Tensions ahead of UTC ‘24 (Ultimate Teacher Championship) almost spilled over in last week’s press conference between Rodrigo “El León” Saldana and Dario “El Toro” Lizancos Robles. El León, reigning welterweight champion, is looking to defend his belt next Thursday from “El Toro”, the challenger hailing from Grenada, Spain.
The highly anticipated match between the two Spaniards is on track to be a show-stopper, with both teachers vowing to “knockear” the other. El León is coming off of a string of first-round KOs, three from his lightning-fast roundhouse kicks. The capable kicker has reportedly been working on his takedown defense in camp and has been seen at the Mellor Field training cardio. His team, when asked about what they were preparing for in the fight, simply replied “Guerra. La situación entre yo y Dario no es comparable.” While this reporter doesn’t know a lick of Spanish, one thing is clear. El León is looking for a fight.
Meanwhile, contender “El Toro” has brought a surprisingly levelheaded approach to his training ahead of the match next week, seen out and about enjoying the abundant nightlife and cuisine of Trolly Square. He is also a capable kicker, though his strength comes from his double blackbelt in Grenadian Jiu Jitsu – his last six wins have come from vicious submissions. The Grenadian native appears almost trivially unconcerned about his opponent, which was evident during last week’s press conference. When asked for comment earlier in the week, he shrugged and simply responded, “Yo voy a ganar.” Simple, but effective and to the point.
The two brawlers had to be physically separated by UTC CEO Jeffery Ransom following an outburst from the champion. When asked for a comment, the DIIAA Athletic Commission said, “We’re looking into the brawl closely and looking for an appropriate response.”
Resident bookie George Rossi ‘24 bets on the fight are as follows:
Fight going the full five rounds
-115 no +110
Decision by TKO
+150
Decision by Submission
+170
Fight ending in the first round
+260
Rodri -135 Dario +125
