Thursday, Jan. 20, 2008,
Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California
Malaipet will try to continue his transformation from world-class superstar Muay Thai kickboxer to mixed martial arts world champion when he faces Thomas “Wildman” Denny of Hesperia, Calif., tomorrow/Friday, March 21, at Chumash Casino Resort at Santa Ynez, Calif., on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Tickets, starting at $35, are available by visiting the Chumash Casino Resort’s Club Chumash, by visiting the website at http://www.chumashcasino.com or by calling StarTicketsPlus at (800) 800-585-3737. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. First live fight is at 6 p.m. PT.
A winner of three in a row, the popular, extremely charismatic Malaipet, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will be making his MMA main event debut in a fight that will headline a five-bout ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series telecast.
In other televised bouts, Marlon Mathias (5-1) of Brazil faces Conor Heun (6-2) of Hollywood, Calif., Aaron Rosa (10-1) of San Antonio, Tex., meets Jaime Fletcher (5-3) of Rancho Cucamonga at 205 pounds; Shane Del Rosario (3-0) of Irvine, Calif., opposes Analu Brash (2-1) of Kula, Maui, at 265 pounds; and Mark Oshiro (9-1) of Honolulu clashes with Chris Cariaso (6-0) of San Francisco at 140.
Non-televised bouts: Vince Guzman (2-2) of Los Angeles vs. Lyle Beerbohm (4-0) of Spokane, Wash., at 160 pounds; Devin Howard (debut) of La Habra, Calif., vs. Mark Kempthorne (1-4) of Vandenberg, Calif., at 170; Brandon Tarn (0-1) of Los Angeles vs. Jason Williams (debut) of Los Angeles, Calif., at 265; Eric Jones (0-1) of Los Angeles vs. Steve Gable (1-0) San Clemente, Calif., at 170 and Kenny “The Poet’’ Johnson (debut) of Los Angeles vs. Michael Penafiel (2-2) of Los Angeles at 170 pounds. (Note: See Televised Fighter Pages below).
The fights are scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds. Fans can watch pre- and post-fight interviews only at ProElite.com.
What the fighters had to say:
MALAIPET:
“I think Thomas Denny has a lot of skill in the ground, but I am not scared. If something happens, it happens.
“I have been working on my ground work, but I am interested in defending submissions, not trying to apply them. If I get taken to the ground, I will try and take the fight back to standing up.
“I know that I am skilled in Muay Thai, but my goal is to continue fighting in MMA. My goal is to be a champion for EliteXC.
“I think this is my last fight at this weight. I would like to fight at 150 pounds in the future.”
THOMAS DENNY:
“This is huge fighting on SHOWTIME on the main event. I had about 2 ½ weeks notice for this fight, but I was already in shape and ready to go.
“I plan to punch him on his face, put him on his head and submit him. I think a lot of people give Malaipet too much respect for his Muay Thai game. You need to attack him.
“His conditioning is questionable, so I will to push him hard. I need to keep coming forward and keep punishing him with punches.
“Once I grab him he is going to know that he is in there with a really strong guy. This fight is not going to be as easy as he thinks. I think he is going to be strong the first few minutes, but I will be, too.
“You are going to see my hand get raised in the cage after a lot of fireworks. I plan on beating on him, clinching him up and submitting him.
“I don’t see any scenario where he will be on top of me on the ground. If he is, he will get the arm-bar triangle.
“This is a special opportunity for me. EliteXC is the biggest up-and-coming organization right now. I want to show them that I want to be a part of it by performing well. This is a huge deal to me.
“I want a couple more fights and then go for a title. Of course, I want that gold around my waist.
“I train a lot smarter now than I used to. Fighting at 160 pounds is my division. I have always been a small 170 pound competitor, now it is the other way around. Now, I have the advantage because I am big for 160 pounds.’’
MARLON MATHIAS:
“I like fighting with my hands. I can kick, elbow and punch to beat my opponents. But I am equally strong in wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu.
“I have seen my opponent fight. Conor is great at submissions, but his striking is not that good. I am not worried about that.
“I know my opponent is good at Jiu-Jitsu, so I am training in everything. Every day I train with black belts in Jiu-Jitsu, so he has nothing that can surprise me.
“I am very happy to be fighting on ShoXC. This is a huge opportunity for me. This will make my life different now. The result of this fight could change my life.
“Fighting on SHOWTIME, all of America can now see what I have on Friday night. My future is in my hands and my feet. I am looking to make a name for myself.
“I am fighting for Chute Box. I promise I will represent them well in the cage. I am influenced by all the great fighters that have come from there. But I am part of a new generation and I have a big torch to carry.”
CONOR HEUN:
“I respect anyone who gets in the cage, but the fact that Mathias comes from a legendary camp will definitely add to it when I beat him.
“I think he is going to press forward, but I will, too. I am not going to give him any room to breathe because I know he is not in as good shape as I am right now.
“I plan on overwhelming him and imposing my will on him. Physically, I feel great right now.
“I want to be on top. I am dangerous off my back, but you have to be a hell of a wrestler to put me on my back. I am planning on putting him on his back to see what he has from there.
“This is the biggest competition of my life. It doesn’t feel the same as competing in the state wrestling finals because I had been working at that since I was five years old. But this feels amazing. This is the first step toward at winning a belt.
