There, heavy handed strikers and fan favorites Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle will meet in the main-event of the evening.

It wasn’t too long ago that both these men were considered to be some of the top contenders in the welterweight division, however after subsequent losses they now find themselves on the bubble and with another loss could very well be seeing their last days within the UFC.

“UFC on Versus 5″ takes place on Aug. 14 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will be aired live on the Versus network.

Hardy, a one-time challenger to the UFC welterweight title opened up his career with the organization with a four-fight win streak, however has since fallen to the bottom of the barrel.

After meeting with UFC 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 in March of last year, Hardy was later paired with former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit in a pivotal welterweight affair. At UFC 120, in front of a supporting crowd in his native England, Hardy was knocked out inside of the first-round by the Greg Jackson product–it’s the first and only time to date that “The Outlaw” had his lights shut out. Later, Dan was looking for redemption in the form of a key victory over the heavy-handed Anthony Johnson at UFC Fight Night 24. The two met in the co-main event of the evening, and while the fight had promises of being an exciting stand-up affair, it turned out to be a 15-minute grappling match, one which Johnson dominated from start to finish for the decision win.

Hardy will now have the chance to bounce back in a big way, that is if he can get past the always-tough Chris Lytle. “Lights Out” was recently in the discussion for title contention when the resurgent welterweight was riding on the heels of a four-fight win streak, which included a notable victory over former champion Matt Serra at UFC 119 before a supporting hometown crowd in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Lytle was then pitted against fellow contender Carlos Condit in a likely title eliminator, however “The Natural Born Killer” took a backseat when he suffered an injury in preparations for the match. Lytle was then pitted against late replacement Brian Ebersole at UFC 127. Ebersole proved too much for Chris and eventually secured a unanimous decision win over the veteran, whom reportedly was dealing with injuries leading into the bout.

Now both Hardy and Lytle will find themselves on the short list of fighters whom could very well be seeing their last days in the organization–that statement is especially true for Hardy. Doesn’t matter how exciting you are and how well your taken by the fans, four losses in a row doesn’t look “pretty”–just ask Keith Jardine.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Who do you favor? Both men are touted strikers, Hardy the more technical of the two, however Lytle has always found that his equalizer in the past has been his conditioning and his highly underrated submission skills, which have earned him six-victories inside the octagon. Sound off in the comment section below.

The one-time UFC title challenger is now reeling from a three-fight losing streak which began with his loss to current champion Georges St. Pierre in March of last year and finally culminated in his most recent loss to friend and fellow “banger” Anthony Johnson.

The bout took place last Saturday and served as the co-main event of the evening of the Spike televised UFC Fight Night 24 event. The match initially, on paper at least, promised to be a fan pleasing slug fest with two of the divisions more dynamic strikers, however it turned out to be a 15-minute grappling match with the larger Johnson coming out on top.

Now wanting what he calls a “real fight”, Hardy has since called out veteran and former contender Chris Lytle, and the the fan-favorite slugger has since obliged.

Last Saturday, the former top-10 fighter in Hardy had tweeted just moment’s after his bout some of his concerns and desires as a mixed marital artist moving forward in his career:

“Feeling very frustrated today. No excuses, sometimes you just dont win. I hate having boring fights though”, began the Brit who hails from Team Rough House.

“I want to fight again. I feel like Ive been robbed of the reward at the end of training camp.”

“An oldschool shootout with a guy that wants to throw down. Screw the rankings, records are for DJs”, joked Hardy.

“Win in a blaze of glory or go out on my shield. Someone like Mr Lytle…”

Chris, a veteran of more than 50-fights who has earned more than 8 “Fight Night” bonuses, gladly obliged to Hardy’s challenge in kind.

“I think it would be awesome”, said Lytle who spoke with BloodyElbow.com.

“I know exactly how he feels. He wants to go out there and fight. Just get out there and bang. He didn’t get to do that in his last fight and I’m all about it. Let’s do it!”

Lytle is coming off of a disappointing loss of his own against UFC newcomer Bryan Ebersole, who stepped up for an injured Carlos Condit at UFC 127. Ebersole earned a unanimous decision win over the would-be title challenger who was on a four-fight win streak heading into the bout. Lytle looked flat during the bout, however still proved that the fan favorite will continue to fight and eventually produced the evenings “Fight of the Night”. It is common knowledge now that Chris went into the welterweight bout just 4 weeks removed from surgery on a torn meniscus which for sure had an effect on his performance.

Lytle vs. Hardy? Sounds good to me.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Is this something you would like to see in the inevitable future? Sound off in the comment section below.

The “Big Sleepy” Award: I’m giving this one to “Big Sexy” Sean McCorkle for getting put to sleep while standing upright. Seeing him get choked out in such an unconventional way was rather bizarre, but it also made for one of the best moments of the night. In typical McCorkle fashion he recently posted a mass tweet to “the haters” saying that he lives a live his detractors could only dream of even if he gets cut from the UFC. Always a class act.

The “Smiling Through The Pain” Award: Alex Caceres, whose smile could light up a dark room from the second he first stepped into the Octagon up until the end of the fight and all during the gigantic beatdown Mackens Semerzier gave him. “Bruce Leroy” just seemed so genuinely happy to finally be getting his shot in the Octagon that I was honestly a little sad that Semerzier made such quick work of him. Even after he lost he was still smiling.

The “Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game(plan)” Award: Anthony Johnson, for promising to stand and bang with Dan Hardy in the weeks leading up to their fight only to spend a majority of the fight taking Hardy down and grappling with him. A certain section of the fanbase is very angry at Johnson for his bait-and-switch, but honestly, I think Johnson needed a win and employed by far the best tactic to get one. He’s primarily a wrestler, and he out-wrestled someone who has never and likely will never have any sort of significant ground game. Johnson may have played it safe, but he also played it smart. So I’m honestly not that upset with “Rumble” and I’m glad to see him back in the UFC.

The “Cliché Breaker” Award: In reference to C-C-C-C COMBO BREAKER, this one is being given to Phil Davis for the many, now-cliché references made between him and current champion Jon Jones. Before the fight everyone was harping on how they were so similar, now that the fight’s over everyone is harping about how they’re so different. I say we should let Jon Jones be Jon Jones and Phil Davis be Phil Davis. I look forward to seeing where both men go in their careers, but I’m honestly tired of seeing them compared to each other again and again and again… and again. I’m partly guilty of this myself, so this’ll the last you’ll hear from me on this subject.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. And remember, it’s all in good fun… mostly. What about you? Any thoughts/opinions ready to be shared?

5. Mackens Semerzier’s all-out blitzkrieg on “Bruce Leroy” Alex Caceres

I had my hesitations with Caceres from the get-go, and I think this fight proved above all else that he’s not ready for the UFC. I also had my doubts with Semerzier, but he definitely proved me wrong and I’m honestly glad he did. I think Semerzier took a big step on the comeback trail with this win, and it was definitely one of the most dominating wins of his career. There’s just no way you utterly storm through an opponent and not end up on a list like this.

4. Christian Morecraft’s Standing Guillotine Choke.

Up until the end of the fight, Christian Morecraft was comfortably ahead on my scorecard in his bout against Sean McCorkle. I had Morecraft winning it two rounds to one, although I wasn’t ruling out a third-round resurgence combined with the always-puzzling judges possibly giving McCorkle the decision win. But Morecraft wouldn’t let it go to the judges, and sunk in a Standing Guillotine Choke, a move that rarely seems to work. But work it did: after a few seconds of struggling, McCorkle went limp and his unconscious body flopped to the canvas seconds later. It was simply one of the most impressive finishes of the night, and that’s saying something.

3. Amir Sadollah rightfully (finally?) coming into his own.

Here’s some honesty for you: up until last night I had never bought into the hype surrounding Amir Sadollah. Up until last night he had only ever finished one opponent, and it’s hard for me to forget that he sat on the sidelines for over a year only to come back and get TKO’d in twenty-nine seconds. But when Sadollah fought DaMarques Johnson, everything just seemed to click with him. In short, Sadollah finally made me believe that all the hype surrounding him back when he won “The Ultimate Fighter” might not have been in vain. It was a head-turning performance that turned my head and made me rethink my opinion of Amir Sadollah, so of course it gets a spot on this list.

2. The first-ever UFC victory by Twister. ‘Nuff said.

Of all the things I thought I’d see when Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia met for a second time… I never thought I’d see a win by Twister. Not only is that a very complicated and intricate move, it was also done by someone who’s primarily known as an iron-chinned power-puncher. How could this crazy submission win not get one of the highest spots on this list?

And my personal pick for the best moment of Fight Night 24 is…

1. Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa’s epic three-round war.

“Epic” and “war” pretty much sums up this fight. From the first second to the last, both of these fighters tried to finish each other and had each other in pretty big trouble at several times throughout the course of the bout. It was clear that McDonald had won, but it was also clear that Figueroa had made it far closer than anyone was expecting. This is the kind of bout everyone loves to see, no matter what your preference is. This was two fighters putting all of their heart and soul into a fifteen-minute brawl, and it was honestly one of the better fights of the year so far.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from Fight Night 24. But what about you? What do you think everyone will be talking about in the days/weeks to come?

Next for Sean McCorkle: What to do with Sean McCorkle? He’s an excellent trash-talker and up until December of last year he was unbeaten at 10-0, but now he’s on a two-fight losing-streak with both losses by stoppage. How do you package and market a guy that just got choked unconscious, and before that was beaten to a bloody pulp? McCorkle may be cut from the UFC following this loss, and if he isn’t, he’ll be right back on the undercard for a third and final time. There’s no way the UFC keeps Sean McCorkle employed if he loses three times in a row.

