Trench Warz returning ‘sooner than later’

Two MMA newbies battle on the ground in one of Trench Tech’s Rites of Passage events at the Saipan World Resort. (SAIPAN TRIBUNE)

Trench Tech Promotions Inc. president Justis “Cuki” Alvarez assured mixed martial aficionados that Trench Warz has not gone the way of the dodo and promised that action inside the eight-sides will return soon.

“I have had many people ask me when the next MMA fight will be on island and that they are longing for some much needed entertainment. I just tell them that it’s really all about timing and that once things are totally back to normal with flights and protocols, then we will definitely bring back the fight game to the CNMI,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Even before COVID-19 essentially brought MMA entertainment to a standstill on Saipan, Trench Tech was already reeling with the island still recovering from the devastation of Super Typhoon Yutu in October 2018.

“The last Trench Warz MMA event we had on island was in June of 2018. We were actually totally scheduled to have our final event in November or December of the same year, but we all know what happened, Super Typhoon Yutu!” said Alvarez.

With the CNMI in full recovery mode, the Trench Tech Promotions head honcho said it was just logistically impossible to hold a Trench Warz event.

“After the devastation that Yutu left on Saipan and the Marianas, the entire infrastructure basically collapsed and shut down. The following year or two was the rebuilding process for everyone affected by the disaster. MMA was the last thing on anyone’s mind at the time and we were all focused on rebuilding.”

Then as the CNMI was slowly regaining its footing from Yutu, the global pandemic struck. 

“Then as things were looking very good and as we were in the planning stages of getting MMA back up and running again, we were struck by another disaster, only this time it was the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This once again put the brakes on everything and there was literally nothing we could have done at that point,” added Alvarez.  

While Trench Warz has been mothballed the better part of the past four years, MMA fighters and practitioners continue to train at Alvarez’s Trench Tech Gym in Garapan. 

“Trench Tech remained open despite all that has happened the past four years. Shortly after Yutu, we got back to training and ran our usual classes. Of course during the COVID-19 era, there were a few times we were forced to close, but despite that we have been training consistently all this time,” he said.

Alvarez’s latest message to fans of mixed martial arts for the meantime is to hang tight and wait for further announcements. 
“To all our beloved MMA fight fans and fighters out there alike, we will be having another MMA event sooner than later, so stay ready! In the meantime, we thank everyone who supported us and those who continue to support us throughout the years!” he said.