Who’s Next? Heavyweight Erick Correa set to make some noise in Bellator

From time to time we like to take a quick look at some of the up and coming future stars of the sport–the guys who could be household names in the near future. Today we look at exciting heavyweight Erick

The Juice Report — ‘HFC 18’ bring great ammy/pro action to Valpo, Indiana

By…The Juice

This past Saturday night at the Porter Country Expo Center in Valparaiso, Indiana Hoosier Fight Club held their 18th event (which was cleverly called HFC 18). The night was scheduled to have 3 amateur contests and 9 professional bouts. Before the event began,  Paul and Danielle Vale gave me a motivational pep talk designed to get me to break my 4-event streak of

Girls, Girls, Girls … three Ladies you NEED to be Watching

Love it or hate it but with the UFC machine and Boss Dana White behind the idea, it looks like the ladies are here to stay.  While some men have lamented their move from the kitchen to the cage, others have relished watching the ladies have their turn in the industry.  So far, the women have shown us how aggressive they can be, like Brian Caraway’s “alleged” elbow to the head of Cat Zingano, or Cris Cyborg’s domination of former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen.  Here’s a Vigilante trio of ladies (not

Prospect Aaron Trujillo set to make his Pro Debut in Denver

In a little over a week, up and coming fighter Aaron Trujillo will be stepping into the cage for the first time as a professional. After a promising amateur career, the flyweight is considered by most to be a blue chip prospect—one of the best in Colorado. The Mauricio Zingano protégé is looking forward to leaving an impression on the fans, and vaulting himself to national prominence.

Trujillo started in combat sports at a very early age, learning boxing and kick boxing

WHO’S NEXT: Matt Manzanares prepared for Flyweight stardom, “I’ll be Ready!”

Wyoming isn’t usually on top of most people’s list of MMA hotspots. But for Matt Manzanares, the cozy community of Cheyenne is where it all started for him. If Manzanares’ beginnings can be attributed to his days in Cheyenne, then his rise to stardom could be forever linked to Kearney, Nebraska. That’s where he’ll be Friday—in his first ever televised fight—when he squares off against Kevin Gray for Resurrection Fighting’s RFA5.

“It’s awesome. I’m stoked,” Manzanares told VigilanteMMA of his

Fast Rising John Castaneda is one to watch for at SEG’s ‘Caged Choas’ in Twin Cities

Sterling Entertainment (SEG) will be putting on yet another action packed event this weekend in the Twin Cities. Caged Chaos at Canterbury Park in Shakopee is all set with a full docket of pro and amateur fights. As always, SEG’s event will feature a nice mix of popular fighters from around the Midwest, including some favorites like Justin Rheaume, Andre Tieva and WEC vet Courtney Buck.

We always try to let you know about some of the fighters to look out for. If you happen to be going to the show Saturday, keep your eyes open for a promising John Castaneda in his pro debut. The “Sexi Mexi” is one of the top prospects in the Midwest and will take on

Raphael Butler and Dan Moret Pick up Huge Wins in Action Packed Twin Cities Event

SEG and Driller Promotions were back in the Twin Cities over the weekend and VigilanteMMA couldn’t stay away. With 14 fights booked for Throwdown at the Crown in St. Paul, there was certainly no shortage of action. Fans witnessed two new champions being crowned, the swan song for one of the early pioneers of the sport, and finally a resolution to a fight that’s been in the works for a long time. In all, it was another great night of fights from SEG and Driller.

As DJ St. Joel rocked the place, the first fight was underway. Gary Isaacson debuted in style by defeating John Melina in the 2^nd round. He demonstrated some nice ground

Regional Spotlight: After a Long Wait, Dan Moret finally gets his shot at LW Counterpart Damion Hill in St. Paul

Saturday night’s SEG/Driller Promotions event in St. Paul looks like a surefire bet for some great action. One of the most compelling and highly anticipated bouts will be the co-headliner between two of the Midwest’s best lightweights—Damion Hill and Dan Moret. Both have impressive records on the line as Hill is 6-0 as a pro; while Moret sits at 2-0 to go along with his 15-0 amateur record.

With two aggressive finishers like Moret and Hill, the fight should certainly be intriguing enough on its own. But there’s even more than meets the eye with this one. These two have been trying to face each other for

Local MMA Scene: ‘Downtown Showdown’ Gets 4-Stars from the Minneapolis Crowd

VigilanteMMA was cageside Friday night for the SEG and Driller Promotions’ Downtown Showdown event in Minneapolis. The show promised to feature some great amateur and pro action and it didn’t disappoint. The energetic crowd was into the show right away thanks in part to the ring girls having fun with the fans (and yes, one of them was our own Shannon Ihrke), the enthusiastic ring announcer and the attentive wait staff at the Hyatt Regency. Another nice touch I noticed right away was the DJ—St. Joel—who played virtually every badass song in the last 25 years, hopping up the crowd even more.

Some action packed amateur fights started things off on the right foot. Heavyweight Cory Scanlon defeated Jordan Barrett via TKO in the opener due to some wicked ground and pound that caused the ref to stop the action at 1:40 of the 1^st round.

Exclusive Q&A with Caged Star Matt “Danger” Schnell.

Meet Matt “Danger” Schnell, the breakout star of MTV’s ground-breaking MMA series Caged. As humble as he is talented, Matt not only went undefeated during his time on Caged, he did so with his dignity intact. No small feat for a cast member on an MTV reality show. But make no mistake, Matt isn’t just some reality show star looking for his 15 minutes of fame. In fact, if you watched Caged, you know “Danger” not only has the talent to make it to the top, he has the work ethic too.

I recently had the good fortune to sit down with Matt to discuss his time on Caged and more importantly, what he’s been up to since the show wrapped this past Winter. Read on to find out whether or not Matt went out to California to train with Team Punishment, why he’s the perfect training partner for UFC star Dustin Poirier as he trains for the Korean Zombie and whether or not we can expect a second season of Caged next year.