If anyone has met Damarques at UFC or a Fan Expo they have met the man that is always there for the fans, always there for the kids and far from the person you might expect with the name “Darkness”. Making time for EVERY fan, it often takes him an hour or more to walk 100 feet at shows or hotel lobby’s where he might be staying when cornering or competing. We asked Damarques to tell us 10 things that not many people know about him and we were very surprised to see some of the things he listed. What is more surprising is how he came through adversity with such a positive attitude and outlook on life.

10 THINGS ABOUT U DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT DARKNESS:

1. My mom was almost beat to death and forced to drink industrial cleaner in front of me by a crazy boyfriend of hers when I was 11.

2. My mom returned from Iraq with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and threw me and my sister out the house. so I went to the bar, I ended up at the fights that I met Jeremy Horn.

3. I helped my sister for her whole pregnancy and delivered my baby niece because the father wasn’t around.

4. The morning my niece was born, I flew out 4 hours later for my prelim fight in TUF.

5. At my fattest I was 247lbs.

6. At 16 I was hit by a car goin 40 mph.

7. I found out my favorite uncle died the afternoon of my Matt Riddle fight.

8. I love kids, I relate to them and for whatever reason they relate to me.

9. I always knew somebody would want my signature so i started practicing in 7th grade.

10. I was almost hired to go to Iraq as a contractor to work intelligence but I found out my son was on the way and I wanted to make sure I was there for his birth as well as for him.

Gettin triangled by a fan at the Expo.

Hangin with a fan at the Expo.

Workin the radio shows.

Makin a happy fan blush.

Apparently owning someone on the Wii.

This is Damarques as we know him… Follow him on twitter @DaMarques_UFC and become a fan of his Official Fan Page where he does all the postings himself.

On April 29th one of SuckerPunch’s newest prospects, Brent Weedman will be fighting in Bellator in Kansas City. Brent boasts and impressive record of 16-5-1 and is the complete package when it comes to MMA. An impressive striker with KO power in every limb as well as an accomplished wrestler and purple belt in BJJ we look to see Brents star rise pretty fast. “Brent has been one of those guys that has just been under the radar for some time now and we feel he is ready to take the next step” says SuckerPunch president Brian Butler. “We have him signed to a 3 fight deal with Bellator and are excited to see how he competes in this promotion”.

Brent will face a tough opponent in Rudy Bears (11-4-0) on Thursday night when Bellator heads back to the Midwest on Thursday, April 29th for the first of four highly anticipated, outdoor events at Kansas City Power & Light!

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 17, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships put the final piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 2 lightweight tournament today with the signing of 9-3 up-and-comer Pat Curran.

The 22-year-old Curran is the cousin of UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and PRIDE veteran Jeff Curran but is quickly stepping out of his cousin’s shadow and carving his own path in the MMA world.

Pat Curran first gained widespread notoriety thanks to his appearance on Season 2 of the short-lived TapouT reality show, where he was given the nickname “Paddy Mike” by the show’s host, Mask. Most recently, in late February, Curran won a unanimous decision over Robbie Olivier, one of Britain’s top ranked fighters, at an event in Olivier’s home country.
Pat delivering shots to Olivier on his way to a unanimous victory.

“My cousin and I have the same last name and he helped pave the way for me, but that doesn’t help me once I’m in the cage—it’s all on me then,” Curran said. “Bellator is a huge step in my career and I’m excited for the chance to really prove myself and make a name for myself around the world.”

Curran grew up in South Florida where he was an All-State high school wrestler and moved to Illinois in 2007 to begin training at his cousin’s Curran Martial Arts Academy in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake.

He will make his Bellator debut at Bellator XIV on April 15th in front of a hometown crowd at the Chicago Theatre.

Curran is the final competitor to be added to Bellator’s eight-man Season 2 155 lbs. tournament along with former UFC superstar Roger Huerta, Season 1 runner-up Toby Imada, former Olympian Ferrid Kheder, undefeated Canadian phenom Mike Ricci, European stalwart Janne Tulirinta, the undefeated Chad Hinton and former All-American wrestler Carey Vanier.

Each tournament fight will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net every Thursday night beginning April 8th and replayed in special highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo every Saturday night beginning April 10th.

First round matchups will be announced later this week.

“Pat is a very solid addition to our stacked 155 lbs. tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Pat comes from MMA royalty and is ready to make his own impact on the sport. He was sought after very aggressively by several other major promotions, so I’m excited for him to be a part of our organization. It will be great to see him fight in front of his many hometown fans next month at the Chicago Theatre.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

On Friday, March 26th top middleweight prospect Douglas “The Phenom” Lima will face Cortez Coleman in the finals for the $10,000 Redline Grand Prix Tournament.

Lima advancing to the finals

The REDLINE Grand Prix pitted eight of the best fighters on the east coast in a tournament that would allow fate and skill to determine the best fighter in the region. Both Cortez and Lima fought through stiff competition to get to the finals and this fight is expected to bring the house down on Friday.

Also on the card are SuckerPunch fighters, Warren “The Destroyer” Thompson who makes his return to the cage to face a game Dave Vitkay of team Knuckle Up. Dhiego Lima will make his hometown pro debut to face North Carolina’s Blaine Thomas. Warren and Dhiego are some of the most sought after prospects in the southeast and we expect wars out of them come Friday.

For more information on how to watch this event go to SportFightX
or go to GoFightLive

On March 19th Junior Assuncao will fight John Mahlow for the XFC lightweight belt. Junior took the time to answer some questions for us in between training.

Q. What have you been doing since your fight in SHINE?

JR. Man I have been itching to fight sooo bad. SHINE kept changing the date of their show so I sat longer than I wanted. I have been helping my brothers get ready for their fights and just staying in shape.

Q. How do you see this fight going against Mahlow?

JR. I am going to win. John is a tough guy but my training with my brothers and team here at Ascension is so good right now I’m just ready to kill haha. If he wants to stand, we will stand. If he wants to go to the ground then we go to the ground. I feel my game is so complete right now that I’m not too worried about where it goes.

Q. The Assuncao name is getting recognized as a force in MMA, what does the future hold for the 3 brothers?

JR. Yeh that was the plan. We let Freddy cook for a long time before we brought him into the sport and he is looking really good right now. Raphy is a machine and will be the champion soon. Me, I am going to work my way back to the UFC and show the world that I belong with the best.

Q. Whats next for you after the XFC?

JR. I am supposed to fight in SHINE in May but I would look forward to defending my title here at XFC after I win it! haha.

Q. Anything else on the horizon for the Assuncao’s?

JR. Raphy will be back in the WEC soon and Freddy is supposed to fight on April 25th here in GA.

Q. Any closing statements?

JR. I would like to thank Tokyo5, Brass Knuckle Therapy and Full Tilt Poker and thank the XFC for having me on their show. XFC is a good show and I am glad to have a shot at getting their belt. Also have to thank Brian Butler and SuckerPunch for taking such good care of me and my brothers.

For more information go to Xtreme Fighting Championships