Duke Roufus, one of the most renowned trainers of the Kickboxing and Muay Thai disciplines of Mixed Martial Arts, will see some of his boys in the Octagon in the weeks to come, what with Pat Barry and Matt Mitrione in action at UFC Fight For The Troops 2.
Anthony Pettis facing Ben "Smooth" Henderson in what will be the final WEC Lightweight bout before the merger takes full effect, and Alan Belcher looking to get back in the cage sometime in 2011.
In 24 hours, Roufus will also see some of his hometown's finest in action at the North American Fighting Championship's "Bad Blood" card at the Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While the card recently lost Sherron "Rob Roy" Leggert due to an ankle injury, along with Shine Fights Veteran James Warfield due to a hamstring injury which was thought to be merely a groin injury, by some.
So who will a hardcore fan know of that is fighting on this action-packed card?
"One guy you are going to know," Roufus said, "Jameel Massouh, "The Real Deal"; he's a three time WEC vet—had a war with Raphael Assuncao and he lost to one of my former students, Erik Koch."
Now 24-7 professionally, "The Sergeant" had a wild three round war with former UFC Lightweight and now-UFC-formerly-WEC Featherweight Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia, which Duke mentioned was a fight that many people thought he should have won.
The fight with Koch, a loss by Unanimous Decision, was Massouh's last WEC fight before posting a three-fight win streak—the most recent addition to which includes a late first-round submission win via Guillotine Choke at Bellator 29.
The opponent for "The Sergeant" is a truly special story, and one that only a handful of people in life (myself definitely excluded) can connect to and relate to.
The man's name is Chico "King" Camus, who now stands at 6-1 professionally, but why was he a special story?
"I don't know if you saw the World Of Jenks with Anthony [Pettis]," Duke said, "But the stuff Anthony avoided and stayed out of, Chico got into."
The reason why Chico went from the cold unforgiving world of "the streets" into the tough yet exhilarating world of Mixed Martial Arts, besides his longtime friendship with Pettis, had something to do with a personal belief of Mr. Roufus.
"In life, I believe that it's not where you start, it's where you finish," Roufus said, "and Anthony's been a big proponent of getting a lot of kids into our academy, training MMA."
And what of Roufus' take of Chico now?
"He's turned his life around to MMA; he's actually defeated two WEC vets already: Joe Pearson and John Hosman, so this is a very pivotal fight."
Not only is it pivotal in the fact of it being the night's main event, but the ramifications of a victory for "King" Camus could mean his name goes to the next level.
"I think if he can pull the hat-trick off and win against Jameel, you'll see Chico joining the ranks of the UFC Bantamweights."
If it wasn't for the WEC Bantamweight division, few would see the big deal about Miguel Angel Torres, Joseph Benavidez, Dominick Cruz, Scott Jorgensen, or any other exciting 135er in the sport, and with the WEC/UFC Merger incorporating the Featherweights and the Bantamweights, a fresh array of new 145 and 135 pound fighters is something all too inevitable.
Those who have not seen Chico in action could very well be in for quite a treat if he does come into the UFC, but first up is Jameel Massouh.
Also on the card is Jason Guida, the well-known brother of UFC 125's walking stick of wrestling dynamite, Clay Guida, and while The Carpenter won't be on this NAFC card, Jason will see action against "Smiling Sam" Alvey in a Light Heavyweight encounter.
In addition, Floyd "Hitman" Hodges will see Bantamweight action on the card, as will Heavyweights Ron Carter and Justin Lemke in only a few of the fights slated for tomorrow's 13 fight card.
The NAFC has been more than just a launching pad for stars like Pettis, Barry, Belcher and now Camus.
As a matter of fact, Tim Boetsch's last fight before a successful return to the UFC at UFC 117 was a fight at NAFC's "Stand Your Ground" event in which he knocked Reese Shaner out in a minute and five seconds.
The company attracts fighters from all over the states, with some guys coming in from Michigan, some guys that fight out of Indiana, guys who train out of such renowned academies as Matt Hughes' HIT Squad and even a plethora of guys who are regional. There's no a shortage of talent in the NAFC.
What there are in the NAFC are fresh, hungry fighters that follow an unofficial creed:
“To get to the big show, you have to win on our show!”
Whether you've got tickets to "Bad Blood" or not, don't be surprised if the next fresh talent to come to the UFC comes from the NAFC.
These guys are hungry and primed to make themselves a name you'll never forget in MMA, and before you know it, you might find yourself talking about these guys for a long, long time.
For more on the NAFC, check out the official press release.
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