Welcome to the cage: MMA a new form of entertainment drawing interest in Ottumwa

By MARK NEWMAN Courier staff writer

OTTUMWA — While Mixed Martial Arts is a relatively new spectator sport for mainstream Ottumwa audiences, supporters say Mixed Martial Arts is starting to draw more and more positive attention.

The marquee might have been considered odd for a town in Iowa. One Bridge View Center event featured a nationally known jazz pianist praised for his smooth vocals, while the other side of the center offered fight fans the rowdy excitement of “Throwdown in O-Town: The November to Dismember...”

One estimate said at least 600 spectators bought tickets for the MMA fights. Some fans said they attended because they knew someone who was competing Saturday.

“I had a couple of buddies fight,” said Jeremy Moore of Ottumwa.

Seeing the incredible conditioning of the MMA fighters has Moore thinking about training.

“Our family came to watch, too,” added Brittany Panko, who was standing by Moore during an intermission. “That, and it gives us older teenagers something else to do in Ottumwa.”

“Our friends are fighting,” said Vinnie Lathrop of Ottumwa, who was also getting some air outside between fights. “I’m just glad we have something to do that we hadn’t had before.”

“It might be the beginning of something,” added Fred Lonsdale, Ottumwa. “Some of these guys are already getting offers to fight [in other places] based on what they’ve done in Ottumwa.”

He said he likes to see “the skills” fighters bring to the ring: Boxing, wrestling, Asian martial arts or a combination of styles are all allowed inside “The Cage.”

In the first bout that went all three rounds Saturday night, the two fighters concentrated on boxing and wrestling.

Though it wasn’t the headline fight, one spectator watching from ringside called the match between Ethan Jeffries of Bloomington, Ill., and Mikey Chrisman of Ottumwa the “fight of the night.”

After three rounds of nearly constant full contact, the decision went to the Ottumwa fighter.

The referee for the match was Justin DeMoney of Ottumwa, who just signed a professional contract for five fights of his own. He’ll headline Throwdown in O-Town 4 before he heads off, though. His T-shirt, with another MMA fighter’s name printed across it, was worn to point to his next opponent.

“This is where I was born and raised,” said DeMoney, 24. “For me to headline a fight in Ottumwa is just as big as for me to fight UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) which is like the Super Bowl for us fighters.”

He’s fought in North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri and Illinois. And people are starting to hear about the MMA fighters in Ottumwa. And those fighters are working hard, he said.

He trains for about nine weeks between each fight, with training sessions twice each day.

“Self-discipline comes from the tremendous amount of hours that go into training. You have to know all aspects of [the sport],” he said.

That focus can be good for young people, he added.

“It gives kids a place to come and learn some self-discipline, maybe keeps them off the street and out of trouble.”

Most of the MMA fighters he knows are far less likely to get into a brawl outside the ring than one might think.

“Once you get into the training, you have a place to take your aggression out. And you no longer have anything to prove. It gives a lot of us something to look forward to.”

A lot of fans have had something to look forward to as well.

The Bridge View Center parking lot was completely full. So was street parking in front of the place. But part of the crowd was there to attend an Ottumwa Civic Music Association concert. And that, said Bridge View management, is wonderful.

Both audiences seemed happy to be going to their respective venues, said B.J. Whitmore, executive chef at Bridge View Center.

The chef was passing through the lobby early Saturday evening as the audiences arrived for both the Ottumwa MMA event in the large hall and for a concert of “elegant, timeless music” hosted by the Ottumwa Civic Music Association in the theater.

“It was neat. There were these guys coming in [the entrance] with their mohawks, and one of them stopped to hold the door for a little old lady coming in with her walker. I wish I’d had a camera — everybody was here to have a good time.”

Ottumwa MMA promoter Bob Jolley was in constant demand Saturday as he worked to keep the fights moving and the crowd safe — security was very visible — and happy. He has already decided to host another similar event in Ottumwa.

So what would DeMoney say to skeptics who feel Mixed Martial Arts is just a short-term craze or it’s not a real sport?

“Everybody needs to come out and see it once,” he said. “MMA is not a fad. It’s like football or basketball; it started from nothing, and now it’s here to stay.”

Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.

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