Smith and Martin Ready To Slug It Out At “Destruction”

Smith and Martin Ready To Slug It Out At “Destruction”
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A  showdown between hard hitting middleweights (185 lb.
limit) Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (13-5) and  Terry Martin (18-5) has been
added  to Strikeforce “Destruction,” the star-studded mixed martial arts (MMA)
fight  card that will unfold at San Jose’s HP Pavilion on Friday, November 
21st.   
“This is one of the those matchups where  there’s no chance it won’t be a
great fight,” said the 29-year-old Smith, a  Sacramento native who has been
eager to return to the cage since his loss to  Robbie Lawler in the main event of
the live CBS televised MMA fight card on July  26th.   
“A  fight like Terry Martin – ever since I’ve watched him fight, I always
thought  he’d be an exciting fight for me.  I  like taking on guys that bring it
and like to fight.”   
Despite  the short notice he was given for the meeting with Martin, Smith
claims he will  enter the fight in better condition that he did for the meeting
with Lawler as  he had already been preparing for a bout on November 8th that
was  subsequently canceled.
“My  teammates said you got to stick in there and be ready to fight at any
time and  that’s what I did.  I think fighting  two weeks later is better for me
and is perfect timing.”
Smith  has become distinguished in the sport of MMA for his undying
commitment to  becoming a complete fighter with superior skills in all ranges of
combat.  His devotion is perhaps best exemplified  through the five hours he spends
on the road, three times each week, in order to  train with one of the world’s
top Muay Thai kickboxing trainers, Ganyao Fairtex,  who is based out of San
Francisco.
It  is the kickboxing skills he has nurtured under Fairtex for the last three
years  that Smith believes will be critical to his success against  Martin.
“He’s a better boxer and I’m a better  kickboxer,” said Smith.  “I want to 
keep the fight standing.  I know he  likes to stand and bang so it’s looking
to be a slugfest.”
While  Smith is looking to rebound from a defeat, the heavy handed Martin is
seeking  his second straight win.  The  28-year-old made a splash debut with
Strikeforce by scoring a one punch knockout  on rising star Cory “The One”
Devela during the promotion’s second event at the  world-famous Playboy Mansion
in Beverly Hills on September  20th.
“Cory  Devela was a tough guy and he fought a good fight.  I just wanted to
show people that I’ve  got knockout power in both my hands,” said Martin.  “I’
m looking to come out and bang in  this fight, too.”
Martin  is a testament to human fortitude and one’s ability to overcome a
troublesome  past.  A former gang member, he  survived five gunshot wounds that
nearly took his life at age 15 on the streets  of his native Chicago, Illinois,
and has since earned a bachelor’s degree from  Northern Illinois University
and pursued a dual career in professional boxing  and MMA.  He is on his way to
 receiving a master’s degree in psychology.
“When  I was in the hospital recovering, I was around people who were shot in
the same  places as me, but who couldn’t walk or who lost their limbs as a
result of what  happened,” explained Martin of what drove him to make such
drastic changes in  his life.  “Some of them even passed  away.  That really made
me think  twice and start hanging out in a different environment.”
Martin’s  determination and spirit caught the eye of another Chicago-based
MMA champion in  “Mr. International” Shonie Carter while Martin was wrestling
competitively for  his soon-to-be alma mater.  Carter  introduced Martin to the
local MMA scene and, soon after, a new career was  born.   
Amongst  the notches under Martin’s belt are wins over top contenders Chael
Sonnen, Ivan  Salaverry, and Jorge Rivera.
“Fighting  has always been a part of me.  I  come from a fightin’ family,”
said Martin.  “You have to be aggressive to make it in MMA.  I’m aggressive
and agile and I think I  have a very entertaining style.”
Tickets  for Strikeforce “Destruction,” priced from $30, are on sale at the
HP Pavilion  box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster
locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster  online (_www.ticketmaster.com_
(http://www.ticketmaster.com/) ), and on Strikeforce’s official website
(_www.strikeforce.com_ (http://www.strikeforce.com/) ).   
World  Muay Thai Champion Duane “Bang”  Ludwig (17-8) will face fellow star
Yves Edwards (34-14-1) at a catch  weight of 164 lbs.
Strikeforce  World Light Heavyweight (205 lb. limit) Champion, Bobby
Southworth (9-5), will put his  title on the line against top-ranked superstar, Renato
“Babalu” Sobral  (30-7).
Kim  Couture (0-1),  wife of mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Randy “The
Natural” Couture, will make  her Strikeforce debut against Lina  Kvokov (0-1) in a
130 lb. limit  contest.
Joe  “Diesel” Riggs  (28-11) will make his return to the welterweight (170
lb. limit) division in a  featured contest with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt,
Luke Stewart (6-1).   
K-1  Dream veteran, Darren Uyenoyama  (4-2), will return to action before his
hometown fans when he meets Brad Royster  (1-1).
HP Pavilion  doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for Strikeforce “Destruction” and
the first  preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.   The main card will commence
at  7:30 p.m.
The  live HDNet telecast of Strikeforce “Destruction” will begin at 10 p.m.
EST (7  p.m. PST).
About Strikeforce:
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial  arts cage fight promotion which,
on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with  its “Shamrock vs. Gracie”
event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight  card in California state
history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank 
Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP 
Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995,
Strikeforce has been the  exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN
and, after 12 years of  success as a leading, world championship kickboxing
promotion, the company  unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs.
Gracie.”  Since then, it has co-produced the first  SHOWTIME PPV mixed
martial arts event in history with its world championship  “Shamrock vs. Baroni”
card on June 22, 2007 followed by the first-ever mixed  martial arts event at
the world-famous Playboy Mansion on September 29,  2007.  On April 12th of  this
year, Strikeforce launched the first-ever 52 week MMA series on one of the 
four major television networks in The U.S. – NBC.