Coming into this bout, “Stun Gun” Kim had been making some waves in the UFC’s Welterweight division and was thought of as a fresh new face in a sea of contenders that have all lost to Welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre. Thanks to an overturned loss against Karo Parisyan, Kim was technically undefeated in the UFC and in MMA in general.

In the UFC, Kim had successfully defeated five opponents other than Parisyan. His most recent accomplishment heading into UFC 132 was a Unanimous Decision win over Nate Diaz. Kim controlled the fight for the entirety of the bout, although many fans criticized him for abusing “lay and pray” tactics throughout the encounter. In his fired-up post-fight interview, Kim spoke through a translator and made the bold claim of “My name is Stun Gun Kim and I want GSP”.

The somewhat-controversial win over Diaz coupled with those famous words turned Kim into a hot topic almost overnight. To capitalize on this new-found interest in the fighter, the UFC decided to put him up against Carlos Condit. A former WEC champion, Condit had been destroying people left and right after losing his UFC debut. Condit was also coming into UFC 132 on the heels of one of the biggest highlights of his career: a thunderous KO’ing of Dan Hardy, who had once challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship and who had never been KO’d before in his entire career, which spanned over thirty fights.

In a famous pre-fight interview before UFC 132, Kim said that he felt that Carlos Condit was over-rated. When the cage doors closed, it turned out that Condit lives up to his hype.

For about three minutes, Condit and Kim tried to gauge each other and figure each other out while lightly engaging. Then, in a crazy “going for broke” move, Condit lashed out with a flying knee. It caught Kim straight on the chin, and “Stun Gun” was stunned and dropped. A series of fast lefts and rights further sent Kim into unconsciousness, giving Condit the KO win due to a flying knee and punches at 2:58 of Round 1.

It’s one thing to grind out a fight over a good fighter in order to keep yourself in the mix. It’s another thing entirely to think that it was a good enough performance to earn you a title shot. When Kim called out GSP, he was asking to be put in his place. When he called Condit over-rated, he was practically begging to be put in his place. And Condit was more than happy to oblige. Now Kim is an after-thought, just another boring wrestler in an MMA landscape that is unfortunately becoming filled with boring wrestlers.

For going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, and for quite literally writing checks with his mouth that his body couldn’t cash, Dong Hyun Kim is July 2011’s “Flop of the Month”.

Dominick Cruz defeats Uirjah Faber by Unanimous Decision . Chris Leben defeats Wanderlei Silva by KO (Punch) at 0:27 of Round 1. Dennis Siver defeats Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision. Tito Ortiz defeats Ryan Bader by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:56 of Round 1. Carlos Condit defeats Dong Hyun Kim by TKO (Strikes) at 2:58 of Round 1. Melvin Guillard defeats Shane Roller by KO (Punch) at 2:12 of Round 1. Rafael dos Anjos defeats George Sotiropoulos by KO (Punch) at 0:59 of Round 1. Brian Bowles defeats Takeya Mizugaki by Unanimous Decision. Aaron Simpson defeats Brad Tavares by Unanimous Decision. Anthony Njokuani defeats Andre Winner by Unanimous Decision. Jeff Hougland defeats Donny Walker by Unanimous Decision.

There’s so much I’d like to say about this event, so I guess I’ll just start from the beginning.

I really, really enjoyed the “UFC Prelims LIVE” fights for UFC 132, both on Facebook and on Spike TV. The Facebook fights kept going to a decision, but they were all very entertaining fights. Jeff Hougland and Donny Walker really impressed me, and I can’t remember the last time Anthony Njokuani looked that dominant. Add in some other interesting performances, and you’ve got a solid Facebook stream.

Then, of course, the Spike TV prelims came out and blasted everything on Facebook right out of the water. Despite the fact that he ended the fight with unnecessary strikes as the referee was pulling him off of his opponent, Rafael dos Anjos looked awesome against George Sotiropoulos. As a semi-fan of “G-Sot”, it’s really hard to see him take such an epic fall from grace. Melvin Guillard also looked amazing on Spike TV, and has now turned into a bonafide title contender.

And now we get to the epic Pay-Per-View card.

When it comes to the first fight of the night, all I can really say is this: I literally screamed myself hoarse shouting “YES! YES!” when Carlos Condit KTFO’d Dong Hyun Kim. That made my night, and it was the first fight of the card.

After that, I got to see Tito Ortiz utterly shock the world and demolish Ryan Bader, looking like the Tito Ortiz of old. That also made my night, since I’ve been an Ortiz semi-fan for quite some time. It’s too soon to say Tito is back, but I know that I can’t wait to see what he does in his next fight.

After that, Dennis Siver won a tough, semi-controversial fight against Matt Wiman. I personally think that Siver deserved the win, but I’d love to see a rematch.

As a fan of Wanderlei Silva, it broke my heart to see Chris Leben destroy him. But as a fan of fun fights, I’m very glad that this fight was as brutally amazing as it was hyped to be. I don’t know where Silva goes from here, but I wish him nothing but the best.

And in the main event, Dominick Cruz again proved that he’s the best in the world while simultaneously getting revenge on the only man that’s ever beaten him. It was a very tough fight and was pretty close, so I’d love to see a rematch for this fight as well.

Overall, this was one of the best MMA events of the year. UFC 132 had a little bit of everything for everyone, and it’s a night of fights I won’t soon forget.

5. Several good fights anchoring the “UFC Prelims LIVE” broadcasts on both Spike TV and Facebook.

The UFC is spoiling me. I freely admit it. For so long, we only got to see unaired preliminary fights on UFC DVDs or when the UFC needed to fill time on their Pay-Per-View broadcasts. But in the here and now, we get the opportunity to watch every single fight from virtually every single UFC card and it barely phases us anymore, it’s basically become an expected occurrence. But if the UFC ever took these preliminary fights away from me I’d inevitably spiral into an all-out temper tantrum and demand my free fights back. I’ll freely admit that as well. For the UFC 132 preliminaries, we’ll get a chance to see (for free!) names like Brian Bowles, George Sotiropoulos, Melvin Guillard, and more. The free prelims remain one of the biggest reasons to check out all the latest UFC events.

4. Can Dennis Siver rise above the tumultuous Lightweight scene and capture the next title shot that so many other fighters are pursuing?

Everyone wants a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship nowadays. What’s changed since the BJ Penn era is that there’s so many Lightweights deserving of a championship and that could prove a serious threat to the champion. One of those fighters just so happens to be Dennis Siver, and he’ll have a big chance to prove himself at UFC 132.

