Moreno vs Kruger

MCC 34: Moreno victorious, Rios dominates, Williams closes in on title shot

Moreno vs. Kruger

In the main event of MCC 34, Victor “Superman” Moreno proved that his post-retirement campaign was exactly what he had trained for. Taking just one and a half minutes in the very first round to put a halt to top prospect, Calley Kruger, Moreno used a combination of wrestling and jiu jitsu to submit his opponent.

In what appeared to be a slug fest when the bout started, Moreno and Kruger stood toe to toe for a few brief exchanges. When Kruger closed the distance, Moreno shucked him to the ground with his underestimated grappling skills. Once on the ground, Kruger went for side control, but mid-position Moreno was able to catch hold of Kruger’s exposed neck. As Kruger tried to escape the position it gave Moreno just the opening he needed to cinch up the hold. Even without getting his hooks in, Moreno was able to squeeze hard enough to force the tap.

This is Victor Moreno’s second consecutive win since his return to MCC. Could another run at the big show be in his future? With an impressive mixed martial arts record of 39 wins and 12 losses (to top guys, I might mention), he definitely has the skills to make it happen!

Deeds vs Williams

Williams vs. Deeds

One of the Midwest’s top grapplers, Williams, took on one of the Midwest’s best strikers, and lo and behold, each of them played into the others game and fared well!

When you hear of fighters’ pedigree in a specific martial art, one would assume that since it’s their strong suit, that’s what they will ultimately use to win the fight. However, this is “mixed” martial arts, and now days, you have to be good at everything!

So, when you hear that Deeds was able to stuff shots and even able to take Williams down, don’t be surprised. And when you hard that Williams was able to take hard punches from Deeds while lighting his up with his own shots, you should just expect it.

It was, however,Williams night as he was able to capitalize on his superior cardio skill and slick ground transitions as he was able to catch Deeds in a head-arm choke 25 seconds into the third and final round.

The performance earned Williams another win over a tough competitor. With the win over Deeds, Williams moves one step closer to a shot at the MCC Welterweight title.

Rios vs Severe

Following his first career loss to, now-UFC bound, Lance Benoist, Rios went back to the drawing board, spending countless hours in the gym improving his overall game and helping to prepare his teammates for upcoming fights.

Friday night all of that hard work paid off.

From the start of the bout Rios proved that patience and flawless technique would prove to be too much for Severe as he controlled the takedowns and was able to move into dominant positions time after time. Although Severe would show that his strength and durability would make it hard to finish him, Rios was able to render him limp at 4:22 of round number one with a head-arm choke.

Rios stated after the fight that the time away from the cage was good for him and allowed him to fill some of the holes he felt were in his game. Now, back in the win column, a run at the title could very well be in Rios’ future. However the always humble martial artist in content to take his time to get to the top and has already vowed to get right back into the gym to continue his training.

Anlgo International was on hand to award a beautiful Polanti watch to the fighter of the night, which went to a well deserving, Allen Hernandez who won a tough back and forth battle over Alex Harper. It was Hernandez’ promotional debut with MCC, but certainly not his first introduction to the sport. Hernandez showed that he will be a force in the MCC lightweight division and a bout between Hernandez and perennial contender, Jake “Dirty Bird” Brown is being discussed now.

MCC’s prestigious Heart of a Warrior award went to another well deserved fighter, Kendall Davis, who took a fight with multi-time MCC veteran, Randy Meyer on just ten days notice. Both fighters fought back and forth for three rounds, and just when it appeared that Meyer had landed a tight choke, Davis was able to reverse the position and sink in a seldom landed, Von Flue choke to force the tap.

Davis remains undefeated at 7-0, and we are glad to add him to our roster of talented fighters.

