PHARR, TX, November 24, 2011 – The wait is over to Texas MMA fans down in the Rio Grande Valley as Oscar Enriquez and Oscorp Enterprises presents Ultimate Warrior Fighting (UWF) 1 this Saturday night. Featuring a main event clash between former UFC fighters Roger “El Matador” Huerta and the man known as War Machine, this event will seven fight slate for fans in attendance and those watching on GoFightLive PPV as TXMMA’s Paul Erickson and NYBA Phil Baroni break down the action.

Let’s take a look and break down this entire card so fans can know what to expect on Saturday night.

Ultimate Warrior Fighting 1 – Preview and Predictions

170 lbs.: Roger Huerta (21-5-1) vs. War Machine (11-4)

Roger Huerta is a compelling personality. Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond, Roger had what many would consider a rough childhood, bouncing around from place to place his entire life. Eventually, Roger found his way to wrestling and combat sports which provided an outlet for expressing his frustrations and channeling his energy. Beginning in 2003, he would embark on a successful professional career in MMA which would eventually lead him to memorable fights in the UFC, including his legendary brawl with fellow Texan Leonard Garcia at UFC 69 in Houston. More recently, Roger has fallen on some tough times in losing to former Bellator champion Eddie Alverez and top contender Pat Curran. Taking a year off from competition to center himself while living out in Thailand and putting together Phuket Top Team, “El Matador” is now ready to come back in a big way. This time around, the 28 year old will be competing up at his more natural weight division of 170.

Taking on the Valley native will be the man formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver and now recognized as War Machine. Speaking of tough times, one could argue that this 29 year old has had tougher than most in the business. While his upcoming opponent was living out in Thailand, War Machine was living in San Diego’s George Bailey Detention Facility serving a one year jail sentence for a felony conviction stemming from a bar fight. That was certainly an eye-opening experience for the 10-4 fighter and he too is looking to make a comeback in the world of MMA.

Which fighter will succeed in scoring a win in their comeback fight?

This fight should be an interesting one as it pits two athletic similarly-skilled fighters against one another. War Machine will come in as the taller fighter and may have a reach advantage whereas Roger should have the upper hand when it comes to technical striking ability after having trained Muay Thai consistently over the past several years. Both fighters have a solid wrestling background with neither fighter seemingly having a definitive advantage in the grappling portion of the fight. As for experience, Roger’s for the edge after fighting in big money fights against Kenny Florian, Gray Maynard, Alvarez, Curran, and more. Perhaps the most intriguing question mark here is who will come in as the stronger fighter over the course of 15 minutes. Roger’s coming up in weight and War Machine is getting out of prison. It’s hard to tell who’ll re-adapt better.

All in all, we can expect this to be a competitive and entertaining matchup but expect Roger Huerta to do just enough to secure victory in front of what should be a rousing hometown crowd.

Prediction: Roger Huerta by technical knockout.

170 lbs.: Eric “Big Head” Davila (20-10) vs. Dave Menne (44-16-2)

This co-main event will pit the two men with undoubtedly the most MMA experience out of everybody on the card.

Many old-school fans may remember Dave Menne as a former UFC middleweight champion (actually welterweight after division realignment) after he beat Gil Castillo for that belt way back at UFC 33 in September 2001. Even older die-hard fans of the sport will remember Menne as a fighter who’s been fighting since 1997 in vintage promotions such as Hook N Shoot and Extreme Challenge. In more recent times, the 37 year old has been less active while running his academy up in Minnesota but he does continue to fight once a year at minimum, including a win in his last fight against Adrien Miles.

As for Eric “Big Head” Davila, he should be a fighter that needs no introduction in Texas fight circles. If there was ever a fighter known to be a regional legend, it would be him. Fighting since 1998 himself, the Lubbock-based fighter/trainer has also fought on those old Extreme Challenge cards while compiling a 20-10 record. He was last dismantling former UFC fighter Brock Larson at CFX/EC which was coincidentally an event in his current opponent’s home state of Minnesota. Before that Eric took out three straight in Shark Fights including Pete Spratt and has won 6 out of his 7 fights. Arguably on the best run of his career, Davila will most likely be super-motivated to get another win in this one.