Next for Michael McDonald/Edwin Figueroa: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. It really says something that this fight, on the preliminary Facebook broadcast, was so good that it earned “Fight of the Night” for an event filled with some pretty big names in the UFC. I’d love to see these two go at it again, especially considering that Figueroa had one week to train for his opponent. With both men getting a full camp’s worth of training in, their second encounter could be even better. I say book the rematch as soon as possible and put it on the main card.

Next for Leonard Garcia: Even though Garcia recently lost, I think he should still have a rematch with Nam Phan. “The Korean Zombie” got his shot at revenge and gave us the first-ever UFC win by Twister. I’d love to see what Phan would be able to do in order to even their rivalry to one win apiece. Plus, for the first time in a long time, Garcia actually seemed to be sticking to his gameplan. Considering the very controversial nature of their first fight and the interesting changes Garcia seems to have made, I think a Garcia/Phan rematch still makes a whole lot of sense.

Next for Dan Hardy: Dana White recently said “not necessarily” when asked if Dan Hardy losing three straight fights would result in him getting his UFC pink slip. To which I say: everyone is expendable eventually. If Dan Hardy does get another fight in the UFC, it will absolutely be his last shot. There’s just no way that Dan Hardy stays in the UFC after losing four straight fights. It’s do or die time for “The Outlaw” and no matter who his next opponent is, Hardy will be fighting for his UFC career.

Next for Anthony Johnson: Anthony Johnson is in a pretty interesting position: he came back after over a year off and only looked a tiny bit rusty, but still, he won a somewhat-boring fight. It was the win he needed, but not the one the fans wanted. I think Johnson should rematch Josh Koscheck, who’s coming off of a deflating five-round thrashing at the hands (mostly the jab) of Georges St. Pierre. Not only would it be a fun and marketable fight, the winner of Koscheck/Johnson 2 would definitely take a big step in the right direction.

Next for Phil Davis: As I said before, I considered this fight Phil Davis’ “entrance exam” into the upper echelon. I think Davis is ready for fighters like Ryan Bader, or perhaps Lyoto Machida if Machida loses his  upcoming fight to Randy Couture. Davis is in a weird position with me: I’d consider him “the bottom of the top”. He needs tough challenges, but based on his Fight Night 24 performance, I think the cream of the crop would be too much for him right now. In the immediate future, look for Davis to be back on a Pay-Per-View against another Light Heavyweight that’s trying to break into the top of the division, or a top-division talent that’s on his way down.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? What do you see happening in the near and not-so-near future of the big winners and losers of Fight Night 24?

Phil Davis defeats Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via Unanimous Decision. Anthony Johnson defeats Dan Hardy via Unanimous Decision. Amir Sadollah defeats DaMarques Johnson via Submission (Strikes) at 3:27 of Round 2. Chan Sung Jung defeats Leonard Garcia via Twister Submission at 4:59 of Round 2. Mike Russow defeats Jon Madsen via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2. Mackens Semerzier defeats Alex Caceres by Rear Naked Choke at 3:18 of Round 1. John Hathaway defeats Kris McCray via Split Decision. Michael McDonald defeats Edwin Figueroa via Unanimous Decision. Christian Morecraft defeats Sean McCorkle via Standing Guillotine Choke at 4:10 of Round 2. Johny Hendricks defeats T.J. Waldburger via TKO at 1:35 of Round 1. Aaron Simpson defeats Mario Miranda via Unanimous Decision. Nike Lentz defeats Waylon Lowe via Guillotine Choke at 2:24 of Round 3.

I enjoyed three out of the four “UFC on Facebook” free preliminary fights, with one decent bout and one mundane one. I thought Mike Russow and Jon Madsen was an o.k. fight, although I was a bit puzzled by the decision to end the fight. It certainly wasn’t a fight that lit the canvas on fire, but it was competitive. John Hathaway’s win over Kris McCray did absolutely nothing for me, though.

I definitely enjoyed seeing Mackens Semerzier and Christian Morecraft win, both were very entertaining and dominating performances. I liked Morecraft’s victory a whole lot, it takes a lot of power to choke someone unconscious with a standing guillotine.

But far and away my favorite fight of the Facebook broadcast was the three-round all-out war between Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa. Both men simply left it all in the center of the Octagon, for fifteen minutes they brought out the best in each other and set one of the quickest paces of the night. I’d love to see a rematch between these two, since Figueroa had barely a week to train for this fight. Judging on both men’s performances, it’s pretty clear that the UFC will be calling them back before long. This was just another reminder that the lighter-weight fighters consistently deliver some of the best action around.

Speaking of lighter-weight fighters, how insane was it to see the first-ever Twister submission in the UFC? Before the fight-ending submission I honestly wasn’t enjoying this rematch between Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia nearly as much as I had enjoyed their first encounter, but that wicked Twister more than made up for it. I didn’t lose an ounce of respect for Garcia for tapping out with one second left on the clock, for a fighter like Leonard Garcia to tap out you know he must have been in an excruciating level of pain.

I think Amir Sadollah really came into his own with his performance against DaMarques Johnson. All of Sadollah’s punches were very crisp, and in my opinion, he hasn’t looked this good since he won the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. I think it will be very interesting to see where Sadollah goes from here.

Although ring rust is very real, Anthony Johnson’s wrestling is realer. So is Dan Hardy’s one-dimensionality. Johnson fully proved me wrong and to be honest, part of me is glad that he did. Although it wasn’t the flashiest win, this was still a big feather in Johnson’s cap. With a little improvement and an active schedule, Johnson could very well end 2011 by recapturing the potential and hype that surrounded him when he debuted in the UFC.

Phil Davis didn’t exactly give a “wonderful” performance, but a win is a win and he clearly beat “Little Nog”. However, this wasn’t the big win everyone thought would propel Davis into prime title contention against Jon Jones. This was Davis’ entrance exam into the upper echelon, and while he passed it, he didn’t ace it. Davis needs at least two more fights against top-flight competition before he’s ready for a title shot.

Overall, I enjoyed this event. A few of the fights were hit or miss, but in the end there were more hits than misses. Some of the fights weren’t all that enjoyable, but some of them really were. Overall, it was a solid if not super-amazing night of fights.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What are your thoughts and feelings on Fight Night 24?

While the first-round looked to live up to the hype early, Anthony Johnson quickly reverted back to what was later looking like what was his game plan all along.

And after an extended layoff for “Rumble”, he looked like he never missed a step once he returned to the octagon, in true form, and will now be looking to climb up the ranks once again of the welterweight class.

It was unanimous that everyone thought this bout would end in of two ways: one will leave the victim of a knockout, or it would be an early candidate for “Fight of the Night”–neither of which came to fruition.

Most people may forget Johnson’s background, which lies primarily from a wrestling background, however he reminded everyone in attendance of that for the rest of the bout when he controlled all the action to the floor.

Early in the first-round, Johnson dropped Hardy with a hard left high-kick–which initially looked to be defended properly, the force of the blow leveled Hardy to the canvas. Anthony followed up for the finish, however the Brit proved to be too resilient, and survived. From there, it was all Johnson from there on out. Hardy glued his back to the mat for the rest of the match, where Anthony worked for position and ground-and-pound blows.

The rhythm of the bout continued for the rest of the match, and in the third-round, Anthony turned up the action when he was able to take the back of Dan, a former UFC welterweight title challenger, and eventually secure mount. From there, Anthony locked up what looked like a a tight arm-triangle choke, however as was on display in Hardy’s bout with champion Georges St. Pierre, he’s nearly impossible to submit. A neck crank for Johnson later followed, however he settled for a few shorts punches, which helped secure the round and the decision, when all three judges scored the bout for Johson, 30-27.

With the win, Johnson now bounces back from a long layoff dating back to UFC 106 in November of 2009, and is now back in the win column after a loss to Josh Koscheck. Hardy has now lost three-fights in a row.

So, MMA peeps, what did you think of the bout? Did it go the way you had anticipated? Where do either man go from here? Sound off in the comment section below.

With that said, most of the attention shared on the weigh-in ceremony largely surrounded the seemingly gargantuan Anthony Johnson, whom in the past has had a difficult time cutting to the welterweight limit of 170-pounds.

However, today he looked as lean and svelte as he ever has before, as did everyone else who hit the scales, as not one fighter had an particular issue making their own specific weight class.

Johnson, a 6’1 knockout powerhouse in the welterweight class, has had an extended layoff due to a lingering knee injury that in 2010 finally took a toll on his body, which he paid for later with the subsequent surgery that had him sidelined for the rest of the year. Anthony used every bit of the welterweight limit to make weight today, as he tipped the scales at 171-pounds (given the one pound allowance as per the Washington State Athletic Commission) as did his opponent and friend, Dan Hardy, who also came in at 171.

After the co-main event was out of the way, the rest of the attention laid upon the main event fighters, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Phil Davis who both came in at the maximum of 206-pounds for their light heavyweight match-up.

The full weigh-in results are formatted as per MMAJunkie.com:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (206) vs. Phil Davis (206)
Dan Hardy (171) vs. Anthony Johnson (171)
DaMarques Johnson (171) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Chan Sung Jung (146)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Jon Madsen (261) vs. Mike Russow (256)
Alex Caceres (146) vs. Mackens Semerzier (146)
John Hathaway (171) vs. Kris McCray (170)
Edwin Figueroa (136) vs. Michael McDonald (135)
Sean McCorkle (266) vs. Christian Morecraft (265)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Johny Hendricks (170) vs. T.J. Waldburger (170)
Mario Miranda (185) vs. Aaron Simpson (185)
Nik Lentz (155) vs. Waylon Lowe (156)

Part of me has to wonder if the UFC’s decision to add three more fights to their Facebook stream was done in order to at least somewhat compete with Bellator. With this new start time, there will be at least a handful of Facebook fights that compete head-to-head with Bellator’s offering on Saturday night. I’ve spoken out about watching two shows before, and how I don’t normally like to do so. Yet it looks like I’ll have to do so once again. At least I’m content with the knowledge that those Facebook fights certainly seem appealing.

