Posted: Friday, March 30, 2007 12:00 am
Amatuer fighters will enter the ring at Platinum on Saturday
By Kevin Hampton
Gazette-Times reporter
Wanna see a fight?
You can catch several at Platinum Nightclub on Saturday evening. Just don't try to pick one.
Pacific Coast Cage Fights is holding an amateur mixed martial arts event with area fighters on the card.
It will be the third event at the venue and PCCF promoter Jason Georgianna said there are plans for regular shows in Corvallis and at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center in Albany.
"It's gone real well (at Platinum)," Georgianna said. "We've been sold out both times. It works really well because the club has projection screens, so people can see the fight no matter where they are in the club."
Pacific Coast Cage Fights has done shows throughout Oregon, but focuses on the mid-Willamette Valley.
Georgianna runs the Art of War gym in Springfield and his partner, Cory Reeves, heads Elite Fight Team out of Elite Martial Arts in Albany.
Most of the fighters hail from the area as well.
"We try to pull about 70 to 80 percent of the fight card from fighters that live in Salem, Albany, Corvallis or Eugene," Georgianna said. "That's what the fans want see: the local guys."
Saturday's card is scheduled to include Chris Ensley at 170 pounds and a top contender bout between Daryl Cutler and Donnie Evenson at 185.
Thirteen fights are scheduled, though the card is subject to change.
The fighters are amateur and do not get winnings from the fights. Georgianna said some promoters might pay fighters under the table or at least give out gas money. He chooses to pay medical insurance fees so the fighters are covered for the event.
"The ones that need stitches are happy they're not in debt to the hospital," he said.
Georgianna makes sure the fighters are OK to take the ring and requires HIV and hepatitis testing.
Tickets for Saturday's event are $25 and can be purchased through Ticketswest or at Platinum. The VIP tables and the first two rows have sold out, but general admission is available.
Georgianna said footage from previous events will be shown during intermission. The event will not begin until the NCAA Final Four basketball game between UCLA and Florida ends to give time for sports fans to make their way to the venue.
The next Pacific Coast Cage Fight event will be May 12 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center. Martial arts legend Rigan Machado will be on hand for the fight and a seminar on May 13.