1. Melvin Guillard now has the stuff to give anyone in the lightweight division a run: Guillard was always a seriously dangerous striker.  That speed and power of his was once again on display Saturday night.  From the punches he landed while Dunham held his leg in the air, to that one-two that initially dropped his adversary, to the way he threw knees that eventually ended the fight, Guillard showed a level of athleticism and striking skills that could not be denied. 

The real clincher, however, was the way in which he got up after Dunham achieved a takedown.  He looked as calm as could be below the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt as he scooted to a sitting position along the cage wall and eventually rose to his feet. 

Remember- seven of Guillard’s eight losses have come by way of submission.  Once this guy gets to a certain level on the ground, he’ll be as dangerous as anyone.  In the end, if Guillard is improving on the canvas as much as people are saying he is with Jackson’s MMA- and there was some evidence of it against Dunham- on any given night he will be able to take out anyone in the lightweight division. 

2. Matt Mitrione on the verge of big fights in the UFC: No one could deny that Mitrione had some talent during his TUF 10 stint.  However, to see what he has become during his four fight UFC winning streak is really something to behold.

Mitrione is a very fast, technically sound, and powerful striker, which he showed once again against the much more experienced Tim Hague at UFC Fight Night 23.   He has literally run through the opponents that the UFC has offered him to date.  Marcus Jones, Kimbo Slice, Joey Beltran, and now Hague have all looked pretty inadequate on their feet against him.  What’s more, Mitrione once again showed good takedown defense against his opponent on Saturday.

Time for this Roufusport product to take on another level of competition.  He’s that good.

3. Cody McKenzie is a tough and talented guy: McKenzie looked pretty tough while participating on TUF 12.  But you never really know how performance on that show will translate to the big time.  Against Yves Edwards, we found out that he was for real. 

McKenzie took a lot of punches in round one.  In round two, the same happened, but that didn’t stop him from attempting a couple of spinning back elbows and taking Edwards’ back on the ground, where he pounded on him from behind for a significant amount of time.  When you can do that kind of stuff against TUF competitors, it’s always difficult to figure how that kind of performance translates, as they’re all works in progress.  But against Edwards, although McKenzie made an error that cost him the fight, he looked like an up and comer worth noticing.

By the way, that toughness was on display when he refused to tap from an Edwards rear naked choke that eventually put him to sleep.

4. Yves Edwards can still impress: Edwards has now won three in a row, including two in the UFC.  The formerly uncrowned UFC lightweight champion showed solid striking, toughness when McKenzie took a superior position on the ground against him, and the ability to finish with his rear naked choke victory on Saturday.  In the end, he took out a really tough and unorthodox guy in McKenzie.  It was a huge victory for him.

5. Matt Wiman is ready to step up: Cole Miller is a really tough guy.  We’re talking about a very valid submission threat that always comes to fight.  So the fact that Wiman literally destroyed him last night both on his feet and on the ground with ground and pound says something.

It says that Wiman has now won three straight in the UFC impressively.  He may be ready for another shot at the Jim Miller‘s of the world.

According to IFHF president, Bill White, the UFC and Spike TV are admired for the recent efforts.

“We are profoundly grateful to the UFC and Spike TV for their extraordinary support of our nation’s Wounded Warriors,” stated White. “Their efforts have moved us that much closer to complete the traumatic brain injury center in Bethesda for the service members that are fighting for our freedom overseas.”

The IFHF provides assistance to American military personnel critically injured during service. The “Fight For The Troops” event on Spike TV raised money aimed at building a $65 million, 75,000 square foot treatment and rehabilitation center for soldiers with traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

From the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” on Spike TV Wednesday night in Fayetteville to the debut of Mixed Fighting Alliance in Miami, American Top Team set the pace of champions. ATT fighters scored big as well at CQC “In the Cage” in Charlotte and during the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas Saturday night.

“Snowman” Jeff Monson (25-8) defeated “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (30-9) via unanimous decision Saturday night during the main event at the Mixed Fighting Alliance debut in Miami.

“I am happy with the win but I was a little sloppy tonight.” Monson told Fighters.com following the fight.

