Dead Serious MMA has earned it's reputation as one of the finest amateur MMA promotions in the country.  Promoter Frankie Perez and his family have a passion for the sport that is unmatched.  Dead Serious cards are always filled with top level talent, and the stands are filled with fans who want to see the best fighters competing.

On June 8, Dead Serious MMA returns with its Night of Champions event.  Seven titles are up for grabs in one of the most anticipated fight cards of the year.

The event takes place at the famed Collins Arena at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey.  It's a great venue and a fitting location to crown seven champions in one night.  This is truly and can't-miss event, and I can't wait to get into the cage to announce the champions.

Check out the Dead Serious MMA website for ticket info or just click on the poster above.

And don't forget that Dead Serious also has a fight gear collection.  I personally wear Dead Serious Fight Gear while training, and can tell you the look and quality of their gear is second to none.  Check out the collection at DeadSeriousFightGear.com.  See you at the Collins Arena!

Two titles were defended and a heart was stolen, Saturday night.  All in a nights work for the folks over at Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC).  The Borgata was jam packed and the raucous crowd came to see some action.  They certainly got what they came for.  The South Jersey based fight organization has yet to disappoint with their brand of MMA.  The expansion to PA, DE, and VA certainly doesn’t hurt, but these guys have found a home in Atlantic City.

The story of Bobby Fabrizi and Alfred Alo’s three round war was all about heart.  These warriors went toe to toe, fought through exhaustion, and not one ounce of quit was shown.  This one is up for fight of the night and rightfully deserved.  Takedowns ended up being the deciding factor in this fight and Fabrizi came away with the unanimous decision win and found himself back on track, improving to 3-1 and getting better with every fight.

If you thought Fabrizi’s gutsy performance in this fight stole the show, think again.  Fabrizi topped that performance by dropping to a knee and proposing to his longtime girlfriend and CFFC cage girl, Melanie Truxton, in the center of the cage.  Don’t worry; she said yes and with that victory, Fabrizi went 2-0 for the night.  Not too shabby, Bobby.  Congrats to you both, Bobby and Melanie.  Best wishes for a long and happy future.  The first in-cage wedding, perhaps?

The main event was a scrap for the welterweight championship.  George Sullivan was on a mission, Saturday night.  After a great camp, “The Silencer” was more focused than ever and looked to be in the best shape we have seen him in yet.  George spent the majority of the first round defending against takedowns and despite being taken down several times; he still took the round by out striking the previously unbeaten, Brandon Becker from the ground.

Round two was all Sullivan as he used his superior striking to neutralize Becker’s wrestling.  The fight spilled to the mat and Sullivan unleashed some brutal ground and pound and forced the referee to call a stop to the action about halfway into the round.  Sullivan improves to 13-3 and this was George’s third title defense as the king of the welterweight division at CFFC.  Big things should be coming Sullivan’s way as the Pellegrino MMA standout seems to get better and better every time he gets in the cage.

The flyweight championship was also on the line Saturday night and Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella claimed another victim en route to his fourth successful title defense as champion of the 125-ers.  Dave Morgan showed up, but had no answer for Santella’s slick Jiu-Jitsu.  Morgan got the fight to the ground as he had planned to, but that ended up being his downfall.  Santella’s BJJ took over and Morgan found himself taking a nap after being locked in a triangle choke and put to sleep.  Santella continues to impress and improves to 13-3-1.  Hopefully this AMA Fight Club star will get to grace the UFC octagon sooner than later.

As if the night was not exciting enough, Zach “Fun-Size” Makovsky made his highly anticipated CFFC debut.  The Bellator vet and former champion had a tough challenge ahead of him in Claudio Ledesma.  Zach overcame some tough situations and came out victorious by way of unanimous decision.  Ledesma out forth a tremendous effort, but Makovsky’s experience and skill proved to be too much for Claudio on this night.  Rumor has it, this win may put Makovsky in line to challenge Sean Santella for “Shorty-Rock’s” flyweight crown.  You will not want to miss that one.

We also saw some outstanding performances from Jay Haas and Derrick Kennington.  Both fighters came away victorious with some impressive showings.  Despite mediocre records, these guys showed some impressive skills and should continue to improve.  You will not want to take either fighter lightly.

The next show for Cage Fury will be CFFC 25 in Valley Forge, PA on June 22^nd.  Get your tickets ASAP and catch some of the East Coast’s very best MMA.  This rapidly expanding promotion keeps getting better and is one of the best organizations out there right now.  A return to The Borgata in Atlantic City should take place a little later this year.  Head over to www.cffc.tv for tickets and more information and as it becomes available.

