Former Jackson wrestler McNeely on local MMA card

~ The 13-bout event will take place Saturday at A.C. Brase Arena

Jackson's Max McNeely admits his training has taken on a new intensity lately.

"With a month leading up to it, I've probably been pushing it a little harder than I have before, putting extra time in on the weekends coming to the gym, so I'm real amped for this one," he said.

McNeely will be fighting James Evans for the heavyweight title at Saturday's Devastation Fight Night at the A.C. Brase Arena. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. event that features 13 fights.

McNeely wrestled at Jackson, and his interest in mixed martial arts started after watching it on TV. He decided about a year ago to give it a try, and he enters Saturday's fight with a 3-0 record.

"It's a lot more stuff that you can do," he said. "Wrestling is one dimensional pretty much, but there's jujitsu, kick boxing, the Muay Thai. There's all kinds of assets you can learn. You never stop learning this kind of stuff. The jujitsu is basically a continuation of wrestling, I like to think. When you get on the ground, you're not just pinned. If you're good enough, you can win off your back. That's the cool thing about this sport."

The 20-year-old McNeely said his wrestling experience has helped, but it hasn't calmed his nerves before a bout.

"It's a whole different adrenaline," he said. "I probably have to say it's a lot more intense than the wrestling match. A wrestling match, you're not getting punched. It's because of that. It's much more of a big thrill, at least for me it is."

McNeely trains at Heartland MMA in Jackson, where he spends about five nights a week working on different disciplines and improving his endurance through cardiovascular workouts.

"For this kind of sport, you can't just focus on one thing and expect to be real successful," he said. "It's called mixed martial arts for a reason. It's basically all the people over the history of time have been wondering what really is the best martial arts. Well you learn a bunch of them and put them all into practice and see which ones really work the best."

McNeely, who is 6 foot 4 and weighs 255 pounds, will battle Evans, who trains in Sikeston. Evans stands 6 foot and weighs 240 pounds. He sports a 5-2 record, but McNeely doesn't know much about his opponent.

"Unfortunately with this amateur stuff, you can't always find video on your opponents," he said. "You can find what little information you can from the promoter. He usually knows these fighters and has seen them before. You can get a little bit there, but unless they have some YouTube videos uploaded, it's kind of hard. If they have it uploaded, I definitely like to watch it, study and pick them apart and figure out what I can about them."

Saturday's card also will feature a title bout for the 170-pound title. Jake Beuhler of Festus will battle Nick Boblitt from Illinois. The event's promoter, Paul Farwig, said 16 fighters from the area will compete Saturday, and McNeely hopes Saturday is just the beginning.

"I would love to make this my job someday," he said. "Obviously the ultimate goal would be in the UFC, but I would definitely like to make a good run at it and give it a real shot."