Notable lightweight Brit, Paul Kelly has been released from the UFC. The 155-pound spitfire made a splash into the organization in January of 2008 when he bested fellow countryman Paul Taylor over the course of a three-round war, which culminated in both fighters picking up "Fight of the Night" honors, while Kelly picked up his first win inside the octagon. Debuting as a welterweight within the UFC, it was when "Tellys" decided to drop down to the lightweight division where he gained moderate success, alternating wins and losses since the cut, most recently suffering a second-round rear-naked choke to former WEC title challenger Donald Cerrone at UFC 126 earlier this month. The loss ultimately led to his release, however Kelly may not be licking his wounds for long, as he is not fielding offers from several prominent organizations. ...

Did anyone ever think this idea would become so big? After a string of successful, exciting “UFC Prelims Live” specials that have taken place on Spike TV, ION Television, and even over Facebook, the “Prelims Live” specials have now broken the two million mark. The UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort” live prelims special on Spike TV, featuring a free hour of MMA action and two free, live fights, is now the record-holder for the most-watched “Prelims Live” special since the debut of the series. Here are all the details. ...

"ufc 126: Silva vs. Belfort" featured an electrifying night of fights. Champion Anderson Silva deftly defended his title with a rousing first-round knockout of former friend and teammate Vitor Belfort with a surprising front kick which floored the Brazilian. Following up with a few additional blows was all that "The Spider" needed to end the night of the former light heavyweight titleholder. Forrest Griffin made a successful return to the cage, following a year-plus spent away from the cage, when he defeated former middleweight champ Rich Franklin, defeating the legend in a clean sweep decision victory. The night produced several more exciting fights over, however some of those bouts came with their price. ...

"UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort" went without a hitch. The preliminary card bought tons of action during Saturday's night of fights, with knockouts, submissions galore, however few fights stood above the rest and in the end those respective matches took home an extra bit of change of their efforts. ...

Following ufc 126 this past weekend, a lot of new story lines have arose. Anderson Silva re-solidified himself as not only the best middleweight in the world, but arguably best pound-for-pound fighter and the greatest of all time, when he knocked out Vitor Belfort in impressive fashion in his middleweight title bout. Forrest Griffin deftly defeated former champ Rich Franklin in a pivotal light heavyweight match-up, moving him closer to the title, however Jon Jones beat him to it when he submitted then-undefeated prospect Ryan Bader with a second-round submission. However nothing surprised me more then some of these fighter pay-outs with some seeming valid, while others have me scratching my head in humble confusion. ...

One of the hottest imports from the now defunct World Extreme Cagefighting organization--which has since been assimilated with the UFC--Donald Cerrone will be makign his Octagon debut tomorrow night in one of the toughest bouts of his career, at least on paper. Cerrone has stepped up on short notice to be taking on UFC veteran Paul Kelly in a promising lightweight match-up. Evidence of the importance of this bout is the fact that both Cerrone and Kelly will be one of two-preliminary bouts which will be featured on the Spike Televised portion of the pay-per-view event, "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort" which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. ...

Former WEC title challenger Donald Cerrone will make his much anticipated UFC debut sooner than most expected. The Greg Jackson product has been tabbed as a replacement for an injured Sam Stout, and will now face lightweight standout Paul Kelly at UFC 126. The event takes place on Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and will feature a main event pitting current middleweight champion Anderson Silva against former teammate Vitor Belfort for the title. ...

The ufc seems poised to kick off 2011 in several huge ways with numerous awesome-sounding cards. UFC 125 will be a New Year’s Day attraction featuring Frank Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. UFC 126 sees Anderson Silva taking on Vitor Belfort and Ryan Bader fighting Jon Jones. UFC 127 features BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch and Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera. As the cards continue to take shape, two new interesting bouts have emerged: one for UFC 126, one for UFC 127. Here are all the details. ...

In a duel between former champions, light heavyweight's Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida are now officially set to face each other later this month, serving as the headliners for UFC 123. The 11-bout card has been made official by the promotion today, including two-televised Spike TV bouts serving as the lead in for what is shaping up to be a good night of fights. Along with the highly anticipated light heavyweight match up, a pair of former welterweight champion's are set to face one another for a third time in order to put to rest a rivalry that has lasted for over 7 years, when BJ Penn meets UFC Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes in the co-main event of the evening. ...

