In order to fully understand why I chose Prater over someone like David Douglas, or Ryan Couture, or Lyle Beerbohm or Pat Healy, I think the first thing you have to note is Prater’s record coming into this fight. Going into “Challengers 14”, Prater’s official professional MMA record stood at 25-10-1. However, what’s more important is the record he compiled in his most recent fights: 1-4. That’s right, Prater had only won one of his last five fights. It was a far cry from Prater’s early career, his debut in 2002 saw him assemble a ten-fight win-streak that included a notable victory over UFC mainstay Melvin Guillard.

So the stage was set for “Challengers 14”: Prater showed all the signs of the veteran on the decline and on his way out. His opponent, Bryan Travers, held an impressive 14-2 record. Travers was in the process of rebounding from a loss to “Challengers 14” headliner Pat Healy back in May 2010, a loss that snapped a six-fight win-streak. Travers had only ever lost to a submission once before in his career: he lost via Triangle Choke in a fight that he didn’t even have a month to prepare for, and that was also outside of his normal weight class.

In short: it was pretty clear what role Prater was supposed to play at “Challengers 14”.

But such ended up not being the case. The match started out simply enough: both threw punches and then the fight went to the ground. From there, everything happened very quickly. Prater appeared to be hunting for something, and before you could blink, he had locked in a D’Arce Choke, or Anaconda Choke, or whatever the technical term for the choke is called (Prater himself called it a variation with an near-unpronounceable name that was taught to him by a master). But whatever it was, the outcome was still the same: seconds later, Travers was limp on the mat, choked unconscious. And Carlo Prater, the tough veteran that was supposedly on the decline, ended up winning his Strikeforce debut in under forty seconds, thirty-eight seconds to be precise.

During his post-fight interview, Prater was so overcome with emotion following his dominant victory that he openly wept. He apologized for the tears, but no apologies were necessary. Prater had come back from the brink in the best way possible: he completely dominated his opponent and made it look easy. Just as the book was about to close on Carlo Prater, he found that old fire again, and now another chapter is about to be written in the career of Carlo Prater.

And who can say what the future holds? All I know for certain is that I believe Prater when he says that he’s going to try his best to make the absolute most out of the opportunity Strikeforce has given him. Whether or not this comeback fully comes to fruition is anyone’s guess, but no matter what eventually happens, this fight was a defining moment in the career of Carlo Prater. So while it was a tough choice, I’m fully confident that Carlo Prater deserves my unofficial “Best Performance of the Night” award for his dominating victory at Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”.

And what about you, fans and friends? Who got your unofficial awards at this show, and why?

5. Vitor Ribeiro

Unfortunately for “Shaolin”, Ribeiro is now on a three-fight losing streak. I think Couture would be a very interesting opponent for the former highly-regarded prospect. It would be an interesting stand-up fight, and both men would likely benefit from the experience. On the ground it’s anyone’s ballgame, as Ribeiro has twelve wins by submission. If Ribeiro wins, he basically saves his career and pulls it off of life support. If Couture wins, he’s beaten a very decorated ground specialist and a former “Challengers” headliner.

4. David Douglas

“Tarzan” had an equally impressive showing at “Challengers 14”. It took Douglas barely over a minute to finish his opponent, and with an added five pounds of muscle (Douglas fought at a catchweight of 150 at “Challengers 14), Douglas would be a pretty tough test for Ryan Couture. Douglas has power, speed, fluidity, and lots of raw potential. This would be a real proving point for both fighters.

3. Jorge Gurgel

Gurgel seems to be on the decline, but he’s still a tough test for a surging fighter like Couture. If Couture wants to test his stand-up, Gurgel will be right there willing to give and take. If it goes to the ground, Gurgel is an incredibly skilled submission master. This fight would go a long way towards proving where both men stand in Strikeforce’s increasingly-crowded Lightweight division.

