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.

It looks like the fruit of Jones’ labor is finally paying off, as the 205-spitfire has since earned his first six-figure payday inside the worlds largest mixed martial arts promotion, which is justified by his exciting fight-finishing performances in the octagon.

On the same token, Anderson Silva, who is currently on a record breaking 13-fight win streak in the cage, as well as an equally impressive eighth-straight title defense, was a top earner on the pay-per-view card, however earned a reported $175k less than fellow countryman Vitor Belfort, whom Anderson knocked out inside of the first-round.

MMAJunkie also claims that should “The Phenom” had taken home the “W” last Saturday, he would have came home with an additional $100k for his efforts (win bonus). Most likely, Silva earned a large portion of his purse due to the PPV revenue that the super bowl card has picked up.

MMAJunkie.com has reported the following figures, which they had originally requested from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Champ Anderson Silva: $200,000 (includes no win bonus)
def. Vitor Belfort: $275,000

Forrest Griffin: $275,000 ($150,000 win bonus)
def. Rich Franklin: $75,000

Jon Jones: $140,000 ($70,000 win bonus)
def. Ryan Bader: $20,000

Jake Ellenberger: $32,000 ($16,000 win bonus)
def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: $8,000

Miguel Torres: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus)
def. Antonio Banuelos: $9,000

Donald Cerrone: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Paul Kelly: $19,000

Chad Mendes: $19,000 ($9,000 win bonus)
def. Michihiro Omigawa: $8,000

Demetrious Johnson: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Norifumi Yamamoto: $15,000

Paul Taylor: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Gabe Ruediger: $8,000

Kyle Kingsbury: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Ricardo Romero: $10,000

Mike Pierce: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Kenny Robertson: $6,000

So, MMA peeps, are you surprised by any of the payouts you see here? The figures above however do not include any “Fight Night” awards that several fighters earned over the course of the evening. Sound off in the comment section below.

The event, which is headlined by a middleweight title clash pitting champ Anderson Silva against former teammate Vitor Belfort, is held before a sold-out crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, in what is sure to be a ruckus crowd in attendance.

If there was any one fight that would be a good pick-me-up for those in attendance, Torres and Banuelos would be just that.

Arguably the greatest bantamweight of all time, Miguel went on an incredible 17-fight unbeaten streak before he ran into bad luck with devastating losses to both Brian Bowles and Joseph Benavidez in succession, a knockout and submission (respectively). However, Torres, the former WEC bantamweight titleholder, has since rebounded with an impressive second-round submission over perennial contender Charlie Valencia in his last outing in September. With the recent acquisition of both the 135 and 145-pound divisions into the UFC following the merger with their sister promotion in the WEC, Torres remains one of the more high profile fighters among their roster.

Great stand-up skills coupled with a world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game, compliments of the late Carlson Gracie, Torres is a consensus top-5 bantamweight star and hopes to climb back up the ladder with a win over Antonio.

Banuelos, a product of “The Pit” in San Luis Obispo, California, is a true spitfire in the 135-pound class. Antonio might as well coin the term “fast” as he one of the most explosive fighters in the sport. In a matter of seconds, you never know whether you’re headed to the ground or remain on the feet with Banuelos, as his wrestling pedigree and heavy hands often dictate where the fight takes place. However, in Torres, is where Antonio will run into problems once again. A glorified bantamweight, Antonio could easily slide into the flyweight class, that is when the organization decides to adopt the division. With Torres standing at 5’9 against Banuelos’ 5’4 stature, it’s easy to see why the bigger man might be able to get the job done.

Banuelos won’t go out without a fight, as he has proven to be as tough and as durable as they come, but this is really Torres’ fight to lose, where I see the proud Mexican-American picking up a fun-to-watch decision win over the near 10-year vet.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? How do you see it going? Sound off in the comment section below.

Since then, additional match ups have been added to some future UFC event’s, including the return of Leonard Garcia when he meets fellow featherweight slugger Tyler Toner for “The Ultimate Fighter 12″ finale show in December.

Slowly but surely, former WEC competitors are becoming do dissent into the UFC ranks, and there’s truly no better time to be a fan than right now.

Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, who is quite possibly the most recognized Mexican-American-Mullet bearer in the sport, will return to action to meet former title challenger Antonio Banuelos at UFC 126, in February of next year.

Heavy.com caught the beat of the action earlier today.