I can’t wait to see Leonard Garcia vs. “The Korean Zombie” and I really hope that it lives up to its potential. I’m honestly a bit worried that Chan Sung Jung will change it up too much, he vowed to make some pretty drastic changes following his first-ever KO loss. I know Garcia won’t change up anything, love him or hate him he fights his own style and it entertains a lot of people. Garcia is either too prideful or too dumb to be afraid to engage. If Jung isn’t afraid to engage, this could be a fight that’s every bit as good as their first encounter.

I think I’ve been a little unfair to Anthony Johnson, so I’d like to make one thing clear: I don’t really have anything against the man. I think he’s very entertaining and could be a major force sooner or later. But there’s just too many factors against him in this fight with Dan Hardy. For one, Hardy is a great striker and he wants to get back in the UFC’s good graces in a major way. Johnson has also been out for a long time, over a year. So long as Hardy can keep it standing, I feel pretty safe in picking Hardy to win this one.

But let’s give credit where credit is due: if Johnson takes this one to the ground early and often, he could outright dominate Dan Hardy. Hardy doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him, but he is and likely always will be a one-dimensional striker. Hardy has simply never been good off of his back, and against a high-level wrestler like Johnson, the chances of Hardy losing are high if Johnson is able to stay in control on the ground and not gas himself out.

The main event certainly has a lot of potential, and part of me really wants Rogerio Nogueira to win. I have a massive amount of respect for both Nogueira brothers, and I always look forward to seeing them fight because they’re master tacticians on the ground. But Davis is just too new-school, and in a lot of ways this fight should mirror Jon Jones’ recent thrashing of Mauricio Rua. Rogerio has more of a chance since he’s stayed active and has a world-class ground game, but I feel that Davis is just too strong and will Ground and Pound his way to a big and very convincing victory.

And that’s that, fans and friends. What about you? Any last thoughts on Fight Night 24?

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Phil Davis: As much as I don’t like to admit this, it seems that an experienced wrestler with a tough chin and punching power is an Achilles Heel to Rogerio Nogueira, at least at this point in his career. He barely beat Jason Brilz, he didn’t beat Ryan Bader, and I don’t think he’s going to beat Phil Davis. Not only has Davis never been (T)KO’d or submitted, he’s never lost, period. He’s also proven very versatile in his short time as a fighter, with two (T)KO’s, two submissions, and three decisions. I think this one will be another decision win for him, since Nogueira is very tough. Little Nog’s chin will hold and his submission game is too good, but in the end he’s going to spend the majority of the match on his back eating punches. Unless Nogueira lands something unexpected and catches Phil Davis, Phil Davis wins by Unanimous Decision.

Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson: As Mauricio Rua most recently proved, “ring rust” is very real. Anthony Johnson has been on the sidelines for over a year, and even when he was active he struggled to make weight. Johnson is a monster Welterweight in a promotion filled with monster weight cuts, and due to both that and the rust, I think Johnson will struggle to make weight for this fight and only barely do so. I expect Johnson will be very rusty and gas easily, and Hardy will be able to finish him. Hardy wants it bad and has always been a great striker, while Johnson has simply been out for far too long. Dan Hardy wins by TKO in Round 2.

Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson: Johnson is coming off of a crushing (literally) victory over Mike Guymon that saw Johnson nearly snap his opponent’s spine in half with a wicked Body Triangle. Amir Sadollah never fully lived up to his potential, he’s currently 4-2 and has only ever finished one opponent. But Johnson has also experienced defeat many times, his overall record is at a marginal 12-8. However, I simply think Johnson wants it more and will work harder, because unlike Sadollah he wasn’t put into the role of a can’t-miss prospect right off the bat and instead had to work hard to stay in the UFC. DaMarques Johnson wins by Split Decision.

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung: As much as I like Leonard Garcia, to the point where I’ve vocally defended him despite his recent controversial wins, I think a time of reckoning is at hand. “The Korean Zombie” may have had his chin finally cracked, but I just don’t see it weakened enough to the point where Garcia will be able to stop him. I think Jung is hungrier than he’s ever been and will do whatever it takes to win his UFC debut. Garcia will gas himself out like he always does, and a refined and even more dangerous version of The Korean Zombie will beat Garcia via Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Who do you see winning, and why, at Fight Night 24?

5. Plenty of goodness on the undercard that we’ll probably get a chance to see.

A lot of main-card UFC fighters have been finishing their fights lately, and that’s a great thing for several reasons. First and foremost it makes the fights more exciting. But we also get more fights, with the UFC filling any time gaps with preliminary action from earlier in the evening. And the non-Facebook preliminary action features fighters like John Hathaway, Sean McCorkle, Aaron Simpson, and more.

4. More free fights on Facebook.

The UFC continues to deliver free preliminary fights over multiple channels, and for Fight Night 24, they’re giving away more free fights from an already-free event. Even better, they’re both really interesting fights: Mackens Semerzier takes on Alex Caceres (aka “Bruce Leroy”) while Jon Madsen fights Mike Russow. They may not be the best fights of the evening, but they’ve got their own fair share of potential and should be two fights that are well worth watching.

3. Garcia/Jung 2? Wow.

The first fight between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung was an amazing display of will, skill, heart, and fortitude. These two battled back and forth, exchanging huge punches at will, and somehow both of them were able to stay standing. It was particularly eerie to see “The Korean Zombie” walk through all of Garcia’s punches without flinching. Both men may have come under fire recently, with Garcia winning another controversial decision while Jung got KO’d for the first time in his career, but this should still be a great fight.

2. Anthony Johnson vs. Dan Hardy, for free? Even more wow.

The first time I heard about this bout, I wondered why it wasn’t being featured on Pay-Per-View. But the facts are the facts: Johnson has been out for over a year and Hardy has lost two straight. Putting them on a Fight Night just makes sense. What’s good about that, though, is that both men will come in hungry and wanting to get back on Pay-Per-View by making a big statement. Before he took his hiatus, Johnson was a can’t-miss prospect. Even though he’s lost two straight, Hardy is still a great striker. Both men may be down on their luck, but this could easily be the best fight of the night.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC Fight Night 24 is…

1. The main event could be a huge sleeper hit.

Phil Davis vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is a fight ripe with potential. Both men have been a bit overlooked recently, especially in the UFC’s ultra-competitive Light Heavyweight division. But this bout could end up being an amazing fight. Davis is young, strong, and possesses a dominant top game. Nogueira is wise, packs quite a punch, and possesses the kind of submission game that goes with being a Nogueira brother. It could go anywhere and everywhere, and both men could finish each other at any time. This is going to be a fantastic main event.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see Fight Night 24. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

The Event: UFC Fight Night 24: “Nogueira vs. Davis”, currently scheduled for March 26, 2011 at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Two free preliminary fights will be streamed at the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 9:00 PM ET. The main card portion of the show will be televised live on the Spike TV network starting at 10:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: Now that Jon Jones is the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, a certain section of the fanbase has brought Phil Davis to the forefront as a possible challenger everyone needs to start paying attention to. But in order to step into that role, he’ll have to beat “Little Nog”: tough, skilled veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Also, Dan Hardy and Anthony Johnson fight with both men’s Welterweight relevancy at stake.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Phil Davis is a very imposing physical specimen, and he’s currently undefeated. However, Rogerio Nogueira has very powerful hands and a world-class ground game. Can Davis repeatedly shoot for the takedown and not get hit by a big knee or uppercut? Can “Little Nog” get the submission against a high-level wrestler that’s got both power and speed, and whose ground game continues to improve? Both men pose some very big threats to each other, so this should be a great fight.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Both Anthony Johnson and Dan Hardy need big wins to stay at or near the top of the division, since both have had to deal with some difficult losses in their most-recent bouts. Both men are going to be hunting for the finish from the second the first bell rings. Simply put, this is going to be a match-up between two very tough fighters that are near the top of a very hotly-contested division. There’s so much potential for fireworks that this fight honestly could have been put on Pay-Per-View.

Why You Should Watch This Card: This is simply one of the best-looking Fight Night cards in recent memory. Both the main event and co-main event have a whole lot of potential, and for very different reasons. You’ve also got the rematch to one of the best WEC fights I ever saw, Leonard Garcia vs. “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Add two more recently-announced free fights on Facebook and you’ve got a great night of live, free UFC action.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: A lot of these fighters are honestly on the decline. The fights might be good, but I have to wonder how much they’ll matter in the grand scheme of things. Phil Davis is certainly undefeated, but everyone else? Their recent fight record is a little underwhelming: “Little Nog” is 1-1, Dan Hardy is 0-2, Anthony Johnson is 1-1 and is returning after over a year off, Amir Sadollah is 1-1, DaMarques Johnson is 1-1, Leonard Garcia is 1-1, and “The Korean Zombie” is 0-2.

Closing Thoughts: All things considered, I’ve still got some decently-high hopes for this show. Many of these fights look like they’ll be a lot of fun, so I’m going to go ahead and just enjoy a free night of UFC action. I really do think this is a very solid card, especially for a “Fight Night”, so I’m definitely going to watch this event.

And what about you, fans and friends? Anybody out there looking forward to Fight Night 24?

5. Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson at UFC: “Fight Night 24”.

Both men are at a pretty interesting crossroads in their careers right now. Dan Hardy was the tough Brit who would never quit and had an iron chin… until Carlos Condit knocked him out. Anthony Johnson was supposed to be the next big can’t-miss prospect at Welterweight… then Josh Koscheck submitted him in November 2009 and “Rumble” hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since. Both men have a lot to prove in this fight, and it should be a fantastic fight.

4. Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland at UFC 128: “Shogun vs. Jones”.

