It started off with a cheap shot, then a kiss, and now they’ll end up in a cage.
The country’s oldest mixed martial arts promotion, the Universal Reality Combat Challenge, is set to hold its first Fight Night card showcasing the Filipino warrior. Moreover, a special attraction bout pitting thespians Baron Geisler and Kiko Matos is scheduled on the card as well.
Having two celebrities squaring off in a fight league has garnered a mixed response. From a purist’s point of view, the Geisler-Matos bout is a circus of a fight and will take the sport back a few years. However, the URCC wants to tell a message by sanctioning a bout like this: that instead of settling fights on the streets, feuds should be settled in a controlled environment.
Baron Geisler, brother of Olympian Donald Geisler, admitted Tuesday morning during the PSA Forum in Malate that receiving formal training has humbled him as a person. “I want to thank the people who believe in me and the people who support Team Baron. Magandang opportunity ito para magkaroon ng disiplina,” the 34-year-old thespian admitted. “Tama yung sabi ni Prof. Alvin [Aguilar] na why fight in the streets when you can settle it inside the cage or sa gym. Dun na lang i-labas yung anger mo.”
In addition, the Angeles City-native commended the real fighters who are in this line of work. “Saling-pusa lang kami dito. The real heroes here are the real fighters that trained here for years,” he reflected. “Hats-off sa kanila. It’s no joke and it’s a very painful sports. At the end of the day, it’s a humbling experience.”
The bout will be under the “pro-am” rules, according to URCC’s head honcho Alvin Aguilar. There will be two three-minute rounds and the bout will be “strictly” officiated, as compared to a normal professional bout. “There will be thicker gloves and they will be getting customized mouthpieces,” Aguilar said. “This is basically a normal MMA bout without knees and the referee will stop the fight when somebody is hurt.”
“If anything happens to them, the URCC will be responsible for them.”
What makes this bout more special for the two personalities is that part of the proceeds will go to charities of their choosing. For Geisler, he plans to donate it to political prisoners. “Part of the proceeds na makukuha namin ay ibibigay namin kay Maricon Montajes, isang political prisoner. Nasa 800,000 pesos yung bail niya kaya we need to come up with that money for him,” Geisler shared.
“Meron pa po sa Pampanga. Yung makukuha namin dito ay ibibigay namin sa mga political prisoners. Kahit mabigwasan ang mga muka namin, it is all good kasi mawawala rin naman yun. Pero yung paghihirap nila mahirap palitan.”
After a brief moment of clarity, the two heated rivals exchanged insults, jabs, and shots that furthered the heated build-up to the bout. “Salamat sa suport galing sa mga fans ko. I love you guys. This is no joke and I will take this seriously,” he concluded.
URCC Fight Night is headlined by a non-title bout pitting URCC Light Heavyweight Champion Chris Hoffman going up against Arvin Chan. The card is set to happen on Saturday, June 28 at 7:00pm. It will be held at the Valkyrie Night Club at the Palace Complex in Taguig City.
