Growing up in a two-bedroom apartment with three brothers, Todd Chattelle had no choice but to learn how to defend himself at an early age.

"The crap just rolled downhill," Chattelle said. "The biggest one would beat on the next one, and then that one would beat on the next one, and so on and so forth. Then our youngest brother, Josh, grew up and beat on all of us!"

Nearly two decades later, "The Hulk" is still dishing out punishment, except now he gets paid to use his fists. As only the third professional cage fighter signed to Jimmy Burchfield’s roster at Classic Entertainment & Sports – joining the late Doug Bolanes Jr. and Boston native Alex Karalexis.

UFC and WEC veteran Alex “T-Rex” Karalexis is returning to the ring, signing with Rhode Island based promotion CES (Classic Entertainment and Sport).

The Boston-born Karalexis will enter with an overall record of 10-5, with his last bout coming last year in the WEC. He lost via submission to the last WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Karalexis is well known as one of the original cast members of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. 10 of his 15 career professional fights have been competed within the UFC and WEC. Some of his more memorable bouts include his first round TKO victory over Josh Rafferty at the TUF 1 finale, his war with fellow Bostonian Kenny Florian at the first UFC Fight Night, and his WEC slugfest with Thomas Denny.

In signing with the fast-rising east coast promotion, Karalexis has announced that he is returning to the 170 pound division. Even though standing 5′ 8″, he says the cut to 155 is just not comfortable for him at this stage of his career and he decided to return to the weight-class that he found the most success within. Karalexis teaches and trains with two of the most renown camps in Massachusetts; South Shore Sport Fighting (home to high level pro’s like Josh Grispi, Frederic Belleton, and Ken Stone) and Mark Dellagrotte’s Sityodtong.

The 32 year old’s ring-return date is set for Friday, June 10th, 2011 at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island though no opponent has yet been announced. CES head Jimmy Burchfield, a long time Boxing promoter, has shown a commitment to growing the MMA side of his business. He’s had many of the top New England veterans compete on his cards including new Belletor fighter Greg Rebello, WEC vet Mike Campbell, and UFC vet Dany Lauzon. According to Burchfield, bring Karalexis on board is a monumental move for CES; “This is a landmark signing in our history. Fighters such as Alex Karalexis represent the sport with the same honor, integrity and competitiveness that we require from all of our fighters, both in boxing and mixed martial arts”. Details of the contract have not been released.

Rather than wait by the phone, Saul “The Spider” Almeida chose his own destiny, bringing his credentials to the only promoter on his radar and landing a new contract with the fastest-growing promotional company in mixed martial arts.

Fresh off a big win over Tateki Matsuda on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Almeida (10-1) signed a long-term promotional agreement with Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., an easy decision for the Framingham, Mass., featherweight considering his last three fights prior to Saturday’s appearance at "Bellator 48" came on the undercard of CES shows.

"Locally, there’s no one else I’d rather fight for," said Almeida, 22, who is ranked No. 10 in the world among locals by Arizona-based website ULTMMA.com and No. 5 in the region among 145-pounders by NortheastMMA.net.

"They blow all the other promoters away. They treat me so well with everything and their events are awesome. I think it’s the best show in New England by far and that’s why I chose to stay with CES. The match-ups they put together, the venues they fight in, their marketing – there’s just no comparison. They treat me well. This was the right deal for me; it’s a win-win."

While the Brookline, Mass., native might not look the part, he’s every bit the competitor once the bell rings. In less than four years as a professional on the mixed martial arts’ circuit, Rehm (6-5, 6 KOs) has found truth in the old adage that every puncher does, in fact, have a chance, yet his success is based on more than just the ability to land the knockout blow. With a deep background in law enforcement, elite training partners, and a wealth of knowledge built from decades of experience in various forms of hand-to-hand combat, Rehm is living proof that not everything is what it appears to be on the surface.

On the undercard of Classic Entertainment & Sports’ “Nowhere To Hide” show Sept. 9 at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I, Rehm stood toe-to-toe with chiseled, 29-year-old Burrillville native Steve Skrzat. The tale of the tape painted a grim outlook for Rehm, but the veteran pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year, knocking Skrzat out cold with a sneaky right hand to the chin just 29 seconds into the opening round. The victory lifted Rehm to 6-5 and left an immediate impression on CES president Jimmy Burchfield Sr., who ultimately signed Rehm to a promotional agreement, adding another savvy veteran to Burchfield’s talented stable of fighters.

