This past Friday, April 6th, Rich and Julie Guerin put together a special fight night that honored the spirit of young fighter, Apaullo "A-Train" Martinez, who tragically passed away last December.  One of the Northwest's most exciting 145lb fighters to watch in 2006, Apaullo faced such tough competitors in his short career as Alberto Santacruz, Kyle McCarron, Clint Czecezok, Scott Jergenson and Kale Bradford, and it was his war against Bradford at AX 13 in September that earned him the AX Fighting Championships' 145lb belt. Founder of the White Swan Warriors fight team, Apaullo later started training at Yakima MMA and fought under the Team Guerin banner. Apaullo was a fierce competitor inside the cage who brought heart and fire to every bout he fought, while outside the cage this gentle warrior was much loved by all those around him. On this evening, Apaullo's family, friends and teammates came out in force to celebrate his life, and while there were many tears, the tribute that the Guerin's gave for Apaullo was truly a healing experience for everyone.

The size of the crowd lined up to get in caused a slightly late start to the fights, but with the unseasonably warm weather outside there were no complaints. Once the crowd had settled in, announcer Christopher Cope brought out all 32 fighters into the cage and then had the crowd observe 10 seconds of silence as the bell was rung 10 times in Apaullo's honor. Then, a rousing rendition of Hendrix's version of the national anthem and the fights were on. Fight teams represented in the 16 MMA bouts included the White Swan Warriors, Team Guerin, Northwest Elite, La Mecque Dojo, Modern Day Gladiators, Warriors for God, Team Bartino, Team Sikjitsu, T.T.C. Fight Team, KHJ Jiu-jitsu, Team Execution, Black Dragons, plus a few independent fighters as well. In this all amateur card, the fights ranged from lightning fast to all-out wars, with all the bouts being exciting to watch. There were no bad seats in the house and with the big screens replaying action and displaying the tale of the tape the fans couldn't miss a thing. Those who sprung for the floor level tables had not only a great view of the fights but were also treated with a catered meal. Vendors on hand included Chok Fightgear and Advocare, while NW FightScene had a booth setup with our latest issue of NW FightScene available featuring a spotlight on Team Guerin and Yakima MMA. (Get it HERE and be on the lookout for great fight photos from this night to be in our next issue (#3) coming out in early June). The next Combat Caged Warriors event will be held in June (date to be determined) followed by a July 14th fight night in Yakima. Check out myspace.com/yakimamma and as always stay tuned to our Schedule of events page for the latest and most up-to-date fight info in the Northwest.