Atlas Fights presents "USA vs Brazil”
First Time Ever All Pro Mixed Martial Arts “Fight Night” coming to
Mississippi Coast
Atlas Fights presents "USA vs Brazil” to showcase evolving sport of Mixed Martial Arts
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Its part boxing, part martial arts...all rolled into one. Two fighters, one caged-in ring shaped like an octagon, and plenty of hard-hitting action. Right now the hottest and arguably the fastest-growing sport out there is Mixed Martial Arts fighting. The Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC draws thousands to its events and sometimes millions more via pay-per-view broadcasts. One of the UFC'S up-and-coming fighters, Allen "The Talent" Belcher, even makes his home right here in Biloxi.
This month, South Mississippi MMA fans will get an opportunity to experience an all pro fight card in an upscale atmosphere. On Saturday,Feb. 21st, Atlas Fights presents "U.S.A. vs Brazil" at the IP Casino Resort and Spa inside Studio B. “We have been promoting all pro MMA fights in Florida for over a year. Now we believe the coast is ready for the Atlas Fights brand, “Patriotic MMA Cage Fighting” USA vs. International”. That’s what Atlas Fights brings to the fighters and the fans. Said, Glenn Mattina, Jr., President of Atlas Fights, I knew after working the marketing and promotional side of the fights in Florida, we were on to something great!
"This sport is a worldwide sensation," said Ricky Derouen, president & CEO of Fight Force International, LLC. It's popular everywhere and the Coast is no exception. So many people train in Mixed Martial Arts for different reasons. Some train to be competitive in the sport, some train for self-defense, and some train just for the physical fitness benefits. Whatever the reason, the coast has seen the interest in the sport explode!
The origins of the sport
Mixed Martial Arts got its start in the early 1990's as a crude form of boxing and martial arts. Later in the decade, it was refined and tweaked into what we see today, and in the early part of this decade, its rise to popularity began. The five-round brawls began to find a niche in the fight world, and by 2006, UFC events set numerous pay-per-view revenue records. A more structured definition of MMA would be, according to UFC.com, "An intense and evolving combat sport in which competitors use interdisciplinary forms of fighting that include jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and others to their strategic and tactical advantage in a supervised match. Scoring for mixed martial arts events in Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida is based on athletic-commission approved definitions and rules for striking (blows with the hands, feet, knees or elbows) and grappling (submission, choke holds, throws or takedowns). No single discipline reigns."
"U.S.A vs Brazil": An Evening In The Cage
That means boxing fans get what they like, and so do martial arts fanatics with a added touch of class, Vegas style. Some like it down and dirty, while others enjoy a more laid-back fight night experience. That's what Tyler Sory, VP of Atlas Fights found out as he was becoming an MMA fan.
"I was training with a special forces guy I met through church," Sory said. "He introduced it to me, and I kind of got addicted to it. I started looking at the sport from a business standpoint and seeing the incredible growth of MMA. Then I saw a reality TV show about the sport, and it really bothered me the way they portrayed these guys. They had 16 of them cooped up in a house, and they were acting like maniacs. Meanwhile, most of the guys I knew that were fighting had jobs and families, and were first-class people. So I decided to try and come up with something that would bring a little more class to the sport."
Sory's idea was to hold MMA fights in smaller venues and present them with up-scale flair.
"We created a company based out of Destin, Fl" he said. "We decided to make it a 1960's style presentation where people got dressed up to go to the fights. Women wore dresses, men wore blazers, and we didn't play hard core music between fights. We just wanted to make it a more relaxed atmosphere for people to watch the fight."
The idea caught on, and now he and local partner Glenn Mattina, Jr. are bringing that touch of class along with hard-hitting action to the IP Casino, Resort & Spa Saturday, Feb. 21st – Mardi Gras weekend.
"There's going to be 10 pro fights," Sory added. "We want a more intimate atmosphere. We want fans of the sport to be able to come in and be relaxed and have a good view of the cage. We want folks to have the total experience and become repeat customers. We make sure all the seats are close so everyone has a great view of the cage to witness top notch fights. We will have jumbo screens at almost every angle so no matter where you're sitting; you'll have a perfect view. We even created a standing room sports bar atmosphere including eight giant flat screens. Basically we're going to go in a different direction than others with our product.
As for the bouts themselves, Atlas fights matchmaker Paul Domenech said the U.S.A versus Brazil format should really get the crowd cheering not only for good fighters but for countrymen alike.
