Friday Night's Alright for Fightin'

As much as I am a big fan of the UFC, nothing makes me more impressed with the state of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts than a night like tonight.

Several outstanding fight cards are taking place across North America and not a single one of them involves the UFC. That is a very, very good thing for everyone who loves this sport and the organizations clawing to get out of the shadows.

Not all that far from where I am writing this in Enoch, Alberta, MFC 21: Hard Knocks will go down with a card full of recognizable names and one very large, imposing prospect.

While the MFC Light Heavyweight title fight between champion Emanuel Newton and Trevor Prangley (I'm picking Prangley) earns top billing, a great deal of the attention surrounding this event will be focused on the third career fight for former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley, who takes on Mike Cook in what should be the equivalent of a pro wrestling squash match.

In Chicago, Bellator 7 goes down with the semi-finals of the Welterweight tournament with Dave Menne and Lyman Good being my picks to make it through to the finals.

Lastly, Fresno hosts the first Strikeforce Challenger series event to be broadcast on ShoMMA. Headlining the event is undefeated Billy Evangelista (9-0) squaring off against Mike Aina (11-6-1).

Three great cards, spread across three very different territories and markets, all with noteworthy matchups and far from the recent heavy scrutiny piled onto Dana White and the UFC.

From where I'm sitting, that makes for a great Friday night of fights and a bright future for Mixed Martial Arts.