DAPHNE, Ala.—“Vendetta”—the fourth installment of Ultimate Event Promotions’ fighting series—is set for 7:30 p.m. July 18 at the Daphne Civic Center; doors open at 6 p.m.

The show—its fourth in Daphne—centers on the increasingly popular mixed martial arts fighting style.

Mainstream wrestling has been supplanted by mixed martial arts, which combines boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu into a brawling hand-to-hand combat hybrid.

Its rising popularity has made the sport’s most successful athletes, such as Randy Couture, into household names.

“Previously, the whole concept of MMA was kind of a cult thing,” Ultimate Event Promotions owner Nelson Berry said.

“Everybody wanted to be a high school quarterback,” he said of the path star athletes often had taken during their formative years.

“Now, some of the best athletes are going into MMA. With a bigger talent pool, MMA is becoming a fixed sport,” he said. “It’s not two guys beating each other’s brains out. It’s a true sport.”

Mixed martial arts has dominated the pay-per-view market in recent years: Eleven of the 12 best-selling pay-per-view events last year were MMA, according to the Nielsen Media Research.

UEP also has noticed an interest surge.

“Our first event was kind of small,” Berry said. “But our last events have been huge.”

“We put on a top-notch production,” Berry said. “If you’ve only seen a match on TV, you need to see it in person. This will be our biggest show.”

Featured teams at the event will include Pensacola Boxing Academy; Team Headhunter; Team Contender; and Team Capitao, “the premier MMA school on the Gulf Coast,” Berry said.

Featured fighters will include Randy James, of Port City MMA of Mobile, fighting for the 155-pound amateur belt; and James Hammortree, of Team Ice out of Ocala, Fla., who will challenge the 185-pound pro belt.

General-admission seats cost $30 in advance or $40 at the door. VIP cage-side seats are $75.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 877-FIGHT40 or by visiting UEPLive.com.