Oh man, tough break for Mike Massenzio.  He is in great shape and was all ready for his Monday's UFC Fight Night 20 event against Gerald Harris.  Other sites have reported that he has been scratched from the card due to an undisclosed injury, but we have learned from his management that he has a staph infection in his scalp.

Mike had a high fever and went to the hospital where the infection was discovered.  This is a tough break for the New Jersey fighter, who was looking forward to getting back in the Octagon.

Replacing Mike will be John Salter, an undefeated prospect with a 4-0 record, who will be making his UFC debut.

Get well soon, Mike!

Check out this cool little documentary from our friend Dan over at RAGEDMental. Here's part of the discription:

Knockouts are the most sought out subject in the history of combat sports. "Knockout Secrets", is the first film ever to be conclusive, about the ability of knocking out an opponent. This documentary will take you on a quest to discover every secret of the knockout artist, and their abilities to K.O. a human being.

I was able to catch up with Ron Foster, a former MMA fighter and the man in charge of making the magic happen for the rapidly accelerating Shine Fight Promotions.

Shine Fights vaulted into the MMA spotlight with the star-studded lineup of their second event, titled "ATT vs. The World".  The card featured a compelling and diverse blend of both experienced veterans as well as promising up and comers, such as Yves Edwards, Roan Carneiro, Micah Miller, Jorge "Macaco" Patino, Junior Assuncao, and Luis "Buscape" Firmino.

Shine Fights has been swallowing up oodles of talent as of late, signing former pro boxer Ricardo Mayorga (who will make his MMA debut for the promotion in March of 2010), Murilo "Ninja" Rua, and Russian fighter Alexander Shlemenko, to name a few.  The upcoming Shine card will feature Mayorga's debut against a yet to be announced opponent (although Din Thomas is quite vocally lobbying for the fight), Hector Lombard vs. Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira, the rematch between Luis Azeredo and Luis "Buscape" Firmino from their stellar fight at Pride Bushido 6, and exciting Luta Livre fighter Luciano Azevedo versus the HIT Squad's BJJ coach, Kyle Watson.

Last Friday's Asylum Fight League 24 show was a rousing success.  I did a write up on it on Saturday, and today you can relive the event with a slide show of photographs taken by one of MMA's finest photographers Mr. Dan Rod.

Dan was front and center at the AFL show and he captured all the great moments.  Check out his website at DanRod.net.

Thanks for pics, Dan!

Wow, what a night of fights!  You never could have guessed that the fighters at AFL 24 last night were amateurs.  These guys fought their hearts out and left everything in cage.  In fact one fighter, James Funaro from Long Island, left so much in the cage that it took ten minutes for the staff to clean up the blood.

James was in an absolute war with Iron Mike Fischetti.  Iron Mike apparently broke Funaro's nose in the first round.  Funaro was not fazed, however, and continue battling but the blood was too much and referee Tom Velaquez stopped the bout. Fischetti has been dominant in his amateur career and he was absolutely beastly last night.  He's a kid who is going places.

In the two title fights, both Noah Faunce and Julio Arce showed why they are true champions.

Faunce fought the very tough and talented Pistol Pete Burdge for the vacant AFL 170 pound title.   Burdge held his own, but it appeared that Faunce was just a little too big and strong for him and won the decision.  Not surprising since Noah also holds the AFL 205 and 185 titles as well.

I am about to head down to Edison, NJ now where I will be ring announcing the Asylum Fight League's 24th show.  Tonight there are two titles on the line and foru undefeated fighters looking to retain or become champion.

In the 167 pound division, two undefeated fighters are clashing for the strap.  Current title holder Noah Faunce out of Long Island will look to remain champion against New Jersey's Pete Burdge who trains with the Pelligrino camp.  That fight alone is worth the price of admission.

In the 140 pound division, two more undefeated prospects will battle for the belt.  Julio Arce and Chris Wright will be mixing it up to see who leaves the cage with the title.

I am very excited about this card and can't wait for the action to begin.  Check out AsylumFightLeague.com for ticket info.

If you can't make the show live, it might be airing live on GoFightLive.tv.  It will be free, so check it out.  The broadcast depends on whether they can get a signal at the venue.

After the jump, check out the full card

Breaking News from TheGARV.com:  Tim Credeur is injured and out of the Mike  Massenzio fight at UFN 20.  Mike's new opponent will be 13-2 Gerald Harris.  This has been confirmed by sources close to Massenzio.

Tough break for Tim.  I think Harris is a good replacement.  I know Mike is more than ready to get back in the Octagon after his injury and he wants to show people what he can do.  I'll be interviewing Mike before the fight, so look for that soon.

Here's a Hightlight reel of Mike in action:

Great news for hardcore MMA fans. Rafaello "The Tractor" Olivera will be fighting in the UFC. He is scheduled to take on Sean Sherk at UFC 108 on January 2. Olivera is well known for his ferocious fighting style and has competed extensively in Brazil. He is training now with my good buds over at AMA Fight Club in New Jersey, which is run by Mike Constantino and is home to the Miller Brothers of the UFC and other great fighters.

Looking forward to seeing The Tractor back in action next month. In the meantime, check out this great highlight real of him in action in Brazil.