AAMMA XI

CageCraze.com was cageside on Saturday night for “Absolute Action MMA presents AAMMA XI” at the Midwest Sports Complex in Florence, Kentucky. The local Pro/Am event had twelve amateur fights and two professional fights scheduled. We were treated to an amazing battle between undefeated amateur lightweights, James Mogollon and James Morton, to determine the #1 Contender for the AAMMA Lightweight Title. Headlining the card was a professional fight between Chris Mierzwiak and Brandon Pinkston, another battle of unbeaten fighters. Before the fights began it was announced that AAMMA referee Chris Kinman had been chosen by the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority (KBWA) to referee at the upcoming UFC on Versus event at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. George Conley, one of the judges for AAMMA XI, will also be representing the KBWA as a judge for some of the fights on the UFC card in Louisville next week. Kinman and Conley will likely be used on the unaired portion of the event but if things work out they may get a chance to oversee a fight on the main card. Please read below for the quick results and full recap of AAMMA XI, feel free to comment on the article as well. We want to read opinions from local mma “insiders” that saw the event so join in the discussion below!

Amateur Fights

Christian throws a kick

Jon Christian vs Adam Cogswell

Jon Christian and Adam Cogswell went the distance in the first fight of the night and battled each other to a majority draw. Christian was taken down immediately as his kick was caught by Cogswell at the start of the fight. Christian did a good job of stymieing Cogswell’s offense but was unable to work back to his feet for the rest of the round. Christian did look for an armbar as the first round came to a close but he could not get the finish and Cogswell broke free as the round ended. A point was deducted from Cogswell in the second round for an illegal up-kick which probably cost Cogswell the fight. Cogswell’s corner did not like the call and though that the kick was legal. Cogswell went for an anaconda choke and a triangle choke in this round, and also took Christian’s back and landed several solid shots from the back as he tried to flatten Christian. The point deduction turned a 10-9 round for Cogswell into a 9-9 round. Jon Christian came alive in the final round, scoring on the feet with kicks and then on the ground with punches from the full mount. Christian worked a rear naked choke as time expired to clinch the round. The decision was announced as a majority decision victory for Jon Christian, but Angela Robertson from the KBWA walked over moments later to let us know that the announcement was incorrect, and that the fight had been scored a majority draw.

Adam Prince vs Matt McDaniel

Team Warcry’s Adam Prince brought a quick end to this fight with a KO just 0:43 into the fight. The end came after Prince caught a body kick from McDaniel and then connected with two right hands to send “The Magic Man” crashing to the canvas. Prince went on to say that he will be dropping down to light heavyweight to make a run at the AAMMA 205-lb title.

Derrick Weisenberger vs Brandon Windisch

Team Warcry recorded their second win of the night after Derrick Weisenberger submitted Brandon Windisch at 1:24 in the second round. Weisenberger almost finished the fight in the first round after Windisch slammed Weisenberger and fell into a guillotine. Windisch was able to work his way out of the choke but could not escape in the second round after a nearly identical situation unfolded.

Ryan Roberts vs Matthew Perkins

Ryan Roberts gave Matthew Perkins a rude welcome to the world of amateur MMA by scoring a KO victory just 0:10 into the fight. Perkins was overwhelmed by Roberts and eventually dropped with a right hand. Roberts moves to 1-1 as an amateur while Perkins enters the books at 0-1 after losing his debut.

Virgil Lackey III vs Anthony Stamm

Virgil Lackey III put on a dominant performance to stop Anthony Stamm with strikes at 2:42 in the third round. Lackey punished Stamm for the majority of the fight, solidly winning rounds one and two before heading into the final round. Lackey landed an illegal knee in the third round that cost him a point, but Stamm was okay to continue and the fight went on. Stamm is a very tough fighter, not many people could have withstood the relentless ground-and-pound attack of Virgil Lackey III. Lackey would get the fight to the ground and transition from side control to mount Stamm. Stamm rolled over to cover up and that is all he could do as blows rained down upon him, forcing Chris Kinman to step in and stop the fight with just 0:18 remaining in the bout.

Skelton tosses McKenzie

Brittany Skelton vs Chris McKenzie

Brittany Skelton was too much for Chris McKenzie to handle as McKenzie was forced to verbally submit 1:44 into the first round. Skelton connected with a straight right at the start of the bout and then almost upended McKenzie with a leg kick. Skelton backed McKenzie into the cage an unloaded, eventually dropping his opponent with a right hand. McKenzie survived the onslaught and was able to stand but a few more shots on the feet prompted McKenzie to motion to Kinman that he wanted out of the fight and Kinman obliged, stopping the contest at 1:44 in the first round.

McClain pounces on Scheming

Shane McClain vs Lucas Scheming

Shane McClain has come into his own over the course of the past year and he earned a title shot by dispatching Lucas Scheming via TKO at 0:13 into the first round. McClain landed a vicious left-right-left combo that floored Scheming and then followed up on the ground to force Chris Kinman to swoop in and save Scheming from further damage. Look for Shane McClain to fight for the AAMMA Middleweight Title in April.

Miller tightens the triangle

Joel Miller vs Deric Reece

Joel Miller handed Deric Reece his first loss with a submission victory in the second round. Miller and Reece had a very close battle in the first round, with both fighters scoring on the feet with kicks and punches. Joel Miller grabbed a knee from Reece and took Reece down. Miller quickly worked to full mount but couldn’t finish Reece. The fight went to the ground once again in round two as both fighters tried to work trips at the same time, with Reece throwing Miller to the ground. Miller used the momentum of the takedown to roll Reece over and get on top. Miller mounted Reece and then went for a triangle from the top. Miller locked the choke in and rolled over to finish Reece at 2:03 in the second round.

James Mogollon vs James Morton

James Mogollon won a tough decision against James Morton to become the #1 Contender for the AAMMA Lightweight Title. Mogollon landed more quality strikes throughout the first round but Morton bloodied Mogollon late in the first round with knees from the clinch. Those knees made the first round very hard to score and could have gone either way. Mogollon and Morton traded on the feet to open the second round. Mogollon landed his jab several times and Morton continued to score with knees, but they did not do much damage. Mogollon went on to take Morton down and then controlled Morton for most of the round on the canvas. Morton worked to his feet and landed a kick but then ate a hard right-left combo as the round ended. Morton used his clinch work in round three to throw several knees but Mogollon did a good job of blocking most of them. Mogollon managed to get another takedown but Morton worked back to his feet immediately. Round three ended with Mogollon working a trip as the horn sounded. Mogollon won a unanimous decision and should be fighting for the AAMMA 155-lb belt in April.

