Terry Callihan

At Spartan we operate under one statement. We tell everyone that Spartan Fighting Championship is where opportunities are given and champions are made.  This is something I believe whole-heartedly. There is nothing more as a promoter that I want to see is fighters who have fought for me get the big break.

This week was bittersweet I suppose though. A fight that I would have loved to have made and had showcased in the Spartan cage was made by Belabor. Jason Butcher made his pro debut with us and went on to sell out 3 shows for SFC.  He was set to fight for our first professional middleweight title but had to withdraw because of injury. He has since made his Bellator debut in impressive style and again wins his fight by stoppage in the first round.

Shaun Asher is another guy who stepped up big for Spartan. Asher took a fight for us against Josh Blanchard at SFC 13 in Huntington. His teammate Chris Smith passed away the night before. We didn’t know if Shaun would fight. He did and he won! Shaun took the light heavyweight professional title and has since gone on to win another pro title at middleweight.

Now Asher and Butcher will square off for Bellator on October 26th.  I will be there but will be torn. I can’t cheer for both but I’ll be happy with whoever wins.

As a promoter you think that is a fight that I could really do good with. In all honesty this is a huge fight that will open so many doors for both guys.So now we look to develop the Jason Butcher, Shaun Asher and Cornelius Godfrey’s of the future. It is exciting to think that our athletes will have doors opened for them by fighting at SFC.

At SFC 15 we want to introduce the world to the new breed of fighters. Chris Brown will vacate his amateur title for us and make the leap into his pro career. Chris trains at SVT under Aaron Stephens and this guy is the real deal.

Our lightweight champ may have had a Strikeforce appearance early but is now hitting his stride as a pro. JP Felty defeated Chris Bennett at SFC 14 with a powerful slam that knocked Bennett out! He is fighting Augusta Tindall from Adrian, Michigan. This will be the fourth trip into the cage for Tindall. He is 2-1 for Spartan with 2 big TKO wins.

Jesus “ Huey” Contreras returns looking to bounce back from a decision loss in Huntington.  This is a guy that works as hard or harder than most people in the gym. We are giving him a chance against Jeramiah Deever from Iowa. Both men are 1-1 and a win at SFC 15 helps them take the next step in their career.

On October 6th we get things going! Back in the saddle and ready to make the next set of superstars. We have amateur title fights and we will be announcing more pro fights. This week we step it up! Getting out with flyers and tickets in hand ready to spread the word. This is the fun part. Getting out and telling people about what we do and trying to put butts in the seat. I’ll let you know how the first real week back at promoting goes next time.

This is Sparta!” is a weekly ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) blog written by Spartan Fighting Championship owner/promoter Terry Callihan and is part of ProMMAnow.com’s ongoing series of exclusive content written by individuals involved in the mixed martial arts industry. Visit the Spartan Fighting Championship website at www.SpartanFighting.com. Follow them on Twitter at @SpartanFighting and on Facebook.

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