Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Anderson wins Extreme Fighting championship

Lightweight fighter subdues opponent in first round


By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Lee Anderson stands proudly in the ring after winning the Extreme Fighting lightweight world championship at the Qwest Arena in Boise Friday With Anderson to accept the championship belt are his daughter Amelia and his son Storm.

After a lifetime of mental and physical preparation, it took ultimate fighter Lee Anderson only two minutes of round one to win his first world championship Friday at Qwest Arena in Boise.

Anderson, a 35-year-old Wood River Valley native who lives in Hailey, is now the Extreme Fighting lightweight world champion, a goal he's sought since he started professional fighting six years ago.

"I have a nice beautiful belt and I'm really excited about it," Anderson said Monday. "It's a great feeling to come from a small town and win a world championship. I knew that my time was here."

Anderson's bout was part of a fight card the Boise-based Extreme Fighting organization billed as USA vs. the World. The international competition drew top ultimate fighters, including Anderson's opponent, Eddie Bllen from Indonesia.

"He came out swinging, going for the knockout," said Anderson. "I just used my strategy of getting in close as fast as possible."

After taking Bllen down, Anderson established himself on top and subdued his opponent with a series of devastating punches until the referee stopped the bout two minutes into the first round.

"He was unable to defend himself, so the ref stopped it," Anderson said. "He had some lumps and bruises, but he was okay. Had it continued, he would have been unconscious."

Anderson said Bllen was a tough opponent and he's glad the fight was short.

"My intention is never to hurt anyone," he said. "I have the ultimate respect for all my opponents. I like to just win without hurting anybody or without getting hurt myself."

A large number of Wood River Valley supporters were on hand at the fight to cheer for Anderson.

"I had a tremendous amount of support—it was as if the entire Wood River Valley was there—it was just incredible," he said.

"I would just like to say thanks to everyone who sponsored me and everyone who supported me," Anderson said. "A special thanks to everyone—I couldn't have done it without them."

Anderson said his next fight is set for March at Extreme Fighting IV when he'll take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent in his first title defense fight.

But beyond that, Anderson has his sights set on winning other world championships. He hopes his victory Friday will lead to invitations to other fight venues.

"My goal is still to be in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) or Pride and this just brings me closer to that," he said. "Those are the two biggest shows in the world, and I'm so close now."




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