BLOOD will be spattered here in Terrace as amateur fighters battle in the Five Star fight card here in Terrace June 10.
Stakes are especially high for two local fighters, Keanan Kellar and Billy Morrison, who both battle for titles in the amateur Five Star Fight League.
Alongside of those two big battles, fists will fly in six or seven other contests in the River City Rise Up event, which includes both local fighters and amateur fighters from all over B.C.
The final battle will be a showdown between Terrace’s Keanan Kellar and Kamloops fighter Derek Apps for the Five Star amateur middleweight title.
Looking at their MMA amateur record, Kellar has won three amateur fights, lost one, and had one called, while Apps has won two and lost four against some of the stronger amateurs in the province.
Both weighing 185 pounds, Kellar stands at 6’5”, a bit taller compared to Apps who is 5’11”.
Kellar says he is optimistic about the fight and he plans to slam Apps with quick jabs and a head kick to win the contest.
“He’s going to be very tough,” said Kellar of his opponent, “but I do think I’m better everywhere… He won’t be able to catch me — I’ll be moving a lot. I’m going to use my distance, use my jab and I feel like I’ll land a head kick in there and that’ll put him away,” Kellar said.
The video below shows a fight between Derek Apps and Travis Lussier, who are both fighting in Terrace. Fight starts at 7 minutes.
Billy Morrison from Greenville also battles for a title, competing in the welterweight class against Travis Lussier, who is originally from Terrace but now lives in Fort St. John.
Both weighing 170 pounds, Morrison is a few inches taller than Lussier, standing at 6’2” compared to Lussier’s 5’10.”
Lussier has an impressive record of 6-1, and Morrison has had fewer fights with a record of 2-1. But Morrison dominated his two prior fights — a quick knockout and a drawn out chase — and says he is excited to face an aggressive opponent like Lussier.
“He’s very strong and he’s got good striking and he likes to utilize his power a lot,” said Morrison about Lussier. “If he’s stronger than you, he likes to use that to his advantage — but he’s not going to be stronger than me.”
“I expect to see some pretty big fireworks out of this fight. We both like to bang, we both like to throw big leather, so yeah, I think it’s going to be a great fight… I’m really excited to get in there and get it done.”
The cage will also be rattled by local boys Keith Robinson, Daniel Gaudreau, Desi Stewart, and Ted Russell who now lives in Prince George.
Kickboxing and grappling will also be featured, and the event is at 6 p.m. June 10 at the Terrace Sportsplex.
For more check out the Facebook event here. And click here for a story on Keanan Kellar’s first amateur MMA fight.