Duprie Moon Jr vs Lonnie Mosley

Duprie Moon, Jr., came away with a decision victory over Lonnie Mosley after a very gutsy performance. The fight went back and forth with both men scoring on the feet. Duprie Moon landed the better shots over the course of the fight and also took Mosley down. By the end of the fight both fighters were exhausted. A tired Duprie Moon landed several big shots in the end of the third round but did not have enough in him to finish Mosley. The judges gave Duprie Moon, Jr., the unanimous decision.

Boehm submits Van Zijl

Zachary Boehm vs Pieter Van Zijl

Zachary Boehm dominated Pieter Van Zijl to remain undefeated, finishing Van Zijl with a rear naked choke in the final round. Van Zijl came into the fight undefeated but never found an answer for Boehm’s ground-and-pound. Boehm punished Van Zijl with strikes from the top throughout all three rounds. The end of the fight came in the third round after a failed guillotine attempt from Van Zijl allowed Boehm to take his back. Boehm worked patiently from Van Zijl’s back to flatten him out and then go for a rear naked choke. After softening Van Zijl with punches, Boehm locked on the choke and forced the tap at 2:33 in the third round.

Shaun Asher vs Michael Gay

Shaun Asher made a triumphant return to the AAMMA cage by forcing Michael Gay to tap to strikes in the first round. Asher overpowered Gay and landed punches from the top. All Michael Gay could do was cover up and try to protect himself. Gay struggled to buck Asher off but was unable to do so and Asher followed up with strikes that forced Gay to roll over and give up his back. Michael Gay tapped after a few seconds of Asher landing bombs from the top. The submission ended the fight at 1:28 in the first round.

Professional Fights

Brandon Suber vs Chris Bennett

Mogollon vs Morton was a great fight but Suber and Bennett put on the fight of the night. Brandon Suber defeated Chris Bennett via unanimous decision in a fight where neither combatant quit fighting until the horn sounded. Both fighters seemed comfortable standing and on the ground so we were treated to dozens of transitions throughout the fight. If you have ever seen Chris Bennett fight, you know that he is always looking for an armbar whenever he is on the ground. Tonight was no different except for the fact that Brandon Suber was able to escape several armbar attempts while on top of Bennett, and executed solid ground-and-pound techniques to win the judges over on the scorecards. Bennett landed several hard shots on the feet but Suber kept moving forward, landing kicks and punches of his own before going for takedowns. Chris Bennett looked frustrated at many points in the fight, a testament to Suber’s ability to stifle Bennett’s gameplan and control the fight. It is a hard loss for Bennett to take but it is the type of loss that should help him grow as a fighter. Brandon Suber moved to 1-1 in his professional MMA career with the win, while Bennett drops to 3-2.

Mierzwiak wins via armbar

Chris Mierzwiak vs Brandon Pinkston

Team Jorge Gurgel’s Chris Mierzwiak moved to 3-0 as a professional with a quick submission victory via armbar. Mierzwiak opened the fight with a body kick and both fighters went to the ground. Mierzwiak immediately isolated an arm and the pulled it into an armbar. Pinkston stood up but Chris Mierzwiak held on, somehow. Pinkston dropped to the ground to try and shake Mierzwiak off but the armbar was locked in and Pinkston was forced to tap just 0:35 into the fight. There has been a lot of buzz about Mierzwiak lately and many people close to his camp have told us that they will be surprised if he is not in the UFC by the end of the year.

Quick Results

Amateur Fights

Jon Christian vs Adam Cogswell declared a Majority Draw

Adam Prince def Matt McDaniel via KO at 0:43 in Rd.1

Derrick Weisenberger def Brandon Windisch via Submission (guillotine) at 1:24 in Rd.2

Ryan Roberts def Matthew Perkins via KO (punch) at 0:10 in Rd.1

Virgil Lackey III def Anthony Stamm via TKO/RSC at 2:42 in Rd.3

Brittany Skelton def Chris McKenzie via Verbal Submission at 1:44 in Rd.1

Shane McClain def Lucas Scheming via TKO/RSC at 0:13 in Rd.1

Joel Miller def Deric Reece via Submission (triangle) at 2:03 in Rd.2

James Mogollon def James Morton via Unanimous Decision at 3:00 in Rd.3

Duprie Moon Jr def Lonnie Mosley via Unanimous Decision at 3:00 in Rd.3

Zachary Boehm def Pieter Van Zijl via Submission (rear naked choke) at 2:33 in Rd.3

Shaun Asher def Michael Gay via Submission (strikes) at 1:28 in Rd.1

Pro Fights

Brandon Suber def Chris Bennett via Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in Rd.3

Chris Mierzwiak def Brandon Pinkston via Submission (armbar) at 0:35 in Rd.1

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Hardrock MMA 31: Private Event

Hardrock MMA held a private show in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday night. The show was closed to the public but the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority was there to oversee all of the action inside of the cage. There were six professional fights and three amateur fights, including a bout to decide the Hardrock MMA Heavyweight Title between Andrew Fogg and Josh Walker. CageCraze.com was the only media allowed inside for the event so please check out our results below and come back later for the exclusive recap of all of the fights. Due to this event being private, we were unable to take any photos or video.

Quick Results

Amateur Fights

Daniel Ware def Caleb Miller via Unanimous Decision at 3:00 in Rd. 3

Andrew Fogg def Josh Walker via Submission (strikes) at 1:10 in Rd. 3 – HW Title Fight

Matt Metts def Alvin Miller via Submission (armbar) at 2:44 in Rd. 1

Professional Fights

Derek Sawyer def Sha-la Edwards via Submission (rear naked choke) at 1:40 in Rd. 1

Rick Borders def Chancellor Edmonson via Submission (armbar) at 1:33 in Rd. 1

Brandon Howard def Jason Jones via TKO at 0:38 in Rd. 1

Justin Pennington def Jesse Grindstaff via TKO at 1:44 in Rd. 1

Jeremy Myers def Steven Durr via Unanimous Decision at 3:00 in Rd. 3

Zach Sanders def TJ Barber via TKO at 4:58 in Rd. 2

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UFC 127: Penn vs Fitch will be the focus of this installment of the North-South Position as CageCraze.com staff writers Brian Hemminger and Chad Cunningham preview the main card fights and offer their predictions on how each bout will turn out.  The main event of this card, which is taking place down under in Australia will be a welterweight showdown between former lightweight and welterweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn and former welterweight title challenger Jon Fitch.