Full Results Below

Jake McDonald vs Roy Moore- More wins by TKO Strikes in 2nd round (1:42)
Steve Green vs Matt Rider- Rider wins by TKO Strike in 1st round (2:54)
Chris Avery vs Eric Kapayou- Avery wins by Guillotine in 1st round (2:06)
Mike Graham vs Chad Vandermark- Vandermark wins by TKO Strikes in 2nd round (2:21)
Kendall Davis vs Randy Meyer- Davis wins by Von Flue Choke in 3rd round (1:32)
Matt Young vs Tony Crowder- Crowder wins by RNC in 1st round (1:15)
Nick Walker vs Joe Morris- Morris wins by TKO Strikes in 2nd round (1:13)
Allen Hernandez vs Alex Harper- Hernandez wins by Guillotine in 2nd round (2:49)
Orlando Peace vs Luis Saldana- Saldana wins by RNC in 1st round (3:56)
Dave Severe vs Miguel Rios- Rios wins by Head & Arm Choke in 1st round (4:22)
Cole Williams vs Demi Deeds- Williams wins by Head & Arm Choke in 3rd round (0:25)
Calley Kruger vs Victor Moreno- Moreno wins by RNC in the 1st round (1:30)

MCC has already set the next event for Friday, August 5 at Hy Vee Hall. The evening will feature the first title defense for MCC light heavyweight champion, Jesse Lund, as well a a title defense between MCC’s featherweight champ, Rick “The Gladiator” Glenn and UFC veteran, Ryan “Are You Ready” Roberts. Plus, a rematch between two former middleweight title holders has been set for Brian “Smokin” Green and Mike “Mini Van” Van Meer and bantamweight contenders Will Shutt and Laramie Shaffer will go head to head. More bouts will be released soon so keep checking back with www.MidwestCageChampionship.com.

Victor Moreno

Fight week. This is the week I’ve been preparing myself for over the last 10 weeks. It all comes down to Friday night. I have worked to hard and sold to many tickets to come up short. Thank you all who bought tickets and continue to support me.

Normally, this would be considered hell week but not this time. I am one week out and only 6 lbs out right now. This is the best I’ve felt in a long time. I went into practice with one goal in mind the last 3 weeks. That goal was to push the pace till my body couldn’t go anymore. Day after day , twice a day, I tried this and I could not find my breaking point. This leaves me very confident and really made the weight cut very very simple.

The toughest part of the whole camp was definitely the ice bath. I don’t even know how people do it, especially when I can’t even fit in the damn bath tub. Had to be top 3 worst times of my life.

Enough with words, I’m ready to throw punches. I hope Calley comes ready, as I am planning he will, but if he doesn’t its gonna be a long night for him and even longer drive home. See everyone at weigh ins Thursday at 7 @ Chicken Coop.

Victor “Superman” Moreno

Calley Kruger

Apparently, my 3 year old has it all figured out. I reached into the snack cupboard to grab a handful of peanuts and he yelled out, “No Daddy! You can’t eat that!” He seems to know when I am working on cutting weight. So, I sat down and made a plan of what I am going to eat after I weigh in. First, I think I will start with a full rack of BBQ ribs, a watermelon (the whole watermelon), a big bowl of pasta and a case a Mountain Dew. That’s what I have planned for the appetizer anyways.

To cut weight I have been running two to three times per day, limiting calorie intake, and hitting the sauna daily. The running and trips to the sauna aren’t so bad. I can usually space my runs out by doing one in the morning and one at night. And the trip to the sauna is actually very relaxing to me. It’s the decreased calories that get me. I am getting tired of teacups of cereal, raw carrots, grapes, peanuts and water. I can’t wait to eat a regular meal again! But the sacrifice is worth it and I am right where I should be in my weight loss. Luckily, my wrestling background has my body used to cutting weight.

This week is going to be a busy week with last minute preparations. Luckily, I not only will be able to hit the gym with my training partners, but have a group of people right here in my hometown that will help me sneak in some extra workouts as well. A big thank you to Brian Benning and John Simon and some of the boys from the high school wrestling team for meeting up with me for some intense workouts! I am ready and excited for this fight. I’m ready to put all of this hard work to good use.

I know Victor will be a tough opponent. He will come well prepared, as will I. It’s hard to say where the fight will go. I think both of us will be comfortable on our feet or on the ground. So I am looking forward to see how this plays out. I am ready for whatever comes my way. I realize that he will be the hometown guy, but stuff like that never bothers me. I actually enjoy being considered the underdog in the fight. It just gives me that much more drive. And when I get in the ring, I don’t think about anything else. It’s just him and me.