2. Carlo Prater

Wow, there’s impressive debuts, and then there’s snatching a guy up in a D’Arce the second the fight gets underway. This would be an awesome fight on the ground, I can see both men basically setting the cage on fire because of how fast they move on the ground. Both men have long limbs and impressive squeezing power, and it’s likely that both men won’t tap and will have to be choked unconscious. This match would be awesome to watch.

And the number one fighter I’d like to see Ryan Couture face is…

1. Shinya Aoki

I admit, Aoki takes the number one spot purely because I think this would be an amazing ground fight. Aoki has never had good stand-up, but on the ground, he’s a submission wizard. This would be a defining moment for Couture if he were to win it, because let’s be honest and give credit where credit is due, not many people can hang with Aoki on the ground. If Couture ends up proving that he can, it would be a gigantic feather in his cap.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Is Couture ready for a step up in competition? Why or why not? And who would you like to see him fight?

When it all comes down to it, a card should be judged on the strength of its fights and not the problems it had going into the fights. What we got was an eight-man tournament filled with emotion, intensity, crazy happenings and shocking victories. It all started when Drew Fickett fought the very-tough Charles Bennett, scoring a dominating guillotine choke after an intense 3:34 of action. Then Shannon Gugerty fought (and lost to) Dennis Bermudez in an intense two-round war that at one point saw both men go careening out of the ring and onto the announcer’s table.

Not to be outdone, James Warfield and Kyle Baker fought three tough rounds that saw both men score significant shots, with Baker winning the fight despite having a noticeable gash on his head. The highlight of the night had to have been Warfield attempting a flying knee only to go sailing out of the ring. In another tough three-round war, Rich Crunkilton defeated Carlo Prater via Split Decision in a fight where (you guessed it) both men took a tumble through the ropes and landed outside of the ring.

In the first semi-final bout, Drew Fickett impressed once again. After goading Dennis Bermudez into a ground war, Fickett quickly secured back mount and locked in a Rear Naked Choke at 2:02 of round one. The second semi-final round featured Carlo Prater taking on Charlie Brown. The two men scheduled to fight in the semi-finals, Rich Crunkilton and Kyle Baker, both had to pull out due to injury. Brown had won a reserve bout earlier in the evening, but it would be Prater pulling off the surprise comeback, winning it two rounds to none and advancing to the finals in a Cinderella story that would ultimately and unfortunately be cut short.

Drew Fickett made it three-for-three in the finals of the Lightweight Grand Prix, immediately taking down and going to work on an obviously-drained Carlo Prater. After securing full mount, Fickett worked toward another Rear Naked Choke, and finally sunk it in at 2:02 of round one. An overjoyed Fickett celebrated in the ring and complimented his opponent, and ended the night by promising that he was “back”. A teary-eyed Carlo Prater congratulated Fickett and seemed eager to return to Shine Fights despite the tough loss.

So there you have it: I actually really enjoyed this show. It was a crazy night of fights, and while it was by no means the best MMA event I’ve seen this year, I think it warrants “sleeper hit” status. Shine Fights still isn’t off the hook in my book, but I’ll give credit where credit is due: they put on a very solid event. And as I’ve said previously, I’ve got nothing negative to say about the fighters themselves. In fact, I’ll go one step farther: all these guys need a whole lot more praise than I could ever provide for going out there and competing in such a tough tournament format and giving us some really good fights.

I don’t know where Shine Fights goes from here, to tell you the truth. This event proved that they can book a good show. It proves that they can make the most out of the talent they have available. It remains to be seen if they can overcome the avalanche of opposition they seem to be facing at every turn. But if this is the last we’ll ever hear of Shine Fights…they certainly went out with a bang. At the very least, you’ve got to give them that.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think about the Lightweight Grand Prix? And where does Shine Fights go from here?