This entry definitely makes the list mostly because I’m an unabashed WEC fanboy, but this is one occasion where I have no problem letting my fanboy flag fly free. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Urijah Faber, and I think he’s found his fire again after dropping down to Bantamweight. I’m really looking forward to seeing Faber debut in the UFC and letting all the non-WEC UFC fans know what they’ve been missing, especially given the disappointing debut of Miguel Torres.

3. Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann at “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann”.

I’m going to enjoy this fight even if Diego Sanchez loses, simply because it has all the makings of an epic encounter. This is the type of match perfect for the main event of a TV card: it’s two semi-big names in a smartly-booked fight that plays to both men’s strengths. Whoever emerges the winner takes a big step towards championship relevancy, and this should motivate both men to perform at their best. And when they perform at their best, they’re very entertaining. And performing at their best against each other? That will be even more entertaining.

2. Dan Henderson vs. Rafael Cavalcante at Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”.

As a massive fan of the old school, part of me really wants Dan Henderson to beat Rafael Cavalcante. But as a moderate fan of Rafael Cavalcante, another part of me wants “Feijao” to beat Henderson in order to both legitimize his championship reign and bring stability to Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight division. It’s a tough fight to call, and it could go either way, and very few things are for certain until these two step into the cage. But one thing is for certain: if it lives up to its potential, this will be an awesome match.

And by quite a large margin, my number-one most-anticipated fight of March 2011 is…

1. Mauricio Rua vs. Jon Jones at UFC 128 “Shogun vs. Jones”.

I’ve talked about this match a whole lot, and I’ve had to deal with my fair share of criticism for my views. But I can’t wait to be proven right, because I wholeheartedly believe that I know exactly what is going to happen. I think Mauricio Rua’s mega-hyped comeback is all smoke and mirrors, and I think Jon Jones will prove once again that he’s the future of the Light Heavyweight division. A new era is about to dawn: Jon Jones will break the streak of Light Heavyweight Champions losing the belt in their first few defenses, a chain that has remained unbroken since Quinton Jackson famously dethroned Chuck Liddell all the way back in 2007. I absolutely cannot wait for this match.

And there you have it, fans and friends! But what about you? What bouts are you most looking forward to for March 2011?

The Brit will be returning to the octagon next year on shaky footing with the promotion following back-to-back losses inside the cage, though to top flight competition.

Hardy vied for the promotion’s welterweight title earlier this year opposite of reigning and defending champion Georges St. Pierre. At UFC 111, Dan fell short of his dream to claim the UFC strap when GSP defeated him with a convincing 5-round clean sweep, earning the unanimous decision victory.

The Team Roughhouse product returned later this year at UFC 120 when he took on former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit on the night’s televised portion of the SpikeTV broadcast, however succumbed to his first knockout loss inside of the first-round.

Hardy will hope to bounce back from his recent skid when he takes on former welterweight contender Anthony Johnson in March.

Johnson has been out of action for all of 2010 due to injury. However in 2009 “Rumble” was much more active, fighting three times during the year, which included big knockout victories over veterans Luigi Fioravanti and Yoshiyuki Yoshida. However in the biggest fight of his career, Johnson fell short of a victory when he took on former title challenger Josh Koscheck. Though the fight was mired in controversy due to “alleged” illegal knees and eye pokes, Koscheck still inevitably submitted Johnson in the waning moments of the second round.

The fight pitting Johnson and Hardy against one another will likely serve as the co-main event for the rumored UFC Fight Night 24, which is expected to take place on March 26 in Seattle, Wash. Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is expected to serve as the nights headliner.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Both men hold a penchant for punching people in the face, and have proven knockout power, though I would give the edge to Johnson. Who do you think will walk away with the victory and return to contender status in the UFC? Sound off in the comment section below.

I think this will be Dan Hardy’s “do or die” fight, but not in the way everyone is thinking. First and foremost, I don’t think that Dan Hardy will be released if he loses this fight. For one, I think the UFC doesn’t want to run the risk of the UFC Welterweight Championship losing some of its prestige if a former contender is fired almost immediately after challenging for the title. Secondly, I think UFC President Dana White and all the UFC top brass know exactly what Dan Hardy is: he’s a controversial “finish or get finished” striker in a division filled with wrestlers that usually take their fights to decisions. And finally, Hardy is a big star in Britain, which is quickly emerging as a key player in the UFC’s international efforts. For all these reasons, I think Dan Hardy will get one last shot in the UFC even if he loses to Anthony Johnson.

In regards to the fight itself, it has all the makings of an amazing encounter. Dan Hardy is still very much in a “do or die” scenario in this fight, his divisional relevancy is at a tipping-point and he needs a big win over Johnson to prove that he can still hang with the UFC’s best. With a victory over Hardy, Anthony Johnson rights the ship that nearly crashed after a deflating submission loss to Josh Koscheck. Both men are very entertaining, unorthodox Mixed Martial Artists that have a majority of their wins by (T)KO.

I think this fight is Dan Hardy’s to win. I think Hardy knows full well that mistakes were made in his fight with Carlos Condit, and that Hardy’s penchant of abandoning his underrated technical striking in favor of banging it out when he gets excited is what caused him to get KO’d for the first time in his career. With this in mind, I think Hardy will come into the fight with Johnson with a renewed focus on attacking at angles, countering constantly, and setting up combos. I’m not saying Dan Hardy will put on a boring performance, I just think we’re going to see a new Dan Hardy in this fight: one that fights smarter, not harder.

If that Dan Hardy shows up, Anthony Johnson is done for. Johnson is a wrestler with big power in both hands, but he takes a lot of chances when he tries to punch out his opponents. If Johnson comes to strike, his striking isn’t up to Dan Hardy’s level. Hardy should have more than enough skill, timing, and power to take Johnson to a Unanimous Decision or even outright KO him.

However, if Johnson focuses solely on his wrestling for this fight, Dan Hardy is in for a very, very, very long night. Johnson is all muscle, he takes his opponent’s down with authority and he knows how to keep them there. And despite the fact that Dan Hardy won’t tap unless something snaps, the man still has virtually no ground game to speak of. On paper, Johnson should be able to outright dominate Hardy on the ground.

So, in the end, this will be a classic “striker vs. wrestler” match-up. Johnson simply isn’t as good of a striker as Dan Hardy, but Dan Hardy’s ground game doesn’t hold a candle to Anthony Johnson’s. This is going to be a very interesting, wildly entertaining bout.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your early thoughts on this planned encounter?

In a new YouTube video posted on the channel of MMA Canada, Hardy had this to say: “I think the most disappointing thing about that loss is that it was my own fault… I didn’t give him the respect that he deserved… Nothing’s going to change… I go in there to enjoy myself, and if I’m not having fun, then I know the fans aren’t having fun watching… So I’m always going to be chasing the knockout or even the submission… I would like to show that I’ve got a ground game and wrestling as well, but that’s not because I don’t want to be taking punches anymore. I’ll trade punches with anybody.”

Dan Hardy is nothing if not resilient. Like many other fans, “The Outlaw” earned my respect when he lost to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 back in March. Dan Hardy proved in that fight that he doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him, and that while he may be a cocky Brit through and through, he’s also got a tremendous amount of heart and resiliency. It doesn’t surprise me in the least bit that Dan Hardy promises to keep head-hunting despite the loss to Condit.

However, the following question must be asked: is that really the smartest thing to do? I admit that I feel like a bit of a buzzkill to bring this up, but the question is valid. If a fighter refuses to change, ultimately his opponents will hunt for the same openings that the last man to beat him exposed, and they’ll get those openings, because they’ll still be there. If Hardy keeps getting goaded into a reckless striking exchange, more and more fighters will look to counter-strike him and nail him with a big KO punch. I’m not saying that Hardy has to reinvent himself from the ground up, but sometimes change is a good thing. Even if what’s changing is Hardy’s very entertaining style.

Ultimately, I look forward to seeing how Dan Hardy comes back from the loss to Condit. I think Hardy has all the tools necessary to not only put a halt to this two-fight losing-streak, but to also work his way back up to the top of the division, avenge his loss to Condit, and maybe one day even fight for a championship again. While I wouldn’t call myself a sure-fire fan, I will say that I consider myself a Dan Hardy supporter. Love him or hate him, the man looks to entertain and more often than not delivers on that promise. He opens himself up more and more if he refuses to change, but it’s going to take quite a lot before we see Dan Hardy vanish from the UFC landscape.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your feelings on “The Outlaw”, and what do you see happening when he makes his return to the Octagon?

According to MMAWeekly, UFC 120’s prime-time tape-delayed showing on Spike TV was watched by an average of 1.9 million fight fans. The report also lists some humbling figures when compared to this event: both UFC 105 and 95, two other British cards shown via tape-delay in the UFC, out-performed this event considerably. 95 had an average of 2.4 million viewers, while 105 saw a big 2.9 million viewers tune in to see Randy Couture take on Brandon Vera.

And in a case of the UFC perhaps being too over-zealous, all twenty UFC 120 performers were handed medical suspensions after the bout according to Sherdog. The UFC controls fighter suspensions from British cards since Britain lacks an athletic commission of the kind that oversees UFC events and handles things like these. The shortest suspension was for only 14 days, with several of those being handed out. Several fighters were suspended for thirty and forty-five days. The report also states that Mike Pyle, Travis Browne, Cheick Kongo, and Rob Broughton have all been handed down six-month suspensions, pending various medical check-ups to properly diagnose the severity of some of the injuries they sustained at the event. Of course, just like normal athletic commission suspensions, these six-month suspensions will be reduced substantially if the fighters are medically cleared.

I’m a bit disheartened that “Bisping vs. Akiyama” under-performed, for the most part I enjoyed the show and was hoping that it would deliver in the ratings. I usually enjoy the UK shows a lot, they’ve got a great atmosphere and a lot of the fighters put on a good performance even if the actual Pay-Per-View card isn’t filled with top-name UFC talent. I suppose some of this could be blamed on the rampant spoilers that were posted online, with ESPN being the main culprit, but still, that kinda sweeps the pre-existing issue with this show under the rug. I think this event is further proof that UFC fans are a fickle bunch and want big stars to justify tuning in, even if the show is free.

