{"id":320339,"date":"2020-04-03T06:06:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T20:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=320339"},"modified":"2020-04-03T06:06:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T20:06:39","slug":"trench-techs-mma-hit-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/trench-techs-mma-hit-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Trench Tech\u2019s MMA hit list"},"content":{"rendered":"
In this undated file photo, Roman \u201cSonic Boom\u201d Alvarez, left, kicks Derek \u201cEl Peligro\u201d Rangamar in one of Trench Tech\u2019s Rites of Passage events at the Saipan World Resort. (Saipan Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fifteen years ago, Trench Tech Promotions, Inc. started a mission of showcasing warriors on the octagon cage and co-founder and owner Cuki Alvarez can\u2019t help but look back how MMA blossomed to become one of the anticipated sports events in the Marianas.<\/p>\n

Trench Tech had its first MMA competition in November 2005, paving the way for 23 Rites of Passage (amateur) events and 21 Trench Warz (pro) contests. The inaugural tournament dubbed \u201cTrench Warz 1: Fight Night,\u201d undoubtedly, led Alvarez\u2019s Top 5 hit list in the last 15 years.<\/p>\n

Jason Tarkong hits the scale during the weigh-in for one of the early Trench Warz events. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was this \u2018inaugural\u2019 event that catapulted Trench Tech to the MMA powerhouse in the Marianas that it is today. We have produced lots of local talents now competing in some of the top stages regionally and in the world, like Frank \u201cThe Crank\u201d Camacho in UFC. If it weren\u2019t for TW1, we wouldn\u2019t be where we are today,\u201d Alvarez said.<\/p>\n

The following year and after holdings three successful events it a cramped warehouse along Beach Road, Trench Tech had its debut in a \u201cbig stage\u201d with the hosting of \u201cTrench Warz 4: Enter The Octagon\u201d at the Saipan World Resort.<\/p>\n

Alvarez said they were able to raise enough money from the three previous events to build the full-blown octagon, replacing the \u201cwrectagon\u201d (rectangular cage) they utilized in Trench Warz 1, 2 (Caged In) and 3 (Commotion)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very excited to debut the octagon at the World Resort at the Taga Hall and showcase MMA at a whole other level. Not to mention, the fighters were super excited to fight in an actual 8-sided cage,\u201d Alvarez said.<\/p>\n

Camacho fought in Trench Warz 4 and won via TKO (punches) against Troy Munoz in the first round, while Slade \u201cThe Rage\u201d Adelbai prevailed in his main event bout against Antonio Nekaifes, also via TKO in the third round.<\/p>\n

After hosting five pro events through Trench Warz, Trench Tech saw the need to tap newcomers in the sport and give them opportunity to showcase their skills thus the birth of Rites of Passage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had ROP 1: Rise of the Warriors. This was our very first amateur only MMA event. We created this event to give the young, up-and-coming fighters a chance to fight and \u2018earn their RITES\u2019 to make it into the bigger show or pro evel. In ROP, fighters are matched with opponents of the same level basically, exclusively for inexperienced, first, second and even third time guys who may want to redeem their performance and impress the scouts. ROP went on to become one of our most popular events and nowadays, we add a few pro fights in there to entice the crowd and inspire the younger fighter to excel,\u201d Alvarez said.<\/p>\n

With Trench Tech and its events developing more MMA fighters on island, pitting them against Guam\u2019s own came next and brought out the best from the CNMI warriors.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrench Warz 10: Collision was the first event where we strictly had Guam vs Saipan. It was a sold out event! The fans loved this show and were cheering for all our local talent to win. I believe out of 14 matches, we won five. Guam edged us out, but it showed the evolution of MMA in the CNMI in just a couple short years and showed that with more training, Saipan fighters can compete competitively at the highest level in the Marianas region,\u201d Alvarez said.<\/p>\n

Kelvin \u201cThe Big Hit\u201d Fitial recorded one of those five victories, beating Manny \u201cThe Enforcer\u201d Chong via KO (punches) at the 4:47 mark of the opening round.<\/p>\n

After challenging Guam fighters, the islands\u2019 bets turned its focus on the highly-competitive Korean Top Team standouts, as Trench Tech hosted ROP 8: Fearless in 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first time we had an international card with three Korean fighters going up against our Trench Tech guys,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cIt was a huge step up in competition for us, but we were totally up for the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three featured bouts had the late Fasi \u201cQuikdraw\u201d Jesse battling \u201cDr.\u201d Kang Beom Chang, Adelbai meeting Hyun Kyu \u201cThe Ace\u201d Lim, and Chris \u201cNo Luv\u201d Layuug squaring off against Young Nam \u201cThe Hippo\u201d Gu<\/p>\n