The XFO is coming to a TV near you this Summer.

A new partnership was announced today between Comcast SportsNet and the XFO that will feature the local MMA promotion in a new weekly series called “The Best of XFO”. Each show will consist of an hour of the best fights in XFO history, as voted on by the fans. Voting is already live on the XFO website, and the series premieres Thursday, June 6 at 11pm CT.

The XFO has long been a springboard for the top MMA talent in the Midwest. They recently announced “XFO Legends“, which is a Hall of Fame of fighters that have made major contributions to the promotion. The first inductees were Jeff Curran, Bart Palaszewski, Clay Guida and Pat Curran. There have been a number of big-name fighters that have fought in the XFO. Felice Herrig, Jamie Varner, Jens Pulver, Kerry Schall and Terry Martin are just a few of the names that have fought in the XFO.

Local cage announcer and ESPN Chicago anchor Ray Flores will host each episode.

“It’s an honor and pleasure to be the host for the Best of XFO,” Flores told Chicago’s MMA. “I’d like to thank everyone involved with the promotion for giving me this opportunity. The show gives viewers a great chance to see the rich history of this amazing organization. I am thrilled to be a part of it, especially on Comcast SportsNet Chicago which does a sensational job of highlighting all of the major local sports teams. I think it’s a perfect match and look forward to seeing what the future has to hold for the XFO on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.”

The next event for the XFO will be the Rocktown Showdown on June 15 in Rockford. Local standouts David Sorensen, Tyler Reece, Dustin Stusse and Chris Conway will all be fighting on that card. Tickets are now available by visiting LocalMMATickets.com.

Gracie will be teaching seminars in Schaumburg this Saturday and Sunday at TriBalance Academy, hosted by Luiz Claudio and Thiago Viega of LCCT Combat Team.

Registration details on the poster below.

Jiu-Jitsu practitioners will often tell stories about how BJJ changed their lives. Here’s is Gracie Barra/Team Redzovic’s Adem Redzovic describing how he found a new community in Jiu-Jitsu and how it offered him hope as an adolescent.

Visit Team Redzovic at ChicagoJiuJitsu.com.

Bellator’s new reality show “Fight Master” on Spike TV premieres Wednesday, June 19. 32 fighters will vie for a spot in the upcoming Bellator welterweight tournament. Here’s a look at the format and the cast.

Rebel of Destruction’s Dion Walker and South Side Knockout’s Jorge Ignacio did battle in a 170-lb. match at Total Fight Challenge last Friday.

The finish came quickly, and in a brutal fashion. This is definitely one for our “Killer Finishes” section.

Props to Massacre MMA and Paris Kixton for the video. TFC’s Joe Goytia announced that the next event will be July 12, and any fighters interested in being on the card should contact him.

by Matt Lo Cascio

Praetorian Fighting Championships is the newest promotion to enter the Chicago MMA scene, and they will hold a press conference at Tilted Kilt in Roselle on Saturday at 5pm.

UFC featherweight contender and Team Top Notch fighter Ric Lamas will be on hand to sign autographs and Praetorian Fighting Championships fighters will be there for a meet and greet with both fans and media.

You don’t see many press conferences for amateur MMA promotions, but Praetorian is taking the time to introduce itself and some of their fighters to the public.

“This is just step one in showcasing some of the best the Midwest has to offer,” Praetorian president Alex Martinez told Chicago’s MMA. “It’s our way of saying this is who we are, these are the guys who will be testing their mettle in the cage for you the fan and there is a lot more to come.”

The first Praetorian event is May 25 at the Finish Strong Sportsplex in West Chicago. Team Curran’s Vince Romandine, Counterstrike MMA’s Andrew Potapenko and Patriot Boxing’s John Marino are on the card, and Praetorian will crown its first champions on that night with four title fights.

Martinez said that Praetorian will use a tournament format for their events, similar in style to Bellator MMA. The first event will feature a a series of opening tournament battles to go with the title fights.

“We are taking a page from Bellator with all our bouts slated as tournament bouts with the winner advancing. No question, in the end the tournament winner would have earned a title shot. The difference between Praetorian and the rest of the promotions is we are NOT in the fighter management business nor are we affiliated with any fight team or gym. We are open to everyone and focused on promoting our brand and most importantly the fighter. Amateur fighters are the backbone of this sport, so why not give them our very best as a promotion?”

Lamas and Ray Flores will serve as the commentators for the video broadcast, with Flores also serving as cage announcer.

Here are the four title fights that will go down on May 25:

Check out the first card and buy tickets at PraetorianMMA.com. You can also buy tickets at the press conference on Saturday.

Midwest Training Center in Schaumburg will host two masters of Muay Thai for a seminar on April 20.

Lerdsila “Mr. Lightning” Chumpairtour, the 2011 IKKC Muaythai Lightweight World Champion and 2004 Rajadamnern Stadium Super Bantamweight Champion, will join his coach Ajarn Sommai Ekyotin for a three-hour seminar at MTC.

Ajarn Sommai was the Lumpinee Stadium Champ in 1959, and is a legend in the sport.

To register or for more information, call 847.310.1200.

Video of Team Curran’s Pat Curran vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev at Bellator 95 for the featherweight title.

by Matt Lo Cascio

Pat Curran used the first half of round one in his title fight with Shahbulat Shamhalaev to size up his opponent and find his reach. The second half was all about the attack.

Just moments after Bellator analyst Jimmy Smith said that Curran was known to be a slow starter and uses his wrestling mainly for defense, Curran shot in on Shamhalaev and took him down. Curran first went for his back but switched up into a guillotine choke and dragged Shamhalaev into full guard. The choke was tight and Shamhalaev never tapped, but he did go to sleep. The end came at 2:38 of the first round, with Curran successfully defending his featherweight title for the second time.

“It feels great,” Curran told Smith in the cage after the fight. “I didn’t get hit once in the face. I want to get in, get out, get back to the gym, rest up and on to the next one.”

The ‘next one’ will be a familiar face to Curran. “I can’t wait to face Daniel Straus in a rematch,” Curran said.

Curran and Straus did battle at XFO 29 in April, 2009, and Curran finished Straus for his first knockout as a pro. Curran had just six pro bouts under his belt at that time, Straus had just five.

The win over Shamhalaev was Curran’s fifth straight win, and his ninth in Bellator, the most of any fighter in Bellator history.

“Thanks for Shahbulat and taking the fight on short notice. This was a big opportunity for him and I thank him for stepping up to the fight. Thank you Bjorn and Bellator for keeping me busy in the cage and continuing to allow me to develop as a fighter,” Curran said.

“I still think Chael can be a pretty crappy human at times.” – Jon Jones

“I started watching (Jones’) fights. I suggest you watch them too if you have trouble sleeping at night.” – Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones finally do battle for the UFC light heavyweight title on April 27. Here is the extended preview for the fight.