It seems hand injuries are the curse of this card. Originally scheduled to fight slugger Paul Buentello, Esteves Jones' opponent was changed to Word Class wrestler and high profile fighter Mike Van Arsdale due to Buentello suffering a hand injury. Now Arsdale, too, has suffered an injury. Luckily, El Paso is home to 'Ultimate Fighter 10' alumni and Texas MMA king, Darrill Schoonover, who barely found out about the fight on Monday but is excited to fight in front of his hometown regardless of the situation.
Darrill Schoonover is as well-rounded as they come. With 5 of his 10 wins coming VIA KO/TKOED and the other 5 by submission, he has shown to be equally as dangerous on the mat as he is standing. Owner of the XFC light heavyweight belt, the Freestyle Cage Fighting heavyweight belt and the Shark Fights heavyweight belt, which is sanctioned by the state of Texas as the official champion of Texas, Schoonover comes in with a slight experience advantage but because he just took the fight on Monday (4 day notice), does not come in with a full training camp. Esteves 'Quiet Riot' Jones is a King of the Cage champ with heavy hands and brings the fight, as shown by his 15 second KO in his last fight. Unlike Schoonover, Jones did go through a full training camp but might be affected by the short-notice change as well. In Arsdale, he had a wrestler with a 1-dimensional approach, and because of the high level of Arsdale's wrestling, Jones might have spent a lot of time preparing for stuffing single and double leg takedowns. He now faces a guy with a Judo blackbelt, who takes his opponents down with trips and throws more than with traditional wrestling takedowns, though he has the wrestling background to shoot in if need be. Add to this Schoonover's big right hand and solid stand up and it makes for a radical change in opponents for Jones.With only a 4 day notice on the fight, it's not an ideal situation for Darrill Schoonover. Still, Schoonover has been dying for a chance to fight in his hometown, so win, lose, or draw, you know he's going to bring the fight and make it a memorable one for his fellow El Pasoans.
Shawn Petat now fights Isaiah Reyes instead of tall order, Matt Leyva. Rich 'No Love' Clementi is still a go for his bout. The rest of the card remains virtually unchanged. Rogue Warrior Championships takes place April 8 at the El Paso County Coliseum. The first fight starts at 8pm. Tickets start at $20 and are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, go to www.texascagefighting.net.
Main Event
Heavyweight Bout - Esteves Jones vs Darrill Schoonover
Co-Main Event
Welterweight Bout - Josh Hinkle vs Rich Clementi
Undercard
205 lbs - Lance Evans vs Jeremy Rosales
205 lbs - Enrique Rios vs Paul moreno
185 lbs - Justin Gonzalas vs Willie Parks
135lbs - Shawn Pretat vs Isaiah Reyes
170 lbs - William Moore vs Corey Edwards
155 lbs - Oscar De la Parra vs Thomas Soto
We'll bring you any updates if more changes are made to the card. For more information on Darrill Schoonover's accomplishments, including his run on the 'Ultimate Fighter' alongside Kimbo Slice and Roy 'Big Country' Nelson, check this article out, www.daily4mma.blogspot.com/2010/10/darrill-schoonover-putting-el-paso-on.html
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