"The caliber of fighters were going to have on the Brazilian side of this is going to be absolutely phenomenal," Domenech said. "We're talking about world class ju-jitsu athletes. The U.S.A. side is going to have their hands full. This is the first time that I've done a theme like this, but I'm very excited about the Atlas Fights brand. You've got a home team and an away team. The enthusiasm and excitement that's going to come from someone representing their country and the passion generated in the cage should be very intense. These guys will be fighting for something more than just a win on their record. They're fighting for pride, and for country. "
Domenech, who also spars and trains with MMA fighters, also added that when he's putting a fight card together, he makes sure all the bouts are equally matched so fans will definitely get their money's worth.
"If somebody's lacking in one aspect or one discipline, that person will also have one part of their technique that's above and beyond their opponent's," he said. "So we have your strikers against your grapplers, or your wrestlers versus your ju-jitsu expert. That means it doesn't matter what their dominant skills are because they'll have to use their other attributes as well. When were setting up these fights, I don't necessarily go by somebody's record. For example, someone can be 10-0 and they can be going up against a ju-jitsu champion who's only 1-0. What if that guy has some incredible wrestling to go along with it? That guy who's 10-0 might get outclassed. I won't put that fight together...it won't be a good match. Fights on paper look good, but I won't match up two guys strictly from their records. Unfortunately, a lot of matchmakers in this business do that because they don't train with these guys. Some of the fighters have only had three or four fights so you can't really judge them unless you've been on the mat with them and sparred with them like I have. I also have a stable of guys I work with who hold themselves to a certain standard. We're not just going to throw some guy in the ring just so we can have a fight. When our guys tell me that a guy is ready, I know exactly where they're at."
Allen "The Talent" Belcher
On Jan. 17, Allen Belcher defeated Denis Kang in the second round of their UFC Middleweight bout in Dublin, Ireland to run his record to 12-4. For Belcher, a Jonesboro Ark. Native, MMA came along at just the right time in his life.
"I was all about martial arts when I was a kid," Belcher said. "I started in martial arts when I was eight years old. I was also into boxing and karate. By the time I was 14, I was training in Brazilian ju-jitsu. I went to Thailand when I was a teenager, and that's when I found out about this sport for real. All I had seen before that on television was karate and boxing. I saw bare-knuckle fights and people kicking with legs and knees and all that, so I made a pretty smooth transition into this sport. I was skilled in kick boxing and most of the martial arts, but I've been kind of a late-bloomer with my wrestling and grappling techniques. I went through a period where I took a break on concentrated on some other sports. I played some baseball in college, and I think that's when other people got started in MMA, so I had a little bit of a learning curve when I got back into the sport. Now I'm just trying to chase after that UFC title."
The cool thing about Belcher is he's made his home here on the Coast, he met his wife here, and he owns two Remix MMA gyms in Ocean Springs and D'Iberville. He said that business venture came out of necessity after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
"I was training for a fight when Katrina hit, so I had to travel around with some other people and work out in some other states. When I came back to the Coast, we didn't have anywhere to train, so I started my own thing."
That's been good news for local MMA fighters hoping to forge a similar path to success as Belcher's. In fact, he seems to enjoy training others as much as he loves actually getting into the ring.
"There's a lot of talent here now that Mississippi has wrestling schools," Belcher added. "I'm now concentrating on getting a nice kids program going because usually I have to work with adults. I want to get the kids started early at this."
But make no mistake; Belcher's main focus is his blossoming career in MMA.
"I have a lot of fun going different places and training," he said. "This sport is here for the long haul. It's the sport of the future. It's going to evolve and change, but I feel like right now the UFC has things going pretty well. I hope they stick with the weight classes they have right now and not mix it up. I think that one of the problems with boxing is that there are too many champions and people can't keep up with all of that. I also think MMA is going to be around for a very long time, and I don't think we've seen the best of the athletes yet. Guys are still evolving and learning different stuff. The kids that are coming up are going to be more refined in their techniques than we are. Eventually you'll see more guys that have been doing it all...boxing, martial arts, and wrestling, and those guys are going to be superstars of the sport."
Derouen also said having Belcher here on the Coast is also huge for the local growth of MMA.
"It's good that Alan is here. Hopefully he will continue his success in the UFC and encourage all of the local fighters to pursue their dreams and show them that a dream can come true with hard work and dedication."
So, mark down Saturday, February 21st – Mardi Gras weekend on your calendar, and get ready to see the first ever all pro MMA fight card that will also feature international fighters … it's a touch-of-class MMA event U.S.A. vs Brazil" See you there!
