MMA hits Staunton tonight

In the last three years, mixed martial arts has gripped the country and the Valley.   

New gyms are popping up across the region and established ones are struggling to keep up with demand.

Tonight, Brawl in the Cage, presented by Brawley Fights, will return for its fourth installment, featuring local amateur fighters in addition to some brawlers from around the commonwealth. The 15-fight card will take place at the Shenandoah Harley Davidson in Staunton and four of the promotion’s title belts will be on the line. The first fight is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., capping an all-day event at the motorcycle dealership.

Chris Hawley, Ashlyn Hawley (his wife) and Chad Brown (his brother-and-law) created Brawley Fights and the Brawl in the Cage series a few years ago, hoping to showcase quality local MMA talent. Chris Hawley and Brown are both fighters and train at the MMA Institute of Harrisonburg.

“I personally believe, and I think the credit is out there, that MMA is the hottest commodity as far as the combat sports go,” Chris Hawley said. “... If you want full-fledged UFC, MMA-style fighting, you get that. I’ve always said that if you like it 1 percent on TV, you will like it 100 percent live.”

The promotion regularly visits Augusta Expoland and the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, but after partnering up with sponsor Shenandoah Harley Davidson, the group wanted to bring the action to Staunton.

“We have a local image to uphold,” Chris Hawley said. “We are not trying to get the money and run. The ticket prices are set for the area we live in. We can’t put a NOVA ticket price on it. Our public image has really blown up. First you have to have a good [product] and be a consistent thing, and when you have the Harrisonburg Auto Mall and Shenandoah Harley Davidson backing you, that speaks volumes. They don’t put their image on the line for everything.”

MMA’s popularity
Beau Baker and his brother, Kyle, started fighting five years ago, and after failing to find a gym that catered to MMA outside of Richmond, they started their own in a basement.

MMA’s popularity was in its infancy and its fights had just begun to be shown on cable after years of being pay-per-view only. Shortly after starting the gym, The Baker brothers outgrew their basement and moved to a small upstairs space in an industrial park.

Today, the Bakers operate out of a 6,000-square-foot facility located at 1000 S. High St. and have between 40 and 60 members on any given month, with about 25 percent of them competing in sanctioned fights.

“It’s popping up in a lot of different places,” Beau Baker said. “It’s just growing really fast. It is a neat time to be in the grassroots of it. It’s now starting to see the national exposure; it’s coming into its own.”

The MMA Institute in Harrisonburg will be sending five or six fighters to compete this weekend in Staunton.
“We make sure our fighters act respectful,” Beau Baker said. “Me and my brother were state champion wrestlers [at Turner Ashby] and the community already has the feeling that if we’re doing it, it’s OK. It’s not a pro wrestling — it’s always a fine line on how people perceive it.”

In Charlottesville, Dave Morris owns and operates another MMA Institute. Morris will also be sending six fighters to Staunton this weekend.

“Back when I was fighting, a lot of people weren’t into MMA,” Morris said. “Most didn’t know what it was. Now we have 170 people in our school. Some are into it for the round about self-defense and the realness about it. People are realizing it’s not about getting into the cage and fighting.”

Morris and Beau Baker both said that the popularity of the sport is not limited to just men.
“There is something about women, there is no fear,” Beau Baker said. “They don’t have a hang-up, they aren’t macho. They really, really fight. That’s a sport that’s in its infancy. I’ll watch it whenever I get a chance to.

“We’ve had a big increase in the last month. We’d had anywhere from eight to 19 [women], but we also do fitness and martial arts classes, but there are more and more girls.”

The fights
Through its first three promotions and tonight’s, Brawley fights has only catered to amateur MMA fights. Chris Hawley said that while the group would like to have a professional fight in the next year, it doesn’t have a problem showcasing new talent.

“We like the amateur side to it,” he said. “They have nothing to gain and nothing to lose. With the pro bouts, you pay them to fight and it’s like a chess match. Our ultimate goal is to put on one or two.”

Tonight’s events will feature four title bouts — in the 155-pound, 205-pound, 185-pound and 145-pound classes. Adam Prickett (5-1), of Staunton, will be defending his 155-pound title against Neal Johnson in one of the night’s main events.

Jason Thompson (6-4) will be battling it out for the 185-pound hardware against Stephen Govan. Thompson recently dropped to 185 after competing in the 205-pound class.

“Everybody likes some crazy stuff,” Thompson said. “I don’t do it to win, but I want to see how much better I am than the other guy. I’d rather get beat in a cage than get beat by myself. A lot of people see it is a bad sport, but it is no different than watching boxing. You get cut, it ain’t no different.”