READY TO RUMBLE

Local fighters get ready for first MMA fight in Lake County,

excited to perform in front of home crowd

PABLO - After most people will be trying to sleep off the copious amounts of Thanksgiving turkey they consumed on Thursday, several local Mixed Martial Arts athletes will be gearing up for an event right in their back yard.

This Saturday, the Joe McDonald Health and Fitness Center will be center stage for some serious action in the Octagon.

"It's going to be an honor," Polson's Chance Johnson said. "I've never had an opportunity like this to play in front of the hometown crowd."

Johnson and several other Lake County MMA fighters usually would have to head up to either Kalispell or Missoula for fights, but Three Bears Music's Taking it to the Rez Championship MMA fight is traveling to Montana, Idaho and Washington trying to spotlight local and native mixed martial art athletes.

"We're trying to promote native fighters and there's a big, big difference because a lot of these fighters don't get out in the major markets," promoter John Meninick said.

The Dog Pound gym in Missoula will be donating the use of their octagon for the bouts in what is believed to be the first MMA promotion held on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

"We'd like to have everyone come out and support their fighters," Meninick said. "This is the first of its kind."

Johnson, at the 295-pound weight class, has been fighting competitively for three years and has a 2-0 record so far. He wrestled in Polson until eighth grade before moving to Nevada for high school and college.

"My dad started watching UFC from the first one and we would practice submissions and other moves," Johnson said. "We've watched it my whole life."

Johnson now lives back in Polson, and his fight at the Taking it to the Rez event will be his first in a year and a half.

However, he has two knockouts under his belt including a TKO just over a minute into the bout.

"I broke the guy's nose pretty badly," Johnson said.

Johnson trains independently at his cousin's house with his uncle and his brother.

"If you want to stay on top of your game, you have to work at it constantly," Johnson said. "The training itself is actually a lot of fun."

For 23-year-old Josh Williams and 30-year-old Alonzo Bringsyellow, their training regimen has turned into fights around the area and they're starting to build a name for themselves. They also have a huge amount of thanks for Charlie Rodriguez who donated equipment to them and to Jonathan Spotted Eagle allowing them to train on his property.

"I started a year ago after hearing advertisements on the radio," Williams said. "I just kind of did it on my own."

Bringsyellow offered to help out with the training and before long, Willaims had not only set up fights for himself but for Bringsyellow (somewhat unexpectedly) as well. Much like any community, the more you become involved in the MMA crowd, the more doors open up.

"We like to fight to win but we'll always put up a good battle regardless," Bringsyellow said. "We like to go with everything on the line at 100 percent."

Both have seen the sport grow in the county and they now have their own training facility at a friend's garage in Pablo.

They're acquiring equipment and acquiring records as well. Williams has a 5-2 record while Bringsyellow is 2-1.

"MMA has definitely gotten bigger," Bringsyellow said. "I like to see that and I like seeing MMA in the Mission Valley for the first time."

Williams and Bringsyellow have started their own MMA team, Fighter's Island, and say that there are a number of people that like to train with them.

Their reputation has spread and Bringsyellow remembers the time he first realized people were putting actual money on him in a fight. He was a bit surprised to say the least.

"I didn't even know the guy but that's the thing about MMA, once you're in, you're in," Bringsyellow said.

The tight-knit community should make for a passionate crowd.

"We like to be aggressive," Williams said. "We try not to focus on one style, we try to make sure we're well-rounded."

While Williams can box standing up, his last bout was won by submission. It's this versatility that separates out the fighters.

"You never know what's going to happen," Bringsyellow said.

But Lake County MMA fans should know what they're getting from this event - plenty of local fighters putting it all out on the line in the Octagon.

The bouts will begin at 7 p.m. and the doors will open at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Joe McDonald Health and Fitness Center in Pablo.