RPBJJ’s Adan De La Garza on returning to Pharr to fight in front of his hometown at UWF 1

Adan De La Garza | Photo: Bryan Le Photography

SAN ANTONIO, TX, November 243, 2011 – Heading into this Saturday night’s premiere for Ultimate Warrior Fighting, one of the main goals for event promoter Oscar Enriquez is to use this show as a springboard to further grow MMA in the Rio Grande Valley. As a lead-in towards that initiative, UWF has crafted their initial fight card offering to include a multiple of fighters native to the area, including main event headliner Roger “El Matador” Huerta and several others up and down the card.

It should be a very exciting time for local fans.

One person also excited about this Saturday is 26 year old Adan De La Garza. Currently a full-time student at Texas A&M University–San Antonio, Adan was both and raised in the Rio Grande Valley before making the move to San Antonio little over five years ago. Before then, he attended PSJA North High School in Pharr, the same high school Roger Huerta once attended and wrestled for once upon a time.

“I actually went to watch him fight in South Padre,” De La Garza said about Huerta and how he got hooked on MMA. “He wrestled for my high school a few years before I did so I knew who he was and thought it was cool that a Valley guy was coming up in fighting. That pretty much motivated me to get started because if he could do it, I thought I could too.”

Fast forward several years and he’ll be fighting on the same card as his idol this Saturday at UWF 1.

“It’s pretty crazy because I never thought that I’d be fighting pro or anything like that. On top of that, I never thought that I’d ever get a chance to do so in my hometown since the sport is bigger in other cities like San Antonio and Houston. To actually be fighting on the same card as Roger and in my hometown is a big honor for me.”

Looking ahead, Adan is confident that he’ll be putting on a good show despite taking this fight on late notice just a few weeks ago. According to him, it’s a testament to his team that he’ll be walking into the cage with the confidence needed to win.

“I’ve been at Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ and Pete Spratt Muay Thai since the beginning of June this past summer and I feel like my game has totally changed since I’ve been there. It’s a very good fit. I took this fight on late notice (4^th of this month) but I’ve been hitting the gym hard with 2 or 3-a-days and all that stuff. Pete Spratt has been helping me a ton with striking and I’ve been working with Daniel Pinheiro on my ground game. It’s been fun getting ready with all the beasts we have at RPBJJ. I feel really lucky and really fortunate to be with the team that I’m with and it makes me feel really confident heading into this fight.”

Heading into UWF 1, he may not have had the opportunity to study his opponent Alfredo Castro in full details but expects a good fight.

“I don’t know too much about my opponent but I know he’s a Valley guy too so he’s got to be a tough guy. That’s pretty much all I know about him but I’ll be ready to strike or fight on the ground. I’m just going to let the fight run its course.”

“I hope everybody comes out and supports this show. It’s UWF’s first event and it seems like they’re doing things pretty well with bringing down some good names and putting together a fun card. The community should come out and support this so we can keep bringing quality fights down here. It’s a great opportunity to build MMA in South Texas.”

► Note: UWF 1: Roger Huerta vs War Machine will be broadcast LIVE from the Pharr Events Center through Webcast PPV on Go Fight LIVE. TXMMA’s Paul Erickson will be commentating alongside UFC-veteran Phil Baroni so make sure you order the event!

Fighter Acknowledgements

“Thanks God for giving me the strength to be able to train and take care of what I need to take care of. Also thanks to my coaches and teammates at Rodrigo Pinheiro JJ – especially Daniel Pinheiro and Pete Spratt. Thanks also to Bryan Le Photography, Valley Fit, and South Texas Baseball Academy – home of the longhorns!”  - Adan De La Garza

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About Mike Calimbas

Mike Calimbas is a mainstay within the Texas MMA and Grappling scene and a frequent contributor to TXMMA.com and other publications, online and print, as writer, photographer, and analyst. To contact Mike for any reason, feel free to add him to your network through the Facebook and Twitter links directly below. Also, follow along on Twitter via @TXMMAfeed (#MMA) and @mikecalimbas (everything else)!

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