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MARQUETTE -- UPDATE March 29, 10:45 a.m.

To see more action including full matches from Saturday's cage fighting event click here.

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Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide, and this past weekend, Marquette fans got the chance to experience the action firsthand.  But just like the fans, this was a new experience for some of the fighters.

Marquette junior Kasaim Koonnala is used to dishing out hits on the football field.  But Saturday, the 17 year old stepped into a very different world at Lakeview Arena.

Koonnala had some smaller Muay Thai fights over the last year, but this was the biggest in front of his hometown crowd.

"I was really nervous, anxious, really excited, but at the same time I'm nervous because I don't want to lose in front of the home crowd," said Koonnala.

He was one of more than a half dozen U.P. fighters on Saturday's card featuring both Muay Thai and mixed martial arts bouts.

Koonnala faced off against Houghton's Brian Matkin.

The three-round battle proved to be one of the most exciting fights of the night, and thanks to repeated leg kicks, Koonnala won by technical knockout.

"It feels awesome,” he said after the fight.  “I get to show [everyone] what I've been practicing for.  They don't get to see a lot of what we do because we're kind of in an obscure location, but it was awesome to show what we practice everyday."

While plenty of other local fighters had big nights, like Ishpeming's Jeff Martin and Marquette's Gary DeVroy, the night belonged to Koonnala.

"I got to fight in front of all my friends and stuff.  I got to make everyone proud and I actually won, so it was good."