Courtesy of MMAMania.com, here’s how the fights break down. A former Strikeforce and UFC veteran, and a veteran of fifty professional MMA fights, Drew Fickett will take on the notorious Charles Bennett, who is also a world-traveled MMA veteran but is far more famous (more like infamous) for his outlandish behavior that has gotten him in trouble with the law several times throughout his career. This was the first fight announced for the Lightweight Grand Prix.

The next fight also sees a battle of veterans, as Rich Crunkilton takes on Carlo Prater. Crunkilton is best known as a WEC fighter, and at one point challenged for the WEC Lightweight Championship. He’ll be facing a submission specialist that has also spent time in the WEC’s blue cage, although Prater wasn’t nearly as successful in the #1 promotion for the lighter weight classes, having gone 0-2 in the WEC with both losses by stoppage.

The third fight sees James Warfield taking on Kyle Baker. Warfield is a seven-year veteran that has won every single one of his fights by stoppage, while Baker made his debut in 2007 and has six TKO’s to his credit. Neither man has ever been to the main stage in their careers, but both are known to finish their fights in dramatic fashion.

The final opening-round attraction will be a match-up pitting Shannon Gugerty against Dennis Bermudez. A five-fight UFC veteran, Gugerty was last seen losing via submission to Clay Guida of all people. Gugerty was 10-2 before stepping inside the Octagon, but ended up going 2-3 in the world’s premiere MMA organization. He’ll likely have a good test in front of him, as Bermudez is an undefeated 6-0 MMA newcomer, with four wins via stoppage.

All in all, I think this is actually a pretty solid-looking tournament. It’s not the best Lightweight talent in the world, but there are a few good names sprinkled here and there, and even if this is yet another case of “slim pickings” in a world where all the best Lightweight talent is on lockdown in the larger promotions, I think this tournament could give us some very fun fights.

In regards to the fighters themselves, I think that it’ll be one of the veterans that will most likely win this Lightweight Grand Prix. I think “Krazy Horse” is legitimately insane as a person and incredibly hit-or-miss as a professional Mixed Martial Artists, but he always entertains and, love him or hate him, you can’t say that about too many fighters nowadays. Shannon Gugerty has a lot of experience when it comes to facing real best-in-the-world competition, so I think he has the potential to go far as well. Drew Fickett may have just barely broken a five-fight losing streak, but his fifty pro MMA fights give him a wealth of experience, and he’s still won far more fights than he’s lost.

So there you have it, fans and friends: against all odds, it seems as if this Lightweight Grand Prix will still go underway. And even if it doesn’t turn out to be all that successful (which is highly likely), it will at least be a fun night of fights.

And what about you, fans and friends? Even with all the drama, do you still plan to see this event? And what do you think of the opening-round fights?

American Top Team vs. The World will be held in Miami 4 September, but broadcast on The Fight Network 12 September.

ATT’s Carneiro enters Shine off of a 2-3 stint in the UFC ending with split decision loss to “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (15-10) at UFC 88 in Atlanta last September.

Patino won a UD over “Blackjack” Beau Baker (7-2) at KAPMMA in Newark last February.

The card also features UFC vet Junior Assuncao (8-4), WEC vets Carlo Prater (24-7-1), “Maverick” Micah Miller (12-3) and “Irish Assassin” Ryan Healy (4-4-1), and PRIDE and DREAM vet “Buscape” Luis Firmino (12-4).

At 4:43 of round four, Condit touched – and, maybe that’s all too literal of a description – Miura with a knee to the noggin.

Miura’s body and heart gave in to a brutal back-and-forth battle.  He dove for Condit’s ankle, and that was it.  He had nothing left.

Several times, Condit could’ve similarly surrendered on the receiving end of clean punches from the one-time middleweight, but didn’t.

That’s why Condit is a champion and Miura isn’t, both tonight and in general.

However, before the fight Condit made clear that he didn’t feel like Miura should be on the other side of the cage from him.

Isn’t that always the preface to a brutal back-and-forth battle?

Condit sits on the precipice of the welterweight top ten; and, now, Miura sits on a 9-5 record.

