HOUSTON, TX, August 22, 2011 – As far as comparisons go in Houston, the Legacy Fighting Championship is to MMA promotions what Thai Gourmet is to the city’s Thai Cuisine industry – authentic, devoid of fluff, and liable to make you sweat if decide to get really close to the action. Like Kru Pong’s famous Richmond eatery with how they present their dishes, Legacy has chosen to focus on the product (competitive matchups and the fighters themselves) in order to become successful as opposed to marketing shiny gimmicks or sex appeal, as is so often seen in the fly-by-night world of MMA.
With all due respect to the Legacy Ring Girls / Hooters Bikini Team (who are both shiny and sexy), this organization has realized what it takes to maintain a longevity and dignity to the sport through steady, organic growth as the key to its success.
Helmed by Houston’s resident Aussie Mick Maynard, the Legacy organization has actually been in the making for many years, as opposed to being an overnight success. As you’ll see in our numbers below, we’re talking about over 30 events and 300 fights to iron out the kinks and develop a relationship with business partners alike.
As an entity, this organization actually started as a small university-based show named Lonestar Beatdown based in College Station, TX back in November of 2006. With the goal back then being chiefly to bring an exciting form of entertainment to students, Mick and crew set forth to deliver a first event that featured nine fights, including current UFC star Anthony Njokuani. Not knowing what to expect or whether the show would even be profitable, the LSBD crew forged ahead into an unknown territory that included taking over six hours to put together a 16×16 cage, forgotten corner buckets / sponges / gauze, etc., and all other kinds of now-comical lessons at Hurricane Harry’s, the original venue and country bar.
One couldn’t exactly that the show went off “without a hitch,” but it was definitely better than both the promoters and the town bargained for. The promotion ended up with positive reviews from the student population and fighters alike, despite the pact the place was packed to the brim and the original 16×16 cage was so small that fighters could almost reach out and high-five their opponents.
The show went on.
Mick Maynard’s growing promotion would go on to host shows every few months until present day. Each event would aspire to be better than the last and the sum of them all continue to serve as an invaluable learning experience. From putting together the matchups to literally putting together the cage itself (its bigger now), the past 5-6 years have been filled with successes and hard lessons learned as the organization grew organically into what it is today.
All in all, Lonestar Beatdown summed up to nineteen events starting with the first seven shows in Bryan / College Station before branching out to Huntsville, Ft. Worth, and Houston starting in 2008 – a city that’s served as “home base” ever since then.
Starting with Legacy Fighting Championship1 in November 2009, the organization has now hosted seven “numbered” events to go along with four iterations of Legacy Amateur Series, which evolved and rebranded from the earlier Lonestar Beatdown events. Despite the success and thirty shows completed, the organization is only now starting to mature as well.
Legacy reached a milestone this past July 22nd with the first nationally-televised show on HDNet, Legacy Fighting Championship 7: Dollar vs. Prater. The organization is also due back for their second show on the network with Legacy Fighting Championship 8: Spratt vs. Macaco. In addition, they’ve also recently reached a deal with the Verizon Wireless Theatre to host “The Legacy Amateur Series” in order to keep MMA alive in Downtown Houston.
With organic growth continuing to be the key and an unwavering passion for the sport, Maynard and the tight-knit Houston MMA crew look forward to a bright future ahead and we’re honored to be a part of it.
Let’s take a look inside the numbers with the Legacy Fighting Championship with some random facts about the organization as of August 22, 2011:
Total Number of Events Completed – 30
4 Legacy Amateur Series so far.
7 Legacy Fighting Championship events so far.
Total Number of Fights put on by the Organization – 322
This is the total number of pro and amateur fights put on by Mick Maynard to date.