“I’ve been to the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championships] and I’ve seen their professionalism, how they handle themselves, and how they take care of fighters. CES emulates that,” Rehm said. “Out of nowhere, two weeks prior to my fight [Sept. 9], the Rhode Island commission wanted extra medicals because of my age. [CES matchmaker] Pat [Sullivan] did everything he could to make it happen.

“That’s huge. Most promoters make you find a way to get it done. Believe it or not, something as simple as that makes a huge difference. They are very, very professional. Jimmy is nothing but class, and it goes a long way with me. When they asked me to sign, I knew it was a good fit. I’m at home with CES.”

“Scott Rehm is everything we look for in a fighter,” Burchfield said. “We don’t just want quality athletes; we want quality people, and Scott is an extraordinary fighter, as well as a devoted family man who serves as the perfect role model for all up-and-coming fighters. This is going to be a tremendous journey.”

As the husband of a Gulf War veteran, a father of four daughters ranging in age from 11 to 19, and the director and head instructor of ProElite Training Center and Fitness in Sandwich, Mass., Rehm has a full-time life outside of the cage.

He trains everyone from doctors and lawyers – “everyday folks,” as he calls them – to various professional athletes, including UFC veteran Jorge Rivera and former National Hockey League enforcer Paul Mara, who spent time with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Rehm also teaches military and law-enforcement personnel the art of Krav Maga, an Isreali self-defense mechanism based on striking techniques and counterattacks.

Through his connections in the combat sports’ world, Rehm briefly tried his hand at amateur kickboxing, but lost all three bouts.

“There were too many rules,” he said.

Years later, while working with local mixed martial arts icons Keith Rockel of Amherst, Mass., and fellow Massachusetts standout Kenny Florian, a veteran of 17 UFC shows, Rehm decided cage fighting might be a better fit.

“I had always watched MMA and thought to myself, ‘Maybe that’s something I should take a peek at,’” he said.

With no amateur experience – “There weren’t a whole lot of fights at the time,” he recalled – Rehm made his professional debut in October of 2007 against Ron McEvily in Plymouth, Mass.

“The kid was the 2006 AAU [American Athletic Union] Taekwondo champion – 6-foot-4, chiseled, fresh out of the service,” Rehm said, “and I knocked him out.”

Rehm won four of his first six bouts, all by knockout within the first two rounds, thanks in large part to the help of South Boston-based boxing coach Peter Welch, who also works with Florian and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, and former featherweight boxer Tommy Connors, who owns the fastest knockout in Boston Garden history (13 seconds vs. Lloyd Wilson in 1970).

“I started falling in love with striking,” Rehm said. “The balance and footwork that goes along with boxing is amazing. To translate that into mixed martial arts, I’m more comfortable standing up than I am on the ground. All fights start standing up, so I always have a shot at putting you on your duff.”

As for his ground game, Rehm admits it’s still a work in progress – “The ground game is so graceful … it’s like ballet,” he said – but he’s currently training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor Tim Burrill, which Rehm hopes will add another dimension to his game.

“The more confidence I gain on the ground, the more confident I’ll be letting my hands go,” Rehm said. “I’ll be less worried about hitting the ground.

“Timmy is phenomenal,” he added. “The well I’m drinking out of when it comes to my education in this sport is the top of MMA and the UFC and the top of the NHL and professional hockey. I’m really lucky, and that’s what I transfer to my students.”

Now Rehm has a promoter in his corner to help him reach his ultimate goal, which, simply put, is to fight his “best fight.” At 43, he’s more concerned with being the best he can be on any given night rather than winning a world title or rising to the top of the rankings.

“Maybe I’ve already had [my best fight] – I don’t know,” Rehm said. “At one point, I thought I should put a time frame on it, but I don’t want to have an hourglass running out on me. I’m not a young guy, so you won’t see me fighting four times a year. I need more time to recover. Training camp beats the crap out of you, and it’s a lot of stress at home. I have a family and a business to run; I don’t have a destination with a checkered flag.

“I’m in there to test myself and see where I stack up,” he added. “I feel like at least I belong here. I don’t think I’m a pushover or an easy fight for anybody. Maybe if people expect less of you, that’s when you shock the hell out of them.

“I didn’t take my first pro fight until I was 39, and I’m still having fun. As long as my health is there and my wife says it’s OK, why not still have fun?”