Ready, set, brawl

Cage fighting hits the Flathead on Saturday

The Daily Inter Lake

The Majestic Valley Arena will host Ultimate Cage Wars - Majestic Mayhem on Saturday. Two men enter a caged arena and use their fists, elbows, shins, feet, knees and will to pummel their way to victory.

Majestic Mayhem is truly a Northwest flavored event.

The main event features heavyweight Will "Big Medicine" Hammond from St. Ignatius. Hammond, now a fight promoter, is coming out of semi-retirement to do battle again in Montana. Hammond will face decorated cage fighter Trent "The Sandman" Standing from Portland, Ore.

And local favorite Brandon Olsen will take on Washington's Wesley Welch from the American Top Team. Both Olsen and Hammond are contending for a belt.

Cage fighting is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The fights are shown on Pay-Per-View, Spike TV and Fox Sports. Ultimate Cage Wars has been selling out shows across the Northwest.

Fighters are divided by weight classes and divisions. Each bout lasts for three rounds that are three minutes each. All punches, kicks and submissions that are associated with or incorporated into boxing, wrestling, Maui Thai, Judo, Karate, kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu and Pankration are authorized techniques.

In spite of the no-holds barred brawling, there are rules that regulate certain actions in the cage. Biting, eye gouging, clawing, groin attacks and striking of the spine are all illegal, among many other safety precautions.

Fighters can win a match any number of ways. If the match goes all three rounds, judges score the fight similar to a boxing match. Competitors may also win by knockout, tap-out, medical intervention, etc.

Doors open at the Majestic Valley Arena at 6 p.m., and the fighting starts at 7 p.m. A total of 10 matches will take place. Tickets are available at Grizzly Jack's in Bigfork or at the arena.