Announcing their presence

FREDERICKSBURG — The Zamora Boxing Gym mixed martial arts fight team wanted to send a message Saturday during the Barbarian Fight Club event at the Fredericksburg Fair Grounds.

“We wanted to go out and show people we’re more than a boxing gym,” said Eric Zamora, owner and head trainer at Zamora Boxing Gym. “These guys train really hard, and they have a lot to offer whether it’s in a ring or a cage.”

Mission accomplished.

Not only did two of Zamora’s three fighters on the card win in dominant fashion but the small arena was packed with throngs of fans sporting Zamora Boxing Gym T-shirts and egging on their hometown gladiators.

“It was amazing to see how many of our fans came out to support us,” Zamora said. “I think at one point when Shaine’s (Adams) opponent was being introduced, they were still screaming Shaine’s name.”

The 32-year-old Adams was the first Zamora fighter to climb into the cage Saturday night. It was the heavyweight’s first amateur MMA bout, but he had no doubt about the outcome as he walked out of the locker room.

“I prayed in the locker room for courage to put on a good show,” Adams said. “I told coach (Zamora) I was coming out with a win for the gym. I knew in my mind I was going to win.”

Adams turned his epiphany into reality as he forced a referee stoppage due to punches early in the first round.

“That was such an unreal feeling,” Adams said. “Coach trained us really hard for the fight, and I just stuck to the game plan to a T.”

Adams rocked his opponent with a big punch and forced the behemoth to the cage before taking him to the ground and landing knees and punches to the body and head until the referee stepped in.

“The game plan for all of our guys was to come out aggressive,” Zamora said. “We wanted to force the action and set the pace because that’s how we train everyday in the gym.”

Daniel Moreno also represented the Culpeper gym. He stepped into the cage with something to prove after losing his first fight via decision.

“I knew I had to finish this guy to prove to everybody that what they saw last time wasn’t my best,” Moreno said. “I wanted to come out aggressive and get a dominant win.”

That’s exactly what he did. Moreno immediately took his opponent down when the bell rang and, after a short scramble, ended up in full mount — raining down big punches and elbows.

It didn’t take long for the referee to call the match in the opening round, but the damage was done as Moreno’s opponent was left bloody on the mat.

“Daniel is just one of those guys you wouldn’t expect to be a fighter when you first meet him,” Zamora said. “He’s a real quiet guy, but when he’s in there training or fighting he’s a totally different person.”

Zamora’s lone loss came in the main event, pitting Muay Thai specialist Nick Hanzivasilis and Brazilian Jujitsu blue belt Craig Machado.

Hanzivasilis was forced to tap due to a guillotine choke early in the second round, but that doesn’t mean the contest wasn’t one of the most exciting fights of the night.

“If I hadn’t given 100 percent I’d feel bad,” said Hanzivasilis. “But I know I fought my butt off and it was a great fight. I’ll never take credit from another fighter. He didn’t get lucky, I just made a mistake.”

Both fighters staggered one another with big punches early in the first before the fight went to the ground. Machado worked toward a couple dominant positions, but Hanzivasilis almost ended the fight after transitioning from a triangle choke to an arm bar.

“I thought I had the fight won there,” Hanzivasilis said. “I was pretty much fighting on instinct at that point, but I heard I had his arm hyper extended.”

Hanzivasilis got hit with another shot late in the first round that crumpled him against the cage. Machado secured a full mount but wasn’t able to finish the fight until round two.

The Muay Thai instructor was understandably upset after the loss, but even that couldn’t detract from how special the night was for all of Zamora’s fighters.

“It was a hell of a thing to watch two guys I work with everyday win in such dominant fashion,” Hanzivasilis said. “And it was a special thing to watch those guys get wins in front of so many Zamora fans.”

Zamora said as many as eight fighters could take part in the next event they enter in the coming months, and you can bet crowd favorites Daniel Moreno and Shaine Adams are going to be in the mix.

“I just want to give a big thank you to all the fans, my family, my coaches and God,” Adams said. “It felt awesome to put on a good show, and we’ll all be back in the gym training hard for the next one.”