Kayla Agentowicz sporting the MyHOUSE Endurance Shorts at a recent 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament. And yes Her Team Won it ! Congrats Kayla and Thanks for the pictures

Ever been kicked in the crotch? Were you able to go right back to what you were doing; not right away. So why does the MMA world think that a fighter can return to his normal form after 5 minutes or less?

There has to be some type of repercussion for repeatedly thumping another fighter’s man-region. Something has to be done to even the fight after an illegal low-blow.

My solution, three shots to a fighter’s tea bag and the fight is over.

The idea is simple. After the first shot to the jewels the referee will officially warn the fighter. After the second blast, the fighter will have a point deducted. Immediately after a third smack to the gonads, the fight is over…disqualification!

No man is the same after being annihilated 3 times in the trinkets in a 15 minute period. I know that if I took three kicks or three knees to the stones I wouldn’t be able to walk the dog, or even talk on the phone, let alone fight another man. Don’t get me wrong, I would want to attack the assailant, but that would be out of rage and maybe some embarrassment. You’re just not the same after your boys have been bumped.

Some may argue that if a fighter was warned or lost a point, he’s forced to abandon low kicks and/or knees. He becomes more cautious and maybe even changes his game plan. That’s the point! If a fighter is warned and or is deducted a point, it wasn’t arbitrary; he broke the rules and is penalized for it. It is just like any other sport. For example, if a basketball player gets a technical foul for committing a hard foul against an opposing player, he cannot commit another hard foul for the remainder of the game or he will receive another technical foul and be ejected. He must now abandon his aggressive defense, be cautious and alter his game plan. Two strikes and you’re out in the NBA.

The current state of MMA allows a fighter to mash another fighter’s nards with no recourse. How long will it be before some low-class fighter actually uses a testicle punt to equalize a fight?

“If I get in trouble, I’ll knee him in the nuts, say I’m sorry as he hunches over, wait a few minutes ‘til he’s ready to fight again, and then we’ll fist pound. He won’t be as good as he was when the fight started. That’s my game plan.”

Conversely, if referees are not willing to take swift action on low-blows, there will be a trend in fighters not being able to continue after their allotted 5 minutes. For example, at WEC 49 had Jamie Varner said he could not continue after any of the three illegal low-blows he suffered, he would be twice as rich. Kamal Shalorus would have been DQ’d, therefore Varner would have taken home the win bonus along with his show money. Furthermore, the judging has been baffling at times. Continuing to fight after a low blow has proven to be costly. Here’s a general scenario. A fighter gets clobbered in the berries; the ref does nothing; the fighter is a warrior so he fights on, but not to his full capability, thus his performance is sub-par; so at the end of three rounds he loses a decision. Given that scenario, who would continue to fight after a low-blow?

While there is no way to ensure that a fighter will not swat his opponent in the junk, there needs to be some written or unwritten rules that referees utilize to ensure that groin shots do not change the outcome of fights, or worse cause permanent damage to a fighter. Currently, fighters are only protected from being “Joe Son’d” (if you don’t get the Joe Son example, watch UFC 4). Three low blows in a fight should be the maximum.

New York, NY, June 10, 2010 – The finals are set for “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz” as Court “The Crusher” McGee and Kris “Savage” McCray emerged last night to compete for a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship®. Emanating from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV, the finale will be telecast LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, June 19 at 9:00 PM ET.

Fighting out of Orem, UT, Court McGee (10-1) is aiming to complete one of the most miraculous comebacks in the history of mixed martial arts. McGee is a former heroin addict who was actually once pronounced dead by EMTs when they arrived on the scene after an overdose in 2005. McGee emerged from a six day coma after the incident and went through an extensive physical rehab program, relearning basic motor skills such as walking. Wrestling, karate and jiu jitsu were a pipe dream at the time, yet five years later, McGee stands at the precipice of becoming “The Ultimate Fighter,” with his opponent McCray the only thing standing in his way. The next-to-last pick by Team Liddell, McGee dropped his first bout on the show via a razor thin decision in a war with Nick Ring, but, like in life, received a second chance. Filling in for an injured Rich Attonito, McGee defeated James Hammortree via guillotine in the second round of their quarterfinal matchup, and garnered a spot in the finals by defeating Brad Tavares with a rear naked choke with only 18 seconds left in the third round of their semifinal slugfest to move onto the finals.

