The MMA world at large has UFC 100 on the brain right now, however fans in the Northeast also have one eye looking ahead to UFC 101 on August 8. Dana White and crew will be heading to Philadelphia for the first time. One of the ‘fight of the night’ candidates will be the 155lb clash between New Jersey’s Kurt Pellegrino and and Iowa’s Josh Neer. TriStaterFighter.com contributer Dan Holzhauer filed this report.

-By Dan Holzhauer

The MMA paths of New Jersey native Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino and Iowa’s Josh “The Dentist” Neer have crossed many times. Finally, they will collide on August 8th at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. The road to UFC 101 has been long, but both fighters expect an exciting performance, and a bonus check, as a reward for their performances.

“My gameplan is to grind you out for 15 minutes,” says Pellegrino leading up to this matchup. “I want to see who can get me tired.” But stamina may not be an issue for either Neer or Pellegrino. Of their 49 combined professional fights, just ten have gone to a decision.

Both fighters began their journey to the UFC in 2002. Pellegrino took his first pro fight in August of 2002 in the then-upstart WEC promotion where he won a unanimous decision over future ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ winner Mac Danzig. Josh Neer started his career as an amateur at the Toad Holler Fight Club, a famous showcase for young Midwestern MMA fighters in Des Moines, Iowa that no longer exists. Neer was a staple of the Toad Holler shows, chasing down every opportunity to fight.

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Berlin, N.J – July 1, 2009 – New Breed Fighters (NBF) and Caffeine Culture Inc., announce a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) event for fighters committed to NBF to be held at the Resorts Casino Hotel on Saturday, December 12, 2009 providing the MMA community and fan base with another opportunity to become “ONE STEP CLOSER.”

New Breed Fighters will provide a select group of loyal fighters and teams with the opportunity to make their long anticipated debut on NBF’s professional show on December 12th 2009.

New Breed Fighters was formed in 2007 to professionally promote amateur mixed martial artists in an environment that lends to the maximization of a fighter’s development. Providing the ultimate opportunity to prepare for what the future holds, while creating a dynamic event for the fans to enjoy.

MMA is the fastest-growing sport and New Breed Fighters has amassed a huge following in the region including fighters, their teams and a wide-range of fans.

Click through to read the complete press release.

Jim Miller from Sparta, New Jersey lost his last fight to Gray Maynard. He does not plan on a repeat result at UFC 100 against Maynard’s XTreme Couture teammate, Mac Danzig. He recently sat down with yours truly and the Fox Fight Game panel to talk about the big fight.

From the better late than never bin. Here is an interview I conducted shortly after Edgar beat Sherk.

Frankie Edgar so thoroughly defeated Sean Sherk at UFC 98 in Las Vegas that he has changed the way the MMA world perceives him and quite possibly inserted himself smack dab into title contention. I spoke with Frankie recently to reflect on the big win and what may lie ahead. Listen to this audio interview.

Bad news came down today as the bill to legalize MMA in New York never was addressed before the final 2009 session in the House Ways and Means committee came to an end on Tuesday at 2am. This is bad news for MMA fans hoping the sport would finally become legal in the Empire state. Here is an excerpt from the breaking story on MMAWeekly.com. Click through for a live link to the full story on MMAWeekly.com.

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from mmaweekly.com

“The news is a blow to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The promotion had put much effort into getting MMA legislation passed in New York this year with hopes of running an event there in early 2010.

The bill will now have to go back through the process in 2010, and even if it does pass next year, the soonest the UFC, or any other promotion, would be able to hold an event in New York would be late in the year or early 2011.”

Nick Pace from Team Tiger Schulman in New Jersey clearly had the finish of the night last Friday at the Bellator Fighting Championships. With one flying knee he knocked out Collin Tebo then added a monster right to eliminate any doubts. Take a look.

Bellator Fighting Championship crowned their second of four champions last night when New York’s Lyman Good dismantled Omar De La Cruz for the Welterweight belt. Afterward, I had a chance to talk with Good, Nick Pace, and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. Here are some thoughts from a great night at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville CT.

* Remember the name: Nick Pace. He had the finish of the night with a flying knee to the head of Collin Tebo which ended that 135 pound contest instantly. Pace is from Team Tiger Schulman and is one to watch. Per his finish, think Jose Aldo or James Irvin. It will be a youtube hit.

* Lyman Good is better than good. He made his Bellator title bout look easy stopping Omar De La Cruz in the first round. He told me he is going to take a vacation and help out his family with the 175k he pocketed. Dude is a role model in and out of the cage.

* Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney has promised an english version outlet for Bellator for the next tournament. More to come on that here and in my video interview with him appearing on FoxFightGame.com soon.

* Bellator is clearly a TV product at the moment. Arena was 25% full.

* Rebney said there were 32 ESPN executives in the crowd last night. Hope they liked the action.

* All four Tiger Schulman fighters competing last night won.

* Rebney said he recruited Lyman Good to fight at 185 and was surprised he wanted to drop to 170. Good is enormous at 170 and if the cut did not bother him - he will dominate at this weight.

* Almost forgot. When asked in the presser who he would love to fight, Good did not hesitate and said George St. Pierre.

* Anybody driving up I95 on a Friday afternoon - allow triple the time. And bring a good book for the traffic jam.

* Krispy Kreme at the Mohegan Sun was firing out fresh glazed donuts at 2am. I passed after much internal debate

* Jimmie Rivera won an exciting back and forth up and down battle over Nick Garcia from California. Kid fights with unrelenting speed. Gives opponent little time for composure.

* Rebney is totally committed to the tournament concept and likes the idea that the fighter controls his destiny and not an executive.

* Watch for video interviews with Lyman Good, Bjorn Rebney, and Nick Pace later next week on FoxFightGame.com.