In regards to the medical suspensions, I do think that the UFC is being a bit over-protective. However, ultimately that’s a good thing. The UFC is proving that when they’re in charge of taking care of their fighters, they can react accordingly and ensure that no one rushes back into training before their body is fully healed up. Most of the suspensions were brief, so I think the medical suspensions of UFC 120 would have basically flown under the radar had there not been the fact that everyone on the card got suspended.

Overall, I’m thinking UFC 120 was more of a success than a failure even with some lackluster ratings. The UFC once again raked in the green and were rolling in it by the time UFC 120 was over, based on the live attendance and gate attendance numbers. It may not have performed as well in the US, but still, it firmly established that the UK still wants as much UFC as they can get. And in the grand scheme of the UFC’s rapid push for international expansion, that’s a very good thing.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of UFC 120’s ratings and medical suspensions?

Here are the highlights from a recent interview Hardy did with Fighters Only Magazine: “… I was ready for a good fight and I thought I was doing alright. I got caught sleeping, I got caught with my hand down. It’s the way it goes, that’s why it’s a sport… [Carlos Condit] caught me with a good shot and taught me a lesson. It’s a lesson I will take back to the gym and work on…I am gonna take a couple of weeks [off], I have got a few trips around the UK and then I am heading back to the US and back to the grind.”

Unlike a majority of Dan Hardy cynics, I don’t believe that “The Outlaw” should call it a career following his first KO loss. I think it would be wise for Dan Hardy to temper his pre-fight verbal jousting from now on, sure. But I also have very little doubt that he won’t, and that we’ll continue to see more of the Dan Hardy we’ve all either come to love or love to hate. Hardy is a charismatic talker that can really get people interested in his fights due to his loud mouth and brash attitude. Getting humbled is just the risk you take when you’re a bad-boy, it comes with the territory.

I think the true test of Dan Hardy’s character will come in 2011. In addition to being his first KO, the loss to Condit marked the second time in Hardy’s six-year career that he’s been faced with a two-fight losing-streak. It’s up to Hardy to prove himself once again, break the streak, and re-assert himself in the increasingly-crowded UFC welterweight division. How he does so is up to him, but I strongly suspect that 2011 will either see Dan Hardy’s triumphant rebirth or his swift descent down to the bottom of the pecking order and the bottom of the cards. There will be no middle-ground for the brash British bad-boy.

And at the end of the day, I’ll be pulling for Hardy. I may not like him all that much as a person, but I definitely respect him as a fighter and Mixed Martial Artist. And without trying to dredge up the whole “wrestling in MMA” debate again, I’d just like to point out how Dan Hardy is a guy that finishes fights and always tries to entertain in a division that has become bloated with three-round Unanimous Decision wins courtesy of wrestling-based fighters. For those craving a lot of action, for those wanting some in-cage bang for their buck, Dan Hardy is of the increasingly rare breed of fighter that delivers it time and time again. So I wish him the best and look forward to seeing how he handles his comeback.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds for Dan Hardy, and do you see himself getting back into title contention in 2011 or fizzling out and quickly being moved down the rankings?

According to Sherdog, the UFC was able to draw 17,133 fans for UFC 120. According to the report, that number is big enough to crack the top ten list of the most-attended UFC events in UFC history, placing at number nine. The event also made in the area of 1.6 million pounds.

Also courtesy of Sherdog, here are the performance bonuses handed out after the event to the standout stars of UFC 120. Carlos Condit earned “Knockout of the Night” for his thunderous KO’ing of Dan Hardy, who had never been KO’d before. Preliminary fighter Paul Sass earned “Submission of the Night” for his win over Mark Holst. “Fight of the Night” went to the three-round war between Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama in the night’s main event. All four fighters were given $60,000 bonuses in addition to their awards.

I think all the ingredients were there for the UFC to deliver another sold-out house, and I’m glad to see that that’s just what they did at UFC 120. The UFC had it all: two big-name British stars, two up-and-coming British stars, and a long layoff from their last event in the UK. I think this show once again demonstrates the crazy drawing power Michael Bisping has in the UK. Love him or hate him, the man has become a boon to the UFC’s international expansion. Expect to see him stay at or near the main event for any and all UK UFC cards for quite some time.

Speaking of Michael Bisping, I wholeheartedly agree with him and his opponent getting the “Fight of the Night” award. Both Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama put on a great performance, and it was by far the night’s most competitive fight. Both men left it all out there in the Octagon, and I’m glad to see that their hard work was rewarded.

I also fully agree with Condit’s KO getting “Knockout of the Night”, I don’t think anything else even came close. In fact, that win was the highlight of the show for me. Honestly, who thought Condit had enough power in his hands to KO Dan Hardy? Hardy had displayed an awesome jaw in every fight beforehand. Condit needed a good win and he got a huge win, this is one KO that’s going onto his highlight reel and staying there forever.

Overall, UFC 120 was a good show and I’m glad it was a resounding success. And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the UFC’s (and Michael Bisping’s) drawing power in the UK? And do you disagree with any of the “Of the Night” bonuses?

Next for James Wilks: If it weren’t for the fact that he won a season of “The Ultimate Fightter”, I’d say that James Wilks should begin worrying about whether or not he’ll still be a UFC fighter by 2012. But the UFC has given their TUF winners a lot of second chances, so I think Wilks will head back to the drawing board, get off the main card, and face a step down in competition. Look for Wilks’ next fight to be the opener to a “Fight Night Live” event or on the preliminaries of a PPV card.

Next for Travis Browne: Someone like Antoni Hardonk, a bottom-level UFC Heavyweight that Browne will look good against if he runs right through him. I hate to paint Hardonk in such a negative light, but Browne needs another stepping stone to erase his bad performance at UFC 120. He seemed right on the verge of KO’ing Kongo, but he never fully pulled the trigger. When Kongo started attacking his legs, Browne had no defense and it severely diminished his punching power. Browne is still a work-in-progress, he needs an opponent to reflect that.

Next for Cheick Kongo: Even with a Draw instead of a Loss on his record, I think this fight firmly establishes Cheick Kongo as a divisional gatekeeper. It honestly struck me as one of the worst performances he’s ever given in the UFC. His tentativeness after getting rocked was bad enough, but his blatant cheating was just inexcusable. Kongo needed a big win to remain relevant, what we got was further proof that he’s best used as a warm-up fight for surging Heavyweights with championship potential.

Next for John Hathaway: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: sometimes a rookie is just a rookie. This loss doesn’t prove that Hathaway was just hype. I still believe that John Hathaway has a bright future in the UFC. This is just a temporary stumbling block. I don’t have any idea who his next opponent might be, but I do think he’ll rebound with a big win. Hathaway has an incredible amount of potential, and while he didn’t realize much of it against Pyle, I think Hathaway’s next fight will firmly set him on the comeback trail.

Next for Carlos Condit: Somebody big, I’m thinking maybe Thiago Alves. Condit has earned his shot at another top-division talent with his thunderous KO of Hardy. I think this fight proved that Condit still has a lot left to give and a lot of gas left in his tank, and I don’t think it’s impossible for him to continue this epic comeback and even challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship before 2011 is over and done with.

Next for Dan Hardy: A mid-level talent looking to establish himself with a big win over a big name like Hardy. Now that “The Outlaw” has lost two straight, look for the UFC to put him in the role of a divisional gatekeeper in his next fight. If he loses again, he may find himself in an unemployment line. If he wins, it’ll be the first step on what I think will be a long road back to divisional relevancy.

Next for Yoshihiro Akiyama: If Akiyama loses again, he’s fired. Of that I have no doubt. Despite how popular he is, the man has consistently had problems with his cardio. I think Akiyama’s job will be in danger even if he wins his next fight, what “Sexyama” needs more than anything right now is to get a huge and incredibly dominant KO or submission on his record. The man is a great fighter that usually produces great fights, but even that isn’t enough to save your job in the UFC nowadays.

Next for Michael Bisping: He wants a rematch with Wanderlei Silva, I say give it to him. I think Bisping can beat Wanderlei Silva, even knock him out, if he just stays focused and isn’t forced into playing Wanderlei’s game. If Bisping can hit smarter and not harder, he can beat Wanderlei. If not Wanderlei, look for Bisping to receive another big name to once again see if he’s ready for top-division fighters.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. Now it’s your turn: what’s next for the winners and losers of UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama”?

Michael Bisping defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama via Unanimous Decision, Carlos Condit defeats Dan Hardy via KO due to strikes at 4:27 of Round 1, Mike Pyle defeats John Hathaway via Unanimous Decision, Travis Browne and Cheick Kongo fight to a Draw (Kongo was deducted a point for holding Browne’s shorts), Claude Patrick defeats James Wilks via Unanimous Decision, Alexander Gustafsson defeats Cyrille Diabate via submission due to a Rear Naked Choke at 2:41 of Round 2, Rob Broughton defeats Vinicius Quieroz by submission due to a Rear Naked Choke at 1:43 of Round 3, Paul Sass defeats Mark Holst by submission due to a Triangle Choke at 4:45 of Round 1, Spencer Fisher defeats Curt Warburton by Unanimous Decision, and Fabio Maldonado defeats James McSweeney via TKO due to strikes at :48 seconds of Round 3.

I think UFC 120 had a bit of a slow start but really found its niche towards the end. Claude Patrick didn’t put on the performance of a lifetime in his win against James Wilks, but he did seem very dominant and I think he certainly has a bright future in the UFC now that he quite easily dispatched of an “Ultimate Fighter” winner.

