Doctors rushed into the cage, followed by teammates crowding around the unconscious Dan MacIver. His mouth piece sat on the canvas, dripping blood onto the floor below. And the fans cheered on — another exciting finish at Armageddon Fighting Championships, “Aftershock.”

Victoria fight fans were out in full the night of Saturday, March 6, for the local Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion’s second effort.

Five-time UFC veteran Kalib Starns (10-4) submitted Marcus Hicks (10-20) in the first round of the evening’s main event, capping off a night of immensely satisfying fights from what is quickly becoming B.C.’s top MMA organization.

MMA is exactly what it sounds like: a sport that blends a number of martial arts together, like wrestling, boxing, kickboxing and Brazilian jujitsu. The only real rules prohibit biting, eye-gouging, hair pulling and small-joint manipulation.

As MMA continues to gather steam, organizations have sprouted up all over North America, capitalizing on the momentum built by pre-eminent fight promotions like the UFC and Strikeforce.

Jason Heit, Armageddon Fighting Championships CEO and owner of Victoria’s Island MMA gym, built nicely on his first show, “The Big Bang,” with Saturday’s event, striking a deal with the Fight Network to broadcast the fights all across Canada on a two-week delay.

Heit sees more growth in his fledgling company’s future.

“That was part of the development — them recognizing what we did with our first card. We have big dreams for this,” said Heit at the weigh-ins.

“We recognize we have to walk before we run,” he said. “Each show, we’ll take steps and, as long as the fans support us, we’ll keep getting bigger and bigger.”

Like so many regional promotions, “Aftershock” featured a cross-section of the fighter community. Starnes is a former cast member of the UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. His win over Hicks was just his second in three fights since being cut by the UFC in 2008.

“They’re just great guys to work with, Jason and [President] Darren Owen — a pleasure,” said Starnes.

Heit started the company as an “exit strategy” from his career as a fighter.

“It’s been great and a lot of fun. I’m still competing, but I’ve had 47 fights. There’s going to come a time when I stop competing, and this sport has been such a part of my life. I want to continue that,” Heit said.

With buzz around the province that he is running what is quickly becoming B.C.’s top MMA organization, Heit thinks he has a leg up on other promoters.

“I have a huge advantage being a fighter and a promoter. I can see everything from both sides and find the happy medium to make everything fair for everyone,” he said.

While Starnes and Hicks are well into their careers, the show, aptly named “Aftershock,” featured a few up-and-comers. Victoria native and Winnipeg Blue Bomber Justin Shaw made his MMA debut with a stunning stoppage of Bella Coola’s Nathan Williamson, due to cuts at just 58 seconds into the first round.

“I was excited, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat. I just wanted to get in there,” said Shaw of his pre-fight experience. “I think I’m hooked.”

Diego Wilson, who trains at ZUMA gym in Vic West, ran his record to 5-0 with a first round rear naked choke submission of Ryan Leef. Wilson, who trains with one of the greatest female fighters in the world in Sarah Kaufman, dropped Leef with a straight right early in the first round before securing the choke.

The evening’s last two fights gave fans an idea of where this fledgling organization is going. In the co-main event, Nick Hinchcliffe (15-5) knocked MacIver (6-0) out cold in the second round with a flurry of punches against the fence, avenging a previous loss.

After doctors spent 10 minutes attending to the prone MacIver, Hinchcliffe asked for a title shot.

A short while later, Starnes stood victorious over Hicks, and answered Hinchcliffe’s call.

“There’s a lot of great local talent here and I hope to comeback next show and fight Nick for the first ever middleweight belt,” Starnes told the crowd.

As the night wound down, Heit was bemused by all the talk of title shots and championship belts.

“We don’t even have a belt system yet. We won’t until we get enough guys fighting for it that we have clear, deserving contenders. Maybe sooner rather than later though, with how rapid our growth’s been,” he said.

With growth at such a pace, it would not be surprising to see the AFC’s next event challenge Edmonton-based Maximum Fighting Championships (for whom Heit fights) for Canada’s top MMA promotion.

“Only time will tell, I guess,” said Heit as he stood in the middle of the cage in a mostly empty arena.