for The Corner News
Hurricane Faye did its best to drown the excitement at Main Event III, to no avail. Sheets of pummeling rain could not douse the fire of the biggest MMA and Boxing event in Auburn History. Hundreds flocked to the Best Western Hotel's second floor to see fighters from all over the Southeast congregate for what turned out to be a non-stop spectacle. Music and reasonably priced refreshments were on hand, and DJ Holleywood's signature party atmosphere went until closing time at The After Party.
With barely a few minutes between each fight, and standing room only midway through the night in the general admission area, the energy and excitement were intense. The Auburn Budweiser Girls were on hand, as were Mix 96.7's Tige Rodgers and Daniel Baker. Fight enthusiasts were pleased with the sheer amount of hardcore action they were able to see in one night, for half of the cost of buying a UFC Pay-Per-View. Team Rush performed as many expected, going 7-0 and dominating.
Maybe the most telling detail I saw in the lobby as I came in, a large family from Indiana that had already booked several rooms was fleeing the hotel into the stormy night, the mother complaining that the skirts were too short, the music too loud, and the fights too brutal. They left even though they could not get their deposit back on the rooms, and were not sure where they would go. There were a few high school age kids with them, and I'd like to think that they will no doubt soon be excitedly enrolling in Auburn.
