MC ‘Swanky’ holds the microphone for Amber Gomez to answer a MMA related question from the judges. Click on Image to vote for you favorite Ring Girl. (James Crosby Photos)
What happens when Mixed Martial Arts fighters and bikini-clad ladies walk into a restaurant?
No, this isn?t the start of a bad joke; it is what actually happened Saturday night at El Paseo Mexican Restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara when the California Fight Syndicate hosted a promotional event for the upcoming MMA event, ?The Return?, which will be hosted at the Earl Warren Showgrounds this Saturday evening.
Anthony Arria, the CEO of CFS and Santa Barbara native, says the event is fitting because it marks the return of MMA to its roots in Santa Barbara after two long years.
?Santa Barbara is where we came from ? I?m born and raised here,? Arria said. ?A lot of these fighters come here to train in general and this is where our very, very first fight ever?started. So it?s a great homecoming ? we haven?t been back in two years. All of our fights have been sellouts so this thing is going to be off the hook.?
Unlike most MMA events however, where spectators are treated to a heavy dose of knockouts and submissions, the focus Saturday evening was on the seven ladies that participated in the CFS Ring Girls Competition ? though like most other competitions, there were winners and losers in this one too.
Semifinalist Megan Schaeffer, from Los Angeles, holds the round card high as she walks across the stage. Click on Image to vote for Megan.
The judges ? including UFC fighter Tony ?El Cucuy? Ferguson – eventually selected four girls and cordially reminded them that this was just a semi-final competition. The sole winner, we were told, will be determined by online voters throughout the week on the official CFS Facebook page and also receive the $1000 cash grand prize.
The four semi-finalists were Noel Anderson, Megan Schaeffer and two locals Amber Gomez and Amy Buchanan.
Gomez and Buchanan rode the overwhelming hometown support on their way to an extra meaningful victory in the city they grew up in. And ?overwhelming hometown support? is putting it nicely for the other contestants. The entire restaurant, which had been transformed into a saloon-like courtyard, erupted in cheers and applause for the hometown favorites. Synchronized chants of ?Am-ber, Am-ber? were loud and constant throughout the whole event.
?The support means a lot, I?m a local here so I?m all about Santa Barbara,? said Amber Gomez.
For Amy Buchanan, an avid MMA fan, it was the perfect opportunity to combine two of her life passions in front of the home crowd.
?It?s just fun for me because I?m a big MMA fan. I also do jiu jitsu,” Buchanan said. “I love the sport and I actually work as a promotional model so this is a fun time for me.?
UFC fighter Tony Ferguson was one of five judges on the panel for the ring girl selection. Ferguson got his start in the California Fight Syndicate and won season 13 of the Ultimate Fighter competition.
But as much as the night was about the ring girls, the event was really about the fighters that will take the stage on June 30th.
?The goal was to drive fans to our site and provide entertainment people before our event and obviously ring girls competition is a great way to promote it,? Arria said.
But the simple fact of the matter is, the cheerful atmosphere created by potential ring girls is incomparable to the atmosphere created by a couple professional fighters who will swing and take down anything in their path ? something Arria is quick to point out.
?This compares nothing to our events that we hold. Our events are very intense. We are basically bringing underground MMA right in your face,? Arria said. ?If you?ve never experienced a MMA event live, it is very intense and nothing like what you would see on UFC ? it?s a whole different demon.?
Basically, if you?d rather watch the beasts than the beauties, ?The Return? awaits your presence. And if you?d rather watch the beauties rather than the beasts?.well, the beauties will be there too walking around with numbers over their heads. It really is the ultimate win-win situation.
Oh and just in case it wasn?t obvious, the ring girls competition was a smashing success. As Anthony Arria, the CEO of CFS said himself: ?Definitely successful, great turnout beautiful women and drinks and you can’t ask for anything more.?
The thing is, you really can?t.
Finalists Noel Anderson (from left) Amber Gomez, Megan Schaeffer, and Amy Buchanan step forward after being selected the top four for online voting. Click on image to vote for winner.