3. In a world where nearly every top-division Welterweight has felt bitter defeat at the hands of Georges St. Pierre, Carlos Condit and Dong Hyun Kim are new, interesting threats.

This is assuming that GSP gets past Nick Diaz, of course. And when (not if) Diaz beats GSP, the last thing the UFC needs to do is give Diaz all the old fighters that GSP dominated. Condit and “Stun Gun” Kim are two very different fighters, and they add an interesting dynamic to an always-crowded Welterweight top-contender scene. If this fight ends in stunning fashion, it’s not too far-fetched that the winner will become the next challenger to the UFC Welterweight Championship. With that kind of opportunity on the line, that should bring out the best in these two and give us one of the best fights of the night.

2. Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben… wow. It makes so much sense I have to wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner.

Stylistically, you can’t really imagine a more fitting opponent for Wanderlei Silva than Chris Leben. Leben has grown less one-dimensional with time, but he has been and always will be a brawling-based fighter. He loves taking two to give one, it’s a strategy that’s worked out well for him for the most part, even though his chin has been suspect as of late. With the way Silva’s chin has also become a bit suspect, there’s a chance that either fighter could end this fight in stunningly vicious fashion. And that’s a huge incentive to both check out this fight and the event in general.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 132 is…

1. Two of the best Bantamweights fighting today do battle in the main event, with a championship on the line and a bitter rivalry fueling both men.

Despite practically being the spokesperson for MMA fighters with laid-back attitudes, to this day Urijah Faber is not without his fair share of cynics. One of those men, Dominick Cruz, just so happens to be the UFC Bantamweight Champion. He also just so happens to be the man that Faber humbled so badly at Featherweight that the loss spurred Cruz’s original drop to Bantamweight. Despite his recent troubles, Faber seems to have found new life in a smaller weight class. It just so happens to be the class Cruz is reigning over with an iron fist. It’s always great when a big rivalry gets settled inside the Octagon, but when it’s this fierce of a rivalry between two fighters as good as Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, then that’s an absolute can’t-miss fight.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 132.

The man known as “Stun Gun” Kim is still technically undefeated at 14-0-1 (1). Kim has fought to a draw once, and a loss on his record was overturned and ruled a No Contest when it was revealed that his opponent, Karo Parisyan, tested positive for banned painkillers. Kim has fought six times in the UFC and only managed to finish an opponent in his UFC debut, fighting to a decision five times since then. Kim was a finisher in the DEEP promotion, though.

Most recently, Kim faced Nate Diaz in a match-up that had some controversy to it. Many accused Kim of utilizing “lay and pray” tactics, others say it was simply effective wrestling. Much has been made of Kim’s post-fight comment of “I want GSP.” He may not be getting Georges St. Pierre at UFC 132, but he’s certainly getting a handful when he steps into the Octagon against Carlos Condit.

Carlos Condit is currently on a three-fight win-streak with two (T)KO stoppages, and has won eleven of his last twelve fights. Even more remarkable, ten of those eleven wins have been stoppages.  This includes winning the WEC Welterweight Championship and defending it three times before making his UFC debut.  In his most-recent fight, Carlos Condit made some serious waves when he knocked out Dan Hardy, the brash Brit with powerful hands of his own.

Before their fight, Hardy had just got done challenging for the UFC Welterweight Championship. Even though that challenge was unsuccessful, Hardy gained a lot of fans due to his toughness and unwillingness to quit. Before the showdown with Condit, Hardy was a veteran of over thirty fights and had never been stopped due to strikes before. Condit would go on to catch Hardy with a vicious shot near the end of Round 1, properly KO’ing him and earning a “Knockout of the Night” bonus.

For this fight, I’ve made no secret of my stance as a Carlos Condit supporter. I just don’t like “Stun Gun” Kim. I think he does use “Lay and Pray” tactics, and I think he has no right to brag and demand title shots since he’s never faced a true top-caliber Welterweight. Condit is a former champion and has found firm ground to stand on in the UFC. He knows what works now, and what doesn’t. His first loss in the UFC and his following win by Split Decision were humbling experiences that he’s learned a whole lot from.

In this fight, I think it’ll go one of two ways. The first way, the one I’m going to hate to see happen if it does, involves Kim abusing the worst of the “lay and pray” system and just turtling up on top of Condit for three rounds. If he does that, this fight will prove once and for all that he’s a boring fighter, just another “lay and pray” wrestler working his way to the top by abusing the benefits of a broken judging system.

The other way, the one I hope happens, involves Kim trying to trade shots with Condit and getting knocked out. If Condit can crack the chin of a guy like Hardy, he can pulverize Kim’s. And that’s exactly what I hope he does.

And that ends day one of “A Closer Look at UFC 132”, fans and friends! Stay tuned, because tomorrow concludes the series and features both the co-main and main event fights.

Carlos Condit, the former WEC welterweight champion, has since risen to the top of the UFC ranks with highly entertaining performances that have put him on the short list of contenders in the 170-pound class. On the heels of a three-fight win streak, Condit was last seen inside the cage when he knocked out one-time title challenger Dan Hardy at UFC 120 in October of last year. Since then, Carlos was scheduled to face Chris Lytle at UFC 127 earlier this year, though bowed out due to injury.

Now healed up, Condit was originally campaigning for a bout with former champion BJ Penn, though the manic Hawaiian subsequently withdrew from his own position at UFC 132, however Carlos managed to find his way on the card, this time against Korean contender, Dong Hyun Kim.

UFC officials recently made the bout official, and it is expected to grace then main-card of the pay-per-view event which will be headlined by a bantamweight title tilt pitting champion Dominick Cruz against rival and fan-favorite Urijah Faber. UFC 132 takes place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

While Condit may be making more noise on his way towards the title shot, Kim has long been creeping his way towards the top, with his undefeated record as evidence of his hard work. In his last bout, “Stun Gun” squeaked out a decision win over perennial contender Nate Diaz at UFC 124. The Judo specialist proved effective with multiple takedowns, which in the end helped secure him the win, and helped extend a three-fight win streak. Currently, Dong has an overall UFC record of 5-0-1, with the lone blemish coming by way of “No-Contest” when a previous loss to Karo Parisyan was overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after “The Heat” was found to have tested positive for banned pain killers.

While Condit overall is as well-rounded as they come, his lone knack has been his inability to defend the takedown, though he has always made up for it with his more than adept Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.