Also on the main card is a grudge match between middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera.  Rivera has stepped up the trash talk this past week and Bisping appears to have taken offense.

Hometown favorite George Sotiropoulos will bring his 7 fight win streak in the UFC to the cage against fellow contender Dennis Siver in a battle to remain on top of the lightweight division.  In other main card action, Chris “Lights Out” Lytle will battle injury replacement Brian Ebersole in welterweight action and Ultimate Fighter season 11 veterans Kyle Noke and Chris Camozzi will do battle in the middleweight division.

Chad again defeated Brian two weeks ago so once again Chad has chosen the punishments for Brian. The first punishment is that Brian will have to name his first child “Baby Jay Penn Hemminger.” The second punishment will be that Brian will have to find a way to reference a line from “Down Under” by Men at Work in all of his predictions below. Please read below to see how the vagabond from Toledo accomplishes that task:

BJ Penn vs Jon Fitch

(Chad) I am going to go with Jon Fitch in this one, hands down. I do not want to see BJ Penn vs GSP III. Say what you want about the style of Jon Fitch, he will get it done by outworking BJ Penn for three rounds. Fitch will get BJ to the mat early in the fight and punish him with his grueling brand of “guard-and-pound.” I am tired of waiting for the “old” BJ Penn to come back around. Penn looked great against Matt Hughes but we will just have to see how Penn’s cardio holds up to being held down and beaten for three rounds by Jon Fitch. Not mincing words with this one, Fitch by unanimous decision.

(Brian) The smart choice here is Jon Fitch.  He has imposed his will on every opponent he’s ever faced in the UFC sans Georges St. Pierre with his wrestling and top control.  They even invented a new MMA verb, “Fitching”, for when an opponent is being dominated in the cage but not finished.  Fitch wins decisively every time, but his last eight fights have gone to decision.  That’s one of the reasons he hasn’t been given a rematch for the title.  BJ Penn is tough as nails, and he showed his power in his last fight, a 23 second knockout of former welterweight champ Matt Hughes in Detroit.  He has the jiu jitsu skills to survive against Fitch on the ground and he has a granite chin, maybe even a head full of zombie. Penn showed he can be controlled by bigger stronger wrestlers in the past and I’m going with Fitch here by unanimous decision.

Michael Bisping vs Jorge Rivera

(Brian) On paper, this fight is 100% going Michael Bisping’s way.  Jorge Rivera is older, has worse wrestling, grappling and he’s slower than Bisping.  But Rivera does hold the power advantage, and possibly a striking advantage but that’s not guaranteed.  Michael Bisping loves to stick and move, occasionally mixing in takedowns and ground and pound.  Rivera has tried to get into Bisping’s head with increasingly silly youtube videos that mock the British MMA star.  They appear to be working as Bisping seemed riled up at the press conference and the weigh-ins this week.  If Bisping loses his composure in the cage, Rivera has a great chance of catching him and knocking him out, screaming “Can’t you hear the thunder?” in the process.  I have a gut feeling though, that Bisping will stick to the gameplan and even possibly incorporate some big ground and pound to take away a decision against “The Conquistador.”

(Chad) What to do, what to do? I want Rivera to take this one, and I think he can, but this is a matchup that may play right into Bisping’s hands. If Bisping can stay elusive he can avoid Rivera’s power and turn this into an ugly scrap like he has done so many times before. Rivera definitely has the striking advantage and we have already seen Bisping get “Bisping-ed” by Rivera at the UFC 127 presser. I see Bisping coming into this fight trying to out-strike Rivera and paying for it. I think that Rivera will hurt Bisping on the feet early, but Bisping will hold on until late in the second round. Rivera silences Bisping, for now, with a second round TKO.

George Sotiropoulos vs Dennis Siver

(Brian) George Sotiropoulos has been living in the land down under for quite some time now.  The native Australian is on one of the biggest hotstreaks in the UFC and is currently riding a seven fight win streak in the promotion.  Sotiropoulos has some of the best grappling in the lightweight division and improving striking.  He’ll need all of it against Siver.  Siver, who hails from Germany is a compact lightweight with excellent kickboxing skills.  No one can forget his two fights in ’09 that he finished via spinning back kick to the liver/ribs.  While Siver is dangerous on his feet, he’s also got an underrated submission game.  The purple belt in BJJ has more wins by submission (9) than by knockout (5) including his submission of the night performance against Andre Winner at UFC 122.  Regardless, I think Sotiropoulos controls Siver with his reach and top control to secure a decision victory.

(Chad) I cannot and will not pick against Sotiropoulos fighting in Australia. He has never lost in the UFC and he will not lose this fight either. Sotiropoulos has Siver beat on the ground so Siver’s best chance is to keep this fight standing and look for big shots. I see Sotiropoulos getting this fight to the ground and finishing Siver with a Kimura in round two.

Chris Lytle vs Brian Ebersole

(Brian) I was very disappointed when Carlos Condit dropped out of this fight with injury.  Lytle/Condit had “Fight of the Year” written all over it.  Ebersole is a talented replacement though.  While he doesn’t come from the land down under, Ebersole is a transplant to Australia.  The native midwestern fighter has fought in Australia in 14 of his last 16 bouts, and has reeled off an impressive seven straight.  Lytle is on a win streak as well, having won four straight in the UFC including getting revenge against Matt Serra in his last fight at UFC 119.  Lytle is a veteran who has seemed to put it together recently and I don’t think the injury replacement Ebersole will have much of an answer for that.  I’m going with Lytle by submission in the 2nd round.

(Chad) Ebersole is a late replacement for Carlos Condit and he has the unfortunate task of facing Chris Lytle on short notice. Chris Lytle is always going to put on an exciting fight and I forsee this being no different. Chris Lytle is on a four-fight run in the UFC and I think he notches his fifth win in a row by overwhelming Ebersole. I think that Ebersole’s experience will allow him to make this an entertaining fight but Chris Lytle will win all three rounds on his way to a unanimous decision.

