The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Centre ice at the Creighton Sportex is taking the form of a 20x20 cage with six foot high fences. Throw in a few fighters and for the first time, Extreme Cage Wars is coming to town. Saturday night will see a number of fights, with some local participants. Dave Lochert, the President of Extreme Cage Wars, says it will be similar to UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). ÒItÕs the most realistic fighting you can get,Ó he said in a phone interview. ÒYou're not just trying to score points, itÕs trying to afflict the most damage as possible.Ó With a minimum of six fights and a maximum of 12 lined up for the evening, which Lochert says is a typical line up, he sees a variety of different people in the audience. ÒItÕs everyone from junior high and high school kids to Moms and Dads.Ó The onlookers will see the fighters take their best shots at the opponents as they try to take them down. ÒYou have to submit your opponent,Ó he says. ÒIt could be stand up and take down to the ground. You can put them in a choke hold or an arm bar.Ó The amateur fighters will be in the cage for two five-minute rounds while the pros go three five-minute rounds. But as Lochert states, the fighters arenÕt just running around hitting each other. ÒThey train in boxing, kick boxing, martial arts and lots of other stuff,Ó he says. With the fights Saturday night at the Sportex, the Extreme Cage Wars fighters will be at Burkees on Friday night for a weigh in, which Lochert says people are able to watch.
