Next MMA Fighter

Sportfight X Atlanta was a great night of fights and packed with excellent MMA action. Here’s the blow-by-blow.

Scott Eaton vs Jared McWilliams 185lbs

Scott has some heavy looking hands and is setting up big strikes with leg kicks. Jared clinches up and is maybe looking for a takedown but Scott is landing some good body blows and when is finally dragge to the ground, ends on top. Scott gets side control and works the far arm for an americana. Jared is able to roll to the turtle position for momentary relief but gets rolled back over and submitted.

Scott Eaton def Jared McWilliams sub (americana) 2:01 of rd. 1

Manuel COrrea vs Jose Luis Lopez 145lbs

Jose faked a kick and slipped early in the round allowing Manuel, the BJJ artist to get on top and apply shoulder choke/neck crank. Jose tries to establish a guard and is able to stand with Manuel’s arm around his neck still. Manuel keeps his grip and tries a guillotine that he uses to take Jose to the ground. Jose defends and they get back to the feet. Jose misses another kick and Manuel attacks with punches. Jose returns some punches of his own.

Jose attacks the body in the second round with some hard hooks. Here on the feet Manuel is having trouble putting anything together. Jose mixes it up with some body kicks and fast hands. Jose lands another slapping right round to the body and the crowd hears it. Jose does a pretty good job of staying up and jabbing his opponent. Manuel is able to drop and land a solid double leg takedown and slam. On top, Manuel isn’t able to work a position until Jose scrambles and offers a neck. Jose is defending the choke well and gets back to standing in a clinch when he’s kneed in the junk. The horn is blown and some punches are exchanged just after the fight due to a little slow ref action.

Manuel Correa def Jose Luis Lopez by unan dec.

Roderick Lewis vs Alex Moore 155lbs

Roderick drops some hard strikes early and bowls Alex over. Alex works for a leg lock from the ground. Roderick defends but is placed in Alex’s guard. Alex works for a triangle immediately. Alex works on the triangle for a full minute and Roderick is finally forced to tap.

Alex Moore def Roderick Lewis by sub (triangle) 2:48 of rd 1.

Mike Alvarado vs Jeremy Wallace 185lbs

Jeremy lands a sneaky uppercut and follows with a single leg takedown. Jeremy postures up and punches Mike’s head. Mike is able to kick him off and when Jeremy comes back down lands in a triangle set up. Mike is unable to complete and they get back to standing. When Mike rushes wih strikes, Jeremy drops levels again and lands another takedown. Jeremy lands some strikes there but stands up shortly after. They clinch up and work the body for control. Jeremy lands an inside knee and the separate again. Jeremy lands another big takedown before the round ends.

Jeremy spends the round backing up and keeping his distance and suddenly explodes with another big takedown. Jeremy works strikes from top position there but opts to stand again. Jeremy shoots another takedown but Mike finally stuffs one and looks like he might take Jeremy’s back when Jeremy scrambles out. Jeremy loooks like he might be gassing again but lands yet another big takedown toward the end of the 2nd stanza.

Round 3 Jeremy hits his signature takedown early and gets on top to work some strikes. The ref stands em up after some inactivity and they get to circling each other. Jeremy gets one last takedown and works some punches before the fight ends.

Jeremy Wallace def Mike Alvarado by unan. dec.

Alfonso Bautista vs Luke Neyland 155lbs

Luke nails a single leg takedown early and is immediately in side control. Alfonso tries to stand but gives up his back in the process. Alfonso is able to turn back into Luke but Luke switches his hips quickly and attempts an armbar. Alfonso switches sides and looks ok but Luke throws the legs up for another armbar that does complete.

Luke Neyland def Alfonso Bautista by sub (armbar) 1:49 in rd. 1

Ururahy Rodrigues vs Patrick Mandio 170lbs

Patrick dodges a jumping front kick and stuffs a takedown in the first 5 seconds. Ururahy works a high crotch single leg. Patrick is doing a great job of staying on his feet and when he is able to, hits a hip toss and ends in halfguard. Ururahy is able to kick Patrick off and they get back to standing. Ururahy attempts another jumping front kick and single leg as before. Patrick keeps his feet. They separate and circle for a time. Ururahy lands some good leg kicks here before the round ends.

Ururahy launches 2 flying kicks now and as he takes his shot eats a big punch from Patrick. Patrick follows him down and lands a few more punches. Ururahy drops for a takedown and they go the ground when Patrick is able to get top position. They have a tense exchange on the ground and get back to the feet. Ururahy closes for another single leg, but still can’t get Patrick to the ground. Ururahy lands 3 solid leg kicks in succession and closes for another single leg. Ururahy finally completes a takedown but is unable to get any work done before Patrick kicks him off. Patrick lands another hip toss before the round ends.