Kyle Noke vs Chris Camozzi

(Brian) Noke and Camozzi are both veterans of season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter.  Each man performed admirably on the show and has gone 2-0 in the promotion since the season finished.  This will be a big test to find out which will make it to the next level.  Noke will have the homefield advantage hailing from Australia while Camozzi is a native of the land of plenty, the US.  Each man has something to prove but I think at some point, Noke will take control of the fight.  He’ll land a big shot and scream “you better run, you better take cover” and eventually score a TKO victory in the end of the first round.

(Chad) These two fighters really need to prove something in this fight. Neither one of them are known for their explosive striking skills but Kyle Noke comes into the fight having finished three of his last four opponents. Camozzi enters this bout after defeating Dongi Yang via a split decision in which many thought he lost. I think that Kyle Noke will be able to do well against Camozzi when the fight goes to the ground, and it will. Kyle Noke via submission late in round three.

Randy Couture remembers the path his life was supposed to follow. He would put his foreign language and literature degree to good use as a high school teacher, and his background as an All-American wrestler to work as a coach.

Those were the days before mixed martial arts, back when something called the “Ultimate Fighting Championship” was only beginning to give birth to an entirely new sport. The former NCAA runner-up at Oklahoma State was content trying out for the Olympics, helping young wrestlers in high school and college, and scraping together enough money for a decent living.

As school wrestling programs are put on chopping blocks across the country, either to reach Title IX compliance or save a few bucks in a down economy, mixed martial arts is providing the centuries-old sport some salvation. Kids interested in professional fighting without access to trainers or gyms are giving it a lift – simply by walking into wrestling rooms again.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, more than 355,000 high schoolers competed on 9,772 teams during the sport’s high-water mark in 1977, back when Dan Gable was an Olympic hero and the United States was a force on the international scene.

By 1995, more than 1,200 of those programs had been cut and participation was at 217,000.

For Complete Article by Dave Skretta, theTandD.com

Hardrock MMA 30

CageCraze.com was cageside at “Hardrock MMA 30: Battle for Bowling Green Pro/Am” at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The headlining bout was a middleweight tilt between Hardrock MMA Middleweight Champion Ashcon Karbasi and Challenger, Josh Phelps. Karbasi won the belt at Hardrock MMA 26 and had won three fights in a row heading into this event. Josh Phelps had won his last five fights, including a win over Randy Shores at “Strikeforce – Challengers 13″ in Nashville. The Sloan Convention Center had to open a second conference area to accommodate the crowd of 1,000-plus local MMA fans in attendance.

Hardrock MMA 30 was supposed to feature the professional debuts of Jason Hayden and Brandon Shelton but the fight was scratched at the last minute due to medical issues with Shelton. Medical issues also forced Hardrock MMA to scratch the lone female bout. That being said, the atmosphere was electric inside the venue, and it was a great card to be able to watch in person. The full recap of the event can be found below.

Amateur Fights

Chris Sallie vs Bobby Puckett

Iron Cobra’s Chris Sallie defeated Bobby Puckett of Slaughterhouse MMA via submission at 2:21 in the first round. Sallie caught Puckett in a triangle choke and then extended Puckett’s arm to bring on the tapout due to a modified triangle/armbar. Sallie improved his record to 5-5 while Puckett dropped to 1-2.

Chris Coffey vs Terry Henry

Chris Coffey closed out an impressive performance by submitting Terry Henry in the second round of this welterweight bout. Coffey overwhelmed Henry on the feet throughout the first round and picked up where he left off as the second round started. The end of the fight came after a failed single leg takedown attempt by Henry. This fight went into the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority’s books as a submission due to guillotine choke at 1:27 in the second round.

Byrd slams Sadler

Jacob Byrd vs Matt Sadler

Jacob Byrd bounced back from his recent loss at AAMMA X to defeat Matt Sadler via unanimous decision. Byrd had a clear size advantage over Sadler coming into this fight and it definitely played a role. Byrd slammed Sadler to the mat several times, bringing cheers from the raucous Bowling Green crowd each time. Jacob Byrd did the most punishment on the feet by landing knees throughout the fight. Matt Sadler put on a gutsy performance in this loss though as many fighters would not have made it through all three rounds. Sadler managed to catch Byrd with a heel hook in the final round but Byrd was able to defend and hold on to win the decision.

Scott Lockard vs Darrenger Grayson

Scott Lockard won his amateur MMA debut in a light heavyweight fight against Darrenger Grayson. Lockard spent most of the first round on his back being brutalized by Darrenger Grayson. When the bell sounded to end the first round, Lockard was cut over his left eye and Grayson seemed to be on his way to his first victory. However, a freak injury occurred just 0:27 into the second round, leaving Grayson unable to continue. Grayson’s shoulder had popped out as he landed a right hand during the first exchange. Grayson looked impressive in this fight and we at CageCraze.com wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him fight again.

Brandon Debandi vs Stephen Rader

Brandon Debandi sent the Sloan Convention Center into an uproar after the Bowling Green Beatdown fighter submitted Stephen Rader via rear naked choke in the first round of this lightweight matchup. Debandi shot for a double leg at the start of the round and patiently transitioned to mount. From the mount Debandi was able to posture up and start landing punches, which forced Rader to roll over and give up his back. Brandon Debandi cinched up the choke at 2:15 in the first round.

Michael Gay vs Theodore Campbell

Michael Gay snapped a two-fight losing streak by submitting Theo Campbell in the first round with a rear naked choke. Gay came out with a couple of leg kicks to start the fight but soon ended up on the canvas by way of a Theo Campbell slam. Gay worked a sweep into Campbell’s guard and then transitioned to full mount. Campbell rolled over to protect himself but gave up his back in the process. Gay softened Campbell up with strikes and then went for the rear naked choke, bringing an end to the fight 2:51 into the first round. Michael Gay is scheduled to meet Shaun Asher at AAMMA XI on February 26 in Florence, Kentucky.