In a new interview with Heavy.com, Diaz said the following: “…If [your opponent] takes you down and lands in your closed guard and gets punched in the head forty times, is he still ahead on points? If you’re on top, you’re winning, and I think it’s ridiculous… In order to be a good UFC fighter or cage fighter I guess I’ve got to learn how to win the rounds. You’ve got to not fight… Apparently I’ve got to grab him and hold him, otherwise he’ll just grab and hold me… Maybe I don’t need to work on my wrestling. Maybe I just need to do the wrestling and not the fighting.”

I find myself both agreeing with and taking issue with what Diaz says, which honestly doesn’t surprise me given how many different sides there are to the “judging in MMA debate”. So let’s start from the top and work our way down.

First off, I’ve never had a problem with dominant wrestlers fighting to a decision. I enjoy a good KO as much as anybody, but some fighters just aren’t built that way. You can be taught effective striking, you can even get a few (T)KO’s on your record, but the simple fact of the matter is that only a select few MMA fighters have that real, vicious KO power that everyone loves to see. It’s a rare trait, and that’s usually why those who have it and use it to its fullest extent end up being so famous. So my point is this: don’t tell a fighter to finish a fight, because as competitive as MMA is today, that’s a pretty hard thing to do.

But here’s the distinction so few fans are willing to make nowadays: there’s a difference between dominant wrestlers and wrestlers who hold their opponents to score points. That’s the kind of fighting style that Diaz is decrying, and that’s something I honestly agree with. In his fight with Diaz, Dong Hyun Kim seemed downright afraid to strike with him, and proceeded to mostly hold Diaz in position, defend submission attempts, and land barely-damaging shots. Like so many other fighters nowadays, “Stun Gun” showed up to win, he didn’t show up to fight. That’s a terrible mentality for this kind of spectator sport even if it’s a very smart mentality to have as a fighter. Kim played it cautiously in order to win, he didn’t care what the fans thought of his performance, and ultimately, he won the fight but lost the respect of many fans, including me.

Here’s the last I’ll say on this subject: Diaz’s rant was probably motivated by some “sour grapes”, but that shouldn’t discredit what Diaz is saying. Just because both Diaz brothers have always had problems with wrestlers shouldn’t magically invalidate their opinion on the subject. I’ll be the first to admit that both Nick and Nate really need to work on their takedown defense, but I won’t pretend like that immediately disqualifies them from having their say on this fiercely-debated topic. Ultimately, Diaz is preaching to the choir. Sadly, no one seems to be listening.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your take on Diaz’s remarks?

The one and only Sherdog brings us the scoop on this double-whammy of young prospects signing new contracts. According to the report, both fighters signed on for four more fights in the world’s most prestigious and most competitive Mixed Martial Arts promotion.

Dong Hyun Kim has been in a few controversies in his time with the UFC, but at the end of the day, he remains officially unbeaten both inside the Octagon and in his pro MMA career as a whole. “Stun Gun” is coming off what is probably the biggest win of his career, a Unanimous Decision victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 125 “Resolution” on New Year’s Day, so it’s no surprise that the UFC has locked down the man’s services. Not only is “Stun Gun” quickly scaling the welterweight rankings, he’s also a major celebrity in his native South Korea.

Charles Oliveira’s re-signing also shouldn’t take anyone by surprise even though he’s coming off of a loss. At twenty-one years of age, Oliveira is highly regarded as a 14-1 Mixed Martial Artist, and many are predicting that Oliveira will be the next can’t-miss prospect. Of course, Jim Miller had other plans, as he spoiled Oliveira’s meteoric rise and caught the Brazilian submission specialist in a kneebar, forcing him to tap out at UFC 124 back in December.

I’m glad the UFC decided to retain the services of both these performers. I think “Stun Gun” was an absolute no-brainer, and I look forward to seeing if he’s able to hang with the true welterweight elite. I’ve had issues with the man in the past, but at the end of the day, I’ve got no problem admitting that he’s got a lot of skill and a lot of people like seeing him perform. I may personally think that “Stun Gun” won’t go unbeaten for long and that he’ll eventually have to deal with a humbling victory, but until that happens, he remains one of the UFC’s fastest-rising 170-pounders.

I’m also glad that the UFC is keeping Charles Oliveira around, because I think we can expect some major things out of “Do Bronx” in the next several years. I think Oliveira made a rookie mistake against Jim Miller, but I can’t really criticize him for it. Sometimes a humbling loss is absolutely the best thing that can happen to a fast-rising fighter. The will to persevere, mixed with the desire to return to form and the skills they’ve already displayed, usually results in a far more complete fighter that does indeed end up fully realizing his or her potential. We haven’t seen the last of Charles Oliveira, not by a long shot, and I think we’re going to see him back and better than ever quite soon.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on the UFC re-signing these two fights?

For those of you who don’t remember or may not have seen UFC 125, Kim’s first words following his Unanimous Decision victory over Diaz was “My name is Stun Gun and I want GSP”. And in a new interview first seen on MMA Junkie, “Stun Gun” shared the following sentiments: “I can take [St-Pierre] down… GSP takes other fighters down and ground and pounds. I want to do that to GSP… This is it for me. I’m trying to become better every fight. It’s tough to fight fighters from the UFC because everybody is so good. I’m just trying to become better.”

I hate to come down so harshly on a UFC performer, but “Stun Gun” showed me nothing in the Diaz fight that would lead me to believe that he holds a candle to GSP. Diaz consistently got the better of Kim when the two stood up, leaving Kim with basically no other option than to take Diaz down. And both Diaz brothers, especially Nate, have always suffered from poor takedown defense. They basically let themselves get taken down because they’re so confident in their ground game, since they train with Cesar Gracie. And on the ground, Diaz was constantly hunting for submissions. Kim did little more than hold Diaz in place and fend off submission attempts.

As an MMA fan first and foremost, I was outright unimpressed with Kim’s performance at UFC 125. His stand-up isn’t anything to write home about, and he looked downright afraid to stand with a striker the caliber of Nate Diaz. His inactive, holding-in-position ground game also helped turn the fight into an almost-boring encounter. This was a tough loss for Nate Diaz, of that there can be no doubt. But Kim is blowing the win out of proportion.

“Stun Gun” barely squeaked by Nate Diaz, and GSP is miles above both Diaz and basically all the other 170-pounders in the UFC’s Welterweight division. GSP is perhaps the most complete MMA fighter of all time, and Kim simply doesn’t have any of the tools necessary to beat him. He’s got dominant takedown ability, but it pales in comparison to GSP’s. He’s got a decent striking game, but GSP can jab you for five rounds and still leave your face a badly-bruised, broken mess. Kim is simply digging his own grave if he continues to call out GSP.