However, the second Pay-Per-View fight was a huge black mark on the event. Cheick Kongo put on a downright horrendous performance and blatantly cheated in order to stave off the serious punching power of Travis Browne. Kongo’s knee strikes did sap Browne’s power and succeeded in leveling the playing field after Browne rocked Kongo early on in the fight, but those smartly-timed and very vicious strikes were overshadowed by Kongo constantly holding Browne’s shorts in order to land them. To be bluntly honest, I think both men wilted under pressure and I think dark times are ahead for both fighters.

While I’m sure nobody liked him due to his apparent mile-a-minute mouth leading up to the fight, I was very impressed by Mike Pyle and his downright domination of John Hathaway. In today’s UFC the whole “young gun vs. old warrior” type of fight tends to overwhelmingly favor the young, talented rookie, but sometimes no amount of pure talent can overcome years and years of hard-earned experience. John Hathaway is still jam-packed with potential, but sometimes a rookie is a rookie no matter what his future may hold.

Carlos Condit knocking out Dan Hardy was easily the highlight of the night for me. I think both men were a bit tentative in the early minutes, but they definitely started swinging for the fences and we definitely looked to have on awesome war on our hands. However, Condit simply caught Hardy at the right time, the right moment, and with the right punch. All the ingredients were there, and I think Condit’s stock rose considerably with this win. I think Dan Hardy is down but not out, although it will be interesting to see how his chin reacts to a hard shot going into the future now that Condit has proven that it’s not made of steel.

While Condit vs. Hardy was my favorite moment, Bisping vs. Akiyama was my favorite fight. Bisping’s cardio, heart, and determination once again pulled him through some scary moments in Round 1, to the point where I think Bisping decisively won the last two rounds of action. However, I think it’s very debatable that Bisping won Round 1. It was a very close round, but although I can kinda-sorta see why the judges seem to have believed that Bisping did enough at the end of the round to steal it, I personally had it 29-28 Bisping, with Akiyama winning Round 1.

Overall, I think this was a solid event and a very good UK card. I even think this would have been a good “Fight Night Live” card. It probably wasn’t good enough to be a UFC Pay-Per-View, but for the most part, I found myself consistently entertained. Other than Kongo/Browne I’ve got no major complaints. But what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of UFC 120?

James Wilks vs. Claude Patrick: Patrick may have more experience, more wins, and fewer losses, but Wilks is well within shouting distance of his record. I also think that Wilks has faced better competition, although I wouldn’t say that either man has ever been fully tested against a world-class athlete. I’m going to favor the TUF winner for this one, I think Wilks has a good future ahead of him in the UFC. Wilks will take a Unanimous Decision.

Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne: Much like every single fight Cheick Kongo has ever been in; this fight all depends on how quickly Browne puts him in a disadvantageous position. If Browne can dominate Kongo early and often, I think Kongo has a track record of ultimately wilting under pressure. I don’t see him getting knocked out or submitted (at least, not by Travis Browne), but I can see Browne taking a Unanimous Decision. But I think it’s far more likely that Kongo’s crisp striking and power punching will give him the KO in Round 1. Kongo is simply the more experienced striker, and while that experience proved to be null and void when he lost to Cain Velasquez, I think it will apply itself wholeheartedly against Travis Browne.

John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle: I honestly haven’t gotten too caught up in the apparent rivalry between these two, but I’m still picking John Hathaway to win with a blowout performance. I think Hathaway really set himself apart by beating Diego Sanchez at UFC 114, a win that extended his undefeated streak that’s lasted since the start of his career in 2006. Meanwhile, Mike Pyle is 2-2 inside the UFC, although I will say that he has faced worthwhile competition. Unless Pyle pulls off a crazy submission in Round 1, I think John Hathaway walks away from UFC 120 with another Unanimous Decision win on his record.

Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit: On paper, this has all the makings of a “Fight of the Night” fight. I think both men need and want wins very badly, so we’re going to see fireworks from the opening bell to the final second, if it lasts that long. And I honestly think it won’t- someone is getting finished in this fight. Neither man has ever been (T)KO’d before, and I’m thinking that will change once the dust from this fight settles. Condit is by far the more well-rounded fighter, but Hardy hits hard, won’t tap out, never gives up, and has been in there with the best and impressed. I’m picking Hardy to score a second-round (T)KO.

Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama: I have to admit, it’s pretty much a toss-up at this point. Yet I’m still picking Michael Bisping, a pick I made over a month ago. I think Bisping isn’t given enough credit and is a good fighter with inklings of the fantastic. Akiyama is also a good fighter, but just hasn’t hit his stride in the UFC. Now that he’s not combating a year-long layoff, I think Akiyama will really hang in there for all three rounds and give us a great fight. But Bisping has more Octagon experience, better striking, and the hometown advantage. Still, it will be a very, very close fight. Look for Michael Bisping to take a Split Decision.

And that’s where I stand, fans and friends. But what about you? We’re down to the wire here, so it’s your last chance: who’ve you got winning and losing at UFC 120?

Michael Bisping (185) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (185), Dan Hardy (171) vs. Carlos Condit (170), John Hathaway (171) vs. Mike Pyle (170), Cheick Kongo (228) vs. Travis Browne (251), James Wilks (170) vs. Claude Patrick (171), Cyrille Diabate (204) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (204), Rob Broughton (257) vs. Vinicius Kappke de Quieroz (239), Paul Sass (155) vs. Mark Holst (155), Spencer Fisher (155) vs. Curt Warburton (154), and James McSweeney (205) vs. Fabio Maldonado (204).

I think it’s interesting to note that several fighters took advantage of the one-pound-over allowance, including Dan Hardy. One pound likely won’t make a bit of difference against someone as skilled as Carlos Condit, but Hardy always struck me as a rather lanky welterweight. He’s buff, sure, but he’s no Georges St. Pierre. Other than that, nothing of note seems to have occurred at the weigh-ins, and that’s a good thing more often than not.

While I can’t say it has me as excited as the next UFC event, UFC 121: “Lesnar vs. Velasquez”, I can say that I will most definitely be giving UFC 120 a watch. Some of the fights, both on the main card and the preliminary card, seem to be loaded with potential. I always enjoy watching Michael Bisping fight, win or lose he usually puts a lot of heart and determination into his performances. It’s true that he’s been very hit-or-miss in his UFC tenure, but I still think Bisping can be a force to be reckoned with if he can just find the right formula.

The same holds true for Dan Hardy, who I’m not that big of a fan of although he definitely earned my respect after his refusal to tap several times during his recent loss to current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. Dan Hardy is also a fighter that produces a lot of entertaining fights, and with his rivalry with Condit reaching a fevered pitch, we’re almost guaranteed some excellent exchanges and a really enjoyable fight.

And to top it all off, we’ve even got Cheick Kongo, who always seems one step away from a title shot before he’s knocked back down in the rankings. Once again, I’m not a huge fan of the man but I am a fan of the way he fights. I’ll be the first to admit that the man is little more than a dying turtle if he’s put on his back, or in just about any disadvantageous position for that matter, but his striking has always looked good and he’s hung in there with some of the UFC’s best. It will be interesting to see if Cheick Kongo still has something left for the UFC’s elite, or if Travis Browne knocks Kongo down to gatekeeper status once and for all.

And that’s it on my end. Check back here tomorrow for my official “Picks and Predictions” post where I detail who I think will win the main card matches and why. But what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of UFC 120, and will you be tuning in to watch it?

Read on for questions 2-7…

2. How will Carlos Condit fight in the first round vs. Dan Hardy?  Why is this important? Because, “The Natural Born Killer” has been extremely slow to get going in his last two fights vs. Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald, needing big comebacks to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.  Against Hardy, if he is slow to fire, he may never get his chance in the third round, instead falling prey to Hardy’s heavy hands.

3. Has Dan Hardy truly developed a sturdy takedown defense?  I am interested to see, not how good his wrestling and Jiu Jitsu have become once on the mat … I want to see if he has improved his takedown defense.  This is the most important element in his growth. No matter how good he gets on the ground, his bread and butter will always be his standup.  His long-term success requires he keep fights standing against all the great wrestlers he will face going forward.  He needs to stay on his feet to leverage his greatest asset.  Chuck Liddell is the best example of this.  He became a master at stopping takedowns to keep fights in his sweet spot.

4. Can Michael Bisping finally deliver a thrilling offensive performance from start to finish?  In his last several fights we have seen a tentative, strategic Bisping unable or unwilling to let all his artillery fly.  He needs to win, first, but then be exciting to capture back the idea that he is title contender worthy, provided he keeps winning.  UFC suits would love for him to thrill so they can leverage his UK fan base and keep growing “The Count” into an international star.

5. Will Yoshihiro Akiyama display the crisp and crunching standup weapons we saw in the first three minutes of his fight against Chris Leben?  This version of “Sexyama” should be able to dispatch the UK’s Michael Bisping.

6. Will Mike Pyle finally show the UFC a dominating performance?  Pyle has long been lauded as one of the more talented mixed martial artists in the game to those around the sport. He has been a core cog in team Randy Couture and a Couture MMA trainer in Las Vegas.  However, his UFC performances have been hot and cold.  He has impressive career wins against Jon Fitch, Dan Hornbuckle, Shonie Carter, and Matt Horwich, but has gone 2-2 in the UFC alternating wins and losses recently.  Yes he beat Fitch, and not only did he beat him way back in 2002, but is the only man to ever submit the UFC welterweight star.  I have a gut feeling on Pyle at UFC 120 that he is ready to let loose a decisive performance.

7. Has Cheick Kongo diversified his MMA tool kit?  Before losing to Cain Velasquez, Cheick Kongo had started 7-2 in the UFC and was on a three fight win streak and starting to be in title discussion.  But the losses to Velasquez and Frank Mir set him back into more of grizzled seasoned veteran role.  Can he start another run?  Has he evolved to a new level?  We shall see in his fight against Travis Browne.

