Kalispell Kombat tonight at Majestic Valley
Another round of mixed martial arts bouts is headed to the Flathead Valley tonight, with 11 fights featuring 11 local fighters on the card for Kalispell Kombat, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. at Majestic Valley Arena.
There are no title fights on the card, but there should be plenty of great action, highlighted by a rematch in the main event between Kalispell brawlers Joaquin Calderon (3-0) and Duran Flaget (1-1). In their fight at last year’s event, Calderon stopped Flaget in the second round, overpowering him with his ground game and finishing him on strikes after the most exciting first round of the night. Each has since recorded a knockout victory to set up a highly sought-after rematch.
Also returning to the cage is Kalispell’s Straight Blast Gym coach Jen Johnson in the only female fight on the card. A winner in her first fight last year, Johnson will face Billings’ Andrea Kate.
Kalispell’s Michael Kuehne, who won by a vicious knockout at the event in 2012, will fight St. Ignatius’ Adrian Goes Ahead Pretty.
In the penultimate fight of the night, Kalispell’s Andrew Howk will fight Lethbridge’s Kolotn Menzak. The Lethbridge gym PFA will bring five fighters to the card, the same amount as local gym SBG. All but two fights will feature local brawlers.
SBG fighters Ryan Asay, Dakota Tackett and Aaron Westphal will also fight along with independent Kalispell fighters Jeff Sanders, Josh Dusterhoff and Brandon Bailey. Tackett, who is 2-0 in his career, will be fighting for the first time in Kalispell.
Four-time Montana state wrestling champion Hunter Azure, who became the 17th athlete to complete the feat in 2010 for Poplar before moving on to a successful career at MSU-Northern, will make his MMA debut against Lethbridge’s Brandon Iwassa.
Tickets for the event are $25 and are available at Army-Navy stores and Straight Blast Gym.
Kalispell Kombat
Tonight
Majestic Valley Arena, Kalispell
Fight Card
170 lbs — Nick McMarrel (Missoula) vs. Jeff Sanders (Kalispell)
135 — Mirlan Maratbekov (Billings) vs. Carlos Lozoya (Twin Falls)
160 — Cody Jerome (Lethbridge) vs. Josh Dusterhoff (Kalispell)
190 — Brandon Bailey (Kalispell) vs. Aaron Westphal (Kalispell)
135 — Leo Shoji (Lethbridge) vs. Dakota Tackett (Kalispell)
145 — Brandon Iwassa (Lethbridge) vs. Hunter Azure (Havre)
155 — Tom O’Connor (Lethbridge) vs. Ryan Asay (Kalispell)
170 — Adrian Goes Ahead Pretty (St. Ignatius) vs. Michael Kuehne (Kalispell)
130 — Andrea Kate (Billings) vs. Jen Johnson (Kalispell)
175 — Kolotn Menzak (Lethbridge) vs. Andrew Howk (Kalispell)
135 — Joaquin Calderon (Kalispell) vs. Duran Flaget (Kalispell)