But what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on “Stun Gun”? And do you think he would be a worthy challenger to GSP?

Next New Year’s, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the UFC will return to Nevada with a lightweight title fight pitting current champion Frankie Edgar, who is riding on a 5-fight win streak (which included two back-to-back victories over former champion BJ Penn) will look to exact revenge when he defends his title against the only man to defeat him, undefeated UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard.

Also in action, former Interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin is coming back to action after succumbing to his first defeat as a professional at UFC 116 when he tangles with the former IFL heavyweight champion and season 10 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Roy Nelson.

Nate Diaz has recently been announced as a new addition to the card. Making his third consecutive trip to the welterweight division, Diaz will look to go three-in-a-row following some recent success with victories over Rory Markham and Marcus Davis (respectively) finishing both competitors before it went the distance.

Meeting Diaz will be Korean Judoka, Dong Hyun Kim. An undefeated prospect in the 170-pound division, Diaz will arguably be his toughest test to date, and should Dong come away from the bout in impressive fashion, it could spell title implications.

While no official word has come as far the order of the match ups, though I would assert that the card should look something like this. Here is the event in it’s entirety, though additional match ups are soon to be announced.

Main Card:
-Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (champion) vs. Gray Maynard
-Heavyweight bout: Shane Carwin vs. Roy Nelson
-Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi
-Middleweight bout: Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann
-Welterweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Preliminary:
-Light Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva
-Middleweight bout: Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares
-Lightweight bout: Antonio McKee vs. Jacob Volkmann

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of match ups so far? Any additional bouts you would like to see make the main card? Which bouts do you think, should they be featured, for the Spike Prelims special?
Sound off in the comment section below.

A Korean website, with English translations courtesy of MMA Mania, has revealed that Dong Hyun Kim has been slated to face Diaz at the UFC’s upcoming UFC 125 event, which takes place on New Year’s Day. The event is set to feature such match-ups as Shane Carwin vs. Roy Nelson, Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera, Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann, and Frank Edgar vs. Gray Maynard for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

After a long career at Lightweight both in and out of the UFC that ultimately saw his chances at UFC Lightweight gold never fully come to fruition, Nate Diaz debuted at Welterweight in March of this year and has been on an absolute tear ever since. Diaz made quick work of a hugely-overweight Rory Markham and then proceeded to out-strike and ultimately choke out former professional boxer Marcus Davis. For the first time in a long time Nate Diaz is building himself up as a potential championship contender, and a big win over “Stun Gun” would go a long way towards making that dream a reality.

Dong-Hyun Kim has posted a flawless record in the UFC, with four wins and one No Contest: the lone blemish on the popular Korean fighter’s UFC record was a loss to Karo Parisyan in 2009 that was overturned when Parisyan tested positive for banned painkillers in a post-fight drug test. Despite most of his wins in the UFC coming by way of decision, “Stun Gun” has established himself as a very dynamic, very entertaining fighter that should be a near-perfect foil for Nate Diaz.

I really like this match, and I think it has amazing potential. I think both men will be incredibly active in this fight and try their best at forcing their opponent to fight their fight. If Nate Diaz can keep Kim off of the ground and out of the clinch, his superior striking has the chance of eating Kim alive and making his face an even more grotesque landscape of bumps and bruises than Marcus Davis’, whose faced resembled Frankenstein when Diaz got through with him. If Kim can avoid getting caught up in a striking exchange that far favors Diaz’s “punches in bunches” strategy, his judo should score him some very impressive takedowns. The problem with that is that a judo takedown brings the fight to the ground, and both Diaz brothers are known for their unorthodox and highly effective ground games.

If you couldn’t tell already, I’m picking Nate Diaz to win this one either by TKO or Guillotine Choke. I think both men are surging Welterweights that both possess a lot of championship potential, but I think that in the here and now, Nate Diaz is emerging as a true can’t-miss prospect at Welterweight. Success breeds success, and it seems that a little sibling rivalry at who is more successful has prompted Nate to up his game considerably. He still may not be on Nick’s level quite yet, but he’s getting there and getting there fast. “Stun Gun” is a very tough test and will once and for all prove if Diaz can hang at Welterweight. My money’s on him passing the test with flying colors.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of this match, and who do you see winning it?

The night started with prelims thanks to Spike TV. “The Upgrade” Dan Lauzon (12-4) came into this fight against Efrain Escudero (8-1) after having a disagreement with his coaches and his brother, UFC fighter “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (18-5). They refused to travel with him to the fight because they felt he had not spent enough time in the gym and did not follow their plan correctly. This fight proved that the older brother knows best as Dany seemed to tire quickly in the fight. He was never able to score much and Efrain had his way the entire fight. What shocked me was Efrain not using his wrestling background more in the fight. While Efrain is a good prospect he will have to work on becoming more aggressive, looking for the finish and finding the balance between striking and wrestling.

Next up was Dong Hyun Kim (10-4-2) versus Amir Sadollah (3-2) in the final fight on Spike TV before the pay-per-view (PPV) started.

Kim used his solid wrestling base to take Amir down at will during this fight. The one thing that stood out was that while Amir has improved his striking, you can’t do much of that if you can’t stop takedowns. I was shocked at the number of people on Twitter stating that they thought Amir would now get cut from the UFC. Since winning “The Ultimate Fighter” season seven he has gone 2-2 in the UFC and was coming off of back-to-back wins before running into the takedown machine named Dong Hyun Kim. That does merit a cut from the organization and one has to remember he is the face of “Inside the Octagon” on Spike TV. Amir will need to go back to work and spend a ton of time with high quality wrestlers in order to succeed in the UFC. I look for Joe Silva to allow him to do just that and his next fight will probably be against a striker.

Kim, while impressive with his takedowns and top control, never seemed to go for the finish in the fight except when he had the neck tie position. This position is rarely seen in MMA and I have to give credit to Amir for fighting through it. I am looking forward to seeing what UFC matchmaker Joe Silva does with Kim after this win.

The first fight on the PPV was the first fight back inside the Octagon for “The Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-4) after his lopsided loss to then UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” B.J.  (15-6-1). He decided after that loss to move back up to 170 and last night against “Hitman” John Hathaway (12-0) it was apparent that the move was a bad decision. He was simply outclassed by the young Hathaway. I stated in this article that Diego is not an elite fighter and this is further proof of that. His best bet would have been to stay at lightweight and work to get back to the title just like “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (13-4) did after being defeated in his title shot. Diego will continue to have a home in the UFC, as a stepping stone.