While their careers have taken two extremely different paths, Hardy working the international circuit for years before coming into the UFC in 2008, and Bisping, short cutting his way to fame by winning a coveted six-figure contract with the worlds largest mixed martial arts organization, through season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

While it seems at times both are competing against one another indirectly, in order to become the leading faces of the UK MMA scene, that couldn’t be anything further from the truth.

As it was earlier reported by Fighters.com, when Bisping released some controversial statements about his fellow countryman, it appeared that everything between the two alleged “friends”, wasn’t quite how it seemed.

“I’ve been a proud ambassador of UK MMA”, began Michael Bisping, before a long and torrid rant.

“I’ve worked hard and I’ve helped grow the sport to where it is. I haven’t disappeared off to America, like some Mohican wearing people, and lived there and trained there, but then come back here and pretended I’m English.”

While most certainly referring to one Dan Hardy, who actively owns homes in both England and Los Angeles here in the States, in order to get the best of both worlds while training, you would think that “The Outlaw” would take offense to such outlandish claims (which I find ironic, in that, Bisping used to cross train with “Rampage” here in the states, under the tutelage of Juanito Ibarra and while on his stint of TUF), but… Hardy brushed off the remarks as simply an over exaggeration.

“Bisping and I go back a long way, we’ve always been at each other, we’ve always been ripping each other, it’s just part of how it is”, said Dan. Plus we’ve got the media at our disposal as well, so now we can have a jab at each other on a national scale. Mike text me as soon as it came out, saying ‘I’ve been misunderstood, don’t take it the wrong way’. He’s very misunderstood!”

So, MMA peeps, for any of you who thought that Bisping and Hardy were cut throat–don’t believe everything you hear in the news. Sound off in the comment section below.

While “The Natural Born Killer” is fighting opposite of England’s own Dan Hardy, the season three winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Bisping, has had some words to exchange with Condit as well.

While there were some early concerns with Carlos coming to the London for his 170-pound match with Hardy, as he was delayed for a day due to passport issues leaving from New York, the matter was resolved and the Greg Jackson fighter left just a day later.

Arriving just in time to get a verbal lashing from his fellow UFC competitors, of the English persuasion, Condit had earlier addressed some concerns coming into Hardy’s backyard and what he feels may be intangible advantages for Dan, which is what initially brought Bisping into the mix.

“I’d imagine that it would be tough to win a decision, but I’m not looking for a decision, I’m looking to finish”, said Condit after being asked if he thinks it would be more difficult to win in London (being Hardy’s backyard), during the pre-fight press conference held at the O2 Arena.

Bisping quickly interjected.

“Can I just say, I don’t know what he means ‘tough to win a decision’, I think we have American judges anyway, so that comment is irrelevant”, said Michael.

“These things piss me off when people say that. We win fights here because we win fights”.

“Well, I think the crowd is going to be obviously bias, and I think sometimes that judges are affected by that”, retorted Condit.

“Yes, but the judges aren’t, Hopefully the crowd don’t judge the fight’s”, said Bisping.

“It won’t even be an issue, hopefully”, said Carlos.

“It’s not even my fight”, exclaimed Michael to a crowd of laughs”.

“Dan, would you like to say something? Sorry Carlos.”

“I think you said it all there, Mike”, said Hardy, holding back a laugh.

“It has nothing to do with me. I better go home”, finished “The Count”.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Bisping’s remarks? Is any of it founded? Should he be worrying about his own fight opposite of Yoshihiro Akiyama? You can view the tidbits yourself at UFC.com, regarding the remarks made at today’s pre-fight presser. Sound off in the comment section below.

“It was up to me, I would just stand on the Bud Light logo in the octagon and throw punches until he falls over. I am confident with my power and my chin.  If that is the way the fight goes, then I am all for it. But, I have been working on my wrestling and Jiu Jitsu.  Don’t be surprised if I take him down and put him to sleep.”

The ground game is an area UK fighters, in general, have been slow to pick up as MMA has evolved and is now dominated by high-level wrestlers.  Hardy, has learned from the GSP loss and the value of a strong ground game.

“It is something that will need constant improvement just the same as every area of my game … it is going to be a constant process I am going to be doing the rest of my career, but I am certainly looking forward to taking him down and choking him out.”

For Carlos Condit, the New Mexico fighter coming off a stunning 3^rd round comeback win over Canadian prodigy, Rory McDonald, calling out Hardy was a smart move and one that could pay big dividends.

“For one, Hardy has status in the UFC right now. He was the number one contender.  So, a win over him would catapult me up the rankings.  In addition to that he is the kind of fighter that I want to fight. He puts on exciting fights.  He comes to finish guys and I want to be exciting fights. I want to give fans a show.”

Talk is cheap, they say, in the pre fight hype silly season, but this affair has the potential for true fireworks given each fighters DNA wired to slug and engage opposed to disciplined tactics and coy strategy.  This is exactly the way Condit would want it, the “Natural Born Killer” wants a fight to be a fight.

“It ‘s called fighting, not called winning. Sometimes you are going to face adversity.  Some guys crumble and succumb to adversity and some guys thrive and it shows the kind of person the kind of fighter you are.

—

How one is not jacked for this battle is beyond me.  Who you got in Hardy v. Condit?

“This is just a bad fight for Condit… He hasn’t fought anyone like me yet. I can do everything he does, but much more effectively than him… I expect him to be aggressive and walk forward, but when I catch him with a clean shot I think he will either start to run away or go for a takedown. Calling me out was a bad choice… He has no range. I hit harder than him. I can outwork him on the feet. He won’t even have wrestling on me, as I am a totally different fighter now to what I was seven months ago… In my opinion, he is outside the Top 10 and he sees me as a way of getting into it… In both his last fights, he was lucky to come away with the win.”

Now this is the Dan Hardy that we’ve all come to love and hate. These are big, big words that are going to require a lot of backing up. Hardy was on a seven-fight win-streak before his main event spot at UFC 111, but his decisive loss to GSP got people thinking that he may not be ready for top-division talent even though “The Outlaw” is a veteran of over thirty professional MMA fights. However, the GSP loss also earned Hardy a massive amount of respect from many members of the MMA faithful, since he refused to give up on multiple occasions and fought hard until the final second.

However, Carlos Condit also has thirty fights on his record, and he’s also a very tough opponent. Condit was riding high on an eight-fight win-streak, including three successful defenses of his WEC Welterweight Championship, before losing a close Split Decision to Martin Kampmann. And as I’ve said time and time and time again, I wholeheartedly believe that there is no such thing as luck in Mixed Martial Arts. Condit’s skills is what led him to win his next two fights after losing to Kampmann, and I absolutely think that Condit will prove to be a tough challenge for the brash Brit.

However, I’m going to go ahead and pick Hardy to win this fight. I disagree with those that think that Hardy isn’t ready for the UFC’s best. Hardy just isn’t ready for GSP, plain and simple. I think Hardy can hold his own and even beat many of the best Welterweights in the UFC, and that includes wrestling-heavy stars like Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Even if he doesn’t ultimately win those fights, I still think he’d put forth quite an effort. With his heart, experience, powerful fists, and the willingness to constantly update and modify his skillsets, Dan Hardy is definitely ready for the main stage even if the man has a massive ego.

I do think Condit will put up a fight, though, it won’t be a blowout by any stretch of the imagination. Condit wants this win just as much as Hardy, maybe even more. This encounter has “Fight of the Night” written all over it, and I can’t wait to see what happens.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Dan Hardy’s comments, and who do you see winning this fight?

The 2009 event opened up to a large audience, and has become a propellant in the mixed martial arts world, opening up the eyes to a mainstream audience, by the community taking leaps and bounds in order to legitimize itself as not only a legitimate sport, but one that deserves that same sort of recognition that most others receive, here in these United States.

While some categories have changed, in order to be politically correct, must stay the same. Voting continues until November 26, where till then you can cast your votes online at All winners are determined by a fan vote, and ballots can be cast through Nov. 26 at www.worldmmaawards.com.

The full list, which was formatted by MMAJunkie.com, of finalists includes:

CHARLES “MASK” LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva
* Brock Lesnar
* Frankie Edgar
* Jose Aldo
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
* Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 116
* Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki at Sengoku 14

KO OF THE YEAR

* Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris Horodecki at WEC 45
* Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 113
* Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee at UFC 114
* Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell at UFC 115

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR

* Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon at UFC 108
* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 118
* Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum”

BEST PROMOTION

* Bellator
* DREAM
* Strikeforce
* UFC
* WEC

LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR

* Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder and CEO
* Dana White, UFC president
* Joe Silva, UFC VP of talent relations
* Michael Schiavello, HDNet broadcaster
* Scott Coker, Strikeforce founder and CEO

INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Alistair Overeem
* Dan Hardy
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Shinya Aoki

BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Charles Oliveira
* Evan Dunham
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Jon Jones

FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
* Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii
* Miesha Tate
* Sarah Kaufman
* Zoila Frausto

COACH OF THE YEAR

* Cesar Gracie
* Firas Zahabi
* Greg Jackson
* Rafael Cordeiro
* Shawn Tompkins

GYM OF THE YEAR

* American Kickboxing Academy
* American Top Team
* Black House MMA
* Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting
* Wand Fight Team

RING GIRL OF THE YEAR

* Arianny Celeste
* Brittney Palmer
* Chandella Powell
* Natalie Skyy
* Rachelle Leah

BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND

* Affliction
* Fight Chix
* RVCA
* Silverstar
* TapouT

REFEREE OF THE YEAR

* “Big” John McCarthy
* Dan Miragliotta
* Herb Dean
* Josh Rosenthal
* Mario Yamasaki

MOST MEMORABLE RING ENTRANCE

* Anderson Silva
* Clay Guida
* Jason “Mayhem” Miller
* Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
* Tom Lawlor

BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT BRAND

* Everlast MMA
* Fairtex
* Hayabusa
* TapouT
* Venum

BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING BRAND

* Bad Boy
* Hayabusa
* Jaco
* TapouT
* Venum

MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR

* “Inside MMA” on HDNet
* MMAjunkie.com
* MMAWeekly.com
* MMAFighting.com
* Sherdog.com

MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

* Aaron “Tru” Teweles, Freelance
* Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/Versus.com
* Conner Cordova, MMAReligion.com
* Gareth A. Davies, Telegraph.com
* John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

So, MMA peeps, any surprises here? Anyone you would have liked to seen in some of these categories? Who do you think will take home some of the honors of the night? Sound off in the comments section below.

