Three local MMA fighters win during Bellator 159 card

Down to his last seven dollars, Chris Harris decided to fill his truck’s tank with gas Friday on the way to the Kansas Star Arena for his fight on the Bellator 159 card.

It seemed like a wise investment until he reached the turnpike exit and needed a handful of quarters for the toll. Luckily, Harris was able to find enough change in his ashtray to make it.

A few hours later, Harris finished his opponent, Matt Foster, in 83 seconds with a rear-naked choke to improve his professional record to 7-0. More importantly, Harris left with a paycheck.

“Hopefully this changes things,” Harris said, clutching his check. “Hopefully I won’t be put in those kinds of situations anymore by winning fights like this.”

Harris was one of three fighters from the Wichita gym Janjira Muay Thai Kansas to win their fights on Friday’s preliminary card. He was joined by Jessica Middleton, who won a unanimous decision over Bruna Ellen in her professional debut, and Brandon Phillips, who won a unanimous decision over Chuka Willis.

All three are young – Harris and Phillips are 26 while Middleton is 28 – and unsigned. But that could change after the trio landed marquee victories on Friday, as their trainer, Andy Zerger, hinted Bellator could offer them contracts after their performance.

“We’re a bunch of bangers, man,” Phillips said. “We’re a small gym, but we got some tough-ass fighters. Nights like this prove it. Tonight is the start of everything for us.”

Middleton is trying to launch her fighting career while being a mother of two, to a 9- and 6-year-old, and working 50 hours a week as a forklift operator at Johnson Controls.

It seemed unreal to Middleton when she arrived to the arena Friday afternoon and saw “Big” John McCarthy, perhaps the sport’s most famous referee, was officiating her fight.

“You only see him on TV,” Middleton said. “That’s when the nerves set in.”

Middleton was taken outside of her comfort zone by Ellen, a budding star in the organization, as most of the fight was spent on the ground. Middleton kept her composure and tagged Ellen with a flurry of punches in the first round that likely was the decisive sequence.

“I’m a striker, I really am, but tonight was weird,” Middleton said. “It was almost like I just wanted to roll around with her and surprise some people. There were a couple of times I probably should have stood up, but I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to do that. I just want to punch her.’ ”

To fighters like Harris, Middleton and Phillips, opportunities to fight on a Bellator card are seen as chances of a lifetime. Win and their career continues; a loss could result in them not being asked to fight for the company again.

Not to mention the stark contrast in the pay for winning and losing – a Bellator official said that the winner typically receives at least double the amount of money.

“I can’t stop smiling,” Phillips said just after his fight. “This whole night, I couldn’t stop smiling. I’m just so happy. This is like a big dream come true.”

Although the main attraction of the night, Derby’s David Rickels, ended in disappointment when his opponent, Melvin Guillard, caught Rickels with an elbow to the head that led to a first-round knockout, it was overall a positive night for the Wichita fighters.

In a few years, the night could be looked back on as the night three careers took off, their trainer, Andy Zerger, said.

“I’ve had other fighters that made it to Bellator before even David did, but these new batch of fighters seem to be shining a little brighter than the rest,” Zerger said. “This was a huge day for us.”

On Friday night, Middleton, Harris, and Phillips were planning to celebrate. For the victory, for the gym, and for being one fight closer to being able to pursue their dream full-time.

“I honestly don’t know what else I would be doing if I wasn’t training,” Harris said. “I’ll be in the gym again tomorrow. I can’t take time off because I don’t know what to do with myself. This is what I love. This is me. This is my dream.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 11:44 PM with the headline "Three local MMA fighters win during Bellator 159 card."