MMAjunkie.com and 1620 The Zone - ESPN Radio's affiliate in Omaha, Neb. - again team up to discuss this past weekend's "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum" event and Saturday's big UFC 116 show.

MMAjunkie.com editor-in-chief and Dayton Daily News MMA beat
writer Dann Stupp joins the "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" show today at 3:30
p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT local time) with hosts Kevin and Mike'L.

A free stream of the show is available at www.1620thezone.com.

You can thank Jason Brilz's father, Shawn, for the fight his son put up
at UFC 114.

If the pair hadn't agreed to participate in a triathlon, Brilz told
MMAjunkie.com Radio he probably would have
turned into a "fat blob" waddling the streets of Omaha. He doesn't
usually like to get in shape when sun is plentiful.

But a resolution to swim, bike, run and "look good for one summer" did
the job. Even though he came up short this past Saturday against Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira, Brilz considers the fight a
"win-win" performance.

MMAjunkie.com and 1620 The Zone - ESPN Radio's affiliate in Omaha, Neb. - again team up to discuss this weekend's big UFC 114 event and other happenings in the MMA world.

MMAjunkie.com editor-in-chief and Dayton Daily News MMA beat
writer Dann Stupp joins the "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" show today at 3:30
p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT local time) with hosts Kevin and Mike'L.

A free stream of the show is available at www.1620thezone.com.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 26, 2010) — Ben Askren, who won two NCAA wrestling championships while competing at the University of Missouri and then represented the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games, will headline Bellator Fighting Championships’ latest event at KC Live! in the Kansas City Power & Light District on June 17th.

Askren (5-0) will take on MMA superstar Dan Hornbuckle (21-2) in the finals of Bellator’s ongoing Welterweight Championship Tournament. The winner will become the No. 1 contender to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good (10-0) and will earn the chance to face Good in a world title fight later this year.

The much anticipated Askren-Hornbuckle showdown is one of eight fights scheduled as part of the June 17th event, which marks Bellator’s second visit in six weeks to the Power & Light District, a state-of-the-art, open-air, mixed-use entertainment venue in the heart of downtown Kansas City, owned and managed by The Cordish Company.

The event, Bellator 22, will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports Net and during special taped highlight shows the following Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Tickets are on sale now at The Midland by AMC box office in downtown Kansas City and at ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets start at just $15 in advance/$25 at the door. Ringside and VIP tickets are also available and start at $75.

Other scheduled fights include:

- Winfield, Kan., native Tyler Stinson (17-6) vs. Omaha-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Leonardo Pechana (11-5) in the evening’s “Local Main Event”
- Kansas City’s Tammie Schneider vs. Lisa Ward in a “Female Showcase” fight at 115 lbs.
- Kansas City’s John Orr (5-4) vs. former NCAA Champion wrestler and current Brock Lesnar training partner Cole Konrad (3-0) in a “Heavyweight Feature Fight”

“We’re thrilled to be coming back to Kansas City for another event at the Power & Light District,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our first trip to the venue back in late April produced one of the most magical events we’ve ever been a part of. Kansas City is a great fight town with great fans and the Power & Light District is a one-of-a-kind venue. We can’t wait to come back on June 17th with a Main Event fight featuring one of the top welterweights in the world, Dan Hornbuckle, and another star on the rise in Ben Askren.”

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

MMAjunkie.com and 1620 The Zone - ESPN Radio's affiliate in Omaha, Neb. - again team up to discuss this past weekend's big UFC 113 event and other happenings in the MMA world.

MMAjunkie.com editor-in-chief and Dayton Daily News MMA beat writer Dann Stupp joins the "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" show today at 4:45 p.m. ET (3:45 p.m. CT local time) with hosts Kevin and Mike'L.

A free stream of the show is available at www.1620thezone.com.

MMAjunkie.com and 1620 The Zone - ESPN Radio's affiliate in Omaha, Neb. - again team up to discuss this past weekend's big UFC 113 event and other happenings in the MMA world.

MMAjunkie.com editor-in-chief and Dayton Daily News MMA beat writer Dann Stupp joins the "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" show today at 5:45 p.m. ET (3:45 p.m. CT local time) with hosts Kevin and Mike'L. (The segment was pushed back from its original 4:45 p.m. ET timeslot.)

A free stream of the show is available at www.1620thezone.com.

Tyler Buckman right, of Central Dauphin reverses Steve Spearman left, of McDowell.

-

(JOHN C. WHITEHED, The Patriot-News)

It’s only 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, it’s rainy, dreary and incredibly windy, yet the string of automobile headlights lined up on Hersheypark Drive heading for Giant Center stretches from the arena’s intersection beyond the crest of the hill more than a half-mile back.
   