Atlas Fights presents "USA vs Brazil” to showcase evolving sport of Mixed Martial Arts
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Its part boxing, part martial arts...all rolled into one. Two fighters, one caged-in ring shaped like an octagon, and plenty of hard-hitting action. Right now the hottest and arguably the fastest-growing sport out there is Mixed Martial Arts fighting. The Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC draws thousands to its events and sometimes millions more via pay-per-view broadcasts. One of the UFC'S up-and-coming fighters, Allen "The Talent" Belcher, even makes his home right here in Biloxi.
This month, South Mississippi MMA fans will get an opportunity to experience an all pro fight card in an upscale atmosphere. On Saturday,Feb. 21st, Atlas Fights presents "U.S.A. vs Brazil" at the IP Casino Resort and Spa inside Studio B. “We have been promoting all pro MMA fights in Florida for over a year. Now we believe the coast is ready for the Atlas Fights brand, “Patriotic MMA Cage Fighting” USA vs. International”. That’s what Atlas Fights brings to the fighters and the fans. Said, Glenn Mattina, Jr., President of Atlas Fights, I knew after working the marketing and promotional side of the fights in Florida, we were on to something great!
"This sport is a worldwide sensation," said Ricky Derouen, president & CEO of Fight Force International, LLC. It's popular everywhere and the Coast is no exception. So many people train in Mixed Martial Arts for different reasons. Some train to be competitive in the sport, some train for self-defense, and some train just for the physical fitness benefits. Whatever the reason, the coast has seen the interest in the sport explode!
The origins of the sport
Mixed Martial Arts got its start in the early 1990's as a crude form of boxing and martial arts. Later in the decade, it was refined and tweaked into what we see today, and in the early part of this decade, its rise to popularity began. The five-round brawls began to find a niche in the fight world, and by 2006, UFC events set numerous pay-per-view revenue records. A more structured definition of MMA would be, according to UFC.com, "An intense and evolving combat sport in which competitors use interdisciplinary forms of fighting that include jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and others to their strategic and tactical advantage in a supervised match. Scoring for mixed martial arts events in Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida is based on athletic-commission approved definitions and rules for striking (blows with the hands, feet, knees or elbows) and grappling (submission, choke holds, throws or takedowns). No single discipline reigns."
"U.S.A vs Brazil": An Evening In The Cage
That means boxing fans get what they like, and so do martial arts fanatics with a added touch of class, Vegas style. Some like it down and dirty, while others enjoy a more laid-back fight night experience. That's what Tyler Sory, VP of Atlas Fights found out as he was becoming an MMA fan.
"I was training with a special forces guy I met through church," Sory said. "He introduced it to me, and I kind of got addicted to it. I started looking at the sport from a business standpoint and seeing the incredible growth of MMA. Then I saw a reality TV show about the sport, and it really bothered me the way they portrayed these guys. They had 16 of them cooped up in a house, and they were acting like maniacs. Meanwhile, most of the guys I knew that were fighting had jobs and families, and were first-class people. So I decided to try and come up with something that would bring a little more class to the sport."
Sory's idea was to hold MMA fights in smaller venues and present them with up-scale flair.
"We created a company based out of Destin, Fl" he said. "We decided to make it a 1960's style presentation where people got dressed up to go to the fights. Women wore dresses, men wore blazers, and we didn't play hard core music between fights. We just wanted to make it a more relaxed atmosphere for people to watch the fight."
The idea caught on, and now he and local partner Glenn Mattina, Jr. are bringing that touch of class along with hard-hitting action to the IP Casino, Resort & Spa Saturday, Feb. 21st – Mardi Gras weekend.
"There's going to be 10 pro fights," Sory added. "We want a more intimate atmosphere. We want fans of the sport to be able to come in and be relaxed and have a good view of the cage. We want folks to have the total experience and become repeat customers. We make sure all the seats are close so everyone has a great view of the cage to witness top notch fights. We will have jumbo screens at almost every angle so no matter where you're sitting; you'll have a perfect view. We even created a standing room sports bar atmosphere including eight giant flat screens. Basically we're going to go in a different direction than others with our product.
As for the bouts themselves, Atlas fights matchmaker Paul Domenech said the U.S.A versus Brazil format should really get the crowd cheering not only for good fighters but for countrymen alike.
