The Pacific Northwest is set to come alive this weekend as Las Vegas-based fight promotion World Fighting Championships (WFC) puts on its first ever MMA show in the state of Oregon. On July 26th, at Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, fighters from all over the Pacific Northwest will be looking to make a name for themselves at WFC 25. With a total of eleven fights on this card, there will be no lack of excitement in Lincoln City. Let’s take a quick look at three fights that will surely bring the heat on Saturday.
The main event on this card will pit Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Ryan “Diamond” Healy (24-13) against American Top Team product Aaron Hendrick (9-5). Hendrick is a late replacement for UFC veteran and Pacific Northwest standout George Sotiropoulos. While Hendrick does not bring the name recognition of Sotiropoulos, he is on a bit of a hot streak coming into this bout, winning three fights in a row. Because of that win streak the pressure to perform will not be on the shoulders of Hendrick but instead on Healy’s. Heading into this fight the savvy veteran, Healy, is just 2-3 in his last five fights. Healy recently turned 31 and if he hopes to make another run with a top MMA promotion he cannot afford to take a loss in this bout. With Healy coming off a strong win against the highly regarded Canadian Alex Ricci, it will be important for him to maintain his momentum. Building up a four or five fight win streak would garner Healy some much-needed positive press.
The matchup against Sotiropoulos was probably a bit better, stylistically, for Healy than the one he faces this Saturday. It will be important for Healy to use not only his knockout power, but also his wrestling, if he hopes to defeat Hendrick. In the case of Hendrick, a fight against a high profile fighter like Healy is just what he needs to gain some notoriety. A win over Healy would bring Hendrick a fourth straight win and the momentum that it would provide might be enough to start his own push for a shot with a larger fight promotion. With both fighters being regarded as heavy-handed, this matchup should provide fireworks for the fight fans at Chinook Winds.
In what some might describe as a bit of a mismatch, the WFC has booked a welterweight clash between Josh Snodgrass (3-10) of Eagle Point, Oregon and Mike “The Zombie” Dubois (3-0), representing Rose City Fight Club in Portland, Oregon. Snodgrass has veteran experience on his side but has never been able to put all his tools together. Having shown flashes of brilliance in a few fights, Snodgrass ultimately has never put together a run of more than 3 wins in a row, professionally or otherwise. Mike Dubois, on the other hand, is a highly regarded MMA prospect and when we take a look at Dubois, we find a fighter ready to become a breakout star. Still early in his career, Dubois most recently competed on the Bellator MMA reality series, Fight Master. On the show he trained alongside former UFC Champion Frank Shamrock. Since finishing filming of the show, Dubois has been relatively inactive, having zero fights over the last two years. I spoke with Dubois and asked if he felt the layoff would have a negative effect on his performance.
“I can’t really call it a layoff. Since Fight Master I have started training full time at Rose City FC … I have been doing strength and conditioning at Courthouse Performance Training in Salem, Oregon everyday. Not only am I a more well-rounded fighter but I am also stronger, faster, and more explosive than ever.”
Dubois seemed more confident than ever when I asked him about the matchup with Snodgrass. I asked if he had done anything different since his last training camp and how he felt coming into the fight on Saturday. Dubois didn’t shy away from expressing his opinion.
“I am at the top of my game, I have trained hard, and I am ready for all out war! This kid has no idea the brutal beating that awaits him. I don’t know him personally, but I want to see him destroyed, left in a bloody heap in the middle of the cage.”
I think it is safe to say, Dubois is looking to make an example out of Snodgrass and further prove why he is considered one of the top prospects in MMA.
Lastly, in a matchup that I am picking as fight of the night, Portland, Oregon’s Ian “The Barn Owl” Loveland (16-10) will be taking on Seattle, Washington’s Gabriel Solorio (10-6) in a bantamweight show down that could easily be the main event! Both of these fighters have experience at the highest levels of the sport. Loveland has fought for the UFC and Solorio recently earned a win with World Series of Fighting. Coming into Saturday’s fight, Solorio is riding a hot streak at 5-1 in his past six fights. Solorio has trained with some highly regarded coaches and fighters, most notably UFC fighter Josh Koscheck and American Kickboxing Academy’s “Crazy” Bob Cook. Currently working with the White Buffalo Warriors fight team, Solorio is building a strong foundation in the Pacific Northwest. Solorio is a bit of a grinder; he tends to use his dominant wrestling game to exhaust his opponents on his way to a decision victory. However, against Loveland, Solorio will be facing a fighter with an excellent wrestling base. When two high level wrestlers get together it can lead to an exciting standup battle or can create a fast paced grappling match that is equally as exciting. In contrast to Solorio, Loveland is known not just for his wrestling but also for his knockout power. Eight of Loveland’s sixteen wins have come by KO and he has never been one to shy away from throwing hands. When you couple that with Loveland’s excellent submission game you have a fighter who doesn’t often let the judges decide his fights for him. When these two Pacific Northwest standouts enter the cage there is no doubt in my mind that the fans will get their money’s worth.
With all that to look forward to it’s easy to understand why World Fighting Championships has made their first trip into the Pacific Northwest. If you get a chance to head out to Lincoln City this weekend, be sure you head over to Chinook Winds Casino to catch some of the action; there will be plenty to go around.
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