Next MMA Fighter

We spoke with Aaron “Tex” Johnson after his big win at Battle of Rome on 1-23-10

We got some time with Donta Jones and Phillipe Gentry after their wins at Fanatic Fight Night 3.

Donta Jones – Alpha Fighting Systems – Sponsored Fan

Phillipe Gentry – Alliance/Eagle Kickboxing

We were happy to be a part of Fanatic Fight Night on Saturday which featured some great up and coming Amateurs. Here are the quick results and look for full round by round summaries along with Event pictures to follow tomorrow. We will also have an interview up that we took with Amateur fighter Diangelo Bynum.

Thanks again to Sponsored Fan and Fanatic Fight night for a great night of action.

Allen Little def Alex Ferguson in Rd 1. Submission.

Josh Downing vs.
 Joey Nicoson. Downing wins by KO

Michael Depeyster def. Clay Bowen. Split Decision.

Diangelo Bynum def Hector Espinoza. Unanimous Decision.

Jason Valle def. Dar Shorunke by unanimous decision.

Jestin “Spanky” Woods def Nick Poythress by submission (armbar)

Daniel Norton wins the main event with an armbar over Aundre Evans.

Daniel Norton is going to be headlining a great all-amateur show presented by Fanatic Fight Night on Saturday night in Hiram, GA. We are excited to see these aspiring fighters in action this weekend, and we got a chance to talk to Daniel as he gets ready for his second fight of his young career.

NextMMAFighter: Daniel, thanks for taking the time to speak with us before your fight on Saturday. How is the training coming along?

Daniel Norton: First off, thank you for the opportunity to be on your site. I am new to the MMA scene and it’s great to have a forum such as Nextmmafighter.com for young fighters like myself to talk about our training and our goals.

My training is coming along really good. I have been training BJJ for a little over two years and just received my Blue Belt a couple months ago. I just started training standup a couple of weeks before my first fight, and I feel like with the coaching of Welton Sanders and Scott Sarratt I have improved drastically since my first fight.

NextMMAFighter: What do you know about your opponent, and how do you see your fight playing out?

Daniel Norton: This is going to be a great match-up for me. My opponent is 6’2″ and has the same record as me, at 1-0. He comes from Messiah MMA in Columbus, GA, and I know he will be ready to fight.

I would like to have some fun in the cage and see if my standup has improved, and [I want to] stand with him, as I hear he is a striker. If I feel that I am not winning on my feet, I will take it to the ground and try to submit him.

I am looking forward to getting in there and competing!

NextMMAFighter: As an amateur fighter, you are fighting for the love of the sport, but is your goal to be a full time Mixed Martial Artist?

Daniel Norton: As of right now, yes, I would like to do this full time. However I am pretty new to the sport. I want to continue fighting and see if I have the potential to go places and use this as a source of income.

I will say, if the day comes that this stops being fun for me, I am out. But for now I am having fun, so I will keep on fighting!

NextMMAFighter: Tell us about your fight team and why you chose to train there.

Daniel Norton: I train at Alpha MMA and Fitness in Hiram, GA. I chose Alpha because I went there for a few weeks prior to joining, and the trainers, coaches, and fighters pushed me really hard during the workouts, and this made me improve pretty quickly.

Everyone at Alpha tries to help each other out; like most gyms, the guys there are like a family.

NextMMAFighter: Who are some current or past fighters that you look up to?

Daniel Norton: On the local fight scene, I really lookup to Eddie “Showtime” Walker. That guy has great standup and he has great character. I am looking forward to seeing him fight in January on the next Sin City Fight Club card at Centerstage. I know he is going to make it big one day.

Another guy I look up to is Tex Johnson. Let’s face it — his BJJ is sick, and he makes me better every time I train with him. I appreciate all of his help.

If I had to pick one UFC guy, it would be Matt Hughes. Matt is in the public eye and he sticks to his faith and belief system and never wavers from his morals. I respect that.

NextMMAFighter: What are some of your favorite things to do when you’re not training?

Daniel Norton: I enjoy playing basketball and football. A little-known fact about me: I like to read theological books.

NextMMAFighter: As you continue to grow as a fighter, what part of your game have you picked up the fastest?

Daniel Norton: I grew up wrestling, so BJJ and grappling has come naturally to me. I think I am picking up on striking pretty quickly. I hope to continue to improve my standup game.

NextMMAFighter: Fanatic Fight Night is putting on an all-amateur show that will look to spotlight some up-and-coming fighters. How important are small shows like this to growing the sport in your opinion?

Daniel Norton: Very important. This is where every pro fighter has started. These shows give fighters the opportunity to showcase their skills and find their weaknesses prior to turning pro. You have to have a foundation to build on; these fights in these smaller arenas give you the opportunity to compete and identify your strengths and weaknesses and allow you to make changes before it really counts — on your pro record!

NextMMAFighter: What makes you the Next MMA Fighter and sets you apart from the rest?

Daniel Norton: Maybe it’s my 82-inch reach and hard head! Just kidding. I don’t know, man, I am very new to all of this and I am just enjoying the competition. Like I said earlier, I don’t know how far I am going to go, but I am definitely going to have fun along the way.

NextMMAFighter: Thanks for meeting with us today, and good luck on Saturday. In closing is there anyone you would like to thank?

Daniel Norton: I would like to thank Alpha Fitness and MMA; my managers at Sponsored Fan Sport and Event Marketing for representing me; my coaches and training partners, Jimmy Long, Welton Sanders, Tex Johnson, and Jarod Brackett; and my Savior.

Special thanks to Shayne Newton and Fanatic Fight Nite, and of course NextMMAFighter.com for the interview.

Check out www.sponsoredfan.com for more info on the show, and while you are there, sign up for the e-Newsletter to receive special discounted ticket offers on upcoming Fanatic Fight Nite shows.

On Saturday night the NextMMAFighter crew will be live in Hiram, GA at Alpha Fighting Systems for an all amateur fight card. Were real excited to be a part of this event because its smaller shows like this that give young fighters a chance to make a name for themselves.

Tickets and information is available by calling 678-232-1763 and the current fight card is listed below. Last event they had here they had to turn people away at the door so if you’re going get there early. See you there!

Fight Card

Daniel Norton 1-0-0, 6’2”, 205 Alpha vs. 
Aundre Evans 1-0-0, 205 Messiahs Martial Arts

Donta Jones 1-0-0, 6’2”, 220 Alpha vs. Ron Cotton 0-0-0, Thunder MMA

Clay Bowen 1-0-0, 170 Eagle Kickboxing vs. Michael Depeyster 0-0-0, 170 TufMMA

Diangelo Bynum 1-0-0, 135 Cook’s Impact vs. Hector Espinoza 1-1-0, 5’8”, 135 Messiahs Martial Arts

Josh Downing 3-1-0, 155 Cook’s Impact vs.
 Joey Nicoson 1-1-0, 155 Genesis

Allen Little 0-0-0, 173 Eagle Kickboxing vs. Alex Fergueson MMA 0-0 (Kickboxing 5-1) 5′ 11″ 165-170 LBS Team Cagegear

Jestin ‘Spanky’ Woods*** 0-0-0, 185 Knuckle Up vs.
Nick Poythress 1-0-0, 185 Thunder MMA

Jason Crabtree 0-0-0, 155 Alpha vs.
Chris Cruise
Dar Shorunke 0-2-0, 145 Eagle Kickboxing vs/ Jason Valle MMA 1-1 (Ground) 5′7″ 145-150 Team Cagegear