It’s Fight Time Again; But this Time Get Ready to Meet the Miss MMA
Posted on | April 4, 2007 | 2 Comments
Michelle Waterson competes at the Ring of Fire 28 in Broomfield, Colorado, and she may very well be the reason more women are enjoying martial arts.
Aurora CO – When the Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Denver CO
in the early 1990’s, no one knew at that time how defining a moment it
would be in MMA history. After all Dana White was not running the show.
Art Davey the Commissioner, and Rorion Gracie the Maestro, were in
charge of the all-men’s-event. Fast forward 15 years later, and it’s
Lawrence Gaytan, the state’s premiere promoter doing his best to capture the
glory of mixed martial arts action; and he’s doing it with the ladies.
Now try-outs for a new and exciting all female fight card to take place
in June of this year. That event kicks off the start of a 5 team league
being developed, and branded by MissMMA, who is working along side of
Gaytan, Zodiac Films, and several noteworthy female fighters.
Ultimately, ladies will advance after trying their luck at securing a
seat on one of the teams, to debut in the MissMMA USA league being
showcased in 2007. Colorado, Hawaii, Arizona and New Jersey are at center
stage for amassing the teams of professional mixed martial artists. New
states are being added and requests are being accepted for nomination.
Coaches are also needed so it’s an excellent time to help spread the
gospel of martial arts to the benefit of women around the globe.
“It’s not just how good you are, it’s how evenly you are matched
against an opponent that makes for an interesting fight” said promoter
Lawrence Gaytan. To that point, try-outs are being conducted April 21st in
Aurora Colorado. This is an open try-out in which women will be put
through a battery of 3 events to see their capabilities. “There will not be
any physical combat, only sparring, so come give it a try and see your
level of fitness.” said Gaytan.
Athletic try-outs will take place at High Altitude Martial Arts 2832,
ZZ South Havana Street, Aurora CO, 80014. Cooperative sponsorship
opportunities are available for the event, website, and the documentary that
will follow. Visit www.missmma.com for more details or call
1-877-Miss-MMA. Workout wear required consisting of matching rash guard, fight
short, and mouthpiece.
The event will go as follows…
The women will be divided into equal size groups. Not by size, weight,
experience just by number. The first mat will be for their cardio and
agility testing. They will be ran through a battery of drills exercises
and agility tests and at the conclusion given a numerical grade.
The second mat will be for the ground aspect of the skill testing. A
series of moves will be shown by a qualified instructor for two reasons:
to access grappling knowledge and application, and the ability to learn
and demonstrate. Then they will also be given a numerical grade.
The third mat will be for stand-up skills. They will be run through
focus mitt drills, body shield drills and then be given a numerical grade.
The grades will be added up and the like scores or within two will be
matched up for a sparring session. IT IS ONLY SPARRING. An excess
display of ability will be harnessed as to insure that it never goes live.
Control and execution will be what the judges are looking for in each
athlete.
Only the coaches and invited sponsors will be admitted to the event.
Michelle Waterson, a MissMMA hopeful, proves women can compete along
side the men in MMA.
In recent news, CBS Broadcasting televised a segment on 60 Minutes,
featuring the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Nielsen Ratings indicated for
the first time this season, 60 Minutes finished as one the five
most-watched programs for the week” on Sunday. The show also finished first in
its time period in households, viewers and adults 25-54.
Subsequently, the 60 Minutes page on Yahoo.com received more votes and
message posts for the MMA piece than any other sports story previously
listed, including pieces on Dale Earnhardt, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan
and the New York Yankees.
For the first time in history, MMA outpaced Boxing in events and
television coverage in 2006. The Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Association is a
grassroots organization focused on creating opportunities in mixed
martial arts for those who train in the sport.
The Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Association is a grassroots organization
focused on creating opportunities in mixed martial arts for those who
train in the sport. The association’s belief is that we can show
fighters and fans a way to earn a living in which they love so much.