Herrington's armbar

Brandon Herrington vs Derik Byrd

Brandon Herrington submitted Derik Byrd with an armbar 1:13 in the second round of this fight to move to 4-1 in his amateur MMA career. Herrington’s win was the second of the night for Bowling Green Beatdown. Herrington put on a beautiful grappling display in the first round as he forced Byrd to fight off submission attempts for much of the round. Herrington missed on a takedown attempt to start round two and Byrd capitalized by landing a flurry of punches from the top. Herrington pushed off of the cage and escaped, ending up in side control after a scramble. Herrington transitioned to knee-on-belly and went for an armbar. Byrd lifted Herrington into the air and slammed him to the ground but Herrington held on and Byrd was forced to tap.

Jake Marr vs Cody Rafferty

Jake Marr put Cody Rafferty through 3:00 of punishment in round one, leaving Rafferty unable to answer the bell for the second round of this fight. Marr forced Rafferty against the cage and landed several hard knees to the body. Rafferty struggled to break free and ate an uppercut for his efforts. Marr swarmed Rafferty with punches but could not stop him before the horn sounded to end the round. Rafferty showed true heart hanging in for the whole round but could not continue and the fight was stopped between rounds.

Brad Hutcheison vs Michael Cockerham

A rejuvenated Brad “Caveman” Hutcheison stopped Michael Cockerham via submission due to strikes. The last time we saw Hutcheison in action was when he lost to Troy Blevins, Jr., at AAMMA VI back in October. Hutcheison looked fresh and in much better shape this time around and he used his solid wrestling skills to control Cockerham and pound him out. Cockerham’s only offense came late in the round with a triangle attempt but Hutcheison powered out of it and started landing hard shots from the top, forcing Cockerham to tap at 2:52 in the first round.

BJ Robinson vs Levy Schultz

BJ Robinson finished Levy Schultz in the second round of this fight by forcing Schultz to tap due to strikes. This was by far the most franticly-paced fight of the evening and the fireworks came early and often. A short right hook by Robinson sent Schultz’s mouthpiece flying across the cage and the crowd rejoiced. Robinson is built like Georges St. Pierre but on a 155-lb frame and in this setting he was as explosive as GSP. Levy Schultz is no slouch though and caught Robinson several times with his precise jab. The end came after Robinson hobbled Schultz with a leg kick and then followed up with strikes to end the fight at 2:34 in the second round.

Tyler Young vs Braedon Ward

Tyler Young claimed the third win of the night for Bowling Green Beatdown by submitting Braedon Ward just over a minute into the fight. Young opened the bout with an overhand right and after briefly tying up against the side of the cage, Young threw Ward to the mat. Young quickly moved to side control and went for an armbar. Ward rolled Young over to escape the hold but Tyler Young used the ensuing scramble to transition to full mount. Ward rolled over and gave up his back after Young opened up with punches from the top. Young was able to secure a rear naked choke to end the fight at 1:08 in the first round.

Voth wins a title shot

Tyler Voth vs Jeremy Philpot

Before the fighters made their way to the cage we learned that the winner of this fight would get a title shot against Joe Maiani for the Hardrock MMA 145-lb belt. Tyler Voth wasted little time claiming his spot in the title picture as he stamped his ticket with a 0:39 KO of Jeremy Philpot. Voth ducked under a head kick and then hit Philpot with a right hand to the ribs and then leveled him with a left hand placed just under Philpot’s right eye. The fight against Joe “Suga” Maiani is tentatively slated for a May event date.

Main Event

Ashcon Karbasi vs Josh Phelps

Hardrock MMA Middleweight Championship

With over 1,000 fans in attendance we can honestly say that we have yet to cover a fight in Kentucky with more energy and passion flowing through a crowd than what we witnessed in Bowling Green.  The crowd was split in half for this fight, with a chorus of cheers and boos erupting as the two fighters were introduced.

It took Ashcon Karbasi a little over five minutes to put away Josh Phelps and retain his Hardrock MMA Middleweight Title. Phelps never could get any decent offense going against the taller and longer Karbasi. Joshua Phelps was tripped to the canvas and mounted in both rounds, with the end of the fight coming 2:08 in the second round. Karbasi landed several hard shots from the top, forcing Phelps to give up his back. Karbasi locked onto Phelps with a rear naked choke and Phelps quickly tapped. Karbasi’s win sealed a perfect night for Bowling Green Beatdown, as all four of their fighters walked out of the Hardrock MMA cage as winners. The next challenger for Karbasi’s title is Will Hendrickson.

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Bellator Signs Former Top Sengoku Featherweight Ronnie Mann to 145 lbs. Roster

Ronnie Mann is coming back to America. Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the acquisition of the top featherweight Brit to its burgeoning roster of 145 pounders.  Mann, who has spent the bulk of his 21 fight career in Japan and England, made his U.S. debut last September where he won the Shark Fights Featherweight Championship.  Mann will not compete in the upcoming Bellator Season 4 Featherweight Tournament but will make his Bellator debut in the fourth season with an opportunity to take part in a future tournament.  Bellator Season 4 begins in March and will air LIVE on MTV2.

“Ronnie Mann is a great talent at 145.  We’ve been putting this alliance together for months and we’re very pleased that we Ronnie will be fighting at Bellator on MTV2” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Ronnie is at the top of his game right now and he will have impact on our deep featherweight division.”

Ronnie Mann

A Sengoku veteran and former Cage Gladiators Welterweight Champion, Mann brings a very impressive 18-2-1 professional record to the Bellator cage, which included a 12-fight undefeated streak spanning the first three years of his career.  Fighting out of Cheltenham, England, Mann became a well rounded martial artist at a young age, getting his start in Muay Thai at 11 before subsequently competing in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu tournaments at 13-years-old.  Wasting no time making the jump to MMA, Mann took his first amateur fight at 16 before turning pro at just 17-years-old.

Now seven years later with a pair of championship belts and 21 professional fights on his resume, Mann will take the next step of his career with Bellator Fighting Championships LIVE on MTV2.

“Signing with Bellator is like a dream come true for me. I am more than excited for the opportunity to show fans what I’m capable of here in the United States,” said Mann. “Even more exciting than that is the fact that I’ll be getting to show what I’m capable of against some of the best fighters in the world, which Bellator provides. Honestly, I can’t wait to put my skills on display. 2011 is my time to shine.”

“Trying to capture the Bellator World Featherweight Championship is absolutely my main goal. I don’t care how long it takes, that’s what I’m here to do,” said Mann.

