lock-up torque converter to the 700-R4 bellhousing.

Hardy admits that he had a wee bit of stagefright before he inserted the key in the ignition for the first time. "I had never done an L98-to-LS1 conversion before and didn't know what to expect. When I hesitatingly turned the key, the new engine responded instantly and filled my ears with its tailpipe symphony," he says.

Six seconds later the performance ended when the LS1 mysteriously shut off. "I was ecstatic that the engine had roared to life, but completely baffled why it wouldn't stay running," Hardy says.

Lovell at AntiVenom had the answer. The GM ECM (a $90 eBay find) that Hardy installed featured a vehicle anti-theft system, or VATS, that had forced the engine into shut-down mode. "I went to hiswins, over Josh Thomson, Benson Henderson and Derek Campos.

On his end, Huerta, who had most of his post-Bellator fights under the ONE Championship banner, has lost three out of his past five bouts. The 35-year-old recently had his first winning streak in years halted when he returned to the promotion, back in April, for a Bellator 196 headliner with Benson Henderson. Huerta lost via second-round submission.

Freire is aware that Huerta’s recent run hasn’t been the best. But, at the same time, he believes Huerta is a “big name,” who has weapons os his own. And the Brazilian is adamant in that he’s in no way looking past his competition.

“We have seen guys who were far inferior, who were massive underdogs in fights, who ended up knocking out big