Published: January 15, 2007
XTREME FIGHTING
CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008 - by Lew Bowman
TAMPA – As the record breaking crowd looks on at The St. Pete Times Forum, Tom Boccia trades blows without much success, toe-to-toe with his opponent in the six-sided fighting cage that has become his battlefield. Realizing he must take this fight, now in its second round, to the floor, he desperately grabs at his adversaries legs and drags him to the ground. Within seconds the move is reversed and Eddie “Hulk” Hernandez is on top of him, full mount, an unstoppable flurry of fists raining down on his prey. Tom tries to protect his face from the relentless barrage of flailing gloves to no avail. The crowd goes wild. This is Xtreme Fighting Championships, and the best in Florida based mixed martial arts.
The acceptance of mixed martial arts has come a long way since 1996, from what was considered a “Too Brutal For Television” sport, banned almost everywhere in the country, to the fastest growing sport in America. MMA now enjoys a huge presence on cable and even primetime television, with events scheduled around the country in almost every state. In the sport's first incarnation, its unprecedented brutality was its main selling point and the reason for its label as an outlaw sport. But rules and restrictions have slowly been implemented, causing bans to gradually be lifted. The fierceness of the sport is still alive, but the brutality has been minimized to a more structured tone, finally appeasing the watchdogs in Washington. "I wouldn't want to see it be cleaned up too much," said Brett Miller, 33, a Las Vegas fan. "The endurance and pain that they show in the fights is part of the wow' that makes it mixed martial arts and not, say, just boxing or wrestling”.
The XFC (Xtreme Fighting Championships) was started in 2005, and was the vision of the organizations president, John Prisco, a man who has seen the vast potential of the sport and is working hard to bring it to the mainstream. The XFC are rapidly posturing themselves to becoming not only the largest mixed martial arts organization in the state of Florida, but the whole country. So what makes the XFC standout from the pack in the ever-growing field of mixed martial arts?
THE “SALUTE TO OUR ARMED FORCES” EVENTS - The XFC have aligned themselves with the major branches of the military and invite all service men and women past and present, to their exhibitions as their guests. Not only does the XFC supply FREE tickets to all their events for military personnel, but has actual participation and a presence from the major military branches at their shows as well. Swearing in ceremonies in the fight cage, rangers repelling from the venue ceiling, the color guard, flag bearers, even “shout-outs” from the guys overseas run on the Jumbotron naming each fighter in the upcoming bout. “The XFC is all about paying tribute to our armed forces, and promoting the concept of giving back to those who give so much for us”.
Sunday, March 2nd, kicks off the first of four “Salute To Our Armed Forces” events slated for 2008 at The St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. Xtreme Fighting Championships will be presenting not only an all-day event starting at 12 pm outside the venue with music, a bike show, the XFC Diamond Dolls, and bikini contest, but an excellent fight card for the evening’s main event featuring some of the biggest names in the MMA world. The featured bout of the night will pit David “Kid Dynamite” Espinosa with Urijah Faber (in person) in his corner, versus Jim Ramsey, with Shoney Carter (in-person) in his respective corner. It looks to be one killer fight, capping off an evening overflowing with a plethora of awesome MMA combat!
MMA TODAY - There is a lot of competition between rival organizations in the mixed martial arts arena today. But that hasn't deterred the sport's legions of young followers and participants. There are some 30,000 martial arts schools in the United States training more than 4 million students in various forms of mixed martial arts. The XFC Training Facility, located at 10509 N. Nebraska Avenue Unit # 6 Tampa FL 33612, teaches and trains not only fighters, but women’s self-defense, children’s classes, and strength and conditioning classes as well. The idea of mixed martial arts being relegated merely to a brutal form of combat has passed, and the nation is finally grasping it as the lifestyle choice that it is, not just for entertainment and competition, but for a sound mind and healthy body. Go to www.xfctraining.com for more.
A FINAL NOTE - When asked about the future of mixed martial arts and Xtreme Fighting Championships, John Prisco has these closing comments; "The sport of mixed martial arts is a runaway train, and we are so honored to be able to represent the finest aspects of it, along with representing our military" "This is the future of one-on-one combat, and we couldn't stop any of this if we tried."
Fans and those interested can check out the official XFC website at www.mmaxfc.com for event updates, fight card details, and of course to check out the XFC Diamond Dolls, the organizations own bevy of beautiful cage girls.
Copyright 2007 All rights reserved, MIXED MARTIAL ARTS XTREME FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