Hathaway however is the complete opposite from Diego. A prospect that at 22 has nowhere to go but up after a win over “The Ultimate Fighter” season one winner. He did much better than many expected him to in this fight. He showed excellent takedown defense which he will need as he wades into the deep end of the division. I will enjoy watching the young man develop over the years.

Six weeks ago Forrest Griffin (17-6) had to pull out of his fight that was scheduled for UFC 114. The UFC replaced him with “The Hitman” Jason Brilz (18-3-1). Many thought that his opponent “Lil Nog” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) would walk right through Brilz. Brilz shocked the MMA world by not only going all three rounds with Nogueira but actually dominating him at times during the fight. This fight ended up being a split decision win for Nogueira which brought boos from the crowd and talks of bad judges from those on Twitter.

This was a close fight with Lil Nog controlling the stand up in the first round. The second was a battle of position with Lil Nog using amazing sweeps off his back and both fighters working for guillotines. Brilz sunk in a very deep choke that many would have tapped out to but Lil Nog is a black belt in jiu jitsu and showed great poise in the position.

No matter the outcome, Jason Brilz was the winner in this fight. He gained respect from many in the MMA community and garner quite a few new fans as shown by the massive increase in followers on his Twitter account. Noguiera will continue to rise through the division and Brilz will follow closely behind him. I hope the UFC and Joe Silva decide to put these two back inside the Octagon together sometime in the future.

The hype surrounding Todd Duffee (5-1) was not unwarranted contrary to what you may have heard. Yes, Todd was viciously knocked out in the third round by his opponent Mike Russow (13-1) who is the complete opposite of Duffee in the physique department. This does not mean he is a bad fighter or that the high praise was not deserving. His first fight inside the Octagon was a seven second knock out and he almost repeated that performance by rocking Mike early in the first. Russow was being dominated until the third round. Todd was able to stop any takedown attempts, push away from the clinch and landed strikes at will on the very durable chin of Russow. Then as writers all across the country were starting to pen their pieces on another Duffee win inside the Octagon, Russow stunned the world by catching Todd with a right hand that had put him out cold.

I have my doubts about Russow making it very far in the division. He carries around a lot of unnecessary weight and may be better off trying to work a new conditioning program. His striking was bad until that right hand and he never could get the fight to the mat where he wanted it.

Todd will learn from this mistake and grow as a fighter. He is only 24 and has much to learn and will need to work cardio as well. He seemed to burn out and lose a lot of steam in the middle of the second round. He will need all the cardio he can muster if he plans on making a major push to the top of the UFC heavyweight division.

What can I say about “The Count” Michael Bisping (19-3) and his win over tough Dan Miller (11-4)? Miller looked lost from the start of the round and I have to wonder about his decision to not look for takedowns earlier in the fight. Bisping was the better striker and is great at beating mid-level fighters. I am still not sure he has what it takes to beat the best in the division. Sadly to all the Bisping fans out there, I see him as a gatekeeper in the division. Only time will tell if I am wrong.

There of course is the main event but that will have to wait for another article. After the fights were over I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction. I was let down for some reason and I am not really sure why. In a night that had a clear favorite being pushed and one being beaten, a knock out by a guy who was never in the fight and the “most anticipated grudge match in UFC history” one would think I would have been excited afterward but that was not the case.

UFC 114 let me down and that is the Monday Gospel. What did you think of UFC 114 overall?

Make sure to follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mmagospel where I tweet live during the fights.

White told MMA Junkie Radio that the matchup would occur in February, but not at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.  That leaves only UFC 110 available.

White also told MMA Junkie radio that the previously rumoured matchup between tenth-ranked middleweight “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) and “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) might not occur at UFC 110 as thought.

“That one might change. We’re moving some things around and doing some stuff,” White said.

AOL Fanhouse reported Friday that welterweights “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (27-17-5) and “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (9-4-1) will fight at UFC 110.

Lytle won a three-round unanimous decision over Kevin Burns (7-3) at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas June 20.

Kim won a three-round UD over T.J. Grant (12-2) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

Liddell lay unconcious on the canvas for several minutes after the punch.

Evans jitter-bugged around a stalking Liddell the entire fight.  Liddell never really got a beat on him, but landed a straight right in the first round.  Evans back-pedalled and taunted Liddell with a dance.

In the second round, Liddell lunged for an uppercut and took Evans’s counter right hook square on the jaw to end the fight at 1:51.

Franklin Finishes Friend

“Ace” Rich Franklin (24-3) TKO’d his friend and former training partner “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-2) at 39 seconds of round three with a left kick to Hamill’s floating rib in Franklin’s return to 205.

Franklin had landed the same kick consistently through the first two rounds.  In the third, the kick dropped Hamill and Franklin landed two punches before referee Mario Yamasaki waved the fight off.

Franklin took a deep cut over his right eye from a Hamill uppercut in the first round.  In the second round, Yamasaki asked a referee to take a look at the cut.

“I’m walking around with a black eye already; so, it wasn’t too bad,” Franklin said of the cut after the fight.

The fight continued; and, Hamill chose to stand with “Ace” after several takedown attempts were resisted.

Of his new weight class, Franklin said, “Cutting weight this week was awesome; but, pushing around another 20 pounds wasn’t.”

Marquardt Kayos Kampmann

Middleweight Nathan Marquardt (27-8-2) quickly KO’d kickboxer “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (13-2) at 1:22 of round one Saturday night in Atlanta.

After the fight, Marquardt said, “I knew I was better and, though he was a kickboxer, I knew I could take him standing.”

Marquardt connected early with a right head kick that plopped Kampmann on his ass.  Kampmann bounced back up, but ate Marquardt’s straights while backpedaling to cage.  At the fence, Marquardt dug an uppercut into Kampmann’s chin.  Kampmann fell and the fight was stopped.

Pellegrino Brutalizes Tavares

Before Saturday night, only two fighters had ever defeated lightweight Brazilian Thiago Tavares (13-3).  “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (12-4) beat him twice in Atlanta.

Officially, the judges scored the unanimous decision 29-27 twice and 29-8, all for Pellegrino.

Pellegrino won a 10-8 first round on two score cards, dropping Tavares with a flush right hook and crackling uppercut.  On the mat, Pellegrino’s elbows opened up cuts on each of Tavares’s temples and under his righ eyelid.

In the second round, the only round Tavares won (paritally due to an inadvertant eye poke by Tavares), Pellegrino squeezed an armbar from his back; and, Tavares appeared to tap; but, referee Yves Lavigne missed the call.

