Five-time World Kickboxing Champion Kathy “The Punisher” Long (23-1-1) will be making her pro MMA debut against the brutal Avery “Psycho” Vilche as Call to Arms presents "CALLED OUT MMA". The fight is scheduled for Saturday, August 15th, 2009, at 6:00 PM, at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA. These two warriors were scheduled to fight as Kathy’s premier bout, but Avery went to the hospital for a stay due to total kidney failure and was unable to compete. Now Avery is healthy and BACK!
According to Avery Vilche’s trainer & manager Mike Chu, “Avery has not and never will back down from a fight against any opponent that she has had to face". "Avery only backed out of this fight due to her condition and five day hospital stay". Chu felt it was necessary to notify "CALLED OUT MMA" matchmaker Mike Rush regarding Avery’s condition in order to give him enough time to find a suitable opponent to face Kathy Long. Fortunately, Viche recovered from this near fatal illness and is now ready to face Long.
These two seasoned champions will meet toe to toe to bring forward this long expected battle. Legendary veteran Kathy “The Punisher” Long (WKA, KICK (x2), ISKA, and WMAC World Kickboxing Champion) has continuously impressed both judges and spectators with her round-ending combinations and lightning fast speed. Her opponent, World Eskimo Indian Olympic Champion Avery Vilche, holds a professional MMA record of 2-2-1-0 (Win-Loss-Draw-NC) and is a true force to be reckoned with. She is a 39 year old Yupik (Eskimo) - Norwegian who competed in the WEIO (World Eskimo Indian Olympics) in 2000 and earned two silver medals. She returned in 2008 to win a gold medal in the Ear Weight competition. Avery was also an amateur Kickboxing Champion, Golden Glove Boxer and Collegiate Wrestler. She is a well-rounded, incredibly tough, determined athlete who absolutely loves competition.
Kathy Long’s Agent Joe "Striker" Hanlin signed a three fight non-exclusive contract with Call to Arms on Satuday, June 6th, 2009. They promote full-contact mixed martial arts in a hexagon cage and will have their second event titled "CALLED OUT MMA" at the new Citizens Business Bank Arena, a 10,000 plus seat event (where they also host pre-season L.A. Lakers and Kings events).
In addition to being a brutal cage fighter, Vilche has been a Kathy Long fan since she first started kickboxing in the early 90's. Vilche views it an honor to be able to fight such a legend. When word was put out that Kathy was looking for opponents, Avery immediately stepped up to the challenge, showing no fear.
Avery "Psycho" Vilche recently lost her chance to fight on Stikeforce after her scheduled opponent failed to come in at the right weight. “So no Showtime this time” said Vilche. As for Kathy Long, she is considered by many to be the best women’s World Kickboxing Champion of all time and has been preparing for this fight for quite some time now. Kathy will showcase her new skills after utilizing some of the world's greatest trainers in submission grappling, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, and conditioning.
Kathy Long is managed by Kelly Nisley and trained by quite a team: Gokor Chivichyan & Gene LeBell’s Hayastan Academy; Millennia MMA's Betiss Mansouri, Romie Aram, and Javier Vazquez; Maria Moralez of the Azteca Training Center; Gym Jones' Lisa Twight and Rob MacDonald; Ahmad Reese of The Academy of Martial Arts; Matt Hambelton of FightworX; and Jean Jacques Machado, among others.
"I'd like the opportunity to fight Gina Carano" said Long in a recent interview on ConvictedArtist.com, assuming a suitable weight could be agreed upon. When asked by Call to Arms staff what prompted Kathy to enter the cage, she said "I love you Gina, but I saw you fight one time, and I just thought, you know what? I can beat her."
Kathy Long’s talent isn’t just limited to fighting. She’s been in a variety of films and television shows, including "Knights", "The Stranger", "Under the Gun", "Natural Born Killers", "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Today Show", "Entertainment Tonight" and she even played Michelle Pfeiffer's stunt double as Catwoman in "Batman Returns". Kathy was also involved at the start of the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a commentator for UFC 1: The Beginning (November 12, 1993).
This should be an exciting fight for the fans and a welcome return for Kathy Long!
Call To Arms presents CALLED OUT MMA – August 15, 2009 at Citizen’s Bank Center in Ontario California
Tickets available at $25, $50, $75 & $150 with An additional charge of $5 for Arena Fee. CBA Box Office: 909-244-5600 OR Ticketmaster: 800-745-3000
