This month we’d like to get your thoughts on May 27^th‘s UFC 60: Hughes Vs. Gracie event. We’d also like to hear about other things that you have on your mind concerning the great sport of MMA … PRIDE’s Open-Weight Grand Prix, MMA in California, the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, etc. The results of the survey and some of the commentary we receive may appear in the upcoming issue of FCF.

The first round of the fight saw Hioki taking the action to the canvas, where the Shooto fighter was able to impose his grappling skills on the now former featherweight Champion.

"It was back and forth action with Hioki controlling the ground game in the first round," says Hominick recalling Saturday’s fight. "He had good passing ability but was not doing any real damage."

Although Hominick was able to keep the action standing for a longer period in the second round, the fight once again spilled to the mat, where Hioki’s ground skills and ability to negate Hominick’s vaunted striking game came to fruition at the end of round two. With less than a minute left in the round, Hioki secured what would end up being, the fight-ending submission.

"In the second round, after a brief stand-up he got the takedown and was within my guard," Hominick tells FCF. "I had an extremely close armbar that he escaped and ended up on top near the end of the round. With 30 seconds left in the round, I reversed from the bottom and got tied up in a triangle. I heard the 10 second marker and thought I was going to make it out of the round, but I ended up going out cold just as the bell went."

Hominick had not tapped out to the submission before the round ended, and as the referee jumped in to separate the fighters to their respective corners, it only then became apparent that the champion was in fact unconscious. The loss drops Hominick’s record to 10-5, and even though the 23-year-old fighter is very disappointed with the result, he is remaining confident in his abilities.

"Congrats to Hioki," says Hominick. "I am really sorry to any of my fans that I let down. I will be back stronger than ever and get my title back."

Holanda Hands Robinson First Defeat

Canada’s Brazilian Top Team instructor Fabio Holanda defeated up-and-comer Gracie fighter Alvin Robinson at TKO 25 as well, stopping the previously undefeated fighter at 4:30 of round two by TKO. Robinson, who has been rumored to be fighting on an upcoming UFC "Ultimate Fight Night," had won his first five MMA fights, while Holanda was coming off a recent loss to Rich Clementi at TKO 24. With both fighters touting an extensive background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it was of no real surprise then that the opening round was spent mostly on the mat.

"That’s what I expected," Holanda tells FCF. "I saw his record and all his wins were by submission. He was pretty good on the ground and I expected to be better than him. There was a lot of back and forth action, but in the end I think I proved I was the better fighter."

With both fighters going for submission attempts in the first round, Robinson came close to ending the fight first, when he nearly sunk in a rear-naked choke around the neck of Holanda.

"It was close," Holanda admits. "I was confident though I’d be able to escape; I wasn’t ready to give up. There was a lot of back and forth action, but I wasn’t in any real danger after that."

The second round would mark the turning point of the fight, as Holanda began to press his will on Robinson in a fight that still was being contested on the mat. Finally, as the end of round two neared, Holanda’s skillful positioning and ground-and-pound assault would ultimately hand Robinson his first career defeat.

"He was on his back and I had his arm trapped behind his back. " Holanda recalls. "I was in his half guard and I started to hurt him with punches – he could only defend with one arm. From there, I went right into full mount and trapped his arm with my knee. At the time I didn’t know if it would be the end of the fight, but I knew he was in a lot of trouble. I heard the UFC is looking at him so it’s a big win for me. I’ve never fought an easy guy."

TICKETS GO ON SALE MAY 10th FOR INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE’S FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT ON JUNE 3 FEATURING THE SILVERBACKS VS. TIGERSHARKS ALONG WITH SEVERAL SUPER FIGHTS
Local Fighters, Including Hoboken’s Jamal Patterson, New York City’s Erik Owings and Long Island’s Jay Hieron, to be Showcased at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City

In the battle of the Silverbacks vs. Tigersharks, the matches are:

• Lightweight:: Bart Palaszewski (20-7-0, McHenry, IL) vs. Rafael Dias (6-1-0, Rio De Janeiro)
• Welterweight: Rory Markham (6-1-0, Chicago, IL) vs. Brad Blackburn (8-7-0, Olympia, WA)
• Middleweight: Ryan McGivern (7-1-0, Bettendorf, IA) vs. Dennis Hallman (36-11-2, Yelm, WA)
• Light Heavyweight:: Travis Wiuff (40-8-0, Rochester, MN) vs. Reese Andy (2-0-0, Seattle, WA)
• Heavyweight: Ben Rothwell (17-5-0, Wisconsin) vs. Devin Cole (5-1-0, Medford, OR)

The IFL in finalizing several Super Fights, which at this time will feature New York-based Erik Owings (1-0-0, Covington, KY), Alex Schoenauer (9-4-0, Yakima, WA), New Jersey native Jamal Patterson (1-0-0, Hoboken, NJ) and Long Island’s son Jay Hieron (8-2-0, Freeport, NY). Additional details will be announced shortly.

The IFL’s first event, which recently took place on April 29 at the Trump Taj Mahal, featured fast-paced action, with nine out of 11 fights ending in a KO or submission. In addition to the Silverbacks and Tigersharks, also fighting were the IFL’s Pitbulls, led by Renzo Gracie and the Anacondas, coached by Bas Rutten. Those teams, along with the upcoming action taking place June 3, will be televised as three distinct broadcasts on Fox Sports Net on May 21, May 28 and June 5 at 6pm local time. The televised shows are produced and directed by Emmy award-winning producer Peter Lasser, who has worked on several Olympic telecasts as well as with ESPN, NBC Sports, NFL Films and FSN, among others.