Father-son Chad and Dakota Vance on same MMA card

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Second-generation fighters and their predecessors are getting easier to name.

There are Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Sr.

There are Joe Frazier and Marvis Frazier

There are Muhammad Ali and Laila Ali, the latter of whom was an undefeated female pro boxer who held five world titles.

Moving on to the Mixed Martial Arts category, there are Randy Couture and Ryan Couture … Royce Gracie and Khonry Gracie …

But have any of these father-son (or daughter) combinations fought on the same card?

“It’s something you never see, that’s why we’re excited about it,” said Chad Vance of the upcoming Elite Fight League No. 5 MMA card to be held May 4 at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo.

Vance and his son, Dakota, are both scheduled to fight separate bouts on the card.

For the elder Vance, it will be a return to the octagon after a four-year hiatus.

“It going to be my retirement fight,” said 44-year-old Chad. “I want to go out with a victory.”

Chad will fight a 205-pound (light-heavyweight) main-event professional bout. Dakota will fight as an 185-pounder for an EFL amatuer title.

At the Ascendancy Fighting Championships 18 held last August at the Sullivan Brothers CC, Dakota recorded a stunning 16-second TKO against Jonathan Ware in his MMA amatuer debut.

“It was awesome,” Dakota said of the victory, which was the culmination of more than a year of training. “Everything went according to plan. I was glad I was able to get through it with a victory.

“I’m looking forward to getting back in, having fun and enjoying the atmosphere.”

Dakota was 19 years old when he made his MMA debut. His father was 28 when he made his debut. The elder Vance believes his son already has the tools, talent and training for success at the professional level.

“But we believe he should at least go for an amatuer belt before going pro,” Chad said. “You’ve got to be careful when you’re moving up in this sport. You can build up a string of victories, but one loss will knock down and set you back.”

Chad wrestled for Charles City high school before continuing his career at Iowa Central Community College where he was a National Junior College Wrestling Coaches Association All-American. Incidentally, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones — arguably one of the greatest pound-per-pound fighters in MMA history — and UFC No. 2-ranked welterweight Colby Covington also wrestled at ICCC in Fort Dodge.

Chad went on to become a 30-fight MMA veteran and won an American Fighting Association title. As part of Chad’s entourage, Dakota would hold the AFA belt high while leading the way to the cage for his father’s title defenses.

Chad said that several times during his career he was on the cusp of making a jump to a more lucrative fight league, but losses stopped him short.

“That’s when I had to start over again,” he said. “Like I said, a loss can set you back two years before you get another opportunity.”

Like his father, Dakota also wrestled in high school. During his senior season at Rockford, Dakota recorded 39 wins — 27 by fall — and was a podium placer in the Class 1A 170-pound bracket at the Iowa State Wrestling Championships despite having much of his stamina and strength sapped by the flu which forced him to forfeit his final bout.

Though MMA cards are subject to change more frequently than boxing cards due to more injuries recorded during MMA training sessions, the Vances’ tentative opponents are a pair of fighters from Nebraska.

“I believe my guy has a 10-2 record,” Chad said. “He’s obviously a younger guy who has a lot riding on this fight.”

Chad and Dakota have both been around the sport to know that winning records don’t always lead to the big time.

“You’ve got to be entertaining,” Dakota said. “No one wants to see a boring fighter.”