Let's face it, when it comes to combat sports, the big guys rule. Sure, occasionally a truly superb smaller fighter will pound his way into the public consciousness (see one Manny Pacquiao) but their journey out of obscurity is infinitely more difficult. It takes years of consistent excellence and dominance to become water-cooler talk, while someone like Mike Tyson can become a bonafide superstar after only a few fights. Regardless of how many middleweights Anderson Silva KO's in one punch, Brock Lesner will always be the better known fighter.

Swinging for the Fences...and VENGENCE!!!: Jesse 'The Puerto Rican Game Cock' Cruz will try to simultaneously avenge his only loss and take the state's first 135 lbs title on Wednesday

Really? You Want More?: Terrence Mithell will try to finish Cruz for a second time at AFC 73, and this time the stakes are much higher

"Sexy Beast"?: Seth "The Sexy Beast" Hildebrand (left) will contend for the AFC heavyweight belt as a late replacement for Bryc Palmer

Seth "The Sexy Beast" Hildrebrand has won the heavyweight lottery, as he's been picked to face perennial heavyweight champion Bryan Ryan at AFC 73 on Wednesday.

Hildrebrand fought several times in the AFC's early days before taking several years off. He returned to the cage last month to notch an easy submission win over Josh Whiteman at AFC Mat-Su 2.

Who Dares Challenge?: Someone will win a game of matchmaking roulette and fight heavyweight champion Bryan Ryan

With the late exit of top-ranked challenger Bryc Palmer, the question of who will face heavyweight juggernaut Bryan Ryan has become the topic du jour.

There is no denying the tremendous opportunities presented to whoever steps up and takes the fight. Of course, they include both the opportunity for exposure and the opportunity to receive a brain-exploding knock-out.

The AFC confirmed today that heavyweight title challenger and fan favorite Bryc Palmer will not face perennial champion Bryan Ryan in their highly anticipated main event match next week. Sarah Johnston says that a new challenger will be announced shortly.

Palmer, a well-balanced fighter with half of his wins coming from TKO and half from submissions, has been the #1 contender for over a year. He is known for his sense of humor regarding his rotund physique. Despite his girth, Palmer possesses good speed and unexpected agility, often turning cartwheels in the cage after a victory.

The Iceman will cageside at AFC 73, and will be signing autographs: Maybe, if I ask him nicely, he'll knock me unconscious. That would be awesome...
The AFC confirms that former light heavyweight champion and UFC hall-of-famer Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell will attend it's next event, AFC 73, where he will sign autographs, pose for pictures, and speak to the audience.

'We can fight too!': Willow Bailey, left, and Mae Osborne battle for female supremacy Wednesday night. Photo courtesy of Evan Malone.

As controversy swirls over the appropriateness of Cops vs. Cons, along comes the AFC to show us exactly how dignified and inspirational mixed martial arts can be. Willow Bailey is a promoter's dream: well-spoken, respectful, interesting, and inspiring. Oh, and a hell of a fighter.

MOMENT OF THE NIGHT: Willow 'The Motivator' Bailey Literally Makes Her Dream Come True.

MAIN EVENT: WOMAN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Willow “The Motivator” Bailey def. Mae Osborne
Rd. 4, TKO (strikes)

Osborne started off on the attack, landing a leg kick and throwing punches. Bailey quickly clinched up, a position that would dominated the majority of this fight. The two fought for superior clinch position all around the cage, punctuating their hugging match with a few low knees and dirty boxing. Bailey spent most of the round with her back against the cage, which was the only thing that could possibly be used to pick the winner of the round.

Girl Power!: The AFC will crown it's first female champion in four years tomorrow night, at AFC 72: Hellbreak
[**Due to the writer's own incompetence and procrastination, Mae Osborn went uninterviewed for this article. Please pretend that she was interviewed, and was articulate, witty, and memorable.**]

Two women fighting conjures up a lot of images, most of them lewd and sexist. Some (perhaps voice of the AFC Octagon and local celebrity Bob Lester) would add the word 'awesome' to the list of descriptors.