Training in Dumfries, VA, Kris McCray (6-0) was born to a military father, and was raised in Germany, where he excelled in basketball, badminton and soccer, garnering All-Europe honors soccer at Ansbach American High School. It was in Germany where his interest in MMA was sparked, watching karate movies and imitating the moves. In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the United States, graduating from Woodbridge Senior High School in northern Virginia while earning a varsity letter for wrestling. Upon graduating, McCray enrolled in Northern Virginia Community College, earning his Associates Degree in General Studies in 2001. While enrolled there, McCray began serving in the US Army Reserve, where he spent 8 years (6 active, 2 inactive). Towards the end of his time in the Army Reserve, he began training in jiu jitsu at Gold Medal Grappling in Woodbridge, Virginia, which set him on the path that he is on now. Like his opponent in the finale, McCray, a member of Team Ortiz, also received a second chance on the show after dropping his first bout, being selected as the wild card because of his impressive showing in a three-round loss to Josh Bryant. He defeated fellow wild card selection Kyacey Uscola to get back into the competition, then took out number one overall pick Kyle Noke via decision in the quarterfinals and avenged his loss to Bryant via unanimous decision in the semifinals to punch his ticket for the finals.

The Spike TV nationally televised card kicks off with a middleweight bout featuring “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Liddell” contestants Rich Attonito and Jamie Yager. In episode 4, Attonito (7-3) was awarded a victory over Kyacey Uscola via disqualification but broke his hand and was unable to continue on his quest to become “The Ultimate Fighter.” Now fully recovered, Attonito is currently training with American Top Team in Florida.

Jamie Yager (2-1) impressively knocked out Charles Blanchard in one minute and eight seconds in their bout in episode 4, but was unable to answer the bell in the third round of his intense battle with Josh Bryant in episode 10. Fighting out of Los Angeles, Yager was a standout varsity letterman in baseball and football and was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California.

Headlining the Spike TV card will be the previously announced battle of UFC light heavyweights Keith Jardine and “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Matt Hamill, a middleweight bout between Aaron Simpson and Chris Leben, and a lightweight matchup pitting Dennis Siver against Spencer Fisher.

Other matches on the fight card include (might air time permitting):
Brad Tavares (4-1) vs. Seth Baczynski (11-5)
Chris Camozzi (12-3) vs. James Hammortree (4-0)
Jamie Yager (2-1) vs. Rich Attonito (7-3)Last night’s “The Ultimate Fighter” semifinal bouts featuring Josh Bryant vs. Kris McCray and Court McGee vs. Brad Tavares can now be seen in their entirety on ultimatefighter.com.

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

Lebanon County’s top track and field athletes will be at the county track championships at Lebanon High School on Saturday morning and afternoon.

Granted, the Lebanon County Meet can get lost in the midst of other invitationals going on, especially with leagues and districts on the horizon.

But the local athletes always seem to have a few of the league or district’s best among them. And so it is in 2010.

Elco’s Kayleigh Perry has the best time in the 3200-meter run in all of District 3 with a 5:00.90. She also has an Lancaster-Lebanon League best 11:03.2 in the 3200.

Harlee Staller of Annville-Cleona has the top long jump in the L-L with a 17-4 1/2. That is also the farthest jump in District 3 among AA schools.

On the boys side, Chris Bradley of Cedar Crest has the L-L best times in both the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles. He has a 14.52 in the 110 and a 39.52 in the 300. Bradley was the Most Outstanding Athlete at last year’s Lebanon County Meet.

Another Falcon, Jon Jackson, is on top of the league honor roll in the 800 with a 1:58.05.

Cedar Crest has won the last 12 boys county championships. A glance at this springs performances makes the Falcons favorites again, perhaps favorites in the way the Connecticut women’s basketball team usually is.

Out of 18 events, Cedar Crest has the top performer in 13 of them. The Falcons are the top seed in 10 of 11 events on the track.

Among the top seeds on the track for Cedar Crest are Mychal Robinson in the 400 and Alex Galli in the 1600.

Not surprisingly, the Falcons are also the top seed in each of the relay races.

The one top-seeded boy on the track from elsewhere in the county is Elco’s Kyle Kessler. He comes into the meet with a 10:06.9 in the 3200.

While the boys meet seems to be lopsided in Cedar Crest’s favor, the girls meet looks more balanced.

