Masters of Mayhem

What’s it take to get a Mixed Martial Arts organization off the ground? Ricky Folse knows. The MMA/boxing/kickboxing vet of 45 bouts was getting frustrated with the lack of fights in his home state of Louisiana (stemming, he says, from controversy over the “brutal” nature of the sport). So Folse...

By John Linn

December 13, 2007

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What’s it take to get a Mixed Martial Arts organization off the ground? Ricky Folse knows. The MMA/boxing/kickboxing vet of 45 bouts was getting frustrated with the lack of fights in his home state of Louisiana (stemming, he says, from controversy over the “brutal” nature of the sport). So Folse enlisted some of the nation’s up-and-coming fighters to form an MMA organization of his own: Universal Gladiator Championships. Since getting its start in a tiny bingo hall in Houma, Louisiana, UGC has moved onto selling out big card fights across the South. And thanks to the league’s success, Folse has earned national exposure for a whole bunch of talented, aspiring fighters -- including former UGC champs, Tim Credeur and Jeremy Stephens, who’ve each gone on to fight in the UFC.

But UGC isn’t just a feeder league for UFC. Folse is adamant about entertaining his audiences by carefully matching the best fighters he can find. Keeping with that tradition is his latest event, UGC 6: Mayhem in Miami, taking place Friday at Area 51 (950 NE Second Ave., Miami). The 11-match card has local boy Charles “Casper” Vila taking on New Orleans’ Miguel Aguil. Plus the main event: Rolando Dominique of Fairbanks, Alaska, against Miami’s own Rich Attonito. And after the last ass is kicked, Folse and crew will throw down with a dance party to rock you well into the night. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets cost $60. Visit www.wantickets.com, or call 305-577-3091.
Fri., Dec. 14, 6 p.m., 2007

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