The second day of the UMMAF National Championships provided sparks of another caliber as we watched eight fast paced matches. Similar to the day before there was no sense of disappointment as we saw seven finishes out of the eight fights total. We also had a chance to speak with UMMAF director Frank Babcock about some concerns we had with the format and direction of UMMAF that was gladly answered.

Before we discuss the fights, it’s key to mention that the purpose of the tournament is two folded. Not only is this a great experience for these young fighters to test their talent against national competition, but the goal is to help bring money to the gyms of these athletes and propel the sport into the Olympics. That is a hearty task that takes a commitment from many but it seems as if the UMMAF has laid the groundwork necessary to do it and we couldn’t be more ecstatic with what's to come. So to hear the names of sponsors like Asics and Discover Card is huge. This will help with travel arrangements including room and board. We asked if that means for the upcoming world championships in July and the answer was a resounding 'yes'. Then the focus was on the health of these athletes. We were disturbed to hear about fishy medical practices with the athletes being checked and rest assured the questions were laid out on the table. We were told that full medical examinations were being conducted through all three days even with the multiple weigh ins. There is a four percent weight allowance which is also good so the fighters aren't completely depleted. Still in a tournament format there is a lot being asked of these athletes but they are all up to task which is making for some truly engaging fights. Now on to the good stuff.

In Friday’s matches, we saw impressive performances by returning bantamweight champion Jose “Shorty” Torres who stopped Tanner Thomas out of Roxana, Illinois. The fight was ended with a devastating knee to the ribs which caused Thomas to tap. Fairbanks Alaska prospect Benjamin Bennett showed well stopping Jesse Washington in the second round which gave him his second loss of the tournament. The Frostbite Fairbanks (which may be one of the coolest names for a fight camp ever) product did a great job of setting up his female teammates with momentum that they would carry into the night.

A truly international prospect in Julius Anglickas fighting out of St. Charles MMA secured a second round armbar in a victory over Dinisio Gilbert Jr. out of Chicago, Illinois. Looks like we will have a rematch of last years bantamweight finals as Carl Rogers had a first round finish over Diantis James who showed more mustard than people would have given him credit for. Somebody get this kid Nick Newell’s phone number so he can understand there is no handicaps in this sport and if you have the willingness to fight as he has shown he could do some amazing things.

In the only decision match of the evening St. Charles MMA prospect Charles Johnson took two out of three rounds in route to a unanimous win over Jose Johnson. The night ended with two women’s mixed martial arts matches that showcased dominant performances by both Codie Wareham and Paige Best. The two Frostbite Fairbanks prospects both won with early stoppages. Wareham who could give WWE’s Luke Harper a run for the money in the scary eyes category pulled off a vicious armbar late in the first round over Ashley Milligan. She verbally tapped as the Alaskan torqued her arm right before rounds end. Wareham teammate Paige Best looked equally impressive and used her strikes to lay out an assault on Andrea Whitney. Whitney was able to withstand the first flurry and land a few shots of her own. Though the pace and pressing of Best was too much and in Jessica Andrade fashion she kept her foot on the gas resulting in a stoppage by the referee. It looks as if these two ladies will be moving on to the world championships after only one fight which has it’s good and bad side to it. With the amount of 115 and 125 WMMA talent in St. Louis this was one of the discouraging aspects that the local gym politics got in the way of. Hopefully these women will just enjoy their experience and opportunity here in St. Louis which could propel them to great things in the near future.

Day 2 is in the books and Saturday should provide another entertaining round of fights. Make sure you are following @TravisNyquill on twitter for live round scoring and results.