Cedar Crest, as the largest school in the county, does have the advantage in depth. But Palmyra won last year’s team title in spite of that.

But Staller’s dominance in the jumps - she also has a county-best 36-1 3/4 in the triple jump - will help A-C considerably.

In addition to having Perry, Elco also has Sam Walmer on its side. Walmer has a 16.4 in the 100 hurdles and a 48.0 in the 300 hurdles.

Northern Lebanon’s Shannon Hernley enters with a real chance at two golds as well. She has a 101-9 in the discus and a 107-5 in the javelin.

LEBANON NOTES

- Last week, this column focused on the positives and negatives of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s three-game-a-week schedule for baseball and softball. Mother Nature promptly provided one of the negatives with rain that forced postponements and reschedules on Monday. Four of the five Lebanon County baseball games were rescheduled for Tuesday, while four of the five softball games moved to Thursday. No official reasons for the difference in scheduling, but it would not be surprising if the pitching restrictions in baseball encouraged schools to have their teams play Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday this week. Softball, without such restrictions, can more easily handle a Wednesday-Thursday-Friday slate.

- Cedar Crest’s team tennis season came to a close on Tuesday when the Falcons fell to Donegal 3-2 in the L-L semifinals. Steven Kurban and Michael Andrews won their singles matches for the Falcons’ victories. At No. 2 Kurban downed Chris Royer 6-1, 5-7, 6-0, and at No. 3 Andrews defeated Zach Meador 6-3, 6-3. But Cedar Crest’s top player, Wes Fortna, dropped the No. 1 singles match to Pat Morgan 7-6, 6-1. Donegal swept the doubles matches in straight sets to move on to the finals.

- Dylan Killian of Annville-Cleona was named the L-L AA wrestler of the year. Killian was a state qualifier in the 140 weight class.

Alliance’s brown belt Gabi Garcia at the Abu Dhabi Pro this year. Image courtesy Gabi Garcia.

Gabrielle Garcia has been a force on the international women’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene since her appearance at the 2007 World BJJ Championship. At the 2009 Pan-Ams she appeared carrying a new flag, that of Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, for whom she has been a reliable source of new competition medals. Most recently she won the 2010 Pan-Ams women’s heavyweight brown/black belt division, and the 2010 Abu Dhabi Pro +63kg division. The FightWorks Podcast brings this conversation with Garcia, who is preparing to continue her streak for some time.

The FightWorks Podcast: How long have you been training jiu-jitsu, and why did you begin?

Gabi Garcia: I have trained for 14 years. I began to train by way of my uncle, who trained jiu-jitsu and because I was looking to pick up a sport after having tried all the others like volleyball, basketball, and hockey. I began to compete in jiu-jitsu and since then I never stopped. My uncle stopped but I have kept going. Tournaments offer the adrenaline of competition and because of them I can not stop jiu-jitsu. Competition is in my blood.

The FightWorks Podcast: Talk a little bit about your transition to Alliance. Why did you change teams?

Gabi Garcia: Going to Alliance was very smooth. I trained in Brazil with the crew from the Gold Team, but my professor moved to the United States and I was left without a competition training environment and without a solid team. Tarsis Humphreys had already invited me a few times to go train with Fabio Gurgel and Alliance.

I lived a bit in the United States, and when I returned to Brazil I decided to get to know Alliance. I had a conversation with Luanna Alzuguir and we went together. Alliance is more than a jiu-jitsu team. We are a family that fights for the same ideals. They say that we have one chance in life and mine was to go to Alliance.

The FightWorks Podcast: How has training with Alliance changed your jiu-jitsu?

Gabi Garcia: Alliance changed all of my jiu-jitsu. Fabio refined all my technique. He taught me that technique overcomes force and that a champion does not live off of championship victories alone, and that jiu-jitsu is more than this.

People thought that I won tournaments by using force, and after coming to Alliance I was able to show the opposite. People are praising me more and respecting me more. This is my big victory, not just winning the championship but being recognized for my jiu-jitsu. Today I have achieved a more complete jiu-jitsu. It’s diversified. I did not think I was going to like working from the guard but I learned to with Alliance. We have the best training in the world and also the best instructor. It’s impossible to not learn.

The FightWorks Podcast: Do you feel a difference in the crowd when you compete in Brazil and the United States?

