With contact sports now being allowed and 50% of fans attending, events like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) have started to occur across the country. The recent event in Orange Walk Town saw fighters from San Pedro Town out of Martin Dawson’s Pit Fighters training school representing the island. One of these fighters was Juan’ Mighty Mouse’ Hernandez, who made an incredible comeback to the octagon with a solid win.
The event held at the Multi-Purpose Sporting Complex in Orange Walk on January 29th was organized by Pro FC Belize’s MMA League. It included a full card of Belizean fighters from across the country. There were six preliminary fights followed by a main event or championship match.
Those preliminary bouts were between Mighty Mouse and Orange Walk’s Shahil ‘Flako’ Solanki. The three-round match saw the persistence and dominance of Mighty Mouse, who fought fearlessly to the end. Solanki was able to gain some control of the fight at the last seconds of the final round but was not enough to steal Mighty Mouse’s victory. The island fighter was given the win via a split decision. This match was the fight of the night after San Pedro’s representative impressed everyone in the complex.
Other fights and main card
The other preliminary fights saw Marvin Garcia defeating David Blanco by disqualification in the first round. Next, Jalen Perez defeated Kaylen Smith by unanimous decision at the end of the three rounds. Thomas Godfrey lost split decision against Jared Ramos, and James Mejia beat Travis Pollard by technical knockout. Another technical knockout saw Patrick Lanza losing against Jevon Rubio during round two. This fight was considered the ‘Performance of the Night.’
The main fight of the evening was between Frank Vaquez and Rahyeem Lambey. The battle was intense, and Vasquez seemed to be in better shape for the encounter. As the rounds passed, Lambey appeared tired. Vasquez kept coming unleashing his strength overpowering Lambey. During round number five, Lambey’s attempts to win the championship match were cut short by a technical knockout. Vasquez emerged as the champion.
The organizer and president of Pro FC Belize’s MMA League, Silvino Riverol, are satisfied with the event’s turnout. His goal is to continue growing MMA despite obstacles like the COVID-19 pandemic. He announced the next MMA event for March 26th, including international fighters.
Meanwhile, island MMA fighter and instructor Bryce Peterson announced on Thursday, February 3rd, the next fight night in San Pedro. The event dubbed 501 Fight Night is set for March 19th at the Angel Nunez Auditorium.