Condit was dumped on the mat thrice in the first round alone, swept from the mount consistently, and tagged with clean power shots from Miura.

Should Miura have been such a challenge?  Untested at the top of the division, Condit’s “W” only exposed how far the rising star has to go.

“All American” Brian Stann (6-1) has still farther.

Stann didn’t so much collapse at the end of any particular strike from Steve Cantwell (6-1) as collapse at the end of all of them.

Cantwell won the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship by TKO at 4:01 of round two when Stann fell face first into the mat.

Both fighters were gassed at the second round’s opening bell after a first session fought in scintillating spurts and won by Stann on all three judges’ scored cards.

Cantwell sustained the pressure with a mixed bag of fists, knees, and feet while Stann withered.

Cantwell’s win was revenge for a 2007 TKO loss to Stann, but may be for naught as the WEC will knockout its 205-pound division before the end of this year.

Fighters.com speculates that the next time Stann fights it’ll be in the UFC’s middleweight division.

WEC Lightweight Champion “Worm” Jamie Varner (15-2) looked like he got hit by…well, a “Wrecking Ball” after a minute in the cage with Marcus Hicks (8-1).

Varner was slammed twice, nearly tapped in Hicks’s bread-and-butter guillotine, and couldn’t get a beat on the 5’7″ brawler standing-up.

“He kept taking me down.  I’ve never been taken down like that in MMA before,” Varner admitted after the fight.

But, one minute was about how long it took Varner to find his range.

Once Varner rattled Hicks with a knee as Hicks shot to dump Varner, it was all “Worm” digging holes in Hicks’s skull.

Varner unloaded a barrage that Hicks seemed to walk through until the final onslaught beginning with two knees square on Hicks’s jaw and three straight rights that finally left Hicks limp on the mat at 2:08 of round one.

“I’m sure I’ll see [Hicks] again,” Varner said after the TKO title defense.

Bantamweight Brian Bowles (6-0) fell “Angel of Death” Damacio Page (10-4) at 3:30 of round one in a guillotine choke cinched as Page hoisted Bowles for a slam.

Page stumbled with Bowles monkeyed around him holding the submission before rocking backwards and collapsing as he tapped out.

The fighters had exchanged evenly to begin the fight, Page taking his advantage standing while Bowles had nearly locked a guillotine on the mat early in the round.

“Fluke” Josh Grispi (9-1) tagged Micah Miller (9-2) with an overhand right to Miller’s temple that spiraled Miller to the mat.  Grispi closed the show with a pair of rights before referee Herb Dean stepped in to end the fight at :50 of round one.

Brock Larson (23-2-1) slobberknocked Carlo Prater (23-6-1) with a straight left and finished him off on the mat at :37 of round one.

Las Vegas favorite Blas Avena (3-2) wheeled lefts and rights at the cage, dropping opponent Dave Terrel (5-2), then leaving him slumped and eating clean shots until the referee stoppage 1:07 of the first round.

Lightweight Shane Roller (4-1) finally locked in a guillotine choke on his third attempt at 3:00 of the first round to tap “Maniac” Todd Moore (9-2).

Lightweight Mike Budnik (7-0) tapped Greg McIntyre (5-3) by triangle choke at 3:21 of round three.

Bantamweight Scott Jorgensen (5-2) won a unanimous decision over Kenji Osawa (13-8-2).

Everyone made weight, except for WEC lightweight title challenger “Wrecking Ball” Marcus Hicks (8-0), who needed an hour to drop one pound before stepping into the cage across from Champ “Worm” Jamie Varner (14-2).

Curiously, WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann (6-0) weighed 201 1/2 pounds, causing “Version 2.5″ Rory Singer (11-8) to shout from the crowd, “201!  What!?”

Stann’s opponent, Steve Cantwell (5-1), weighed-in at the 205-pound limit.

Refresh Fighters.com tonight for live coverage from The Joint in Las Vegas.