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

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago.  Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes.  Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

About MTV2

MTV2 is a man’s best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

“I just try to look at something that I would, as a fan, want to see”

This Saturday, February 19th, Colosseum Combat will put on their 16th show in Kokomo, Indiana and the main event between welterweights Ryan Thomas and Daniel Head has really been heating up.  Both fighters have stepped up the trash talk towards each other in separate interviews with CageCraze.com and there is a lot on the line with each fighter having tasted the big stage and wanting to return.

We sat down with Colosseum Combat promoter Mark Slater about the upcoming event.

This is Mark’s sixth show as the promoter and as he puts it, “it’s been crazy.”  A lot of these matches just kinda happened.  The Daniel Head/Ryan Thomas fight came together real easy when Mark got a message from Ryan Thomas’s manager saying he’d called out Daniel Head so it just made sense..

“I just try to look at something that I would as a fan want to see”, said Slater while describing his strategy for booking shows.  ”Before I was in charge of anything, I was a fan.  I was a sponsor for some of these local guys from the tattoo shop I work at.  Another buddy of mine, we had a sweet DJ and he was in charge of the music and it just kinda grew from there.  A lot of it has been stuff that I personally want to see and I know what these guys have to offer.”

When describing both main event fighters, Mark said “both Ryan and Daniel have branched out to big shows with limited success.  Ryan’s recent record is very deceiving because of the talent he’s fought.  They both have the talent to fight on the big shows and after this fight one of them will be moving on.  Daniel is a confident kid, I wouldn’t say cocky he knows what his talents are.  Him and Ryan have trained on a couple occasions back in the day at IBJAA when Ryan was coming over here to work with Clingerman.  Both of them have an idea of what the other has to offer.”

“A lot of time when you get two tough wrestlers, they negate each other and it can turn into a slugfest”, said Slater, who has high expectations of his main event.  ”I think right off the bat, there will be some fireworks.  They’ll definitely test each other’s standup and then if somebody doesn’t like that they’ll look for the takedown.  Both of them, Ryan’s been training at ATT in Florida and Daniel has a solid jiu jitsu and wrestling background.  I see this being a sprawl and brawl type of fight.”

Slater also had some nice compliments to give to his co-main event fighters, featherweight veterans Dustin Neace and David Love.

“Niece and Love both have a fight that they lost to Jeff Curran.  With that common opponent, that shows the level they’re at, both having the opportunity to fight a former champ.  Both of those guys have spent some time at IBJJA.  David Love has a lot to offer.  He’s a veteran that a lot of people don’t know of.  He fought on the Bodog Fight Series back when they were on pay per view in Costa Rica.  He’s a solid vet.  He lives like 25-30 miles from Kokomo.  People around here they respect David Love, he’s no joke.”

Before the interview was over, Mark offered one last reason to come out early for the show on Saturday night.

“We are giving free t-shirts to the first 100 people through the door.  CageCraze is on there, really nice, big and bold on the back of the shirt.  If they get there nice and early when the doors open, the first 100 fans through the door get a Colosseum Combat shirt with all the sponsors on the back.  They can strut around with CageCraze.com on their back.”

Tentative fight card

Professional Bouts:

Daniel Head vs Ryan Thomas
David Love vs Dustin Neace
Joshua Kinser vs William Miller
Mike Eikenberry vs Michael Berry
Ryan McIntosh vs Brady Hovermale
Mark Neville vs James Porter

Amateur Bouts:

Rod Cole vs Mike Walker
Drew Walters vs Dustin Conley
Matthew Perry vs Nick Anderson
Clint Maclin vs Aaron Santiago
Derek Cook vs Shawn Botoms
Jacob Hurlock vs Jordan Crider
Markous Smith vs Devin Miller
Henry Goonen vs Mike Shields

“I hope Ryan Thomas is happy with his show money because he’s not getting anything else.”

Daniel Head is a talented young fighter out Kokomo, Indiana.  The 9-3 prospect who trains out of IBJJA in Greenwood as well as Garra MMA has spent his career alternating between lightweight and welterweight, even making it to the Ultimate Fighter season 12.  A bad weight cut experience on the show helped him decide to make the move to welterweight permanently and he’s ready to test his mettle against the best 170 lbers he can find.  His 2011 journey begins with a tough battle against UFC and Bellator veteran Ryan Thomas this upcoming Saturday night in the main event of Colosseum Combat 16 in Kokomo.

Daniel was a little ruffled by Ryan Thomas’s statements in his interview earlier and he was more than happy to speak with CageCraze.com about his upcoming fight and future prospects.

Daniel started things off by explaining why he decided to move to welterweight permanently.

“The last couple times I cut down to 155, the weight cut didn’t go well and it actually felt like I was damaging my body.  Every time you cut weight the wrong way you feel like crap, you fight like crap.  You’re just not yourself.  I don’t feel as strong and athletic at 155 as I do at 170.  People at 170 are bigger but I’ve been doing a pretty decent job of putting on size where I don’t think it’ll be that big of an advantage.

I think I’ll be as big as Ryan Thomas come fight day.  I’m actually cutting weight to make 170.  I’m walking around about 190.   I’ve been lifting weights, and taking cardio more serious than I’ve ever taken it before but for 15 minutes straight Ryan Thomas is going to have me in his face going after him.  He won’t have a second to slow down.”

Daniel also discussed his experiences on The Ultimate Fighter and how things have changed since he was on the show.

“(The experience on The Ultimate Fighter) has given me a lot of opportunities”, said Daniel.  ”It’s a lot easier to find fights now.  Now more people are calling me out because I was on TV.  Maybe that’s what happened with Ryan Thomas.  They think I’m an Ultimate Fighter veteran that they can go beat me up.

It made me realize that I need to step up my game to get to that level that I think I should be at because I feel like I have the potential to have a long career in the UFC and I don’t wanna get there and blow my chance.  I want to get back.  I don’t want anyone to think that because I got beat up on a TV show at 155 that it means they’re gonna be able to walk in there and call me out and I’ll lay down.  They’ve got another thing coming.”

Daniel had great things to say about his fight team.  He works extensively with Brazilian jiu jitsu coach James Clingerman at IBJJA and he’s been working with a great camp of guys like Josh Kinser and Matt Perry who really push him.

He also works at Garra MMA in Kokomo alongside Strikeforce alum and former CageCraze interviewee Casey Huffman.

