Some of you have emailed me asking me to stop shilling. I hear your requests and take them to heart. Your prayers will be answered. However, I have a personal investment in this fight beyond my involvement with UWC.

Jose Villarisco was my very first Thai boxing instructor when I knew nothing about the art of eight limbs and was a confused student at Lloyd Irvin's school in Camps Springs, Maryland. He is one of the most patient, gifted and technically sound Thai boxers I've ever had the pleasure to learn under. What really amazed me about Jose was that he and I have completely different body types, yet he was always able to give me helpful advice to improve my fundamentals when starting out (not to mention I am left-handed and he is not). His exhaustive technical prowess  always amazed me and hearing other fighters who trained with him talk about his ability gave me confidence I was learning under the right teacher. I was only able to work under him for less than a year, but it was very rewarding and specific pieces of advice he offered me have cemented themselves in my thoughts to this day.

But he faces an extremely tough test in John Dodson. The Greg Jackson-trained fighter is not only a fantastic, experienced, highly athletic, unpredictable pugilist, he is also out for blood. His last fight against Mike Easton was extremely controversial and though he was fighting Easton at a catch weight of 132lbs, many believe Dodson was the rightful winner of their bout in October. Dodson's record may appear spotty, but he has faced seriously tough competition and proven himself to be a credible challenger to anyone at flyweight or even bantamweight (when your pro debut is against Yasuhiro Urushitani and you go the distance, that says quite a bit). To say Jose has his work cut out for him in professional MMA debut would be an understatement.

So, I ask that you take a look at the video and hopefully tune in to see the fight on February 21st. It's exciting to watch the development of the flyweight class in modern MMA not just under the WEC banner, but at prominent regional shows like UWC.

Disclosure: I am an employee of UWC, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I would like to point out, though, that I desperately want MMA to be successful in Washington, D.C. I am fortunate enough to have resources to potentially affect that growth and success, so I choose to make use of them. I have witnessed the development on MMA in DC since 2004 and, by far, the UWC is our best hope for having a meaningful professional organization call DC home. My goal is to grow MMA in this area and in the UWC, I have found a product that has the capability to do it well.

Full press release after the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     February 3, 2009 Ultimate Warrior Challenge Announces Debut of Flyweight Division John “The Magician” Dodson vs Jose "The Pistol" Villarisco to Meet in 125lb Mixed Martial Arts Clash at UWC 5: Man “O” War on February 21st CONTACT:   Nate Wilcox 703-657-1177                Mike Schaffer 202-468-1150 WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) announced today the launch of its Flyweight Division (125lbs) with a feature fight between John “The Magician” Dodson and Jose “The Pistol” Villarisco at UWC 5: Man “O” War on February 21, 2009 at the George Mason University Patriot Center Arena in Fairfax, VA.   John “The Magician” Dodson (6-4) fights out of Greg Jackson’s legendary MMA camp in Albuquerque, N.M. A returning UWC veteran, Dodson is widely considered one of the most entertaining and imaginative MMA fighters at any weight. A two-time state high school wrestling champion in New Mexico, Dodson took top bantamweight contender Mike Easton to a split decision at UWC 4: Confrontation in October.  Dodson has been featured on the Versus Network’s TapouT mixed martial arts reality show. Jose “The Pistol” Villarisco (0-0) is a champion kickboxer and submission grappler who is making his pro debut at UWC 5: Man “O” War. Villarisco trains with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Lloyd Irvin and UFC Fighter Brandon "The Truth" Vera as part of Team Lloyd Irvin in Camp Springs, MD. A three-time WKA Muay Thai national champion and Virginia State Kickboxing champion, Jose is also a respected grappler with titles from the NAGA world championships and Grapplers Quest and a jiu jitsu purple belt under Lloyd Irvin. “I’m thrilled to be putting on this fight,” said UWC CEO S. Marcello Foran. “MMA fans who’ve had the opportunity to see flyweight fights know that there’s just nothing comparable to the speed and skill you can see on display in a 125 lb. fight. No matter who wins this fight, the winner will have established himself as one of the top flyweight fighters in the United States.” The card will be co-headlined by the first ever UWC bantamweight world championship fight featuring Mike “The Hulk” Easton vs Chase “The Rage” Beebe and a light heavyweight battle between Antwain “The Juggernaut” Britt vs Jamal “The Suit” Patterson. UWC 5: MAN "O" WAR will be held Saturday February 21, 2009 at the George Mason University Patriot Center Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. The event will feature a total of ten fights. Doors will open at 6:30pm and the first fight is at 7:30pm. Tickets for the event will be available via Ticketmaster. For more information, visit www.uwcmma.com. General admission tickets are available for $35, $58.50, $78.50 and $128.50 (plus applicable service charges) and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by going online at www.ticketmaster.com, calling 703-573-SEAT, 202-397-SEAT or 410-547-SEAT or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet, including the Patriot Center box of?ce. Exclusive UltimateVIP ($500) and VIP ($250) ticket packages that include cage side seats, celebrity meet-and-greets, VIP hospitality, VIP invitation to all parties and more are available online at www.uwcmma.com or by sending an email to info@uwcmma.com.  For group ticket sales information, call 202-661-5061. Visit www.uwcmma.com for more event details. The Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) is the Mid-Atlantic region's leader in providing fans with the best, most competitive and highest quality professional mixed martial arts (MMA) events. In addition to featuring elite fighters from the top MMA teams across the country, UWC also showcases and builds the careers of the many top pro fighters from the leading Virginia, DC and Maryland teams and gyms by giving them a platform to challenge the very best in their highly competitive hometown area. UWC's fighters and events will serve as the catalyst for turning the Mid-Atlantic region into a powerful and highly-regarded MMA east coast destination. For more, please visit www.uwcmma.com.