After the fight, Pellegrino said, “I know it was super duper tight.  Yeah, he tapped.  All I remember him saying was ‘you couldn’t get me.’”

Pellegrino eeked out a close third between two exhausted fighters to put away the unanimous decision.

Barbarian Chops Down Patt

After peppering Octagon rookie Michael Patt (12-3) with right hooks, “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (8-2) crashed a straight right through Patt’s guard.

Patt took a seat on the mat with a split lip and a faint idea where he was.  Boetsch pounded the fight closed at 2:03.

Boetsch said after the fight, “I’m pumped.  I trained real hard to get an explosive finish like this.”

Kim Barely Beats Brown

“Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (11-0-1) remained undefeated versus Matt Brown (7-7)…barely.

Kim won a split decision 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Brown.  Fighters.com scored it 29-28 for Kim; but, UFC commentator Joe Rogan told the disappointed crowd he thought Brown had won.

Kim rode Brown’s back most of round one, nearly finishing Brown in a rear naked choke while Brown stood.

Apparently, that was the controversial round as two judges and Fighters.com scored it 10-9 for Kim while Cecil Peoples scored round one 10-9 for Brown.

Kim was sluggish in round two.  Brown took advantage, capturing Kim in his Thai clinch and hammering knees to the Korean’s midsection.

In round three, Brown walked right through a square Kim left hook; but, Kim followed up with a toss into Brown’s full guard.  Kim opened up a deep cut under Brown’s left cheekbone with a slick elbow.

Kim lamented, “I hate to go to a decision.  Next time I’m going to be different.”

Brown made clear after the fight, “I don’t fight for the judges.  I fight for the fans and to finish.”

MacDonald Avenges Maia Loss

Middleweight “Athlete” Jason MacDonald (21-10) willed a second-round submission ”W” over “Punisher” Jason Lambert (23-9) after nearly being forced to tap in a guilltoine himself at the end of round one.

MacDonald said after the fight, “[The guillotine] was pretty tight; but, my head was toward the screen and I knew I could hold my breath for six seconds.”

MacDonald held on and dumped Lambert on his ass to open the second round, then passed to mount.  Lambert rolled right into J-Mac’s rear naked choke at 1:20.

“I knew he was getting tired from making the cut to 185 pounds,” MacDonald said, ”so I knew if I could take it into the later rounds I would get him.”

Chonan Earns Split Decision

Two of the three cageside judges prevented welterweight “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-8) from serving “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (15-8) a cold dish of revenge for 2005 TKO loss.

Chonan won a split decision by 29-28 twice and 28-29 once in favor of Carneiro.  Fighters.com scored the fight for Carneiro 29-28.

Carneiro dominated round one, flopping “Piranha” on his back and chiseling a cut over Chonan’s right eye with elbows.  Earlier in the round, Carneiro had nearly scored an omoplata transitioned from a triangle; but, Chonan rolled free.

Chonan won the second round by stuffing Carneiro’s shot and out wrestling him while landing infrequent punches.  The crowd pleaded with referee Herb Dean to stand the fighters; but, Dean let them tussle for position.

Chonan stuffed Carneiro’s shot again in the third, but rolled into Carneiro’s guard.  Carneiro landed a few shots before Chonan regained his feet.  Chonan gained top position before the round ended, but did little damage.

Hendo’ Earns First UFC “W” Since 1998

“It’s been awhile,” said “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (23-7) after squeaking a unanimous decision “W” over “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (8-2) passed the judges by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28.

A timid Hendo’ wanted no part of Palhares’s Brazilian jiu-jiu, consistently waving off the ground game throughout the three rounds.

Instead, “Hollywood” stalked with his devastating right hand cocked.

“Normally I’m more aggressive,” he said, “so, I apologize about that.

Palhares shot often, almost all of them stuffed by Henderson.  Palhares also peppered Hendo’ with an impressive array of kicks and nearly locked in two knee bars.

Hendo’ only landed his overhand right cleanly with ten seconds left in the fight, dropping Palhares.  Hendo’s pounced with two more overhands to steal the round.

Pellegrino lost his most recent fight to Nathan Diaz (9-2) when Diaz caught him in a triangle choke in the second round at Fight Night 13 in April.

Tavares also lost his last fight, to “Handsome” Matt Wiman (10-3) via second-round TKO at UFC 85 in June.

The UFC also confirmed three other preliminary match-ups, a welterweight match between “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1) and Matt Brown (7-6), a light heavyweight match between “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (7-2) and James Lee (13-3), and the previously reported match between welterweights “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-7) and “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (14-8).

Kim made his Octagon debut at UFC 84 in May with a third-round TKO over Jason Tan (5-3).

Brown, a TUF 7 competitor, won his fight in the June finale with a TKO in round two over “No Regard” Matt Arroyo (3-2).

Boetsch fell to “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1)’s punches in round two in April.

Lee lost his UFC debut in January to “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara (12-7) via first-round TKO, ending a ten-fight win streak.

Veteran referee Mario Yamasaki determined that Sherk was unable to continue after a Penn flurry at the cage that left Sherk on the mat at the end of the third round.

The three five-minute rounds were fought entirely standing up, resembling a boxing match.

Penn worked a slicker boxing style set-up with a long, snapping jab.  Sherk threw left and right hooks in a stiff, technical style.

Penn established his jab in the first round as Sherk pressured.

Sherk clinched to muffle “The Prodigy’s” reach advantage; but, Penn landed an uppercut to break the clinch.

Sherk attempted to counter with his own jab, but threw it short as Penn followed down the pipe with his left.  Sherk clinched again; but, Penn threw him off.

Sherk began round two with a cut under his right eye from Penn’s relentless jabbing.  He shrugged his shoulders before the bell, disappointed with his first-round performance.

But, the Minnesotan took the fight to Penn in the second round.  Penn clinched inside Sherk’s left/right hook combo and hammered knees to “The Muscle Shark’s” body.

Again, Penn clinched; but, Sherk overwhelmed him with a flurry.  Penn pushed out of the clinch.

Unable to solve Penn’s boxing riddle, Sherk began to test his leg kick; but, Penn answered with a left hook.

Penn had all the answers Saturday night.

Sherk began round three with another cut under his left eye.  Before the bell rang, he sized himself up on the above-Octagon screen.

Increasingly desperate to overcome Penn’s reach advantage, Sherk began lunging with his punches.

