Antwain Britt has watched with more than a passing interest as the current season of "The Ultimate Fighter," the mixed martial arts reality show, has unfolded on Spike TV.
Britt won his first and only bout on the show before being sent home with a broken hand. He hasn't been impressed with what he's seen since.
"Honestly, there's nobody on that show that could have beat me," he said.
The winner of the show lands a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the major leagues of mixed martial arts. Britt, a graduate of Indian River High, will have to realize his UFC dream another way.
His next step comes Saturday night, when he'll fight in the co-main event of CageFest Xtreme at the Ted Constant Center. It's the first professional MMA card to be held in Hampton Roads.
Promoter Chris Wiatt has put on several successful amateur shows under the "CageFest" brand. He's making the plunge into professional promotions, in part to give local fighters a chance to showcase their talents, he said.
Britt, a 205-pounder with a 7-0 record, has not fought locally since he was an amateur. He's won all of his bouts by knockout, his latest coming in 28 seconds at the Patriot Center in Fairfax last month. He'll fight Kentucky's C.T. Turner, who reportedly has a 5-0 record.
The other main event pits Tommy Speer - the "Ultimate Fighter" runner-up from two seasons ago - against Beau Baker of Harrisonburg. Speer, a dairy farmer from Minnesota, has a record of 10-3 with 6 KOs in the 170-pound division. Baker, a former college wrestler, is 5-0.
Several local fighters who fought as amateurs at other "CageFest" events will also be on the card.
"These guys are the best in Virginia," Wiatt said.
Britt said he had not planned to fight locally. He's been debating a move to the West Coast, where the MMA scene is livelier. He's glad to have a chance to fight in front of family and friends, he said.
"CageFest really went all out in putting this together," he said. "I was impressed."
Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372 ed.miller@pilotonline.com
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