Friday night I was fortunate enough to be invited by Binky Jones to his fight party at Canton Station. The party served as both a celebration of Jones' recent success and a pep rally for more good things to come.
The party was well-attended by Jones' friends, colleagues from the Youth in Transition alternative school, and teammates at Team Ground Control, as well as students of his from Team Raw Dog. His wife, Sherry, son Savon and daughter Kayla were there, as was Jones' MMA mentor and Ground Control co-owner John Rallo. Most of the night, the flat screens showed a re-airing of last week's TUF 5 finale. However, around 11 p.m., the pay-per-view broadcast of the Ring of Combat tournament finals from April came on. Jones, of course, defeated Ian Loveland in that night's lightweight tournament final, and that's what many were there to watch.
Jones' next fight is July 14 in Trenton, N.J. If Friday night was any indication, much of Baltimore's MMA community will be there supporting its newest star.
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