Fists Fly at Fredericksburg Fair

In the words of the incomparable Chuck Liddell, "Now they've got a reason to watch these kids fight. It's not just about two kids fighting, we know the backstory, we know everything about them."

It's no secret that MMA has gained popularity in recent years, with many going so far as to say it has usurped boxing as the country's dominant fighting sport.

Thursday, at the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair, that popularity was apparent. Hundreds of fans packed the tiny gazebo at the fair's main stage for Barbarian Fight Club's "Fight Fair 2."

Barbarian Fight Club was founded almost three years ago by Matt Douglas and Billy Wood on the basis of mutual respect among fighters. The group prides itself in putting on at least one title fight every show.

Thursday, there were five fights on the Fight Fair ticket, all of them title bouts.

Ringside announcer Jason Hite kept the crowd energized all night, a job he insists was much easier than it looked.

Remarked Hite, "It's electric, man. Every time I step into the ring to announce a fight it drives me so crazy to have to get out. It's a build up, especially tonight because a lot of the other fights were first-round knockouts, first-round submissions, even a one-punch knockout earlier in the night. That one-punch knockout pumped up the crowd so much, and from there it was like a piece of cake to run the show." 

Of the five bouts, the first four hit the ring like tornadoes: ferocious and violent, but ending almost as quickly as they started.

Highlights included an explosive one-punch knockout by Travis "The Lunatic" Tisdale just 7 seconds into his fight with Brandon Williams, and a crowd-rallying victory by 46-year old Rodney "The Sledgehammer" Giugnet.

The main event, between Brandon "The Creature" Smithson and Zach "Subzero" Roseboro, certainly lived up to its billing. The fight went back and forth, with each fighter trading blows with calculated precision. 

Roseboro took the fight to the ground, trying to force Smithson to submit, but each time "The Creature" managed to get back to his feet. For his part, Smithson landed some good kicks, both to the body and head of his counterpart.

When the fifth and final round came, both fighters came out with a renewed intensity, determined not to let such a close fight be determined by a decision.

As sweat and blood trickled down like tiny rivers from the visages of the warriors, the crowd took to their feet, anticipating what was to come. When both fighters hit the floor, Smithson seized the moment, forcing a submission with a lethal triangle choke. It was a fitting ending to night full of exciting fanfare.

Said Brandon after the fight, "I was just thinking, 'throw combinations.' They weren't working, but I just kept trying just to hit him hard."

Smithson, who describes his style as "stand-up, and karate," acknowledges he doesn't like the ground game.

"I like to stay on my feet as much as possible," he remarked. "Thankfully, the triangle choke worked." 

Many fans lingered after, hoping for a chance to congratulate their favorite fighter. For diehard MMA afficianado Cody Ferris, Thursday's fights were particularly memorable.

"This is about the fifth fight I've been to," said Ferris. "It was definitely the most exciting, with the most knockouts. There were a lot of fast fights, and then finishing up with the last fight, a five-round bout ending in a submission, you couldn't ask for much better than that."

You can check out Barbarian Fight Club at their website here.