Jenkins vs Rios

MCC 37 “Thanksgiving Throwdown” Main Card Review

Gary Hedlund vs. Ronnie Britt, 3rd, RNC

When Ronnie “The Warfrog” Britt lost his fourth ever mixed martial arts fight at MCC 36, many people thought the 46 year old would hang it up (really hang it up this time), but rather than calling it quits he immediately asked for another fight.

He was called out by Gary Hedlund and the match was set up.

Hedlund, a 39 year old fighter from Precision Combat Training claims the call out was strictly out of respect and the rumor that Britt was hard to match up given his skill set and friendly bond with many of the local fighters.

Regardless, the request fueled the fire of Britt who turned to several local gyms to fine tune his fight game. Training with younger, faster fighters is exactly the formula Britt wanted to put into place even though this time, he would finally be facing someone closer in age.

On paper, Britt was the shoo in for a W. Hedlund with just four fights and Britt with twenty four, most though this would end early in the first. Not Hedlund though!

For almost three straight round both fighters went toe to toe, boxing, kicking, clinching, grappling and trying to best the other one. It was close. Britt was there to prove that the ol’ frog still had it in him to compete and Hedlund was out to get respect.

They both accomplished their goals.

Britt, however, proved that experience and will to survive would outlast raw determination as he submitted his opponent with a rear naked choke late in the final round.

Hats off to Hedlund for challenging himself so early into his career and props to Britt who teased that he would compete until the ripe age of 50.

Have you even seen someone enter the cage with a walker?

Andy Stock vs. Victor Moreno

With the possibility of Moreno’s career winding down, he certainly showed now signs of stopping in his win over journeyman, Andy “The Bully” Stock.

While most fans are used to seeing flashy strikes from “Superman”, he seemed to have taken a page out of his trainer and close friend, Josh Neer’s book; The Art of Ground and Pound!

Moreno looked light on his feet at he outpointed the 25-fight veteran, but the real display of talent came once the fight went to the ground. Using a takedown off a missed punch, Moreno pushed his opponent against the cage and delivered a flurry of jack hammers to the head and body of Stock.

As time winded down in the opening frame, Moreno locked up an arm bar- yes, that’s right… Victor Moreno does know how to use submissions! This one was tight, and with no where to spin, Stock was forced to tap with just five seconds remaining in the round!

It was a triumphant return for the former king of the welterweight division. Moreno stated that he will sit back and wait for a fight from his long-time rival, Ben Crowder before he finally hangs up the gloves!

Doug Jenkins vs. Miguel Rios

Fight of the night, right here! If you missed this one, kindly ball up your own fist and punch yourself in a place of choice on our own body because you deserve that!

There is no other word I could possibly use to describe these guys other than: warrior. Period!

This is the type of fight that does one of two things for a fight fan- it either motivates them to join a gym, train their ass off, and someday have a fight like this, or… makes them glad they paid for their seat because that’s as close as they’d ever want to be to a battle like this!

Three rounds, back and forth action- both on the feet and on the ground, quite a few cuts, a lot of blood and sweat and two guys who had to dig deep to pull off fifteen minutes of fighting. Did I even come close to describing this? Probably not…

Congratulations to Miguel “El Rey” Rios, Jr. for pulling out a hard earned decision win over Hear of a Warrior and two-time fight of the night winner, Doug Jenkins.

I’m pretty sure that Jenkins, a South Dakota based mixed martial artist is going to develop quite a big fan base after this battle. Keep your eyes out for him when he returns to his natural weight class of 155 lbs.

Kevin Burns vs. Eddie Larrea

After a year long layoff, five time UFC veteran, Kevin “The Fire” Burns was chomping at the bit to step back in the cage. Originally set to face undefeated prospect, Jay Woods, Burns was fired up when called a “stepping stone” on the way to the UFC. When Woods was forced out of the contest due to an injury sustained in training camp, Wisconsin knock out artists, “Fast” Eddie Larrea quickly answered the call.

Unfortunately for Larrea, he had to bear the brunt of Woods harsh words, and Burns had no intentions of letting Larrea showcase his hands!

