IT’S MEXICO VERSUS GUATEMALA AT MMAX’S TEAM QUALIFIER

AT THE JOINT INSIDE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO THIS FRIDAY

Mexican Independence Day and Guatemalan Independence Day both take place this weekend

 Las Vegas, Nevada – As the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) explodes more and more in growth, the cream of the next crop of fighters is beginning to rise to the surface. This Friday, September 16^th, the two best 145-pound amateur fighters in Las Vegas will lock horns with national pride and their futures on the line when Cesar Campos and Rudy Morales battle as MMA Xplosion (MMAX) presents its Team Qualifier event. This electrifying fight card, presented by Millennium Events, will take place at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The MMAX Team Qualifier will feature an all-amateur card, with teams coached by UFC® veterans Tony “The Freak” Fryklund and Marvin “The Beastman” Eastman, respectively. In addition, the fighters will be competing for an opportunity to become part of two newly established Las Vegas home teams, named the Las Vegas Spiders and the Las Vegas Scorpions, who will compete against each other at the next scheduled team event in October.

This Friday’s main event features two fan favorites in Campos (8-1) and Morales (7-1) in an excellent match-up between rising local stars.

Cesar Campos was born in Los Angeles, and raised in Oregon. He is full-blooded Mexican, and is extremely proud of his heritage. The 5’11” 145-pounder trains at TapouT Training Center in Vegas…which is also where his opponent trains, though they train at different times in different classes. Though he’s only been training in MMA for a couple years, Campos has already made a name for himself, and at 26 years old, his future is quite bright. But first, he’s got to get past Morales.

“I’m still working on my game plan, but my mentality is that no matter which way the fight goes, I’m going to be in it,” states Campos. “But I’m going to try to finish Rudy as soon as the bell rings for the first round.”

 

“I think it’s going to be a good fight. I know Rudy’s training hard, I’m training hard, and we’re two of the best featherweights in Vegas right now. I know it’s a fight I’d like to see.”

Also looking to display his talents this Friday is Rudy Morales. At 26 years old, just like his opponent, Morales has carved out a reputation as an ultra-tough competitor. Born and raised in Guatemala, he began training Kenpo karate at the age of eight. He later picked up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and started doing MMA over the last few years. With his thoughts on turning pro in 2012, Morales is planning to leave it all in the cage this weekend. “My style for this fight will be something like Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, and I want to make sure the crowd gets their money’s worth. I will put my health on the line to accomplish that. And so far, I haven’t been able to finish an opponent. I don’t want to let this fight go to the judges.”

This weekend, both Mexican Independence Day and Guatemalan Independence Day take place. As such, both Campos and Morales will be proudly representing their respective heritages.  “Mexican fighters have a lot of heart. They’ll fight,” explains Campos. “It doesn’t matter if they’re hurt, they’ll keep going. And I want to show that part of me this Friday…that part of my heritage.”

“I’m trying to avoid the Guatemala versus Mexico angle…we’re all Latino Americans,” says Morales. “But representing Guatemala this weekend is pretty much one of my biggest achievements, other than being a father. It’s a lot of pressure, but life without risk is no life. If I don’t risk it all, I won’t be able to accomplish anything.”

Here is the Team Qualifier fight card as it stands now:

MAIN EVENT

Cesar Campos (8-1)                                             vs.                                           Rudy Morales (7-1)

TapouT                                                                   145 lbs.                                  TapouT

                                                                                            

David Jordan (8-1)                                               vs.                                           David Tompkins (4-1)

Team Beastman                                                    155 lbs.                                  TapouT

 

Joe Angelo (7-5)                                                  vs.                                           Daniel Cuison (2-0)

TapouT                                                                   170 lbs.                                  Throwdown

 

 

Mike Florio (5-1)                                                   vs.                                           Weston Duschen (6-6)

Excel Defense Center                                            205 lbs.                                  Xtreme Couture

 

Prentice Williams (5-1)                                        vs.                                           Khalil Roundtree (2-0)

                Xtreme Couture                                                     205 lbs.                                  Wand Fight Team

 

                Jimmy Like (1-2)                                                   vs.                                           Christian Cardona (2-2)

Team Beastman                                    155 lbs.                                  TapouT

 

Kevin Smith (0-1)                                                  vs.                                           Jason Rivera (1-3)

Sunset Boxing & MMA                                        155 lbs.                                  Wand Fight Team

 

Shane Benbow (2-1)                                            vs.                                           Boostayre Nagarios (2-1)

Throwdown                                                           145 lbs.                                  Team Beastman

 

Richard Patini (0-0)                                              vs.                                           Cruz Ramos (0-0)

Sunset Boxing &MMA                                         125 lbs.                                  Team Torres

 

Ramsen Merza (1-2)                                            vs.                                           Hugo Gonzalez (0-0)

TapouT                                                                   140 lbs.                                  Team Torres

 

Aaron Fonseca (0-0)                                            vs.                                           Nate (0-0)

                Sunset Boxing & MMA                                        185 lbs.                                  Throwdown

 

Jamie Sanchez (0-1)                                             vs.                                           Jake Malili (2-0)

Team Torres                                                           155 lbs.                                  Throwdown

 

Joshua Lopas (0-0)                                              vs.                                           Sean Cantor (3-0)

Throwdown                                                           135 lbs.                                  Wand Fight Team

 

Junior (15 fights)                                                  vs.                                           Arthur Nicholas (2-0)

Throwdown                                                           125 lbs.                                  Independent

 

Rick Fell (0-0)                                                        vs.                                           Eddie Guerrero (0-2)

Throwdown                                                           135lbs.                                   Team Torres               

                                 

 

                                               

*Fight card is subject to change

 

For more information on MMAX, please visit our website at http://www.mmaxplosion.com/