Had one of the six mats used during the PIAA Wrestling Championships been outside, the wind could have rolled it up and rolled it over to Hersheypark Arena, where the championships used to be conducted.
   
But it was the Class AAA semifinals these 8,000 fans wanted to see and little was going to stop them.
   
For good reason. The Triple-A semis are by far the highlight of the eight-session, three-day event. This year’s talent level was Triple-A squared.
   
Check out these champions’ college choices: Josh Dziewa to Iowa. Josh Kindig to Oklahoma State. Mitchell Port to Division I Edinboro. The Alton twins to Penn State. Marshall Peppelman to Cornell. Spencer Myers to Maryland. Evan Craig to Rider.
   
That’s a small sampling.
   
So next year, when you’re en route to the tournament and someone asks you for directions to Giant Center, the answer is simple: “Practice, practice, practice.”
   
How popular is this PIAA event, you ask? I can tell you.
   
Pennlive.com received 442,645 page views for the wrestling coverage over the three days. There were 2,300 people involved in online chats, and they sent more than 3,000 messages.
   
That shows the passion not only statewide, but one person online was in China and another in Florida.
   
However, what would a tournament that draws that much attention and was witnessed by 57,000 fans be without a complaint? I just happen to have one.
   
If you’re a wrestler and you’ve just lost a match, have the decency to shake your opponent’s hand. Look him in the eye and shake his hand. Don’t slap at his hand, don’t offer your left hand, don’t turn your back and throw your hand at his, possibly hitting it, possibly not.
   
Grow up and shake his hand. Losing a match won’t be the worst thing that will happen to you in your life.
   
Having said that, a tip of the mat to Central Dauphin’s Tyler Buckman, the 130-pound senior who lost a heartbreaking finals match to Erie McDowell sophomore Steve Spearman.
   
Buckman not only shook Spearman’s hand, he gave him a pat on the shoulder. And after the two shook the hands of the opposing coaches, Buckman stopped Spearman at the side of the mat and hugged him.
   
The fans appreciated the quality of the match, and they let them know afterward with rousing applause. They also appreciated the sportsmanship.
   
I wouldn’t call this a complaint because you’d have to be a fool to complain about Andrew Alton of Central Mountain, voted the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.
   
But I would have voted for heavyweight Craig of Abington Heights. He won his second title by pinning four straight opponents. He’s not yet at the already collegiate level of the Alton twins or CD’s Peppelman, but he’s getting mighty close.
   
And if ever there was a year to start an Outstanding Runner-up award, my vote would go to CD’s Buckman.
   
Another tip of the mat to the four District 12 (Philadelphia city schools) wrestlers who earned medals.
   
Shane Springer of La Salle College was runner-up to Dylan Alton at 152. Casey Kent of La Salle lost his first match and won five straight bouts to place third at 125. Only two other wrestlers did that, and it’s quite a feat.
   
Nick Bongard of Monsignor Bonner was sixth at 119, and Anthony White of Northeast Catholic was seventh at 140.
   
Lest you think that Saturday night marked the end of the season, think again. The season will be capped off Saturday with the Dapper Dan Classic at the Pitt Field House.
   
Joe Spisak of Boiling Springs and CD’s Peppelman are part of a Pennsylvania all-star team that will take on a team of stars from around the United States.
   
It’s a prestigious event, one which the USA has dominated as of late. This year could be different.
   
Spisak will face Jamie Clark, a three-time Ohio champion from St. Edwards with a career record of 128-8. Clark is heading for Illinois; Spisak, for Virginia.
   
Peppelman will meet Nick Sulzer, also from St. Edwards and a one-time champ who is 146-17 and headed for UVa.
   
Other matches that should be quite interesting include Andrew Alton against Joe Cozart (226-4), a four-time Florida champ headed for Iowa State; Dylan Alton against Jackson Morse (184-9), a three-time Michigan champ headed for Illinois, and Craig against Bobby Telford (116-40), a two-time Delaware champ en route to Iowa.
   
Mike Evans of Blair Academy in New Jersey by way of Cumberland Valley is on the U.S. team and is set to face Jamie Callender of Council Rock North. Evans also is headed for Iowa next season.
   
The match begins at 8 p.m. It will be preceded at 6 p.m. by a match between a team of WPIAL (Pittsburgh suburbs) all-stars and a team of New York state stars.
   
If you’re not wrestled out, the NCAA Championships begin today in Omaha, Neb. Plenty of action will be on ESPNU Friday (10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m.), and the finals are 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.