Carl Mascarenhas of the Asylum Fight League has worked long and hard to put together a world class, $100K one night tournament to find the best Middleweight MMA fighter on the planet.  The event is expected to take place November 2nd, on the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia.  The Grand Prix will feature 16 fighters in total, representing 8 countries.  And the winner gets a check for one hundred thousand dollars!

Caged Insider did a nice write up on the tournament and spoke to Carl about his plans:

“We’re there; we found a home in Saint Lucia. The people were fantastic” Mascarenhas told Caged Insider.com. “The boxing commission there, the Prime Minister of Sports, the Prime Minister of Tourism, they were fabulous to deal with and they welcomed us with open arms.”

The Asylum will be holding tryouts this June in AC and Vegas, so if you are a fighter and want to compete, check out the Asylum Fight League website for details.

We'll have more on this story as it develops, and I will be interviewing Carl down at the Golden Nugget on May 25 at the Asylum Fight League 41 event. So stay tuned!

Asylum Fight League is back!  Atlantic City's premier amateur fight league is back with its 41st big show on May 25 at the Golden Nugget Casino Hotel.  If you've never been to an Asylum show, do yourself a favor and check it out live on May 25.  The fights are always insane, and the venue is good as it gets in AC.  You will be a fan forever by attending just one show.  Carl Mascarenhas does an outstanding job in making sure that the fans get their money's worth.  He always brings in the best camps and finest up and coming talent in the fight game.

I am honored to once again be hosting the show from inside the cage at the Golden Nugget.  Last time out, we saw some of the best MMA action on the planet, and this show is shaping up to be even bigger and better.  Check out the Asylum Fight League website for ticket info.

See you at the Asylum!

New York is one of the few states in which the sport of MMA is illegal.  In this day and age, it sounds silly to even say that, but there is no shortage of silly when it comes to NY politicians.  Despite all the political rhetoric about how MMA is akin to human cockfighting, the real reason MMA is outlawed in NY is because the powerful union lobbies don't want it in NY.  The Culinary Union has a beef (pardon the pun) with the UFC, because they want UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta to unionize their casinos, something that is not going to happen.  As punishment, the union has been pushing NY pols hard to keep MMA out of the state.  And by pushing, I mean more than likely lining the greedy pockets of politicians who sell political favors to the highest bidders.

Anyway, don't fret the MMA situation in New York too much, because for the past 10 years, thanks to Peter Storm and his Underground Combat League, MMA has been alive and well in the Big Apple.

Storm's latest show was held in the Bronx on April 28, 2013.  This was the venue where Frankie Edgar began his MMA career before becoming UFC champion.  And there no doubt be more famous fighters coming out of the UCL, because Peter Storm looks for the best talent and does a great job at matchmaking fights.

I had the pleasure of ring announcing the show, and was very impressed with the fights.  Despite Storm's very low key approach to putting on MMA shows in NY (no posters, no advertising, just word of mouth advertising), the events always draw a nice crowd.  Indeed at the show was famed food writer Anthony Bourdain, who has a brand new show on CNN called Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.  Bourdain is a big fan of MMA, and attended the UFC on the 27th, then the UCL on the 28th.   He told MMA Frenzy that the UCL was a better show:  "I’m a fan of MMA, and I have to say – reluctantly – as much as I enjoyed myself last night at the UFC, tonight happened to be a little more exciting."

Bourdain is not alone in that assessment.  There is a feeling at the UCL that you are part of a secret society and are witnessing something very special.  The UCL certainly lives up to its "underground" moniker, and the action is as raw as MMA combat gets.  Indeed, author Jim Genia even wrote a book about the UCL called Raw Combat, and it is a great read.  The UFC has gone mainstream, but the UCL is as real as it gets.

After the show, I took a few minutes to interview Peter Storm as he unwound from the event with a plate of chicken wings.  In this video, after the jump, Storm talks about what makes the UCL so different, and so enduringly popular.

Congrats to Team Renegade for their outstanding performances at the NOLA Invitational Sambo tournament, which was held in New Orleans last March.  Team Renegade fighters Ben Syers and Jeremy Piaser both took first place in the lightweight and middleweight divisions respectively, and Team Renegade founder Anthony Sansonetti was a heavyweight match finalist.

Sambo is a great base of mixed martial arts, as the great Fedor Emelianenko showed time and again in his matches.  Check out the Team Renegade website for details on how you can add Sambo to your MMA arsenal.