Round 3 Ururahy lands a couple good leg kicks. The third leg kick that Patrick receives looks to have hurt him. Ururahy closes for another single leg takedown. Ururahy is working for this takedown but Mandio is doing a good job of keeping his feet. They separate and Ururahy shoots again. Patrick tosses him and they get back to standing. Ururahy doesn’t seem to exhibit any urgency as the time wanes. Patrick stuffs a big takedown and ends in top position for some punches as the time runs out.

Patrick Mandio def Ururahy Rodrigues by unan dec

Joe Elmore vs Stephen Ledbetter 155lbs

Joe is loading up his strikes and is looking to really hurt Stephen. Stepehen hits a double leg takedown and after a scramble ends up with a guillotine attempt that Joe is able to defend and get up from. Joe kicks the body and the inside leg. Stephen drops for another double leg and ends in Joe’s open guard. Stephen works some GnP from the top while Joe stays active looking to sweep or submit. Joe puts the legs up for a triangle and while he is unable to submit Stephen, he is able to land an elbow and open a cut on Stephen’s scalp.

This round neither fighter is able to land a punch in the openning minute. Stephen drops for a double and ends in Joe’s guard again. Stephen takes advantage of Joe’s open guard and passes to mount. Joe does a good job of recomposing the guard. They go back and forth a bit on the ground but Joe is able to get it back to standing. Joe loads up a huge right but gets taken down in the process. Stephen works some body body head from top position and eats a big elbow. “You’ve heard of suntan, these guys have bloodtan.”- Frank Milsap

Stephen drives in for a takedown and almost takes a huge knee. Joe locks in a guillotine really quick and works to submit but Stephen uses the time to free his legs and get into a mount position. Joe shakes him off and gets Stephen into his guard. The latter half of this fight has been basically a BJJ hard roll session. Stephen abandons progressing in favor of some strikes. A hard fought 15 minutes for these warriors.

Stephen Ledbetter def Joe Elmore by unan dec.

Dave Vitkay vs Roger Carrol

Roger is presenting a light front leg and seems to be prepared for a standup battle. Dave has heavy hands and good striking. Roger closes for a takedown but Dave cirlces and takes him down himsef. Dave works some strikes from top position but this is where Roger is still very dangerous. Dave is able to progress slightly and get in Roger’s half guard. Dave gets high on the guard and tries to isolate an arm. Roger opts for a deep halfguard and looks to sweep potentially. Dave locks on a guillotine and looks deep but Roger rolls a couple different ways and they stand up. Dave falls back, Roger pounces, but get swept! Roger has a smile on his face when the bell for the round rings. He knew he shouldn’t have been swept.

Round 2 Dave lands 2 punches and almost pus down a knee. Roger comes back with some strikes. Roger closes for a takedown and hip tosses. They scramble some and Roger ends up on top. Roger drops a good elbow but is then swept again. Dave gets to a mount position and rains down some blows. Roger gets back to half guard. Dave lands a big shoulder butt that makes Roger visibly upset. Roger looks to work some deep half guard action but Dave is staying on top and dropping big body shots.

Dave does a lot of taunting in this 3rd round. Dave is commanding on the feet here. Dave executes some combos that end in step through knees. Dave throws a leading left hook and left knee that connect well. Roger closes to clinch and they work on the fence for a time. They separate and Dave throws some more punches. Roger drops to shoot again but still can’t land a takedown. Dave does a good job of circling out when getting clinched up on the fence. Roger attempts a guillotine just as the round is ending, too little too late.

Dave Vitkay def Roger Carrol by unan dec.

SportFight X – III: UNDEFEATED occurred last night at the Georgia World Congress Center, and Next MMA Fighter was there to catch all the action. However, with 15 fights to write about, I’m just going to give a few highlights rather than try to give play-by-plays. Let’s face it: You don’t want to sit here and read this for 45 minutes.

155 lb (amateur) – Travis Lord defeats Alphonso Batista by TKO, 2:27 of R2

205 lb (amateur) – Jericho (Josh) Latham defeats Aaron Black by split decision

135 lb (amateur) – Andre “300” Caminera Allen defeats (?) Johnny Orango by KO, 1:37 of R1*

This fight was supposed to be Andre Caminera Allen vs. Cody Canada.

155 lb (pro) – James Williams defeats Micah Goss, TKO, 4:06 of R1*

The ref arguably stopped this fight too soon; Goss was knocked down by a straight right, but still seemed able to defend himself.