"The caliber of fighters were going to have on the Brazilian side of this is going to be absolutely phenomenal," Domenech said. "We're talking about world class ju-jitsu athletes. The U.S.A. side is going to have their hands full. This is the first time that I've done a theme like this, but I'm very excited about the Atlas Fights brand. You've got a home team and an away team. The enthusiasm and excitement that's going to come from someone representing their country and the passion generated in the cage should be very intense. These guys will be fighting for something more than just a win on their record. They're fighting for pride, and for country. "
Domenech, who also spars and trains with MMA fighters, also added that when he's putting a fight card together, he makes sure all the bouts are equally matched so fans will definitely get their money's worth.
"If somebody's lacking in one aspect or one discipline, that person will also have one part of their technique that's above and beyond their opponent's," he said. "So we have your strikers against your grapplers, or your wrestlers versus your ju-jitsu expert. That means it doesn't matter what their dominant skills are because they'll have to use their other attributes as well. When were setting up these fights, I don't necessarily go by somebody's record. For example, someone can be 10-0 and they can be going up against a ju-jitsu champion who's only 1-0. What if that guy has some incredible wrestling to go along with it? That guy who's 10-0 might get outclassed. I won't put that fight together...it won't be a good match. Fights on paper look good, but I won't match up two guys strictly from their records. Unfortunately, a lot of matchmakers in this business do that because they don't train with these guys. Some of the fighters have only had three or four fights so you can't really judge them unless you've been on the mat with them and sparred with them like I have. I also have a stable of guys I work with who hold themselves to a certain standard. We're not just going to throw some guy in the ring just so we can have a fight. When our guys tell me that a guy is ready, I know exactly where they're at."
Allen "The Talent" Belcher
On Jan. 17, Allen Belcher defeated Denis Kang in the second round of their UFC Middleweight bout in Dublin, Ireland to run his record to 12-4. For Belcher, a Jonesboro Ark. Native, MMA came along at just the right time in his life.
"I was all about martial arts when I was a kid," Belcher said. "I started in martial arts when I was eight years old. I was also into boxing and karate. By the time I was 14, I was training in Brazilian ju-jitsu. I went to Thailand when I was a teenager, and that's when I found out about this sport for real. All I had seen before that on television was karate and boxing. I saw bare-knuckle fights and people kicking with legs and knees and all that, so I made a pretty smooth transition into this sport. I was skilled in kick boxing and most of the martial arts, but I've been kind of a late-bloomer with my wrestling and grappling techniques. I went through a period where I took a break on concentrated on some other sports. I played some baseball in college, and I think that's when other people got started in MMA, so I had a little bit of a learning curve when I got back into the sport. Now I'm just trying to chase after that UFC title."
The cool thing about Belcher is he's made his home here on the Coast, he met his wife here, and he owns two Remix MMA gyms in Ocean Springs and D'Iberville. He said that business venture came out of necessity after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
"I was training for a fight when Katrina hit, so I had to travel around with some other people and work out in some other states. When I came back to the Coast, we didn't have anywhere to train, so I started my own thing."
That's been good news for local MMA fighters hoping to forge a similar path to success as Belcher's. In fact, he seems to enjoy training others as much as he loves actually getting into the ring.
"There's a lot of talent here now that Mississippi has wrestling schools," Belcher added. "I'm now concentrating on getting a nice kids program going because usually I have to work with adults. I want to get the kids started early at this."
But make no mistake; Belcher's main focus is his blossoming career in MMA.
"I have a lot of fun going different places and training," he said. "This sport is here for the long haul. It's the sport of the future. It's going to evolve and change, but I feel like right now the UFC has things going pretty well. I hope they stick with the weight classes they have right now and not mix it up. I think that one of the problems with boxing is that there are too many champions and people can't keep up with all of that. I also think MMA is going to be around for a very long time, and I don't think we've seen the best of the athletes yet. Guys are still evolving and learning different stuff. The kids that are coming up are going to be more refined in their techniques than we are. Eventually you'll see more guys that have been doing it all...boxing, martial arts, and wrestling, and those guys are going to be superstars of the sport."
Derouen also said having Belcher here on the Coast is also huge for the local growth of MMA.
"It's good that Alan is here. Hopefully he will continue his success in the UFC and encourage all of the local fighters to pursue their dreams and show them that a dream can come true with hard work and dedication."
So, mark down Saturday, February 21st – Mardi Gras weekend on your calendar, and get ready to see the first ever all pro MMA fight card that will also feature international fighters … it's a touch-of-class MMA event U.S.A. vs Brazil" See you there!