As the bout began, Larrea came out quickly in an attempt to catch Burns off guard. However, for someone who has fought the toughest competition in the sport, Larrea displayed no tricks that Burns has not seen in the past. Using his always developing wrestling skills, Burns took Larrea out of his comfort zone and onto the mat where he went to work with swift punches to the head and body. The flurry forced “Fast” Eddie to make the terminal mistake of giving up his back to avoid further battering. And when he did Burns was able to sign, seal and deliver the bout-ending envelop which was the rear naked choke submission at just 1:09 of the opening frame.

Burns, who stated his intentions of making his way back to the UFC took one step closer. Look for Burns to return to the MCC cage in the near future (hopefully against his original opponent, Jay Woods!)

Kevin Burns

How about that thanksgiving holiday? It’s hard to fathom I’m already returning home with Cindy and the girls from the thanksgiving holiday! The last time I had an opportunity to share my thoughts with the MCC fans I was heading into fight week and completing my hardest part of training camp. Fight week started off with a day of rest to let the body heal after one killer week of training. Good deep tissue massage, some sauna sets, and definitely a trip into the whirlpool. When I woke up the following day it I felt amazing and refreshed which is a great confidence booster leading up to fight day. Training over the next couple days changes dramatically from weeks past. I don’t spar or even train hard. Each day I am hitting pads for speed and doing flow grappling drilling at a high pace simply to get a sweat and burn calories for the weight cut. I don’t want to tax myself hitting for power or grappling/wrestling in the same fashion. Additionally over the week my weight obviously had to go down as well. I started the week at 192 lbs and lost about 3 lbs per day leading up to weigh ins. On Tuesday I had roughly 9.4-9.6 lbs to cut. No food or liquid since the night before at 6pm! Late in the afternoon it was time for the plastic suit and some fleece gear! After some sauna time and a little jump rope I descended to my goal of <=171.0 with a final weight of 170.6 lbs. Funny thing is within two hours after I had hydrated and ate my way back to 187.5 lbs. I stared off my feast with two Louie D’s provolone Philly’s with green peppers, mushrooms, onion, and his famous red wine sauce. They were fantastic. To wash it down I consumed just over 100 oz of Rehydrate electrolyte replacement drink and 30 oz of water. After a small break I sat down with my friend Brad Collins to enjoy some sushi and fried tempura. Again the food was fantastic! After completing this wonderful meal I jammed home to help Cindy tuck in the girls. I watched some TV and thought to myself, “yes it’s definitely time for some breakfast food!” I then headed downstairs to toast myself 4 homemade waffles with butter and lots of Mrs. Butterworth! J I drank another 16 oz Gatorade and headed to bed. When I woke up fight day I felt refreshed from the weight cut and was back to a weight of 191 lbs. I killed some more waffles for breakfast, then some homemade beef soup. In the afternoon I took a nap and watched TV really putting the fight out of my mind. Sounds weird I know, but for the last 8 weeks I have spent countless hours running my mind through fight scenarios then practicing the correct movements in practice. It works best for me to completely release my mind from thinking about the fight and just relax. In the past if the fight has been on my mind during fight day it creates unneeded anxiety for the events which regardless are going to happen. Arriving at the venue in the afternoon is always a good feeling. It’s probably the first time you start to notice the amount of adrenaline you will have at your disposal later in the evening! I have to say the MCC events are probably run better than almost all of the other events I have fought in or been at to corner, but you can’t plan for great fights that go the distance. Fighting last means you get to hurry up and wait and mentally keep you body chill so you can harness all your hard work when its finally game time! The fights leading up to mine were awesome and I have to say how proud I am of all of my training partners for their performances yielding a perfect winning percentage throughout the evening! Only one fighter left to preserve the undefeated winning streak of the night and believe me I was keyed up to do nothing short of dominate inside that cage. When it finally came time to get in the cage I was more than ready! Out of the gate I got what I expected from my opponent. He rush in wildly during the first exchange. I caught him with a counter left hook coming out of the exchange, but on the second exchange he gave up his hips to I seized the opportunity took him down and locked in my Turk so I could go to work on his floating ribs. After a few shots he exploded to get out which allowed me to hover and take his back. He tried to stand up, but as he did his posture was still slightly bent. This allowed me to hit a forward roll which gives me my opponents back. I have the thank Ricky Lundell for all he has done to change the way I grapple, but especially for showing me this transition into a submission. Once I had his back he did a decent job of hand fighting so I turned him belly down to finish he choke and end the fight. Felt amazing to be back in the cage, win, and to do it in front of my home crowd the day before thanksgiving. I had a chance after the fight to catch up with a lot of friends at Mickey’s downtown. Thanksgiving morning came all too quickly, but it was nice to get home and spend the next couple days with family, baptize my daughter Ashlyn on Saturday, then cap off the weekend with Cindy and her grandma’s house in Lake City. We got to catch up with all of the family which was a great thing and just relax. Tomorrow I think it’s time to get back after it cause my number one goal is yet ahead of me.. LETS GET BACK TO THE UFC!