155 lb (pro) – James Logan defeats Mark Howe by submission (RNC), 4:12 of R1

155 lb (pro) – Jacob Allman defeats Troy Dollar by unanimous decision

Allman is a tremendous wrestler. He maintained ground control over Dollar for almost the entire fight, and scored some really impressive takedowns, including a brutal suplex at just 23 seconds into the first round and some stunning counter-throws against the fence. Keep an eye out for this young fighter in future matches.

155 lb (pro) – Dustin Center defeats Kenny Jackson by submission (Americana armbar), 3:22 of R2

155 lb (pro) – Jarrid Burke defeats Mark Corum by unanimous decision

Burke entered the arena wearing a tux and a kabuki mask while riding a tricycle. Quite a showman. This match was a good one, with both fighters nearly knocked out on at least a couple occasions. At the end of the second round, Corum had Burke almost asleep on his feet but just didn’t have the gas left to finish the fight because of the punishment he had taken in the first round.

155 lb (pro) – DJ Fuentes defeats Eric Kriegermeier by split decision

185 lb (pro) – Johnny Buck defeats George Allen by tap out (strikes), 3:20 of R2

George Allen deserves respect for getting in the cage at his age. However, this fight might have been a good indication that his time as a fighter might be past; Buck dropped way too many elbows on his face for anyone to think this fight was a good idea.

170 lb (pro) – Dhiego Lima defeats Keon Caldwell by submission (kimura), 4:44 of R1

It looked like Lima actually dislocated Caldwell’s shoulder with a kimura to finish this fight.  By the time the judges’ decision was announced, though, Caldwell had his arm back in place and was able to raise Lima’s with his own, showing great sportsmanship.

205 lb (pro) – Ethan Garrison defeats Sammy Collingwood by submission (armbar), in 3^rd minute of R2

Collingwood talked a lot of shit both before and during this fight, but he was not really a match for undefeated Pan Am BJJ Brown Belt World Champion Ethan Garrison. Aside from a couple of brief moments where Collingwood managed to mount any kind of meaningful defense, Garrison dominated this bout on the ground for pretty much the entire time.

My apologies to you all for not getting this up sooner: My laptop died over the weekend, and I’ve been writing it up in 10-minute windows at work over the last three days.

I just want to say a few words about the production value of this show. The Sportfight X guys did an outstanding job, with high production values and good entertainment. The only complaint I’d offer was the lack of raked/stadium seating for the folks sitting further back, but other than that the event was top-notch throughout. The swearing in of four new air force recruits was pretty cool, in particular. And the woman who sang the national anthem? Damn, what a voice.

But I know you guys aren’t here to read about the singing and dancing during intermissions, even if it was all pretty cool, so I’ll get to the fighting.

This event had seven fights on the card, the first one an advanced amateur bout and the other six all professional matches.

185 lbs | Jeremy Wallace vs. Hamza Mutelib | Mutelib by Submission (armbar) @ 2:03 of R1

From the beginning of this short fight, Mutelib was the clear aggressor, pushing forward hard and making life difficult for his opponent. About 25 seconds into the match, he stuck in a beautiful hip throw, landing cleanly in side control. During that exchange, though from my angle I couldn’t quite be sure, it looked like the fighters clashed heads pretty hard, yet it didn’t seem to slow either man down. About a minute later, Mutelib was in full mount, well in control of this fight, and he pulled off an armbar at about 1:50, locking it in quickly for the victory at 2:03 in the first round.

Overall, this was a strong fight for both guys, but particularly for Mutelib, who was able to show off his superior ground game.

170 lbs | Dhiego Lima vs. Kenny Moss | Lima by Submission (triangle) @ 4:28 of R1

Lima landed a pretty heavy right almost out of the gate, after a brief clinch against the cage, but if the strike proved one thing, it’s that Moss has a great chin. These guys are both scrappers, and they put on a great show. In fact, I think Moss actually wanted to get hit. Throughout the first round, both threw multiple flurries of strikes, the action almost constant, and neither showed any sign of slowing down.

Around 2:30, Moss tried a spinning right hook kick to Lima’s head, but the kick went wide and Lima came back with a hard combo, including a nasty lead-leg roundhouse to Moss’s face. Moss finally seemed a little dazed by that one, but he quickly recovered; did I mention this kid has a concrete chin?

Just a bit over the 4:00 mark, Moss got Lima’s back as they maneuvered against the cage and then tried a suplex, but Lima managed to twist in the air and seemed to take the throw in stride. By 4:25, he showed decent jiu-jitsu and caught Moss in a triangle choke, cinching it for the win at 4:28 in round 1.

Great effort from both of these guys; I’d look forward to watching either of them fight again.

