HAILEY - Behind any successful promotion is an innovative promoter.

Someone who is ambitious enough to expand his budding empire, yet pragmatic enough to grow it carefully. Someone who is visionary enough to see what his promotion could become, yet hands-on enough to build it himself.

The promotion is Ultimate Cage Fighting of Hailey. The promoter is "Superstar" Lee Anderson.

It'd be easy to overlook Anderson as promotional force in the growing industry of MMA (mixed martial arts). He's a Wood River High School graduate that runs his family business, Anderson Asphalt. His appearance is plain as vanilla and hides that he's build like a brick wall. His demeanor is soft as spun cotton and hides that he's a fierce competitor.

The current Xtreme Fight Series Lightweight Champion, Anderson is bringing his love of competition and cage fighting to the southern Idaho area. He's already had one successful show of amateur mixed martial arts - June's "King of the Mountain" - and UCF II: "Bad Blood" is Saturday night.

"Like it or not, this is the sport of the future," saidAnderson. "(The Romans) built the Coliseum for it. It was the biggest sport on the planet at that time.

"It's back."

Anderson's USA Grappling gym doesn't look like a gym at all from the outside. It's tucked away in a small industrial park behind the Hailey airfield, and the only way to know it's a gym for any kind of martial arts is the fight poster taped to the inside of the window at the entryway. The gym itself is nothing more than an oversized garage, concrete floors, a high ceiling and plain walls. What makes it a gym is the stench of sweat and discipline. The sweat-smeared padded gym mats on the concrete floor, the small cage near the 15-foot tall garage door, a heavy punching bag and a smattering of Anderson's merchandise pinned to the wall. The body heat generated from strenuous training and a large bank of lights overhead keep the place toasty, but the heater simply must be on for two reporters to start sweating within one minute of stepping inside.

"My school is a mixed martial arts school," Anderson explained. "I have different classes for self defense. Jiu-jitsu, tae boxing, wrestling, and we train in those things to prepare for an actual fight."

As an experienced fighter and a world champion, Anderson knows what it takes to be the best. Through his gym, he offers his Superstar Assassins - his group of mixed martial arts fighters - everything they need to not only compete, but to dominate. The results can attest this, as all four of his Assassins won their bouts at the first UCF show in June.

"Because I've been a fighter for so long, I know how to train someone for an actual fight," Anderson said. "I guess we do have a big advantage. Having me here is one, and then the facility.

"If you want to be a champion, train with a champion."

Of course, a gym isn't a gym without the fighters, and Anderson isn't lacking for bodies to fill his small, yet well-equipped setup.

Assassins Houston Shaw, Aric Iverson, Levi Crandall and Chase Tomseth each fought during the June show, but they along with many others are constantly in training for the next fight whether it's Saturday or October.

Kelly Wardell and Juan Ortiz are two newcomers preparing for their October debuts.

Ortiz, 23, is originally from Michoacan, Mexico, roughly four hours from the capital, and has resided in Hailey since he was 10. He started watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship cards about three years ago, mostly following the career of his idol, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. To that point, Juan Ortiz had been involved in street fighting but decided to give it up and give Anderson's gym a try.

"You can't prove anything on the street," he said. He's been training for three months, and he's not at all nervous about his first bout.

Meanwhile, Wardell is getting to relive the addreneline rush he experienced exiting the chute as a world champion bareback rider. He's a 44-year-old retired professional rodeo cowboy who's got four National Finals Rodeo appearances to his name. He was ranked No. 1 for all of 2001 and was on track to win his first gold buckle until injuries during the finals took him out of contention.

"I work hard, and I play hard. This is a combination of both," he said. Wardell retired in 2003 but remained involved in rodeo through various schools and camps, but he was looking for something to rival the excitement of the go.

Iverson, his daughter's boyfriend, encouraged him to train at Anderson's gym, where he found that rush and camaraderie with fellow fighters.

"These are a bunch of great guys," he said. "Lee's a super guy. I've met a lot of tough guys in rodeo, but I think he's probably the toughest I've ever met."

Like Ortiz, Wardell's first fight isn't until October, and he compared the anticipation to that of his first appearance at nationals.

"I rodeoed for 11 years before I made my first NFR. I'll never forget that first night, and this will be the same thing. You don't know what to expect," he said. "

Even though UCF only has one show under its belt and the next two scheduled, there's always room to grow. Anderson's professional setup for the first UCF show - "King of the Mountain" - was strong enough to get sponsors for "Bad Blood," such as the United States Army. "King of the Mountain" had a paid attendance of approximately 1,500 with little promotion or advertising.

"No. 1, I did it all myself. I had no sponsors. It was all the unknown. People weren't sure about the event. They didn't know if it would be some kind of hokey, in-the-dirt thing," Anderson said. "Now everybody wants to be a part of it. All these big companies are jumping on board, and it's making it easier to get the word out."

His experience is a mix of the academic and the business world. He holds a degree from the Colorado Institute of Art where he learned about marketing, advertising and design. His more practical experience was gained at one of the most recognizable MMA promotions on the planet: Ultimate Fighting Championship. Anderson played a part of the inaugural UFC show back in 1993 when he aided with graphic design, including the promotion's first logo. Anderson has watched UFC sprout from a so-labeled barbarian sport to a worldwide brand with numerous profitable pay-per-view cards and a reality series on SpikeTV. He would want no less for the UCF.

"Realistically, I can aim for a top-level show. As big as any of them," he said. "I expect to go all the way with this."

Times-News sports writer Bradley Guire can be reached at 735-3229 or bguire@magicvalley.com.