Local MMA fighters shine in amateur debuts

Like it or not, mixed martial arts — or MMA for short — has arrived as a major player in the culture of U.S. sports.

The activity that began with basically no rules and marketed itself as a brutal blood sport in the early 1990s has made strides to transform its image into one of respectability. Many participants declare the sport safer than football or boxing, including Mitch Heramia , co-owner and trainer at the Patterson Kickboxing Academy.

“There is nothing like it,” Heramia said. “It’s exhilarating. It’s not the brutality that gets you. It’s finding your strength, realizing that you did this even though the other person was trying to do it to you.”

In MMA, Heramia explained, an aspiring fighter often toils extensively as an amateur, spending hard time among the lower ranks until he’s transformed from a dull gardening tool to a sharpened weapon, capable of cutting, slicing and parrying with the best of them.

That’s the purpose of the amateur ranks — to hone a fighter, to give him a taste of combat and to prepare him for the next step.

Patterson fighters Anthony Becerra, Amy Castillo, Abel Del Carpio and Hugo Dominguez showcased their skills for the first time on Sunday, Sept. 6, at Tommy T’s in Rancho Cordova in an event sanctioned by the state of California through the International Kickboxing Federation.

All four fighters encountered the same bothersome opponent even before they set foot in the ring — nerves.

“I didn’t know where I was at (mentally) before the fight,” Del Carpio said. “I was wondering what I had gotten myself into.

“All I could think about was how the fight was going to go.”

Back at the Patterson Kickboxing Academy — its gym tucked away on Ossie Street, behind Patterson Police Services — heavy punching bags swing slowly from a rack of steel girders like carcasses on butcher hooks.

A barefoot man with a gentle face begins to stalk one of the bags, breaking the silence with two jabs and a thunderous kick.

Dominguez, 22, has been training and fighting for about a year. He uses the sport to help curb stress, he said, and to “free his mind.” He was one of two local fighters to win his amateur debut.

“This is so much more than just fighting,” Dominguez said. “It’s something to do with your life other than just partying, hanging out or getting into trouble.”

Becerra, 19, is also hooked on the sport. And on fight night, he was also irrepressible, despite losing his brawl by a split decision.

The former Patterson High athlete is not ashamed to admit that he, too, was apprehensive before his debut.

“I was a little nervous, but once I got into the ring, I just did my job,” Becerra said. “I wanted to go for the knockout, but (my opponent) was a tough fighter. I just kept working his body.”

Most members of the Patterson Kickboxing Academy — men, women and teens — are among the many in town who are looking merely for a workout. But some of them are looking for more.

Theirs is a physically grueling existence, draped on the fringes of an emerging sport and yet far removed from the glitz of the sport’s upper echelon. Heramia requires his fighters to master different disciplines, and to become as good on their feet as they are on the mat. They appear to be quick learners.

Del Carpio, 23, said you have to take some punishment before you can dole some out. His motivation to fight comes from within.

“I want to see how good I am, and how far I can push myself,” Del Carpio said. “I’ve got fast hands, and that’s what I rely on in a fight.

Del Carpio said his debut was a punishing spectacle, with both fighters landing clean blows to the head and body. He came up short, however, in a split decision.

“It was a back-and-forth battle, but (my opponent) got the best of it,” Del Carpio said.

According to Heramia, the focus of the evening certainly had to be on Castillo, a former Patterson High basketball star. And on an already blood-stained mat, Castillo capped the night with a crowd-pleasing performance.

Despite having never fought competitively, Castillo overwhelmed her opponent, using her height and length to her advantage on her way to a victory by unanimous decision.

Heramia sees Castillo’s natural ability, her commitment, her toughness and her quickness and is sure he has a talented fighter in the making.

“We’re rough on her, but she takes it,” Heramia added. “We don’t babysit her. We spar at about 60 percent, but when she kicks you, you know it.”

For information: 892-9030.

• Contact Marc Aceves at 892-6187 or marc@pattersonirrigator.com.