145 lbs | Byron Bloodworth vs. Jarall Bowman | Bloodworth by Submission (triangle) @ 4:23 of R1

These guys spent a while circling before the action really started, but once it did they both put on a good show. Around 1:20, Bloodworth caught a kick by Bowman and shot cleanly into a single-leg takedown, but showed some classic wrestling technique by hefting Bowman up and slamming him down hard. Like, probably heard clearly in the next building hard. Bowman kept his wits, though, and almost caught Bloodworth in a guillotine from the bottom, but after struggling with it for a while just wasn’t able to sink it in.

By 2:30 they were back on their feet, still clinching and looking for the takedown, but this time Bowman took the initiative. From the bottom, Bloodworth showed off his rubber guard, but wasn’t able to catch Bowman in his gogoplata attempt. However, by 3:59 he had shifted to a triangle choke, the second of the night in just three short matches, and locked this match up to win by submission at 4:22 in the first round.

Again, great fight from both guys, and congratulations to Byron Bloodworth for defeating a tough opponent.

155 lbs | Frank Millsap vs. Matt Covan | Millsap by TKO (verbal tapout, strikes) @ 3:23 in of R1

Coran opened up with some solid-looking leg kicks, but for the most part things moved a little slowly here when compared to the previous three fights. The pace was a bit surprising given the weight class, in fact, where guys are usually throwing wallops around like caffeine-crazed Energizer bunnies on speed.

Overall, I would have given the point game to Millsap by a hair, but the fight didn’t go that far. Millsap landed a solid flurry putting Covan against the fence, following up with a vicious flying knee (well, more of a hopping knee, but it worked), battering Covan into submission by blunt force trauma delivered via the knuckles and the patella. At 3:23, the ref called the fight after the fight had left Covan, who called for someone, anyone to stop the carnage.

185 lbs | Warren Thompson vs. David Vitkay | Vitkay by Submission (RNC) @ 3:38 of R2

This was the first fight of the night to make it out of the first round, and it was also something of an upset, at least for us at Nextmmafighter.com. That’s not to say I think Vitkay is a weak fighter, not at all, but we definitely had Thompson picked to take this one home.

To his credit, though, Vitkay came into this fight looking better and sharper than I had seen him in any of his previous matches in this fight series. His cardio was greatly improved, and he just seemed to really have the mental edge coming in. In fact, he was playing mind games with Thompson from the time they came forward for the ref’s pre-fight conflab. And it worked pretty damn well.

At about 1:15 in the first round Vitkay caught Thompson with a beautiful body slam, almost a pile driver, which by all rights should have deviated Thompson’s cranium. He went immediately into Thompson’s guard, and while Thompson went for a triangle choke, Vitkay muscled his way out of the submission handily. Vitkay kept the pressure on for the remainder of the round, holding the top position and landing some decent shots. The round was clearly his.

In round 2, Vitkay revealed what must have been his game-plan by bringing Thompson down again almost immediately, keeping the fight on the ground. He seemed a little tired this round, or was just being careful, because the action was a bit less intense from the top, but he nonetheless controlled Thompson for about 3 minutes, finally getting the back and winning by rear naked choke at 3:39 in the second round.

Great match, and a hearty “cheers” to Vitkay for impressing me with this performance.

Note: After the fight, I saw Thompson walking around with what looked like a messed-up shoulder; didn’t get a chance to ask him how it happened, but I’m thinking maybe the pile driver-esque takedown early in round 1 might have been the culprit? That might explain why Vitkay so easily managed the ground game for most of the fight.

145 lbs | Diego Saraiva vs. Dee Jay Fuentes | Saraiva by Unanimous Decision (30-27)

This was the first fight of the night to go the full three rounds, and it absolutely lived up to what I expect from two good 145-pound fighters: fast and furious. Saraiva showed some good boxing and muay thai, keeping up the pace and firing off some beautiful combinations throughout the fight. Fuentes is no slouch at the striking game either, with decent hands and some nice high kicks — a bit more flash than function, maybe, but always entertaining for the crowd.

For the first few minutes in round 1, the fight stayed on the feet, with both guys landing some glancing shots. Finally, around 2:44, Saraiva landed a nice inside knee in the clinch, the first really telling blow of the fight, but Fuentes recovered quickly. At 3:09, Saraiva took it to the ground, but they scrambled and were soon back on their feet. Very soon thereafter, Fuentes took a hard knee to the groin and the fight was paused.

Once he signaled that he was good to go, the fight recommenced, and Saraiva took the lead right away, landing a nice combination to the body and head, followed by a vicious roundhouse kick to Fuentes’ upper thigh. Lesson learned? Fuentes is a tough kid, taking it all in stride. Finally, just about 10 seconds before the bell, Saraiva caught a single leg and brought the fight to the ground, but didn’t have time to really do anything more before the round ended.

