The Little Guys Will Rise

November 1, 8:54 PMSan Jose MMA ExaminerPhil Lanides

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Gladiator Challenge Bantamweight Champion David "Kid Dynamite" Espinosa

Sherdog

In combat sports, the big boys are usually the ones that get the most attention. America's fascination with beefy athletes has been longstanding, and mixed martial arts has not escaped this obsession.

Though smaller athletes generally have better conditioning, they tend to lack the KO power of their larger counterparts. However, talented fighters like former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres, current champion Brian Bowles, and recent StrikeForce signee Jeff Curran have begun to help raise the profile of these lighter fighters in recent times. The recent matchup between Torres and Bowles drew much attention and strong ratings, and Curran’s involvement in the November 7th StrikeForce event in Chicago is expected to help bring in a lot of local fans, as Curran’s gym is just outside of the Windy City.

California’s Gladiator Challenge is home to many great up-and-coming flyweights (125 lbs.), bantamweights (135 lbs.), and featherweights (145 lbs.). Among those is our highly-touted bantamweight belt-holder, David "Kid Dynamite" Espinosa. He has a stellar record at 7-2-1, and has hopes of one day putting his stamp on the big show in WEC. But before that, he has some challenges looming.

As stated in my exclusive interview with former StrikeForce fighter and Gilroy resident Anthony "Antdawg" Figueroa last week, Gladiator Challenge owner/promoter Tedd Williams has indicated interest in putting together a rematch between Espinosa and Figueroa. This matchup, once signed, sealed, and delivered, will be highly anticipated, and will help showcase what the rest of the fight world is slowly learning: exciting fights are not only not just for heavyweights, they are regularly produced by the smaller guys. In short, don't sleep on 'em just because they're short.