“A Closer Look At UFC 133” enters its second day, covering the complete UFC 133 card in full detail. The first two parts of the series, looking at the preliminary match-ups on both Spike TV and Facebook, have already been posted. Part 1 is available here, Part 2 can be seen here. Today’s first entry is also the first entry covering the Pay-Per-View portion of the card. It’s Mike Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald, and this is “A Closer Look At UFC 133”. ...

By John Moody In part 2 of our audio discussion with MMA nutrition specialist, Mike Dolce - founder of The Dolce Diet, we talk about a number of UFC fighters and their weight cut issues or lack there of, in the case of Frankie Edgar. Dolce takes you inside his work with welterweight Mike Pyle and his amazing weight cut and rehydration at UFC 128. He also comments on Anthony Johnson, who just defeated Dan Hardy, but has had trouble making weight in the past.   Interesting topic for MMA fans. Click through to listen to part 2 with Mike Dolce. ...

By John Moody Kris McCray was favored by many to win the Ultimate Fighter 11 final against Court McGee, yet fell short in the second round.  With a loss in his first official Octagon fight at UFC 122 to Carlos Rocha, McCray is now itching to get back in the win column against John Hathaway at UFC Fight Night 24, in Seattle this Saturday. McCray will be in good hands with UFC Lightweight Champion, Frankie Edgar, in his corner as he goes against Hathaway, a former hot commodity until his upset loss to Mike Pyle at UFC 120. McCray took some time to sit down with Fighters.com recently to talk about his upcoming fight, thoughts on the UFC/Strikeforce deal, and the always hot-topic of foot stomps in the cage. Click through to watch. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to a new series simply called “Prelims Predictions”. When I normally do my “Picks and Predictions” piece for an upcoming MMA card, I usually only focus on the main/televised card. For Strikeforce it’s the Showtime broadcast, for the UFC it’s the Pay-Per-View lineup, etc. But now more and more the major players in MMA are giving fans easy access to preliminary fights, and the UFC in particular is leading the trend with multiple free prelims on Facebook and Spike TV for UFC 128 this Saturday. As this idea grows in popularity and more and more fans tune in to watch these prelims, I think it’s only natural that I give my thoughts on them in order to both talk more about the fights I enjoy and give exposure to a pretty entertaining series. So here we go with the first edition of “Prelims Predictions”, featuring my predictions for the UFC 128: “Shogun vs. Jones” preliminary fights. ...

By John Moody Ricardo Almeida wants to get back on the main card of UFC PPV events.  To do so, he must beat Mike Pyle on Saturday night at UFC 128 in Newark, NJ.  No easy task.  Pyle is fresh off his best performence in years, taking out the heralded John Hathaway. How does Almeida spend his final days before a fight? What does he hate the most about his weight cut?  Click through to watch our interview from just two days ago after one of his final workouts at Renzo Gracie's gym in mid-town Manhattan. Click through. ...

By John Moody Ricardo Almeida has won four of last five fights in the UFC, recently winning a unanimous decision over TJ Grant, which eased the blow of a high profile loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 117.  At 34, “The Big Dog” does not have any Randy Couture or Dan Henderson age-defying DNA to source and fully realizes it is go-time, right now, to start a win streak and return to the conversation at the top of the 170lb division. ...

Brazilian welterweight Ricardo Almeida will be fighting in familiar territory come March. The Renzo Gracie protege is scheduled to face off against veteran Mike Pyle when the UFC ventures to New Jersey once again next March. Almeida recently bounced back from an embarrassing submission loss to former champion Matt Hughes, with a decision victory over Canadian TJ Grant at UFC 124 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With the win over Grant earlier this month, Almeida has now won four his last five bouts inside the octagon, and hopes to extend his win streak to two-in-a-row with a win over Pyle. ...

UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama” delivered a lot to MMA fans over in the UK. British fans got a good card with good-to-great fights after a year-long drought, and the event itself had so many fans attend that it was able to crack the top ten list of the most-attended events in UFC history. However, the UFC’s success in live gate attendance is tempered with the news that the show didn’t perform as well in its tape-delayed broadcast on Spike TV, as well as the fact that several fighters are looking at lengthy suspensions following UFC 120. Here are all the details. ...