Gabe Ruediger has been the butt of every joke since his formal leave from the UFC in 2006. He debuted in the organization against lightweight standout Melvin Guillard at UFC 63: Hughes vs Penn II, and after a spirited first round where he was able to control "The Young Assassin" on the ground, searching for a rear naked choke, he was knocked out with a body punch in the second. Ruediger earned a second shot with the promotion when he entered season five of the famed "The Ultimate Fighter" series--though it wasn't without its own controversy. ...

While Gomi may have picked up his biggest win in recent memory, he also picked up the biggest pay-day of the "ufc Live on Versus 2" card, held on August 1, last Sunday, in San Diego, Cali. ...

Most of the publicity for the UFC card on August 1^st revolves around the coronation of Jon Jones as the current golden boy of MMA.  But what makes MMA and the UFC such a viral product and fan friendly event is the value of the entire fight card.  The undercard provides good value for the ticket price, yet more importantly, builds allegiance between up and coming fighters and the fan.   The undercard is where new stars are born and former stars work to reclaim the glory.  UFC on Versus Live - Jones vs. Matyushenko is no different.  Here are some nuggets about Sunday’s undercard. ...

"Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis (15-4) tapped "Tellys" Paul Kelly (7-1) in a guillotine choke at 2:16 of round two at UFC 89 in Birmingham Saturday night. ...

All UFC 89 fighters made their weight today at the NIA for Saturday's card in Birmingham. "Count" Michael Bisping (16-1) 185 pounds v "Crippler" Chris Leben (18-4) 186 pounds "I'm glad you guys let me into your country," main event fighter Leben said at Thursday's press conference.  "I was a little worried on the plane." Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in London 7 June, but opted to put to rest legal issues in Oregon stemming from an earlier DUI arrest to ensure a legal UK visa. But, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brit Bisping, who told the press, "I am on a quest.  Losing this fight for me is not an option." Leben, wearing tight cornrows, chided his opponent, saying, "It seems to me that, when Michael Bisping fights, self-preservation is top on his list." A brawl would certainly benefit Leben.  Bisping's stand-up style is a bit more circle-and-poke, while Leben is happy to plant and throw bombs. ...

Brit Paul Kelly (7-0) will face “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4) in a welterweight match at UFC 89 on 18 October in Birmingham, England, he confirmed to MMA Weekly Thursday. Kelly made his Octagon debut in January, earning a unanimous decision over fellow countryman Paul Taylor (9-3-1). UFC veteran Davis suffered his first loss in twelve fights last month in London, a unanimous decision that went to “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2). ...