“They’ve got some great amateurs”, said Head.  ”They’ve got a ton of people training for fights on the same day at the same pace so we’re all on the same page and everybody’s getting in great shape.  It helps me a lot to have people around me motivated to fight at the same time which I haven’t had in the past.”

Head is aware of the fact that his BJJ coach James Clingerman has worked with Ryan Thomas in the past but he isn’t sure how much of an advantage it will be.

“Ryan hasn’t worked out with James in quite a while,” said Head.  ”In a sense I know what Ryan’s weaknesses were in the past but he’s probably worked on them.  I’m expecting a different Ryan than we’re used to but it does give me a little bit of an inside look into what his game’s about, what his goals are when he’s fighting.  It helps me know what he does well and what he needed to work on then.  He’s probably still going to have them as the worst areas of his game still if they were the worst areas of his game then.”

Despite spending a significant portion of his career at lightweight, Daniel believes he matches up to Thomas physically just fine.

He’s not a big welterweight, he’s average.  I think we’re about the same height.  I don’t think there’s gonna be a big reach advantage.  I think that he probably is gonna think he’s got a big size and strength advantage but when he ties up with me it’s not gonna be near what he was expecting.

“He wrestled in college,” Daniel said about his opponent’s skill-set.  ”I know he’s gonna have a good wrestling base but I don’t think he’s going to take me down nearly as easily as he thinks he’s going to.  He’s planning on just walking through me, taking me down and beating me up.  He even said it himself, he’s gonna “mess my face up.”  He’s wrong.  The last thing he’s gonna do is take me down because I’ve been training this whole time to stuff it and keep standing.  If he does take me down, I’m going to keep going after him, I’m not gonna stop.  I’m going to throw submission after submission at him until I catch him and choke him unconscious.”

Head got a little worked up when asked if Thomas was looking past him.

He’s already booking fights with Shonie Carter and doing other things.  His manager guy that set up the fights compared him to a BMW and me to a slugbug.  He thinks he’s better than me and on a different level and that’s fine.  He can think that, but when I whoop his ass, what’s he gonna think?  What, is he gonna retire because I’m not supposed to be that good or is he gonna recognize that I’m talented and he called out the wrong mother f*cker.

Head knows that to win this fight, he’ll have to push himself beyond his limits.

“There are times in fights, say you’re on your back or you’re tired midway through the third round,” explained Head.  ”Something’s gonna happen, and you have to think you can do it.  If you think you can’t do it, believe it as a fact, then you can’t do it.  Anything you think you can do, anything you tell yourself you can do, your mind will overcome.  Whether you want to believe it or not, no matter how tired you are, if you push your mind to push your body, your body will keep going.  It may not feel good, you may feel like sh*t the next day, but it’ll be worth it.”

Daniel feels that a victory over Thomas will propel him to the next level.

You don’t book a fight against a guy like Ryan Thomas unless you’re trying to get to the next level.  I feel like Ryan Thomas and myself are at the Bellator level, the Strikeforce level, the UFC level and what I can get by beating Thomas is to prove that I belong in one of those bigger organizations.  It’s cool that Colosseum Combat was able to book us both to fight and as soon as I get a couple wins over a guy like Ryan Thomas, I’ll hopefully get a contract like his.  I’m glad (Mark) Slater was able to book this fight now while we’re both still young in our careers.  If he’s looking to use me as a stepping stone, I hate to break it to him, but I hope he’s happy with what his show money is because he’s not getting anything else.

Daniel has big plans for 2011.  He wants to push himself and prove to everyone that he does belong in the big shows.  He knows he missed an opportunity last year with The Ultimate Fighter but he feels 2011 is going to start great with a victory over Ryan Thomas and he’s not going to slow down from there.

“I just know that I will win”, said an excited Daniel Head.  ”There’s no doubt in my mind that when I show up on Saturday there will not have been a better “me” ever.  If Ryan Thomas were to beat me then he’s pretty damn good.  I’ve never been better.”

Daniel would like to thank his sponsors, WSBC and he’s having the after-party at The Social.  He’d also like to thank Team IBJJ out of Greenwood and Team Garra MMA out of Kokomo.  ”With my training camps, I couldn’t do it, there’s no way,” said Daniel.  ”If it wasn’t for people pushing me, I wouldn’t get better.”

“Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva” will be the focus of this installment of The North-South Position. CageCraze.com staff writers Brian Hemminger and Chad Cunningham will preview all of the main card fights and dole out their own predictions in part of their ongoing prediction competition. This Main Event for Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva is a Heavyweight clash between Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

The card is entirely made up of Heavyweight fights with two Grand Prix fights and three alternate bouts. Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski and Pride veteran Sergei Kharitonov will face off in a Grand Prix match on the other side of the bracket while the alternate fights are littered with exciting Heavyweight match-ups: Shane Del Rosario vs Lavar Johnson, Chad Griggs vs Gienpiero Villante and Valentijn Overeem vs Ray Sefo.

Chad won the last contest by picking four of the five televised fights correctly for UFC 126: Silva vs Belfort and it is his turn to lay down the punishment on Brian.  Chad has decided that Brian will be forced to draw his interpretation of Anderson Silva’s front kick knockout of Vitor Belfort on Microsoft Paint.  Brian, give it your best shot:

Picture coming soon

-Brian

Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Silva

(Brian) The Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko is looking to rebound from the first legitimate loss of his career in his last fight against Fabricio Werdum.  Antonio Silva is a very big and strong heavyweight, having to cut down to 265 lbs and he’s a legitimate threat to “The Last Emperor.”  Like Werdum, Silva has excellent Brazilian jiu jitsu credentials and improving striking.  Silva will likely want to either get Fedor on his back or push him into the fence, using his size to his advantage.  I’ve heard that Silva will want to test Fedor on his feet though, and that’s a really, really bad sign.  If he does, Fedor will knock him out for sure.  I think he ignores the game plan and gets caught.  Emelianenko via TKo in the 2nd round.

(Chad) We get to see Fedor for the first time since losing to Fabricio Werdum last June. Now that we have had several months for the shock and the hyperbole to die down, we can hopefully approach the topic of Fedor Emelianenko in a rational manner. The fact that recent bouts have made Fedor look mortal may not be such a big deal. After all, even a mortal Fedor is a great fighter. I do not think that Antonio Silva is going to beat Fedor. Silva has the ability to beat Fedor but he is faced with the unfortunate task of going after an animal that was just wounded for the first time. Fedor might not win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, but he makes a statement in this fight and dispatches Silva via first round TKO.