Brandon Anderson, Ronnie Britt, Jason Hoeke, Steve Carl & Kevin Burns

The countdown to fight day is quickly approaching! Last week’s training was capped off with some killer training Friday and Saturday. We had a great group of guys in the gym all training hard pushing myself and others fighting to the absolute max! Definite thanks to everyone for their help in preparing me physically and mentally for game day. The weight cut has officially started for me as of today. Never fun to drop 20+ pounds, but it’s all worth it in the end. Workouts this week are at full capacity through Wednesday of this week then it will be time to start my taper for the last few days. After training at DMJJA this morning I will be headed out to Elite tonight to train with Joe Brammer. Tomorrow Steve Carl will be returning to help push me through the final 2 hard days of practice then it’s all about the cutting weight and recharging the body in prep for fight day.

One of the aspects of training I haven’t really talked about over the last couple week is the mental preparation that goes on leading up to a fight. People ask a number of questions in passing like “Are you ready?, “How do you feel?”, “Are you scared?” etc. Truth is the question people should ask if you are mentally prepared to compete? There are a few factors that play into a fighters mental status. How hard have you been training? Have you put in the hours you need? Is your weight where it needs to be in order to hit the mark? Only the fighter can answer these truthfully to himself and trust me those answers will be weighing the heaviest on their mind come fight night. Personally I’m all about planning things out so you don’t have to worry about having questionable thoughts on fight day. At the beginning of fight camp I plan out all of my workouts, their progressions, and where the intensity will be through the entire camp. Surely there will always be hiccups in the plan as life throws you a few breaking balls. Adjusting quickly on the fly is important so I can stay on track and keep my training where it needs to be. Basically saying good planning leads to a laser focused mental state on fight day. My plan for this camp has run through as good as I could have expected which gives me a heck of a boost mentally leading into the 23rd. My focus is second to none and I’m mentally ready for war.

Finally I want to wish all of my training partners who will also be competing on the 23rd good luck and I can’t wait for the victory party! GAME TIME!

Eddie Larrea

Main Event Update: Woods out against Kevin Burns, Larrea steps up

When it comes to Midwestern tough, it’s normally followed by “UFC veteran”. But what about the opponent that isn’t afraid to line them up and confidently challenge them to jockey positions in the sport we so dearly love?

Enter: “Fast” Eddie Larrea

A native of Wisconsin and a proud member of the Ho-Chunk community, Larrea has been in the mixed martial arts game for years. Turning pro in 2008, he’s already faced UFC alum such as Paul Bradley, Chad Reiner, Brock Larson and Jake Hecht- who makes his UFC debut tomorrow night. He isn’t afraid to fight anyone in the welterweight division. That’s been proven.

With close to 30 fights under his belt- six of them in 2011 alone, Larrea will replace the injured Jay Woods to face five-time UFC veteran, Kevin “The Fire” Burns on November 23.

MCC matchmaker, Ryan Hass stated, “When we received word that Jay Woods sustained a concussion during a training session, we immediately started scouting worthy talent. This is a big fight and we want to make sure we put another exciting fighter in with Burns. 65% of Larrea’s fourteen wins have come by way of knock out. I think that qualifies him as exciting.”

