Last Saturday night in Duke City, Revel Abq was the place to be.
Revel could have been mistaken for a Roman gladiator pit, as hundreds of MMA fans packed the sold-out venue and surrounded the cage for Fight Night 40.
In his amateur debut, San Rafael native son, Dion Valdez, representing Grants and Cibola County and fighting out of J5’s Jiu Jitsu and MMA fitness center, entered the cage at an even 168-pounds.
Valdez’s opponent was Israel Arreola fighting out of the El Paso’s Elite Kickboxing Academy who came in at 168.6lbs.
“I wanted to know what it was really like to be in an MMA fight,” said Valdez. “Many people watch and say they can do that… but not many get to experience it— and I wanted to experience it.”
Did he ever experience it! Valdez was scheduled for three rounds in the match up against Arreola. Being that both combatants are amateurs, there was not much preview-information available on their strengths and tendencies.
The Elite Kick Boxing gym is known to produce strikers and kickers. Valdez, however, has more of a grappling background. He wrestled back in high school and has been training Jiu Jitsu/grappling at J5’s for over a year before taking on this fight. With that in his mind, Valdez knew he would have to lean into his grappling strengths if he was going to win.
Valdez’s coach and corner man, Joey Lujan, owner of J5’s Jiu Jitsu and MMAFitness, who has a black belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, said, “We had a plan to take him to the ground—if we could withstand his 1st round storm—we were going to wear him down to get the win.”
Early in the first round, both were rather even as they sized each other up.
Valdez weathered Arreola’s strikes and kicks well, and took him to the ground a couple of times.
“It was, like, not real until the first few punches—then I knew it was real–and it was time for war,” said Valdez. “At the end of round one, I went to my corner and told my coach, ‘I believe I have fractured my chin, it hurt’ – he told me it’s not fractured – he told me to take six deep breaths and focus and get back in there and take him down.”
Lujan said, “Many fighters get the adrenaline flowing and they forget to breathe—too many things going on at once—I always tell them to take six breaths and breathe – then I can talk to them and give them advice.”
Lujan’s advice: Keep taking him down and wear him out and this fight should be yours.
In that second round, Valdez followed his coach’s advice.
Valdez took Arreola to the mat at least three times, and one time Arreola bucked off and turned the tables for a bit, using his striking to try and subdue Valdez. Unsuccessful. Valdez regained his composure and kept taking Arreola down. At one time, Valdez picked Arreola up and slammed him on the mat—each take down was wearing Arreola out.
“I took him down and worked my elbows and I stuck him–he was holding on to me—-I was not letting him buck me off again,” Valdez said.
At the end of the second round, Valdez, who had the controlling top position for much of the round, was looking like the dominant combatant of the two men.
The fight was going in his direction. Valdez and his corner planned more of the same for the 3rd round to finish off the fight.
In that third round the fatigue and battle scars were showing on both fighters as the bell signaled the start to the round.
Again, Lujan advised Valdez to take six deep breaths and lock-in as the third round started.
“Honestly, I thought we would go the distance, and we’d win by decision,” said Lujan. “It was an endurance battle, and I told Dion to dig deep and asked him, ‘Do you want it more?’” Valdez wanted it more In his own words: “I was controlling it like the earlier rounds, I had him in submission and he bucked me off. I went on top and slipped a guillotine submission on him and we rolled around on my–I didn’t want him to get out—I mounted him fast and finished him off with the a mounted guillotine–I was beat and I just held on and held on and he finally tapped.”
A visibility fatigued Valdez rose from the mat, found some more adrenaline and took the ceremonial victory tour around the cage.
When asked what went through his mind after his opponent tapped, “It was exciting I then heard all my friend and family— it was great to win in front of them.” said Valdez. “I had blocked all of them out during the fight but now I wanted to see and hear them—it was the best win ever to win like that!”
The tap came at approximately 2:40 and not much left in the round.
As proud and happy as Valdez was, so were over 100 friends and family from Cibola County who came to watch him.
What's next for Valdez after his “experience”?
You guessed it, another fight. A future fight in the works with Fight Night promotions, this time Valdez is planning on dropping to155 pounds.