Cedar Hill House of Champions is a name to remember in the world of amateur MMA. San Antonio fighters and fans saw that name most recently in the April 5th Texas Amateur MMA Association (TAMMA) event. Joseph Salas won his second TAMMA belt, which now hangs on the wall with his others. If you haven’t seen a highlight reel of world famous martial arts pioneer Benny the Jet Urquidez knockouts, then you need to brush up on your fighting sports history and spend some time on youtube. If you have, then you know what to expect from a 2nd generation Benny the Jet school. Instructor James Pham, former Urquidez student, teaches Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, and Judo in the House of Champions(HOC) Fighting System.
Newlywed Joseph Salas works all day landscaping and trimming trees, then drives an hour to train at Cedar Hill HOC for 2-3 hours, then drives an hour back home every day. Put that together with a fight at least once a month, and he’s a pretty busy man. It’s a price he and his wife are willing to pay though. Salas currently owns four championship titles: The TAMMA Featherweight (FW) MMA and Kickboxing titles, the Extreme Cagefighting FW title out of Joplin, MO, and the Kansas City Combat FW title out of Topeka, KA. He also competes in Jiu Jitsu tournaments in the advanced division. Ready for the surprise? Salas has only been training for about a year and a half, and he plans to turn pro in a couple of months.
James Pham tries to set up fights for his students every 2 to 3 weeks. “Fighters have to keep fighting to stay sharp,” Pham says. Right now three of his fighters are preparing for the International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF) US MMA Championships on May 16th. Salas submitted a challenge to the current FW champion, and was denied, so he will move up in weight class to compete against the lightweight champion, Derrick Krantz. He will be taking a chance against Krantz- 10 lbs heavier at his chosen weight, but it’s a chance he takes with confidence. Salas will be fighting alongside his training partners Baltazar Acosta and Andy Chiu.
Baltazar Acosta will defend his ISCF MMA Bantamweight US Championship title. In addition to his national title, Acosta holds 4 other MMA titles. Salas and Acosta, friends since childhood, were reunited when Salas started training at Cedar Hill HOC. Acosta is also the proud new father of a baby girl.
Andy Chiu will be fighting for the currently vacant Flyweight US championship title.
The Cedar Hill House of Champions is definitely living up to its name.
by Drew Wallen
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November 2nd, 2009 at 9:52 am Great article I live in Desoto and this is the first time I heard of Cedar Hill House of Champions. It’s nice to put the small city of Cedar Hill on the map. Is there a phone # or website?