MMA storms Collin County

Clash of the Titans created a buzz at movie theaters 28 years ago and now Steele Cage Promotions is hoping to do the same for the mixed martial arts community when they bring Clash of the Texas Titans to the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco.

The event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. today, began its genesis more than a year ago.

“We have seen the growth in the town itself,” said Jeff Zimmerman, Steele Cage Promotions vice president. “And the boom in the sports community.”

Add in the revamping of the Dr Pepper Arena, this will be the first professional event since the venue reopened, and the ever-expanding popularity of MMA and everything came together for tonight’s inaugural event in Collin County.

“You are always concerned until the night of the event,” Zimmerman said. “But we have good people involved, great sponsors and our pre-event ticket sales have been coming along very well.”

Among the sponsors are Harley Davidson of Dallas, which will have the center logo in the cage.

“It’s huge to have the Harley Davidson logo associated with us,” Zimmerman said.

Part of the reason for brisk ticket sales, the venue can hold 6,500 people, may be because of the star power involved outside of the cage. The promotion itself is head up by Hall of Fame boxing referee Richard Steele. Zimmerman and Steele have been partners in promoting boxing and MMA for more than seven years with some previous cards taking place in Las Vegas and being televised ON HDNet.

In addition to Steele, the event will be attended by former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Paul Buentello as well as NFL Hall of Famer Randy White. The former Dallas Cowboy, who also hosted a dinner at his barbecue restaurant the night before the fights, trained in martial arts during his NFL career to improve his hand-eye coordination.

But while celebrities may draw some fans to the Dr Pepper Arena, the bulk of them will be there for the fights. Although some competitors have dropped out for a variety of reasons, the president of Steele Cage Promotions still appears quite confident in the nine-fight card.

“We have put together a hell of a card with some of the best fighters in Texas and we are sure it will be a night to remember,” Steele said. “You don’t want to miss it.”

Former Dallas Cowboy Sunia Filikitonga, who is an imposing 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, headlines the card against veteran Ralph Kelly, fighting out of San Antonio. Also on the card are a trio of UFC veterans in Pete Spratt, Dan Christison and Lodune Sincaid.

Spratt, who is from Sherman, has been on seven UFC cards against some of the best talent in MMA, including Robbie Lawler and current UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre. Christison has competed in the UFC, King of the Cage and the International Fight League against the likes of Dan Severn and Frank Mir. Sincaid was a finalist on season one of the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter and has been in the cage against Jason Miller and Nate Quarry.

It may be surprising to some that none of aforementioned UFC veterans are in main or semi-main events.

“Those guys have already been to the top and don’t need to have their egos stroked,” Zimmerman said. “We are looking for guys that want to fight, not just people that want to pad their resumes.”

Putting on exciting fights will be paramount to determining the level of success this inaugural Collin County event reaches. Though the first show is tonight, Steele Cage Promotions has already announced it would like to do six local shows a year.

“At one point I think we had aspirations of competing with the UFC,” Zimmerman said. “But now I think our main goal is to put on good shows for the fans and hopefully build up so that we are the major MMA presence in the southwest.”

The drive for that has already begun as Thursday’s show will be broadcast via tape delay on the LoneStar Sports Network. The initial viewing will be available in about two weeks with six encore showings to follow. The lead commentator for the event is Lisa King with Sonny Franco serving as the ring announcer.

“Being able to get our first show broadcast is unprecedented,” Zimmerman said. “We have a small crew, but our people are succinct and very experienced.”

Doors for today’s show open at 6 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at the Dr Pepper Arena box office.

“MMA is here to stay,” Zimmerman said. “We are going to put on great fights that are very entertaining and provide bang for our fans’ buck.

“I think people should definitely get on the bandwagon now, because people are going to be talking about us after this first event.”

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