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Liberty MMA to compete in Labor Day Brawl at HAAF
LibertyMMA
Liberty MMA fighters Tommy Jones, Brian Coleman, Quinton Daniels and team founder and trainer Dewayne Taylor have been preparing for tomorrow night’s Labor Day Brawl at Hunter Army Airfield’s Tominac Fitness Center. - photo by Phgoto by Patty Leon

After the success of the Father’s Day Knockout Mixed Martial Arts event in June, Team Liberty MMA is again ready to enter the cage tomorrow night at Hunter Army Airfield for the Labor Day Brawl.

Club Stewart and Hunter Club, in association with Southeastern Fighting Championships, organized the bout, which features 12 fights, including the title match with Liberty MMA fighter Chris Brinkley going against Wesley Barnes.

Team Liberty MMA founder and trainer Dewayne Taylor said the event will showcase five of his fighters, two of whom are making their MMA debuts.

Taylor said he expects the upcoming fights will draw a larger crowd than the first event, and organizers have arranged for Ultimate Fighting Challenge fighter Randy "The Natural" Couture to appear as a special guest.

Among the Liberty MMA fighters expected to enter the cage are Quinton Daniles, Charles Hall, Chris Brinkley and first-timers Brian Coleman and Tommy Jones.

Jones said he has trained in MMA for about a year and a half. He met Taylor and started training with the local team.

"I’m kind of nervous," he said of his first fight. "Fear is really what is driving me, the fear of losing. I’m excited and I’m trying to make a first good impression."

Jones said he will complete in the 185-pound weight class.

Coleman also is entering the cage for his first fight and said he was introduced to MMA by a friend. He gave it a try and got hooked. He said he is excited about the match.

"It is my first fight and I am a little nervous but I figure I’ll go in there and it’s another day at the office," Coleman said. "I’m going to do the same thing there that I do here.

Coleman will fight in the 155-pound weight class, as will his teammate Daniels.

This is not Daniels’ first go-round. He said he fought in Washington and Indiana and became involved in MMA while stationed at Langley Air Force base.

"They showed me you don’t have to be big and strong to take out the big guys," he said. "I am very confident and I have a lot of good guys around me.

He said he doesn’t know much about his opponent, but he’s focused and always prepared to fight.

Taylor said the title bout between Brinkley and Barnes is a huge opportunity for team Liberty.

"Man, it’s big. He is doing a lot of hard work and it’s just good to see it pay off. You know, the amount of time we put into this … it’s good to have something to show for it, especially to our family and friends and the people who support us," he said. "It really brings it full circle as to what we are trying to accomplish."

Brinkley took the title belt at the Father’s Day Knockout, defeating Chris Scott of Team Redline Savannah.

Taylor said Brinkley is about to face a fighter who has cardio endurance, is full of speed and is known for forcing his opponents to the ground quickly.

"Every fight I’ve ever seen him do, he takes his opponent straight to the ground, so we’ve worked on that quite a bit," Taylor said. "He is by far the toughest competitor Chris has ever seen. Chris is about to go pro and he really wanted this challenge to test himself."

The title bout is scheduled to go five rounds.

General admission tickets are available for $15 at the door. The event is at the Tominac Fitness Center at Hunter Army Airfield, 919 Billy Mitchell Blvd. For more information, call 368-2212 or 912-459-7926.

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