From fight controversy to a new journey, it has been a busy time recently for Warrior Spirit Martial Arts Academy in North Battleford.
Gym owner Stuart Fontaine has had his hands full with an appeal after a controversial loss by one of his fighters, Corey Crowe. At the same time, Fontaine is trying to get back into the fight game himself, with aspirations of joining the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
Fight appeal
On Oct. 3 at Rumble in the Cage 72 in Lethbridge, Alta., Crowe lost his bout against Juan Martinez by rear-naked choke. However, confusion over the round clock led to Crowe letting down his guard before he was submitted.
“It’s not like hockey where there’s a scoreboard and a timer. As cornermen and coaches, we use the timer that’s on the screen,” Fontaine said.
“As you watch the video, you’ll see Eric Wilson looking back and telling us how many seconds are left. You can tell, in his mind, he’s counting. He looks back and realizes the timer didn’t go. Eric’s like, ‘The timer went. The round should have been over.’”
Crowe also spoke about the confusion over the timer reaching him in the cage.
“I didn’t have an idea what time was left in the round, but I knew the round was over because I heard my corner say it. That’s about all I know about that part.”
Fontaine said the gym is appealing the result in hopes it will be overturned to a no contest.
“Because who knows what would happen in the second round, or even third round. As time goes, he gets better. So, I felt like the second round was better. He would have done a lot more damage.”
“I felt like I was starting to do good, starting to get my rhythm, starting to move around good, going close to the end of the round there before I got clipped. Besides that, felt good. Just that the timing was a little short. So, it was a night,” added Crowe.
Though Fontaine said what happened was unfortunate, he said Crowe remains in high spirits.
“Corey’s a fighter through and through; he doesn’t care what the result is, and his mind said it’s amateur. It’s just experience, right? Once you go professional, your record goes back to 0-0.”
The gym is awaiting a decision, but Fontaine does not know how long the process will take.
“Just waiting for what the commission has to say. Rematch, it’s up in the air. Like it’s, if it gets overturned, it becomes no contest, they’ll run it back. If not, then just move on to the next thing.”
Fontaine’s journey to BKFC
After having trouble finding opponents for an MMA return, Fontaine is expanding his own options and pursuing an opportunity with BKFC, which is producing a docuseries about prospective fighters. Applicants are asked to submit videos documenting their training.
The next step for Fontaine is a trip to Tampa, Fla., for a showcase with the company.
“I think we’re doing pad work and shadow boxing. I think sparring, but all of it’s going to be recorded for the docuseries as well,” said Fontaine.
“I’m very confident in my abilities once they see me in person moving around. Videos are one thing, but to see someone in person will be different. So, I’m confident in my abilities and my being technical and stuff like that. I’m pretty gritty too. I feel like they’ll take their interest in it.”
Should Fontaine move on after that, a camera crew would come to Saskatchewan to continue the docuseries and give Fontaine an opportunity to show off his roots.
“Do a lot of videos there in North Battleford and my hometown of the La Loche and Clearwater River Dene Nation. So, to see where it all began. They tell me to speak my language, which is pretty sweet because I am bilingual,” he said.
“They want to look into the Indigenous part. Which is pretty sweet, to be on a world stage like that. It’s the UFC of bare knuckle.”
The following stage would be Fontaine making his bare-knuckle debut, an opportunity he believes suits his fighting style.
“When I throw, I’ve always had my hands up, and I’m very elusive that way too. It’s hard to explain my style; I just believe it’s a good fit for bare knuckle. I’ve always said it since the beginning.”
As Fontaine searches for sponsors on his journey to BKFC, he heads to Tampa next week to continue his return to the fight game.
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