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Finding news for our readers often involves seeing what the other guy is doing. We noticed this interview was first noted on BloodyElbow.com and before we could post it, Michael David Smith at MMAFighting.com has already taken the interview one step further.

He calls the interview a “step forward for MMA,” simply because of the objectivity of the news article. We’ll let Smith explain.

There was a time when TV news broadcasts about mixed martial arts invariably included the following:

1. Ominous music playing over narration that referred to the sport as “barbaric,” and always called it “Ultimate Fighting,” rather than MMA.
2. References to John McCain and “human cockfighting.”
3. Factual errors.

The UFC has done an enormous amount of work through the years to dispel some of the myths about the sport and put a friendlier face on MMA, and you know that work is paying off when you see TV news broadcasts like the recent Efrain Escudero profile by KSWT News 13 in Yuma, Arizona.

The News 13 report (which I first saw at BloodyElbow.com) doesn’t call it “barbaric,” doesn’t call it “Ultimate fighting,” doesn’t call it “human cockfighting” and doesn’t get any of the facts wrong. It simply interviews Escudero, talks about his fight on Saturday night with Dan Lauzon at UFC 114, and introduces viewers to Escudero as what he is: A local athlete about to participate in a big competition.

This piece will probably not win any awards for journalism but it shows how far the sport of mixed-martial-arts had progressed in the eyes of the general public.

We’d like to send “props” to Michael David Smith for recognizing the interview on KSWT News 13 as being something bigger than what it is.

Escudero meets Dan Lauzon this weekend at UFC 114 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. on the preliminary card.

Gustavo Dantas Jiu-Jitsu Events in association with the Arizona State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (AZSBJJF) is proud to announce the 2010 Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu State Championship. There will be a $1000 Cash Prize for the Black Belt, Open Class Division Champion.

Gracie Mag will be covering the event. Don’t foret to check out their upcoming May issue which will feature an article on the 5th AZ International Open of BJJ.

Westwood High School
945 W. 8th St.
Mesa, AZ 85201
MAP

More information is available on the official site.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 22, 2010 – Three dominant first-round wins by Dan Hornbuckle, Ryan Thomas and Patricio Pitbull – as well as a hard-fought split-decision victory for U.S Army Sgt. Steve Carl – made for another exciting Bellator Fighting Championships event Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun resort and casino.

The action, which was broadcast live nationwide on FOX Sports Net, completed the quarterfinal rounds in Bellator’s welterweight and featherweight tournaments and added to the already impressive resumes of all four winners.

The most exhilarating 15 minutes of the night came during an all-out battle between Carl and California striker Brett Cooper (11-6) that ultimately ended with Carl winning via split decision, much to the capacity crowd’s displeasure.

The fight tested the stand-up and ground games of each fighter, but seemed to shift toward Cooper’s favor late in Round 3 when he took Carl down and nearly knocked him out with brutal ground-and-pound as the clock expired.

Afterward, even Carl himself seemed unsure of the judge’s decision.

“I wasn’t too sure about that fight,” said Carl, who improved his pro record to 13-1. “I wasn’t the happiest with my performance tonight.  The fans saw the last minute-and-a-half of Round 3 and it was all Brett. It definitely could have gone either way.”

Cooper, meanwhile, maintained that the decision should have been his.

“I don’t know what to say besides I thought I won,” he said simply.

Earlier, in the night’s Main Event, Hornbuckle improved his impressive pro record to 20-2, making quick work of Midwest regional circuit star Tyler Stinson (16-6), finishing him just 2:03 into round 1 via triangle choke.

The commanding performance (which took place on the first anniversary of Hornbuckle’s marriage to his wife Melody) advanced him to the semifinal round of Bellator’s welterweight tournament and reaffirmed his status as one of the tournament’s favorites.

“Lyman Good was in my place last year, so hopefully he knows that I’m on the path to get him,” Hornbuckle said as Good, the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, looked on from cage-side seats. “I want that title … I’m comin’ to get him.”