Here’s what Hardy had to say in another This is Nottingham blog post: “I was just expressing my view, as a fan of the sport as much as a fighter, and I was happy to see a lot of fans out there agreed with most of what I wrote. Sadly, there were some people who clearly couldn’t grasp the points I was making. The column wasn’t about wrestling’s place in MMA, it was about using wrestling purely to stall and avoid fighting.  One guy who struggled to keep up with the points I made was UFC middleweight and charisma donor Nate Marquardt, who always seems to have something to say about me, for no other reason than I once competed against one of his friends. Sadly, we can now add ‘literacy test’ to the types of tests Nate has failed, because he either misread the whole thing or – like writers from AOL and Yahoo did – just read the first paragraph or two and had to stop because reading gives him a headache. Ultimately, people can agree or disagree with what I wrote, but the facts are on my side. The Nick Lentz fight at UFC 118, which was the catalyst for my column, was the only UFC Prelim fight to ever lose TV viewers. That hurt the pay-per-view buy rate, it hurt Andre Winner‘s career, it hurt lightweight Joe Lauzon – who had an amazing performance immediately after Lentz’s effort, which fewer people witnessed because of Lentz – and it hurt the sport as a whole.”

Taken purely at his word, I wholeheartedly agree with Dan Hardy. I was one of the ones that had to suffer through Lentz vs. Winner, and let me tell you: that fight blew the big one. I’ve talked in the past of the “beautiful ugliness” that results in a dominant wrestler grinding out his opponent, but that fight was just plain ugly. Lent grounded his opponent for three rounds and did virtually nothing other than land pitter-patter shots. I’m honestly not surprised that the fight lost a lot of viewers, it was downright boring and had I not been watching it only halfheartedly, mostly as background noise in fact, I can honestly say that I too would have switched the channel. And I too might have missed one of the best performances of Joe Lauzon’s career.

What I think Dan Hardy is trying to say is that stalling as a whole is detrimental to this sport, and that wrestling is at the forefront simply because it’s much more prevalent in fighters with wrestling backgrounds. If he means what he says and believes what he means, and isn’t doing this just to keep his name in people’s minds, then Dan Hardy has an excellent point. Even if you’re of the “if you don’t like it, learn to defend against it” opinion, you have to at least grudgingly admit that a boring fight is a boring fight, and that fight that goes to a decision with virtually no action in the fifteen/twenty-five minutes beforehand is a potentially powerful blow to a fight card’s bottom line.

But as always, it’s the fan’s opinions that matter. So what do you think, fans and friends? With this new follow-up blog, do you find yourself continuing to disagree/agree with Hardy, or has this new post changed your stance somehow?

(Goals for near future)

Marquardt: Well, my goal is to become the champion. And so, really, right now, I’m focused on my fight with Rousimar. You know, he’s a very tough, dangerous opponent, and, you know, I’m taking him seriously. And like I said, that’s my goal, is to win the title. And right now, that’s the way I’m going to do it, is by beating Rousimar.

(Is there any extra pressure headlining the card?)

Marquardt: No, I don’t feel extra pressure. I mean, every fight I go into, you know, I have a strong will and a strong want to win. And, you know, I don’t think I need to add any extra pressure to myself by worrying about it being a main event or whatever.

I mean, I’m going to go out there, and I’m going to do my job. I’m going to fight my hardest, and, you know, it’s going to be an exciting fight, and that’s all I have to worry about.

(How far he has come in his career)

Marquardt: Well, I mean, it’s pretty crazy how far I’ve come and how far the sport’s come since I started. You know, I started training when I was 15 years old. I had my first fight when I was 19 years old. And, I mean, I’m just – you know, I’m a totally different fighter, obviously, from when I first started.

But as far as, you know, what I’ve done in UFC and what I want to do, I mean, the main thing I’m concerned about and my main goal is to become the champion.

(responds to Dan Hardy’s comments trashing wrestling)

Marquardt: I think that’s just coming from someone who isn’t a good wrestler. I mean, I think wrestling is a big part of MMA. And, you know, you shouldn’t complain about it. You should learn it and learn how to defend against it.

And, you know, I was unable to defend the takedowns from my last fight, and that’s why I lost the fight. And now I’m going to be more prepared to defend the takedown, no matter who I’m fighting. And, you know, I’ve worked hard on my wrestling, and I continue to work hard on my wrestling.

So, you know, I think with mixed martial arts, we see waves or changes, you know, trends in the sport where, you know, one minute it’s the strikers that are dominating the sport, and all of a sudden then it’s the wrestlers, and then it kind of goes back and forth. And I think it’s just something you have to pay attention to and be prepared for.

(Do you feel pressure to fight in an exciting style?)

Marquardt: I am an exciting fighter. And, you know, I do look to finish fights. And, you know, that’s what the fans want to see. So, I mean, that’s my style, so I’m not really worried about it. My number-one concern is winning the fight, and, you know, I think I’ll be able to do that, and it’s going to be an exciting fight. It’s just an exciting match-up of – you know, the style match-up I think is going to make the fight exciting.

(Will a win over Palhares put you back in the title picture?)

Marquardt: Well, I think a win against Palhares – I don’t know exactly you know, I definitely feel I’m still at the top of the division, and, you know, I can be one or two fights away from a title shot.

Does a win over Palhares put Marquardt next in line to fight the winner of Silva/Sonnen 2?

twitter: @john_moody

Here’s what Aoki had to say on the subject: “…When we look at martial arts in its most extreme form, we need to win by submission or knockout… The American wrestling style – punching a little bit, getting a takedown and moving to side control to win the round has no risk. It’s an easier fight. It’s just using the judges. They don’t even have to worry about injuries or anything like that. There is no risk… I’m a huge fan of the UFC, but I think that it hasn’t been very interesting lately. There are good fighters of course but not so many interesting fights. They punch a little bit, then get a takedown and every round is just a repetition of that. Japanese MMA is totally different. We go for knockouts and submissions from the beginning and going for the decision isn’t an option.”

I actually disagree with Aoki for a number of reasons. For one, I think the UFC has more exciting fights than any other promotion out there. The WEC certainly comes close, but nothing really tops the UFC’s atmosphere and big-money fights. I think there are a few stinkers here and there, some bad matches that go a long way towards making you want to switch the channel, but if we’re being perfectly honest, when was the last honest-to-goodness bad UFC show? Some might be lackluster, some might not live up to their potential, but the UFC always does their best to produce interesting fights that the fans want to see. And more often than not, they deliver.

Also, I disagree with Aoki’s stance on MMA being vastly different in Japan than in the United States. Trust me: “lay and pray” crosses all boundaries, no country is immune to the problem of a fighter playing it safe and winning a round through ground domination. In Japan, it’s just far more likely that a submission expert will use “lay and pray” tactics than a wrestler, and at least a submission specialist goes for submissions every once in a while. Aoki shouldn’t throw stones while inside a glass house, either: if he’s got something to say about one-dimensional wrestlers, maybe someone should point out how utterly one-dimensional he himself is. Without hyperbole, Shinya Aoki has some of the most atrocious stand-up I’ve ever seen. It’s utterly abysmal. For proof, try and find a video of his DREAM 10 fight against Vitor Ribeiro. Aoki’s standup is so horrendous that the Japanese fans boo him back when he was still the squeaky-clean baby-faced do-gooder that could do no wrong.

I think you can argue that Dan Hardy’s original statements were 50% truth and 50% sour grapes, but in regards to Aoki, I think the percentage of negativity for the sake of negativity is quite a lot higher.

But what do you think, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on Shinya Aoki’s opinion?

Since his inception in the ufc, Bisping has always portrayed a sort of arrogant confidence that most people have either come to love or hate. None the less, he has proven to be one of, if not the biggest draw in the UK market, which has proven evident to several sold out shows in England.

However, jabbing words at your own countryman probably won’t sit well with said fans–especially when your taking pot shots at another endeared fighter in welterweight contender, Dan Hardy.

“I think now it’s become the cool thing to slag me off – I don’t know where it’s come from a lot of it to be honest”, began Bisping in an interview with Mirror.co.uk.

“You know, I’m an approachable guy, I always have time for everyone and yeah, sometimes I say some things sometimes that might piss people off a little bit, but most of the time it’s tongue in cheek and I’m having a laugh and they don’t get that”, added Bisping.

While “The Count”, the season 3 winner of the famed “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show–where he competed in the light heavyweight division until he lost a fight to eventual champion Rashad Evans by unanimous decision at UFC 78–has largely accepted his role as the “bad guy” here in the U.S. following his stint as a coach opposite of MMA great Dan Henderson, it’s the backlash he’s received from some of his fellow Englishman that has him the most on edge.

“To see it from some of the UK guys pisses me off. I’ve been a proud ambassador of UK MMA, I’ve worked hard and I’ve helped grow the sport to where it is”, said the middleweight, who is set to headline UFC 120 in England at the 02 Arena opposite of Yoshihiro Akiyama.

“I haven’t disappeared off to America, like some ‘Mohican’ wearing people and lived there and trained there, but then come back here and pretend I’m English”.