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If you live in the Sky Valley and you love the intensity of Mixed Martial Arts, you will not want to miss the upcoming Battle in the Barn event.
Battle in the Barn, which is being coordinated by Stray Dogs Club Operations Manager Ralph Taylor, will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. The amateur event will feature MMA fighters from Stray Dogs Club in Monroe, Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nev., Dan Henderson's gym in Temecula, Calif., along with fighters from several other Washington area MMA gyms.
In addition to full-contact MMA and Muay Thai match-ups, there will be ring girls, a food court and a beer garden.
Live pre-bout entertainment will be provided by the Seattle Rock Orchestra (SRO), an over 50-piece ensemble known for performing music by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Smashing Pumpkins, Michael Jackson, the Beatles and many others. SRO features brass, woodwinds, percussion and strings, along with a variety of professional vocalists.
"If you don't come for the fights, come for the music,GÇ¥ said Taylor. "It's going to be a cool experience.GÇ¥
MMA is a form of fighting that combines several different types of combat techniques and martial arts, and incorporates them into one high-powered sport. Striking skills are honed by training in Muay Thai, a manner of fighting which permits the use both the arms and the legs. Known as "the art of eight limbs,GÇ¥ Muay Thai fighters can utilize their knees, fists, shins and elbows, although certain elbow strikes are prohibited in amateur level fighting.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and grappling tactics are also used in MMA, as fighters engage in both stand-up combat as well as ground-fighting. Similar to boxing, there are different weight divisions to help maintain a parallel playing field for the fighters.
Battle in the Barn will spotlight weight divisions all the way from bantam weight, which is a 135-pound maximum, to light heavy weight, which is a 205-pound maximum. The event will feature three title fights with several upper-level amateur MMA fighters, and numerous other bouts between fighters with varying levels of experience.
In its fourth year, Battle in the Barn is on its way to becoming one of the more esteemed MMA venues in the region. Hoping to gain national attention, Taylor has reached out to Bellator MMA, who will be engaged throughout the process as they watch the fights to look for amateur fighters with the necessary expertise to eventually achieve professional MMA status. Taylor is promoting both the local fighters as well as the venue, which has been particularly accommodating to his MMA events.
"We have a great facility in that barn,GÇ¥ said Taylor. "There's not a bad seat in the house.GÇ¥
Monroe High School Assistant Wrestling Coach Jay Jones volunteers at Stray Dogs Club twice a week to give instruction in wrestling. He enjoys contributing to the success of the fighters who will be participating in the Battle in the Barn competition. Jones shared that the event is completely top-level, with great music, great food and non-stop action. He is hopeful that it will continue to grow.
"We want this to be a mecca for people to come who want to compete,GÇ¥ said Jones.
In amateur MMA fighting, the title bouts consist of five three-minute rounds, and the non-title bouts consist of three three-minute rounds.
Battle in the Barn takes place at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. The 36,000 square foot "barnGÇ¥ features an open 140-foot-by-24-foot open floor plan. Doors will open at 5 p.m., the Seattle Rock Orchestra is scheduled to begin at approximately 6 p.m., and at 7 p.m. the fights will commence. Tickets can be purchased at the door, and range in price from $35 for general seating up to $65.00 for VIP.
Taylor stressed that Battle in the Barn is an all-ages event, and welcomes families to attend; even if they just stay for the music.
"It's a phenomenal experience,GÇ¥ said Taylor. "I think they're bringing 54 instruments.GÇ¥
Taylor is offering free VIP seating to 100 United States Veterans who would like to attend the Battle in the Barn event. Veterans can obtain up to four tickets per family by verifying their military service with the Veterans Tickets Foundation. Further information can be found at their website: http://www.vettix.org/index.php.
For more information on Battle in the Barn, please visit the website at: http://www.thebattleinthebarn.com/Home_Page.php.
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