|
Local fighter's first bout is Saturday at BankAtlantic
By Mario Sarmento
SPORTS EDITOR
Nicolae Cury will be fighting in his first MMA event Saturday, and his timing couldn’t be any better.
Cury, a Deerfield Beach resident who will be relocating to Boca, will fight fellow Brazilian Jorge Bouchat on the undercard of the Elite XC Saturday Night Fights, which will take place at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise Saturday.
The bout will not be televised, while the headline bout featuring Miami’s Kimbo Slice against MMA legend Ken Shamrock will be broadcast live on CBS.
It’s been a long, strange trip for the 28-year-old, who started training for judo and jiu-jitsu at the age of 6.
After winning several championships and acquiring black belts in both disciplines in his home country, Cury dedicated himself to qualifying for judo in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
When he failed to do so however, Cury’s life in Brazil began to unravel.
He lost his sponsorships and was low on cash, so he moved to Hawaii to train with a friend for muay thai and boxing. Cury soon found an opportunity to train and become an instructor at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, where he has been working the last seven months.
“Thank God this MMA came to my mind, it has been my dream also,” he said.
Cury has to wait
Cury was supposed to have his first bout in Hawaii, but his opponent canceled at the last moment. The same thing would happen when he started at American Top Team.
In fact, Cury was supposed to fight Miami’s David Martinez in Saturday’s event, but he too withdrew.
Luckily, just last week Bouchat stepped up to take his place.
“The guys experienced in MMA, they don’t want to fight me because I don’t have any fights,” Cury said.
“And the guys with three or four fights, they don’t want to fight me because I have two black belts.”
Cury moved down from his natural 170-pound weight class to 160, which is the weight he will fight at this weekend.
Normally, the 6-foot-2 Cury has the height advantage on his opponents, but Bouchat checks in just an inch shorter, so the fight should be evenly matched.
Cury has an added advantage in that he’s been able to scout Bouchat on YouTube and watch some of his fights, while Cury doesn’t have much video besides some old judo and jiu-jitsu bouts.
“I know the guy is a jiu-jitsu guy, and I that’s my strongest point,” Cury said. “I’m working a lot with my hands and my legs to kick, and also I’m going to try and surprise him. As soon as I get a chance, I want to go to the ground and finish the fight on the ground.”
Cury is hoping this bout will give him enough exposure to get the sponsorship he needs.
For most novices, having their first bout in a packed major arena on national television would make them quite anxious, but Cury doesn’t feel that way, having fought before similarly sized crowds in Brazil when he was a judo and jiu-jitsu fighter.
“I’m used to it, and what I have to think about it is just the fight,” he said. “After the fight I’m going to go and enjoy the event. But before the fight it’s just me and him and that’s all that matters.”
Fight schedule
Other non-televised bouts are as follows:
David Gomez of Miami battles Nicholas Cardella of Miami at 140 pounds; Lorenzo Borgomeo (4-0) of Miami clashes with Mickey Gomez (7-4) of Orlando at 170 pounds; Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli (9-4) of Ft. Meyers goes against Aaron Rosa (11-2) of San Antonio, Tex., at 205 pounds; Edson “Little Tiger” Berto (14-5-1) of Tampa faces “Iron” Mike Aina (10-6-1) of Hilo, Hawaii, at 160 pounds; and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (5-1) of Brazil battles Yoko Takahashi (13-9-1) of Japan at 148 pounds.
The televised bouts are:
• Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley (for EliteXC Welterweight title)
• Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold (Women’s 140-pound weight class)
• Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Benji Radach (Middleweights).
Tickets start at $30 and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (954) 523-3309 in Broward County, (305) 358-5885 in Dade County and (561) 966-3309 in Palm Beach County, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankAtlantic Center box offices (954) 835-7825.
The BankAtlantic Center box offices are located on both the North and South sides of the main entrance.
Normal business hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The box office will be open the day of the event beginning at 10 a.m.
The first live fight begins at 6 p.m, with the telecast running from 9-11 p.m.
| |