Penn timed an uppercut as Sherk lunged into a punch, sending Sherk backpedaling to the cage.  Penn followed him with a flying knee that landed square on Sherk’s jaw.  Penn mounted and pounded Sherk to the bell.

Penn describe the flurry, “He got caught.  I hit him and I knew the fight was done when he put his hands up and looked at me like, ‘Yeah, you got me.  It’s over.’”

The referee Yamasaki stopped the action at the bell, but determined Sherk was no longer fit to fight another round after Sherk  remained on his knees and awarded Penn the TKO.

When asked if the stoppage was justified, Sherk replied, “I’m not real sure.  I didn’t even hear the bell ring.”

“I was surprised [Sherk wanted to box],” Penn admitted.  “I thought he was going to try to use his combinations to setup his takedowns. ”

After the fight, Penn asked the 15,000-person crowd, “You want GSP?  You want B.J. Penn to fight GSP?”  He was referring to top-ranked welterweight “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2), who won a split decision over Penn in 2006.

UFC President Dana White told reporters that Penn has at least one more fight before “clearing out the lightweight division” and earning a rematch with the 170-pound champion St. Pierre.

White was referring to the winner of the August match-up between seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3) and “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1).

Penn admitted it’d be hard for him to take a fight against the winner of Florian versus Huerta seriously after dominating Sherk, considered the second-ranked lightweight in the UFC behind Penn.

The “Axe Murderer” Is Back

Tenth-ranked light heavyweight “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-81) is back!  Back to winning!  Back to demolishing with a 36-second TKO over fourth-ranked “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1).

Shortly into the first round, Jardine lunged into a flurry that Silva countered with a right hook that collapsed the “Dean of Mean”, then followed with a left and right hook as Jardine fell.

Silva pounced and pounded Jardine until he went stiff and the referee waved off the carnage.

Jardine lay prone several minutes after the stoppage as Silva became emotional at the mic.

Machida Sends Ortiz Packing

UFC President Dana White got the last laugh on ninth-ranked light heavyweight “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1).

He matched him versus third-ranked “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0), who routinely sucks the air out of the world’s most exciting sport.

Machida won a paced UD over Ortiz by 30-27 on all three judges score cards.

Machida may have sucked the air out of Ortiz’s big-dollar post-UFC plans by forcing another boring fight on an exciting fighter.

Ortiz stalked the elusive “Dragon” for a takedown throughout the fight; and, Machida, to his credit, avoided all but one of “Bad Boy’s” shots.

At the end of round one, Machida even slammed Ortiz into side control and chiseled open a gash on the bridge of Ortiz’s nose with elbows.

After several attempts to engage Machida in the second round, frustrated Ortiz dropped his hands and waved Machida on.

Machida responded with a 1-2 combo; and, Ortiz nodded and countered with a body kick and punch before the bell halted the action.

In round three, Ortiz took a Machida flying knee to the body; and, Machida followed Ortiz to the mat.  Ortiz recovered and smothered Machida’s G’n'P, then locked on a triangle choke.

The capacity crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena took their feet; but, it was too late; Machida was too slick rolling over and too slippery yanking free as Ortiz transitioned into an armbar.

Fighters.com gave the decision to Machida by the score 29-28.

Ortiz left open the possibility of returning to the UFC in his post-fight comments; but, it was clear in the post-fight press conference that he was unwanted.  Ortiz crashed the press conference and refused to leave, prodded on by his girlfriend, Jenna Jameson, shouting, “You don’t have to go anywhere, baby!”

Soukoudjou: “Just one thing: Shogun.”

Seventh-ranked light heavyweight ”African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) got back to what brought him to the big show Saturday night at UFC 84 in Las Vegas when a straight right turned the lights out on “Kaz” Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8) in the first round.

Sokou’ landed snapping leg kicks throughout the round, but was frustrated by Nakamura’s in-and-out flurries and elusive defense.  Finally, after landing a body kick he had tested out earlier in the round, Sokou’ followed with a straight right that dropped Kaz’.

The bell rang before it was clear how much damage the big punch had done; but, when Nakamura first tried to stumble from the Octagon thinking the fight had been stopped, then collapsed on his stool, the fight was stopped after the first round.

After the fight, Sokoudjou announced, “Just one thing: Shogun.”

Yoshida Silences War Machine

Tenth-ranked welterweight ”Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) put “War Machine” Jon Koppenhaver (5-2) to sleep in an anaconda choke 56 seconds into round one.

“It was just the way I expected,” Yoshida said after his victorious UFC debut.

Koppenhaver fired first with a leg kick, then clinched with the Japanese judoka.

Bad move!

“Zenko” flipped Koppenhaver into side mount and wrapped up the anaconda choke toot sweet.  Referee Herb Dean tugged on Koppenhaver’s arm and determined he was unconscious, ending the fight.

Yoshida said, “The anaconda choke was right there for me.”

Silva Welcomes Mendes

Rising light heavyweight Thiago Silva (13-0) welcomed “Samuray” Antonio Mendes (14-3) to the UFC.  Well…used him as a welcoming mat in a first-round TKO “W”.

Mendes surprised Silva early with a left roundhouse kick to the head, dropping Silva.  Mendes declined the ground game.  Again, Mendes caught a Silva body kick and dumped him to the mat, but declined to follow for long.

When it was Silva’s turn with a nice trip takedown at the cage, it was clear why Mendes wanted to stay on his feet.

Silva easily passed to mount and pounded a flailing Mendes to a TKO stoppage.

Reljice Debuts Victoriously

Croatian light heavyweight Goran Reljic (8-0) stopped Brazilian Wilson Gouveia (10-5) at 3:15 of round two with a well-timed overhand left to Gouveia’s jaw as Gouveia kicked at Reljic’s leg.

Gouveia dropped; and, Reljic followed, pounding Gouveia for another twenty seconds before referee Herb Dean woke up and realized he should stop the fight before Gouveia was brain damaged.

Palhares Slick Victory

Brazilian Top Team’s “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (8-1) made a slick conversion from a rear naked choke he was working on Ivan Salaverry (12-7) to tap Salaverry in an armbar at 2:36 of round one.  The fight was all Palhares and all BJJ, earning the UFC’s $75,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus.

Kim Mandhandles Tan

Debuting UFC welterweight Dong Hyun Kim (10-1-1) outclassed Liverpudlian Jason Tan (5-3) in every aspect to win a third-round TKO.

Tan shot for a double-leg takedown to begin the first round; but, Kim proved nimble, avoiding the mat while elbowing a gash into Tan’s skull.  Kim eventually relented to the mat, but on his terms, tossing Tan and mounting.

