This Saturday in Astoria, New York, the famous Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden will be hosting two free screening of the documentary New York Mixed Martial Arts. The film is the feature-length guerrilla creation of director Kahleem Poole-Tejada and producer Stephen Koepfer.

Made in response to the ongoing legal battle for the sanctioning of MMA in the Empire State, New York Mixed Martial Arts follows the issue through the lens of a young amateur fighter, Brad Desir, in the process of making the jump to professional fighting. The film features interviews with such MMA staples as Josh Barnett, Fedor Emilianenko, Tara LaRosa, Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock and UFC president Dana White.

On October 15 at Bellator 54, lightweight tournament champion Michael Chandler will get the opportunity to showcase his talent against Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez for the organization's title. While coming in as an underdog against the more experienced Alvarez, Chandler feels that it is his desire that will see him through to Bellator gold. 

Chandler has never been afraid to make the necessary sacrifices in order to become a success. Coming from a strong wrestling background, Chandler has taken the attributes he acquired in wrestling to help drive him in his MMA career.

Now training out of Xtreme Couture, Chandler constantly pushes himself in the gym for the challenges he will face in the cage. For Chandler, the brutal training is simply what he was meant to do.

Yesterday Austin, Texas hosted the 2011 State Freestyle SAMBO Championships. Freestyle SAMBO is a rules set within the Russian sport designed to provide a competition equally palatable to multiple grappling disciplines.

The 2011 Championship represented the greatest state-level success in the short history of the Freestyle rules set, attracting a record number of competitors from nine area teams. It also marked the christening of the no-kurtka division, which sheds the traditional uniform in the same manner as the more common no-gi grappling.

Austin has recently become a hub for the Freestyle rules set. Late last year, the city played host to the National Freestyle Tournament, which was previously held in its perrenial home in Rahway, New Jersey.

Below are the full results and statistics of the tournament, courtesy of American SAMBO Association president Stephen Koepfer.

Tonight in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, former top Mid-Atlantic prospect and New York's own Costas Phillippou pulled off the most important victory of his career, upsetting veteran and fan favorite Jorge Rivera on the main card of UFC 133 in the most grueling back and forth battle of the night.

This Saturday, the world's largest MMA organization returns to the City of Brotherly Love for UFC 133. The event headlines the unexpected rematch between former light heavyweight champions Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz. Below is the Mid-Atlantic staff picks for the main card of the event:

Shortly after being called up to the UFC big show, former Mid-Atlantic top featherweight prospect Jimy "The Kid" Hettes has been slated to appear on the UFC Live 5: Hardy vs. Lytle card August 14 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hettes, who was signed to the organization at the end of July, will be replacing an injured Leonard Garcia to take on TUF veteran Alex Caceres.

A month ago today marked what many believed to be the end of the 14-year fighting career of former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz as he faced off against rising Ultimate Fighter alum Ryan Bader at UFC 132.

Ortiz had his bag packed and was literally on the verge of being handed a pink-slip from UFC President Dana White.

Would Ortiz have retired from fighting all together, or made an appearance in a smaller organization? Perhaps Zuffa’s newly acquired sister organization Strikeforce would have welcomed the Huntington Beach Bad Boy with open arms.

This Saturday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, former Ring of Combat champion and top Mid-Atlantic prospect Costas Phillippou will see his first Pay Per View appearance in the UFC as he faces off against veteran fan favorite Jorge Rivera.

Phillippou, who lost his first bout in the UFC against another Ring of Combat alum Nick Catone, was fit into the card as a short-notice replacement for an injured Alessio Sakara. Rivera and the UFC 133 main card represent the biggest opportunity in Phillippou's burgeoning career.

 But, as a huge odds-on underdog, the question remains as to whether he can make the most of the chance or if he's being brought in to lose to a popular personality.

Last night at the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, local MMA staple and heavyweight journeyman J.A. Dudley took home the XFE heavyweight title against Brendan Barrett in a tight majority decision. One of the few constantly active heavyweights in the Mid-Atlantic, Dudley has put himself in an interesting position with this win as the top regional heavyweight sporting a losing record.

Tomorrow night at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Strikeforce will hold a card headlined by what seemed to be the most unlikely bout in the organization. Pride legends Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson will be facing off in a heavyweight tilt that harkens back to the MMA's silver age. Below are the Mid-Atlantic staff picks for the event: