It’s recently been announced that Jon Fitch has been forced to pull out of his upcoming rematch with BJ Penn. The two first met at UFC 127 in February, and fought to a very close Draw. The rematch would’ve taken place at UFC 132 in July. Instead, Penn is now sitting on the sidelines waiting for a replacement to be named. Here’s a quick list of the five fighters I think Penn should face now that his rematch with Fitch is off the table. ...

While DaMarques Johnson had only two-weeks notice for his bout with Amir Sadollah, he looked the least but worried about the pace early in the first-round, where he managed to work the season seven winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" to the mat over, and over again. It's always been the knock against Sadollah, his lack or rather inability to properly defend the takedown, but to his credit, he is facing higher levels of competition than he may be accustomed to. Most people forget that this welterweight prospect cut his teeth as a mixed martial artist inside the UFC. Sadollah has had no professional fights outside of the octagon, and while he has been viewed as the whimsical, fan-favorite with a clever sense of humor, maybe now people will take him more seriously as a fighter with his dominating win over Johnson ...

A battle of "The Ultimate Fighter" veterans will be taking place towards the end of the month, as DaMarques Johnson will be taking on fan favorite Amir Sadollah at "UFC Fight Night 24". The event, which is also dubbed "UFN: Nogueira vs. Davis" will feature a light heavyweight match-up with talents Antonio Rogerio Nogueira--twin brother of former PRIDE and UFC champ "Minotauro" Nogueira--and Phil Davis, in the main-event of the evening. DaMarques steps up on short notice for an injured James Wilks, who was originally set to meet with Sadollah in an anticipated welterweight affair, pitting two winner's of the popular TUF series. ...

ufc “Fight Night 24”, currently scheduled for March 26, 2011, is quickly shaping up to be one of the biggest, most important “Fight Night” specials of quite some time. In the main event, Tito Ortiz will fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a fight that, if Ortiz loses, will likely end up being the last main event Ortiz is ever booked in, the last UFC fight Ortiz ever has, and even perhaps the last fight of Tito Ortiz’s MMA career as a whole. Add in fights like Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson and you’ve got quite an event that’s shaping up. Recently, two new fights have been announced for the event. ...

Phil Baroni, if anything else, will be remembered as "that guy" who fought Matt Lindland twice, nearly knocking out the well established Olympic wrestler on both occasions, and who battled against former ufc middleweight champion Evan Tanner on two separate occasions as well. Never "the best eva", however, Baroni has become one of the most polarizing figures in the sport today. Beginning his career in the 185-pound division where he had picked up some of the largest wins of his career, which includes an 18-second drubbing of former middleweight champ Dave Menne, in what has to be remembered as one of the greatest knockouts of all time. Emaciating himself to the 170-pound division for his last several fights, "The New York Bad Ass" returns to where it all began in, when he makes his way back to the middleweight division in hopes to deliver another career highlight reel. ...

It seems that Vitor Belfort’s path to the ufc Middleweight Championship is taking yet another detour. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion was tentatively penned as the next challenger to Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva all the way back in September 2009, when he made his return to the promotion by scoring a huge knockout over former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin in a catchweight bout. Since then, injuries (both Belfort’s and Silva’s) have ping-ponged this fight back and forth from one event to another. Now it may not even happen. MMAJunkie.com recently reported that Vitor Belfort is moving forward with plans to return in November…but against Yushin Okami. Everything is still pure speculation at this point, since nothing has been officially announced, but here’s what’s known so far. ...

Awoke to the sun shining and my thoughts about UFC 114 running rampant in my head. So as always "The Reverend of MMA" will bring you the gospel on yet another event, UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad. ...

UFC 107 takes place in Memphis Saturday headlined by Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (12-4-1) versus tenth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2-0).  A fight we are not scheduled to see is undefeated Johny Hendricks (6-0) versus UFC newcomer Ricardo Funch (7-0) as it is slated for the prelims. This is robbery at it's finest.

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The remaining bouts for UFC 106 on November 21 in Las Vegas Nevada are now finalized, the UFC announced today. Topping the bill is the return of former UFC light heavyweight champion "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) as he is set to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in a rematch of the 2006 fight that was Griffin's first loss in the UFC. ...

Welterweight matchups between “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-11) and The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1) and “Killa B” Ben Saunders (7-1-2) and  “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (16-5) and a lightweight matchup between  George Sotiropoulos (10-2) and "Dynamite" Jason Dent (20-9) were officially announced for UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21 by the UFC Wednesday. ...

UFC welterweights "New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (13-11) and The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1) have agreed to fight, Fighters.com has confirmed.

Inside Fights reports the matchup will be at UFC 106 in Las Vegas 21 November.

Baroni was released by Strikeforce 14 August before signing to return to the Octagon for the first time since going to sleep in a guillotine by “Drago” Pete Sell (8-5) at UFC 51 in Las Vegas in February 2005. Baroni called his UFC contract "an offer I couldn't refuse."

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"When you get to see the fight in slow motion, you can see that [Amir Sadollah (1-1)] was out and then, after a couple of strikes, wakes back up and starts trying to stand back up," UFC referee Dan Miragliotta told Fighters.com Sunday night in response to the outrage here and across the MMA media after Johny Hendricks (6-0) TKO'd the charasmatic The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Sadollah in 29 seconds in Hendricks's Octagon debut at UFC 101 in Philadelphia Saturday. Miragliotta emphasized, "You know me and have spoken with me about other fights, my job is to protect the fighters and I try and do my best to do that." Sadollah began the fight lunging forward in a 1-2 combination, but ate a Hendricks straight left that backed Sadollah up stunned. Hendricks smelled blood in the Octagon and followed Sadollah landing a series of uppercuts. ...

Hirsute welterweight Johny Hendricks (6-0) whipped The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1) in 29 seconds at UFC 101 in Philadelphia Saturday night. Sadollah lunged forward with a sharp 1-2, but Hendricks weaved a straight left inside Sadollah's guard. Sadollah backpeddaled and Hendricks stalked with another left that dropped Sadollah. After several undefended left hooks to Sadollah's head, referee Dan Miragliota ended the fight. ...

Fighters.com will post real-time results after each UFC 101 Declaration fight Saturday night. Post your predictions here before the fights. Logon often tonight and chat about the fights immediately after they end. The fight card from Philadelphia includes: "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (13-5-1) v "KenFlo" Kenny Florian (11-3) for the UFC lightweight strap Fighters.com's third-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (16-5) v UFC middleweight champ "“Spider” Anderson Silva (24-4) in 205-pound matchup ...

Mac Danzig (17-5-1) will face lightweight “Dentist” Josh Neer (24-7-1), and Nick Catone (6-0) will face Amir Sadollah (1-0) in a middleweight match-up at Ultimate Fight Night 17 in Las Vegas 7 February, although the UFC has yet to officially announce the event. Danzig announced his fight via MySpace and Catone confirmed the bout to iguillotine. Catone and Sadollah were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 91 in November, but Sadollah was forced to withdraw days before the bout due to a leg infection. Danzig will look to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to “Carpenter” Clay Guida (24-9) at Fight Night 15 in September. Neer also lost his last fight at the same event via split decision to Nathan Diaz (10-2). Catone, who will be making his UFC debut, won his last three fights via first-round TKO.  Most recently he defeated Eric Tavares (5-9) in June. Sadollah last fought in June, submitting “Doberman” CB Dollaway (7-1) with an armbar to become the winner of TUF 7. ...

TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah (1-0) has been forced off the UFC 91 card due to a leg infection, the UFC announced Tuesday. Sadollah was scheduled to face UFC newcomer Nick Catone (6-0) Saturday in Las Vegas. The UFC was unable to secure a replacement, so the middleweight match has been cancelled.  Instead, the welterweight match-up between “McLovin” Dustin Hazelett (12-4) and “Barn Cat” Tamdan McCrory (10-1) has been bumped up to the main card on pay-per-view. Hazelett submitted “People’s Warrior” Josh Burkman via armbar in round two at the TUF 7 finale in June. McCrory won a unanimous decision over Luke Cummo (6-6) at UFC 87 in August. ...

TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah (1-0) will face Ring of Combat veteran Nick Catone (5-0) in a middleweight bout, and Jeremy Stephens (13-3) will face lightweight Rafael dos Anjos (11-2) 15 November at UFC 91 in Las Vegas, the organization announced Friday. Sadollah submitted “Doberman” CB Dollaway (7-1) via first-round armbar in June to win the previous season of The Ultimate Fighter. Catone, who will make his UFC debut, finished his last four fights in the first round, most recently TKO’ing Eric Tavares (5-9) in June. Stephens dropped a unanimous decision to “King” Spencer Fisher (21-4) in June at the TUF finale. UFC newcomer dos Anjos is riding a nine-fight win streak, most recently winning a split decision over Takafumi Otsuka (6-3-1). ...

Evan Tanner was one of the guys I watched and was in awe of before I seriously got into fighting.  I was lucky enough to train with him a few times, and am glad I had the opportunity to do so.  I had one of those "wow I'm fighting on the same card as this guy I look up to" moments when I realized we shared a warm-up room during my last fight.  He will missed and remembered by us all. - Amir Sadollah (1-0), TUF 7 Champion ...

Three TUF champions highlighted the action in Las Vegas Saturday night: the original, the past, and the future. The future shines brilliantly for The Ultimate Fighter's newest blast into the mainstream consciousness, Amir Sadollah (1-0). In his professional debut, Sadollah tapped "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-1) in an armbar at 3:02 of round one to win the seventh season of the popular SpikeTV reality show contest. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (19-2), one of the two original Ultimate Fighters, looked physically fitter than ever in his third-round TKO of American Top Team's Luigi Fioravanti (12-4) at 4:07. After back-to-back "embarrasing" losses, "Spyder" Kendall Grove (9-5), TUF 3 champion, recaptured past glory in a three-round split decision over former UFC titlist Evan Tanner (32-8). The likeable young TUF walk-on from Virginia, Sadollah, versus the cocky All-American favorite, Dollaway, was a rematch of an exhibition fight fought on the final episode of last season's The Ultimate Fighter. Saturday's finish was almost a replay of that fight's end. ...

The Ultimate Fighter wasted no time this week in getting into the action as the final semi-final match got on between middleweight “The Doberman” CB Dollaway (6-0) and Amir Sadollah (0-0). Immediately, both fighters came out striking and spent the first part of the round striking and circling, feeling each other out.  Amir landed a left roundhouse kick to the body of CB, knocking CB to the mat. However, Amir moved in too quickly and CB was able to get a double leg take down that he turned into a slam. Amir then pulled guard and attempted and arm bar as CB worked the ground'n'pound that has thus far been successful for him.  Amir was able to avoid most shots as well as stopping CB from passing his guard. Eventually, Amir was able to sweep CB off of him and get to his feet where he landed a body shot that visibly shook up CB.  However, CB recovered and was able to get another take down.  He passed to half guard, then took Amir’s back with 15 seconds to go in the round.  The round ended with CB in mount on Amir. ...