Tan took a pounding from Kim’s punches and elbows, but survived for a second round.

Tan switched his strategy in round two, throwing high and low kicks to begin the round; but, Kim avoided contact.

Tan again shot for a takedown; and, again Kim hip tossed Tan to the mat, mounted, and pounded him to the bell.

Tan worked rubber guard, attempting an omoplata; but, Kim made him pay for every submission attempt by avoiding and following up with a punch.

Kim came out to the third-round bell to take Tan out.  Kim threw two big, off-target hooks before clinching and throwing Tan to the mat to pound him out with elbows for the TKO.

Carwin Clobbers Wellisch

Also debuting UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin (9-0) clobbered “Hungarian Nightmare” Christian Wellisch (8-4) with a right hook 44 seconds into round one.

A wrestler, Carwin established his jab from the opening bell.  Wellisch timed Carwin and grazed him with a left hook 25 seconds into the round.  Carwin popped another jab in Wellisch’s face, which Wellisch followed into a head-on collision with Carwin’s fight-ending right hook, knocking Wellisch’s mouthpiece to the mat.

Clementi Continues Streak

“No Love” Rich Clementi (32-12-1) continued his rebound with a unanimous decision over Liverpudlian Terry Etim (10-2) by scores of 29-28 on all three judges cards.

Clementi survived an all-Etim first round.

“His lankiness was hard, hard, hard to deal with,” Clementi admitted after the fight.

Clementi got tagged with low and high kicks as he closed range for the takedown.  Midway through the round, Clementi finally succeeded in taking the fight to the mat, but Etim smothered his offense, causing the referee to stand the fighters.  Six-foot-one Etim continued to exploit his reach advantage.

The second and third rounds were different entirely.  Clementi’s relentless pressure, which caused him to take some shots in the first round, began to wear on Etim.  Clementi began scoring his takedowns, mostly single-leg into half-mount.

Etim continued to smother Clementi on the mat; but, Clementi put together a pitty-pat G’n'P that scored on the judges cards and eventually opened up a gash under Etim’s right eye.

In the third round, Clementi held Etim’s left arm beneath Etim and landed hammer fists.

The accumulation of strikes on the mat won Clementi his sixth straight.

Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3), former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner (32-7), and “Hammer” Mark Coleman (15-8) signed autographs and third-ranked lightweight “JZ” Gesias Calvancanti (14-2-1) was in the crowd with his smokin’ hot girlfriend.

First up to the scale was debuting UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin (8-0) weighing in at 253 pounds. Carwin fights “Hungarian Nightmare” Christian Wellisch (9-3), who weighed 230 pounds.

Wellisch said, “He’s not as big as he looked on video.”

Next to the scale was DEEP vet, UFC debuting Dong Hyun Kim (9-1-1) weighing 171 pounds and his opponent, 170-pound Liverpudlian Jason Tan (5-2).

Another UFC first-timer, tenth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2) weighed 170 pounds, the same as his opponent, “War Machine” Jon Koppenhaver (5-1).

Antoher Liverpudlian pugilist Terry Etim (10-1) weighed 155 pounds to match his UFC 84 opponent, “No Love” Rich Clementi (31-12-1).

“Kaz” Kazurhiro Nakamura (11-7) weighed a pound over light heavyweight at 206 pounds (“Without the Easter basket,” UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan commented). His UFC 84 opponent, seventh-ranked “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2), weighed in a pound under at 204 pounds.

Brazilian Top Team’s “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (7-1) looked large at 185 pounds, which matched his Speedo-clad foe Ivan Salaverry (12-6).

UFC debuting “Samuray” Antonio Mendes (14-2) weighed two pounds under the light heavyweight limit at 203 pounds. His opponent, Thiago Silva (12-0), met the 205-pound limit. Mendes looked about as big around as one of Silva’s thighs.

Ninth-ranked “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) wore a shirt that read “Dana White Is My Bitch” and weighed 205 pounds. His opponent, third-ranked “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (12-0), shook his hand at the face-off, after matching his weight.

UFC debuting Goran Reljic (7-0) nudged his opponent Wilson Gouveia (10-4) at the face-off; but, American Top Team’s Gouveia didn’t flinch. They both weighed 205 pounds.

Tenth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) and fourth-ranked “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-3-1) both weighed 205 pounds.

Fifth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) and fourth-ranked “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (12-4-1) both weighed 155 pounds for the UFC 84 main event title fight.

These girls didn’t weigh in; and, I didn’t think it polite to ask.

“War Machine” Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) and Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2) will match-up well as Jason Tan (5-2) and Dong Hyun Kim (9-1).

Koppenhaver appeared on the sixth season of TUF and is coming off a bloody, brutal slog with cast-mate Jared Rollins (6-4) on the season’s finale.

Yoshida debuts in the UFC with an eight-fight streak stretching back to a 2005 Shooto majority technical decision loss to “K-Taro” Keita Nakamura (14-3-2).  In 2007 he stopped both Akira Kikuchi (16-4) and Katsuya Inoue (16-5-2) in the first round of Greatest Common Multiple events in Japan.

Tan lost his UFC debut last year by KO to “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-3), but has since recorded a unanimous decision over “Xandinho” Alexandre Izidro (6-7) in a Cage Gladiators.

DEEP vet Kim hasn’t lost since his MMA debut in 2004 versus “RYO” Young Choi (9-4) by unanimous decision, though he only muddled a draw out of Hidehiko Hasegawa (14-9-4) in his most recent start.

Loose lips had already divulged details for both events.

At the MGM Grand Garden Arena 24 May, “The Prodigy” BJ Penn will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship against the improper advances of former 155-pound champ Sean Sherk, returning from a banned substances suspension.

My Portuguese is a little rusty, but Wanderlei Silva has also confirmed via his blog that he’s signed to fight Keith Jardine on the Vegas strip.

Other rumored bouts include:

Ryoto Machida v Tito Ortiz
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou v Kazuhiro Nakamura
Rashad Evans v Thiago Silva
Wilson Gouveia v Goran Reljic
Rousimar Palhares v Ivan Salaverry
Dong-hyun Kim v Jason Tan
Terry Etim v Jeremy Stephens
Shane Carwin v Christian Wellisch

At 02 Arena in London 7 June, light heavyweights Chuck Liddell and  Mauricio Rua will headline in a fight that not too long ago would’ve been considered the king-maker at 205.

Brandon Vera has also confirmed he’ll return versus Fabricio Werdum in London.

Brock Lesnar is also rumored to return on this fight card.