HOUSTON, July 26, 2012 – Garcia Promotions’Cage Combat 10 kicks off tomorrow night at the Humble Civic Center and it will be a full night of action with fifteen fights set to hit the cage. As with all amateur events, one of the most exciting things to look forward to is seeing which young fighters will perform on such a level as to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack as legit pro prospects to watch out for.
Throughout the last several years in Houston we’ve had some guys make their mark in the amateur ranks and move on to larger success at the professional level – fighters like Justin Reiswerg, Jeff Rexroad, and UFC fighter Andrew Craig just to name a few.
Will a fighter taking part on tomorrow night’s card follow in their footsteps?
Well that certainly remains to be seen and we don’t have a crystal ball to tell us who’ll perform definitively but here are a few of the names we’re looking out for as potential prospects to watch …In no particular order of course.
CC10: Five prospects to watch out for on Friday night
Jose Llanas (1-0) – Taking part in tomorrow night’s main event, Jose Llanas is being thrown right into the fire in terms of fighting for his first MMA title in just his second MMA bout overall. Be that as it may, he may prove himself to be ready given his youth boxing background coupled with the BJJ skill set he’s honed as an assistant instructor working with Team Tooke leader Travis Tooke and Jace Pitre over at Jace Pitre MMA. He’s got a tough test in front of him with James Powell – who could very well be a tough prospect to watch himself and an opponent who has already proven to be a game fighter. It should very interesting to see how this fight plays out.
Ralph Garcia (1-0) – With one win behind him, Ralph “The Plexin’ Texan” Garcia is another fighter who may not have done much in the way of developing a record but has certainly proven himself to be a game fighter with a tough mindset. The Galveston native took in some early experience fighting as a middleweight in unsanctioned (read: underground) fights but has since cut down thirty pounds from where he’s started. He’ll take part in his first lightweight bout against Kolton Englund – another tough young guy and hard hitter who has already had five fights at the ripe old age of nineteen.
Carver Bennett (0-1) – Fighting over Bryan-College Station’s BVMMA team, Carver reminds us a little bit of a younger version of that town’s Captain America – his BVMMA teammate Bubba Bush. Despite having lost his first bout earlier this year against the aforementioned Jose Llanas, Carver showed that he has a lot of natural wrestling skill and potential to go along with a mature attitude and a blue-collar work ethic. It’ll be interesting to see how he does against opponent Fabian Galvez of ACS, another young guy who I’ve heard his coaches are high on.
Edgar Juárez (4-1) / Brandon Gauthier (2-0) – We had to put both of these guys on here since we believe this might be an early favorite for fight of the night honors. Training out of Paradigm TC, Edgar has won his last four bouts in a row while Brandon has used his boxing acumen to win his own first two bouts. Both these guys are gamers and it should be a good battle to see which one will carry their winning streak further and prove to be a potential title contender in the near future.
Chris Rivera (1-0) – Houston has proved to be a fertile hotbed for flyweights in the recent past with guys like Joe Trevino, Jacob Silva, Ricky Turcious, Ryan Hollis, and others all showing an impressive body of work at the amateur level. ACS’s Chris Rivera is fighting up at 135 lbs. in this one against Dat Nguyen but he’s also looking to prove that he belongs in the conversation as far as top future flyweights go as well. With a lifetime of wrestling behind him (including a top-five state ranking in his high school days) may just very well be someone to watch indeed.
Below is the full card for tomorrow night’s fights.
You’ve already heard our thoughts. Go ahead and comment your own and let us know which fighters you’re looking out for in Humble.
Cage Combat 10 – Fight Card for July 27, 2012
Morris Baker (D.O.A. Fight Team) VS. Victor Lomax (Ground Dwellers) -125
Jose Gomez (CDM) VS. Eric Caminos (Metro Fight Club) – 155
Andrew Farnhof (Unleashed) VS. Antonio Anderson (Midtown MMA) – 205
Julio Rodrigues (Pound 4 Pound) VS. Lucas Aguirre (Team Tooke) – 170
Chris Rivera (ACS) VS. Dat Nguyen (Windy MMA) – 135
Jose Ceja (ATT Beaumont) VS. Cameron Graves (Team Tooke) – 145
Edgar Juarez (Paradigm) VS. Brandon Gauthier (Team Tooke/Jace Pitre MMA) – 155
Chris Sutton (GB Katy) VS. Eric Thompson (Silverback)– 185
James Clark (Team Unleashed) VS. Joe Whichard (Kingwood MMA) – 180
Yan Digalov (Paradigm) VS. John “Chile” Rodriguez (Silverback) – 145
Juan Dominguez (Paradigm) VS. Joel Garcia (One MMA) – HVY
Carver Bennett (BVMMA) VS. Fabian Galvez (ACS) – 170
Ralph Garcia (CSI BJJ Galveston) VS. Kolton Englund (Silverback) – 155
Daniel Delgado (Paradigm) VS. Carlos Jimenez (4oz) – 135 Title
James Powell (Fight Science) VS. Jose Llanas (Team Tooke / Jace Pitre mma) – 170 Title
