FanHouse RenzoGracie

More than 5,000 boisterous fans attended Shogun Fights, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts event at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday night.

"This crowd is unbelievable. I would dream to be on a card like this. I wish that I had this sort of crowd for my first fight," said MMA legend Renzo Gracie, who was joined in the crowd by Rickey Henderson, Lenny Moore and others. "This is the best crowd and event I've ever seen."

Check out the results and recaps below.

John Rallo pursued MMA's sanctioning in Maryland until he got a submission. That came in May of 2008, when governor, Martin O'Malley, made the state the country's 35th to legalize MMA.

In an exclusive interview with FanHouse, Rallo, owner of three training facilities called Ground Control, discusses what it took for him to get MMA sanctioned, his past as an MMA fighter and celebrity bodyguard for Tommy Lee and others, and "Shogun Fights," Maryland's first ever MMA event this Saturday night at Baltimore's First Mariner Arena.

Check it out below.

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Two years ago, Jay Silva was just a nightclub bouncer who liked watching MMA on television. Then a chance encounter with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 78, led to him moving to California to begin his MMA career. Next week, he'll make his Octagon debut when he steps in on short notice to face CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City. Dollaway's original opponent, Dan Miller, was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering an undisclosed infection.

FanHouse spoke to Silva, who is 5-1 in his career, about his unique road to the UFC and how he plans on preparing for Dollaway. The full interview is below.

MMA pioneer Renzo Gracie is in the midst of helping Matt Serra prepare for his UFC 98 grudge match with Matt Hughes, but he also has some personal long-term goals in mind. Gracie, who has not fought in over two years, recently told TriStateFighter.com that he plans to return to action in late 2009.

Gracie has not fought since February 2007 in the maiden voyage of EliteXC, and was awarded a victory in the main event after Frank Shamrock was disqualified for delivering an illegal knee while Gracie was grounded.

Gracie has fought just four times in the last five years, and is 13-6 with one draw and one no contest in his career.