The main event battle at MFA “There Will Be Blood” was a full round war with each fighter going the distance but Monson winning on all cards in the end. Monson, famous for his blunt honesty, had criticism for his performance.

“A win is a win but I need to improve.” The Abu Dhabi and UFC veteran told Fighters.com. “My jiu-jitsu felt good in the fight but my boxing was a little weak.” Monson continued, “I need to spend more time in the American Top Team gym here in Florida. You know, I need to work with more guys down here to prepare for fights.”

When asked what the future holds beyond the World Grappling Championship in Switzerland 20 December and a fight at Sengoku in March 2009, Monson responded, “I’d really like a shot at Affliction eventually. I think I’d do well there.”

Monson’s teammate and former WWE star Bobby Lashley (1-0) won his MMA debut at MFA in Miami as well when he defeated Joshua Franklin (0-1) in devastating fashion with a TKO stoppage due to strikes in the first round. Lashley quickly raced forward scooping Franklin up and slamming him down into the canvas followed by a barrage of ground-and-pound cuing the referee to step in and stop the action.

Saturday night brought another big win for American Top Team when Micah Miller (10-2) defeated Jason Palacios (6-6) via submission at CQC: “In the Cage” in Charlotte to become the featherweight champion.

When asked about the victory, Miller told Fighters.com, “It was a good win but tonight I went out and fought conservatively. In the fight I lost against Josh Grispi (12-1) I was too aggressive. I think in the future I need to find a happy medium between the two.”

The championship bout at CQC was a war where Miller expressed respect for the punching power of Palacios. Miller stated, “Jason [Palacios] hits hard. Tonight he didn’t hit me flush but I could feel the wind and power from his punches.”

Miller powered through himself and defended the attacks of Palacios to score a strong rear naked choke for the win at the 4:23 mark of the second round. Miller revealed, “Eventually Jason [Palacios] slipped on his feet in the second round and as he was getting up, I jumped on his back and got the the choke.”

In other action Saturday night, American Top Team saw additional success during The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas when Wilson Gouveia (12-5) submitted Canadian middleweight “The Athlete” Jason MacDonald (19-11) with elbow strikes during the opening round.

Although Gouveia missed weight for the fight he vowed to never let it happen again when questioned by Joe Rogan.

“Killa B” Ben Saunders (7-0-2) set the tone of things to come from American Top Team for the second week of December when he defeated Brandon Wolff (5-3-0) via TKO stoppage at 1:49 of round one Wednesday night at Fort Bragg during the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event.

Saunders’ performance was brutally efficient and triggered comparisons to UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (23-4).

American Top Team fighter and Ultimate Fighter alumnus Luigi Fioravanti (14-4) stayed in theme for the week by defeating Brodie Farber (12-5) via unanimous decision on the undercard of UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event as well.

At minimum, such a streak of wins by one gym in a span of one week speaks to the strength and competitiveness of American Top Team positioning the Coconut Creek institution as one of the best mixed martial arts training centers in the world.

Hill suffered a clean but shockingly gruesome break to his right shin when he threw a kick that was checked by opponent Dale Hartt (5-1) during Fight for the Troops in Fayetteville, NC, Wednesday night.

Hill’s was not the only injury that required a visit to the hospital.  Razak Al-Hassan’s (7-1) right elbow was dislocated when “Robot” Steve Cantwell (7-1) had him in an armbar and Al-Hassan refused to tap.  He was treated and released from the hospital Wednesday night.

Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3), who was brutally KO’d by fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (12-3) in round one, and Jonathan Goulet (22-11), who was TKO’d by “Quick” Mike Swick (13-2) in 33 seconds, were both treated and released for concussions.

Following a cautious start to the fight, Koscheck moved forward in an exhibition of extremely improved boxing skill. Although the Ultimate Fighter veteran missed the mark at first, he soon turned on the heat. Yoshida gamely landed a leg kick and tied into the clinch before Koscheck followed with four solid right hooks. Then the fighters separated momentarily.

Once back into the clash, Koscheck landed a stiff right hand punch that knocked Yoshida back into the cage. Yoshida was out on his feet and visibly confused as Koscheck powerfully ended the bout with a second straight right punch sending his Japanese opponent into unconsciousness. It was an impressive performance by Koscheck and one for the highlight reels of tomorrow. 

