Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Grappler to make kickboxing debut

Football is first goal, but grappler is considering combat sports career

Nat Holland El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

Socorro grappler Ray Vaiza III, 16, will make his kickboxing debut this Friday, July 3, in Alamogordo.

Vaiza III's record in grappling is 10-3-1, and his opponent in the upcoming kickboxing match will be the same opponent he faced several weeks ago in a bout that was judged to be a draw.

"Sometimes how they do it is points (by judges) or if you submit your opponent (cause the opponent to give up) the fight is over," said Vaiza's father and trainer, Ray Vaiza Jr.

The grappling matches do not allow opponents to strike each other, but do allow moves that aren't allowed in traditional wrestling.

"They call it wrestling on steroids in one sense because you can actually choke people," said Vaiza Jr. "He (Vaiza III) actually dislocated one kid's elbow because he (the opponent) made a mistake and tried to drop out of a hold. You don't want fights to end that way, but sometimes it does."

Workouts vary day to day, and depend on what kind of match is coming up. To prepare for a grappling match the focus is on how to apply different moves, how to get out of them and take-down defense.

The different kinds of fighting styles require, "a totally different cardiovascular workout," said Vaiza Jr.

In grappling, the fighters have the challenge of dealing with their opponent's body mass, especially if they are underneath in a takedown.

In kickboxing "you have to keep your arms up — you want to let them down, but that's when you get tagged," Vaiza Jr. said.

Vaiza Jr., who retired from mixed martial arts fighting about five years ago, has trained in Tae Kwon Do, Kyokushin karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other martial art disciplines. He passes the training on to his son. He still maintains friendships with some well-known fighters, like Georges St-Pierre, he said.

"I've been watching it (mixed martial arts) since I was a little kid," said Vaiza III, who has been training since age 13 and had his first grappling match at age 14. "I get invited to train with them sometimes, which is really cool."

Vaiza III's first goal is to play football, where he played as a quarterback on the Socorro Warriors JV team. He also plays basketball.

During the football and basketball seasons the matches are put on hold to prevent the risk of injury from affecting the team sports.

"I want to play football — but whatever happens, happens," said Vaiza III, who is confident of his striking and grappling skills. "If I want to stand up I'll stand up. If I want to take it to the ground I'll take it to the ground."

"He definitely has the tools to make it in (mixed martial arts)," said Vaiza Jr., who was also quick to highlight his son's successes in football and basketball, including throwing more than 1,000 yards in football last season. "He's an all-around athlete."

The Vaiza's thanked sponsors Creative Graphics, Biohazard Fight Gear and Deathdealer Studios.

nholland@dchieftain.com

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