The pack has been cut from 32 to six. Two were slated for the chopping block on Wednesday night's episode with the winners moving on toward the prize of a six-figure contract. Dante Rivera (10-2) was pitted against Jesse Taylor (6-2). Matt Brown (9-6) scrapped with lanky amateur Amir Sadollah (0-0). With the quarter finals looming, a coin was flipped to assign the coaches to the four fighters. Jesse and Amir had Forrest Griffin (15-4) backing them. "Rampage" Quinton Jackson(29-6) cornerd Dante Rivera and Matt Brown. Jesse, who confessed he enjoys dipping microwaved cheeseburgers in ranch dressing, put on the rubber suit and, like fighters have done for years when they need to cut weight...played Ping Pong? By the time Jesse left for the hot tub, the table and floor were splattered with pools of sweat. He was courteous enough to step away from the hot tub where he politely urinated in his shorts, claimed it "feels good on my leg", splashed his feet in the yellow puddle, and jumped back into the water. His opponent joined him soon after and soaked in Jesse's waste, a sign of things to come. ...

By Jon Grilz UFC President Dana White began this week's The Ultimate Fighter episode explaining what many people have had on their minds since last week's episode: Why didn’t the fight between Cale Yarbrough (0-0) and Patrick Schultz (5-1-1) go to a third round? Simple.  Round two was scored 10-8 in favor of Yarbrough. While Schultz has a legitimate beef, it was Fighters.com’s top-ranked light heavyweight “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) who took his aggression out on fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4), telling Griffin that there upcoming title fight won’t go to a decision. Forrest then had what he referred to as a “man period”, smashing through one of the doors in the training center and shadow boxing while a very confused White was left to wonder exactly what was happening to his coaches. Meanwhile, the remaining fight was set between "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-0) and Nick Klein (4-0). CB is a former All-American wrestler at Arizona State University and entered MMA because he lacked options after college wrestling.  His strength and skill have made him a dangerous fighter, as Rampage found out first hand. After being mocked by Rampage for getting caught in a kneebar in practice, CB delivered a light kick to Rampage's side, provoking his coach to strip off his socks and go toe-to-toe with CB. Rampage shot for a double-leg takedown which CB turned into a guillotine choke, submitting the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champ. While Klein had received praise from his coaches for his jiu-jitsu and all-around ability, he seemed to be a bit self-deprecating, referring to himself as the “weak link” on the team. Back at the training center, Forrest found a way to release some of the tension he was carrying from Rampage’s earlier comments. Griffin found a net gun and proceeded to shoot Rampage as he sat against the cage after a sparring session. Rampage took it all in good spirits, seeming to be more concerned that his family saw him “get netted” on national television, than anything else. As for the fight between CB and Nick, it was fast, intense, and technically advanced. The fight opened with CB attempting a leg kick, which Nick caught and turned into a takedown. CB rolled with the takedown and attempted a guillotine choke.  Nick escaped and turtled up.  CB rotated to the back, but made no attempts to sink his hooks in.  Nick went for a knee bar escape from turtle and almost sunk it before CB was able to twist free.  Nick countered by rolling to guard and attempting an arm bar, which CB muscled out of. CB then began reigning down punches inside Klein's open guard while attempting to pass to side control several times.  After finally passing Nick’s guard, CB maintained side control only for a moment as Nick was able to pull half-guard again and attempt another arm bar. Once again, CB passed the guard and Nick rolled to turtle position.  CB continued to reign down punches, most of which landed on the back of Nick’s head, opening a small cut. Again, Nick rolled to guard, attempting one final arm bar that failed just as time expired in the round. Round two began with Nick coming out and working his jab.  CB countered with leg kicks that seemed to upset Nick.  So, Nick returned the leg kicks before attempting a few more jabs.  Then, to the dismay of his corner, Nick pulled guard and took the fight to the mat. Nick was able to keep CB’s posture broken for a short time while he tried to land blows from the bottom; but, CB began to pass and Nick again rolled to turtle.  Klein then attempted another knee bar escape. Unfortunately for Nick, CB seemed prepared this time and rolled with the attempt, ending up in guillotine position.  CB then pulled half-guard and sank the choke.  Nick was forced to tap out. Winner by second-round guillotine choke submission: CB Dollaway With the final preliminary fight out of the way, it was time for the semi-final match-ups to be set. Fighters were called in one at a time and asked whom they would most like to fight.  Most fighters were ambivalent about their next opponent, except CB who only wanted to fight Cale. Cale’s mocking comments had been piling up on CB and finally tipped the scale when Cale made a comment questioning CB’s sexuality and choice of sunglasses. The semi-final match-ups were set: Jesse Taylor (6-2) v Dante Rivera (10-2) Amir Sadollah (0-0) v Matt Brown (9-6) Daniel Cramer (0-0) v Tim Credeur (9-2) CB Dollaway(6-0) v Cale Yarbrough (0-0) ...