Both Miguel and Antonio will make their UFC debuts this February in an effort to return to the title picture.

Torres, the aforementioned former title holder, recently bounced back from a disappointing two-fight losing streak with a victory over former contender Charlie Valencia. Miguel, who defended the bantamweight title for a record three times before being derailed by Brian Bowles for his championship and then to bantamweight standout Joseph Benavidez (respectively), was able to submit Valencia in the second-round with a rear naked choke. With the victory, Miguel picked up “Submission of the Night” honors as well as placed himself back into the title picture.

Hoping to again reclaim his top spot, Antonio Banuelos will look to put a stop to the 29-year-old’s ascension back to the top of the division with a victory over the former champ.

For Banuelos, who is a glorified bantamweight fighter who can very compete in the flyweight division, a victory over Miguel is everything. A life long training partner of Chuck Liddell‘s out of “The Pit” in Arroyo Grande, Calif., the scrappy veteran has won four of his past five bouts, with the only loss coming to the hands of current title challenger Scott Jorgensen, whom Antonio hold’s a victory over.

The 31-year-old has been within arm’s reach of a title shot on several occasion’s since a failed attempt to grab the gold from former title holder Eddie Wineland in 2006, and will look to make Torres an example of his frustration’s.

The bout is expected to take place on the main card of UFC 126, which is headlined by middleweight contest pitting current champion Anderson Silva against former teammate Vitor Belfort, and features additional bout’s such as Forrest Griffin against Rich Rich Franklin, Jon Jones against Ryan Bader, and Jake Ellenberger versus Jon Fitch.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the match up? Are you glad to see the bout taking place on a major UFC card–the Super Bowl card at that? Who do you favor in the match up? Sound off in the comment section below.

Next for Leonard Garcia/Chan Sung Jung: Each other, which is why they’re grouped together. Both men had to endure the agony of defeat at WEC 51, so the time is right for a rematch to what many are calling Fight of the Year 2010. Garcia/Zombie 2 should be just as amazing as the first fight, and should give a huge rebound to whoever wins it. It makes sense and the fans love it, so look for the WEC to make it happen sooner rather than later.

Next for Miguel Torres : Urijah Faber, plain and simple. This is the kind of fight that has both dollar signs and “Fight of the Year” written all over it. Unless Torres doesn’t want to wait, I think “The California Kid” makes the most sense and would generate the most money now that Torres has broken his losing streak. Even if Faber loses his debut at 135, a fight with Torres simply has too much appeal to pass up. And if Faber wins his Bantamweight debut against Takeya Mizugaki, it only sweetens the pot. The optimal time to have made this fight happen (when both men were WEC champions) may have passed, but it’s still one epic dream-match.

Next for Donald Cerrone: Another one or two fights against decent-to-good competition, and then it’s right back to another showdown with the current WEC Lightweight Champion. Make no mistake, I still firmly believe that Cerrone will wear the gold one day. Properly motivated, he’s an absolute monster. Look for Cerrone to get a couple of big wins under his belt and then finally capture an actual belt. I have a strong feeling that we’ll see Cerrone at the top before 2011 is through.

Next for Jamie Varner: Nothing less than a complete overhaul will do. Whatever Varner is doing simply isn’t working. I don’t know if he’s coasting in his training or just doesn’t have the heart for it all anymore, but Varner’s credibility as a top-division athlete took a real hit at WEC 51. He scored a few good shots, but ultimately he left the fight bruised, battered, bloody, and on the wrong side of a supremely lopsided Unanimous Decision. There’s still a future for Jamie Varner in the WEC, but unless he make some big changes, it won’t be a pretty one.

Next for Jose Aldo: Defending his WEC Featherweight Championship against any and all opponents brave (some would say “foolish”) enough to step inside the blue cage against him. As dominant as Aldo has been, as amazing as I think he is, we’ve got to give credit where credit is due. The WEC Featherweight division is far from dead, Aldo has far from conquered it. He conquered Manvel Gamburyan, of that there is no doubt, but his conquest of the entire division has only just begun. Aldo will face a steady stream of contenders and will more than likely beat them all. Now more than ever there can be no doubt: we’ve entered the “Era of Aldo”.

And those are my thoughts, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and losers of WEC 51: “Aldo vs. Gamburyan”?