It’s people like my grandpa that help give me that kind of focus. My grandpa needed emergency surgery this week. I went to visit him in the hospital and seeing him reminded me of something he once told me. He always said, “If you just work hard, hard work will always pay off in the end.” I have always carried that advice with me and believe in it. I want to thank him (“Marvelous” Marvin Adelmund) for sharing all of his wisdom and advice with me over the years. Happy Father’s day to him, my father and all of the other fathers out there.

Well, this is my second to last blog, and honestly, I don’t have much else to say. I just want to fight! I look forward to getting down to Des Moines and putting on a great show. Hope to see you all there!

Until the next round,

Calley Kruger

Moreno vs Kruger

Well, good news. It’s two weeks away from fight time, which means I only have to write two more of these blogs. It feels like I have homework all over again.

This might start sounding repetitive, but this week all I can think to write about are the people that I want to thank. I’m sure I could go on about some hilarious story about fights in and out of the cage, or about after fight parties, but I’m going to stick to giving credit where credit is due.

Obviously, I’ll start with my wife and kids just because they are my life and they give me all the inspiration I need to succeed in anything I pursue. Next stop will have to go to everyone at New Beginnings MMA. Elvis Mutopcic and Josh Neer, who will both be fighting in Shark Fighting Championships on the 25th, have shared blood, sweat, and tears with me this entire camp. Miguel Rios Jr., Luis Saldona, and Chad Vandermark are all on the same card as me on the 24th. I know how hard we have worked this whole training camp, and I am confident that our team has the ability to go 6-0 on the 24th and 25th. We have worked way too hard for any of us to come up short. It makes training a lot easier when you have legit fighters, and even more importantly, great people be around on a daily basis. Although he doesn’t have a fight coming up anytime soon, I would like to send a special thanks to Andy Branson for being a great training partner and taking time to come beat on all of us.

Sponsors: Academy Roofing, Selvage Plumbing, Knight Electric, Auto Outlet, Insanity Fightwear, Kamodo Club, Bussamas Heating and Cooling, and Nutrishop. Thanks to all of you. It definitely makes things easier with this kind of support.

Calley Kruger & Cedar Valley Jiu Jitsu

It’s two weeks ‘til go time and I am ready. I’m really excited to get through these next couple of weeks so I can get into the cage and put all of the training and preparation to work. My training has gone very well and my body feels better than it ever has. My cardio endurance is even stronger than I had expected. I have put a lot of focus on my kickboxing and have been refining my jui jitsu skills. My body feels good and my mind is clear. I couldn’t be more prepared. I’ve had a lot of people take time out of their lives to help me make all of this training happen.

Number one, my wife Heather. Thank you for everything!!! You have put up with my long hours at the gym, the crankiness from cutting weight, throwing jabs in my sleep and everything in between. Any fighter who is married and stays married understands how important love and support is. Also, she provides the ass kicking I need at home to stay out of the F$@#*&% refrigerator and snack cupboard. Also, to my amazing sons Riddick and Maddox. They also deal with my long hours at the gym and they have worked hard to help out their mom around the house when I am gone.
Next, I need to thank Greg Halsor and everyone from Cedar Valley Brazilian Jui Jitsu at Gold’s Gym in Waterloo for their friendship, guidance, training and endless hours of putting up with my bullshit. Also at Gold’s, Russ O’Connell and everyone from Peak Performance for helping me with my kickboxing, working on combinations and punching me in the face on a regular basis. Big thanks to Jason Chambers, Joe Cason, Roy Jones and Mike “Biggie” Rhodes for the morning workouts on rain days and sticking around after class. They really helped me focus on my movements and angles.
And last, but definitely not least, a huge thank you to my great friend and training partner Neal Titus. He always makes me work harder, think smarter, and pushes me past my limits to get me to where I need to be. Whether it be training or everyday life, he has always been there for me. Thank you!!!
To all of my fans, thanks for all of your support and coming out to my fights. I couldn’t be more honored to have each and every one of you for a fan. I am excited for you all to come out on Friday, June 24th to see me battle it out in the cage. It’s going to be a great show!

