This is Sparta!
By: Terry Callihan
I never thought I’d be writing a blog or be the head of one of the region’s top mixed martial arts promotions but here I am and this is my first installment.
As for background it is the same as many promoters. I started with a local gym called SVT in Ashland, Ky. and began to travel to local MMA shows. It was an eye opening experience when I witnessed how amateur fighters were being treated. No gas money, no hotels but rather a somewhat expensive trip with not the best treatment.
It sparked an idea. Why not start a promotion myself and treat fighters the way they should be treated. That was the foundation for Spartan Fighting Championship (www.spartanfighting.com). Fighters first, fans second and then we take care of the business.
In order to do this I had to secure all the right things to put my thoughts into action. Licensing, insurance and other paper hoops were next in line and taken care of. After that was done, well, the rest is history. We had our first event in 2009 and haven’t looked back.
It is 2012 and twelve events are in the books. The early days helped pave the way to where we are now. We are proud to be what we consider Kentucky’s premiere promotion.
Starting in November with SFC 10 we have sold out each event. That of course is good for us but we are proud in how we did that. It is an honor to say we have put the very best athletes on the cards we produce.
In that time we have crowned Kentucky’s first professional light heavyweight and bantamweight champions with the understanding we will fill all weight classes with the best in the area on the pro level.
We have branched out from our home base of Ashland, Ky. to a sold out venue in Morehead. It was amazing to see the fan support and to know that we actually had to turn people away at the door.
Spartan as a brand is starting to get recognized for being a fighter friendly promotion who showcases the very best and by teaming with great gyms such as The Ohio Combat Sports Academy, Reaction MMA, Team Jorge Gurgel, Ground Zero BJJ and MMA, and many more, we have only begun to show what we can do.
All of this leads to the purpose of this blog. A new adventure on a much larger scale. We announced this week that SFC 13 “The Arrival” will be an all professional event and will take place at The Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, W.V.
This will be the first MMA event in Huntington and will be Spartan’s first trip outside of The Bluegrass State. There is so much to do in just six weeks and this blog will serve as my open diary to the work, the dedication and the passion I have for this event.
It will also serve as a way to introduce you to some of the Spartan team. This is the largest show that we have ever thought about doing and once we get to show the fans in West Virginia what Spartan is about, it will change the landscape of how MMA is thought about in the area. That’s the idea at least.
“This is Sparta!” is a new 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 and follow them on Twitter at @SpartanFighting and on Facebook.