Cage Ready - As Seen on TV

Local Fighters To Complete in "Mayhem in the Mist"

Watch the story that aired on Channel 2 featuring Whites Martial Arts' Ramon Vargas, a Mixed Martial Arts fighter.

By Andrew Pierrotti of WGRZ, Channel 2

If you like punching, kicking and competition with few rules, then you may enjoy seeing Buffalo natives Patrick Gorman and Ramon Vargas square-off in a fight this weekend.

"Some people think I'm crazy. Some people are like, 'yeah, go for it'," said Vargas in an interview at an Amherst gym he trains at, sometimes twice a day.

"Friends are supportive, family is supportive, but at the same time also nervous," said Gorman while training at the Buffalo Athletic Club downtown Buffalo.

Family and friends have a good reason to be nervous. Gorman, Vargas and others are scheduled to complete against each other in a mixed martial arts fight competition at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York this weekend. The event, produced by Raging Wolf Productions, is called "Mayhem in the Mist."

There are few rules: no biting or eye gouging. The absence of padding will likely mean plenty of broken bones.

Vargas is a former Seneca Casino cop and teaches karate. Gorman is a former U.S. Marine and is now a personal trainer.

Both are friends too, "If you're my friend, you're going to punch me as hard as you can. It's a sport," laughed Vargas. "We both know at the end of that competition, no matter whose hand is raised, the friendship still remains," said Gorman.

Despite its growing popularity, some consider mixed martial arts too dangerous. The sport is illegal in New York, but state law does not apply to sovereign Seneca Nation land.

Gorman and Vargas hope the law will change, "I feel like New York is really missing out on the amount of money that it can make with this sport. Fans love it," said Gorman. "It will be good business for New York if they promote it and allow it," said Vargas

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