Emmanuel Newton, who was a member of the 2004 Cerritos College wrestling team, has made a name for himself in the world of MMA. Competing in the Bellator Fighting Championships, Newton is currently their light heavyweight champion. He defended his title on September 12 in Plymouth Township, MD and defeated Joey Beltran to improve his career record to 24-7-1.

Newton, who placed third in the Southern California Championships and eighth at the state championships in his only season with the Falcons, has won five titles in his MMA career and most recently captured the undisputed title in March, 2014 when he won a split decision. The fight in September was his first title defense.

Back in 2008, he won his first title fighting with the Maximum Fighting Championships in Canada, but lost that title the following year. Newton is trained by former Cerritos College two-time undefeated state champion Antonio McKee.

Another former Cerritos wrestler, Cody Bollinger (pictured, left), has been a part of the MMA circuit for a while. A contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 18, Bollinger is under contract by World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and has a 16-4-0 record as a bantamweight.

Bollinger competed for the Falcons in 2010 and came in fourth at the Southern California Regional Championships and reached the state championship match at 157 pounds, but ended up losing to a high school rival, 10-2. He went 19-5 on the year and helped the team finish second at the state championships.