Author: Garrett Derr

Every fighter deserves respect.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.

But, if you fight for Terry Callihan—respect is a priority.

“When I first started out in the mixed martial arts industry, I really saw how a lot of fighters were being mistreated,” Callihan told Bleacher Report.

“I would travel and have none of my expenses paid for. Not hotel, gas, or anything. I got to the point where I wasn’t going to be traveling around anymore so I decided to create my own place,” said Callihan. “A place that respects the fighters and takes care of them.”

As a result, Spartan Fighting Championship was born.

However, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing from the get-go as Callihan had his hands full trying to compete against larger promotions.

SFC was booming, but not nearly enough.

Callihan decided a change needed to be made.

“The first thing I did was take over the matchmaking. I felt like we needed a change,” said Callihan. “As the owner and promoter, I also took over some of the social media obligations.”

“I hired some great people and its really been off the charts since. It’s been a great experience,” said Callihan.

Callihan will once again have the opportunity of promoting his prestigious promotion when Spartan Fighting Championship 13 kicks off on April 6 at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, W.Va.

It is Callihan’s hope that the 9,000-seat arena will be at least three-fourths full when arguably the biggest event in SFC history begins.

“Expectations are having the arena 75 percent full for this show. I truly believe that will happen considering the fights that are on there,” said Callihan. “We have two of the best guys in the business fighting that night in Jason Butcher and Cornelius Godfrey.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Jason Butcher and Cornelius Godfrey have unbelievable talent and potential. Once they get a little more experience, they have the talent to be some of the best in the world,” said Callihan. “They’re that good.”

As Callihan and the SFC continue to emerge as a legitimate threat in the MMA industry, they’ll need to compete with the UFC, Strikeforce, and the Bellators of the world.

However, according to Callihan, SFC may have already arrived.

“If you look at the people we’re putting in the stands compared to when Bellator or Strikeforce fights in our region, we have a better turnout. Our attendance has been above both of theirs,” said Callihan. “We’ve had four fighters on our cards who’ve fought for Bellator and Strikeforce, and our fighters have beaten the Strikeforce and Bellator guys every time.”

“We have a great pool of talent and I’m excited for the future.”

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Freedom doesn’t always come free.

Just ask former UFC lightweight Shamar Bailey (13-6)

“When I was coming out of high school, I didn’t have a choice but to attend a Bible college,” Bailey told Bleacher Report.

“I was raised in a good Christian home where my dad was a chemical engineer but a pastor as well. I decided I’d go to a Christian school and then transfer out after my freshman year,” said Bailey.

It didn’t matter that Bailey had already received a number of wrestling scholarships, as his fate had already been determined.

Without debate, Bailey was on his way to Maranatha Baptist Bible College located in the depths of Wisconsin.

To Bailey’s surprise, his plans of transferring quickly took an unexpected turn as he began to fall in love with the small Christian atmosphere

“My original plan was to get there and then transfer out to a larger Division I school. I developed a great relationship with my coach who was a former Olympic gold medalist,” said Bailey. “He quickly became more of a mentor and friend to me.

“He convinced me to stay for my sophomore year and I’m thankful I did,” said Bailey. “I eventually decided that I wanted to stay and finish out my degree.”

Bailey’s decision to remain in school ultimately lead to bigger and better things.

Upon graduation, Bailey was set to train in the sport of mixed martial arts as his coached expressed the importance of living his life to the fullest.

“My coach stressed to me the importance of using the talents God has given me to reach others and not just for my own personal gains,” said Bailey. “He set me up with the opportunity to train at Olympic training center.”

It’s been a snowball effect since then as Bailey has teamed up with former UFC standouts Chris Lytle and Jake O’Brien to improve all aspects of his game.

However, as much help as Bailey has received along the way, he realizes none of it would be possible without God’s guidance in his life.

“I grew up in a bubble where I thought if you honor God, God will honor you back. I went undefeated my senior year of high school the whole season and I thought that was because I was honoring God,” said Bailey. “I would lose in the first round of states and I just couldn’t understand why.”

“As I grew older I realized success is measured by God’s definition not by man’s definition. That could be in the form of wins or by being a positive impact on others lives. This sport challenges me to be more like Christ and to love like He did,” said Bailey. “I admire Him all the more to see what He had to go through while He was on the earth.”

As Bailey continues to progress in life he has one goal in mind.

To be different.

“People will notice a difference in your life. They’ll hold you to a higher standard and they’re always looking for you to slip up,” said Bailey. “I think that’s why we as Christian athletes get that kind of criticism.”

“If you’re going to give God the glory after a win then you better after your losses too.”

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Getting inside a cage to fight isn’t for everyone.

But it is for UFC featherweight Dennis Bermudez (7-3).

However, if you would have told Bermudez just two and a half years ago that he’d be fighting in the UFC, he would have said you’re crazy.

“I was told that I should give fighting a chance when I was coming out of college,” Bermudez told Bleacher Report. “But I wasn’t getting in there and doing that,” he laughed.

Finally, after multiple attempts, “The Menace” was convinced to give mixed martial arts a whirl.

The only problem: He would agree to his first fight without ever having trained in the sport.

“Time freed up and I went down to train with one of my buddies for the first time,” said Bermudez. “I’ve wrestled my entire life and my style was always a fast pace and in your face type of game.”

“To make a long story short, I went down there and tapped a buddy out in really my first go-around with the sport. They told me I needed to start doing it but at the time I wasn’t even training. I thought about it for a while and said screw it, I’ll do it,” said Bermudez. “I went over to Steve Blackman’s gym in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and started training.”

It wasn’t long until Bermudez would be recognized as a legitimate threat, as he went on to win the first seven fights of his career.

Bermudez’s early dominance in the sport eventually led to a spot on Season 14 of the Ultimate Fighter.

After running through opponent after opponent, Bermudez arrived at the series finale, where he would meet Diego Brandao.

Bermudez would continue his dominance through the first four minutes of the opening frame, only to get caught via armbar with just nine seconds remaining in the round.

However, it’s been a fairly easy thing for Bermudez to overcome, as he knows his future is filled with bright lights and many more opportunities.

“It was definitely easier to push aside and move on because I have a very good fan base and a good support system,” said Bermudez. “I could go out there and they’d tell me I’m awesome regardless of the outcome of the fight.”

“I always try to go out there and put on a good show. Everyone thought this guy was going to come in and knock me out. I was super focused going in and for the most part did what I had to do. I re-watched the tape and said to myself, wow man I am pretty good. I didn’t know I could do that, but I did,” said Bermudez.

Bermudez is now slated to take on fellow featherweight Pablo Garza (11-2) at UFC on Fox 3 when the UFC travels to Atlantic City, New Jersey on May 5th.

May 5th will also mark Bermudez’s return to the east coast, as he hasn’t gotten to fight in front of his hometown fans since November of 2010.

“Garza’s reach and height is something I’m a little concerned with, but I’ve been working with longer guys. I need to get inside of him and kind of do my thing. At the same time, I think I’m effective on the outside as well,” said Bermudez. “I feel like if I grab a hold of him, he’s going to know he’s in the cage with ‘The Menace’.”

“It’s also going to be huge fighting on the east coast. The last time I fought it was out in Las Vegas, so a lot of my fans couldn’t make the trip. This time around I’ll have people from PA, upstate NY, and Long Island there,” said Bermudez. “I’m expecting a pretty big crowd.”

In terms of the outcome of his featherweight showdown with Garza, Bermudez expects to put on a show as usual.

However, fans in attendance and those viewing shouldn’t expect a very long show.

“I don’t think this guy will get to see the judge’s scorecards.”

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com