Fighters.com’s top-ranked light heavyweight “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) finally got make his first match-up on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter Wednesday.

Team Jackson drafted Gerald Harris (6-2) to face Team Forrest’s Amir Sadollah (0-0) in what Rampage dubbed “the classis wrassler” versus kickboxer match-up.

Rampage was high on Harris, with whom he shares fight styles.  They like to slam opponents and pound them.

Fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4) had questions about Amir’s confidence before the match.

 Gerald Harris (6-2) v Amir Sadollah (0-0)

Ding, ding!  Harris immediately shot in and drove Sadollah to the fence for a double-leg takedown.

From Amir’s half-guard, Harris landed a few punches and short elbows.  Amir controlled his posture to minimize the damage.

Sadollah was able to stand back up and Harris clinched him up looking for another takedown.  Again, Harris brutally slammed Amir like a child.

After some light G’n’P, Gerald once again slammed Amir and fought from Sadollah’s open guard.

Working to their feet again, Amir threw a big knee, but missed, setting up Gerald for the low single.  Gerald grabbed on to Amir’s leg; but, Amir managed to reverse the position before Gerald could take him down.

Amir was trying to get Harris in the crucifix position, popping Harris with two elbows to the body in the process.  Gerald escaped as Amir tried to take his back and Harris drove Sadollah against the fence to finish the round.

Amir began round two determined to keep his feet.  He connected with a couple of sharp leg kicks before Harris pushed him against the fence again for the takedown.

From the top, Gerald landed a wide-arcing elbow before standing again.

Amir, who had been getting dominated to this point, responded with a knee that looked like it stunned Harris.  Gerald looked immediately for another takedown and shot in low, grabbing Amir’s leg near the ankle.

Refusing to the let go of the leg, Gerald eats a few body shots from Amir, who tries to take his back.  Harris escaped the ensuing scramble and took Amir down against the fence.

The fighters stand back up; and, Amir, sensing defeat landed a right knee to the jaw of Harris that dropped him for a flash knockout.

Harris turtled-up and grabbed Amir’s leg instinctually.  Sadollah threw a few punches before the referee stopped the fight.

Winner by technical knockout: Amir Sadollah

Rampage was depressed because Gerald was one of his favorites.  Harris was crushed and enraged.  Neither had time to lament on the loss as the final fight pairings for the first round were quickly named.

Team Forrest selected Cale Yarbrough (0-0) to face Team Rampage’s replacement fighter, Patrick Schultz (5-1-1), leaving Team Forrest’s Nick Klein (3-0) versus Team Rampage’s top pick, CB Dollaway (6-0)

Both Yarbrough and Schultz are stand-up specialists and make a “no jiu-jitsu” truce. 

Forrest said Yarbrough could beat anyone in the house as long as they stayed away from “that hippie stuff”, referring to wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Patrick said he was looking forward to having a kickboxing match ending in a knockout.

Cale Yarbrough (0-0) v Patrick Schultz (5-1-1)

Early on, the fight between Yarbrough and Schultz looked exactly as hyped.  Yarbrough threw a high kick that Schultz caught and used to send him to the mat; but, Schultz allowed Cale to stand right back up.  They wanted to bang!  The boxing match continued and Schultz was effectively working his jab, mixing in a few power punches.

Both men were content to strike and neither would capitalize on the many openings for takedowns.  Schultz appeared to have a more technical boxing game and was getting the best of the stand-up.

