09/01/09
UWC® Showcasing World-Class Flyweight Title Fight at UWC 7 REDEMPTION October 3, 2009 at Patriot Center Arena / John Dodson and Pat Runez Are Set to Tangle for Title
The Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC), the premier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization on the East Coast announced today a second title fight for their October 3rd “UWC 7: REDEMPTION” between Greg Jackson product John “The Magician” Dodson and Arizona Combat Sports’ Pat Runez. The fight will be held at the George Mason Patriot Center Arena in Fairfax, Virginia and will be contested at 125lbs for the UWC Flyweight Championship title.
“One of the next big things in MMA is going to be the growth and development of the flyweight division in the United States. The reality is there is enormous talent out there and we believe we’ve found some of the best and hungriest to prove themselves. The UWC is excited to be on the front lines of the flyweight effort,” said UWC founder and CEO S. Marcello Foran. “With Dodson and Runez, we have two top competitors in the division who have nearly identical styles and both come from two of the best camps in all of professional MMA. We can’t think of a better way to offer top shelf flyweight action to MMA fans than to make this fight the co-main event of the evening. This match up has all the makings to be one of the best flyweight fights in MMA history.”
John “The Magician” Dodson (12-4) hails from the elite Team Greg Jackson out of Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a two-time UWC veteran and Tap Out show star. Dodson has significant, international flyweight experience and has fought many tough opponents. Dodson trains with UFC Weltweweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, PRIDE and Strikeforce veteran Joey Villasenor and WEC fighters Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Damacio Page.
“I know Pat’s a strong wrestler, and since he trains at AZ Combat, he’s got solid boxing skills too. I see him trying to take me down, but in 18 fights I’ve never been taken down once and I don’t see it happening on October 3 either,” said Dodson. “I’m going to bring a stand up war and we’re going to bang. This is one performance the UWC fans do not want to miss. I will be the first UWC Flyweight Champion.”
Pat Runez (6-0) fights out of Arizona Combat Sports in Tempe, Arizona. Runez is a two-time Palace Fighting Championships veteran and holds significant wins over Anthony Peralis and Luis Gonzalez. Runez is viewed as a blue chip flyweight prospect and trains alongside UFC fighter and winner of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” season 9’s Ryan Bader as well as UFC fighters Matt Riddle, Aaron Simpson, C.B. Dolloway, former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit and WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner. Runez holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“John’s been on my radar as a guy to fight in the future. So when this opportunity to fight him in the UWC, which has great reputation as a strong, professional organization and is one of the best at marketing its fight, I was very excited for the opportunity,” explained Runez who watched Dodson’s epic fight against Villarisco. “I’ve seen John at a few grappling tournaments; he’s a powerful guy and super fast. We match up very well with similar styles and both have strong grappling backgrounds. Since he’s had more exposure than me at this point and has faced some higher-caliber opponents, he’s probably the crowd favorite. I know that I have to come in and win each rounds decisively, I am going to show the fans my dominance and give it everything I have.”
“What makes this fight so intriguing is that Dodson and Runez have nearly identical styles. Both are excellent offensive wrestlers with a penchant for boxing. They are also both first-rate athletes who come from two of the best and most-proven fight camps in the world,” said Foran. “This fight is so close it’s impossible to predict a winner, which makes it the most qualified bout to inaugurate the UWC flyweight division.”
John “The Magician” Dodson vs. Pat Runez will be contested for a maximum of five rounds each to be five minutes in duration.
UWC 7: REDEMPTION features current UWC Bantamweight Champion Mike “The Hulk” Easton (8-1) and Former WEC World Champ Chase “The Rage” Beebe (12-4) as the main event. Beebe and Easton were scheduled to battle last February at UWC Man “O” War only to have the fight cancelled at the last-minute when Beebe pulled out with a training injury days before the event. This will be Easton’s 2nd UWC Title defense.
UWC fans can expect even more exciting news in the days to come with announcements of the co-feature and final fight card for the upcoming Oct 3rd REDEMPTION show to be held at the George Mason Patriot Center Arena. UWC: REDEMPTION will feature first-class event production and a crowd-pleasing environment as the fast-growing UWC continues to provide the highest level of competition seen on the East Coast.
And, in what has become a popular tradition at UWC shows, fans can expect to see an appearance from nationally-prominent MMA superstars as well as celebrities and athletes from D.C.’s professional sport world. Special guests have included Quinton Jackson, Urijah Faber, Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, Tito Ortiz, Shogun, Carlos Condit, Donald Cerrone, Hermes Franca, Brandon Vera, Andrei Arlovski, Washington Redskins’ all-pro tight end Chris Cooley, Washington Capitals standouts Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, and many others.
Doors will open at 6:00 pm with the first bout scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now and are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com. A limited number of Ultimate VIP (UVIP) and VIP packages will be available, which include cageside seating, UVIP fight night pre-party, UVIP event lanyard, special guest fighter meet-and-greets, UVIP suite access, full food and beverage service and more. Fore more information or to purchase UVIP and VIP packages visit the official UWC website www.uwcmma.com.
