Wilmington, NC pro middleweight fighter Derek Brunson (6-0) remained unbeaten last night by stopping Florida fighter Danny Babcock (6-4) by TKO at 1:07 of the first round. This fight was on the WEF show last night in Jacksonville, Florida. Derek still has yet to be taken three minutes into the first round in any of his fights. This was a great way to start off 2011 for Brunson, easily one of the top young fighters in the Carolinas. Congratulations go out to Derek from MMA For Real.

Coming off a successful first event, promoter Scott Crosby brings MMA action back to the Asheville, NC area this Friday night, January 21st at the WNC Ag Center/Expo Arena in Fletcher, NC (just outside of Asheville). As usual, Scott and Michael Allen of Black Eye Entertainment have put together a solid card with some really interesting matchups. If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Asheville, do yourself a favor and check this card out. The lineup features four pro fights and several other amateur bouts that are sure to entertain everyone in attendance.  The main event features the pro debut of Adam DeHart (12-5 and the # 1 ranked amateur middleweight in the MMA For Real Carolinas rankings). DeHart is a smart and aggressive young fighter. "Adam is a handful for anybody. He has phenomenal conditioning and I'll be interested to see how he does with now being able to use elbows in a fight," said Michael Allen. At the age of only 22 Adam has already attained a lot of experience and the scary thing is that the kid is still improving. In typical fashion, DeHart will be heavily tested in his pro debut. His opponent will be Tennessee fighter Daniel Crockett (1-0 pro; 6-1 amateur). Crockett has competed as high as heavyweight before with his only amateur loss coming at the hands of current Strikeforce contender Ovince St. Preux. Crockett is now at 185 pounds and this matchup should be intense.

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As I've mentioned before, a healthy amateur program is very important when a region hopes to produce talent in any sport. In terms of cultivating MMA talent, nearby states such as Georgia, Florida and Virginia all have a healthy head-start on the Carolinas because they have had sanctioning in place longer. 2010, however, saw the Carolinas make up some ground. There were several fighters that turned pro this year that I feel have definite potential to be pros with winning records. I'll also highlight some of the fights in 2010 where fighters from this region put up nice performances against outside competition and I'll mention a few fights that could be interesting draws in 2011.

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Belated congratulations go out to Wilmington, NC area fighters Will Estes (currently # 2 ranked pro welterweight in the Carolinas) and Derek Brunson. Estes improved his professional record to 4-0 by tapping out Michigan fighter Calem Willis (3-4) in 1:41 of the first round via choke (RNC). Estes is an exciting young fighter and has yet to be taken to the scorecards. Derek Brunson continued his ascent in the middleweight division with a spectacular first round knockout of experienced veteran fighter Rhomez Brower (10-12-1). Brunson is now 5-0 and has yet to be taken out of the first round. Both fights were part of the Holiday Fight Fest Card at the Schwartz Center in Wilmington, NC last Saturday night. Congrats go out to both fighters and their teams from MMA For Real! These wins cap off a big 2010 for both fighters.

Charlotte, NC based pro lightweight fighter Jordan Rinaldi (4-0) picked up a huge win on the road Saturday night. In Pennsylvania, against talented lightweight prospect Dennis Bermudez (7-2), Rinaldi won via first round submission. It's been a terrific year for Jordan and his Team ROC teammates. A win like this against an undefeated opponent on their home turf is difficult to achieve. Congratulations go out to Jordan and his team.

"Black Eye Promotions" had their first event on Friday night in Fletcher, North Carolina (near Asheville). This pro/am card featured some of the top young talent in the Carolinas. The arena was packed and the fans there got a chance to talk with former light heavyweight world champion Rashad Evans. When you put together a fight card, you're never quite sure how the fights are going to turn out, but "Black Eye" hit a homerun with this show. The Asheville, NC area is producing its share of young MMA talent and for many of the fighters on this card, Friday night offered a chance to finally fight in front of their hometown fans. "Black Eye" will have their second event in Asheville on December 11th, headlined by the pro debut of Adam Dehart (MMA For Real's # 1 ranked amateur middleweight). Be sure and check that card out live. The results are after the jump:

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Congratulations go out to North Carolina pro light heavyweight Rodney "Sho 'Nuff The Master" Wallace (10-3) and his team, Team R.O.C. Wallace, a fighter based out of the Charlotte area, defeated UFC veteran David Heath (16-7) last night at the MFC 27: Breaking Point event in Alberta, Canada. Wallace earned the victory via decision. Look to see plenty more wins from this fighter in 2011. This was a nice win for Rodney and MMA For Real sends out our congrats! 

One goal that we have at MMA For Real is to establish some type of ranking system for fighters regionally, both professional and amateur. The MMA scene in this region continues to grow and such a system could have some value for fans, fighters and matchmakers alike. This list represents fighters from this area that actively compete close to home and those that are fighting outside of this region. There will inevitably be fighters that are currently between the amateur and professional ranks that are not yet represented within these rankings. There will also be fighters that are very talented but haven't been active enough recently to reflect in the list. We will highlight at least a few fighters in each weight class. We realize that compiling a ranking like this is very subjective so we have attempted to talk with several managers, fighters and other folks from around the Carolinas. We'd like to hear feedback from others and would like the continued help of the MMA community across the region to help improve the rankings and make them as accurate as possible.  We expect to update these rankings once per month due to the frequency that a lot of these fighters schedule fights. We'll be considering fighter activity going forward. Barring some sort of noteworthy exception, fighters need to have competed at least once in the past 12 months to be considered for the rankings. An exception will be made for fighters that have had a delay due to service overseas. We will allow inactivity for up to 15 months in those select cases.

Check out the rankings after the jump!

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