Love him or hate him, cocky veteran Mike Pyle has finally found a foothold in the world’s largest and best MMA promotion now that he’s broken the undefeated streak of highly-regarded prospect John Hathaway. Pyle was 2-2 in the ufc before besting Hathaway but still took a lot of time to talk some trash leading up to the fight, a one-two combo that had many hoping and predicting that he would lose. That simply wasn’t the case, and for any who thought that Pyle would be gracious in defeat, that’s not the case either. ...

According to early reports and estimates, UFC 120 was quite a success. This was the first event in London, England since UFC 95 back in February 2009, and UK fans turned out in droves to see top British stars like Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy, alongside up-and-comers John Hathaway and winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 James Wilks. The action-packed night saw several notable moments, and the UFC recently handed out their traditional “Of the Night” bonuses, awarding the night’s top fighters with an additional $60,000 for their spirited performances. Here are all the details regarding the attendance figures and bonuses of UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama”. ...

Welcome back to another edition of “What’s Next”, fans and friends. UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama” has come and gone, and by now fans in the United States have gotten their chance to view the action-packed London, England card courtesy of a tape delayed rebroadcast of the event on Spike TV. The card featured such highlights as Michael Bisping surviving a first-round scare and getting a tough Unanimous Decision win over Yoshihiro Akiyama, while former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit shocked the world and firmly established himself in the UFC with an incredible KO win over Dan Hardy. So what’s next for the winners and losers of UFC 120? Here are my thoughts. ...

The ufc has officially concluded its twentieth double-digit event, UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama”. In the main event, the always-brash, ever-cocky Michael Bisping toughed out a three-round war with Yoshihiro Akiyama to take a big and badly-needed Unanimous Decision win in front of his hometown crowd. However, the highlight of the event saw former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit knock out former UFC Welterweight Championship contender Dan Hardy in the culmination of a very bitter verbal war. Here are the full results to UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama”. ...

Today marks another milestone for the UFC: it’s twentieth triple-digit event. The best and biggest MMA promotion in the planet is celebrating the occasion with a pretty nice card over in England, the birthplace of the UFC’s current drive towards international expansion. In the main event, cocky Brit Michael Bisping will face popular Asian fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama in a clash of nations as well as styles. It all goes down in a couple of hours for us Americans, so here are my picks and predictions for UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama”. ...

Tomorrow the UFC will hold UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama” at the O2 Arena in London, England. The card will see brash British bad boy Michael Bisping taking on Yoshihiro Akiyama in the main event. Fellow Brits Dan Hardy, John Hathaway, and James Wilks will all share the main stage with “The Count”. Today the weigh-ins were held for the event, with all fighters successfully making weight. Here are the full weigh-in results to UFC 120, courtesy of Sherdog. ...

1. What effect will trainer Greg Jackson have on Yoshihiro Akiyama?  The Japanese fighter noted he worked with Jackson ahead of this fight vs. Michael Bisping.  Jackson has come to be known for taking exciting, offensive fighters, and instilling detailed game plans which emphasize controlling pace, and wrestling for body control … often to the benefit of the fighter in terms of scoring points, but not always a fan friendly style. Read on for questions 2-7... ...

Welterweight prospect, John Hathaway, has single handedly changed the way that American fans perceive British fighters. Often regarded as brash and cocky, thanks to the likes of polarizing figures Dan Hardy and Michael Bisping, Hathaway, who is undefeated in 14 fights and is currently 4-0 inside the UFC, also brings a gauntlet of talent that is virtually nonexistent with his fellow countryman--being his competent wrestling skills, which have carried him to where he is today: atop the welterweight division. Now with another fight in the horizon, against veteran Mike Pyle, who at times has revered Hathaway as a talent with skill, and other times a "nobody", neither matter to John come fight time. ...

While Jake Ellenberger struggled in his debut against former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit, he's returned to form, and looks like he can make an immediate impact in the UFC's 170 pound division. ...