While chatting with Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3) Tuesday afternoon, he broached two myths that frustrate him and I.  Let’s quash them. Myth one: “I can beat Rich Franklin.” Or, whoever you have a delusional cage fantasy about.  I only say second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3) because I live in Greater Cincinnati and most often hear his name when I reveal I write about MMA; but, I’m sure, if you live in Vancouver, it’s Denis Kang (29-10-1) and, in Boston, it’s Florian. You can’t beat any of them, even if you saw them get thrashed by another elite fighter. Neither can your cousin who just got out of jail, nor your friend who just reached brown belt in BJJ. What is it about mixed martial arts, the most grueling and graceful athletic endeavor in organized sport, that makes couch potatoes think they can put down their Cheetos, brush the orange dust from their stained fingers, and compete at an elite level? No one watches baseball and thinks they can hit a 95 mph cut fastball 450 feet like Alex Rodriguez.  No one watches gymnastics and thinks they can roll out of bed into a triple axel.  (Well…no one watches gymnastics…) UFC fighters, as well as many mixed martial artists in other promotions, are elite athletes.  They’re experts in the fighting skills of many disciplines, but that’s just where it begins.  Their cardio and strength training is as regimented and diligently-followed as the top athletes in any other sport, perhaps more so. The fact is, even if you are as skilled in martial arts as a UFC fighter, there’s a genetic element that most of us just aren’t born with.  Just like many of us will never run a 4.4 forty or bench press 700 pounds, no matter how dedicated we are. It’s often a comment from someone who’s never trained or hasn’t trained since they were in high school wrestling and doesn’t realize they’re neither 18-years old, nor in any kind of athletic shape anymore. The only thing worse than saying, “I can beat Rich Franklin,” is saying, “I still think I can beat Rich Franklin,” a week after he picks you apart like a chicken carcass in front of 22,000 at the Centre Bell.  That’s not ignorant; that’s insane. Myth two: “Kenny Florian: Not Your Average Fighter.” Again, Florian or whoever in the sport can pack a coherent sentence with more than eight words is considered unique.  Often, it makes a headline in main stream media; but, I’ve seen it creep into MMA media too. Elite fighters are as intelligent as computer geeks.  Wait,that’s “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (16-4).  Well, they’re as intelligent as people with master's degrees.  Well, that’s Rich Franklin.  OK, they’re as intelligent as lawyers.  Oops…that’s first-ranked heavyweight “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) and "Hungarian Nightmare" Christian Wellisch (8-3).  As intelligent as Ph.D.s?  Yeah…that’s “The Snowman” Jeff Monson (24-7) and UFC fighter Terry Martin (16-4).  None of them are unique among fighters in their intellect, they're just a few names off the top of my head. I think the stereotype of the meathead fighter stems from a self-consciousness that prevents some people from allowing for a guy who can both kick their ass and outwit them in a debate on ontological empiricism.  It's a way some people protect their own egos by reducing fighters to cavemen, regardless of the truth. Now, of course there are meatheads in MMA; but, if you scan the top of the sport, most of the elite fighters are college-educated, artistically gifted, or intellectually interesting. Intelligence is not unique among mixed martial artists, just like ignorance isn't unique among those who're surprised to meet a fighter who isn't beating their chest. Notes from around MMA * Rich Franklin (23-3) turned down a fight versus ninth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (22-7) that was offered while the UFC rushed to bolster their London fight card after seventh-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) was pulled from the main event with a pulled hamstring. * Despite Franklin’s agent Monte Cox’s assertions on MMAWeekly Radio, Franklin is not considering a career move to 205-pounds, but would consider a one-off in the heavier division “if it was an interesting match-up”.  But for an unlikely challenge of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and first-ranked light heavyweight “Rampage” Quinton Jackson, what meaningful fight could lure Franklin into a one-off?  Maybe a rematch with “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (12-0)?  That's interesting... * TUF 7 contestant Brandon Sene (2-0) was robbed on Wednesday night’s episode of the the UFC’s reality program.  Fighters.com scored both of the first two rounds 10-9 for Sene, who was more aggressive and intent on inflicting damage to his opponent, Dante Rivera (10-2).  BJJ player Rivera was able to take the fight to the mat, but managed few serious attempts to end the fight with a submission and was largely unable to avoid Sene’s striking from his back.  Fighters.com did score the final, sudden-death round 10-9 for Rivera; but, the fight should’ve never made it to sudden death. * The Tennessee House of Representatives will vote Tuesday on a bill to create a state athletic commission with the goal of attracting a UFC fight card and the $100 million in revenue that the big show’s events generate for local economies.  Now, which Tennessee native son might like to belt out a howl in a main event on the Mississippi? *  According to the Winnipeg Sun, “Road Warrior” Jonathan Goulet (22-9) and his girlfriend will put the $75,000 bonus he won for “Fight of the Night” versus Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5) at UFC 83 towards a down payment on a home.  Goulet hits the road to London 7 June to fight Paul Kelly (7-0). * UFC glove maker, Century, revealed to Fighters.com contributor Jason Wawro that the legend of Brock Lesnar’s (1-1) 4X-sized glove is a myth.  Despite rumors that Lesnar was the first MMA fighter to wear 4X gloves since “Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1), a Century executive claimed, “I have the receipts right here and Brock Lesnar, Cheick Kongo, and Heath Herring all ordered 3X-sized gloves.” * When asked about the CBS deal to air EliteXC MMA events, Fox Sports president Ed Goren replied that his company hasn't struck a deal to air the sport because, "We don't need money that badly."  This from an executive of a company popular for such high-brow entertainment as When Animals Attack! and Celebrity Boxing featuring matches between Todd Bridges and Vanilla Ice and Paula Jones and Tonya Harding. ...