As soon as I realized that the ring announcer was Lenne Hardt who many of you know as the "Crazy Pride Lady," I knew we were in for a great day of mixed martial arts action.

The first three bouts of the Israel Fighting Championships: Genesis card ended in the first round via some slick submissions by Ido Pariente, Roy Peretz and Thiago Meller. The fans were completely into it at this point and there was still so much action left.

Up next was the appropriately named "Mr. International" Shonie Carter as he took on Jeremy Knafo in an exciting bout that saw Knafo control the majority of the action. Carter did unleash a vicious left hook that dropped Knafo to his knees early in the second round. Round three saw the two men trade strikes up until the final bell. Knafo walked away with a unanimous decision victory.

After the bout Carter thanked the fans as well as the country of Israel for their hospitality. Much to the surprise of everyone he then told the crowd that this was very likely his last fight. If that is the case the sport is losing a man who has a ton of heart and class. A veteran of over 80 professional bouts, Carter has seen and done it all. He is truly a great ambassador for MMA.

The much anticipated return of Daniel Gracie to mixed martial arts was up next and he certainly did not disappoint. In his first fight in four years, Gracie took on Martin Wojcik and made short work of him. Gracie locked in a rear naked choke and forced the tap at just 2:17 of round one.

While Rameau Thierry Sokodjou may not be known for his cardio he usually brings the heat for the first few minutes of his fights. Yesterday we saw a completely different fighter as Sokodjou fought more conservatively against Valdas Pocevicius and earned a unanimous decision victory.

Hermes Franca is as well known for his outstanding grappling abilities as he is for the shocking colors he dyes his hair. Franca took on Moishe Kaitz and the two went back and forth for three rounds. Kaitz was more or less in control for the first two rounds, but Franca really turned it up in round three, but ultimately fell short losing by decision.

UFC and Pride veteran Frank Trigg was coming off of two straight first round knockout losses to Josh Koscheck and Matt Serra. He came into yesterday's bout with a sense of urgency and it certainly paid off for him. Trigg found his opponent Roy Neeman reacting poorly to the pressure he put on him and dropped him with a right hand. Trigg followed that up with some brutal ground and pound earning the 1st round TKO victory.

American Top Team fighter Jeff Monson was up next as he battled Sergey Shemetov. Monson landed an early takedown and quickly transitioned to side control. He was hitting Shemetov with some brutal knees to the ribs which brought a smile from the tough Russian. He wasn't smiling for long as Monson locked in an Kimura forcing the tap and giving him the win.

After the bout Monson declared that he was tired of fighting against 6'4" 250lb heavyweights and would be making the move down to light heavyweight. With his 5'9" frame it is a weight class that is more suited for him, but the cut won't be easy for the stock "Snowman."