Calley Kruger

Victor Moreno

I am a very firm believer in the saying “everything happens for a reason.” I was raised not to worry about little things in life. As I got older, it turned into not worrying at all. Very rarely will you hear me bitching about things. As a kid my family didn’t have a lot of money so we were always happy and grateful for everything we had. We didn’t have nice cars or super fancy clothes, but we did have two middle fingers and a smile on our faces. My family could care less about other people’s opinions of us. As long as we were happy and having fun with whatever we were doing then everything was alright. Now don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a complete dick to people but I would give you my thoughts without you asking for them. I’m about 200% sure I got that from my mother.

I also believe that there is a reason or purpose for everyone. You know, things don’t just happen. I believe that my purpose is to be a father to my children. It took me a while to realize it, but I know that’s what I’m supposed to do. As I sit here writing this blog, I am continuosly looking up at my 3 children running around smiling and having a blast. That’s what it’s all about. When you can sit back and just watch your own creation. There’s nothing like it. Then to top it all off, I see the most beautiful woman in the world flipping through the channels trying to take a break from chasing the kids around. Although she doesn’t attend my 5 am practices or my evening workouts, I know my wife is the most important training partner. She allows me to prepare for battle while she picks up extra responibility. If it wasn’t for her being wonder woman, then I wouldn’t be able to take a couple hours a day for workouts. She really amazes me, and to her I owe the world.

Basically, what I’m saying in this week’s blog is that I have everything in my life that I need. Everything is going great at the gym, work, home, and with my family. My life just feels right, too right to lose this fight. I’m focused and prepared. The only thing that’s wrong is Calley’s timing on fighting me.

Victor “Superman” Moreno

Calley Kruger

It’s something that I can’t help but laugh at every time I hear. Guys who have seen an MMA fight on tv, but have never stepped foot in a gym to train for one, saying, “I could do that.” They apparently have no clue what kind of commitment it takes to be a true MMA fighter. What they fail to grasp, is the things that one has to sacrifice to be a fighter. It’s not just a physical commitment, but a mental and emotional one too. There is so much more to the sport than just banging it out in the ring.

The physical training is probably the most obvious. You have to be strong. Your opponent will be pushing against you with all of their physical might and you have to be prepared to handle that, and push back. But you also need flexibility to get into (and sometimes out of) certain positions. Without flexibility and knowledge of how to move your body, your movement and options are going to be limited. Physical endurance is one of the most important, because what good is your strength and flexibility going to be if you are completely gassed out and can’t continue.

Typically, the most difficult part of physical training, for me, is cutting weight. Giving up lots of my favorite foods, grilling out, going to restaurants, and eating at parties. The worst was this last winter. I was training for a fight in January and started with my training in early November. That meant I had to give up the majority of Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas goodies, which was a killer. However, currently, this hot weather has been working to my advantage. Working outside in the 90+ degree weather helps me sweat it out (instead of having to take extra time after the gym to hit the sauna) and decreases my appetite. Hmmm, maybe I should stick to taking fights March through October. Nah, I just can’t resist a good fight.

My wife once asked me why I liked fighting so much. My response, I love the thought that goes into it. Training for a fight takes intelligence, much like a chess game. Knowing what move you are going to make and then taking into account how your opponent may react and then how you are going to counter their decision. Thinking like a chess player is something that comes with training and experience and interaction with other martial artists. Everyone thinks differently, so I have a lot of fun trying to figure out the thought process of others and challenging it.

And finally, most fighters probably don’t want to admit to or talk about it, but the commitment to train has its emotional costs too. I’ve missed out on events with my family and friends due to training. I’ve missed birthday parties, t-ball games, and programs. I want nothing more than to be there for all of it. But to be a fighter you have to be committed to the sport. Luckily, my family is supportive of what I do and we have been able to create a balance.

So if you say you want to be a fighter, go through your normal day and see if you are willing to sacrifice any or all of it to be an MMA fighter. See if you would be willing to commit to all of the different aspects. If you are, then you might be able to say, “I could do that.”

Until next round,

Calley Kruger