February 3, 2008
Yuba City man brings home MMA title belt
Richard Blake of Yuba City recently won the mixed martial arts No Limits heavyweight title in Dallas, Texas.
Brian Drake/Appeal-Democrat
February 03, 2008 - 12:41 AM
Surviving his biggest fight in more ways than one, Yuba City's Richard Blake has his sights set on capturing a second mixed martial arts championship. Blake, 32, stunned Zane Frazier of Hollywood with a technical knockout in the first round of their scheduled five-round bout for the No Limits world heavyweight championship on Jan. 26 in Dallas, Texas. "Honestly, hands down that was my hardest fight," Blake said Saturday. Blake still sports a black eye from where Frazier connected with a solid punch that bloodied and closed the left eye. He still has a broken finger on his left hand. "My ribs to this day still hurt me," said Blake, an injury incurred when he was kicked in the chest. The fact that Blake, who wrestled at Franklin Elementary, Gray Avenue Intermediate and Yuba City High, came out on top is testament to his determination, because he was the decided underdog going into the bout. "Everyone was calling me 'little man' at the weigh-in," Blake said. Blake weighed 218 pounds with his clothes on. Frazier weighed in at 261 pounds. Blake also is barely over 6-feet tall, while Frazier is 6-6. "He had a reach that was (18 inches) longer than mine," Blake said. "They were calling the match David vs. Goliath," added Blake's trainer, Hector Andrade, a former fighter himself, who lives in Yuba City. Blake obviously trained for fighting a much larger opponent, but couldn't anticipate what actually happened in the cage. Andrade said their strategy "was to chop him down like a tree" so Blake could better compete. Frazier, though, took Blake down early in the bout, but the Yuba City fighter managed to hold him off, eventually forcing the referee to call for both combatants to come to a standing position. When Frazier tried another kick, Blake caught his leg and forced the big man to the mat. He then started flailing away. "I threw the most perfect punch," Blake recalled, aiming it at Frazier's face. "And I ended up hitting him in the chest instead." Frazier tried to cover but Blake kept getting his punches in. Finally, the referee stopped the bout. Frazier went into the match with a 22-10 record and boasted a 17-2 record as a kickboxer. Blake, who has been competing in mixed martial arts for only two years, is now 9-3. "He was the main card," Blake said. "No one thought he was going to lose." Now Blake has to decide whether to defend the title or drop down and try to capture a second belt in the 205-pound division. "My next fight definitely will be for a title," Blake said. "We're hoping to sign the contract Monday," Blake said, adding the fight would be held in Cancun, Mexico, in late March and telecast on MTV. If he continues his success in the ring, Blake has high hopes of achieving another goal by the end of the year. "I want to fight in the UFC," Blake said. His trainer thinks he can get there. "He's got the will and the determination to go far," Andrade said. Blake already is battling Ultimate Fighting Championship combatants, adding he has been told his next match definitely will be against a UFC-caliber opponent. The UFC is on the top tier in the world of mixed martial arts, along with Pride and World Extreme Cagefighting. No Limitss is on a level below with Valor and the World Combat Organization. While he has the memory of winning his first world title, Blake ecalled another special moment. He sat in the stands watching other bouts with country music artist Brooks and Dunn. "I couldn't believe it," Blake said. "I was sitting with Brooks and Dunn and talking with them." But Blake's wife Michelle and 2-year-old son Gannon are his biggest fans, and he uses them for inspiration. In fact, no matter how tired he is after training under Andrade's regime, Blake still takes Gannon for a 3-mile run each night. "He won't go to sleep at night unless I put him in the stroller and take him on a run," Blake said. Contact sports reporter Richard Myers at 749-4714 or rmyers@appealdemocrat.com.
