A Passion for the Game
Clara Sandoval has built a reputation as a versatile sports journalist, weaving stories that span basketball courts, football fields, boxing rings and mixed‑martial‑arts cages.
Her recent assignment took her to Guanajuato, Mexico, where she followed Laredo native Tomas Treviño, a rising basketball coach, capturing the nuances of a community game that often escapes national attention.
A Night at the Moody Center
When the Professional Fighters League descended on Austin’s Moody Center, Sandoval expected a typical fight night; instead she encountered a relentless cascade of action that kept the arena pulsing from the opening bell to the final knockout.
The event crowned Johnny Eblen as the interim middleweight champion with a third‑round stoppage, while Rafael ‘Muslisha’ do Nascimento forced Lewis ‘The McGrizzla’ McGrillen to tap with a slick rear‑naked choke. Victoria Alba also delivered a decisive third‑round TKO over Borena Tsertsvadze, underscoring the depth of talent on the card.
What sets the PFL apart, in Sandoval’s view, is its athlete‑first philosophy. Unlike the UFC, where the charismatic presence of Dana White often dominates the narrative, the PFL lets the competitors speak for themselves, a stance championed by President John Martin.
For Sandoval, storytelling is the heart of sports journalism. She believes that every bout, every play and every coach’s sideline moment holds a narrative worth sharing, and it is this belief that fuels her love for the profession.