So yes, the traffic was terrible from S.F. to Stockton on Friday night but it was well worth the trouble. The Stockton Arena pulled in about 5,000 spectators and provided a well-organized, successful show. First time promoter, James Grunsky aided by Bam Bam Stell did an excellent job on this show that was action – packed. The Stockton Arena was a very nice venue for a fight card and was clean and stocked with a full bar and refreshments.

Many FnF fans made the trek out to Stockton and were not disappointed in the least. With two main events – one featuring Nick Diaz and the other with Tim Mckenzie, we had a lot of excitement throughout the night. But of course we were all there to see Chris Cariaso in his M.M.A. debut.

Chris was originally scheduled to fight Duncan Duffin from Cung Le's gym in San Jose. Duncan had a family emergency and pulled out a few days before the event. Ralph Alvarado from Team Buhawe in Fresno also had a missing opponent and so Ralph and Chris agreed to fight each other. This fight would be a true test for Chris as his opponent came into the ring with an extensive wrestling background.

In the first round, both fighters came out aggressively – ready to win. Chris landed a hard right hand that stunned Ralph and earned Chris some immediate respect. Ralph was able to throw Chris to the ground several times but was unable to submit him when Chris showed excellent skills in his escapes. Chris landed a few hard knees that definitely hurt Ralph and slowed him down. In the second round, the fighters spent most of the time on the ground – each struggling for position. In one stressful moment, it looked like Ralph had Chris' arm headed for a lock. Listening to his corner – man, Darren Uyenoyama, Chris rolled out and got to his feet. From here, he was able to punish Ralph with some hard hands to the face. The third round continued to be exciting as the fighters went from standing to the ground and back up again. The highlight of this round was Chris' ground and pound session in which he landed an arsenal of right elbows to Ralph's face. The crowd was going wild when a unanimous decision was rightly awarded to Cariaso.

Chris would like to extend gratitude to all of the trainers who worked with him for this fight: Bunkerd Fahpimai (stand – up), Darren Uyenoyama (from FnF) and Kurt Osiander from Ralph Gracie Academy. He also would like to thank his many dedicated sparring partners who spent long hours working with him. Chris really enjoyed fighting M.M.A. and will definitely be back for more – so stay tuned!