The Predator or Prey presented by the Gorilla Warfare Productions is featuring top fighters from different MMA teams on the island, that includes Trench Tech—Purebred Saipan, Dragon Tribe, Marianas Elite, Predator Combat Team, Choke Chain, Team Zalaka, Team Zogai and Koru Gym.
In an interview over the weekend, Alvarez said it is going to be the first time people on Saipan would see him fight in the island’s MMA arena.
The Predator or Prey, like any other MMA events gives the local fighters more opportunities.
To him, Alvarez said it’s a great one since its going to be his first time to fight MMA on Saipan where, he just realized, he had been busy training and promoting other fighters.
He never fought in any of the events he organized because he was busy training other fighter on Saipan.
“I spent more time promoting fighter and events than doing the fight himself because it gives me satisfaction giving opportunity to these kids.”
Alvarez who organized the Trench Tech three years ago has fought in a number of MMA events but none of them were on Saipan. It turns out that what he teaches his students and what he continuously learns while he’s doing that, he’s been putting into action in the fights held in the neighboring island where only a handful of teammates would have the chance to see him in action.
One of his students reminded Alvarez that he had fought on Saipan back in April 2005 but he was quick to recall, it was not MMA but a mere submission match. It’s different.
This time, it’s MMA and it’s Alvarez’ first time to do something he’s been promoting for years.
The 37-year-old former motocross ace rider said he’s kind of “late bloomer” in this sports, adding that he did not do MMA until 2000. He recalled it was that year when he first heard of MMA.
It was also his first crack on jujitsu a martial arts that bears the closest resemblance to MMA, when his cousin who was then a jujitsu fighter invited him to watch his MMA fight in Guam.
That encouraged him to learn the mixed martial arts and put up his own MMA team that later became the Trench Tech.
Alvarez said he and his Trench Tech partners had already organized their own event—The Trench Warz I—Fight Night, when he had his first MMA fight.
A month after the inaugural Trench Warz I in 2005, he was invited to fight in Fury Fighting Islands 5 that was held in Guam where he defeated Billy Ada who was more experienced that him. Alvarez won by TKO as he pounded his opponent with a flurry of punches in the first round.
Alvarez recalled that his third fight—Fury Fighting 7 was the most exciting one. Via unanimous decision, he beat Leo Cing who, aside from being much younger than him—18 years-old, and southpaw which for him is a kind of fighter that is very difficult to fight.
With a 4 win and 0 loss record, Alvarez who broke his bones twice—ankle and collarbone—only to motocross, had, so far, not tasted defeat.
In MMA he said the well-rounded fighter is more likely to win the fight. That’s the reason it is called mixed martial arts, he said.
MMA he added is really about taking down your opponent out of his game.
He won all his fights somewhere else and he assures he’s going to win right here on his own island.
WHAT makes Pete “The Dragon” Guerrero different from Alvarez is that, he did not start in MMA right away.
“I have a foundation in specific martial arts which I’ve been doing even before I got into street fights,” Guerrero said in an interview.
Guerrero rooted his fighting back round from Kyokushin—Karate for which he got a black belt years ago. He is also a black belter in Tae Kwon Do back in 1997.
“The Dragon” who is still working out to put up a gym named after his AKA, never fought MMA on Saipan but fought in a lot of marital arts competitions.
He won first place in Karate and brought home a silver medal in Tae Kwon Do in 1999 South Pacific Games.
So, he said, not having fought MMA does not necessarily mean he’s not familiar with MMA.
Guerrero disclosed that even before MMA came to Saipan, he had been cross-training in different martial arts.
He went to California and studied combative martial arts, cross-trained in kick boxing, and took lessons in Muay Thai until he was able to blend Tae Kwon Do and kick boxing into his own fighting style.
“For me, MMA is an event when any fighter with an expertise can fight,” he said, adding that no matter how long, for any person who trains, amount of time in training should be taken into consideration.
And with that, it is important a fighter of a certain martial arts have to cross-train with other form of martial arts.
Guerrero said he knows his strength is now standup fight but he has been cross-training in ground fight for a couple of months now.
He said his willingness to join the Predator or Prey event is a show of support for anybody involved in MMA no matter which gym or team.
“I’m not prejudicial to any MMA gym,” he said.
He added that in this upcoming fight “what you bring to the table is what it is.”
