Vol. 4, No. 4, April 2007
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Mixing It Up
Cage fighting draws attractive demographics
Las Vegas began capitalizing on the mixed martial arts craze in 2002. Atlantic City has joined the hunt.
Former Vineland police officer Felix Martinez, now the head of Holland, Pennsylvania-based Amflex productions, brings his fourth mixed martial arts (MMA) event to the city April 13. Martinez’ biggest production to date occupies a seating space of 5,000-6,000 fans at Boardwalk Hall. A promotion dubbed “War on the Shore” comprises 13 fights, including five championship matches.
“The action is thrilling at these events because you’re getting all aspects of a fight,” Martinez says. “You have the kicking, the wrestling, the punching all rolled into one and that makes it more exciting. I’ve been a boxing fan for years, but when I went to the fights, I thought it would be nice to make it more of a show.” That’s why the weigh-in will take place one night beforehand at the 40-40 Club. Ringside entrances will usually be marked by music and strobe lights. The quick-action pace befits the 18-36-year-old demographic associated with MMA.
Martinez slowly gives this boxing-karate-jiu-jitsu compilation a legitimate East Coast home. His events are broadcast over the web. Martinez brings enough cameras—usually six—to enable the use of instant replay. He was the first promoter in the country to provide it in his January event here. No replay incidents were recorded, but the tool remains viable.
“Sometimes you will have somebody claiming he didn’t tap out, but the evidence shows that he did,” Martinez says. “It’s an excellent addition to our sport. I think mixed martial arts and our program will continue to grow. You have a lot of talent on the East Coast and the fighters are under-exposed. Atlantic City is a great place to bring everything together.”
April’s main event pits Jose Rodriguez against Dan Miller. Championship fights go for three five-minute periods. Most end sooner with a submission, tap-out or pure knockout. Fighters must be versatile as stand-up strikers, ground wrestlers or submission artists, but the action is always quick. If a referee finds fighters stalemated, he forces them to stand and start again.
How big has mixed martial arts become? Marc Ratner, the respected head of the Nevada Boxing Commission, resigned last spring to work for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). New Jersey has sported two Boardwalk Hall dates for Martinez, but none for boxing in 2007.
Several intangibles help mixed martial arts. Announced fights remain intact, athletes can tap out with dignity and the talent pool surpasses the outlets to showcase them.
Amflex is a family-run organization that includes the work of Martinez’ wife Amy. The group recently signed early-era UFC stalwart Dan “The Beast’ Severn as an ambassador and color commentator. It was a significant coup.
Severn is one of the sport’s biggest links to its gloried past. He was listed among the UFC’s Top 10 Fighters of its first 10 years, joining the likes of Royce Gracie, Tank Abbott and Ken Shamrock.
The four-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State ushered in an era of grappling dominance into the UFC in 1995. Severn won UFC 5 and its ensuing Tournament of Champions, the equivalent of being an undisputed boxing heavyweight champion today. He has been in movies and the WWF, and he now trains fighters in Coldwater, Mich.
Severn endured the era of the UFC being badgered over its violence by key people like Arizona Senator John McCain, who helped get the organization removed from pay-per-view television. The group ultimately complied with state commissions, which later became allies and owners of the product. UFC set a pay-per-view record of $222,766,000 in revenues last year. Other organizations like Pride, King of the Cage and now Martinez’ group have capitalized on the fast-growing sport. It only appears logical that Atlantic City, a gaming kingpin, will embrace the trend.
“When UFC brought their show to Spike TV, it opened up a whole new audience,” Severn says. “If bigger venues are found in Atlantic City, they will sell out. This will continue to grow in popularity. I would even like them to bridge the past and present fighters, showing how we’ve come from no-holds-barred into mixed martial arts. I think people would like to see how we got here.”
Bally’s Barnburner
It doesn’t get better than this for a non-championship fight: Somers Point native Mike Arnaoutis tangles with Kendall Holt in a title-eliminator April 20 at Bally’s. The winner will qualify for a championship bout later this year. Arnaoutis, 17-1, comes off a heartbreaking split-decision loss to Ricardo Torres for the WBO 140-pound title in November. Can he adjust emotionally to another high-stakes battle?
Holt, a prospect based in Patterson, has fought more in Atlantic City than Arnaoutis has. This may be his crowd. He’s 21-1 with 12 knockouts. The bout is bankrolled by Showtime and figures to be one of Atlantic City’s best fights this year.
Maxwell Awards Sizzle
Remember when gaming was considered the enemy of pro football? It’s hard to believe the mistrust ever existed.
The sign-of-the-new-times became evident last month when the fabled Maxwell Club, which awards the top college and professional players, announced a long-term deal with Harrah’s. For at least the next three years, the very face of college football excellence will be showcased in gambling country. And tickets must be purchased early. The 2007 black-tie affair banquet was sold out two months in advance.
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton headlined the attendees at the early March affair. He reminisced about football’s Cinderella story for a team that came within a game of the Super Bowl and buoyed the spirits of Katrina-torn New Orleans. Greg Schiano of Rutgers was named the top college coach for pushing the Scarlet Knights to an 11-2 season and exhilarating comeback victory over Louisville, the country’s third-ranked team. Schiano and Payton realized the target now drawn on their back.
Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny and record-breaking San Diego Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson were among the honorees.
