It took a couple tough defeats for Benji Amezquita to realize he
better start taking his mixed martial arts career seriously in and
out of the cage.
It took a couple tough defeats for Benji Amezquita to realize he better start taking his mixed martial arts career seriously in and out of the cage.
Hard work and training inside AntDawg’s USH in Gilroy has paid off for Amezquita, most recently at the CAMO (California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization) Born to Fight event in Fremont two weeks ago.
Fighting in the 145-pound division, Amezquita, 26, outlasted Casey Jackson in a three-round bout for a unanimous decision victory and the regional championship.
“I’m just trying to grow with it,” Amezquita said of his path through the amateur MMA ranks. “I’ve been training really hard lately just fully committing to the sport and setting everything else aside.”
Amezquita, who now has a three-match winning streak, was able to ride out a potentially devastating arm-bar at the conclusion of the second round. As the match wore on he said he was successful implementing a solid attack.
“Against a taller opponent like that, I like my ground and pound,” the 5-foot-6 fighter said.
Up next is the Nor Cal championships in October.