Gabi Garcia: The public in Brazil is warmer because of the Brazilian culture. I love to fight in Brazil. But the American public already understands jiu-jitsu and brings the family to the gymnasium. I was well received by everyone and I feel like I’m fighting at home. The American public fills the gym and makes a big celebration of the sport.

The FightWorks Podcast: Who are your heroes (men and women) in jiu-jitsu?

Gabi Garcia: I hesitate to say it because on top of everything he is my professor, but without any doubt it’s Fabio Gurgel. On top of being a spectacular athlete he is a good instructor, a general. Everyone there wants to be like him. He is a great example of our sport.

Among the women I admire is Hanette Quadros. Her jiu-jitsu is impeccable and on top of that, she’s a very humble person that deserves all those victories. She is an example for all the girls.

Gabi Garcia at the 2009 World BJJ Championship.

The FightWorks Podcast: You have competed against some of the toughest opponents in the world. Talk about your favorite moment in competition so far, and your worst.

Gabi Garcia: I want to fight the toughest in the world. I always want challenges. I don’t want my victories to come easily. I train a lot for this, to make myself better every day.

I fought against Lana Stefanac who is 90kg in the gi and never beaten. I was the first to beat her. I trained a lot for that, but I was not just thinking about her. I don’t chose my opponents. If you want to be the best you can’t chose who to fight. You have to be ready for any fight.

In my category there is Luzia Fernandes, a judoka who is very strong. She has already won some world championships and the absolute division of the Brazilian championship. She was well trained and did everything well. That year I only faced really tough opponents, but I enjoyed it.

My weight class these days is one of the toughest in the world, but I would say it motivates me to train more and more, to be the best of the best.

The best moment by far was when I beat Lana in the Abu Dhabi Pro. I was able to win the event. The worst was when I lost to her last year in the BJJ World Championship.

The FightWorks Podcast: What do you like to do when you are not training?

Gabi Garcia: I train all day. When I’m not training jiu-jitsu I am working on judo or in the gym. But when I have free time I like to stay at home with my family, my dog, my father’s grill, and with my friends. But this isn’t really happening much. All my days are spent in the academy, but that’s what I like to do.

The FightWorks Podcast: Where can people go online to find out more about you?

Gabi Garcia: If anyone would like to know a little more they can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/gabijiu or on my facebook (“GABI LEMOS”). If anyone would like to get in touch they can reach me at gabijiu@gmail.com.

The FightWorks Podcast: Anything more you would like to say to our audience?

Gabi Garcia: Thank you guys on the site here for showing a little more about women’s jiu-jitsu. I would like to thank the Alliance family for all of the support, to my master Fabio Gurgel, whom I don’t have the words to express my gratitude. I want to thank my family, who are my biggest fans. I’d like to send a message to all the girls out there that want to be champions – that they train hard and dedicate themselves, as it’s always harder for the women, but despite having the harder road there’s always a reward.

“The happiness is in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved. Not in the victory itself.”

Alliance’s brown belt Gabi Garcia at the 2008 World BJJ Championship.

Press Release

NASHVILLE (April 5, 2010) – Music City will be rockin’ as 11 area fighters, including former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux, will join Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal of Murfreesboro, Tenn., in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition at the STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields event Saturday, April 17, at Bridgestone Arena.

The first MMA fight card in Nashville history that will be televised on network television (CBS) will include nine athletes from Nashville, one from Knoxville (St. Preux) and one from Memphis. They will be featured on the non-televised portion of the fight card.

St. Preux (4-4), who will take on Chris Hawk (3-3) of Memphis, is a 6-foot-3, 26-year-old who played for the Vols from 2001-2004. After graduating with a degree in Sociology in ’04, he became heavily involved in MMA, competing in Tennessee’s first sanctioned MMA event on Feb. 20, 2009, and has since utilized his impressive wrestling skills and natural athletic abilities.

In a 2009 Sports Illustrated poll, St. Preux, who fights out of Knoxville MMA, finished second for best submission of the year after making Ombey Mobley surrender from a slick pressure submission known as a “calf-slicer” on April 25 in Knoxville.

Hawk, a 6-foot-1, 24-year-old member of Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu, specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. An all-around athlete, he played baseball, basketball, football and soccer in school.

