Mixed martial artists eagerly await the call.

Two MMA fighters training at the 8th Street Gym in Grand Junction got their call to compete in the World Combat League.

The league, sponsored by television and movie star and mixed martial artists Chuck Norris, has eight teams throughout the country.

For those hoping to reach the top level of MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, this is the step they need to take to get there.

As the two local fighters found out, the World Combat League is no walk in the park.

PJ Reilly competed in one match January for the Oklahoma Destroyers. One month later, Jeff Barney competed for the Denver Fury.

Both fighters lost their bouts.

“I’ve had 31 fights and won most of them, (but) it’s a whole new world,” Reilly said.

Reilly usually fights at around 195 pounds. In order to compete for the Destroyers, he had to lose 20 pounds in six days to match up against a fighter of comparable weight.

His bout was in Chicago, so Reilly had to make an 18-hour drive to compete.

He lost by knockout late in the first round and gained a new respect for the league.

“It’s so professionally run,” he said.

Reilly and his Destroyer teammates were put up in a nice hotel and fed well.

“They take care of their guys big-time,” he said.

The Fury called Barney three weeks before its playoff match with the Los Angeles Stars, the top team in the league. The match was in Tulsa.

As luck would have it, Barney fought Jason Bourelly, who is the top-ranked 164-pound fighter in the league. Barney lasted 2 minutes and 20 seconds before Bourelly got the victory.

Each bout consists of one three-minute round.

“You have to basically go all out,” Barney said. “I thought I had a good showing.”

Others agreed, including Raymond Daniels of the Stars, who competes in the weight class above Barney’s.

“He said I have more heart than most of the guys who come in (the league),” Barney said.

In fact, the Fury’s coach indicated he wants Barney to compete for the Denver team for the entire 2008-09 season, which begins in September and runs until March.

Tom Bolger, the owner of the 8th Street Gym, believes both fighters have the potential.

“These guys’ greatest assets are their consistency,” Bolger said. “They never take a day off and they’re constantly improving.”

More important, said Bolger, “These guys have a lot of heart and they’re not easily discouraged.”

Versus Network, which airs WCL bouts, will be rebroadcasting Reilly’s and Barney’s fights through next month.

There’s not much Reilly would change about the experience. He was knocked out by one of the top fighters in the league.

“Any time you get hit hard and in the right spot, it’s over,” he said. “My conditioning was good. I don’t know what I’d change.”

He’ll pick up his training at the 8th Street Gym and Ultimate Fitness in preparation for a pro fight in July. If the WCL calls after that, he’ll be ready.

“I’d love to do it again,” he said. “It was so much fun.”

Bolger said that Reilly and Barney are helping his gym reach its ultimate goal.

“We want to prove that, even in a small town, we can compete with the big boys,” Bolger said.

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E-mail Kent Mincer at kmincer@gjds.com.