Jose Aldo defeats Manvel Gamburyan by KO (Punches) at 1:33 of Round 2 to retain the WEC Featherweight Championship. Donald Cerrone defeats Jamie Varner by Unanimous Decision. Miguel Torres defeats Charlie Valencia by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:25 of Round 2. George Roop defeats Chan Sung Jung by KO (High Kick) at 1:30 of Round 2. Mark Hominick defeats Leonard Garcia by Split Decision .Tiequan Zhang defeats Pablo Garza by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:26 of Round 1. Mike Brown defeats Cole Province by TKO (Punches) at 1:18 of Round 1. Chris Horodecki defeats Ed Ratcliff by Split Decision. Diego Nunes defeats Tyler Toner by Unanimous Decision. Antonio Banuelos defeats Chad George by Unanimous Decision. Demetrious Johnson defeats Nick Pace by Unanimous Decision.

I’m always disappointed when Leonard Garcia loses, but I’ve never been disappointed in Leonard Garcia’s performances. Like he always does, he left his heart and every ounce of his energy inside the cage against Hominick, but Hominick definitely deserved the win. It was a great way to start the show, and it would only get better when “The Korean Zombie” was finished for the first time in his career. I never would have guessed that George Roop of all people would put a screeching halt to what had up until then been a very productive hype train. My hat is off to Roop, but I’m not going to abandon Chan Sung Jung just yet. I’m still a fan despite the tough loss.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Miguel Torres beat Charlie Valencia. I knew, I just knew, that the Miguel Torres of old was still buried inside the formerly top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter. Valencia may have been a glorified sacrificial lamb, but a win is a win and I’ll take it when I get it. There’s still hope for a Miguel Torres resurgence, and a potential dream fight with Urijah Faber took one more step towards becoming a reality. So I’m definitely glad that Torres is back in the win column.

Varner/Cerrone 2 went almost exactly as I thought it would, although I did expect Varner to put up more of a fight than he did. This fight proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Varner hasn’t been the same since returning to the WEC and needs to go back to the drawing board to figure out a way to remain relevant in his division. Donald Cerrone put on one of the best performances of his career, and I thank both him and Varner for giving us a Fight of the Night fight and a dark horse candidate for Fight of the Year.

The main event did go exactly as I thought it would, although Jose Aldo did seem a bit tentative in Round 1. However, once the feeling-out process was over, Aldo won the match with authority. I really can’t say enough about Jose Aldo, and I’ve said so much already. No one is going to beat him anytime soon. He’s too complete of an athlete, he’s too great of a fighter. Point blank: fear this man.

All in all, the WEC gave us another amazing show, and honestly, I expected nothing less. I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for my “little promotion that could”. Events like these make me proud to be an MMA fan in general, not just a WEC fan. This is the kind of event that anybody can like, the kind that all can enjoy. If the WEC continues to put on events of this caliber, I may even begin suggesting that they’ll have actually surpassed the UFC in terms of their ratio of bad-to-good-to-great events, instead of just my usual assertion that the WEC would be the best promotion in the world if the UFC did not exist.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of “Aldo vs. Gamburyan”?

Leonard Garcia vs. Mark Hominick: On paper, it looks like Hominick can beat Garcia in more ways than Garcia can beat Hominick. Both men are within shouting distance of each other’s win/loss ratios, so it should be a very competitive fight. My pick just has to go to Garcia, since I’ve been a fan of his for a long while and I always love it when he wins. Garcia has a huge amount of heart and not an ounce of quit in him, but Hominick is also a very gifted performer. It’s going to be a rough night, and one of the judges won’t give the fight to him, but I’m picking that Garcia takes a very close but very justified Split Decision win.

Chan Sung Jung vs. George Roop: Look for this fight to be the one where “The Korean Zombie” takes an emphatic step into the win column. George Roop has been incredibly up-and-down in his time in the big leagues, he’s 1-2 in the UFC and 0-1-1 in the WEC. Meanwhile, Chan Sung Jung put on one of the best performances of the last several years in his first WEC fight, a fight that many seem to think he should have won. As talented as George Roop is, he’ll be playing the role of “sacrificial lamb” when he’s put up against the Zombie’s uncanny ability to keep moving forward and keep throwing punches. Either Jung wins by first-round submission or he takes a lopsided Unanimous Decision.