Before that, the second fight of the night featured another dominant performance, this one by Thomas, who was selected earlier this week as a last-minute replacement for Jim Wallhead.

Last week, at Bellator 14 in Chicago, Thomas lost via a controversial referee stoppage to U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and begged Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney for a second chance. He made the most of the opportunity Thursday night.

After the previously undefeated Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock (5-1) took his back early on in the fight, Thomas slipped out of a rear-naked choke attempt, took the dominant position on the ground and eventually finished McClintock with impressive ground-and-pound.

The win sets up a rematch between Thomas and Askren in the Bellator welterweight tournament semifinals on May 20^th at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas.

“I have a loss of my record that I don’t deserve,” Thomas declared afterwards. “Ben, you’ve been running your mouth … Let’s do it!”

In the first fight of the night, in a quarterfinal match-up in Bellator’s lightweight tournament, Pitbull, the Brizilian jiu-jitsu black belt used his impressive BJJ skills to submit Canadian up-and-comer and former paratrooper William Romero (5-1) in a dominant performance.

“I was looking for the knockout,” Pitbull said through a translator in a post-fight interview with Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith. “But I saw the leg and I saw the foot and it went good … it was perfect.”

The win improves Pitbull’s pro record to 13-0 (with 10 of those wins coming via KO or submission) and sets him up for a semifinal matchup with fellow Brazil native and jiu-jitsu specialist Wilson Reis (10-1).

“It’s going to be an awesome fight – jiu-jitsu versus jiu-jitsu,” Pitbull said. “But I’m going for the knockout … I want to knock him out.”

Fans who missed the action can watch all the action this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Bellator’s second season continues next Thursday night, April 29^th, from the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 22, 2010 – Three dominant first-round wins by Dan Hornbuckle, Ryan Thomas and Patricio Pitbull – as well as a hard-fought split-decision victory for U.S Army Sgt. Steve Carl – made for another exciting Bellator Fighting Championships event Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun resort and casino.

The action, which was broadcast live nationwide on FOX Sports Net, completed the quarterfinal rounds in Bellator’s welterweight and featherweight tournaments and added to the already impressive resumes of all four winners.

The most exhilarating 15 minutes of the night came during an all-out battle between Carl and California striker Brett Cooper (11-6) that ultimately ended with Carl winning via split decision, much to the capacity crowd’s displeasure.

The fight tested the stand-up and ground games of each fighter, but seemed to shift toward Cooper’s favor late in Round 3 when he took Carl down and nearly knocked him out with brutal ground-and-pound as the clock expired.

Afterward, even Carl himself seemed unsure of the judge’s decision.

“I wasn’t too sure about that fight,” said Carl, who improved his pro record to 13-1. “I wasn’t the happiest with my performance tonight.  The fans saw the last minute-and-a-half of Round 3 and it was all Brett. It definitely could have gone either way.”

Cooper, meanwhile, maintained that the decision should have been his.

“I don’t know what to say besides I thought I won,” he said simply.

Earlier, in the night’s Main Event, Hornbuckle improved his impressive pro record to 20-2, making quick work of Midwest regional circuit star Tyler Stinson (16-6), finishing him just 2:03 into round 1 via triangle choke.

The commanding performance (which took place on the first anniversary of Hornbuckle’s marriage to his wife Melody) advanced him to the semifinal round of Bellator’s welterweight tournament and reaffirmed his status as one of the tournament’s favorites.

“Lyman Good was in my place last year, so hopefully he knows that I’m on the path to get him,” Hornbuckle said as Good, the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, looked on from cage-side seats. “I want that title … I’m comin’ to get him.”

Before that, the second fight of the night featured another dominant performance, this one by Thomas, who was selected earlier this week as a last-minute replacement for Jim Wallhead.

Last week, at Bellator 14 in Chicago, Thomas lost via a controversial referee stoppage to U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and begged Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney for a second chance. He made the most of the opportunity Thursday night.

After the previously undefeated Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock (5-1) took his back early on in the fight, Thomas slipped out of a rear-naked choke attempt, took the dominant position on the ground and eventually finished McClintock with impressive ground-and-pound.

