AFC 8-Vengeance was the theme of a mixed martial arts card April 14 at Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria.
But it was more personal than that for a couple of Comox Valley fighters when they stepped into the ring.
Bronson "Bulldozer" Petterson and Chris Anderson 2.0 met on the undercard of the professional-amateur event. "This was a grudge match set up by Anderson's coach," Lisa Petterson said.
At the weigh-in, Anderson was 185 pounds and Petterson was 176. Petterson and his coach Lance Cunningham were confident going into the bout, with Petterson predicting a first-round knockout.
Petterson made good on his prediction by scoring a knockout 1:16 of the first round.
Petterson has been training recently in Victoria at Island MMA with the pros, which has brought up his game. Jason Heit, a pro fighter and owner of AFC (Armageddon Fighting Championship) and Island MMA, has been scouting Petterson for a couple of years now.
"(He's) a real tough kid. He has so much natural talent. We look forward to seeing him develop over the next year."
Derek Medler, a pro fighter moving up the MMA ranks in Canada, has taken Petterson under his wing and training him hard, changing his diet and increasing his training regimen.
Petterson plans to have a few more fights at the 170-pound level and then turn pro. "I want to train hard and better my game. I love the sport and want to do my best at it," he said.