Four of the undercard bouts will pit Nashville area fighters against one another: Justin “The Punisher’’ Pennington (debut) vs. Dustin Ortiz (1-0) at 125 pounds; Hunter “The Future’’ Worsham (5-1) vs. Zach “Thunderwood’’ Underwood (5-2) at 185; Thomas Campbell (3-0) vs. Cody Floyd (3-0) at 145; and Andy “Stunner’’ Uhrich (4-0) vs. Dustin West (2-2) at 170.

Another Nashville fighter, Josh “The Warhammer’’ Shockman (6-2), will take on Cale “Aquaman’’ Yarbrough (6-1) of Atlanta.

Doors at Bridgestone Arena will open at 6:30 CT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Bridgestone Arena ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Pennington is an explosive and charismatic bantamweight. The 5-foot-4-inch, 24-year old specializes in wrestling and trains San Shou boxing at Integrated Martial Arts in Lebanon, Tenn., under Brian Fussell.

The International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) Tennessee Flyweight Champion, Pennington went 7-2 in the amateurs. He won the ISKA belt by knocking out previously unbeaten David James in the first round in Murfreesboro. Pennington is popular with the fans for speaking his mind and never backing down from a fight.

Ortiz triumphed in his pro debut last Feb. 20, in Nashville, winning by impressive first-round submission over Lucas Thomas via an arm triangle just a minute into the match.

Worsham is in the Army and stationed in Ft. Campbell, Ky. A fine wrestler with strong standup, the 5-foot-10, 26-year-old Worsham is a two-time champion in the Gladiator Challenge.

The son of MMA pioneer Cal Worsham, Hunter turned pro in April 2007 and fought four times that year. Due in large part to his stint in the service, this will be just his third start in two and a half years and second since donning the army green.

The crowd-pleasing, well-conditioned Worsham won his second MMA belt in his last outing when he captured the Gladiator Challenge light heavyweight (205 pounds) title on March 6. He captured the Gladiator Challenge 170-pound crown on Aug. 13, 2008.

Underwood, a native of Music City who now resides in Union City, is a heavy-handed stand up fighter with a relentless style. He turned pro on April 24, 2009, and won all three of his starts that year. He registered a unanimous decision victory over Terry Robinson last Feb. 27.

Along with an older brother, Jake, the 6-foot-2, 26-year-old Underwood co-owns Thunderdome Training Center, where he is a personal trainer. His MMA squad is called Team Relentless.

West was born and raised in Ashland City, which is 20 miles northwest of Nashville. At Cheatham County High, he earned All-State honors in football. West enlisted in the United States Marine Corp after high school. He served for six years and spent 12 months in Iraq.

Upon returning home, West worked for the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Department. He played semi-professional football for several seasons, in Nashville, for a team of law enforcement personnel. A specialist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, West went undefeated as an amateur before turning pro July 18, 2008. He’s coming off a 50-second TKO over Marcus Fletcher in February.

Uhrich, a member of Team Vortex, is a popular 6-foot, 24-year-old known for his elbow strikes and aggressive style. He compiled an amateur record of 6-0 before going pro in October 2007. Uhrich won a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Barger in his last start in October ‘09.

Campbell earned “Amateur of the Year” honors in 2009 by an MMA website. An experienced fighter, he is coming off a 37-second knockout over Dan Virtue this past March 6.

Yarbrough has won six in a row since losing his debut on July 19, 2007. This will be the 6-foot-2, 23-year-old’s first start in 2010. A top athlete in high school where he participated in baseball, basketball, football, and swimming, Yarbrough attends the University of Georgia where he studies psychology. He got the nickname “Aquaman” for his prowess in the pool.

Shockman , who fought in the UFC, is a talented sort who possesses good boxing and Muay Thai skills and makes for scintillating scraps.

The six undercard fights will precede the televised portion of STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields live on the CBS Television Network. In televised STRIKEFORCE world title fights, legendary MMA superstar and two-time U.S. Olympic wrestling competitor Dan Henderson (25-7) will challenge STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion Jake Shields (24-4-1), who has won 13 straight dating to December 2004, STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) will defend his crown against undefeated MMA star and two-time NCAA All-American wrestling star “King Mo” (6-0) and STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pounds) titlist Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (17-2) will risk his belt against DREAM champion and Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki (23-4).

NASHVILLE (April 5, 2010) – Music City will be rockin’ as 12 area fighters, including former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux, will join Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal of Murfreesboro, Tenn., in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition at the STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields event Saturday, April 17, at Bridgestone Arena.

