When Darcy James used to play minor hockey at Frank Crane Arena, he loved to hit people.
“Most of the guys I put a target on, they felt it, for sure,” James recalled.
Some things have changed since those days, like the sport, and the rules. But he still loves to go for that big hit.
James, a member of Nanaimo Impact MMA, will be fighting at Frank Crane this Saturday (March 26) at the Battlefield Fight League: Invasion event.
The 6-foot-1 James (4-3) will face Spokane, Wash.’s Mike Chiesa (3-0).
“I plan to do the same thing in all my fights, really,” said James. “I plan to get the first shot in and move before I get hit and just keep peppering away until I see an opening, pretty much.”
In other words, quickness and striking, two of his greatest assets in the cage.
His right hand is a powerful weapon – he won his last fight back in July with a big right in just 96 seconds. His last time fighting at Frank Crane he punched out his foe in just 21 seconds. He’s also scored a knockout with a leaping knee, and he says he might try to land a kick to the head this Saturday.
“He trains the striking a lot,” said John Punt, Impact trainer. “He’s passionate about it and it shows. It has become his style.”
The 23-year-old James has developed all aspects of his game over the years, as he’s been a member of the Impact team since it was known simply as Nanaimo MMA. His very first practice with the club back then led to a ringworm infection from grappling on the sweaty mats. Right away, his teammates Nick Hinchliffe and Aaron Bruce made sure that the nickname Darcy “The Worm” James stuck.
“It’s one of those things, you don’t really get to pick your own nickname,” he said.
It’s part of being on a team, perhaps, and that’s something that appealed to a hockey player.
“I know that MMA is an individual sport when you compete, but it’s the tightest-knit team I’ve even been a part of,” he said.
With six Impact athletes on the card this Saturday and the rest watching, wearing team sweatshirts, everyone will share in any wins and losses.
“You really have to put on the best performance possible because it reflects the whole style of your club, their mentality, their training and all of your teammates, and you expect them to [do] the same for you,” James said. “That’s why, fighting in my hometown, I know I’m going to have a good performance.”
FIGHT FACTS … Battlefield Fight League 7: Invasion mixed martial arts card iis set for Saturday (March 26) at 7 p.m. at Frank Crane Arena. The main event pits Jesse “J.T. Money” Taylor versus Clay Davidson. Other Nanaimo fighters on the card are Graham Spencer, Rachael Swatez, Ryan Ballingall, Mike Ironside and Dwayne Ganderton. To read more about those fights, check back to www.nanaimobulletin.com on Friday … For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, please click here.
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