In round 2, the fight went to the ground quickly, Saraiva getting the takedown and landing in full mount. He started pounding, but Fuentes weathered the storm pretty well. At 1:15, Saraiva got Fuentes’ back, but Fuentes recovered and got back around, bringing Saraiva into his guard. Saraiva seemed okay with that, though, dropping some wicked fists and elbows for a time. By 3:56, things had slowed, and the ref stood the two up for inactivity. The remainder of the round was a slower match, with some circling and a few combos thrown on both sides, but little of consequence landing.

Going into round 3, Saraiva had the edge in the standup striking game again, but only barely. At 0:49, I guess feeling that he didn’t want to wage a stand-up point battle, he shot under Fuentes’ punch and took the fight to the ground again. From there, he rained some more punishment from the top, though a bit more slowly and with less impact than in the second round. By 3:24, he managed to get Fuentes’ back again, and after some more striking, maneuvered himself into a rear triangle from the top; that’s a hard submission to sink in, though, and Fuentes fought through till the bell.

So, after a good three-round match, Saraiva had bested Fuentes in all three rounds, though by a narrow margin, and took the win by unanimous decision. Congratulations to both fighters for an exciting match.

185 lbs | Douglas Lima vs. Cortez Coleman | Lima wins by Split Decision

This fight also went the full three rounds, and it was a much closer affair than the previous fight. While I actually gave the edge to Coleman, scoring 10-9 for him in rounds 2 and 3 (which surprised me, to be honest, since I had Lima winning this hands down coming into the fight), the judges saw it differently and gave Lima the win. Admittedly, though, it was a close enough fight that it really could have gone either way, and both fighters put on an outstanding performance.

Both fighters came in looking very fit, and given the $10,000 prize, I’d have been surprised to find it any other way. Coleman looked far leaner than I recalled him being the last time I saw him fight. Then again, you’d want to train damn hard for the title in a fight series too, especially when that kind of money is on the line, right?

Anyway, both guys looked strong in the clinch early in round 1. Lima started the scoring with a takedown about 20 seconds into the round, but they were soon back on their feet. A short while later, Coleman tried a throw, but Lima capably reversed it; however, in the scramble, Coleman still ended up on top in Lima’s guard. By 1:53, Lima had worked his way back up to his feet, and they proceeded to clinch, shoving each other around and showing that both men had good cage control. For the most part, this part of the round was indecisive. At 2:53, Lima pulled of a beautiful body slam, but Coleman quickly got back to his feet. Overall, Coleman seemed slightly stronger, but Lima had the edge in speed and outpointed his opponent this round.

In round 2, they traded some powerful shots for the better part of the first minute until, at 0:44, Lima managed another takedown. By 1:15 Lima had taken Coleman’s back; Coleman managed to work around and get Lima into his guard, but Lima then got full mount about half a minute later. That didn’t decide things, though, because by about 3 minutes into the round Coleman turned things around and took the top position. Neither was able to land anything really clean from the top position, though. In all, this was a very close round, but I gave the edge to Coleman due to superior control on the ground; on their feet, the score was about even. I suspect this is where the judges and I differed.

In round 3, we saw a lot more clinching and cage work; Lima got a couple of decent knees in here and there, but nothing landed very cleanly. Following the 2-minute mark, Coleman landed a couple of nice combinations, taking the steam out of Lima, who was starting to look a bit gassed. (This surprised me a bit, actually, as he had seemed pretty much indefatigable in his previous fights I’d seen.) By 3:45, both men were looking pretty tired, and a nice crisp downward elbow from Lima in the clinch was about the only thing worth mentioning in the latter part of the round. In the end, this seemed the easiest round to score: I gave it to Coleman.

Again, this was a great fight from two skilled, strong fighters, and it really could have gone either way. Coleman performed better than I had seen him, and I just couldn’t be sure which way the judges would go in the final analysis. Certainly neither man should be disappointed in his performance during this bout.

So, that wraps it up. In all, this was one of the best nights of fights I’ve seen in Atlanta, and I congratulate everyone involved on the fighters’ side and the promoters’. Can’t wait till the next one!

For all those who are not in the house tonight, we are coming to you live, cageside from Sportfight X “Beatdown at the Ballroom” at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA

We will be bringing you fight results as they happen with full play by play and video interviews to follow tomorrow.

OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD

185 lbs Jeremy Wallace vs. Hamza Mutelib | Mutelib wins by submission (armbar) @ 2:03 of R1

170 lbs Dhiego Lima vs. Kenny Moss | Lima wins by submission (Triangle Choke) @ 4:28 of R1

145 lbs Byron Bloodworth vs. Jarall Bowman | Bloodworth wins by submission (Triangle Choke) @ 4:23 of R1

155 lbs Frank Millsap vs. Matt Covan | Millsap wins by TKO (Verbal Tapout due to strikes) @ 3:23 in of R1

185 lbs Warren Thompson vs. David Vitkay | Vitkay wins by submission (RNC) @3:38 of R2

145 lbs Diego Saraiva vs. Dee Jay Fuentes | Saraiva wins by Unanimous Decision 30-27

185 lbs Douglas Lima vs. Cortez Coleman | Lima wins by Split Decision

Thats it for us, thanks again to Soco and Sportfight X for putting on a great card! Congratulations to Douglas for winning the 185 Redline VPX Grand Prix!

Douglas Lima is a young phenom out of the American Top Team with a very bright future in MMA. We have had the honor to watch him tear it up on numerous occasions on the Southeast Circuit. Douglas will be fighting in the main event tonight for SportfightX at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. We spent some time with him as he gets ready for the biggest fight of his young career.

NextMMAFighter : You’re getting ready for a huge fight on Friday and we appreciate the time. Tell us how your final preparations are coming along.

Douglas Lima : My pleasure. Preparations are great and I am just taking it easy this week. All the hard training is done and now is just a lot of cardio and losing weight.

NextMMAFighter : Before losing to Matt Brown who now fights in the UFC, you had won 8 straight fights. When you look back on it, was the loss to a high caliber fighter beneficial to your career?

Douglas Lima : Of course. You always learn when you lose and losing to Matt back then wasn’t any different for me. I was very young and had a lot to learn back then. My cardio wasn’t good for that fight, so it taught me to train harder and prepare better for a fight. It sucks to lose, but it was better for me then and one day I’ll get my rematch.

NextMMAFighter : Speaking of the UFC, you are definitely an up and coming fighter. Without looking past your fight on Friday, what are your aspirations for your MMA future?

Douglas Lima : Well I’m just thinking about the next fight. I hope I get to the big show soon, but until then I’m training and fighting. I’m still young so whatever comes next I’ll be ready.

NextMMAFighter : You have gone through some very tough guys to get your place in the Redline Grand Prix Finals. Tell us a bit about your fights that got you to the finals.

Douglas Lima : First fight was against Eddie Hernandez. He was talking a lot before the fight and got me motivated to fight him. It was a tough fight, the kid is really good and strong. I got him in a triangle in the first round and was able to finish the fight there.

Round 2 was against Clint Hester who is another tough fight for anyone. We went to a decision and fought hard for three rounds. I broke my hand in the second round, so I
had to fight the third with that injury. It was hurting a lot, but I was able to put him on his back and work on top most of the round. I won what fight by unanimous decision and here I am.

NextMMAFighter : Unfortunately your original date with Coleman was postponed due to an injury. Tell us how your hand is doing and how you feel coming into the fight.

Douglas Lima : Right now the hand is perfect. It healed really fast and I thank Soco along with Sin City Fight Club for postponing the fight. It’s good to go now and is ready for the 26th.

NextMMAFighter : Cortez Coleman is a tough dude that fights out of the H.I.T Squad with Matt Hughes. Tell us what you know about your opponent.

Douglas Lima : Cortez is a tough guy and is coming off a great camp. He was an underdog in his first two fights of the Grand Prix and proved he belongs here in the finals. He always brings the fight, is always in shape and I’ll be ready to battle him Friday.

NextMMAFighter : You have been training for this fight with American Top Team, tell us about how they have helped you get ready.

Douglas Lima : American Top Team is really good and Jucao is taking great care of my training. He definitely has got me ready for this fight. I’m also training my Muay Thai with Manu at ATT. Both are really tough coaches that know what they’re doing.

NextMMAFighter : Without giving away your gameplan, how do you see the fight playing out on Friday?

Douglas Lima : Man I know one thing is for sure and that is that were gonna bang it out there. I’m gonna fight to finish no matter what it takes. Standing, wrestling, ground or whatever comes, I’ll be ready. As always you’ll never know how it goes, so we’ll all find out Friday.

NextMMAFighter : We wish you the best of luck on Friday, in closing is there anyone you would like to thank?

Douglas Lima : Thanks bro! I want to thank my trainers, Jucao and Manu first of all for getting me ready for this fight. I have to of course thank all my training partners. My manager Brian Butler with SuckerPunch Entertainment, Todd Wolff, Full Tilt Poker, Clinch Gear and Iron Clutch Fitness for sponsoring me for this fight! Thanks guys and if you can’t make the fight go to gofightlive.tv and check it out! God Bless!

