Local fighters chase pro dreams in Cage of Honor

The road to the big leagues of mixed martial arts starts at events like the one being held at the AC Base Arena in Cape Girardeau on Saturday, June 17.

Cage of Honor 89 will feature a group of fighters from the area who are looking to blaze a path to the UFC. The co-main event features

Keyth “The Sleeper” Dawson will take on Tavae Lewis in the welterweight bout as the co-main event. Lewis (4-4), nicknamed the “Southern Illinois Golden Boy,” will be making his COH debut after two straight bouts in Shamrock FC.

Dawson comes from “a long line of fighters.” As he grew up around the sweet science of boxing, he knew early on that his future would either be in the cage or the ring.

“By the time I was eight or nine years old, I knew this is what I was going to do,” Dawson said. “Six years ago I realized this was going to be my dream but I knew when I was about to turn 17 that if I don’t start now I’m not going to make it because there are kids that start at eight-nine years old so I’m falling behind.”

Dawson was born in Cape Girardeau and went to Central Acadamy. He described himself as “a bad kid” but grew up and matured through the sport of MMA.

“The sport is like a father to you in a sense that it teaches you disciplines and teaches you structure,” Dawson said. “It gives you an ass-whooping, it gives you both sides of life, it’s here for you when nothing else is. This game is truly like a father to me. It helped raise me into a man.”

Dawson started his fight career in a loss on June 20, 2015. He went on to win three straight Cage of Honor fights to enter the pro ranks. He is 2-1 in COH pro-fights.

“You’re fearing the unknown before your first fight,” Dawson said. “Then after you win, you feel the glory and now you know. So that’s the feeling you feel after a fight, which is a beautiful feeling.”

Dawson can even his pro record to 4-4 with a win and get him one step closer in his career with fights at bigger promotions or even overseas.

“This means everything,” Dawson said. “I don’t have another way out besides this. This is my only way. I don’t want to be the Walmart Supercenter guy — and I respect them for their job and what they do — but I just feel like that’s not what God sent me here for. I’m here for something more special than that. I’m here to fight for glory and honor so this means everything.”

Tristan Overvig (5-2) is slated to fight Marvin Miller in the main event. Overvig, a Cage of Honor veteran, is looking to rebound from his latest loss in the Professional Fighters League on March 10. Miller is undefeated and won both of his pro fights in the Midwest Fight League.

Caleb Woodside recently trains at the Peak Performance Training Center in Cape Girardeau.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

There are three title fights in the amateur card. Caleb Woodside is looking to defend his lightweight belt against Josh Mixon. Woodside has been fighting for 12 months and has won his previous three.

Woodside is hoping a longer winning streak will propel him to professional fights.

“I’m trying to start a winning streak to get to the UFC so I can be a world champion,” Woodside said.

This will be his third fight at COH and his third in his hometown.

“This is a lot more nerve-racking because you want to put on a good show in front of the people that you know,” Woodside said, “but at the same time it gives you a boost of energy.”

Camden Hooe (4-0) will be defending his bantamweight championship belt against Tyreace Wilborn. He won the title by defeating Bryce Crump by TKO in COH87 on November 5, 2022.

Laroy David will be defending his 170lb belt against Chris Carpenter (not the former Cardinals pitcher). Davis has spent his entire amateur career at COH, going 5-3. Carpenter has won two fights in a row but has not fought since August 13, 2022.

Camden Hooe recently trains at the Peak Performance Training Center in Cape Girardeau.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Tickets for the event can be purchased at fightforhonor.com and streamed live on mmafutures.live.