Team Wildman calls on the Lord for mixed martial arts

Behold the Jesus punch.

​People have argued for decades as to whether God has favorites in any sport. For mixed martial arts, He would be hard-pressed to find a team to root for more than Team Wildman.

In MMA, fight teams originate from certain gyms, normally with a leader or coach and a team of men and women that range from amateur to professional fighters. TW fights out of MMA Premiere Fitness in Centennial, having relocated from California last year.
The team was relocated by enigmatic frontman Thomas 'Wildman' Denny, because, as he tells us, "God was calling me to Colorado."

Denny is more laid-back than people would expect, sporting both the traditional tattoos and muscles that speak of a history in the sport, but balancing that out with a warm smile and engaging demeanor. Meeting at his gym, he quickly gathers together members of his fight team, and while each member is free to answer any questions, it's clear that Denny is in charge.

Denny acts as coach, manager and, according to his team, friend. Josh Cavan, a former semi-professional hockey player who is about to make his professional fight debut later this month, says, "I've been looking for a team like this, for a coach like him, my whole life."

The idea is echoed by the other four fighters who sit in the circle. Their histories are as varied as their fight records. There is a youngster just getting started in his career, a quiet family man, a former prisoner, a flamboyant loudmouth, and any of a hundred other ways to describe these men who only represent a fraction of the total team.
But when pressed on what unites them all, one word comes up again and again. "Our faith in God," says Chino Montoya, a quietly intimidating member of the team.

The faith comment isn't lip service, according to the Denny; it's the foundation of the group.

"No matter what else we have going on, at the core, at the center of it all, is God," Denny says, pounding the mat with his fist as he speaks.

These are not the typical young and middle-aged men that go to church every Sunday. One of them, Jeff 'Audio' Estrada, has almost no skin that isn't covered with either a tattoo or a piercing.

That mixture of Christianity and fighting, added to a leader like Denny, has led some to wonder, both in private and in public, if the team is more akin to a cult. When pressed on that issue, Denny throws his head back and laughs.

"There are guys on the team that don't even believe in God. We don't force anything on anyone. It's what I believe, and some of the rest of us, but we won't make anyone change. You can't make someone change or believe something. They have to want to," Denny insists.

"But those guys that don't believe tend to lose more," Estrada interjects with a laugh.
Jokes aside, Denny does believe that God brought him and the team here, and he even believes he has proof.