The first MMA fight card in Nashville history that will be televised on network television (CBS) will include nine athletes from Nashville, one from Knoxville (St. Preux) and one from Memphis. They will be featured on the non-televised portion of the fight card.

St. Preux (4-4), who will take on Chris Hawk (3-3) of Memphis, is a 6-foot-3, 26-year-old who played for the Vols from 2001-2004. After graduating with a degree in Sociology in ’04, he became heavily involved in MMA, utilizing his impressive wrestling skills and natural athletic abilities. He competed in Tennessee’s first sanctioned MMA event on Feb. 20, 2009.

In a 2009 Sports Illustrated poll, St. Preux, who fights out of Knoxville MMA, finished second for best submission of the year after making Ombey Mobley surrender from a slick pressure submission known as a “calf-slicer” on April 25 in Knoxville.

Hawk, a 6-foot-1, 24-year-old member of Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu, specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. An all-around athlete, he played baseball, basketball, football and soccer in school.

Four of the undercard bouts will pit Nashville area fighters against one another: Justin “The Punisher’’ Pennington (debut) vs. Dustin Ortiz (1-0) at 125 pounds; Hunter “The Future’’ Worsham (5-1) vs. Zach “Thunderwood’’ Underwood (5-2) at 185; Thomas Campbell (3-0) vs. Cody Floyd (3-0) at 145; and Andy “Stunner’’ Uhrich (4-0) vs. Dustin West (2-2) at 170.

Another Nashville fighter, Josh “The Warhammer’’ Shockman (6-2), will take on Cale “Aquaman’’ Yarbrough (6-1) of Atlanta.

Doors at Bridgestone Arena will open at 6:30 CT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Bridgestone Arena ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Pennington is an explosive and charismatic bantamweight. The 5-foot-4-inch, 24-year old specializes in wrestling and trains San Shou boxing at Integrated Martial Arts in Lebanon, Tenn., under Brian Fussell.

The International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) Tennessee Flyweight Champion, Pennington went 7-2 in the amateurs. He won the ISKA belt by knocking out previously unbeaten David James in the first round in Murfreesboro. Pennington is popular with the fans for speaking his mind and never backing down from a fight.
Ortiz triumphed in his pro debut last Feb. 20, in Nashville, winning by impressive first-round submission over Lucas Thomas via an arm triangle just a minute into the match.

Worsham is in the Army and stationed in Ft. Campbell, Ky. A fine wrestler with strong standup, the 5-foot-10, 26-year-old Worsham is a two-time champion in the Gladiator Challenge.

The son of MMA pioneer Cal Worsham, Hunter turned pro in April 2007 and fought four times that year. Due in large part to his stint in the service, this will be just his third start in two and a half years and second since donning the army green.

The crowd-pleasing, well-conditioned Worsham won his second MMA belt in his last outing when he captured the Gladiator Challenge light heavyweight (205 pounds) title on March 6. He captured the Gladiator Challenge 170-pound crown on Aug. 13, 2008.

Underwood, a native of Music City who now resides in Union City, is a heavy-handed stand up fighter with a relentless style. He turned pro on April 24, 2009, and won all three of his starts that year. He registered a unanimous decision victory over Terry Robinson last Feb. 27.

Along with an older brother, Jake, the 6-foot-2, 26-year-old Underwood co-owns Thunderdome Training Center, where he is a personal trainer. His MMA squad is called Team Relentless.
West was born and raised in Ashland City, which is 20 miles northwest of Nashville. At Cheatham County High, he earned All-State honors in football. West enlisted in the United States Marine Corp after high school. He served for six years and spent 12 months in Iraq.

Upon returning home, West worked for the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Department. He played semi-professional football for several seasons, in Nashville, for a team of law enforcement personnel. A specialist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, West went undefeated as an amateur before turning pro July 18, 2008. He’s coming off a 50-second TKO over Marcus Fletcher in February.

Uhrich, a member of Team Vortex, is a popular 6-foot, 24-year-old known for his elbow strikes and aggressive style. He compiled an amateur record of 6-0 before going pro in October 2007.

Uhrich won a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Barger in his last start in October ‘09.

Floyd, a 5-foot-10-inch, 21-year-old who fights for AGEMA Fight Team out of Tupelo BJJ, prefers to keep it on the ground. He went 5-0 in the amateurs. Campbell earned “Amateur of the Year” honors in 2009 by an MMA website. An experienced fighter, he is coming off a 37-second knockout over Dan Virtue this past March 6.