Miguel Torres vs. Charlie Valencia: I really want Torres to win this fight, because I don’t want to think about where this leaves him if he doesn’t. Some might say that Valencia is basically a softball pitch thrown by the WEC to get Torres back to his winning ways, but I frankly disagree. Valencia is 5-3 in the promotion while Torres is 5-2. It’s true that Torres has faced (and beat) the better competition by far, but Charlie Valencia is no joke. It’s going to be a tough night unless we see the full-on rebirth of the Miguel Torres of old. I’m picking Torres by Unanimous Decision, with him scoring a first-round submission or TKO being an unlikely but possible second pick.

Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerrone: Now this is a fight I can really sink my teeth into. In fact, I’ve done just that several times in the past. So, to spare a glorified re-post of my original thoughts, I’ll just say that those thoughts haven’t changed. It’s going to be brutal, high-octane, mile-a-minute goodness from two of the WEC’s best. Cerrone will take a Split Decision in a Fight of the Night performance.

Jose Aldo vs. Manvel Gamburyan: I’ll have to eat a whole heaping helping of humble pie if I’m proven wrong, but I truly believe that Jose Aldo, as he is right now, is unstoppable. There will always be an Achilles Heel, there will always be a Fabricio Werdum to a fighter’s Fedor Emelianenko…but Manny Gamburyan is not that fighter. Aldo will eat Gamburyan alive on the feet and won’t get taken down easily, if at all. I’m predicting that Aldo wins by KO by the third round at the very latest.

So those are my picks, fans and friends. What about you? How do you see WEC 51 going down?

The main event of the evening, a featherweight match up against two of the best in the class, will feature Jose Aldo putting his belt on the line against season five finalist of “The Ultimate Fighter” Manny Gamburyan, and taking on co-headlining duties will be a grudge match for the ages when former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner steps back into the cage for the second time this year when he faces nemesis and crowd favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who is coming off of a loss to current champion Ben Henderson in an attempt to vie for the title.

Cerrone and Varner definitely delivered the most intense staredown that has been witnessed in some time, when both competitors were both at a head with one another, with the obvious tension in the air so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. Nothing further transgressed and Cerrone addressed the fans, saying “You guys win”, when asked if a win over Varner will settle the score between the two once and for all.

The following excerpt was taken from MMAJunkie.com, who was on seen for the weigh-ins and will be providing round-by-round updates as the fight airs lives on the Versus network, tomorrow night.

MAIN CARD

* Champ Jose Aldo (145) vs. Manny Gamburyan (145)
* Donald Cerrone (155.5) vs. Jamie Varner (156)
* Miguel Torres (136) vs. Charlie Valencia (136)
* Chan Sung Jung (146) vs. George Roop (145)
* Leonard Garcia (146) vs. Mark Hominick (145)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Pablo Garza (154) vs. Tiequan Zhang (154)
* Mike Brown (145) vs. Cole Province (146)
* Chris Horodecki (155) vs. Ed Ratcliff (155)
* Diego Nunes (145) vs. Tyler Toner (145)
* Antonio Banuelos (136) vs. Chad George (135)
* Demetrious Johnson (135) vs. Nick Pace (135)

So, MMA peeps, which match up are you most excited about? Any upsets in mind for tomorrow night? Who will leave Broomfield as the best featherweight in the world? Sound off in the comments section below.

The “little” big promotion has made many strides in the last few years, improving their fundamentals and becoming a leading competitor to any organization that embodies the lighter weight classes. Currently, of the WEC’s bantamweight and featherweight classes, most if not all of the top-10 competitors exist within the promotion. And while the WEC has consistently put together solid shows, time after time–WEC 51 will be no exception. In fact, it may be on their better cards to date.

In an interview with MMAWeekly, WEC General Manager Reed Harris discussed the upcoming card in addition to the final lineup that completes this 11-fight deep event which takes place in Broomfield, Colorado at the 1st Bank Center on September 30th.

“The UFC has put on some very successful events in Broomfield and we are hoping to duplicate their success,” said the GM while speaking with MMAWeekly. “This card is absolutely loaded with tremendous fights. In addition to the main card bouts, fans are in store for the return of former featherweight champ Mike Brown and the debut of our first Chinese fighter, Tiequan Zhang. Plus, hometown fighter Tyler Toner competes in his own backyard against a very dangerous Diego Nunes. We are extremely excited to bring this event to Colorado.”