Julio "The Dominican Demon" Paulino has pulled out of his scheduled welterweight bout with Daniel Roberts at UFC 116, citing difficulties in training.

"Most people don't realize that training doesn't pay the bills. And when you fight in the UFC you can't train four to six hours a day, you have to train six to eight hours a day," Paulino said.

Hildebrand and Blakeman: Seth Hildebrand (left) reacts to a challenge issued by Eric Blakeman (right, back turned). Photo courtesy of Keith Darkchilde

The AFC returned to the Mat-Su valley on Wednesday, June 9th. The event provided plenty of action and several quick finishes. Even though no fighters brawled their way through a three round war, there was plenty to enjoy throughout the night.

The Alaska Fighting Championship bounced back from a sub-par card last month with a good event a bit short on technique, but featuring plenty of excitement. My only complaint is that no fight went past the first round, allowing the 1,000+ fans attending the AFC's second foray into the Mat-Su Valley to go home earlier than they thought they would. Of course, the AFC couldn't have planned that without help from Doc Brown, Huey Lewis, and a few plot holes.

MAIN EVENT:
Light Heavyweight
Seth "The Sexy Beast" Hildebrand def. Josh Whiteman
Rd. 1, Submission (armbar)

Rankings are a contentious affair. No matter how hard an honest and handsome columnist tries to be impartial, objective, and fair, it seems that everyone takes offense.

For starters, sometimes there just aren't enough premium fighters at a given weight class to fill the divisional rankings, so the funny and intelligent writer has to insert fighters with losing records or embarrassing losses, causing the mob to froth at the mouth.

In this installment, AFC light heavyweight champ Stephen 'The Incredible Hulk' Waalkes demonstrates his favorite move, the Peruvian necktie.

Mismatches were the theme of last nights AFC event; not just in skill level, but in experience and size as well. The blame for this falls on the AFC management. After several months of absolutely stellar carsd they could be excused a night of less exciting, or less important fights, but there is no excuse for setting up some of the massacres last night.

Rolondo Dominique toys with Jonathon Morford: Photo courtesy of Sarah Johnston

MAIN EVENT:
Welterweight
Rolondo 'The Apocalypse' Dominique def. Jonathon Morford
Rd. 1, TKO (ref stoppage, strikes)

Praying To Make Weight?: Lightweight striker Derek Chalifour will be moving down to 145 lbs to face Johnny Tauton at AFC 71: MAYDAY

We've been spoiled.

After several months of stellar cards featuring top-shelf competition, the AFC may have burnt themselves out a little. Scanning the card for the May 19th show, 'Mayday', one can't help but a noticeable dearth of meaningful bouts and a plethora of unrecognizable new names.

Soldotna is a fighting town. As many fisherman who make the pilgrimage for the world-renowned salmon runs, and as ubiquitous as snow-machines may be, I am convinced that the heart and soul of the Kenai Penninsula lies at the center of a shabby, small, octagonal cage.

Why else would a fifth of the area's population pack a converted hockey rink to watch 24 people beat the tar out of each other? Why else would 24 people climb into the cage to do the beating?

And why was I one of those people?

"Let's go! Let's go!" shouted one excited fan, skipping around the ring unable to contain himself.

The fan was one of the few hundred close enough to see the action. Those lucky enough to be that close were one their feet by the finals of the open-weight King of the Streets tournament at Saturday's event.

Johnny Law: One of two masked fighters, presumably law enforcement officials, who were victorious over ex-cons. The audience strongly booed the cops and cheered for the cons, even after both cops won decisively. Photo courtesy of Stephan Waalkes

Going into Saturday's Cops vs. Cons MMA event, many people had mixed feelings.

Fitting, then, that the event produced mixed results.