Andrei Arlovski vs Sergei Kharitonov

(Brian) Kharitonov is likely the least heralded member of this tournament, but if you didn’t know, he is the last man to defeat Alistair Overeem in MMA.  Obviously, Arlovski still has star power, being a former UFC heavyweight champion but the Belarusian Sambo specialist has fallen on hard times of late.  Back to back to back losses against fellow members of the field, Fedor, Brett Rogers and Antonio Silva have some questioning his inclusion in this tournament.  I think Kharitonov takes care of business here with a second round knockout.

(Chad) Brian, I really want to see a prime Arlovski come into this match against Kharitonov and make it the instant classic that it should be. I just don’t know which “Pitbull” is going to walk into that cage on Saturday. I’m not going to draw this one out, I think that Kharitonov will win. The Golden Glory fighter will KO Arlovski in the first round.

Shane Del Rosario vs Lavar Johnson

(Brian) Shane Del Rosario is a guy that Strikeforce has been grooming as a serious heavyweight prospect.  After 3 fights with the EliteXC Challengers and two on the Strikeforce Challengers series, all victories, he is finally graduating to a main Strikeforce card.  Lavar Johnson has also been on two Challengers events.  This bout is expected to bring some serious fireworks as of their 28 combined victories, neither man has had a fight go to decision.  Both men hit hard, but I feel Rosario has a slightly better chin and is quicker on his feet.  I think Rosario takes this one via first round knockout.

(Chad) This fight is cool because it matches up Strikeforce’s top heavyweight prospects against each other for a chance to enter the Heavyweight Grand Prix as an alternate in the event of an injury to one of the GP competitors. The winner of this fight will be in a prime position to advance towards the top competition in the weight class. I like Del Rosario in this fight because of his Muay Thai street cred (former WBC HW Muay Thai Champ) and I am a sucker for big guys that pull off omoplatas in MMA competions (watch his fight against Brandon Cash from Strikeforce Challengers 4). Lavar Johnson is gritty and has won his last seven fights via KO/TKO but I do not think his style matches up well with the technical striking ability of Shane Del Rosario. I think Johnson survives an ugly first round but loses via second round

Chad Griggs vs Gienpiero Villante

(Brian) Chad Griggs became an overnight sensation when he scored an unexpected second round TKO over WWE superstar Bobby Lashley at Strikeforce: Houston.  Villante was a Ring of Combat heavyweight champion and he’ll be making his Strikeforce debut against Griggs.  Neither man is very large, as both are capable of fighting at light heavyweight but I feel Villante has the better technical striking of the two.  I’ve got Villante winning via TKO in the first round.

(Chad) I have more faith in Griggs than my North-South Position counterpart does. Griggs would have problems with all of the fighters in the Heavyweight Grand Prix but Villante does not have the size or power of those fighters. I think that Griggs will be comfortable on the feet or the ground and will win this fight via decision.

Valentijn Overeem vs Ray Sefo

(Brian) Valentijn Overeem, if you haven’t guessed it, is the older brother of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.  Valentijn has not been nearly as successful at MMA as his brother, holding 28-25 career record but he should still have enough experience to put away Sefo.  Ray Sefo is a guy you might recognize from K-1.  He was a participant of the K-1 Grand Prix eight times and has some spectacular Muay Thai credentials.  At 39 years old though, it seems age has caught up to him.  Overeem should be the more well rounded fighter here but Sefo does have a puncher’s (and kicker’s) chance.  I’ve got Overeem via decision.

(Chad) An aging Ray Sefo is still very dangerous on the feet but I thing the wealth of experience that Overeem has will be the determining factor in the fight. Overeem has the tools to stand with Sefo but I think he would rather play it safe until he can score a takedown from the clinch. Once on the ground Overeem will be able to grind out Sefo for three rounds. It might not be pretty, but Overeem will win this fight via decision.

Merrick, NY (USA): The Fight Summit, which held its inaugural event this past December, has announced its second event. The next Fight Summit is scheduled to take place the weekend of October 7^th-9^th at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Monday the 10^th will be Columbus Day, so it will be a three-day weekend for many. Also, admission has been lowered (an announcement will be forthcoming), and the expo floor will increase by twenty booths.

The same caliber of names are expected to populate the speaker list this year as those who were a part of the 2010 edition. The first few speakers have been confirmed, and The Fight Summit is pleased to announce that author Brian Cain, manager Ed Soares, Hans Molenkamp of Triumph United, and world-renowned cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran will all be returning. In addition, Trevor Wittman from Grudge Training Center, renowned strength and conditioning coach Jonathan Chaimberg, Alchecmist Management’s Lex McMahon, and Bad Boy’s Mike Calmenson will be speaking, and grappling artist Chris Herzog of 10^th Planet Jiu Jitsu will be conducting a seminar. More speakers covering a variety of topics will be announced in the coming months.

2010’s Fight Summit took place December 17^th-19^th at The Flamingo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was the first conference and trade show for professionals in all disciplines and levels of the mixed martial arts community. Fight Summit attendees were able to learn from the best of the best, as luminaries such as MMA legends Randy Couture, Mark DellaGrotte from Sityodtong, and Greg Jackson taught MMA trainers how to coach and run their academies better. Other guests included some of the top MMA apparel companies hosting clothing line seminars, and some of the best managers in the sport, such as Ed Soares (manager to Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and more) and Monte Cox (Matt Hughes, Jeremy Horn, and more), who discussed the ins and outs of MMA fighter representation. Other topics covered included academy management, PR and media relations, handling legal situations, MMA and striking seminars, apparel design, production, and sourcing, promotion marketing, and many other subjects.

“The Fight Summit set the standard in 2010, and we’re going to do everything we can to exceed expectations this year,” said Fight Summit manager Mike Hauben. “We were very pleased with the turnout and the caliber of the speakers last year, and so it only made sense to do it again. By lowering admission prices and holding the event on a holiday weekend, we hope that we’ll be able to educate even more in the MMA business.”

For more information on attending or exhibiting, please visit www.FIGHTSUMMIT.com, call 1-888-427-4697 or 516-377-5909, or email Mike Hauben at mike@fightsummit.com.