You can find out more information and buy tickets for tonight’s fight at SportfightX The event will also be available on pay per view at gofightlive.tv

Coming up tomorrow night, Soco Mc Allister and Sportfight X are going to be putting on an unbelievable show in Atlanta. The featured bout is the finals of the Redline VPX 185lb Grand prix between Douglas Lima and Cortez Coleman.

The rest of the card is stacked with top talent from the Southeast and will surely be a great show. Previously featured fighter Byron Bloodworth returns to action along with UFC Veteran Diego Saravia stepping back into the cage. The card also features undefeated fan favorite and Ultimate Fighter 11 participant Warren Thompson. Definitely come on out if you can make the show or if you don’t live in the area you can watch the action through gofightlive.com

For tickets to the fight see the Sportfight X website here.

NextMMAFighter.com will be cageside bringing you live fight updates along with full round by round summaries to follow the day after the fights. The current confirmed Fight lineup is listed below.

PROFESSIONAL MMA
185 lbs Redline Grand Prix Finals Douglas Lima vs. Cortez Coleman

145 lbs Diego Saraiva vs. Dee Jay Fuentes

185 lbs Warren Thompson vs. David Vitkay

155 lbs Frank Millsap vs. Matt Covan

145 lbs Byron Bloodworth vs. Jarall Bowman

170 lbs Dhiego Lima vs. Kenny Moss

AMATEUR MMA
185 lbs Jeremy Wallace vs. Hamza Mutelib

Taking time out of his ridiculously busy schedule, we spoke with promoter Soco McAllister. This guy is a true fan of MMA and is continuing to bring great fights to the Atlanta area.

NextMMAFighter : Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to talk with us Soco. How are the final preparations coming together for Sportfight X’s “Beatdown in the Ballroom”?

SportfightX Soco : I am doing an interview at 1:40 AM, but there ain’t no rest for the wicked, right? We are exceeding all expectations brother. Honestly every minute that goes by, I get a little more excited because tickets sales are great and as long as everything goes well at the weigh ins I think we are going to have an amazing show. This is a show with genuine interest built around it.

NextMMAFighter : Tell us a bit about the fighters you have in the cage on Friday Night.

SportfightX Soco : 90% of the fighters on the card have been the main event at other regional shows. I think that alone speaks volumes. I don’t even know where to begin, Diego Saraiva UFC veteran in the co-main event against an up and coming stand out DJ Fuentes from Matt Hughes camp. Warren Thompson, honestly the only way you’re not a fan of Warren is if you’ve never seen him fight. The guy is amazing on his feet yet somehow wins more fights by submission, just one of those mysteries. Byron Bloodworth, another main event guy, talented in any direction the fight goes. Frank Millsap, last three fights of his he’s been the main event, excellent wrestler who loves to stand. Card is just loaded with talent from top to bottom.
All of us are looking forward to the Redline Grand Prix finals.

NextMMAFighter : For anyone who hasn’t been following along, tell us about the $10,000 Redline VPX Grand Prix.

SportfightX Soco : This is the most anticipated cage fighting tournament in Georgia history, you’re not the only one who’s ready for this show to happen. We hand picked eight of the toughest unsigned fighters from around the country and put them in a cage to find the best. We put up a 10,000 dollar grand prize courtesy of REDLINE VPX and said may the best man win. Well we’ve seen some amazing fights from it and these final two guys are one fight away from the big show. Douglas Lima is 22 years old and has 14 victories under his belt, his first fight he needed a permission slip from his mother at the age of 17. He is an example athlete.

Cortez Coleman is from Matt Hughes camp in St. Louis and he is an example of struggle. He comes from a very rough background and honestly he was a last minute filler for this tournament. From the beginning, we didn’t think much of him. Turns out that’s kind of the way the world has treated him since birth and he is a fighter. Coming out here against all the odds and in a city where no one cheered for him, he persevered and he is here in the finals. Check out his video at sportfightx.com and see his training routine. It’s intense.

NextMMAFighter : Aside from the stellar pros you have on the card for Friday night, who are some up and coming amateur fighters you think have a bright future.

SportfightX Soco : We don’t have many amateur fights on the card but one that stands out is Hamza Utelib vs Jeremy Wallace. Hamza is about as dynamic as they come and he is an entertainer. Wallace is a piece of iron who is brutally strong and just loves to fight. They are both solid athletes already and I think that’s going to be a fun one to start the show with.

NextMMAFighter : As one of the premier promoters in the Southeast, what got you into the fight game?

