Horn to Take MMA to Utah
Nov 30, 2007
Salt Lake City, Utah-UFC Veteran, and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
Legend, Jeremy Horn
(Pictures), will bring World-Class
Mixed Martial Arts to Utah as he looks to dethrone Utah State MMA
Champion, Court McGee in the sport that is sweeping the nation.
Two years ago, Jeremy Horn (Pictures) found himself on the losing end a hard-fought battle with Chuck Liddell (Pictures) for the UFC world Light Heavyweight crown. Four grueling rounds found Horn picking himself off the canvas battered and bruised, but proud of his performance against the best the world had to offer.
Horn returned to Utah determined to find a way back onto the world
stage. Returning to the middleweight division, Horn is regarded by
many as among the best in the world at 185.
Saturday, December 1, at 3:00 PM, Horn and 20 other gladiators will take their turns inside the cage at Energy Solutions Arena in their quest for glory.
Horn feels he has nothing to prove, but is taking his match with Utah native, Cort McGee very seriously. "Cort's a big, strong kid, that is a dangerous opponent. He's new to the game, and hungry to make a name for himself, so I know he will be bringing his A Game," says Horn.
McGee is a relative newcomer to the sport, comparatively speaking. Jeremy Horn (Pictures) has had over 100 fights. By contrast, McGee has a small, but stellar, Mixed Martial Arts record of 5-0. A highly regarded sport karate practitioner, McGee has well over 100 fights under his belt in that sport. "MMA is a whole different ball game, " says the affable McGee. "MMA is the real deal."
Mixed Martial Arts is widely believed to be the fastest growing sport in America. Once regarded as barbaric and inhumane, the sport now enjoys a healthy following from many walks of life. "People are starting to realize these are the most well-conditioned athletes in the world, competing in a sport that is technical, and both physically, and mentally demanding," says event promoter, Mike Stidham. "The thing that made it difficult for some to understand at first, is that it is a sport without a ball," He continues. "It is no more violent than football or hockey. The only difference is two men are battling it out against one another, rather than fighting for field position, and a small piece of pig skin."
This logic is not lost among lawmakers in Utah. The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is sanctioned and regulated by the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission. Utah, being a hotbed for the sport, is among the top four states in the country in terms of attendance to such events-behind Nevada, California and New Jersey.
December 1 will be the first time Utah has played host to a world-ranked competitor in the sport of mixed martial arts, but the beehive state is no stranger to the sport. Mike Stidham's Ultimate Combat Experience (UCE) has been putting on weekly events in Utah for just over 6 years. According to FCFighter.com, the promotion has hosted more MMA events than any other organization in the world. UCE is credited with being the first MMA show on network television. Now, you can hardly flip through the channels without seeing MMA. UCE is seen in most major US markets, as well as 16 countries worldwide. Locally, you can watch UCE on Comcast ONDEMAND, and Park City television, and beginning 12/07 on Utah's CW30 at 3:00 PM Sunday afternoons.
Two years ago, Jeremy Horn (Pictures) found himself on the losing end a hard-fought battle with Chuck Liddell (Pictures) for the UFC world Light Heavyweight crown. Four grueling rounds found Horn picking himself off the canvas battered and bruised, but proud of his performance against the best the world had to offer.
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Saturday, December 1, at 3:00 PM, Horn and 20 other gladiators will take their turns inside the cage at Energy Solutions Arena in their quest for glory.
Horn feels he has nothing to prove, but is taking his match with Utah native, Cort McGee very seriously. "Cort's a big, strong kid, that is a dangerous opponent. He's new to the game, and hungry to make a name for himself, so I know he will be bringing his A Game," says Horn.
McGee is a relative newcomer to the sport, comparatively speaking. Jeremy Horn (Pictures) has had over 100 fights. By contrast, McGee has a small, but stellar, Mixed Martial Arts record of 5-0. A highly regarded sport karate practitioner, McGee has well over 100 fights under his belt in that sport. "MMA is a whole different ball game, " says the affable McGee. "MMA is the real deal."
Mixed Martial Arts is widely believed to be the fastest growing sport in America. Once regarded as barbaric and inhumane, the sport now enjoys a healthy following from many walks of life. "People are starting to realize these are the most well-conditioned athletes in the world, competing in a sport that is technical, and both physically, and mentally demanding," says event promoter, Mike Stidham. "The thing that made it difficult for some to understand at first, is that it is a sport without a ball," He continues. "It is no more violent than football or hockey. The only difference is two men are battling it out against one another, rather than fighting for field position, and a small piece of pig skin."
This logic is not lost among lawmakers in Utah. The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is sanctioned and regulated by the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission. Utah, being a hotbed for the sport, is among the top four states in the country in terms of attendance to such events-behind Nevada, California and New Jersey.
December 1 will be the first time Utah has played host to a world-ranked competitor in the sport of mixed martial arts, but the beehive state is no stranger to the sport. Mike Stidham's Ultimate Combat Experience (UCE) has been putting on weekly events in Utah for just over 6 years. According to FCFighter.com, the promotion has hosted more MMA events than any other organization in the world. UCE is credited with being the first MMA show on network television. Now, you can hardly flip through the channels without seeing MMA. UCE is seen in most major US markets, as well as 16 countries worldwide. Locally, you can watch UCE on Comcast ONDEMAND, and Park City television, and beginning 12/07 on Utah's CW30 at 3:00 PM Sunday afternoons.