KANSAS CITY (March 8, 2010) – Tyler Stinson, a 24-year-old native of Winfield, Kan., was the unanimous winner of an open tryout sponsored by Bellator Fighting Championships on Saturday, earning him a chance to fight in Bellator’s upcoming nationally-televised event at the Kansas City Power & Light District on April 29th.

Stinson was one of 72 fighters from as far away as New York, California, Texas and Arizona to travel to Lenexa, Kan., for the tryout, which was judged by Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney and a panel of other top Bellator talent executives. Participants included former veterans of the WEC, IFL and other top promotions.

“The talent level that we saw at this tryout was very solid,” Rebney said. “To have fighters come in on busses, trains and planes from around the country is very humbling. These guys just want a shot and I only wish that we could give that opportunity to every one of them. Our decision was a difficult one, but Tyler separated himself with great grappling and a well-rounded MMA arsenal. I’m looking forward to seeing him fight on April 29th.”

Stinson, though just 24, boasts a professional record of 16-5 in a wide variety of regional promotions across the Midwest and in Florida. Notably, he is one of only two fighters to notch a victory against 17-2 Eric Marriott, a competitor in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man featherweight tournament. Stinson will enter the April 29th Bellator event on a three-fight win-streak with all three wins coming via first round stoppages (armbar, triangle choke and TKO-punches).

“This whole experience was just awesome,” Stinson told reporters after the event. “To hear my name called at the end of the day was just unbelievable. I’m really almost speechless right now. Bellator is just such a great organization and I’m excited for the chance to fight in front of my family and friends in Kansas City.”

The second-place finisher at the event was 27-year-old Leonardo Pecanha, a native of Brazil now fighting out of Omaha, Neb. Pecanha, who boasts a pro record of 11-6, is now being considered by Bellator for an open slot at one of its May events.

The April 29th event is one of four that Bellator will be staging at the highly popular Kansas City Power & Light District. The Power & Light District encompasses multiple square blocks in the heart of Kansas City’s downtown area and features an exciting blend of restaurants, nightlife, and shopping, welcoming in excess of 6 million visitors annually.

Tickets are on sale now at Tickemaster.com, at the Midland Theater box office downtown, and in select Power & Light District venues. Check out www.powerandlightdistrict.com for more information on ticket availability.

Additional Bellator fights will be held at the Kansas City Power & Light District on:

- June 24, 2010 – Bellator XXIV

- August 26, 2010 – Bellator XXVII

- October 14, 2010 – Bellator XXXIV

These and all other Bellator fights during its second and third seasons will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo.

For more information, visit www.bellator.com.

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and 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 The Cordish Company

The Cordish Company (www.cordish.com), now in its fourth generation of family ownership, is a multi-billion dollar conglomerate including one of the leading gaming, entertainment and real estate development companies in the United States. The Company has diverse development expertise with divisions focused on Entertainment & Mixed-Use, Gaming & Lodging, Sports Anchored Districts, Shopping & Lifestyle Retail, Office and Residential. The Cordish Company also owns and manages a diverse group of operating businesses, ranging from gaming, restaurants/clubs to live music promotion and film/media distribution. The company values itself on the quality of its operations, its long-term relationships, and high level of integrity in all of its endeavors.

The Cordish Company is the largest and most successful developer of entertainment districts and concepts in the United States. In particular, the company has unparalleled experience in creating and revitalizing high-profile destinations in urban core locations. Many of the Cordish Company’s projects involve public/private partnerships and are of unique significance to the cities in which they are located. Prime examples are the company’s prominent role in the redevelopment of Baltimore’s world-famous Inner Harbor; Atlantic City, NJ; Hollywood, FL; Charleston, SC; Houston, TX; Louisville, KY; Tampa, FL, Kansas City, MO; and Towson, MD.

The Cordish Company has received the highest possible national awards in its various areas of expertise. In real estate, the Cordish Company has received an unprecedented seven Urban Land Institute Awards of Excellence.

About the Kansas City Power & Light District

The Kansas City Power & Light District (www.power&lightdistrict.com) is a vibrant, new eight-block neighborhood in the heart of downtown Kansas City that is redefining the City from its skyline to its sidewalks. The District links together the renovated Bartle Hall Convention Center, the new Sprint Center, offices, hotels, entertainment, cultural destinations and residential developments. The $850 million mixed-use District anchors $5 billion of complimentary development efforts in downtown Kansas City. The combination of entertainment, retail, nightlife and residential with the District’s imaginative and innovative design, has revitalized and rejuvenated downtown Kansas City.