Atos Jiu-Jitsu’s Gilbert “Durinho” Burns will be offering a jiu-jitsu seminar from 11am to 1pm. He won the bronze medal at the 2010 BJJ World Championships just a few weeks ago in Long Beach, California.

Cost: $60

East Coast Fighter
1809 Associates Lane Suite A
Charlotte, NC 28217
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For more information contact the official site.

Time: 10:00am to 1:00pm
Cost: $85

Come and train with Royler Gracie, a living legend of Jiu-Jitsu (7-Time Jiu JItsu World champion) and one of the world’s leading submission wrestling experts. He is the only person to win the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship for three consecutive years, and has won the ADCC more times than anyone else.

Waynesville Recreation Center
550 Vance Street
Waynesville, NC 28786
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More information on the official site.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 17, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships crowned its second Season 2 champion Thursday night as former NCAA wrestling superstar and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren put on a grappling clinic to neutralize knockout artist and rising MMA star Dan Hornbuckle in a dominating and well-rounded performance.

The 25-year-old University of Missouri product drew from the vocal support of an adoring crowd at the Kansas City Power & Light District to win a unanimous decision victory and complete the metamorphosis from highly touted prospect to full-fledged MMA star that many experts had predicted.

With his new wife Amy watching cageside, Askren (6-0) controlled the fight from the start, taking the veteran Hornbuckle to the mat early on in all three rounds and holding him at bay with his world-class wrestling skills. Hornbuckle tried to stop the momentum a few times, attempting a triangle choke mid-way through Round 2 and a kimura mid-way through Round 3, but Askren was able to escape both submissions.

“This is exactly the kind of performance we had hoped Ben would put on when we signed him six months ago,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “He showed some great talent in his first two Bellator fights but saved the best performance for last. It was a tremenously impressive night for Ben all the way around.  As an MMA fan, I cannot wait to see his World Title fight against Lyman Good this fall. ”

Afterward, Askren told Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith that he has already shifted his sights to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good, who he’ll face in a title fight later this year.

“Lyman, keep my belt warm,” he said as his hometown crowd egged him on. “Shine it up once a week and enjoy it while you can because it’s mine, baby.”

Joining Askren in the winner’s circle was Lisa Ward, the 27-year-old Seattle-based submission artist who improved her pro record to 13-3 and gave fans a sneak preview of what they’ll see when she enters the cage as part of Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 Women’s Tournament beginning in August.

Ward wasted no time locking 19-year-old MMA up-and-comer Stephanie Frausto (2-2) into a tight rear-naked choke, putting her to sleep and ending the fight via technical submission just 2:01 into Round 1. Ward said after the fight that she is hoping for tournament matchup with Megumi Fujii, the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter, who handed Ward one of her three losses during a 2007 showdown in Canada.

“I would love another shot at Megumi,” Ward said. “We definitely have some unfinished business.”

Earlier, 24-year-old Missouri native Jose Vega delivered yet another Bellator “YouTube moment” with a highlight-reel knockout of North Carolina-based jiu-jitsu specialist Jarrod “The Wild Card” Card just 39.8 seconds into the first round of their “Bantamweight Feature Fight.”

After setting it up with a pair of stiff leg kicks, Vega (8-3) connected with a left hook to Card’s jaw, knocking him unconscious and dropping him to the canvas, bringing Vega’s many hometown fans to their feet.

“I’m lost for words,” an emotional Vega said afterward. “I’ve never had a KO before, but my hands have improved – [former Bellator fighters] Brian Davidson, James Krause and Tyler Stinson have been helping me with that. I saw the opening and I just went for it.”

In the first televised fight of the night, IFL and M1 veteran Raphael Davis improved his record to 9-1 by dominating Arena Football League veteran and one-time Nebraska state high school wrestling champion Demetrius Richards (5-3). Davis took the fight to the ground early on and quickly took Richards’ back, wearing him down with hammer fists and a flurry of knees to the body before Richards submitted to punches just 2:51 into Round 1.