Total Number of Professional Events – 9
All seven of the Legacy FC events to date plus the first two Lonestar Beatdown events
Total Number of Amateur Events – 21
The ongoing Legacy Amateur Series plus Lonestar Beatdown #3-19
Total Number of Fighters that Fought for Both UFC/Strikeforce/WEC and Legacy/LSBD – 8
Anthony Njokuani (UFC / WEC)
Mike Bronzoulis (Strikeforce)
Brian Melancon (Strikeforce)
Todd Moore (Strikeforce / WEC / Dream)
Pete Spratt (UFC)
Frank Gomez (WEC)
Carlo Prater (WEC / Strikeforce)
Cameron Dollar (UFC)
Some Present-Day Fighters who fought for LSBD in the “Early Days”
- LSBD 1 – Anthony Njokuani, David McClung
- LSBD 2 – Ricardo Talavera, Bubba Bush, Alex Cisne (special mention to Coach Jeremy Mahon (4OZ) and Announcer Collin Cantrell
- LSBD 3 – Justin Reiswerg, Chris Jones, RJ KNepp
- LSBD 4 – Chris Spicer, Justin Reiswerg, Jeff Rexroad, Reggie Weathers, Daniel Kim
- LSBD 5 – Justin Reiswerg
- LSBD 6 – Jordan Rivas, Brian Melancon, Mike Jackson, Matt Steward, Andy Sandoval
- LSBD 7 – Bobby Powers, Lester Batres, Greg Bellomy Craig Gardner
- LSBD 8 – Jermaine Anugwom, Nate Garza, Terrance Ferguson, Jonathan Harris, Justin Murray, Alex Black, Bobby Powers
- LSBD 9 – Jimmy Flick, Jordan Rivas
- LSBD 10 – Artenas Young, Jermaine Anugwom, John Malbrough, Jonathan Harris, Alex Morono, Justin Murray, Gilbert Jimenez
Number of Matchmakers for the Organization in its History – 4
Prior to current matchmaker Collin Cantrell, there have been at least two other individuals that have performed in this role in the past (Vincent, Derrick), along with permanent matchmaker Mick Maynard.
Number of Legacy Magazines Published – 3
Beginning in January of 2011, Legacy launched a lifestyle magazine aimed at Legacy Fighting Championship and general MMA fans around the Houston area – proving fighter interviews, event recaps, previews of upcoming events, workout tips, and plenty more. Available at 100’s of locations around Houston, the magazine continues to currently be free for the public both in print and through the online version. The latest issue is scheduled to be released in early September 2011. Until then, here is Issue 1, Issue 2, and Issue 3.
Number of TV Channels the Legacy Fighting Championship Has Aired On – 2
The Legacy Fighting Championship struck a deal with HDNet to broadcast their professional events beginning in July 2011. Some of the organization’s fights also continue to air on the MCB (MiCasa) Broadcast Network.
Number of Calimbas Brothers that have performed as Licensed Timekeepers – 2
That’s right, Kris Calimbas (my brother) and myself performed this duty for many of the early Lonestar Beatdown events.
Number of Shows Held Outdoors – 1
Lonestar Beatdown 7, held at the Jolly Fox in Hunstville, TX on November 14, 2008 in partnership with the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Numbers of Fighters Turned Announcers for the Organization – 1
As a member / owner of Death Row MMA, Collin Cantrell fought for the organization in April of 2007, losing to Avery Bingham by TKO. Reaching a deal with LSBD shortly after that event, Collin soon became the voice of the Lonestar Beatdown and eventually the Legacy Fighting Championship, a role which he continues to thrive in today.
Number of Appearances on HDNet – 1 (so far)
Legacy Fighting Championship 7 featuring Cameron Dollar vs. Carlo Prater was broadcast on the network on Friday, July 22, 2011.
Legacy Fighting Championship 8 featuring Pete Spratt vs. Jorge “Macaco” Patino is scheduled for HDNet Friday Night fights on Friday, September 16, 2011.
To learn more about the history of MMA in the city of Houston, please read Part-One and Part-Two of our series on THE HISTORY OF HOUSTON MMA. Also please make sure to LIKE TXMMA on Facebook when you get the chance and let us know if you have any feedback on how we can serve you better!