ST. GEORGE — Two local professional mixed-martial arts fighters, Brandon Honsvick and Jesse Salmon, will each be fighting as the co-main events on the card at the upcoming Crown Fighting Championships next Saturday, Feb. 24.
The event will be staged in the Grafton building at the Washington County Legacy Park fairgrounds. Doors are scheduled to open at 5 p.m., with fights starting at 6 p.m.
Crown FC promoter Aaron Reis said the evening’s card, which is subject to change, is as follows (as of Feb. 17):
Amateur bouts
- Andres Camacho of Hawaii vs. Javier Reyes of Las Vegas.
- Riley Helt of St. George vs. Fernando Rabago of Cedar City.
- Dante Morales of Provo vs. John Stephenson of Idaho.
- Jack Smart of St. George vs. Kaleb Jordan of Idaho.
- Ka’eo Burley of Hawaii vs. Maurice Hardy of Las Vegas.
- Toa Meredith of St. George vs. Ben Evans of Payson.
- Izaya Jackson of Las Vegas vs. Michael Pfeiffer of Salt Lake City.
- Mykah Kuratani of Hawaii vs. Joshua Treasure of Las Vegas.
Pro bouts
- Zack Partridge of Layton vs. Roger Atchley of Las Vegas.
- Brandon Honsvick of Hurricane vs. Maika Samson of Hawaii.
- Jesse Salmon of St. George vs. Chris Thompson of Las Vegas.
Honsvick, a 38-year-old bantamweight who has a professional record of 2-5-0 and trains at Empire MMA in Cedar City, told St. George News that he’s already looking forward to fighting in front of a hometown crowd once again.
“I have been trying to push myself to the breaking point as much as I possibly can,” Honsvick said of his preparations to fight the 24-year-old Samson, who is 1-3-0 as a professional.
“A win right now is very important to my career and I refuse to be outworked,” Honsvick added. “This is going to be an action-packed brawl between two guys who have everything to prove. I promise I am going to leave everything I have inside of the cage, win, lose or draw.”
Honsvick, who fights under the nickname Downswarrior, said he fights to raise awareness and support for those with Down Syndrome and other special needs. A portion of the event tickets sold under his name will go toward Hurricane Elementary School’s life skills program, he added.
St. George News also caught up with Salmon at a recent practice session at Raven Self Defense Academy in Hurricane, where he both trains and teaches classes.
“This time, I am fighting at light heavyweight,” said the 38-year-old Salmon, who is 3-3-0 as a professional. “It’s always hard for me to get fights in my weight class. So for the last year and a half, two years, I’ve had to go up to heavyweight just to get opponents to fight.”
In fact, he said, his last opponent (6-foot-6, 250-pound Eric Iman) “had 60 pounds and five inches on me.”
“I was just grateful to get in the cage and (fight),” he said. “It didn’t matter. No matter what, I enjoy it.”
This time around, Salmon will be facing Chris Thompson of Las Vegas.
“Each opponent that I face, I take the same,” Salmon said. “I take it very serious. And I have prepared like this is my last battle.”
Raven Cain, one of Salmon’s trainers, said of Salmon:
He fights from his heart. He lives his life from his heart. And that is just what I love about him. And when he goes in there, no matter what happens, he enters with respect. He wins with respect, or even if he doesn’t bring home the win, he learns with respect. And that’s the way he lives his whole entire life, with this respect, with heart and passion. And that’s what makes him such an amazing fighter.
Salmon said he’s looking forward to fighting in front of a hometown crowd.
“It’s a whole different energy inside of there,” he said. “You’ve got people rooting your name and it really grows by leaps and bounds when you’re in there. You definitely feel it.”
Event details
- What: Crown Fighting Championship MMA fights.
- When: Saturday, Feb. 24. Doors open at 5 p.m., fights start at 6 p.m.
- Where: Washington County Legacy Park fairgrounds, 5500 W. 700 South, Hurricane.
- Tickets: General admission seats are $30. For ticket information, click here.
- Additional details: Visit CrownFC.net or the Crown FC Facebook page.
Photo Gallery
Brandon Honsvick practices at Empire MMA, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News Jesse Salmon practices at Raven Self Defense Academy, Hurricane, Utah, Feb. 16, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News Promotional poster courtesy of Crown Fighting Championship, St. George News Promotional poster courtesy of Crown Fighting Championship, St. George News Promotional poster courtesy of Crown Fighting Championship, St. George News Jesse Salmon practices at Raven Self Defense Academy, Hurricane, Utah, Feb. 16, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News Brandon Honsvick practices at Empire MMA, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
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