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Respect In The Cage - John Pena’s exciting new MMA show earned tons of “respect” from fans and fighters alike with a top-notch card featuring Shonie Carter and Danny Abbadi and a first-rate production with all the bells and whistles!d - Story and Photos by Todd Hester

Pico Rivera Sports Arena, Pico Rivera, California − If Respect in the Cage was a car it wouldn’t be a four-banger econobox with stock rims, AM radio and cloth interior, but rather a deluxe eight-cylinder turbocharged screamer with headers, Magnaflow mufflers, a leather interior, high-powered stereo and 20” rims. Promoter John Pena, with a strong background in event production and the owner of several businesses in the East LA area, kicked off the new Respect in the Cage show with a sterling card featuring UFC veterans Shonie Carter and Dani Abbaddi and MMA contenders , Joe Camacho, Bao Quach and Shad Smith. This wasn’t as much a show as it was a happening as it was held in a arena-inthe- round with great seats everywhere, MMA vendors and merchandisers galore, and celebrity guests signing autographs for lucky fans.

Shonie Carter vs. Danny Abbadi
Veteran cagefighter Shonie Carter has been written off by the MMA powers-that-be more times than Dana White has put his foot in his mouth (and that’s a lot!). But there is one thing that keeps “Mr. International” coming back to the spotlight − he will bang with anyone and he knows how to win. With a 48-19-7 record, including a 7-3 mark in his last 10 matches, Carter refuses to go away and can still be counted as one of the most-respected fighters in the sport. Facing him was Dani Abaddi, a much younger fighter whose 3-6 record is deceptive as several of those losses have come on national TV and international PPV to the likes of Jorge Gurgel and Kalib Starnes. Before the match, Abbadi claimed that Carter’s time was done and it was time for the younger generation to take over MMA. Although the claim was a great sound bite, it was clear from the opening bell that Abbadi had a lot of respect for Carter’s experience. Circling and keeping his distance, Abbadi stalked Carter, avoiding his long-range kicks and punches, and clinched him against the cage, trying to maul him with inside punches and knees. Carter, however, one of the most clever fighters around, deftly escaped the clinch and moved the fight to the center of the cage where he landed several inside knees and started to bang away with calculated kicks and punches from distance. Apparently not wanting to let Carter control the momentum, Abbadi stepped in, threw several sharp punches and kicks of his own. Carter responded with a monster right hook that caught Abbadi flush on the face and dropped him motionless to the mat at 4:03 of round one for a devastating KO win. Shonie Carter can still bring it.

Feature Fights
Anthony McDavitt and Joe Camacho faced off in a three-round affair that saw Camacho move forward the entire fight but yet be unable to land any hard punches or string together consistent combinations. Effectively frustrating Camacho throughout the match, McDavitt was very elusive and precise in his counterpunching and punished Camacho repeatedly with low leg kicks, throwing less but landing more and doing more damage. When the decision was announced it seemed a forgone conclusion that McDavitt had won. However, giving Camacho seemingly unlimited Wall St.-type bailout credit for his aggressiveness and positional control, and ignoring the damage done by McDavitt, the judges scored it a unanimous win for Camacho. Rule number one in MMA: never let a fight go to the judges’ cards. Bao Quach, with 11 wins in his last 12 matches, covering a span of three years, has been on a long-term tear. The tough Aaron and sent Smith to the winner’s circle at just 36 seconds of round one. Smith is very dangerous when he fights with confidence and aggression as he did in this match.


Preliminary Action
Ritchie Whitson survived some early submission attempts by BJJ stylist Leonardo Soares to pound out a powerful three-round decision and go to 6-0. Mike Sandes also got a three round nod over Harold Lucambio. Tim Persey and Aaron Hayes battled to a judges’ draw, despite the fact that everyone in the stadium, including the ring girls, food vendors, security guards, and parking lot attendants (did I miss anyone?) had Persey winning it easily −even Hayes’ cornermen seemed stunned by the decision (I knew I forgot someone!). Eli Hoyle got a quick round one, 1:51, groundand-pound TKO over Miles Howard, while George Valdez made quick work of Jamie Walsh via a round two, 1:02, triangle choke.

Respect in the Cage 1 Results
Shonie Carter DEF Danny Abbadi, R1, 4:23, KO
Joe Camacho DEF Anthony McDavitt, 3R, Dec
Bao Quach DEF Aaron Miller, R2, 1:34, Armbar
Shad Smith DEF Octavio Moreles, R1, :36, KO
Richie Whitson DEF Leonardo Soares, 3R, Dec
Mike Sandez DEF Harold Lucambro, 3R, Dec
Tim Persey DRAW Aaron Hayes, 3R
Eli Hoyle DEF Miles Howard, R1, 1:51, TKO, G&P
George Valdez DEF Jaime Walsh, R2, 1:02,Triangle Choke

Notes About John Pena - Founder
“Being a fan of ultimate fighting, I realized it was more than two guys going at it,” said “Respect in the Cage” creator and promoter, John Peña. “There was so much respect between the fighters.”

Peña, a San Gabriel Valley native who currently resides in Pasadena, has been promoting night clubs, festivals and concerts for the past 18 years. He got involved in MMA when staff members at his restaurant started participating in the sport.

He later realized not too many facilities catered to the MMA fan, even though it is the No. 1 watched sport by men ages 18-55, and the No. 1 growing sport worldwide.
“A lot of people respect and look up to these fighters,” Peña said. “I thought there should be an outlet for them to see these events up close and personal.”
“Respect in the Cage” will kick off with an expo at 2 p.m., and the fights will follow starting at 6 p.m

Tickets Available Now!

Located at
Fox Theatre - Pomona, CA
FoxPomona.com