This Saturday evening I will once again be competing in a professional mixed martial arts contest. The contest will take place at the new Independence Events Center in greater Kansas City. The card will be promoted by Shark Fights and will later air on FUEL TV.
There will be professional and amateur bouts on the card, featuring many notable professionals from all of the top circuits. My opponent on this fine evening will be Dallas Browning. We will meet at an earlier agreed upon 195 pounds.
This will be my first fight since last August where I lost a decision to John Ott at Bellator Fighting Championships 26. I took six months off to lobby for the National Federation of Independent Business. I covered twelve counties in northwest Missouri, raising support for the legal challenge to ObamaCare.
I came back to the gym in February to regroup my career and my team. The Hillbilly Fight Team has grown quickly and competed successfully. They will be in action again next weekend at Cage of Honor 46 in Joplin, Missouri.
Aside from competing at Shark Fights, I will be sponsoring two professionals through my apparel company, Hillbilly Fight Wear. Jeb Chiles, 12-1, will be set against Kelvin Tiller in a middleweight bout.
Jeb routinely trains with my team at Premier Martial Arts in Riverside. He is a life long martial artist and a fine family man. This will be his first fight in nearly a year, following a submission victory at Bellator 26 and another submission victory over journeyman Dominic Brown last fall.
Aaron Mays will make his professional debut as a heavyweight following an unblemished amateur record. His opponent has changed several times over the past weeks per Aaron’s reputation for thumping soundly.
All three of us knuckleheads will be properly draped in Hillbilly Fight Wear. All of my apparel will available for purchase at a booth inside this new, finely constructed arena.
Following the event we will travel just down the road for a hoorah at Jerry’s Bait Shop in Lee’s Summit. Jerry’s is a locally owned tavern and we are proud to have them in our corner.
Outside of Shark Fights, another member of our team will be competing. Brett Rounkles, 17, has his first amateur contest. He will be on a card promoted by One Zero Eight Promotions in Kansas City.
Brett is a seasoned wrestler and trains with professional athletes all around our city. We call him, The Badger. He is determined, relentless and soundly disciplined. Barring an unforeseeable incident, The Badger will compete for a world title some day. It is a pleasure to have his presence and contributions to our team.
I am fighting, teaching, training, designing, promoting and sponsoring the world’s greatest sport. I do it all so that I can share my stories with you. I figure I need to be good from all angles. Many have come before me and many will hopefully come after. Thumping strangers is good for the community. Support your local fighters. You may need them to stand with you one day.
Editor’s Note: For the full Shark Fights 19 fight card line-up, see ProMMAnow.com’s Upcoming Events page.
Brian Imes’ “The Human Cockfighter Blog” takes readers inside the mind and life of a pro mixed martial arts fighter. It is part of ProMMAnow.com’s ongoing series of content written by individuals involved in the MMA industry. Follow Brian online at Twitter @HillbillyFightW and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brian.imes1.