Now with the addition, though previously rumored, of China import Tiequan Zhang, who takes on UFC veteran Jason Reinhardt on the preliminary portion of the nights festivities.

The nights final lineup, which is headlined by a featherweight title fight pitting pound-for-pound great Jose Aldo against number one contender and “The Ultimate Fighter” season 5 finalist Manny Gamburyan, is listed below in it’s entirety.

Main card

* Featherweight Championship bout: Jose Aldo (c) vs. Manvel Gamburyan
* Lightweight bout: Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerrone
* Bantamweight bout: Miguel Torres vs. Charlie Valencia
* Featherweight bout: Chan Sung Jung vs. George Roop
* Featherweight bout: Leonard Garcia vs. Mark Hominick

Preliminary Card

* Featherweight bout: Mike Brown vs Cole Province
* Lightweight bout: Ed Ratcliff vs. Chris Horodecki
* Featherweight bout: Diego Nunes vs. Tyler Toner
* Bantamweight bout: Antonio Banuelos vs. Chad George
* Bantamweight bout: Demetrious Johnson vs. Nick Pace
* Lightweight bout: Jason Reinhardt vs. Zhang Tie Quan

So, MMA peeps, are you excited for the match ups? Any ONE bout stick out to you? How do you think everyone will fair come September 30th? Sound off in the comments section below.

WEC 48 will take place April 24 and is the very first WEC pay-per-view. This fight between Scott and Antonio will be the first fight of the televised portion of the fight card.

Many may remember that these two have already gone to war once before at WEC 41 where Antonio came out on the better end of a split-decision. This fight was in the running for fight of the year as it was an absolute war.

Since then Jorgenson has pulled the hat trick with three consecutive wins including a fight at WEC 45 that earned him “Fight of the Night” honors.

Scott joined myself and Gary Friedman on MMA Gospel Radio Episode 28 back in January and told us he thought he had won that fight. He stated that during the first exchange he got hit right on the eye and it effected his vision and he believes he lost the first round but after that he took control of the fight. He also said “I learned a lot from that fight” I learned to stick to my strategy and to not get drawn in and fighting with emotions”

If Jorgenson comes back to avenge his previous loss he very well could be in line for the next shot at the title.

This is a fight all fans should be excited see after watching the first one and seeing the improvement from Scott in his fights since then. If Scott can stick to his game plan of mixing up the striking with his wresting we should be in for a real treat to start off the pay-per-view.

Baroni got cut early, but tagged Alfonso with punches and floored him with takedowns the majority of the fight.

Bryan Travers (11-1) picked up the Palace Fighting Championship welterweight title with a close UD over Jeremiah Metcalf (9-6) by scores of 48-47 on all three judges’ score cards.

Shawn Klarcyk (9-2) defended his PFC Bantamweight Championship from Brandon Miller (3-3) by armbar at 2:19 of round two.

PFC Lightweight Champion Brian Cobb (13-4) also fought off David Gardner‘s (14-10) advances on his gold in a UD by scores of 50-45 from all three judges.

Featherweight Joe Soto (3-0) pounded out Brandon Jinnies (3-10) on the mat in 59 seconds.

The Pit’s Antonio Banuelos (15-5) knocked out Bryan Goldsby (4-4) at 59 seconds of the second round.

“Big” Lavar Johnson (9-2) ended heavyweight Vince Lucero‘s (19-15) night with a right hook at 1:16 of round one.

Flyweight David Suarez (2-1) knocked out David Mitchell (1-1) by slam at 1:15 of round one.

“Professor X” Xavier Foupa-Pokam (18-9) tapped Richard Montoya (6-5) in an armbar at 1:13 of round one.

“Tachi Kid” Poppies Martinez (15-5) won a rematch by unanimous decision over lightweight Sergio Cortez (4-4).

Dustin Akbari (3-0) TKO’d Bill Theofanopoulos (2-1) at 1:35 of round one.

Chad Mendes (1-0) tapped Geovanni Encarnacion (0-2) in a rear naked choke at 2:06 of round one.

Luis Gonzalez (2-1) TKO’d Elbert Randle (0-1) at 2:24 of round one.

Joey Cabezas (1-0) TKO’d Billy Terry (3-9) in just 54 seconds.

Omar Sandoval (1-0) won a UD over Mike Craddock (2-3).

Chris Bothelo (1-0) won a majority decision over Anthony Bivens (0-1).