Premier FC promotes MMA fights in valley

Date: 9/28/2010

Sept. 27, 2010

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW -- Mixed martial arts, or MMA, has grown in popularity at a remarkable rate over the last two decades and Western Massachusetts is no different.

Gyms and fighting teams have been popping up all over the country, including the local area. As the popularity of the sport has grown, Karyn Wesch noticed that local fighters have not had very many opportunities to put their talents to use. That's why she and her partner Jason Franklin -- a trainer at East Longmeadow's American Martial Arts Academy (AMAA) put together the Premier Fighting Championship, or Premier FC.

"There are a lot of really good fight schools in this area," Wesch, who acts as president and promoter of the organization, said. "Some of these guys don't get the opportunity to fight with larger organizations because their names aren't really known."

MMA, which can incorporate boxing, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, Mui Tai, Brazilain Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing and other forms of weaponless combat, has evolved as a sport and the perception of the sport has evolved with it.

In the early 90's, Senator John McCain referred to it as "human cockfighting," due largely to the lack of weight classes and oversight by an athletic commission of the sport's largest American entity, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

However, now a sport sanctioned in several states including Massachusetts -- with designated weight classes and stricter rules for safety and cleaner fighting, it is being embraced nationally as possibly the most popular combat sport, even above boxing.

"In my opinion, when I first watched it, I thought it was barbaric," Wesch admitted. "But when you get to know these fighters, they are true athletes."

Franklin, the Premier FC's co-president and primary matchmaker, said the very nature of the sport is what has added to its popularity.

"This sport is a sport or raw combat," Franklin said. "It's not a team sport. It's you versus someone else. You can see the passion these guys have when they fight."

While some fighters are training for the professional ranks, not everyone who trains and studies MMA is necessarily looking for a career in the sport. Some just enjoy the exercise and competition. Premier FC gives both kinds of fighters a chance to showcase their talents in a series of events in Western Massachusetts.

"For some, this is one more step to professional fighting. This step is starting to fight in front of people," Franklin said. "Some people have been amateur fighting for five years and this is an opportunity to see if it's for them."

This year, the organization has had two cards.

Premier FC 1 was hosted by the Hippodrome on July 24, followed by Premier FC 2 on Sept. 11, an outdoor event in the parking lot of the Mardi Gras.

"The reaction has been awesome," Wesch said. "We had about 1,000 people come to the first one and 1,000 come to the one at the Mardi Gras. The buzz has been awesome."

The events have also garnered solid reviews by MMA Web sites, such as www.northeastmma.net, giving Wesch and Franklin encouragement heading into the group's third event, which is slated for 5 p.m. on Oct. 10 in the parking lot of Maximum Capacity in Chicopee.

Tickets to the Oct. 10 show are $35 and can be purchased at www.thepremierfc.com.

Franklin and Wesch both said outdoor events are actually tougher for them to run and in the future, they hope to host five events a year with an annual event at Maximum Capacity being the only outdoor event.

"There really is no benefit for us doing outdoor shows. It benefits the places that allow us to have the fights there, but for us, it's a much more difficult show, with weather being the main factor," Franklin said. "The Hippodrome is the perfect venue for us and we're hoping to do four shows a year there."

The majority of the fighters that appear on Premier FC cards are those who train at AMAA, though Franklin said he does work with other local teams if they feel their athletes are ready.

Also, Franklin said he tries to put together shows involving local Connecticut fight schools, as well as schools from Worcester, Boston and New York.

On the Oct. 10 card are Springfield High School Hall of Fame wrestler and Central High School wrestling coach Darby McLaughlin, Jeff Henriques and Longmeadow brothers Nate and Sam Nadeau.