As one of the fastest growing sports in the country, it was only a matter of time before MMA fans in Southwest Colorado got another chance to witness some of the action up close.
In front of a vibrant crowd at the Ute Mountain Casino on Sept. 16, FightWorld MMA 30 brought the house down with a full slate of intense bouts, with many of the fans in attendance fired up to see the homegrown fighters take center stage.
The FightWorld MMA organization, based in Albuquerque, boasts serving as a launchpad for some of the most recognizable names in the sport, including Carlos Condit and Tim Means. Setting up matches across the country, FightWorld made sure to access one of the sport’s growing fan bases in Towaoc to showcase several Four Corners combatants.
Included among them, 22-year-old Austin Ford took center stage and earned his first win of his young fighting career. The Montezuma County judo and karate aficionado outlasted Farmington’s Anthony Morgan to win by unanimous decision in the 170-pound division.
“It was exciting and stressful,” said Ford, competing in front of plenty of his friends, “I wanted to prove what I could do, and show that anybody can do this and be successful.”
“I had a game plan going in,” said Ford of his bout, “but learned that I was going to have to adapt it, and go off of how he (Morgan) was reacting,”
A spin back kick midway through the match seemed to be a turning point for Ford, as he looked to sustain his lead through an exhausting third round.
Ford’s victory was his first in two tries – he had made his MMA fighting debut at the Revel Entertainment Center in Albuquerque in March.
Several other Cortez-area fighters tested their mettle against regional opposition in the cage, with Levi Robison falling at 2:42 in the opening round to Albuquerque’s Andrew Alvara in the 185-pound division. Fellow Cortez athlete Thomas Lindsey dropped his match against Even Perez of Albuquerque in the opening round at the 155-weight class.
At 170 pounds, Cortez’s Victor Longoria fell to Grand Junction’s Andrez Martinez in the opening stanza, while in the heavyweight division, Gavin Benally battled James Romero of Albuquerque into the final round, before Romero collected a TKO to end the match.
“It felt good to get the win, especially to get to celebrate with my coach and my teammates,” said Ford, “it’s a win for the gym.”
Ford, along with Robison, Lindsey, Benally and Longoria all train at Lifer Jiu Jitsu in Cortez, helping propel the group to compete at the next level.
“They’ve been a second family for me,” added Ford of the role that Lifer BJJ has had in his development, “I’m proud to call my teammates my brothers and sisters.”
Durango’s Andres Olivera also took to the ring, going the distance in his 125-pound match with Javier Duchene of El Paso but losing on a unanimous decision.
FightWorld MMA 31 is slated for a return to Albuquerque on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, before their final event in the 2023 coming from Pennsylvania on Dec. 16.
