Fight Night

Although the sport of MMA has seen its fair share of headlines lately, they have not been the kind that an industry would strive for. With the arrest last week of MMA fighter Jonathan "War Machine" Koppenhaver making international news for an alleged brutal attack on his ex-girlfriend, the sport is again in the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. But while any organized sport can attract a certain beefed-up, boneheaded mentality, the truth is, there are plenty of decent, smart, and solid human beings in the sport of MMA. Take the three fighters in Friday night's Fight Time 20's Live World-Class Pro MMA at War Memorial Auditorium (800 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale). Miami's own Mike "The Wolverine" Rio (who won Miami New Times' Best MMA Fighter title in 2013, naturally) counts being an advocate for autism research among his qualifications outside of the ring. And fighter, father, and husband Kalib Starnes lists Noam Chomsky as a strong personal influence. There's also self-proclaimed anarchist Jeff "The Snowman" Monson, who gets interviewed just as much about his "power to the people" philosophy as he does about his fighting style. Howard Davis Jr.'s Fight Time Promotions presents this event. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the first fight on at 8. Tickets cost $49 to $89. Visit fighttimepromotions.com.
Fri., Aug. 29, 7 p.m., 2014