Mixed martial arts competitors maintain a high level of cardio fitness. Boxer, trainer and promoter Jeff Cisneros knows this from his time in the ring. But when he talks about “heart,” he’s not just talking about muscle.
“Your heart feels like it’s going to come through your chest. It’s pure intensity,” says Cisneros, 30, who fought in 29 amateur boxing bouts in his younger years.
Playing off the annual CU vs. CSU grudge match, Cisneros created the Rocky Mountain Beatdown as part of his series of cage fights at the Grizzly Rose nightclub. The event Friday pits fans and alums of the two schools in eight amateur mixed martial arts fights of three 3-minute rounds.
If a fighter gets pinned, he has to find a way to regain his footing, or surrender by tapping out. Most do not go the distance.
“Some guys have the heart of the lion and they push through,” says Cisneros, who will fight William Miller, an Aurora police officer representing CU, on Friday.
Mixed martial arts, also known as extreme or cage fighting, is the wildly popular sport whose pay-per- view pre-eminence has trickled down to regional arenas, local gyms and basement rec rooms — basically anywhere boys are.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship series (insiders call the UFC the NFL of MMA) has emerged as the leader in the field since its first fight in 1993 right here in Denver at the old McNichols Arena.
The sport combines elements of boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and jiujitsu in a padded, mesh-enclosed octagon. Rules for the Beatdown events include “no eye gouging, no groin shots, no knees or elbows to the face, and you can’t kick to the head if your opponent is in a three-point stance on the ground,” says Cisneros.
To the uninitiated (and the fighters’ moms), it looks like a free-for-all.
First-time fighter Paul Shine, 28, will represent his hometown team, the CSU Rams, vs. Boulderite Leo Grachev, 20. For Shine, the Beatdown is a chance to prove his athleticism to himself. But when I point out that he could play golf against himself (and avoid getting hurt), Shine laughs.
“I suppose I could play golf or tennis or run marathons,” says the amateur kickboxer and former high-school football player. “In MMA, it’s just you. There’s no excuses, nobody to push the blame onto if you lose. And I like the fact that it’s a combat sport.”
So do the fans. “It’s much more entertaining than boxing. The fights are shorter, so you don’t have to have a long attention span,” says Grizzly Rose owner Scott Durland. The previous four Beatdown events have attracted crowds, he says, but “not nearly as rambunctious and noisy as it is normally,” with the octagon in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by reserved seating.
“We’ve had nothing but good luck,” says Durland. “We have always brought in extra security. It’s just the nature of the word ‘fight.’ “
The fights are sanctioned by the Colorado Boxing Commission, which licenses promoters and oversees fighters’ blood tests and weigh-ins. The American Medical Association opposes extreme fighting events and boxing, both amateur and professional. Its official position calls on states to support “efforts to educate the American public, especially children and young adults, about the dangerous effects of boxing on the health of participants.”
But the popularity of mixed martial arts fighting and spectating continues to grow. In his 2009 book on the phenomenon, Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim estimated the value of the industry at $500 million. In “Blood in the Cage,” citing Mike Tyson’s assessment of boxing as the “hurt business,” Wertheim calls MMA “the real hurt business.”
“MMA is, unmistakably, an acquired taste. Pitting two men against each other inside a steel cage carries medieval echoes,” writes Wertheim. “These are men who take the warrior ideal to a new level.”
Indeed, the Army and the Marines have adopted MMA- style training techniques, and the sport is popular among law enforcement officers. Previous Beatdowns pitted cop vs. cop and Army against Marines, and raised money for related charities.
“You can do things in the cage that normally you would get arrested for,” says Shine. “But fighters are probably the most humble, down-to-earth guys you will ever meet. They are the last guys to bump into you in the bar and the first to say ‘let’s not fight about it.’ “
They save it for the ring, or in this case, the octagon.
“If you train enough, it’s kind of a beautiful violence,” says Shine, whose mother plans to watch her son’s first bout. “It’s not just angry, uncontrolled destruction. It’s deconstruction of your opponent in a very calculated way.”
Promoter Cisneros’ mom is not so sure.
“My mom said, ‘Why would you do that? What happens if you break your nose?’ ” says Cisneros, who survived four years of USA Boxing with his septum intact.
It remains to be seen if it will make it past Friday.
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com.
Cisneros’ training regimen
Here’s how Jeff Cisneros trained for his mixed martial arts fight:
6 a.m. daily: 3-mile run
10 a.m. six days a week: Light weightlifting session at 24 Hour Fitness, 16-25 reps on each weight/machine focusing on a specific body part. Example: Standing dumbbell curls 25 pounds-25 reps-4 sets. “I work with both free weights and machines to change it up but never lift too heavy,” Cisneros says.
4 p.m. five days a week: Kickboxing class at LA Boxing.
8 p.m. five days a week: Private wrestling class.
Three days a week: CrossFit strength and conditioning. Example: 5 minute sets of box jumps, core ball squats, pushups, box step-ups holding a 12-pound medicine ball, each followed by a 1-minute rest. “Then I finish up with pull-ups, as many as I can in one minute, with a 30-second break, for 4 sets.”
Kristen Browning-Blas
Rock-hard recipes
In addition to promoting mixed martial arts fights, Jeff Cisneros works as a personal trainer and nutrition consultant through his website, . “I tell people diet is 70 percent. It’s really a lifestyle change,” he says. He sticks to lean protein, whole grains and the bodybuilder’s favorite, protein shakes. He shared some of his go-to recipes.
Whole-Wheat Waffles
From Jeff Cisneros of Rockhard Nutrition. Makes 10-12 waffles.
Ingredients
1 cup fat-free skim milk
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
2 tablespoons Splenda
3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 stiffly beaten egg whites
2 teaspoons baking powder
Directions
In a large bowl, combine milk and oil.
Combine Splenda, salt, and flour and add to liquid mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold in egg whites. Sift baking powder lightly over mixture and fold in quickly.
Bake on hot waffle iron.
Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough
From Jeff Cisneros of Rockhard Nutrition. Makes 1 crust.
Ingredients
1 package (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons Splenda
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sea salt and Splenda. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture and stir until dough is formed. Knead in olive oil on lightly floured surface. Put in greased bowl, cover and let rise about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Form into a ball and roll out. Add toppings and bake for about 20 minutes.
