Dexter, Missouri - If you look around these days at MMA teams throughout southeast Missouri you will find different sizes, areas of expertise, training methods, and records. In one respect, Dark Horse Mixed Martial Arts is no different than any other team from the area.
Dark Horse has around 10 active members. They train three days a week and focus on both their stand-up and ground games. They look to their coach for leadership and have a very strong work ethic.
What makes Dark Horse special is that they take that work ethic one step further. Joe Davis, coach of Dark Horse, not only puts a strong emphasis on coming to class three times a week, he encourages his team to put in the extra mile.
Athletes learn technique and put in a tremendous amount of sparring and rolling time. Dark Horse fighters have an excellent reputation for outstanding cardio work-outs as well.
They have earned this reputation because of the extra effort and work they put in taking cardio classes, running, weight training, and fight camps. It is through this extra work and dedication that Dark Horse has earned another distinct characteristic.
Out of the last four fighters on the team who have completed their first full-contact MMA match, four of those fighters have come home with a win!
To have a small MMA team and earn four wins in their amateur début is a feat that any team would be proud of and they are very proud to a part of Dark Horse. It shows tremendous dedication by the fighters, but by the coach as well as the entire team and management staff.
On March 21, 2015 at the Prime FS event in St. Louis, Missouri, Tina Brown, fought in the 135 lb weight class won her match in the first round with a TKO in 2:07 time.
Michael Wind followed on April 4, 2015 fighting at 170 lbs in Paragould, Arkansas by Unanimous Decision after three rounds of dominating his opponent.
Lance Hoffmeister and Kara McSpadden fought at the Brawl Inc. event in Branson, Missouri on May 23, 2015. Hoffmeister weighing in at 165 lb weight class won his match in the first round at 2:12 by Americana Submission. McSpadden fighting at 125 lb weight won her fight in the third round by the Rear Naked Choke Submission.
These four fighters along with their lead man, Frank Cortez, and the rest of the team who have yet to fight, make up the Dark Horse team. Cortez has a record of 9-3.
These athletes have shown hard work, dedication, and team unity and that is what makes Dark Horse who they are as MMA Fighters. This is only the beginning for them and what they may accomplish in the future. It’s going to be BIG!
