There is no rest for the weary of the wicked, or at least it seems that way for Houston Mixed Martial Arts.
Fresh off the boon of their last sold-out show at the Arena Theater, Legacy Fighting Championship today released the preliminary card for their next professional event, set for April 9th.
Interesting to note that April’s show will be the first card put together by newly-announced Legacy matchmaker and long-time announcer Colin Cantrell.
Seeking to put together exciting fights by using the promotion’s already established names along with bringing in young, marketable talent, Cantrell and Legacy have put together a very balanced card for their next time out.
The show is set to feature a much-anticipated showdown for the lightweight title as Daniel Pineda of 4 Oz. Fight Club looks to continue his winning ways after beating former champions Rey Trujillo and Levi Forrest in consecutive fashion. Looking for the hat-trick finish against local belt holders along with his second concurrent title, “Pit” Pineda is looking to defeat current champion Ray Blodget of Elite MMA before moving up to the national level.
Also returning on the card is one-half of TheCageDoor.net’s Fight of the Night in Jeff Rexroad of Paradigm. Fresh off a near-perfect performance of pugilistic precision, “Sexy Rexy” will again be tested as he takes on young up-start Alex Morono of Gracie Barra. The ever-improving Alex likewise fought on this past Legacy card, dispatching of Marc Garcia within the first minute via impressive submission. Now the young lion looks to continue his undefeated streak against his biggest test yet.
“I’m looking forward to the fight”. Says Jeff Rexroad. “I haven’t had the chance to watch any video on Alex but I know he has good submissions. I’m healthy after this last fight, minus some colorful markings on my face, and I will be back in the gym on Monday. Once again…I promise to put on an exciting fight no matter what the outcome.”
In addition to those two fights, eight more bouts are currently scheduled for what should be yet another night of exciting action. Notable matchups listed include “The Ultimate Fighter” season 11 cast member Cleburn Walker of Dallas, TX taking on San-Shou kickboxing pro Alex Cisne and the always-exciting John Malbrough coming back against Jonathan “Hulk” Harris of five-second KO fame, along with many other potentially exciting pairings.
With three months to go until this event hits Houston, fans should keep an eye out for changes to the card moving forward, including additional machups. “We are still putting together another fight that we will announce next week.” Cantrell told Barry laminack of TheCageDoor.net.
Based on that statement, it looks like there will be more news soon to look forward to. For now, enjoy the initial reactions on this upcoming card from some of our Houston fighters and fans.
Legacy Fighting Championship
(Initial Fighter & Fan Reactions for April 9th Card)
Lightweight (155) Title Bout – Daniel Pineda (4oz Fight Club) v. Ray Blodget (Elite MMA)
I think it’s a good match up… I give Daniel the upper hand. Ray is good, but I think Daniel can overwhelm him and he won’t be able to take him down like he did Trujillo – Adam Schindler, IXFA Lightweight Champion
Two very talented grapplers face off in a match that’ll almost certainly never hit the ground. Each fighter’s submission game is superb, so I expect this one to be a banger. It’s going to be closer than a lot of people think. – Conor Hogan
Ray’s kickboxing has gotten alot better, and I dont think Pineda is technical enough to catch Ray even if he does get him down to the mat. – Jordan Rivas
I have seen Pineda fight a couple times and this guy has impressed me. He submitted both Trjuillo and my boy Levi Forrest (which really suprised me) because Levi was way bigger and O would imagine stronger. But pineda prevailed both fights with a submission stoppage. I don’t know Blodget personally nor have O ever seen him fight but from what everyone has told me he is an awesome fighter…. If i had to choose I’m going with Pineda. – Levi West
Welterweight (170) – Alex Cisne (Westside MMA) v. Cleburne Walker
Yeah…tough fight. I mean both guys are established….but….I think Alex is underrated. I think his striking will tell the story. When I say Alex is underrated I don’t mean he’s not considered good..he is…but he’s better that THAT. In my opinion, Alex is poised for the top level. Alex takes this one by TKO. – Drew Raticheck
Welterweight (170) – John Malbrough (Kingwood MMA) v. Jonathon Harris (Submission Boxing)