It was a clean sweep for the home team - Xtreme Couture - in Las Vegas Saturday night with all five of their entries in A Night of Combat II picking up wins. "The Natural" John Alessio (24-11) knocked welterweight Gideon Ray (15-10-1) cold on the mat in 45 seconds. Xtreme Couture's Alessio whipped a left hook over a Ray right hand and dropped Ray.  Alessio finished the job with hammer strikes, leaving the fellow former UFC fighter unconscious. "Quicksand" Mike Pyle (18-5-1) of Xtreme Couture transitioned slickly into an armbar from full mount to tap welterweight Brian Gassaway (28-19-2) as he attempted roll free at 4:21 of round one in another battle of former Octagon fighters. Xtreme Couture welterweight "Thorobread" Jay Hieron (16-4) won a one-sided unanimous decision over late replacement Chris Kennedy (6-6) by judges' scores of 30-27 three times. Hieron's original opponent, Bryson Kamaka (6-13), failed his pre-fight urinalysis. ...

Xtreme Couture welterweights "Thorobred" Jay Hieron (15-4) and "Quicksand" Mike Pyle (17-5-1) will headline A Night of Combat II in Las Vegas 11 October. Former IFL titlist Hieron has been matched, if not undermatched, versus Bryson Kamaka (6-13) while Pyle will fight vet Brian Gassaway (28-18-2). Also on the card, welterweight "The Natural" John Alessio (23-11) will return after a "W" over "Secret Weapon" Pete Spratt (18-14) in A Night of Combat's debut to battle Gideon Ray (15-9-1). Light heavyweights "Sick Dog" Hector Ramirez (7-3-1) and kickboxing vet "The Jet" Rick Roufus (4-3) will face-off. And, TUF 3 finalist "Bring the Pain" Josh Haynes (10-10) will fight "Seargent" Steve Byrnes (6-1). The card features eight men's MMA bouts at the Thomas & Mack Center. ...

HDNet Fights announced Wednesday that they will broadcast the welterweight match between Jason High (6-0) and “Quicksand” Mike Pyle (17-5-1) and the heavyweight match between “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-10) and Roy Nelson (13-2), happening 11 October at Affliction’s sophomore event. The Day of Reckoning broadcast will mark the beginning of a new deal between HDNet Fights and Affliction Entertainment. ...

It only took 36 seconds for "Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) to leave "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-5) laid out on the mat in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, Saturday night. Just thirty-six seconds to answer questions raised by Fighters.com about Emelianenko's two-year hiatus from top competition. At the bell, Sylvia exited his corner in an awkward, low crouch. Obviously...Emelianenko wasted no time blasting Sylvia with a left, right hook combo, followed by an uppercut. "I've never been hit that hard in my life," said Sylvia after the fight.  "He's not human." The "Maine-iac" dismantled to the mat; and, Emelianenko stuck in a rear naked choke that forced Sylvia to tap. After the fight, the Russian was nonchalant, but not arrogant about his destruction of one of the world's top heavyweights. The victory cemented him as the top heavyweight in the world, the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, and perhaps the greatest mixed martial artist ever. ...

"Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) def. "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (26-6) via submission (rear naked choke), 0:36 of round one. "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (13-5) def. "Big" Ben Rothwell (33-6) via KO, 1:13 of round three. "Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (26-5) def. Pedro Rizzo (16-8) via KO, 1:44 of round two. "The Machine" Mark Hominick (16-8) def. Savant Young (9-8) via submission (armbar), 4:25 of round two. "Babalu" Renato Sobral (30-7) def. Mike Whitehead (23-7) via unanimous decision (30-27; 30-27; 30-27) "The Law" Matt Lindland (21-5) def. Fabio Negao (8-4) via unanimous decision (30-26; 30-27; 30-27). "Minotoro" Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) def. "Babyface" Edwin Dewees (35-13) via TKO, 4:06 of round one. "Quicksand" Mike Pyle (17-5-1) def. JJ Ambrose (8-2) via submission (rear naked choke), 2:51 of round one. "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort (17-8) def. Terry Martin (17-5) via KO, 3:12 of round two. "Head Hunter" Paul Buentello (26-10) def. "Big Daddy" Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) via unanimous decision (30-27; 30-27; 30-27). ...

