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McCook man preparing for second cage fight
McCOOK, Neb. -- Anything goes in mixed martial arts, or MMA cage fighting, something a McCook man found out at his first fight a few months ago.
Still, Jon Solorzano, 23, is willing to try again and will be going into the cage a second time this weekend at Kearney, this time around a little more confident.
"I had a lot of nerves, I threw a kick right away instead of saving it," he said of his first match in North Platte. "You gotta be careful when you throw a kick. Your opponent can grab it and take you down." Solarzano got out relatively easy in fights that have been known to leave the mat bloody: "There was no blood, just some bruises on my ribs." He brought with him a black belt in karate and training in taekwondo, but his opponent in North Platte had wrestling experience and had him pinned to the ground after a minute and half.
Welcome to the world of mixed martial arts, where fighters can grapple, throw punches and kick their way to a win.
The full contact combat sport allows boxing, wrestling and martial arts techniques, with three ways to end the match: knock out your opponent (render unconscious), "tap out" (verbally submit) or a technical knock out, when the referee or the ring side doctor decide to end match due to a fighter being unable to defend himself.
It's not as rough as it used to be, but some fights can still be brutal. Because competitors come from a variety of backgrounds - one can do wrestling, while his/her opponent, judo, or boxing -- anything can happen. When it first began in the 1990s with no regulations, MMA fighting seemed more like barroom brawls than genuine athleticism, marketed with names like "Ultimate Fighting" and "No Holds Bar."
But by 2000, a unified set of rules were established and adopted by the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), as a way to protect the health of the fighters, shed the savage reputation of the fights and to be recognized as a legitimate sport.
Rules include such things as no head butting, eye gouging and other moves that are penalized; weight classes; opened fingered gloves were allowed to reduce cuts; and time limits were imposed to avoid lengthy fights with little action, something television audiences have no patience for.
Matches, from three to five minutes, take place in a plexiglass cage so opponents don't hurt themselves rolling out of the ring and onto the floor, making the fights more intense - and more exhibition-like.
Although the MMA fighting has polished up its reputation - the United States Army now sanctions mixed martial arts in its Army Combatives Championships -- it's still not for the squeamish.
"Things happen in a split second. You close your eyes, you're done," said Solorzano's father and sometimes-sparring partner, Elias. "One little thing can cost you. If you're afraid of getting hurt, you shouldn't be there."
But with one fight under his belt, Solorzano is more relaxed this time around than before. This weekend, "I'll get a chance to see how much I learned," Solorzano said, who works during the day at his job at Goodyear Tire and practices at night. His match is one of the many scheduled Saturday at the St. Patty's Showdown at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds, presented by Dynasty Combat Sports.
His long-time martial arts instructor, Robert Botsford of McCook, agrees Solorzano is in a better place. "Jon is doing better. His butterflies are gone and he knows what to expect now," said Botsford, who will be sitting in Solorzano's corner as a coach this weekend. He's been working with Solorzano on his ground game, such as grappling and takedowns and is an avid proponent of the MMA. "If I was 20 or 30 years younger, I would have jumped right on it," he said.
Solorzano said he wants to keep competing in MMA matches to see how far he can go with it and is keeping his strategy simple for Saturday.
"I don't have much time, so I'll do what I can," he said.
Dynasty Combat Sports Pro/Am St. Pattys Showdown IV is set at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds Saturday. See more here.