SportfightX Soco : I came from a marketing background and spent years in that industry. I have never missed a UFC since the first one and have always been passionate about this sport. I had always dreamed of being involved with the UFC in some way. A few years back I sold out of my marketing businesses and decided to go where my heart was, and pushed myself into the game. I knew this region had some decent MMA shows but nothing for Atlanta to really call it’s home show. We are building that, by creating outstanding relationships with great companies that are interested in the growth of MMA as a sport and those relationships are going to take our events to the next level.

NextMMAFighter : What separates what you are doing from the rest of the shows of the region?

SportfightX Soco : We are doing things that others aren’t. Our image attracts the right type of people, the right caliber of fighter and a bigger group of sponsors. This isn’t Crazy Bob’s Fight Night, we are building a professional sports organization that the entire family can enjoy and everyone will appreciate that as we grow.
It’s funny the bigger you grow, the more critics you seem to find. Someone said today I should look at things in the fighters perspective, I found it funny as I thought of other shows in the region. Has anyone in Georgia history ever given away 10k in a tournament? Why would they? They could keep that money for themselves. I sometimes wonder if I think too much in the fighter’s perspective. Who knows.

NextMMAFighter : What advice do you have for fighters who are trying to take things to the next level in their careers?

SportfightX Soco : Sacrifices have to be made at some point. You have to find a great team to train with. Period. There are plenty of them, you just have to investigate. I just did a blog on this at www.sportfightx.com. If you have a great team to train with I recommend getting a good management team. A good manager can get your name out, build your web presence, make you look your full potential even if you aren’t there yet. They can help you find sponsors and be the bad guy when you don’t know how (pushing for more money). The best managers are the ones that are always selling their fighters not ones who never return phone calls. They make life easy on you because they are workers and represent your best interest. The team at Sponsoredfan.com and SuckerPunchEnt.com are two that I get daily messages from selling their fighters to me and it’s no coincidence they are 70% of my card this Friday.

NextMMAFighter : As MMA is becoming very popular in the US, grassroots shows are definitely on the rise. Do you think this trend will continue?

SportfightX Soco : Sure. But this is a very, very tough game. I am happy that the Athletic Commission is stepping in to keep the events safe and police things because there are plenty of people looking to jump on and just make a quick buck. Sometimes this happens at the cost of safety and integrity of the sport itself. In my short amount of time, I’ve seen many people try and fail and lose lots of money chasing that quick buck. My advice for those interested in getting involved is finding someone with experience in promoting to guide you, or hire them to consult or to even put the entire show together. I am currently working with companies in other areas put on shows. It will save you the time, the stress and money you could otherwise lose very quickly.

NextMMAFighter : In regards to the Southeast where you do most of your promoting, what’s your assessment on the growth of MMA in this part of the country.

SportfightX Soco : MMA is growing fast everywhere, this region is no different. A new fight gym opens up every month and I see 13 year olds doing amazing things in BJJ tournaments like Lutador Grappling. And the women are getting better and better so there is an evolution in progress at all times. What we are working on is continuing the education of the average fan and giving them the drug of knowledge to hook them on the sport the way we are. They become junkies like me and you, get addicted and someone has to provide their fix, and our fix is the purest.

NextMMAFighter : After what will surely be an amazing show on Friday night, can you tell us about any plans you have for big fights in the next few months?

SportfightX Soco : Yeah man, we are definitely looking at doing another tournament. Bigger and better than this one. We will be bringing championships into the mix. And some super fights. And partnering our show with other big promotions and events to expand the awareness of the sport to other genre’s. We are not going to rely on the die hard fan alone, and let UFC do all the marketing and educating for our sport. We all know they are the kings, but I feel I have a responsibility of holding my own in the growth of the sport, not just tapping into the already existing fans which I very much appreciate and work hard to keep them involved. We also have our amateur series Sin City Fight Club getting back into the mix of things where we are going to be traveling to other regions.

NextMMAFighter : It’s going to be a great fight on Friday and we can’t wait, in closing is there anything else you would like to say to the fans?

SportfightX Soco : We appreciate your support and welcome your feedback at every opportunity. We are not perfect and can’t satisfy everyone, but we grow, become better with every show and with your input will continue to do so. Check out my blog at www.sportfightx.com where I am journaling my experiences as a fight promoter. Also follow me on twitter @SportFightXSoco for latest updates, I like to do contests and fun stuff on there for free tickets to our events and tell insider secrets that I probably shouldn’t. And if you can’t make it to the fight Friday, you can watch it on gofightlive.tv. Or catch the highlights on HDNET’S Inside MMA next Friday. Two guys, One cage, Ten Thousand Dollars…. Sparks are going to fly!