Yarbrough has won six in a row since losing his debut on July 19, 2007. This will be the 6-foot-2, 23-year-old’s first start in 2010. A top athlete in high school where he participated in baseball, basketball, football, and swimming, Yarbrough attends the University of Georgia where he studies psychology. He got the nickname “Aquaman” for his prowess in the pool.

Shockman , who fought in the UFC, is a talented sort who possesses good boxing and Muay Thai skills and makes for scintillating scraps.

The six undercard fights will precede the televised portion of STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields live on the CBS Television Network. In televised STRIKEFORCE world title fights, legendary MMA superstar and two-time U.S. Olympic wrestling competitor Dan Henderson (25-7) will challenge STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion Jake Shields (24-4-1), who has won 13 straight dating to December 2004, STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) will defend his crown against undefeated MMA star and two-time NCAA All-American wrestling star “King Mo” (6-0) and STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pounds) titlist Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (17-2) will risk his belt against DREAM champion and Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki (23-4).

In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network. The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s No. 1 heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.

by Eric Campion

This past weekend I attended the Bluegrass Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open Submission Only event in Louisville, KY run by Louisville Martial Arts Academy (a Pedro Sauer Affiliate). This event was organized, well run, and a lot of fun. I preregistered online and, unlike many other local Midwestern tournaments, they had all my info at hand and ready to go. I signed my credit card receipt, stepped on the scale and was ready to compete. Ring assignments were well posted and there was ample notice as to when your division was going to begin.

The competition was held at a large basketball facility leaving ample room for six rings and seating for spectators. Referees did a good job keeping everyone safe and informed. As this was a submission only tournament, scoring was not an issue. There were no time limits and they did a good job of utilizing other rings to keep divisions moving if a fight was going particularly long.

The only downside to the tournament was that it had a relatively low turnout. This was likely due to the fact that they had to change dates and facilities due to insurance issues and that this was the first time they were doing this particular tournament. The staff did an excellent job of combining divisions when necessary and making sure that everyone had a chance to compete. Medals were given to all 1st-3rd place competitors and were very nice.

I think this tournament will continue to grow and I look forward to making the drive to Louisville to compete again next year.

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Eric Campion is a white belt at Cincinnati Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy under Professor Jim Kelly.

This is an installment in our Tournament Review Tuesdays column, where FightWorks Podcast listeners submit reports about Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling competitions that happened the weekend prior. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of The FightWorks Podcast.

- Caleb

Day 1 of my 'wrestling' trip included a 10-minute drive to the casino. Ugh!

Express-Times Photo | MICHAEL BLOUSEThis is the horse, No. 5, I threw 20 bucks on at Penn National. He won, I lost. Sorry for the poor quality of this picture. I was pretending to be an Express-Times staff photographer.Blogger's note: I am rearranging the letters in everyone's name in this post to protect their identity and my safety.

I love wrestling. But even more than loving wrestling, I love the time the wrestlers aren't actually wrestling so I can spend some serious QT with my crew out here in Hershey, Pa. And we all enjoyed plenty of QT on Thursday -- Day 1 of the PIAA Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center.

Several highlights of Day 1 of the trip (after the Class AA action was completed and my story was filed):

• Enjoyed a late lunch at Perkins with pals Ssi and Lrdaa. It was already 3:30 p.m., but I ordered the breakfast -- two eggs, sausage, pancakes and potatoes. I was so hungry even this so-so meal tasted terrific.


• This crew I lower my standards to hang out with, they make the hotel lobby of the Scottish Inn on Jonestown Road their home. (I'll provide a little perspective here, the Pen Argyl peeps and Northampton clan are this weekend's running mates.) Crowding the lobby with food, booze, more food, more booze and lots of hardcore wrasslin groupies, it's a great way to spend an evening. Of course, the food is too fancy for me and we needed a trip to the CASINO!!!


• My buddy Rfkna, who is actually more of an acquaintance than a friend because friends share their good fortune, won $4,000 at the Hollywood Casino/Penn National Racetrack on Thursday night. Rfkna really won $4,100 on the slots but I talked him into betting one large on a horse named "Rfkna the Tank" and it finished a distant third. Rfkna may be my hero; but not a friend. Me? I lost $40 on two horse races. My No. 5 horse pictured above prevailed, but my exacta failed. (I'll write it off on my Express-Times entertainment voucher. Ha! Ha! Ha!)


