TEMPE — As the popularity of combat fighting continues to grow, the Phoenix area has earned the reputation of mixed martial arts hotbed.
With many high-level gyms and facilities, a university that produces top wrestling talent and a community that embraces MMA, Arizona has become a destination for fighters.
“Oh, its evolved big time, dude,” said Valley resident Henry Cejudo, one of the most decorated athletes in combat sports history, who announced his retirement Saturday. “The sport of mixed martial arts has gone mainstream. I can’t go outside or anywhere to any part of the country, and I travel a lot all across the world.”…