Larrea, who recently took former MCC champ, Jason Louck to a split decision and scored a 12-second knock out over former title contender Chad Vance, is exciting for the opportunity to compete in the Midwest’s top promotion over one of his toughest opponents to date. Always looking to end the fight with one punch, Larrea thrives on coming in as the underdog. He considers the moniker extra motivation when the cage doors close.

When Burns was informed about his original opponent’s withdrawal from the bout, he stated, “You know, I have to say I couldn’t have asked for a better training camp, and I was more than ready to serve up a lesson to Jay Wood. Unfortunately he was knocked out during practice and it unfortunate he is unable to compete. Sort of a letdown since I wanted to be the one to serve him his first knock out, but I guess that’s the way it goes. Maybe we’ll meet up in the near future.”

In regards to his new opponent, Burns said, “My new opponent seems to be a very game opponent with a completely different fighting style than I have been training for. At the end of the day regardless of who stands across from me inside that cage their outcome will be the same. I’m prepared to reap havoc inside the MCC cage and come November 23rd it’s on.”

Nutrishop presents, MCC 37 “Thanksgiving Throwdown”, Wednesday, November 23 at Hy Vee Hall, downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Tickets are available on-line at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, by phone at 888-324-5849 and at all Dahl Food Store ticket outlets.

For more information on this card, including fighter interviews, video’s and blogs, check out the web site.

MCC 37

Start the countdown; Thanksgiving Throwdown just two weeks away!

In just two short weeks the Midwest most popular mixed martial arts event, MCC, will return to Hy Vee Hall for the annual Thanksgiving Throwdown.

Featuring 12 exciting MMA bouts headlined by none other than Des Moines native and five-time UFC veteran, Kevin “The Fire” Burns.

The card also features a bantamweight title fight between top contenders, Will “The Real Deal” Shutt and Laramie “Contract Killer” Shaffer, plus the return of Miguel “El Rey” Rios, Jr., Ronnie “Warfrog” Britt and former champ, Victor “Superman” Moreno.

The full card can be seen at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com. Tickets are available but they are going fast. If you haven’t purchased yours yet, don’t wait!

MCC 37 “Thanksgiving Throwdown” is brought to you by Nutrishop. Nutrishop specializes in diet and supplementation with three convenient locations in West Des Moines, Ankeny and Ames.

For more information on this event, including fighter interviews, blogs and video’s, check out the web site.

Kevin Burns

Weeks are flying by faster and faster. Crazy to think fight day is two weeks from Wednesday! Although the fight is quickly approaching I couldn’t ask for a better camp. Thus far every aspect of training has gone according to plan and I have been able to do it without getting too banged up!  My cardio endurance has probably been the biggest surprise to this point in training. I wasn’t sure how quick my cardio would come back after such a long layoff. While planning for my camp I didn’t expect to have this much gas in the tank until after this week, but pleasantly I have been surprised! Last week I also started hitting sets of altitude simulation to further deepen my gas tank. Look a little funny plugging my nose and doing sets through the rebreather, but it will pay me dividends come fight night. I guess maybe I should explain what altitude simulation is since most of the MCC fans probably don’t know. Altitude simulation is primarily used by climbers and athletes who have to compete in higher altitudes, but live primarily closer to sea level. You can either sleep in an altitude tent or use a rebreather. I was personally unable to convince my wife to sleep in an oxygen reduced tent even though I told her she would be an animal on the treadmill!  Which ever way you choose the goal is the same. You are simulating a higher altitude than where you live to stimulate the body’s natural adapting response. This response is to create more red blood cells to compensate for the thinner air. The nice thing is we still live in Iowa and the altitude here is anywhere from 800-1600 feet above sea level. I simulate 30,000 feet which eventually equates to 20-30% more red blood cells. More red blood cells means deeper gas tank when you are trying to beat someone up inside of the cage!