The win sets up a rematch between Thomas and Askren in the Bellator welterweight tournament semifinals on April 20^th at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas.

“I have a loss of my record that I don’t deserve,” Thomas declared afterwards. “Ben, you’ve been running your mouth … Let’s do it!”

In the first fight of the night, in a quarterfinal match-up in Bellator’s lightweight tournament, Pitbull, the Brizilian jiu-jitsu black belt used his impressive BJJ skills to submit Canadian up-and-comer and former paratrooper William Romero (5-1) in a dominant performance.

“I was looking for the knockout,” Pitbull said through a translator in a post-fight interview with Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith. “But I saw the leg and I saw the foot and it went good … it was perfect.”

The win improves Pitbull’s pro record to 13-0 (with 10 of those wins coming via KO or submission) and sets him up for a semifinal matchup with fellow Brazil native and jiu-jitsu specialist Wilson Reis (10-1).

“It’s going to be an awesome fight – jiu-jitsu versus jiu-jitsu,” Pitbull said. “But I’m going for the knockout … I want to knock him out.”

Fans who missed the action can watch all the action this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Bellator’s second season continues next Thursday night, April 29^th, from the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

Jacob McClintock

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 19, 2010) — Ryan “The Tank Engine” Thomas, whose controversial loss to former U.S. Olympian Ben Askren generated substantial comment in the MMA world following Bellator 14 in Chicago last week, has been announced as a last-minute replacement for “Judo” Jim Wallhead at Bellator 15 in Connecticut this Thursday.

Wallhead (18-5), who was anticipating making his U.S. debut with Bellator, is unable to travel from his native England due to the volcanic ash cloud that has halted air travel across Europe over the last several days.

Instead, Thomas (12-4) will get the call versus Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob “Tick Tock” McClintock (6-0), who has won each of his first six pro fights via first round stoppage.

The fight is one of four Bellator fights from this Thursday night’s event at The Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., that will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports Net and in special highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

“While I am very disappointed that Jim won’t be able to make it to the U.S. this week, at least some good comes out of this situation as Ryan will get the opportunity to step back into our welterweight tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “After the fight last Thursday, I promised Ryan that he would be our first alternate for the tournament and, based on a natural disaster, his opportunity came much sooner than anyone would have guessed. Ryan and Ben Askren were locked in a tough fight last week that was ended, somewhat controversially, by the referee. While I respect that decision, I am pleased that this opportunity has presented itself for Ryan.”

Thomas, a veteran of the UFC, fell to Askren via technical submission just 2:40 into Round 1 at last Thursday’s event.

Controversy erupted almost immediately after the stoppage, though, as Thomas, his corner and a vocal fan contingent in the theatre’s balcony protested that he gave no indication that he wanted the fight to be stopped.

“It’s a bad call by the referee,” Thomas said afterwards. “It’s just a shame that the fans got cheated and Ben got cheated out of some more cage time. I was fine – it wasn’t like the world was closing in on me. I was totally fine.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

Registration fee is $35. Deadline for registration is May 19th at 10:00pm. No exceptions.

The brackets will be released day of the tournament by hosting team.

Medals will be awarded to the 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place only.

2602 West Baseline #1
Mesa, AZ 85202
MAP

More information on the official site.

10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu black belt Denny Prokopos will be conductig a 4 hour Jiu-Jitsu seminar.

Cost is $80 ( before May 5th)

$100 after May 5th

Time 12- 4pm

5916 E. McKellips Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85215
MAP

More information on the official site.

Weighing in at only 247 pounds, Brandon Cox (275) hoisted a 750 pound raw deadlift on Saturday at the 100% RAW Arizona State Championships in Prescott, Arizona. The pull ranks Cox sixth on the Powerlifting Watch Lifter Rankings. Had he done it at 242, he would be ranked second.

This Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament will be for white and blue belt adults only.

2602 W Baseline Rd, #1
Mesa, AZ 85202
MAP

More information available through the official site.