the patrons and the staff where really nice and everyone seemed pretty educated. I did not hear a single boo the whole night except for when one local fighter was DQed for a supposed blow to the back of the head. Overall their was a sense of comradere between the fighters and the fans who embrace what is very much still a fringe sport. I would estimate there were several hundred people at the fight.
I didn't stay for the whole night but the fights were pretty good. There was one slick armbar but for me the highlight of the night was the fight between Charles Kessinger and his opponent Christopher "Hard Rock" Hendrick. Hendrick came into the fight with a 0-0 record while Kessinger surprised me with an 0-3 record. Hearing his record announced I have to admit I was impressed. Going 0-3 and getting into your fourth fight means either you love fighting or you are stubborn as hell. There are plenty of guys 0-1 and 0-2 and mad respect for guys for even getting in there...I will never do it. So when I heard his record I was definitely supporting him and guess what- he delivered.
It was a fast paced aggressive bantam weight fight with each guy scrapping and scrambling. There was back and forth action and then late in the first round, bam a beautiful spinning back fist from Kessinger sends Hendrick down. Kessinger is on him in an instant and after a few shots it is over. With the TKO Kessinger moves to 1-3 and I was reminded again part of why I like fighting...It shows us what man is capable of, it shows us that when challenged one can overcome. If a guy who is 0-3 is willing to get in there and fight and win, then maybe everyone can find the strengths to overcome what challenges them.
When Kessinger walked back to the dressing room/ bathroom he walked by me and I shook his hand and said good fight. He said, "Thanks" and looked really happy. I was happy for him too.
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