Trio of local MMA fighters ready to rumble
SANDPOINT — A trio of Black Bear Mixed Martial Arts fighters will throw blows — and kicks, for that matter — at the King of the Cage “It’s Personal” fights on Thursday night at the Coeur d’Alene Casino.
Sandpoint’s John Hale (4-0) will take another step in his quest to turn pro when he faces Spokane’s Dylan Morgan (7-4) in one of nine amateur matches on the 14 fight card. Morgan, who prefers standup, has a big reach advantage on the more compact Hale, who plans to use his Jiu-Jitsu experience to control the fight.
“My plan is to slow him down, push him against the cage and apply pressure,” said Hale, who likes his chances against the more experienced opponent. “I train hard; that’s what it’s all about, being prepared. I’ll find a way to win.”
Local Mike McCray (2-1) will enter the cage against Spokane’s Jeff Pullman (10-5), eager to test himself in a step up against a more experienced fighter. McCray said he plans to push the pace and keep the pressure high.
Local fighter Cody Smith (4-2) will face Spokane’s Brandon Sly (3-8) in a rematch, having registered his first ever knockout against Sly in the previous meeting. Smith usually relies mostly on a standup game, and plans to use the element of surprise in the rematch.
“This fight is going to the ground,” said Smith, who has been training on his ground game. “He’s not anticipating that and I have the advantage of him not knowing.”
The main event will feature Coeur d’Alene’s Trevor Prangley defending his light heavyweight world championship belt against Tony Lopez in a rematch of two fighters who simply don’t like one another. In the previous fight between the two, the bout was stopped by an illegal strike by Lopez, which sent the fight to the judges’ scores.
“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Prangley said. “There’s a little bit of bad blood there. This is the first legitimate title fight at the Coeur d’Alene Casino and I’m excited to bring it here. It might be the biggest fight this town has ever seen. A lot of these guys have made it big, or could make it big someday — and you just never know who will be on some of these shows.”