“When I was growing up, I looked up to the Chute Box fighters, which is ironic because now I am going to beat Marlon, who is one of their guys.”
AARON ROSA:
“Jaime Fletcher is strong. He is coming up from 185 pounds, but he is a solid fighter.
“He likes to bang, and throw punches. I will have to use my reach against him and try to take him deep into the rounds. But if I get an opportunity to take him out, I will jump on it.
“Jaime seems to be pretty powerful, so I just have to be ready for everything.
“I don’t see a future right now. I am just concentrating on this fight. I hope to come out with a win.
“I wasn’t all there in my last fight that I lost (to Jared Hamman in October 2007’s ShoXC via rear naked choke). I had a fever of 104 degrees and a viral infection the week before the fight. I don’t want to steal his thunder, but it was more me than him. He is a tremendous fighter and I would love to fight him again.
“I have one loss on my record. I think about it all the time. It motivates me to want to keep going.”
JAIME FLETCHER:
“Aaron Rosa is a guy who likes to get after it. He likes to use his length as an advantage and get in there and pound it out.
“He is coming off a loss, so he can enter the cage in two different ways. One, he may not be as confident, and I will try and capitalize on that and exploit that. Or, two, he may come in fired up and looking to get back to winning form.
“He has a reach advantage on me, but I think my striking is better than his is.
“I heard he is basically anti-Jiu Jitsu. If I don’t have to worry about submissions and just strikes, then that will open up my opportunities to submit him and take him to the ground.
“At 205 pounds, I am a lot quicker than most fighters. That should be a big advantage for me in the cage.
“I took this fight one week ago, but I had already been training for another fight. I am in good shape and ready for Rosa.
SHANE DEL ROSARIO:
“Analu Brash is big. I know he is huge, but I think I am faster than him. I have fought guys who are bigger than him. I just need to stay calm and focused and I should be good.
“I am comfortable standing or taking the fight the ground. I know I have to keep my hands up and watch out for his power, but I think I have a better ground game than him. He will get gassed if he keeps trying to bang with me.
“From what I saw of Brash, he tries to kick-box and stay off the ground. If he does that, I will be set.
“I am going to try to go for the top. I need to get more experience and need to take my time. ShoXC is the perfect opportunity to get more experience, but I definitely think I have the talent to be a champion. Why would you want to be in this game if you aren’t trying to go for the top?
“I have been improving my ground work. My strength is Muay Thai, but I know that it is important to work on my ground. I have been wrestling with a lot of big guys and I have got a lot better at it.
“I want to knock him out, but a win is a win. I will take it either way.”
ANALU BRASH:
“I try to fight with both my brain and my heart. I try not to bring emotions into the cage because they can get the better of you.
“I really feel comfortable everywhere in the cage. I don’t feel like I have to stand and bang or try to take a guy to the ground. I am good all around. I react to what the moment calls for.
“When I am in the cage, I think of my family. That is basically why I fight.
“I am not that familiar with Del Rosario. He is just a good fighter like everybody else.
“When I fight, I bang. Even when I get hit, I go harder. I don’t back down.
“My key to victory is just landing a good shot.”
MARK OSHIRO:
“I like to finish fights quickly. I don’t like to go to the second or third round. I like to get in and get out.
“There aren’t a lot of knockouts in my weight class, but I have been knocking guys out. I hit the punching bag a lot, working on speed and power.
“From what I know, Cariaso is a stand up guy who likes to kick. Being that he is undefeated, I’m sure he has some kind of ground work. My game plan is to go in there in stand. But if he tries to clinch with me, I will take the fight to the ground.
“I have been improving my Jiu-Jitsu. I am constantly working on my ground game. In order to get to the top of the food chain you need to work on your weakest parts.
“I have no predictions for the fight. I just hope to finish it in the first round. I want to knock him out, but I am prepared to go the distance. If it does, it will be an all out war.”
CHRIS CARIASO:
“I expect Mark to want to stand up with me. I am going to try and hit him hard a couple of times and then try to control the takedown game from there.
“I look at this as a big step in my career. He is a reputable opponent, so when I beat him it will bring me to the top of my division.
I have always been great at standup, and now I am focusing on my ground game. I have opened my mind to a lot of new moves. It has finally all clicked to where I see everything now. I know that my standup is my strong point, but I spend a lot of time training on the ground.
“I approach each opponent differently. I train to my strengths and try to simulate what my opponent will bring at me.
“This is a great challenge. He is definitely going to be one of my most difficult opponents. He likes to stand up and trade shots, so I need to look out for his punches. I just need to avoid getting caught with a punch, but I definitely think I have what it takes to beat him.
“I am going to go out there and show my new strengths. If he wants to stand up with me, I will stand up and bang. But if he wants to go to the ground, I will take him to his back and submit him.
“I have my sights set on winning this fight. I am going to go out there and try to make a statement tomorrow night.”
Fighter pages for televised bouts: Malaipet (http://Malaipet.proelite.com), Denny (http:/thomasdenny.proelite.com), Mathias (http:/marlonmathias.proelite.com), Heun (http:/conorheun.proelite.com), Rosa (http://aaronrosa.proelite.com), Fletcher (http://jaimefletcher.proelite.com), Del Rosario (http://shanedelrosario.proelite.com), Brash (http://analubrash.proelite.com), Oshiro (http://markoshiro.proelite.com), Cariaso (http://chriscariaso.proelite.com)
