How Soon Until History Repeats Itself in New York?

*originally published in Oct ’04 issue of Full Contact Fighter*

Part III

Dreifuss in no stranger to adversity. A few years ago he was struck by a car and left partially paralyzed - which required surgery and years of rehabilitation. Then, with the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11th, 2001, destroying Marcos Santos’ academy, for a while Dreifuss was without a school. But these obstacles don’t seem have slowed him down much. Indeed, for someone whose life-long dream is to compete in Japan’s Shooto promotion, it seems adversity has only made him thrive.

“The fight itself went exactly according to the game plan my coaches and I worked out,” he says, and goes on to describe some self-imposed adversity. “It was actually much easier than in training. I work out with a really fantastic kick-boxer named Brayner Martinez, who actually cracked two of my ribs in training a week before the fight. My best friend Akira, who is also a great striker, was my strategy coach in that department, and he really pushed me hard. So compared to the nightmarish training I did, the fight wasn’t bad at all.”

As most Brazilian Jiu-jitsu representatives in the local MMA scene hail from the Renzo Gracie Academy, seeing a Machado representative step up is a nice change. His thoughts on the show? “The rules are great, very pure NHB, which is what it’s all about isn’t it? …[Jerry and Peter] treated me with exceptional courtesy, and I am very grateful for the opportunity they gave me. I love the venue, and the set-up was great.”

Another standout at the event is Uresk, whose physique, style and intensity make him Long Island’s version of Sean Sherk. Trained by Yuri Valenski of the Brighton Beach Wrestling Club, and with striking skills picked up at Gleason’s, he seems to be a force to be reckoned with.

“The first fight went exactly as I planned,” he says. “I knew that was going to happen - big takedown and knees, Quinton Jackson-style.” On not having an opponent in for the second half of the MMA tournament, he laments: “I was disappointed I didn’t get to fight again… but I had a good time. I did what I had to do.”

What does the future hold for the diminutive powerhouse? “I gotta finish out my wrestling season and try and go ‘All-American’. After that, I’m turning pro, going out to Vegas for Marc Laimon and Master Toddy, and become the next lightweight champ.”

“I thought it went well,” says Mendez of the show. “The fights were all action-packed. I think Eric [Uresk] is gonna be a rising star. The fighters did really well, and they all proved they have heart.”

“All I care about is having a good show,” adds Storm, who afterwards seems the most battered and bruised of all the fighters. “We’re not going to have the best fighters in the world, we’re not even going to have the best fighters on the East Coast. But as long as everybody comes out and puts their heart into it, and they do what they do, the crowd will be happy and the show will grow and the sport will grow.”

“It is really a shame that no large-scale event is allowed in NYC,” says Dreifuss when asked about his thoughts on having a show here in the Big Apple. “I really hate to travel for a fight, and the opportunity to have a promotion right here in Manhattan, in walking distance from the subway, is just fantastic. I sincerely hope that the political winds shift and allow MMA to grow here.”

If history is any indication, it should only be a matter of time.