By Alexia Stout of US Combat Sports
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"What they do is a profession...they don't believe in domestic violence." Isaiah Salazar, part owner of Total Mayhem Promotions, stated about amateur and professional fighters, which is why the kickboxing match on April 7 is so important to him and to others.
The event, called "We're Back II," is helping to promote "Stop the Silence," a local organization working to help victims of domestic violence and to raise awareness of the issue.
The organization is affiliated with One Hit MMA Fitness and Training Facility located in Layton, UT. Samantha Carter, co-founder of Stop the Silence, was inspired to begin the organization after her cousin, Ashlee, became a victim of domestic violence in July of last year. Ashlee, who was badly beaten and thrown out of a car going 65 MPH by her boyfriend, will be giving a speech at the fight.
"If people who are in the public eye can step forward and say they're against this and say that it's a problem then we can raise awareness," Samantha stated in an interview. "People really just don't know how bad it is."
While Total Mayhem Promotions was in the beginning stages of planning the event, members of One Hit MMA approached them to ask if they would help Ashlee and Samantha's cause. Total Mayhem jumped at the chance to give testimony that MMA is not about violence and the fighters in the ring are against any type of domestic violence and abuse.
"When you're going in there, in the cage or the ring, it's discipline against discipline. It's not in rage, it's not 'cause you're mad. It's not for any other reason--it's discipline against discipline...that's the kind of message we're trying to put out there," Salazar stated.
Salazar became deeply inspired after hearing Ashlee's story, her miraculous survival and what Stop the Silence was working to do. He actually had to find a new opponent after hearing that one of the fighters, Dave Foley, injured his back and was no longer able to compete. Thankfully, Salazar found someone willing to step up and make sure that the fight would still happen.
The two fighters are now Patrick Reeves and Steve Sharp. Reeves, who measures in at 6'1" and 155-pounds, has a four-inch advantage against Sharp, at 5'9" and 160 pounds. However, Sharp's record so far is 28-14 and Reeve's record is 13-17.
The event will have prizes, giveaways, a full bar and multiple vendor booths including one for people wanting more information from Stop the Silence, and Ashlee will be making a speech about her story and the story of the organization. The fight will also be broadcasted live on GFL.tv at 7pm.
The official weigh-in for the fight is the Friday before, on April 6th at Brewskies located in Ogden, UT. Other local MMA fighters will make an appearance at this weigh-in.