This Saturday Night: The Pride of the Valley

On Saturday night at the Pharr Events Center, “The Pride of the Valley” will be having their first ever mixed martial arts event. With a name like that, it reminds us again that Charlie Clark really digs PRIDE.

The most disappointing aspect about this event is that it is taking place on March 16. The biggest UFC draw, Georges St-Pierre will defend his welterweight crown against Nick Diaz on that same night. GSP PPV’s are among the biggest MMA nights of the year and this time he’s facing one of his most antagonizing opponents yet. The GSP and Diaz conference call has gone viral and will become fodder for MMA memes for years to come. Other MMA promotions, such as the ones featured on AXSTV, along with the local STFC promotion, are smart enough to have their events on Friday nights. By having this event on a Saturday night, it guarantees that local MMA fans are going to miss out on either a live MMA event or on one of the biggest MMA PPV fights of the year. Why make fans pick and choose?

The headliner will be UFC veteran Aaron Rosa (17-5) taking on Tony Melton (7-3). All things considered, this is a solid main event for a Valley promotion. While Rosa has had his issues in the UFC and Strikeforce, he’s better than a lot of fighters that have headlined shows down here in the Valley. Personally not familiar with Tony Melton, but he has a better record than fighters and boxers that participate in local events. With a win, Rosa could potentially move on to a bigger platform. He’d probably be a good participant for the next Bellator light-heavyweight tournament. If he loses, it’ll be a huge blow to his career. It’s one thing losing to Joey Beltran and James Te-Huna in the UFC. It’s another thing losing to Tony Melton at the Pharr Events Center.

Scheduled Fight Card Includes:

Aaron Rosa (14-7) vs Tony Melton (7-3)
Ricardo Palacios (1-0) vs Leroy Martinez (1-1)
Alexander Hernandez ((1-0) vs David Salazar (0-1)
Jordan Morgan (0-1) vs Gabriel Reynaga (0-1)
Jorge Cortez (4-9) vs Corey Bellino (6-2)
Steven Zamora (1-1) vs Ryan Spann (1-0)
Julio Villarreal (0-1) vs Chris Lopez (1-0)
Jose Ceja (2-3) vs Rene Gonzalez (0-0)
Matt Mooney (1-0) vs Juan Chapa (1-0)
Ranyaldo Rodriguez (3-2) vs Jean Cartegena Maldonado (1-1)