Midtown Throwdown 14 is set to take place this Saturday, October 6that the Bob Keefer Center in Springfield. This event boasts a rather large fight card that will showcase both amateur and profession MMA fights, along with multiple Muay Thai bouts and a grappling tournament taking place between fights. Midtown MMA has become the premier promotion in the greater Eugene area and bringing in top Oregon amateurs to make their profession debuts is another step that shows the reach that this young promotion has. This card has a lot of interesting matchups and offers something for everyone. It should make for a fun night of fights. Let’s break down a couple of the fights worth keeping an eye on. Fight card listed below:
Pro Welterweight Main Event- Raymond Leonard Hill vs Wesley McCracken
Pro 160lb Catchweight -Jose Rico vs Saul Gallegos-Ruiz
Bantamweight Title- Jaylon Bates vs Luis Lopez
160lb Super Fight- Chance Marsteiner vs Angel Espino
185lb Muay Thai Bout- Brandon Hecht vs TBD
140lb Muay Thai Bout- Charlotte Coons vs TBD
155lb Muay Thai Bout- Mike Duffy vs TBD
165lb Muay Thai Bout- Jade Gardner vs TBD
160lb Catchweight- Cash Barnes vs Leroy Nakano-Santos
Lightweight- Spencer Mears vs Mike Barros
Flyweight- Andrew Williams vs Richie Nguyen
130lb Catchweight – Alex Youngbauer vs Roi Cho
Featherweight – Richard Alldridge vs Matt Lawson
Welterweight – Lucas Cortes vs TBD
***Card Subject to Change
Jaylon Bates vs Luis Lopez
Currently, there is no fighter more polarizing on the Portland MMA scene than Jaylon Bates. Bates has not made a ton of friends in town but that does not mean he isn’t very talented. At 7-0, he has been working his way through the bantamweight circuit with relative ease and has quickly become one of the top ranked amateur prospects in the country. Bates has mentioned that he intends to collect belts on his way up the ranks before going pro and Saturday night will give him the opportunity to claim his second belt in less than a month. Lopez, on the other hand, has had a very different path than Bates. He has been training and fighting for a number of years, but he has only managed to secure three fights dating back to 2012. Many have been on the books, but just as many were cancelled. That said, Lopez has been training in the sport for over six years and has one of the savviest coaches in the game (Enoch Wilson) at his disposal. This fight will be a battle between a fast rising star and methodical veteran.
Chance Marsteiner vs Angel Espino
This bout is a rematch of a fight that went down only a few short months ago at Rumble at the Roseland 97. Marsteiner was able to dispatch of Espino in one round with an anaconda choke. Espino being defeated quickly is certainly something the young fighter from Animals MMA would love to prove a fluke. His road to this point has been full of very challenging matchups. Over the last calendar year, he faced off against three fighters in the top-10 at lightweight in Oregon. For Marsteiner, this fight represents a chance to close the door on the “fluke” victory label from their first matchup while also serving as a way to get the taste of defeat out of his mouth. Marsteiner suffered a decision loss recently and he is likely looking to get a victory before an inevitable move to the pro ranks. I would expect both fighters coming out looking for a finish in this one, an obvious candidate for fight of the night.
In addition to the above-mentioned fights, this card features the professional debuts of Oregon amateur standout Raymond Hill and Impact Jiu-Jitsu’s Saul Ruiz. Both fighters have been a part of the Oregon amateur fight scene for the last few years, and their professional debuts have been long awaited by many. For any fan of mixed martial arts or combat sports in general, Midtown Throwdown is a must see. Tickets available at midtownthrowdown.com.
