TWIN FALLS - Mixed martial arts isn't what most people think. Sure, there's a ring, fighters in tights and padded gloves, maybe a championship belt at the professional level. But this is the real deal.

Lee Anderson's USA Grappling will present a night of amateur mixed martial arts fights Saturday at the CSI Eldon Evans Expo Center. The card boasts 14 bouts in a professional-sized octagonal cage (similar to a boxing ring, but with eight sides and a fence rather than ring ropes). With mixed martial arts, any fighting style could be the right style. From sparring to kickboxing to grappling to freestyle wrestling, no two fighters are the same, and the eclectic combination of fighting styles makes for a thrilling show.

"The interest worldwide is peaking right now," Anderson, the event promoter, said of the decision to bring the fights to Twin Falls. "Spike (TV), Showtime, Versus, pay-per-views â€- it's the most popular sport on the planet right now and the timing is pefect."

Many fighters are from the Magic Valley and Sun Valley areas, but many will come from other parts of Idaho, Utah and Montana. Fighters like Ryan Henstock, Matt Rivera, Johnny Trujillo and Kyle Segovis - better known as Team Anarchy - are among some of the local participants.

The fights will closely follow the uniform rules of nearly all mixed martial arts promotions - namely the World Combat Sanctioning Federation - though the rules will be a little tighter because of the fighters' amateur status. It's just part of the reason that mixed martial arts fighting has become more mainstream from the early days when there were very few restrictions on body blows.

With amateur fights, there are three three-minute rounds with a one-minute rest period between rounds. It's different from the pros, who fight three five-minute rounds. Championships are decided by five five-minute rounds.

"There will be some variations to protect fighters while they gain more experience," Anderson said. "Safety comes first."

Just as with fights put on by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) or other promotions, fights can end by knock out, submission, the sanctioned referee can stop the fight or a fighter's corner can throw in the towel if it believes the fighter can no longer intelligently defend himself.

"It's so diverse that you can never tell," Anderson said. "That's what makes it so exciting. I've seen it all really."

Anderson is the current Xtreme Fight Series World Lightweight Champion, a title he won in Boise last December. His opponent in February forfeited the match, and his next title defense is scheduled for September in Boise. His choice to bring the fights to Twin Falls stems from the location of his training gym in Hailey and the success of the XFS fights in Boise and other parts of the West.

As a part of XFS, amateur fighters will get the chance to show their mettle for a chance to possibly go pro with that organization or another.

This will be USA Grappling's first fight in Twin Falls, and as Anderson hopes, the first of many. He's lined up another night of fights in TwinFalls on Aug. 26, but that show will be a pro-am. Jacen Flynn, who fights out of Twin Falls, is scheduled in the main event. Flynn has many credentials, but his defeat of Dean Lister -a headliner with the King of the Cage and UFC promotions and an instructor for season three of The Ultimate Fighter, UFC's reality show on Spike TV - by decision is among the highlights.

Saturday's fighters aren't doing this for the money. They're doing it for the competition and the fans' enjoyment.

If you go ... USA Grappling presents a night of amateur mixed martial arts action Where: CSI Eldon Evans Expo Center, Twin Falls When: Saturday, June 30, doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets: $30 for ringside, $25 for reserved seating, $20 for bleachers and $15 for general admission in the mezzanine. Tickets can be purchased at the Pressbox, Woody's and Automotive Clinic on Blue Lakes Boulevard in Twin Falls or at the gate.