• I tend to disappear from my wolfpack from time to time, and when I return it's usually: "Hey, (insert demeaning name here), where were you?" And I tell 'em it's tournament time in college hoops and I was checking out a real sport. Then comes some sort of bad wrestling joke about how stupid basketball is. Really, it's getting old. And basketball is the cooler sport.

Some of the better-looking peeps I hang with.You want some names? OK, the wolfpack includes ... Heleicm, Rm. Elhsw, Rcia, Xre, Rd. DaoeloP, Lpih, Lpih, Crhi, Upal, Oej, RRtei, Miat, Ddbuha, Rfkna, Ssi, Lrdaa. Those are just a few.

Well, that's a wrap on Day 1 at the PIAA Wrestling Championships in Hershey. Not looking forward to Day 2 today. Way too much wrestling to break up this party! Word.

When Averee Robinson hoisted his arms in the air two weeks ago at Hersheypark Arena, Susquehanna Twp. stepped out of the shadows of midstate high school wrestling.

Finally.

Oh, there has been sporadic success over the years. The Indians have had four state champions since 1938, the last of which came in 1991 when Jesse Rawls collected gold. And who could forget the run of Ed Ruth, who landed a fifth-place medal in 2007 and a fourth at 171 in 2008?

But when Robinson downed Conestoga Valley's Cole Dillman in the 285-pound district final, it gave the Indians two state qualifiers for the first time in, well, forever, according to sources close to the program.

"This is tremendous for our program," Indians head coach Joe Scott said. "It gives the other kids in our program something to look forward to and puts us on the map as a team."

Thank you, Robinson and Daniel King.

These two seem like the unlikeliest of heroes, or friends for that matter. Robinson (34-2) is a huge 285-pounder, and King (30-8) competes in the mite-size 112-pound bracket. And yet they talk on the phone and even roll around on the mat during practice in wrestling room.

Of course, Robinson takes it a little easy.

"It's funny, he can actually hold me down when he is on top," Robinson said with a chuckle. "He is tough. But I try and take it easy on him, and we really only wrestle for a period.

"We watch each other's matches. I can hear him screaming at me when I'm on the mat. When he loses I feel like I'm losing, and it is the same when I lose a match."

Two wrestlers from different backgrounds serving the same purpose: winning matches and representing a school that is known more for basketball and football than wrestling.

King started his wrestling career after he fouled out of a sixth-grade basketball game. His grandparents were influential in taking him to every camp and every open practice imaginable.

But he was far from a natural. He had to work at it. King became a gym rat, constantly biking and racking up miles on the treadmill. Even during state tournament week, King took in a regular practice before going to Middletown for another workout and closing his evening with a gym routine consisting of a bike ride and three-mile run.

"I know you have to work hard to keep winning," King, a sophomore, said. "I like to push myself and challenge myself to see how far I can go."

Robinson is cut from the same cloth.

The Indians sophomore has been mentored by Bobby Martin and his father, Adrian Robinson Sr. He's paid his dues, coming up through the junior ranks, earning his stripes and studying moves and counters with some of the best wrestlers in the area.

And he bounced back from a major setback.

A year ago, he qualified for the state tournament, only to have disciplinary issues force him out of the tournament. But instead of whining and complaining, Robinson cleaned up his act and has made his coaches and supporters proud.

"I learned so much the last year, what to do and what not to do," Robinson said. "Everyone kept supporting me and got me on the right track. I've gotten so much support from the school, and I just want to give back."

So does King.

The first thing he thought about after carving his way through the district consolation bracket, beating Central Dauphin's Shyheim Brown and New Oxford's Andrew Brehm, was doing his school proud and going to states with his friend.

"My coaches told me to leave it all on the mat, and it paid off," King said. "I feel good about what I accomplished, and I think it shows that the program is stepping up. It feels good to represent our school.

"[Robinson and I] rib each other a lot, but it is all in good fun. There is a lot of bragging rights, but we push each other and want each other to win."

For themselves.

And for the school colors.

"They have great wrestling ability and work hard in the weight room," Scott said. "They are both athletic and get good grades. They are great role models for the rest of the team.

"This gives us something to look forward to and something to build on, especially team wise. Once you get good individuals, you can build a team."