Banned for 14 years in North Carolina for being, as undeclared sophomore Pete Martin called it, “too gladiator-esque,” Mixed Martial Arts cage fighting was reinstated last year and will make its grand re-emergence on Saturday night at the RBC Center at 7:30 p.m.
Carolina Fight Promotions will sponsor the fight, which will feature headliner and North Carolinian Brandon Garner, who appeared in season eight of the Spike TV series “Ultimate Fighter” and is seeking his first N.C. CFP Featherweight title. Matt “The Terra” Serra, a former UFC World Champion, and Renato “Charuto” Verissimo will appear as special guests.
CFP pro title fights will be held in the featherweight and 185 pounds classes.
Also appearing before the RBC Center crowd, which is expected to reach eight to 10 thousand, will be N.C. State sophomores and former Pack wrestlers Martin, who is taking a semester off from school, and Chris Sutton.
“The production of this one is going to be amazing, the same quality as you’d see at the Ultimate Fighting Championship,” Martin said.
Although competing in front of friends and family members will be enough incentive, both Martin and Sutton say they have scores to settle.
Sutton, a sophomore in First Year College, will lead off the event when he takes on Dwight Hyman of Paul’s Gym. Sutton said Hyman slighted him in what was supposed to be Sutton’s first professional fight, and he has not forgotten it.
“I was supposed to fight him back in Wilmington this summer,” Sutton said. “The guy showed up, we weighed in, and I’m not sure what happened, but he ducked me three hours before the fight. All my friends and family bought expensive tickets, and my fight got canceled. You could say I’m a little pissed.”
Sutton and Hyman will go toe-to-toe in the heavyweight division, and Sutton promises that it will be a battle of epic proportions.
“It’s gonna be a knock-down, drag-out fight,” Sutton said. “That’s why I wanted to be the first fight, to face this guy and get the crowd hyped.”
Martin called his opponent, Joseph Carroll, a “major douche,” saying Carroll is known for being a bit of a diva.
“This was supposed to be my first pro fight, on my home turf, but we had to both accept it as pros,” Martin said. “Carroll decided to hold off, so he kind of screwed me on this one.”
Martin, who sports a 1-0 record, and Carroll, 6-2, will fight fifth, in the 155 pounds division. When told he looked well over 155, Martin smiled and took a sip of his Gatorade.
“I will be on Saturday,” he said, “for about an hour. Then I’m going to get some fast food.”
Martin wrestled for N.C. State in ’04 and ’05, but found it hard to keep up with school while pursuing his career and opted to attend school part-time. He participated in his first fight a year and a half ago.
Sutton, who wrestled for the Pack in ’06 and ’07, and Martin have not entirely distanced themselves from N.C. State Wrestling. Assistant coach Jerrod Sanders has begun training with them and participated in his first fight last weekend in Virginia.
“It’s really neat getting him involved,” Martin said.
Professional and aspiring professional fighters around the state rejoiced when Gov. Mike Easley signed a bill in September 2007 that reversed a law that had been in effect since 1995. The bill legalized boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and toughman events.
“We’re ex-wrestlers, and after college there’s really nowhere to go as far as going pro,” Sutton said. “Wrestlers go to the WCW and the WL, the fake wrestling, but there’s no real contact sports for them to go into. This really is a big step up.”
