Fight Lab, is promoting an MMA card Saturday night at Grady Cole Center. I know some of the Fight Lab guys. They're local and they're credible. I don't like mixed martial arts the way I like boxing. But I like the work Fight Lab does.
A friend who knows much more about MMA than I do is Patrick Saleeby. Let's turn the blog over to Patrick:
Fight Lab returns to Grady Cole Center with Misery Loves Company III. The third installment of the popular fight series will feature 12 MMA cage fights, with four of the 12 bouts having Fight Lab title implications. Every fighter on the card hails from North Carolina, with many of the competitors training in the greater Charlotte area.
The final fight of the night pits veteran Micah Lail (8-5) against up-and-comer Nick Smith (3-1) for the vacated Fight Lab welterweight title.
Lail, a Guerrilla Tactics fighter from Conover, has triumphed in four of his last five bouts. He brings Golden Gloves boxing experience into the cage but has also utilized effective ground-and-pound and submission skills to prevail in past outings.
Meanwhile, the upstart Smith has only one loss on his record, and his three wins have all featured impressive finishes. Smith is a Muay Thai fighter representing The Rock, and he trains nearby in Denver.
Rounding out an explosive co-main event is a heavyweight title tussle between Chris Sutton (4-0) and Bobby Gurley (3-1). The 6’ 6” Sutton, fighting out of Wilmington for Port City Sports and Performance, carries an undefeated record into the bout.
He represents a tall order for Gurley, who fights for the always-tough Team R.O.C. out of Raleigh. Both fighters have a wrestling background but like to keep the fight on the feet, so expect fireworks in a bout that will fill the vacated Fight Lab heavyweight title.
In additional championship action, two fighters sporting identical records will unify the Fight Lab lightweight title. Jason Lineberger (5-3) and Chris Smith (5-3) will square off to determine an undisputed lightweight titleholder.
Before that bout Fight Lab light heavyweight champion Brandon Beach (3-1) returns from injury to defend his title against Scott Barr (2-2).
“We’re extremely excited to return to the Grady Cole Center for our Misery Loves Company series,” said Fight Lab President Kenny Letts. “As usual, we have a slew of great title fights, but also an undercard that will showcase some extremely entertaining match-ups of local MMA talent.”
The Grady Cole Center is no stranger to MMA; the venue not only hosted Fight Lab’s first two Misery Loves Company events, but also UFC 3: The American Dream back in 1994.
In addition to Misery Loves Company III, Fight Lab Promotions is also presenting the eighth World Cup of Jiu-Jitsu earlier in the day at the Grady Cole Center. The event is a long-running no-gi and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappling tournament held by Joe Hurst.
Bell time for the event is 7:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online through FightLabPros.com.
General admission tickets are $20, but fans wanting to sit closer can purchase reserved seats for $45, premium seats for $60, and cage side seats for $80. Floor and balcony seats are reserved, while the lower bleachers represent the unassigned general admission seats. All ticket prices will be $5 higher if purchased the day of the event.
Attendees planning to compete in the World Cup of Jiu-Jitsu are eligible for a discount. Details are available when purchasing tickets on line.
Since their first event in March of 2009, Fight Lab Promotions has established itself as the premiere martial arts organization in the Southeast. For more information on Fight Lab Promotions, visit www.FightLabPros.com, follow on Twitter @FightLab, or become a fan on Facebook.
For any additional questions, contact Kenny Letts of Fight Lab Promotions at 704-400-8879 or pitboss@me.com.
Full Card Details for Misery Loves Company III
Fight Lab Welterweight Title Bout (170 lbs.)
Nick Smith (3-1), The Rock vs. Micah Lail (8-5), Guerrilla Tactics
Fight Lab Heavyweight Title Bout (205-265 lbs.)
Chris Sutton (4-0), Port City Sports vs. Bobby Gurley (3-1), Team R.O.C.
Fight Lab Lightweight Title Unification Bout (155 lbs.)
Jason Lineberger (5-3), Team Crossfit vs. Chris Smith (5-3), Crossface MMA
Fight Lab Light Heavyweight Title Bout (205 lbs.)
Brandon Beach (3-1), Team Extreme vs. Scott Barr (2-2), Guerrilla Tactics
Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs.)
Rob Tate (0-1), Team Renegade vs. Antonio Woodard (2-0), Independent
Middleweight Bout (185 lbs.)
Denison Paiva (0-0), East Coast Fighter vs. Devan Stevenson (0-0), Team Superior
Light Heavyweight Bout (205 lbs.)
Chris Davis (0-1), Team Renegade vs. Ryan Curtis (1-1), Hurst Latu Training Center
Welterweight Bout (170 lbs.)
Oliver Charles (1-0), Team R.O.C. vs. Roy Hughes, Jr. (2-1), Elite Combat Martial Arts
Welterweight Bout (170 lbs.)
Adam Friedman (0-0), Red Rhino Training vs. Shane Crenshaw (0-1), Team Renegade
Welterweight Bout (170 lbs.)
Josh Cepeda (0-0), Team R.O.C. vs. Cody Wells (1-0), The Rock
Lightweight Bout (155 lbs.)
Sergio Bollo (0-0), Red Rhino Training vs. Derek Hyatt (0-2), Team Renegade
Lightweight Bout (155 lbs.)
Bradley Essick (5-3), Team One vs. Kevin Forant (5-2-1) Hayastan-IMB
MMA isn't a sport, its just something for meatheads with a low IQ to watch.
Posted by: Ron Swanson | January 29, 2011 at 10:37 AM
Ron Swanson, MMA is a martial art and its a sport that requires you to train and push yourself to you limits non-stop, and there is no sport that is more difficult to perform then Mixed Martial Arts. And the sport of MMA and the athletes that perform in it deserve your respect
Posted by: Justin Groves | January 31, 2011 at 12:01 AM