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closeIn the redzone: Fearlessness paying off for local fighter
Shaun Scott
For the second consecutive occasion in a six-week period, Sumner High School graduate Cory Devela showed everyone how tough of a Mixed Martial Arts fighter he is.
After a convincing victory against Joe Riggs on Feb. 23 at the Tacoma Dome and unanimous decision win against Dan Molina on April 5 in Reno, Devela now is no longer a stranger in the fighting world.
He’s isn’t a household name as of yet, but if the 23-year-old who is built like a brick house, continues his streak of impressive victories the sky’s the limit for this talented local product.
Anyone who knew Devela during his days at Sumner High School knows how powerful of an athlete he was. He was one of the few wrestlers on his team to advance to the Mat Classic for two consecutive years.
Devela always has been an individual who enjoys the thrill of the big event, but even he didn’t even think he would’ve already attained the amount of notoriety he’s already received so quickly during his professional career.
Devela, who’s sporting a professional record of 10-1, plans on fighting in his home state on May 31 at Key Arena in Seattle. While Devela doesn’t know who he will be fighting for sure as of press time, but the word on the street is that he likely will face legendary MMA fighter Joe Riggs in a rematch of the Feb. 23 bout in which Devela beat Riggs in just 1 minute, 22 seconds.
If Riggs and Devela do square off once again, it will easily become the biggest fight of Devela’s life and perhaps will be a defining moment for all the wrong reasons in Riggs’ career if he loses for the second time to Sumner’s rising star.
No matter what happens when Devela steps into the octagon on May 31, and no matter what happens for the remainder of his MMA fighting career, Devela has already established himself as one of Sumner’s favorite sons. There are very few individuals who would have the guts to enter into the sport of MMA in the first place. It’s a brutal contact sport where a fighter’s life is literally on the line each and every time they step into the octagon. Devela not only competes in MMA, he’s thriving in the sport and in my opinion is one of the best young talents on the West Coast.
I’m anxious to see how Devela’s career unfolds in the coming months and years. I plan on being there reporting on Devela’s journey every step of the way. He may reach the top of the mountain, he may not, but he’s already a winner in my book for what he’s already accomplished!