Danny “Machete” Trejo & Tommy “Tiny” Lister Come Together for Cage Vs Cons
With an estimated 2.8 million juvenile arrests per annum in Los Angeles, one former ex-con is teaching the children of disadvantaged communities that crime doesn’t have to be their only option in life. It’s all being done through “Cage vs. Cons” (cagevscons.com), an entertainment event that puts a fresh spin on the booming sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The goal: teach life lessons to at-risk youth by showing them how to turn violence into learning and trade anger for hope.
On Saturday, May 21 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, “Cage vs. Cons” will bring together heroes, police officers, firefighters and others against ex-cons in ten professional bouts of MMA. The event will be hosted by Tommy “Tiny” Lister (Jackie Brown, The Fifth Element) and Danny “Machete” Trejo (Predators, XxX), and will feature Los Angeles Police Department Officers Ismael Gonzalez against “Notorious” Rick Slaton, a former ex-con who is now speaking to threatened youth at schools and other locations offering guidance and direction. Michael Gonzales, a former Marine squad leader and machine gunner who fought in Iraq will be making his pro-MMA debut.
To make the event even more attractive and entertaining, the day will kick-off with performances by world-class hip-hop music artists TOO SHORT, THE DOGG POUND, E40, PSYCHO REALM, KILLAH PRIEST FROM WU TANG CLAN, SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE and BIG TWINS FROM MOBB DEEP.
A portion of the proceeds from “Cage vs. Cons” will benefit the Flores Foundation, a Los Angeles based non-profit organization that aims to enlighten young people of the consequences associated with criminal behavior by getting them off the streets and into a safe environment where strong values and learning are fostered. One such program is held each Saturday at Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles, in which 70 at-risk youth between the ages of 9 and 17 participate in a three-part classroom instruction that includes physical education, discipline and motivational speakers.