For the professionals, this is the calm before the storm.
Local pro fighters hit the mats and practiced their technique on Monday night as they prepare for Battle for the Border: Redemption on Saturday night at Western Financial Place.
Cranbrook is fielding three local pro fighters as Sheldon Doll, Rob Roy and Brandon MacArthur will step into the cage to represent their hometowns.
Headlining the event is Derek Boyle, the main event from the debut of Battle for the Border last September, who defeated Aaron Armstrong in a unanimous decision.
Boyle will be facing off against Eben Kaneshiro, a fighter out of the U.S. who has a record of 14-9.
Another headlining event is an all-female bout between Charmaine Tweet and Amanda Bell. Tweet has a record of three wins and three losses, while Bell has only one professional fight under her belt, however, she has a 6-1 record as an amateur.
Sheldon Doll, a local fighter who lost his matchup in September, is eager to get back in the cage and prove himself.
“Took a little time off after the last fight in Cranbrook and I’ve just been training my butt off two times a day, my work schedule allows me to do that and I took some time off school,” said Doll. “Just took rest time, developed some skills and progressed.”
Doll is going up against Dan Walders, a fighter out of Calgary who specifically asked for a match against the Cranbrook fighter.
“He just requested to fight me,” said Doll. “I guess he saw my last couple fights so he asked to fight me and I said said sure.”
No matter which way the fight goes, Doll feels ready.
“I’m constantly working on all my MMA skills, wrestling ju jitsu, boxing so I’ll probably mix it up and do more of a well-rounded MMA game,” Doll said.
“A lot of the time I get dragged into stand-up because I love to do it, but I train everything so I’m going to be a mixed martial artist this time. Use everything facet of the game.”
Another local professional who will be stepping up into the cage is Rob Roy, who will be fighting in front of family and friends for the first time in a few years.
“I haven’t fought in about two years now, so I’m looking forward to getting back in there in front of the hometown crowd,” Roy said. “Been doing a lot of stuff to prepare for it, a lot of ju jitsu, a lot of boxing.
“It’s going to be fun.”
Roy has three wins and five losses under his belt, but is pretty evenly matched against his opponent, Derek Clark, who has three wins and four losses on his record.
Roy said he knows a bit about Clark, but is confident in his skills.
“I want it to be a dogfight, tooth and nail,” Roy said. “I want it to go all over the place. We’re mixed martial artists, the fight should go everywhere.
“If you want to stand up, it’s boxing, if you want to kick box, it’s kickboxing. We got MMA for a reason. Mix it up.”
Tickets for Battle for the Border: Redemption are still on sale at Western Financial Place.