Ultimate-style fighting gets Reno match Saturday

Ultimate Reno Combat is bringing mixed martial arts out of the classroom and onto the stage, with a third round of matchups taking place Saturday at the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony gym.

Tickets start at $25, and the fights begin at 5 p.m.

Mixed martial arts, where fighters can use most any combat style against each other in full-contact bouts, achieved widespread popularity in the mid-2000s, with pay-per-view events and successful cable shows such as “The Ultimate Fighter.” Now, the sport is even getting its own video game treatment, as modern boxing has with the “Fight Night” series (and many others before it).

Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest mixed martial arts organization, has its headquarters in Las Vegas, and it should be no surprise that there are Reno area schools specializing in a mixture of combat disciplines, such as Freestyle Martial Arts Academy, Reno Academy of Combat and the Lion's Den, which has the endorsement of four-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Ken Shamrock.

Reno Academy of Combat and its founder, Rick Collup, have had success turning what they teach into an event people want to watch.

The previous live Reno event, dubbed “The Next Chapter,” drew more than 800 people, Collup said.

The March 21 event, called “The Showdown,” is headlined by a professional-level fight between Daniel “Dirty South” Schmitt and Justin “The Raw Deal” Baesman. See, you can tell they’re serious because they’ve got nicknames.

The undercard is made up of 12 amateur-level matches, including one between two women.

“It’s pretty rare to find women on cards,” Collup said, “but it’s getting more common.”

He also said that a fight between women doesn’t play out any differently than a male bout, and that means a real possibility of blood. They are hitting each other, after all.

But even though mixed martial arts fighting once billed itself as “no holds barred,” the modern form and Ultimate Reno Combat’s events are safe and professional.

The ISCF, an international sanctioning group for combat sports, provides three impartial judges and a referee. Not only can the referee stop a match if he thinks someone is at serious risk, but sportsmanship plays an important part.

“[Fighters] won’t be asked back if they’re acting out,” Collup said. “I don’t put up with any people with attitude.”

Collup himself has a long history with mixed martial arts, beginning in 1988 when the sport was more underground with fewer rules. Describing himself as old enough to drive and young enough to fight, and he has been teaching in Reno for 14 years.

Seven of his students are participating in “The Showdown,” with all of the involved fighters facing opponents affiliated with other schools.

“You want to beat the guy and beat his school,” Collup said, which makes each fight about more than just besting an individual.

Out-of-town schools, some from all over Nevada and California, often bring a lot of spectators with them, so the local fighters can use all the crowd support they can get, including families. No alcohol is even allowed at the venue to make the events friendlier for all ages.

“The Showdown” was delayed a week from its original date after a scheduling conflict with the venue, but everything was successfully rescheduled and each fight is going on as planned. Not surprisingly, these mixed martial arts guys are tenacious.

The burgeoning series already has its next event scheduled for May 2.