Ufc

Local UFC fighter back in the octagon this month

KELOWNA - Local MMA welterweight Matt Dwyer will be back in the UFC octagon for the fourth time at the end of this month. Dwyer, 25, a Kelowna resident since he was two years old, fights out of Toshido MMA. He was signed to a remarkably rare four-fight contract with the UFC in 2014 and although...

VIDEO: Coach of Okanagan MMA club talks about runaway success

KELOWNA - An online fight website has profiled local MMA coach David Lea about his gym’s remarkable success in the world of professional fighting. David Lea is the coach of Toshido MMA. In the video, produced for MMAmadhouse.com, Lea describes how he started the club in 1998, only five years after the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

UFC extends contract with Kelowna fighter

KELOWNA – Local UFC welterweight Matt Dwyer has had his UFC contract extended by four fights. Dwyer, 25, a Kelowna resident since he was two years old, fights out of Toshido MMA in Kelowna. He was signed to a remarkably rare four-fight contract with the UFC in 2014. Although his first appearance resulted in a...

Three local fighters take centre stage in UFC next week

KELOWNA – It’s a huge week ahead for Kelowna fans of the UFC. Three local fighters, Rory MacDonald, Matt Dwyer and Sarah Moras, will step into the octagon to represent local fight club Toshido Mixed Martial Arts. On Saturday, July 11, Rory MacDonald (18-2) squares off for the second time against legendary Pat Miletich-trained fighter...

Local fighter readies for UFC 186 in Montreal

KELOWNA - A local MMA fighter is in Montreal this week getting ready for his first match in the UFC. Shane "Shaolin" Campbell is the fourth Kelowna-based fighter to be called by the biggest promotion in the world. He was asked last minute if he would be willing to fill in on the main card...

Fourth Kelowna fighter signs with UFC

KELOWNA – Another member of Kelowna’s Team Toshido has been signed to the UFC. Shane “Shaolin” Campbell, 28, who came to Kelowna from Edmonton five months ago, is a 6’ lightweight with a professional record of 11-2. With a background in Muay Thai, Campbell has fought around 90 times in the ten years since he...

Kelowna fighter makes UFC history

KELOWNA – Matt Dwyer will never forget his first trip outside of Canada. Not only did the Rutland Senior Secondary graduate score his first win in the UFC, but he did it with a rare punch that will be on highlight reels for years to come. The move he used is called a superman punch...

Kelowna’s Matt Dwyer fighting in Brazil this weekend

KELOWNA – Toshido MMA’s Matt Dwyer is in Brazil this weekend for a UFC welterweight fight against William Macario in what Sherdog.com calls a “loser leaves town matchup.” This is Dwyer’s second UFC appearance since his debut against Albert Tumenov in which he was stopped by a surprise head kick in the first round. Although...

Two Kelowna locals fight for the UFC this weekend

KELOWNA – Two MMA fighters from Kelowna will be on the same UFC card this weekend. For one of them, this will be his long-awaited UFC debut. Toshido’s Rory MacDonald and Matt Dwyer are currently in Halifax readying for the televised UFC Fight Night 54 Saturday night. Welterweight contender MacDonald (17-2) will headline against Tarec...

Local fighter ranked third best in the country

KELOWNA – Local MMA athlete Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras was recently ranked in the top three female fighters in Canada by MMACanada.net. Moras, 26, got her start on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter last year and won her first official fight in the UFC by unanimous decision July 6 against Alexis Dufresne. “I think every ranking does...

PROSKIW: Emotion has no place in a fight

KELOWNA - I saw my first UFC fight in 1995, only two years after it launched in the U.S. I found the VHS tape tucked away on the bottom shelf of the sports section at a 24-hour video rental store that closed down a decade ago. I was 17 and the description on the back...

Another local fighter signed by UFC

KELOWNA – We’ve already got the most popular female MMA fighter in Canada calling Kelowna home and superstar welterweight Rory MacDonald is also from Kelowna, now add another local name to the list of UFC fighters representing the Okanagan Valley. Matt Dwyer, 24, has lived in Kelowna since he was two-years-old. A few weeks ago...

Local fighter signs with UFC

“IT’S PRETTY MUCH MY DREAM COMING TRUE.” KELOWNA – A local MMA fighter will make her official debut in the UFC this summer. Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras, 26, first gained attention after she made it to the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter, an MMA reality show and competition on the FX network. Moras, who is originally...