I know I'm a hardcore MMA fan, so it may shock you to hear that my first ever live event was just this past Thursday at Bellator 15 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. I have to say, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. First of all, tickets were just $35. That's about 1/4 the price for the nosebleed seats at UFC events. The seats were absolutely phenomenal for the price. I was about 7 rows back from the cage (including floor rows) and right next to the entrance walkway. I could hear Will Romero scream as Patricio "Pitbull" Freire torque in the heel hook that ended the fight. I would watch Kevin Mulhall do his pre-fight knuckle-touch live from seats instead of in front of a TV. Dan Hornbuckle was literally inches away from me at one point (should have asked for his autograph...damn my nerves!).
All of the fights were spectacular. The night started off great with hometown fighter Rich de los Reyes pulling off an impressive win over newcomer Brylan van Artsdalen, and continued with impressive first round stoppage wins for Friere, Hornbuckle, and Ryan Thomas. The main event of the card was Steve Carl and Brett Cooper, and with good reason. The two battled on the feet and on the ground for three rounds. Carl got the decision, but it was obvious who we at the arena thought won (watch a video of it and listen to the boos). I have to say, the best part of the night was meeting Dan Cramer. For those who don't know, Cramer was on Season 7 of the Ultimate Fighter on Team Rampage. He had won an impressive decision earlier in the night, and was just hanging around by the entrance way. I congratulated him on his victory, and asked him for a picture, which he gladly took with me. Very cool person, and I hope he makes it back to the UFC soon.
Thursday, April 22, 2010, is when I officially crossed one of my biggest dreams of my bucket list: seeing a live MMA event. It was everything I though it could be. Nothing compares to seeing MMA live.
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