Looking For A Fight

Against the red rock background of St. George, Utah, Scott Ford’s blue 2011 Ram 2500 gets a lot of attention. That wasn’t his intention when he first bought his truck, but since he’s in the business of promoting mixed martial arts (MMA) fights, it’s not a bad thing to get noticed when driving around the area.

Crown Fighting Championships (CFC) started in 2010 when Scott, as the promoter, and Aaron Reis, as the matchmaker, created Southern Utah's premier MMA event. Driving around in a 6-inch lifted truck with 37-inch tires on 20-inch wheels promoting fights sounds like a great gig, but Scott is quick to point out that there’s more to it than you might think.

“People don't realize how highly regulated this sport is,” says Scott. “You need to have liability insurance and medical insurance on all the fighters, plus a medical team at cage-side at all times, which includes three doctors, two medical assistants, the paramedics and an ambulance. And all fighters have to be licensed by the state and have an annual physical, pre-fight medical evaluation, post-fight medical evaluation as well as HIV, Hep B, Hep C testing.”

Attention Grabber

With just over 12,000 miles on his 6.7L Cummins, Scott is just starting to get a feel for his Dodge that he bought new a little over a year ago from a local dealer. The Pro Comp 6-inch lift, 37-inch Nitto tires and the 20-inch Gear wheels are quick to grab your attention first, but it’s the other modifications that helped him improve the performance that he likes best.  

“I switched out the exhaust from stock to the MRPB 5-inch exhaust when I added the Mini Maxx tuner from H&S,” says Scott. “H&S Performance makes great products and because they’re local it was an easy decision to go with them.”

The aggressive-looking Road Armor bumpers, complete with a 12,000-pound Warn winch, complement the lift and give the truck a little more attitude.

“From the bumpers to the Bushwacker fender flares, I really like the look of this Ram,” says Scott. “And with my last name being Ford, I had to make sure this truck was unique and different from other trucks on the road because I’m constantly being asked why I didn’t get a Ford.”

Other modifications that have been made to the truck that you might not notice at first include the AMP power steps that automatically lower when any of the four doors open.

Diesel Needed

The motivation behind buying the 6.7L Cummins was to have a truck that was capable of towing his fifth wheel camp trailer.

“Pulling was the main reason I got this truck,” says Scott. “I tow at around 13,000 pounds, but I don’t do enough to justify or really needing a dually truck. So this Ram 2500 is perfect for my needs.”

Scott added Firestone airbags and Bilstein shocks, as well as a Husky fifth wheel hitch to help tow his 35-foot camp trailer. Even with the lift, the bed clearance is just fine, although he has considered lowering his truck two inches for towing reasons, but just can’t stand the thought of losing the current look with the 6-inch lift.

Added touches inside the cab of the truck include a pyro gauge, transmission temperature gauge and a boost gauge, plus a co-pilot on the transmission. And for the kids, he also added headrest TV monitors and a full audio system to make trips to the mountains that much better for everyone.

Toxic Diesel

In one way or another, Scott seems to find himself at Toxic Diesel, a local shop in St. George that has done a lot of the work. Sometimes it’s just to hang out and get future ideas from shop owner Fabian Ortiz and when the right motivation comes along, sometimes it’s to have work done to his 2011 diesel.

“Fabian always treats me well, so I’ve been coming to Toxic Diesel for years,” says Scott. “In fact, the truck will be back next week when Fabian installs a larger transmission pan and differential covers from ATS.” 

CFC

With three to four events a year, the regional fight promoter is always on the lookout for a good fighter. And like the way he’s built his truck, he knows what he’s looking for when he’s out scouting for talent.

“We look for fighters who leave everything in the cage,” says Scott, “fighters who give 110 percent and put on a good show. We do both amateur and pro fights so we also look for the young, hungry fighters looking to make a name for themselves.”

One benefit to the southern Utah location is the connections to Las Vegas, Nev. The CFC is able to draw fighters from the big gyms.

“A lot of the UFC guys train guys in their gyms in Vegas that we can get to fight here,” says Scott. “We've had Jeremy Horn, Roy Nelson, Vitor Belfort, Frank Mir and many other top level fighters bring fighters they are training to fight in our shows.”

Whether it’s a fight night or not, you can count on Scott proudly driving around in his lifted Dodge Ram, always on the lookout for the next big thing that matches the power and determination of his build. 

To read more about the compaines that participated in this build, visit our aftermarket section:

http://dieseltechmag.com/Directory/aftermarket