As far as gameplans go, expect them to go out the window in this one. It could turn into a brawl as both of these fighters will be looking to take each other out early. Menne may be the more cerebral of the two as he looks to finish more of his fights by submission. He’s a threat to take an arm or a leg at any point but let’s not forget “Big Head” is a formidable submission artist himself. He too can take an arm, ankle, or neck at any point. Regardless of that though, we expect this fight to go a completely different direction, with the Big Headed one head hunting for the finish. We expect he’ll get it too.

Prediction: Eric Davila by technical knockout.

145 lbs.: DJ Fuentes (8-7) vs. Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez (17-9)

It will be a battle of Austin, TX versus South Texas in this one as Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez (interview) makes his way down to the Valley to take on David Fuentes. An elusive striker befitting of his nickname, Nick “The Ghost” has been fighting professionally a full seven years longer than his opponent – including prominent bouts in EliteXC, Strikeforce, and all the way in Japan for K-1 Max. Meanwhile, Fuentes has fought primarily in South Texas for the bulk of his career but has nonetheless fought some impressive competition in Diego Saraiva, Tyler Toner, Adam Schindler, and more. He’s also coming off a win over Randy Villareal and will be looking for two in a row on Saturday, just like his opponent.

Expect this one to stay on the feet for the majority of the contest with each fighter looking to stay one step of the other. To that end, Gonzalez may have the advantage due to his excellent footwork and track record of staying ahead of his opponents on the scorecards. Either fighter could land a finishing blow at any moment but we expect “Ghost” to take this one handedly if it makes it down to the judges’ scorecards.

Prediction: Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez by unanimous decision.

155 lbs.: Derek Campos (5-1) vs. Scott Cleve (4-2)

Guy Mezger protégé Derek Campos is coming into this fight riding a three-fight win streak and has won 5 out of 6 as a professional with his only loss being a split decision to current TUF Season 13 monster Diego Brandao. That’s one heck of an impressive pedigree for a fighter known to be equally dangerous on the feet and on the ground. As for his opponent, Colorado’s Scott Cleve has been no slouch himself going 4-2 as a pro after a standout 4-1 career on the amateur circuit. He’s lost two in a row though and is now looking at this bout as a momentum changer.

Looking at this one objectively, Cleve will face a very tough task in Derek Campos. Look for the Dallas native to methodically wear down his opponent until he finds an opening to finish the fight.

Prediction: Derek Campos by submission.

170 lbs.: Carlos Diego Ferreira (2-0) vs. Clinton Roberts (1-1)

It’s a contest between two burgeoning MMA prospects in this one as Arsenal BJJ head instructor Carlos Diego Ferreira (interview) takes on Grappler’s Lair fighter Clinton Roberts. Both these gentlemen are fairly new to the Texas MMA pro scene and looking for their second win regionally in this one. Carlos Diego one a tough split decision over Joseph Daily at STFC 15 in his last bout while Roberts is looking to rebound after losing by TKO in his last bout against Justin Larsson way up in Washington State this past March. Roberts is known as a submission artist after winning his pro debut and 3 out of 4 amateur bouts by way of submission. Be that as it may, there’s no comparison here as Ferreira may be one of the best pound-for-pound grapplers in the state of Texas.

Prediction: Carlos Diego Ferreira by submission.

155 lbs.: Victor Hernandez (5-13) Vs. Christopher Brooks (4-5)

With their records as they stand, this bout will go a long way in getting someone’s MMA career continuing on the right path. It’s safe to say both fighters are the type of guys that “take on all comers.” Victor Hernandez has been plying his trade all over the state since way back in 2001 while Christopher Brooks has two years of experience fighting some of the top prospects from South Texas and beyond. We’ve had limited exposure to both these fighters but we’ll give the edge to Hernandez based on his experience and momentum gained from his past two wins in a row.

Prediction: Victor Hernandez by submission.

135 lbs.: Alfredo Castro (1-2) Vs. Adan De La Garza (1-4)

It will be a battle of debuting professional fighters in the first fight of the night as 33 year old Alfredo Castro takes on 26 year old Adan De La Garza (interview). With both guys yet to taste pro experience we have no idea what to expect in this one other than two men looking to get in there and scrap. De La Garza is fighting in front of a hometown crowd though so that may be enough to push towards victory.

Prediction: Adan De La Garza by submission.

► Note: UWF 1: Roger Huerta vs War Machine will be broadcast LIVE from the Pharr Events Center through Webcast PPV on Go Fight LIVE. TXMMA’s Paul Erickson will be commentating alongside UFC-veteran Phil Baroni so make sure you order the event!

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