King of the Cage: The little-big-little-bug promotionKing of the Cage has been a busy promotion, almost since its inception in 1998. 12 years later, a slow start has yielded to an influx of fight card announcements that extend into July, hot on the heels of various whispers of a Mark Burnett and HDnet television deal. I will be cageside for their February 25th show near the promotion's Inland Empire home. But first, a rematch of a bout that was hotly contested last December heads up their New Mexico offering.

The next few KOTC events have been scheduled for Minnesota, New Mexico, Okinawa, and the usual San Manuel Casino venue in San Bernardino, CA. Limited information is available regarding the fight cards but the stock of these events seems to have risen in the past year. The participants in various KOTC events are of a higher caliber since Trebilcock regained control of the promotion from ProElite last year.

The Okinawa Convention Center in Okinawa, Japan will host KOTC's first ever foray into the New York City of MMA capitals. Sporting no shortage of North American prospective talent, Japan is in for a treat. Tony Hervey is set to take on Kotetsu Boku and Roxanne Modaffari looks to rebound from her loss to Strikeforce women's lightweight contender Marloes Coenen by taking out Molly Helsel. And that's not even counting the return of Bellator's own Toby Imada as he gets set to face Kiizhi Kunimoto.

Kicking off their February action, KOTC heads back to Walker, Minnesota on the 6th for Offensive Strategy, a card that features Jay Porter and Jimmy Gomez doing battle. The co-main event is scheduled to be between RT Hicks and Hank Barela.

King of the Cage: VengeanceOn February 12th, the southern California based organization returns to Mescalero, New Mexico for a huge fight by modern KOTC standards, a fact that seems to be changing with ever-increasing intrigue in their main events. Tony Lopez and Tyler East are set to rematch one another for the heavyweight title. Their last fight on December 17th of 2009 was a hotly contested affair, Lopez retaining his title by the slimmest of margins. No doubt, a chorus of boos prompted an immediate rematch to find out once and for all who should wear the crown. It remains to be seen if East is fit for contending for the title since his recent run-in with training partner Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett landed him in the hospital last week.

Tony Bonello and Quin Mulhern will both make appearances on the fight card, though no opponents have been made official as of yet. The bantamweight belt will also be up for grabs when Victor Valenzuela takes on Donald Sanchez earlier that night and crafty prospect Abel Cullum will defend his 135 pound title against Joe Coca.

King of the Cage: ArrivalRounding out the bigger of their February offerings will be a show at San Manuel Casino in San Bernardino, California. Although the main event doesn't quite possess the flair of a Lopez vs. East rematch, Ricky Legere Jr. and Bobby Green's 160 pound title affair promises major future implications for both men. The supporting cast includes Reuben Duran, Ryan Diaz, Malaipet, Waachim Spiritwolf, Lamar Jiles, Joe Crilly, and many others already scheduled to compete.

King of the Cage has seen its share of ups and downs and owner Terry Trebilcock Jr. has stuck through them all despite ownership changes and staff shuffling. The current incarnation of the pioneering fight promotion resembled the promise that it once had before succumbing to the pitfalls of poor management. With a good chunk of the old team in place, the powers that be at KOTC are on their way to retaining the past glory once associated with those four letters.

Check back frequently for official fight card updates for these and more upcoming KOTC events.

KOTC 2010 Schedule as of today:

01/30/10 - Saturday Okinawa Convention Center Okinawa Japan
02/06/10 - Saturday Northern Lights Casino Walker, MN
02/12/10 - Friday Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino Mescalero, NM
02/25/10 - Thursday San Manuel Casino San Bernardino, CA
02/26/10 - Friday Mirage Banquet Edmonton, Alberta
02/27/10 - Saturday Ute Mountain Casino Cortez, CO
03/6/10 - Saturday South Okanagan Events Centre Penticton BC
03/6/10 - Saturday Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino Santa Fe, New Mexico
03/12/10 - Friday Frank Crane Arena Nanaimo BC
03/13/10 - Saturday Avi Casino Laughlin, NV
03/18/10 - Thursday TBA Calgary Alberta
03/20/10 - Saturday World China Hotel Beijing China
03/26/10 - Friday Mirage Banquet Edmonton, Alberta
03/26/10 - Friday TBA Nevada
04/10/10 - Saturday Lake Of The Torches Casino Lac du Flambeau, WI
04/16/10 - Friday TBA Las Vegas, NV
04/17/10 - Saturday TBA Manilla. Philapines
05/8/10 - Saturday Kewadin Casino Sault Ste Marie, MI
05/13/10 - Thursday San Manuel Casino San Bernardino, CA
05/14/10 - Friday Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino Mescalero, NM
07/9/10 - Friday Spirit Mountain Casino Portland, OR
07/10/10 - Saturday Storm Stadium Lake Elsinore, CA
07/17/10 - Saturday Lake Of The Torches Casino Lac du Flambeau, WI
07/30/10 - Friday Mirage Banquet Edmonton, Alberta
08/5/10 - Thursday San Manuel Casino San Bernardino, CA
08/13/10 - Friday Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino Mescalero, NM