OxfordPress.com

By teaming up with the Fort Bragg military institution in North Carolina, the Ultimate Fighting Championship raised more than $4 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund with the Dec. 10 broadcast of "UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fight for the Troops."

The Spike TV-televised fight card featured a solid line-up of talent that performed for an audience of approximately 3,500 uniformed military personnel.

Throughout the three-hour broadcast, the UFC solicited donations for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Maryland-based National Intrepid Center of Excellence, which will provide care for military veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

Mixed into the broadcast were emotional videos with some of soldiers who rely on the IFHF for care. Additionally, rather than plug sponsors or websites after their victories, fighters instead urged viewers to pledge donations.

It was a phenomenal night for both the charity and the UFC.

The only downside to the event was an inordinate amount of injuries – a broken leg, one dislocated elbow, two concussions and a variety of cuts and bumps – suffered by the competitors.

Bader, Escudero are

Light heavyweight Ryan Bader and lightweight Efrain Escudero won their respective divisions on "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir," the latest season of the UFC's reality series.

The event took place Saturday, Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.

Both fighters were considered underdogs heading into the finale.

Bader, a former Arizona State University wrestling All-American, stopped jiu-jitsu ace Vinny Magalhaes with a first-round TKO. Escudero outlasted Nover, a 4-to-1 favorite, for a unanimous-decision victory.

Bader and Escudero enter the UFC with extensive experience (8-0 and 11-0 pro records, respectively) and should get some meaningful fights immediately as they begin their UFC careers.

Lashley wins debut

Brock Lesnar isn't the only World Wrestling Entertainment superstar looking for success in mixed martial arts.

Bobby Lashley launched his MMA career on Dec. 13 with a quick TKO victory.

Lesnar, who performed with the WWE from 2002-2004, defeated Randy Couture in November to claim the UFC's heavyweight championship. And while the "pro wrestling" maneuvers don't really work in MMA, both Lesnar (the 2000 NCAA Division I heavyweight wrestling champion) and Lashley (a two-time NAIA national champ) are accomplished amateur wrestlers.

Lashley, a WWE performer from 2005-2008, defeated Joshua Franklin in just 41 seconds at a Mixed Fighting Alliance event in Florida.

Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, a content-partner site of Yahoo! Sports. For the latest MMA news and rumors, go to www.mmajunkie.com.