The event also played host to five Local Feature Fights:

-       Tyler Stinson def. Leonardo Pecanha via rear-naked choke (1:42)

-       Rudy Bears def. Brian Green via rear-naked choke (3:49)

-       Cole Konrad def. John Orr via unanimous decision

-       Jared Downing def. Chad Vandenberg via rear-naked choke (11:35)

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Fourth Street Live entertainment district in downtown Louisville, Ky., where Bellator will conclude its second season with the championship rounds of its Middleweight and Featherweight Tournaments.

The two championship fights and the rest of the Bellator 23 featured card will again be televised live on FOX Sports Net.

At the IBP North Carolina State Push/Pull Championships this past weekend in Shelby, North Carolina Michael Belk (275) bench pressed 560 pounds raw to win best bencher. Belk holds the #3 bench with 580 on the Powerlifting Watch raw Lifter Rankings.

The third annual 2010 Special Olympics "Bar Bender" had good showing of 17 lifers from Virginia & North Carolina. 19 Meet records were broken, and many were broken by the same athlete that set them the year before. Best lifters and biggest total went to...

To follow is video from Stratiform Strength and Conditioning in Boone, NC of Joe Moose (275) and Derek Wilcox (198) preparing for the SPF Nationals in Nashville this weekend.

The Coastal Combat Circuit is the first organization to offer Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and No-gi Grappling tournments to North Eastern North Carolina. We excel in offering the best competition in the area. All event divisions are based on weight classes and skill levels. The CCC prides itself in offering fair competition for all skill levels.

100 E Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth City NC 27909
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More information on the official site.

NEW YORK, NY, May 19, 2010 – The live finale of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs Team Ortiz” on Spike TV will include two bouts showcasing four of the UFC’s most exciting fighters. Emanating from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, June 19 at 9:00 PM ET, the fights announced today include a middleweight bout between Aaron Simpson (7-0) and Chris Leben (19-6), and a lightweight matchup pitting Dennis Siver (15-7) against Spencer Fisher (24-5).

Currently sporting a 7-0 record, with all but one of his victories coming via knockout, Aaron Simpson is a former All-American wrestler who is developing into a lethal striker. He left a lasting impression on the minds of fight fans with his 18-second knockout of David Avellan at WEC 36 in November 2008. After entering the UFC, he continued to display his devastating punching power, defeating Tim McKenzie and Ed Herman via TKO early in successive bouts, before running his UFC win streak to three with a decision victory over Tom Lawlor this past January.

Simpson’s opponent is the enigmatic Chris “The Crippler” Leben (19-6), who was one of the breakout stars from the historic first season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Leben’s UFC career began with seven straight wins over such notables as Jorge Rivera, Patrick Cote, and Luigi Fioravanti. Never one to back down from a challenge, Leben had his streak snapped in April 2006 by current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Since then, he has continued to take on all comers, and following a win over Jay Silva earlier this year, he hopes that a victory over the undefeated Sampson will further him on the path for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.

Hailing from Mannheim, Germany, Dennis Siver has 22 professional bouts under his belt, and only four have gone to decision. He made his UFC debut in 2007, but it was in January 2009 that he truly announced his arrival as he took home “Knockout of the Night” honors with a TKO victory over Nate Mohr at UFC 93, knocking out his opponent with a spinning back kick. After a win over Dale Hartt at UFC 99 in his native Germany, he once again scored a “Knockout of the Night” bonus with the same spinning back kick against Paul Kelly at UFC 105 in November 2009. He had his four fight winning streak stopped by Ross Pearson this past March, but will look to bounce back against his opponent, Spencer Fisher, on June 19.

North Carolina native Spencer Fisher has established himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC over the course of his five year career with the organization. He holds wins over such UFC notables as Thiago Alves, Sam Stout, and Jeremy Stephens, and has twice won “Fight of the Night” honors for his relentless attack inside the Octagon™. Coming off of a tough loss to Joe Stevenson at UFC 104, Fisher hopes to have his hand raised at the end of what promises to be an exciting fight with Siver.

Other bouts, including the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs Team Ortiz,” will be announced at a later date. The two finalists will be competing for a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship®.

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.