Fayetteville Observer - Close Qtrs Show

Published on Friday, April 11, 2008

Close Quarters Combat in the Cage and at the Crown Arena

By Brian Dukes
Staff writer
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When the first match begins Saturday night at Close Quarters Combat in the Cage, it will mark the return of mixed martial arts competition to North Carolina for the first time since 1994.

So you’ll forgive William Clark, managing partner for Spartan Entertainment Group — the group behind the event — if he’s a bit on edge.

Clark, like his boxing alter-ego, has been patiently waiting to produce a knockout event — one that he and his colleagues hope will become a quarterly production. They hope Saturday’s event at the Crown Arena will establish Fayetteville as a mixed martial arts mecca.

“We want CQC In The Cage to offer something new and exciting for fans of MMA (mixed martial arts), as well as the soldiers on Fort Bragg,” Clark said. “We also want the event to enjoy the same growth and success as the UFC, and attract new fans.”

The success he speaks of is pretty self-evident.

When Dana White bought the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in 1994, it cost him a mere $2 million. The UFC, in production value alone, is now worth more than $300 million and has more than distanced itself from its wild and bloody roots.

“As president of the UFC, Dana White helped establish rules and weight classes,” Clark said. “And he thought of the fighters’ safety first, which you didn’t have in the bad old days.”

Safety is a priority for Clark and his fellow promoters with Spartan Entertainment Group. After all, most of them are soldiers as their day jobs and professional fighters as well.

“We know this industry, and we know that MMA is the fastest growing sport worldwide,” Clark said. “We also know that UFC pay-per-view events have eclipsed all of professional boxing’s pay-per-view events — with the exception of (Oscar) De La Hoya-(Floyd) Mayweather.”
Statewide ban

Clark said the sport has come a long way from its last appearance in North Carolina — an unsanctioned 1994 event in Charlotte that was eventually shut down.

That event led to the mixed martial arts being banned in the state

That changed last year. On Aug. 2, the General Assembly passed a law that defines mixed martial arts matches and allows for their regulation. It allows the Alcohol Law Enforcement division of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety to establish and raise fees.

MMA was back in business, and Spartan Entertainment was first in line.

“We applied for and received the first MMA event permit under the new law,” Clark said. “Hopefully this will be the first of many.”

Clark said CQC in the Cage will feature both professional fighters from all over the world, as well as amateurs just getting their start.

“It’s going to be an action-packed show,” Clark said. “MMA is a physical chess match. You’ve got so many fighting styles and disciplines of self-defense to watch out for.”

Clark said the event — CQC In The Cage — was named after the combat principles taught to soldiers.

“Anyone who has had to clear a house has performed CQC,” Clark said.

The CQC term, he said, helps soldiers — a big part of the MMA audience — identify with the event.

Some of the proceeds will benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which helps to pay for the college education of children of Special Operations soldiers who are killed in the line of duty. Donations will be accepted at the event.

But would a soldier well-practiced in the principles of CQC and trained in MMA have an edge over his civilian counterpart?

“That’s a good question,” Clark said. “CQC builds a certain aggressiveness. It’s all about guys going towards the fight, not away. And that’s the kind of guy I want next to me in fight.”

The evening’s highlighted matches are Rho Brower vs. Ralph Green and Jason Palacious vs. Patrick Lopez.

“Rho is from Fayetteville, and Jason lives here now,” Clark said. “So it’s great that these two will get to showcase their skills in front of their hometown.”

Fayetteville, Clark said, is home to a lot of talented fighters, more than the town gets credit for.

“We’ve got all these incredible fighters and athletes here,” Clark said. “But nobody knows about them.”

That’s about to change.
CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT IN THE CAGE

* When: Saturday, April 12, 8 p.m.
* Where: Crown Arena
* Tickets: $25 to $43 at the Crown Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 223-2900.
* Information: Go to www.cqcinthecage.com or call 438-4100.

Staff writer Brian Dukes can be reached at dukesb@fayobserver.com or 323-4848, ext. 411.