This week is peak week! Out of the entire camp it’s the hardest week of training all the way around. By the end of the week I will feel like I have been tenderized for meat processing, but after a day of rest and a couple days into my taper I will be fully charged and ready to unleash havoc on my opponent at a pace he won’t be able to deal with. I am blessed to have a great group of training partners to push me during my hardest week of training. Monday night I will be out to Elite to train with Joe Brammer then looking forward to having Steve Carl back again for a few days this week. I know they are both scheming now on what they can do to make my life a living nightmare. The odd thing is I’m looking forward to it! The rest of the week I will be training at DMJJA where I also know they will be salivating to help get me ready to beat down Jay Wood. I got butterflies in my stomach in anticipation for the fireworks about to go down at MCC 37. If you don’t have tickets get them now while you still can!

Kevin Burns

Capped last week’s training off yesterday afternoon with some cardio and a little time in the sauna. Hard to believe fight night is only 3 weeks from Wednesday! Couldn’t feel more ready from every aspect of training to the mental preparation that goes into preparing for a fight. I did get some good humor this weekend as I read the article posted by my upcoming opponent. Like any fighter I’m sure you have to be telling yourself how great your skills are to mentally prepare yourself for a fight, but have some humility. Now it’s just going to look worse for him when he gets beat up on November 23rd. Any way you want to slice it on November 23rd my hand will be raised for finishing Jay Wood. I really hope you are training as hard as you can so you can with the pace I’m scheduled to bring. The Fire is burning hot as ever inside me and I’m about to unleash havoc in the cage. Honestly if I were Jay Wood I would be scared of what you unleashed opening Pandora’s Box. I guess in a way Jay I gotta thank you.. I mean I really didn’t need any more motivation to train my ass off for this fight, but you just added fuel to the already sizzling flame!

For the upcoming week I have another barn burner planned. I will be joined this week again by Uncle Steve (at least this is what my daughter calls Steve Carl), Victor Moreno, Joe Brammer, Jeff Lewis, Brian Sykes, and the rest of DMJJA. Thank you to all of my training partners for pushing me! The feeling is definitely mutual! Well fans of the MCC time is wasting away on this day and it’s time to get after it. Jay keep training hard and I will agree with you on one thing in your post. It will without doubt be fireworks in the cage!

Jay Wood vs Kevin Burns

Jay Wood is ready to make a big statement at MCC 37

Often times you’ll read about an up and coming fighter who is on the brink of making it big; that guy who’s one fight away from making it to the big show. Well…read on to learn about another one!

Omaha, Nebraska native Jay Wood has been in the mixed martial arts game for a few years since he ended his wrestling career at UNO. Training under the tutelage of world-renowned trainer, Greg Nelson at the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy and now, back home in Nebraska at Premier Combat Center, he has managed to amass a perfect professional record. Five trips inside the cage, five times getting his hand raised- not an easy task in this day and age.

In less than one month he will, once again, test his skills and put his stellar record on the line when he faces off against five-time UFC veteran, and one tough son-of-a-bitch, Kevin “The Fire” Burns.

“Kevin is a game opponent, and I’m very interested in how our styles will match up. It will be an honor to step into the cage and showcase my skills against a notable UFC vet.”

After all, if you want to get to the UFC, the best way to break onto the radar is to beat someone who’s been there, done that. And mind you, Burns has not only been there, he’s gotten Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night against some of the world’s best fighters!

So, how do you ready yourself for that kind of challenge?

“I have been preparing with some of the best in the Midwest for this fight. Everyone at Premier Combat Center is tough, and everyone is really getting me in the zone- mentally and physically. It’s going to be a war, but I feel I will be the one with my hand raised in victory as he is just a stepping stone in my way to the big show.”

As his confidence grows with each passing day, he feels that his already proven skills are catching up, and come fight night, he will be ready to unleash what is sure to be, the next big thing to come out of the Midwest.

Driven by competition, Woods looks at this opportunity to compete against a tough opponent in MCC as an honor. He is respectful but determined. He is excited but focused.

“I firmly believe that Kevin is one of the best welterweights in the Midwest. With that said, I look forward to coming out and giving the crowd one hell of a show and Kevin one hell of an ass whooping.”
Nutrishop presents MCC 37 “Thanksgiving Throwdown”, Wednesday, November 23 at Hy Vee Hall, downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Tickets are available at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, by phone at 888-324-5849 and at all Dahl’s Food Store ticket outlets.

For more information on this card, including fighter interviews, video’s and blogs, check out the web site.