With the mixed martial arts world still abuzz over the amazing UFC 129 card in front of 55,000 fans in Toronto April 30, Coast MMA fighters are preparing to their next upcoming fights as interest in the sport grows to an all time high.
Sechelt's Jordan Manning is now 2-2 after an impressive win in March over Vancouver Revolution fighter Aron Chin at the Seeing Red II card at the Red Robinson Theatre at the Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam.
Phoenix Rising coach Dustin Dickenson said the game plan for Manning was to rush for the take down and ground and pound.
"Jordan had a hard time taking Chin down," Dickenson said. "Chin defended very well while Jordan kept pushing forward and trying everything he had to bring him to the mat."
In the second round, Manning took a hard shot and survived a flurry of punches from Chin to land a solid shot himself that rocked Chin. Seizing his opportunity, Manning went in for the kill, taking Chin to the mat and finishing the fight with some ground and pound, forcing the ref to stop the contest.
The win propelled Manning to the number one contender spot for a West Coast Promotions title fight, set for Aug. 5.
Dickenson said Manning will likely have a fight sometime in the next month, most likely in Washington before the title fight.
"We're now taking Jordan's training to the next level in order to prepare him for a five-round battle against a tough opponent," Dickenson said. "Title fights are five rounds and a different beast. It will be a hard fight, but anything can happen in this sport and we're focusing on the next big challenge and going for it with everything we have."
Brit Sluis, also from Sechelt, lost her most recent fight against Cheryl Chan, but the loss was not for lack of effort.
Fighting for the first time in front of a huge crowd, against the number one contender after only a few months of training, Sluis held her own.
"Our game plan was the same as with Jordan - try to take Chan to the mat," said Dickenson. "Brit came out and landed a couple punches, then pushed forward, clinching with Chan and trying to take her down, but Chan defended the take down well. They battled a bit back and forth and Brit did get a take down about two minutes into the fight, but Chan used her experience and managed to lock in a chokehold from her back and Brit had to tap.
"It was a good fight and good experience for Brit. I'm proud of both of them. They put in great showings for Phoenix Rising."Sluis' next fight is slated for June against a yet-to-be-named opponent from Vancouver.
