Blood, guts and glory
Mixed martial artists take to the octagon in Oxnard
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers READY TO RUMBLE- Bobby Sanchez, left, of Rancho Cucamonga prepares to engage San Steven-Milo during the opening fight of last Saturday night's mixed martial arts event at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Steven-Milo got Sanchez to tap out at the 1:21 mark of Round 3.

Sitting on a stool in his dressing room at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Saturday night, Nick Willert asked for a trash can.

He was about to spit up blood.

Having taken just two minutes and four seconds to trounce his opponent, Mike Lyssand, in the main event of a seven-fight, mixed martial arts card titled "Under Destruction," Willard, a 30yearold Ventura resident, was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

"I used to do a lot of triathlons, used to be a professional skier, used to do climbing competitions- I'm a competitor in a lot of sports," said Willard following his victory by rear-naked choke.

"In all those sports, if you didn't get first but got fourth out of 14 or so, that's still pretty good. This sport, you either win or you lose. There's no middle ground. There's no, you know, 'Aw, you did pretty good.' It's either you lose or you win. That's why it's nerve-racking- two walk in and one walks out, basically."

Mixed martial arts is a combination of many fighting techniques, including wrestling, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The sport, which features two contestants battling in a chain-linked octagon for three-minute rounds, has gained mass appeal since the inception of The Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993.

On Saturday, Willard, who was 20-0 as an amateur before turning professional in November, was especially anxious to perform in front of the hometown fans.

"I tried not to look, but a lot of my friends were out there tonight," he said. "I recognize people, but I try not to see them."

The impending blood wasn't inflicted by the competition, he added.

"I have ulcers," Willard said. "That's why I usually puke blood after a fight."

Carlos Lovio, a 30-year-old Oxnard resident, had a much more difficult time inside the cage. Matched up against Joseph Benavidez of Sacramento, Lovio took a barrage of punches to the head in the first and second rounds of his super lightweight bout.

To Lovio's credit, he withstood the flurry of blows and was able to make it to his corner at the conclusion of Round 2. The referee, however, stopped the match before the next round began and awarded a technical knockout to Benavidez.

"It was fun. I haven't fought here in a couple of years," Lovio said. "I've fought a couple of amateur fights here, but this was my first pro fight.

"I'm not happy with the decision or with what happened, but I told the guy, 'You know, you kicked my (backside),'" he said.

Lovio fights about four times per year and trains twice a day, six days per week. He said he trained two months straight for Saturday's match.

"It's a job, and I always look forward to it because it's a payday for me," Lovio said. "I never get nervous until I get in there and fight. I just want to show people what I can do."

In the only other match featuring an area fighter, Lee Chapman of Oxnard defeated Ismail Gonzalez in a super middleweight bout.

Chapman, who goes by the nickname "The Warrior," had no trouble dominating Gonzalez after getting him on the mat within the first 10 seconds of the match. With Chapman applying a rear-naked choke, Gonzalez tapped out at the 1:21 mark of the first round.