Finally, with 1:45 left in the round, Cale realized he was getting picked apart.  He shot in for a double-leg takedown and, with no defense from Schultz, got in Schultz’s guard, pounding him with hammer fists.

After about a minute, the fighters stood and Cale scored another easy takedown, ending the round with some light G’n’P inside Schultz’s guard.

Fighters.com scored this round 10-9 for Schultz.

Schultz, looking gassed, wanted no part of the ground game.  He came out swinging to start the second round.

Cale got another takedown into Schultz’s half-guard.  The fight stayed on the mat the entire round; and, Yarbrough was dominant.  He connected with punches and a few elbows while keeping Schultz’s back on the mat.

Cale looked like he was getting stronger and gaining confidence as the round wore on.

Schultz, however, was gassed out.  He wasn’t trying to escape, just trying to avoid the stoppage.

Fighters.com scored the round 10-9 for Yarbrough.

When it was announced that a third round wasn’t necessary, everyone knew the outcome.

Winner by decision: Cale Yarbrough

Rampage was upset, thinking Schultz had won round one.

Forrest offered Yarbrough for another round.

Schultz told Forrest, “Go back to your corner.  I can’t wait until you fight Rampage.”

Forrest countered with a “Who the fuck are you?” stare.

Rampage warned Forrest, “I bet my whole purse our fight doesn’t end in a decision,” then stormed off.

The first episode of season seven of "The Ultimate Fighter" started fast and furiously right where the previous six seasons began: with UFC President Dana White machine-gunning a barrage of obscenity at a wide-eyed group of knuckleheads, gym rats, the emotionally unstable, and, lurking somewhere within the pack, your next TUF champions, perhaps future UFC world champions. This season added the twist of doubling the field to 32 and matching wannabes to make the cut after just 48-hours in camp. Eight middleweight fights were contested on Wednesday's episode. IFL vet Mike Dolce (3-4) earned the first bed with a first-round right hook knockout of Gurgel Academy fighter Prince McLean (4-5). McLean confessed before the loss, "I don't know what I'm going to do [if I don't make the cut]."  The Cincinnatian broke down in tears on his way back to the Queen City. Season seven coach Forrest Griffin (15-4) warned that a wrestler was the worst match-up for his friend Cale Yarbrough (0-0), but the MMA amateur impressed versus wrestler John Clarke (6-2), who had to ditch 17 pounds to make weight for the fight. Yarbrough wiggled out of two near armbar submissions before pummeling the exhausted Clarke to a TKO in the first round. Another amateur, Amir Sadollah (0-0), also looked tough versus former Marine Steve Byrnes (6-1). I kept waiting for Byrnes to remove his Davy Crocket cap, but apparently "coon tail" was the look he requested on his last barber shop visit. After a scrap that didn't make me feel so out of shape, Sadollah submitted Byrnes in an armbar in the second round. Jeremy May (5-5) is an early contender for the inevitable "Douchebag I Can't Wait to See Smashed" award after taunting season seven's other coach, "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6), after wrapping Jackson's childhood friend David Roberts(5-7) in a leg triangle to earn a bed. "I like making people scream like that," May bragged after the "W". In highlights, CB Dollaway (6-0), Dante Rivera (10-2), Nick Klein (3-0), and Paul Bradley (5-0) earned beds in the TUF house. White dogged relentlessly on the wrestler Bradley for a lay'n'pray decision victory. The drafting of Jackson for coaching duties this season is already paying entertainment dividends. He claimed it was Dolce's B.O. that knocked out McLean in the first fight, saying, "The funk came in the punch!" Is it just me, or is there an irony in center Octagon of the world's most demanding athletic endeavor being papered by a fast-food sponsor? Regardless, it was the fighters' skills on display in the first episode, not their personalities; so, it's hard to latch on to any of the first eight to earn their spot in the final field of 16. Next week will feature the final eight qualifying matches before the coaches choose their teams for the big TUF tournament. ...