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Maz is coming home to deliver

Havre's Myles Mazurkiewicz headlines Saturday's Lights Out at the Dome

Myles Mazurkiewicz has done a lot of incredible things in his hometown. Included in that was one of the greatest four-year runs a Havre High wrestler can have.

Saturday night, though, he'll look to do something he hasn't done inside the city limits of Havre ­- deliver a stunning and devastating Mixed Martial Arts performance in front of what is expected to be a huge legion of fans.

Mazurkiewicz and his 155-pound lightweight MMA professional bout against Gage Saunders will be the main attraction during Saturday night's Lights Out at the Dome. The night of MMA action is a fundraiser for the Northern Lights Foundation, and is being put on by 221 Industries and Fusion Fight League.

"I haven't fought for them before," Mazurkiewicz said of the promoters. "But I've been to a few of their shows. It's going to be a lot of fun for the fans. They draw a lot of people, they have really good pro fights. They do some entertaining weigh-in stuff the night before the fights. It's as real as it gets, so it should be a really good show and I'm really looking forward to it."

Mazurkiewicz, the former two-time state champion Blue Pony wrestler, and UGF All-American, is also looking forward to getting back in the ring. His last fight came back in November, and before that, he took an extended layoff following a tough loss nearly two years ago. But, while he said the time away from MMA was good for him, he also had a burning desire to get back in the Octagon, and continue building what has become a very promising MMA professional career.

"I spent some time working for some pipeline companies, which I'm still doing now," Mazurkiewicz said. "But during my time away from this, I always felt there was a void I wasn't filling. I have to admit, I wanted that rush and the excitement of the battle. I wanted that daily grind of getting in there and training and getting ready for something. It's always been big for me to have that in my daily life, and now that I'm at it again, I feel like I'm healthy again and ready to go."

Training is nothing new to Maz, who has worked out professionally all over Montana, and beyond. Most recently, he's been training at the Grindhouse in Billings, but he has a diversity in training that most professional MMA fighters need to truly hone their skills. He's worked on jujitsu, kick boxing, and of course, wrestling, among other things in his buildup to what will be a busy time for him.

"I try to get into as many gyms as I can," he said. "I've been all over, working on everything. Just trying to really keep moving forward with this, to keep getting better. I've got two fights coming in Great Falls, and the one in Havre. And hopefully, a lot more after that."

Mazurkiewicz' fight Saturday night inside the Havre Ice Dome is part of what should be an exciting card, one that also features former Northern All-American Chris Smith. He'll take on Eduardo "El Chapo" Fernandez in a heavyweight bout. Smith is 6-1 in his MMA career.

The other under card fights include Raymond Morkenberg, who trains locally in Havre, battling Josh Schreiner at 125 pounds, Harry Threestars against former UGF standout Brock Picard at 185 pounds, Richard Kohlman against Codie Nalder at 130, Erik Sturchip against Lee Damm at 170, Marshall Sutherland in a title defense against Shane Fichter at 170, Paul Bryant against current Havre High athlete Josiah Harrison, who is making his MMA debut at 155 pounds and Glen "The Extreme" Cislo against Josh Dusterhoff at 170 pounds.

"There should be some really good amateur fights in there," Mazurkiewicz said. "There is a pretty noticeable difference in the amateur versus pro fights, because in amateur, there's a lot more rules, and lot more things you can't do. The pro fights, those can be a lot more violent, a lot more physical."

And physical and dominating is what Mazurkiewicz is looking to be on Saturday night. He's currently 3-2 in his pro career, and while he says Saunders, who is 1-0 professionally, is a worthy opponent, he also says he's stepping into the Ocatagon with a lot of confidence.

"I'm familiar with him (Saunders)," Mazurkiewicz said. "He trains with Team Evolution out of Great Falls, and I also saw him fight (former MSU-Northern wrestler) Hunter Azure a while ago. So I know a little about him, but honestly, I expect to go in there and deliver. I expect to go in there and control the ring and push him around. He's a little bigger than I am, but I don't think he's the caliber of fighter I am. And besides, the bigger they are, the harder the fall."

One way or another, Mazurkiewicz is expecting a fall, whether by knockout, submission, or whatever else he needs to do to get the job done. And, not only is he extremely amped up and excited to get in the ring with Saunders and push his MMA career forward, he's looking very forward to doing it in the place that he grew up in - in the town, and in front of the fans that watched him grow into a star high school and collegiate wrestler, and eventually, to where he is now, one of the toughest MMA fighters currently residing in Montana.

"I'm really excited to have this fight at home," Mazurkiewicz said. "I'm excited about it being a fundraiser for Northern. I'm looking forward to fighting in front of a lot of friends and family, and fans from Havre, where I grew up. There's nothing better than Havre sports fans.

"And I'm also expecting to go in there and make it short and sweet, get in and get out," he continued. "I'm planning on going in there to deliver and then see everybody out afterwards. It's going to be a great night."

Saturday's Lights Out at the Dome will start at 7 p.m. inside the Havre Ice Dome. There will be eight amateur bouts before Mazurkiewicz and Saunders stage their professional lightweight fight.

 

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