Now that we have gotten that out of the way let’s get back to Chris. Chris is trying to get to the Pan Jiu Jitsu Championships in April and we need sponsors for him. I am putting up some videos of his fights below as well as a link to his MySpace. Look for Chris very soon on Twitter!!

You can help Chris out by passing this on to potentipol sponsors or by going to www.bennettmma.com and purchasing one of his shirts. Thanks to Brandon at MMA Training Shop, 100% of the proceeds from this shirt will go towards getting Chris to the Pans!

Here is the link to his Myspace:

“Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (16-6) took down Cung Le in the final round, winning by knock out. Is this the reason Cung is not an elite level mixed martial artist? No it is not. Today we see many of the top fighters lose fights they are supposed to win. Make no bones about it, Cung was supposed to win this fight. The sport uses four ounce gloves and with the striking prowess of many of the fighters, all it takes is one clear shot to end a night.

What I have seen in the past from Cung was his amazing ability to kick from angles that we usually do not see in the sport. His kicks do not make him an elite striker though. A top level striker may be a guy who uses very little kicks but seldom do you see a guy who uses few punches considered one of the best strikers. Cung’s lack of clean punches has always stood out to me. Last night was just another example of that. He seemed to be looking to hurt Scott with kicks. This is was a good strategy as he was winning the fight but a true elite striker would be able to mix punches with those kicks. He is obviously more comfortable kicking than punching and this is a glaring weakness in his game. Anderson Silva uses kicks similar to Cung Le yet he uses them to set up strong punches. This is what an elite striker does to get victories.

Stay tuned to www.fighters.com/mmagospel for the remainder of this article.

This Wednesday we will be our first weekday show and it will air starting at 7:30 PM EST to accomodate one of our guests and to help out another mma show.

Our guests for this week will include, in his first major U.S. interview, Stefan Struve, Demico Rogers from TUF 10 and the owner of Tap That MMA and Velvet Industries, Myriahh Diebold.

You can become a part of the Gospel family by emailing us at mmagospel@gmail.com

Here is the first one, the Pentagram Choke

Ohio Xtreme Fighting

Fight fans gather on weekends in bars, homes and event centers to watch organizations such as Strikeforce, WEC and UFC all while local events struggle to gather fans to support the future of the sport. I understand that most fans don’t know the young pro fighters in there area, let alone the amateur fighters. They do not have feelings one way or another for these fighters like they do for a Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell or a BJ Penn.

So without knowing any of the fighters,why should you get out to as many local mixed martial arts events as possible? It is simple, local events and your support of them are the key to the future of this sport. If only friends and family of the amateur fighters or new pro fighters were to attend these events the promoters would be unable to continue promoting fights due to financial reasons. Putting on a local mma event is not cheap. The expenses range from the purchase or rental of a cage or ring, rental of a venue, payroll, printing of fliers, tickets and posters, sound, lighting, etc. As you can see, there is a lot that goes into putting on just one show, let alone a regular yearly schedule of shows.

Let’s discuss the fighters you would likely see at a local mma event in your area. I am sure you already know that the skill level will be much lower than what is seen at say, a UFC event. This could be something that keeps you away but for me it is something that brings me to drive two hours to events such as MMA Big Show:Onslaught which I attended this past weekend at Belterra Casino in Florence, Indiana. If you only watch the most skilled of all mma athletes then you are missing out on the true beauty of the sport. The rise from meager beginnings and very limited skill set to becoming a well rounded top tier mixed martial artist.

This weekend I witnessed a few fighters that I believe will have a great future in the sport. Imagine getting to know Randy Couture or Fedor Emelianenko when they were young and just starting wrestling and Sambo. Then being able to follow their careers to where they are now. It would be quite amazing would it not?

Chris Bennett, Michael Dabe and Brian Fransisco are three amateur fighters that could succeed in a sport where so many fail. Chris is the MMA Big Show lightweight champ and along with a very savy submission game, he showed quick hands in his win over Brian Karmolinksi. He is 16-2 and says he would like to get 25 wins before going pro. I found that refreshing in a world where so many are looking to go pro and make the cash fast, record be damned. Michael Dabe has a record of 3-2 after his win this weekend. It was not his record that impressed me but rather his composure in the cage and his submission victory. He pulled off an arm triangle from the bottom which we rarely see, especially against a well trained fighter like Brian Fransisco. His rise to the top of the sport will only be limited by his dedication. Brian Fransisco is only 15 with a record of 2-1. His uncle is Mojo Horne and he gets to train with guys like Mojo, Josh Souder and Neal Rowe. He was upset with his loss but at 15 and surrounded by such sound fighters, sky is the limit for this young teenager.

I am able to now follow these fighters, who I got to meet and form relationships with and one day I will be able to say I watched the UFC champ back when he was an amateur. You have this opportunity as well, right there in your own city. We even see pro fighters like Kevin Barkdull who has the right attitude and seems to only be lacking a solid camp to train with better fighters in order to take his game to next level. These fighters need your support and can use the help in getting their names out there. They are looking to you, the fans of mma, to help them get to the upper echelons.

I am going to be attending Ohio Xtreme Fighting: Crossroads Saturday December 12 to watch the rise of some new talent. OXF is an organization based out of my hometown of Dayton, Ohio and run by former UFC fighter and my ex coach Michael Patt. I will get to see the following pro fights: Mitch Lyons vs Doug Bowling, Thor Castillo vs Joe Inboden and Justin Fletcher vs Carson Gainey. Thor and Mitch are two fighters I believe can become top level fighters. The others I know nothing about and look forward to learning something about them. There will also be 16 other fights that night. That is 19 fights for the small price of $20.00 for general admission or $25.00 for ring side. I think that is a great deal for fight fans. Not only do you get to see 19 fights but you get to see and meet other mma fans.

So as you can see at a local mma fight you get to see more fights than a UFC or Strikeforce card and you get to watch the rise of the next big stars in mixed martial arts and even have the chance to become friends with these fighters. Right now local mma is a hit or miss business for most promoters. They have to schedule fights and worry about low attendance due to college football games, NFL games, UFC or Strikeforce fights among many other things. It is in our hands, the fans of mma, to keep this sport alive. Without a place for local fighters to test their skills this sport will fail due to lack of a steady stream of improving fighters.

Get out and support your local mixed martial arts organizations and tell your family and friends about the good time you had and the great fights you saw. Then call into MMA Gospel Radio and let us where you have gone to keep the future of mma alive.

I suggest you do not miss this as Junie was quite the colorful interview.