I personally can’t wait to see this fight. Harris is coming off of a nasty defeat at the hands of Mike Bronzoulis, and he’s looking to make a statement against Malbrough. If John doesn’t match the early intensity shown by Harris, this could be a quick fight. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about John Malbrough, it’s that you NEVER bet against him in a fight. He’s going to be looking for another early stoppage, after recently showing his finishing power against Patrick Greene. – Conor Hogan
Middleweight (185)– Patrick Hutton (RSKA) v. Pat Bierschwale (Westside MMA)
Okay, Pat Bierschwale from what I’ve seen has pretty good boxing, but I’m sure he’ll be looking to take Hutton down where he should be able to get a submission or the TKO. – Jordan Rivas
It’s hard judging this fight because I’m cool with both these guys.. but I will say Patrick Hutton has great hands and hits pretty hard. I’d say Pat B’s best gameplan would take this fight to the ground…good luck to the both of them! – Levi West
Featherweight (145) – Tim Snyder (Paradigm) v. Alex Black (Bushi Ban)
I like that they matched Alex with a veteran of the cage. Tim is a strong, scrappy fighter. So I expect him to test Alex’s chin and stamina early. I think that Alex has a clear advantage on the ground, but Tim’s striking and experience in the cage is more than enough to make this a possible fight of the night contender. – Conor Hogan
This is a tough one for me to call because both guys are good friends of mine, and both guys are on top of their game. I dont see this fight going to the ground. I havent seen very many people that can keep Tim down. If by chance it does go to the ground, id have to give the slight edge to Black, but again, I dont see it going there. This is one of those fights where someone is getting KO’d. Its gonna be a great test for the up and comer Black, as Tim is a very tough veteran whos fought all over the country and has a very impressive resume. – Jermaine Flowers
Lightweight (155) – Justin Reiswerg (Bam Bam Martial Arts) v. Casey Hobson
I’m looking forward to the next step. Taking on Trujillo after such a long break wasn’t easy, and I have been riding that high for a week now. Its time to become humble again and get back to work. I don’t know much about my opponent. He has a few fights, all sub wins and he seems to be a bigger 155 guy like myself. I like the fact that I don’t know much about him though. there is no false images in my head of things he has done in the past and could do on me. It’s a clean slate and I know that if I perform to the best of my ability that not many local guys can compete with me. – Justin Reiswerg
I got nothing on Hobson…Reiswerg was impressive against Rey for sure…he’s a new fighter…he did great, looked really big, and in-shape and confident…but I don’t know anything about Hobson so i cant really say anything there. – Drew Raticheck
I’m definitely going with Casey just because not only have I sparred him and seen how good he is but I also know all the UFC fighters he trains with every camp… I don’t see anyone in Houston that gets world-class sparring and experience that he does.. .not taking anything from Justin because you’re an awesome fighter too…but I’m going with Hobson – Levi West
Welterweight (170) – Alex Morono (Gracie Barra The Woodlands) v. Jeff Rexroad (Paradigm)
I hope it doesn’t turn out be another case of police brutality. We had enough of those around here lately. Kidding. I think it’s gonna be a good fight. Jeff and Ricardo just had a great gone and I think him and Morono are gonna put on a show. – Eric Prudhomme
Morono vs Rexroad is a very interesting matchup. You’ve got 2 guys with a great ground game, and Rexroad just showed everyone in his war with Talavera that his stand up is no joke and he’s got a chin. I look for him to use his size and reach advantage to keep Morono on the outside and pick him apart. – Jermaine Flowers
Welterweight (170) – Justin Murray (Bushi Ban) v. Robert Garcia (Silverback MMA)
Murray is looking really good right now… he just fought a top-level black belt and came out pretty even up after the fight. As a fighter I think he’s well- rounded and doing great…What it takes to beat Justin Murray is someone who has good wrestling and excellent striking…in my opinion. but right now after his fight with Jordan..he’s looking pretty legit. – Drew Raticheck
I don’t know alot about Garcia, but Justin Murray is a beast, and I know after his razor thin decision loss to Jordan Rivas, he’s gonna be hungry and looking to bounce back. – Jermaine Flowers