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'Bukwas' becomes Lion tamer

Chris Anderson scores impressive win over Lions MMA opponent at BFL 31
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CHRIS BUKWAS ANDERSON has his arm raised in victory after a first-round defeat of Kiarash Moghaddam at BFL 31 in Port Coquitlam.

Chris "Bukwas" Anderson stepped into the Battlefield Fight League's cage for his second time in just over two months on July 12. This time it was at the Hard Rock Casino in Port Coquitlam and the winner of this match would go on to fight for the BFL amateur welterweight title in the fall.

Anderson's last opponent was Mike Crisp, a grappler that trained out of Lions MMA in Vancouver. "Chris dominated that opponent so I imagine they wanted revenge," said Jonny Mac of the Bulldog Fight Team that operates out of the Comox Valley Boxing Club.

"They matched up their top striker (former B.C. heavyweight kickboxing champ and top-ranked MMA fighter) Kiarash Moghaddam for this important fight.

"We had plenty of time to get ready for Kiarash so we brought in some of the best fighters the Valley has to offer for Anderson's training camp. Names like Mike Hackert, Nathan Swayze, Todd Stewart, Russ McCumber, Travis Peterson, Pat Kitto and Chris 'Quicksand' Anderson just to name a few of the dozens," Mac said.

"I was proud to see the alumni of past and present members come together and put their bodies on the line to get Chris ready for this battle. Everyone was united for this one as they often do when an important fight comes up for an athlete in the Valley.

"Anderson put on an extra five pounds of muscle mass in our kettlebell class and that seemed to be a huge part of the outcome of this fight. Proper nutrition, power and strength along with the endless days of sparring put Chris at the peak of his career going into this battle," Mac said.

"Before we went into this fight we knew Kiarash would be fighting at his lightest weight at 170 pounds. Weight cutting is a science and in order to drop weight divisions you have to make sacrifices. We figured that he would either have to diet down with carb depletion, cut huge amounts of water weight or lose muscle mass to make 170 pounds. Either way he was coming in weak and we would take advantage of that with Anderson's endless amounts of cardio and pressure.

"At weigh-ins we could tell he didn't make weight as easily as Anderson did. Most of which was done on the ferry in a sauna suit," Mac said.

Entering the cage, Kiarash tried to intimidate Anderson with a huge, mean, mug stare. This did nothing but fuel Bukwas' fire. When the fight started Chris took the centre of the cage and dictated where the fight was going. Anderson shot for a take down right away and was successful in getting Moghaddam to the ground.

"They were anticipating this, as we heard in an interview earlier in the day," Mac said. "They thought Anderson was a ground fighter so we played right into it. Moghaddam was able to get to his feet without suffering any blows but he had been taken off his game. "Anderson pursued him across the cage and started finding his range with combos and a few leg kicks. He was confident enough to land a spinning back kick which pleased the crowd.

"Moghaddam wasn't able to put anything together; always on his heels as Anderson followed him around the cage keeping up the pressure. Anderson threw two overhand rights – one clipping Moghaddam and the other missing by just a few inches.

"Anderson attempted a soft kick which his opponent caught but wasn't able to capitalize on, which proved to be the only time he was able to touch Anderson in the fight.

"In the next few seconds Anderson fakes the overhand right and goes for the straight cross to the body. Moghaddam's knees buckle and Anderson delivers another fatal blow to the same spot. Two more punches land before ref Tony Williamson jumps in to stop the fight 1:10 into the first round. The crowd goes wild and Anderson leaps to the top of the cage to thank his fans," Mac recalled.

"Later that night the BFL welterweight champion Curtis Harriot (6-1) won his championship fight and vacated his title to pursue his pro career. Harriot's only loss was to Anderson so we were a little disappointed we didn't get to try to take it away from him later in the year. Maybe he didn't want that fight and wanted to go out on top? All we know now is that we are waiting to see who who will agree to fight Anderson for the belt as he just dominated the two toughest guys in the division," Mac said.

"We would like to thank everyone that supported Chris and the Bulldog Fight Team for this event and its sponsors. Chris does not get paid to fight so what he does is not for the cash but for the love of the sport. Without sponsorship a young athlete would not be able to follow his dream and represent the Comox Valley in a sport where we have to cross obstacles every week just to compete.

"Many thanks to Skidlords Clothing Company, Plateau Plumbing, Comox Chiropractic, Siefferts Farm and Island Bison for all chipping in to clothe and feed him. I would also like to thank all the people that took time off their busy schedules to help train Chris for his fight.

"If you are interested in sponsoring Chris in his upcoming title fight contact me (250-898-7444 or cvboxingclub@gmail.com) for packages. If you would like to see more of Chris you can follow him on Facebook under Chris Bukwas Anderson or go to the Comox Valley Boxing Club page."

TAP OUTS Anderson's nickname "Bukwas" comes from his roots and suits him very well … Chris is of native descent and his ancestors believe in a supernatural spirit "man of the woods" … legend tells that Bukwas was mysterious and illusive, lurking near the edge of the dark forest in which he lived, offering food to lost humans and luring them to become spirits in his shadowy underworld …

 

– Bulldog Fight Team