Wednesday Affliction added "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort (16-8) versus Terry Martin (16-4) to the preliminary card of its Banned event on 19 July in Anaheim, just east of Los Angeles. Belfort, a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and PRIDE veteran, will make his middleweight debut. "The Phenom" is coming off two consecutive wins, both at Cage Rage.  Most recently he claimed their light heavyweight title when he scored a unanimous decision over "The Messenger" James Zikic (16-5-2). Martin is coming off two consecutive losses, after Chris Leben (18-4) KO'ed him in the third round at Ultimate Fight Night 11 and "Beastman" Marvin Eastman (15-7-1) won the UD at UFC 81. Martin is scheduled to face Daiju Takase (7-11-1) this weekend at Adrenaline MMA's debut event near Chicago. A bout between welterweights J.J. Ambrose (9-10) and "Quicksand" Mike Pyle (16-5-1) has also been added to the preliminary card.  They were formerly scheduled to fight Patrick Speight (6-0) and Brett Cooper (8-4), respectively. ...

Sunday in Tokyo at Sengoku II, Fighters.com's third-ranked heavyweight "Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (22-5) ground out a unanimous decision over "Snowman" Jeff Monson (24-8) in a match battled mostly on the mat. Heavyweight "Monster" Kevin Randleman (17-12) also pulled out a UD over Pancrase star Ryo Kawamura (8-3-2).  The decision was considered controversial. Monson and Randleman are scheduled to fight on a 24 June card in Charlotte. Highly-touted Roger Gracie (2-0) remained undefeated after tapping MMA vet Yuki Kondo (48-22-6) in a rear naked choke at 2:40 of round one. "Kiss" Yoshihiro Nakao (7-1) called out "Ironhead" Kazuyuki Fujita (15-6) after knocking out Kiwi "Big" Jim York (9-2) 46-seconds into round two. American Top Team welterweight Jorge Santiago (17-7) fought off near-submissions before finding his own submission of Grabaka's Yuki Sasaki (21-14-1) in a third-round armbar at 2:10. Lighweight Eiji Mitsuoka (13-5-2) took only 4:15 to sink a rear naked choke submission in on "Crazy" Kwang Hee Lee (5-1). Xtreme Couture welterweight "Quicksand" Mike Pyle (16-5-1) locked in a triangle choke to tap "Handler" Dan Hornbuckle (15-2) at 4:52 of round one. Welterweight Pancrase vet Satoru Kitaoka (20-8-9) submitted Aussie Ian James Schaffa (7-5-1) in a guillotine choke in just 50 seconds to begin the night. ...

Affliction Veep Tom Atencio told SI.com Thursday that light heavyweight "Babalu" Renato Sobral (29-7) has been matched versus Xtreme Couture fighter Mike Whitehead (20-5) for the apparel-company-turned-promoter's debut 19 July in Anaheim, outside of Los Angeles. Whitehead was dismissed from the UFC after losing a unanimous decision to Fighters.com's fourth-ranked 205-pounder “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-3-1) in February 2006, his only official appearance in the big show. Since that loss, Whitehead has wracked up 11 straight wins, nine by stoppage, in several promotions, including a four-fight stint in the IFL. Sobral is 2-1 since challenging then-champ and sixth-ranked “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) for the UFC title in August 2006. He was dismissed from the big show after holding an anaconda choke several seconds after David Heath (7-3) obviously tapped out, then bragging about it. Atencio also added the following fights to the official card: Savant Young (9-7) v "The Machine" Mark Hominick (15-8) Ray Lazama (5-5) v Justin Levens (9-8) JJ Ambrose (9-1) v Patrick Speight (6-0) "Quicksand" Mike Pyle (15-5-1) v Brett Cooper (7-4) ...

World Victory Road has added Fighters.com's third-ranked heavyweight "The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (21-5) to their 18 May Sengoku card at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. No opponent has been named. Also added to the line-up is a match-up between welterweights "Quicksand" Mike Pyle (15-5-1) and "The Handler" Dan Hornbuckle (15-1). Heavyweights Roger Gracie (1-0) and "The Monster" Kevin Randleman (16-12) remain on the card without opponents. At an 18 April press conference, WVR PR representative Takahiro Kokuho said, "At first we had one Japanese and one non-Japanese fighter ready to go [with Gracie]; but, because of injuries we are still in the process of deciding the opponent.  Roger’s side has been asking us to decide the opponent soon and for sure I would like to meet that request." Randleman recently cancelled a puroresu match in Inoki Genome Federation with an ankle injury, but Kokuho promised, "It has no relation to his MMA bout. We should be able to announce his card sometime next week." ...