25 year old Bonney Lake resident Cory “The One” Devela was a star wrestler in high school, but that was more than seven years ago.
Devela entered the ring as a Mix Martial Arts (MMA) fighter and created a buzz in 2008 finding himself on the fast track to stardom as the next up-and-coming fighter.
Defeating former UFC star fighter Joe “Diesel” Riggs in a technical knockout (TKO) at the Tacoma Dome, he soon after won a notable decision over fighter Dan Molina.
However, in this
game you’re only good as your last fight, and the buzz was quickly being squelched after losing his September 2
0, 2008 fight at the world-famous Playboy Mansion to Terry Martin.
He then lost to Luke Rockhold on June 19, 2009 in front of his home crowd in
the Tacoma Dome in just 30 seconds of the first round submitting to a rear naked choke hold.
“It was a big hurt to my pride to go out like that in front of my hometown,” Devela said.
Devastated by the knockout at the mansion, and his loss in Tacoma, Devela’s conviction began to waiver.
In the wake of it all, he was dealing with his girlfriend’s illness; then began to question his own devotion and commitment to his sport, and doubted if he was really the contender that he once thought he was.
Devoting his time to his girlfriend and determined to battle cancer with her, she fought her way back to health, and at the same time showed Devela the courage and strength that he needed to regain his confidence and enter the ring.
With conviction in his voice, he said it’s because of his girlfriend that he has the confidence to get back in the ring and fight again.
“If she can go through what she did, then I can do this.”
It will have been just over one year since Devela last stepped in the ring to face an opponent, but he says that he’s ready and in prime form to take on Bobby Voelker on Friday night at the Comcast Arena in Everett.
“I think I’ll be at an advantage when I fight Bobby,” Devela said in a prior interview.
Devela, who dropped from his normal 185lb weight class to 170lbs for the first time, is claiming that at 185lbs he felt sluggish and slow, but now feels he has more speed and agility.
Voelker however says that he has fought other fighters who have dropped to 170lbs and has had no problems with their naturally larger size for the 170lbs weight class.
Even though this is not the main fight of the evening, it is however a do or fail battle in many respects for Devela, and he has said he intends on making it a comeback.
Also on the same night as the co-main event; fighters Sarah Kaufman takes on Roxanne Modafferi for the women’s welterweight championship.
