Guest Writer: Ryan Christian Ventura
As I mop the mats here at Arsenal MMA and Fitness after a hard day of teaching beginner’s Muay Thai, I reflect upon the night that was Quest for Glory 3: Club Fights. Honestly, I was worried that this day would never happen due to the previous cancellation of the event. There were liquor licensing issues that prevented the January date from happening; for the day to finally come where the fighters who worked so hard to be ready has to have been a relief. Fight day was here at last, friends, family, teammates, and supporters all excited to see the top prospects of the Northwest showcase their skills and talent.
I’ve been ring announcing for Quest for Glory since the very first event held by the promotion last year. I was a last minute replacement for a guy who was originally hired to introduce the fighters, but he did not do a very good job. My first event was a learning experience with a few hiccups here and there, but already with this being the fifth fight event I’ve taken part in I feel much more confident in my abilities. I feel I’m not anywhere near a Don Andrews or a Paul Lazenby yet, but with more experience and time you might be able to add me on that prestigious list.
For those that don’t know, I’ve had many years being involved in the Hip-Hop music scene. Recording music, performing, and hosting various events around the city of Vancouver has made me into a not so shy person talking in front of a crowd. Personally, I sort of do a Bruce Buffer approach to introducing fighters. I practice getting closer to fight time, but I don’t actually dedicate hours to it. On fight day, I just make sure I drink a lot of water, stay relaxed, and just have fun.
QFG last night (Mar.2) was a fun and entertaining event. From top to bottom, left to right it wasn’t the greatest AMMY card I’ve ever seen, but I felt the people who came out had a good time. Two guys that really stuck out to me were Rico Brinson from Mamba MMA and Christiaan Allaart from Infinity MMA. Rico as people in the BC fight scene know is a highly touted grappler (specifically in BJJ), he showed everyone last night that he has heavy hands finishing FKP MMA’s Shinji Morito in the first round with some vicious ground and pound. Christiaan Allaart won the title in convincing fashion over Posener’s Pankration’s Emilio Ditrocchio to take his featherweight title showcasing some fantastic displays of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the cage.
All in all, QFG was a solid event, and I respect every man that stepped into the cage. Really, my only issues regarding the event are very minor. Gossip Night Club has terrible lighting in my opinion for a Mixed Martial Arts event and I feel that some fans in the crowd really need to take a class in Mixed Martial Arts etiquette. Yelling out vulgar slurs and names to fighters to me doesn’t send a positive message to the people who are preventing events like this from happening, but as everyone knows, people like that will not change. It starts within ourselves to promote our sport in a positive light. As for the lighting, if there is another QFG or MMA card in Gossip Night Club it’s a must that we get better lighting.
It’s a shame that professional Mixed Martial Arts is being kept from our great city, but at least till the day we are able to have pro MMA back, having plenty of AMMY events for fighters to get experience will do for now. Thank you to all the supporters who came out last night, thanks to all the fighters who put their hearts in the cage, and thanks to all the great promoters in our city who continue to help the sport flourish.
