Advanced Featherweight – 149 lbs. and below
1^st Place – Eddie Bravo (Machado)
2^nd Place – Trevor Lally (Arizona Combat Sports)
3^rd Place – Todd Lally (Lewis-Pederneiras)
4^th Place – Thomas Scott (Garage)

Advanced Lightweight – 150-159 lbs.
1^st Place – Henry Coll (Lewis-Pederneiras)
2^nd Place – Tony Desouza (Lewis-Pederneiras)
3^rd Place – Todd White (Machado)
4^th Place – Aaron Imai (Lewis-Pederneiras)

Advanced Welterweight – 160-169 lbs.
1^st Place – Alberto Crane
(Santa Fe JJ – Alberto Crane JJ, Runner Up for Most Technical Fighter Award)
2^nd Place – Jake Sheilds (Lewis-Pederneiras-SLO Kickboxing)
3^rd Place – Mickyo Riggs (Ralph Gracie)
4^th Place – Travis Skelton (Henrietta Submission

Advanced Middleweight – 170-179 lbs.
1^st Place – Joe Stevenson (Combat Grappling)
2^nd Place – Raven Seymore (BJJ)
3^rd Place – Sergio Silva (Ralph Gracie)
4^th Place – Bob Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord)

Advanced Cruiserweight – 180-189 lbs.
1^st Place – Jay Penn
(Lewis-Pederneiras, *Awarded Most Techincal Fighter Award by TapOut)
2^nd Place – Sean Spangler (Lewis-Pederneiras)
3^rd Place – Chad Michel (Oregon JJ)
4^th Place – Gary Grate (BJJ of Reno)

Advanced Heavyweight – 190-209 lbs.
1^st Place – Homer Moore (Team Phoenix)
2^nd Place – Josh Watson (BJJ of Reno)
3^rd Place – Damie Lasaster (Idaho Team Extreme)
4^th Place – Scott Carson (Lewis-Pederneiras-SLO Kickboxing)

Advanced Superweight – 210 lbs. and over
1^st Place – TIE – Tedd Williams (Combat Grappling) and Jeff Monson (AMCPankration)
3^rd Place – Jed Jobe (Arizon Combat Sports)
4^th Place – David Gill (BJJ of Reno)

Absolute Division – Advanced Winners and Invites ONLY
1^st Place – Marc Laimon (Lewis-Pederneiras)
2^nd Place – Dean Lister (Fabio Santos)
3^rd Place – Jay Penn (Lewis-Pederneiras)
4^th Place: Tony Desouza (Lewis-Pederneiras)

IVAN DRAGO TO DEBUT
IN CHICAGO’S IRONHEART CROWN

IHC promoter Eric Moon calls him "Drago," comparing him to the Russian juggernaut from the movie, Rocky IV. "Mike [Castellano] came to me and said he had some Russian guy for the heavyweight division. When I asked what the guy’s name was, he couldn’t tell me. He doesn’t speak any English. No one knew his name, so I just started calling him Drago!"

Having just recently arrived in the United States, this Russian powerhouse barely speaks a word of English, but in the ring, his hands get the message across loud and clear. Arbocius is not at all known on the mixed martial arts circuit, but he is a heavy name in the kickboxing world.

With a record of 13-0, and 8 knockouts under his belt, Kestutis Arbocius is a threat to any man who who faces him in the ring. He is the 1998 World Shidokan Champion, and the 1999 U.S. Shidokan Champion. In a recent bout in Illinois, he added another head to his collection with an early KO victory over Manson Gibson, North American IKF Light Cruiserweight Champion.

But how will this kickboxer fare in the Mixed Martial Arts arena? While this remains to be seen, Michael Castellano provides some insight. "He’s been training with Keith [Hackney] and I for about six months," Castellano says, "He’s still much better on his feet than he is on the ground, but he’s got good balance, he’s strong as an ox, and its tough to submit him. His division is going to be very exciting. He’ll beat anyone standing up. It’ll take a very powerful grappler to beat him."

Did he say "very powerful grappler?" Eric Moon, promoter of the Ironheart Crown, has one waiting for him. Scott Henze, of HooknShoot fame, is a long-time wrestler who has put his talents to work for him in the world of submission. A relative newcomer himself, Henze does not hold any formal titles of his own. Nevertheless, his performance in collegiate toughman
contests has earned him the title of "Ball State’s Toughest Man."

Through his participation in Indiana’s HooknShoot events (with a record of 9-1), Henze has come to be known for his incredible, Matt Hughes-style, aerial takedowns. They may be a determining factor if he ends up facing Arbocius in the four-man tournament for the heavyweight title.

Also competing in the division are Jim Theobald and Roberto Ramirez, two well-rounded Chicago fighters who are adept at all ranges of the game. "This division is so unpredictable," Moon comments. "They are all so talented, and their styles are so different. Its impossible to predict how this one will turn out. Anything could happen. The winner of this division isn’t going to be the fighter who can hit the hardest, and it isn’t going to be the fighter who has the best submission skills. At the end of the night, our heavyweight champ is going to be the fighter who has the ability to control the direction of the fight; the ability to take an opponent out of his element. I’ve never seen Arbocius or Henze in action, but I know for a fact that Theobald has this ability, and I believe that Ramirez does too. We’ll just have to wait and see."