Journey Fight Series V took place at the Century Casino in Calgary, Canada on Saturday (3/3/2012). The night’s original main event between Jessica Gladstone and Celeste Saenz was canceled after Saenz was not able to secure clearance into Canada. The fight between Nate Smandych and Luis David Cruz Hernandez was bumped to the main event. Both fighters started the fight off slow as they felt each other out. Smandych began to work some strong leg kicks to the lead leg of Hernandez. By the third round it was clear that the kicks from Smandych were paying off as he knocked Hernandez down twice due to leg kicks. In the fourth round Smandych seemed to back off a bit from the leg kicks and instead looked to score with his hands and some teeps to the midsection. In the final round Hernandez came out aggressively as it was clear he needed to score a stoppage to win the fight. Despite his efforts, Smandych was able to avoid any significant strikes from Hernandez and scored a knockdown after connecting with an elbow as the round ended. Smandych was awarded a unanimous decision win from the judges.
Two more professional bouts have been made official for Journey Fight Series V in Calgary, Canada. Nate Smandych will face Mexico’s Luis David Cruz Hernandez and Sean McKinnon will face California’s Daniel Kim. The night’s main event will feature Canada’s Jessica Gladstone against Mexico’s Celeste Saenz.
Smandych is coming off a victory against Kiao Jie at the Canada vs. China event that took place this past November. The victory followed a great performance by Smandych in October at Journey Fight Series IV where he defeated Mark DeLuca via (T)KO. Hernandez fights out of Cancun, Mexico and will be looking to upset the home town favorite.
Journey Fight Series V is set to take place on March 3rd at the Century Casino in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After last years 140lb tournament that saw Matt Embree take home the WMC title and the $10,000 grand prize, the first event of 2012 will not only feature some great Muay Thai action but will also support a good cause. A portion of the proceeds raised from the event will be donated to Sopper’s Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancer.
Headlining the event is a bout between Jessica Gladstone of Canada and Celeste Saenz of Mexico. Gladstone is coming off a KO victory over Li Hui at the Canada vs. China event that took place November of 2011 in Richmond, Canada.
The event will also feature Nate Smandych as he will be looking to push his pro record to 4-1. Smandych was eliminated by Justin Greskiewicz in the opening round of the 140lb tournament, but has recorded back to back victories including a stoppage of Mark DeLuca at Journey Fight Series IV and a decision over Kiao Jie a the Canada vs. China event. Currently Smandych’s opponent remains to be confirmed.