Josh Koscheck officially won via KO at the 2:15 mark of round one.

Round one began with a swarm of punches from both fighters. Miller came out on the better side of the exchanges before Wiman shot for a takedown. During the takedown attempt, Miller caught Wiman in a powerful guillotine choke. Rolling eventually into mount, Miller put pressure on the choke but Wiman escaped. Miller followed with a flurry of punches that were answered by a left hook to his chin from Wiman. At round’s end, a body kick hurt Wiman before he was saved by the horn. 

The second round started more intense than the opener with both fighters swinging furiously. After a pause, Miller caught Wiman with another hurtful body kick. Sensing reward, Miller backed Wiman into the cage with a flurry of punches followed by a strong knee. Wiman displayed a respectable chin under the barrage of shots from Miller but ended up in guard only to take on more punishment before the end of the round. 

The final round stayed in theme as the previous two with Miller unleashing a flurry of punches upon Wiman. Miller continued forward with a strong left hand punch and a knee that visibly hurt his opponent. Miller pushed continuously forward with a takedown and side control. Following Miller’s dominance of the round, Wiman briefly took top position before Miller transitioned into a rear naked choke attempt. At the sounding of the final horn, Miller’s overall performance was impressive and dominant.

Jim Miller officially won via unanimous decision. 

Al-Hassan’s striking was respectable from the opening round landing a strong left hand to the chin and a leg kick. But just as Al-Hassan’s striking appeared more accurate, Cantwell soon answered the shots with a double dose of clean left punches.

Cantwell’s counter soon led to a takedown where Al-Hassan found himself under the weight of side control. Soon after, Cantwell grabbed Al-Hassan’s right arm and secured a tight armbar. Al-Hassan refused to tap out but such refusal resulted in an dangerously extended arm cuing referee Mario Yamasaki to step in and stop the fight.

The instant replay of the submission showed what appeared to be Al-Hassan’s elbow popping out of socket as his arm was bent tremendously in an unhealthy direction.

Steve Cantwell officially won via submission (armbar) at 4:04 of the first round.

The fight began with an unintentional low blow by Saunders. Upon the restart, Saunders landed a strong head kick followed by an aggressive and accurate swarm of knees and punches. Displaying clinchwork reminiscent of UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (23-4), Saunders bloodied and bruised Wolff in decisive fashion.

“I heard his reaction. He was grunting,” said Saunders following the bout. “I knew I had him hurt. It was beautiful. I love it.”

Formerly a Navy SEAL, the game but battered Wolff was visibly rocked and unsteady on his feet following each break from multiple clinches early in the opening round. By fight’s end, Wolff’s face was was a mess of blood and tremendous swelling.

After the quick first round destruction of his opponent, Saunders was enthusiastic in response to Joe Rogan’s comparison of his performance to that of the current UFC middleweight champ.

“That’s awesome man because Anderson Silva is one of my idols,” stated Saunders.

Ben Saunders officially won via TKO due to strikes at 1:49 of the first round.

Over a year of trash talking between the two fighters (which started when the two were first set to meet in September 2007, a fight Swick had to back out of due to a rib injury) culminated in a 33 second win for Swick in his third fight since dropping from a middleweight to a welterweight.

As the fight began, the two fighters danced around each other, each posed to shoot in or throw a shot, but it was Swick that opened up first with a cross-jab-cross combination to the head of Goulet.  Goulet dropped to his knees and grabbed one of Swick’s legs in an attempt to buy some time.

Instead, Swick landed left crosses and hammer fists to the side of Goulet’s face in a flurry until the referee was forced to step in and end the fight.

The official announcement was Swick winning via TKO at 0:33 of the first round.

Round one opened with Loughran landing an unintentional low kick to the groin of Credeur, who shook it off and nodded his understanding that it was an accident.  Both fighters then traded roundhouse kicks to the legs and front kicks to the stomach before Credeur landed a jab and cross to the head of Loughran.

Loughran forced a clinch and Credeur pushed him back against the cage where he landed several knees to the body of Loughran before breaking the clinch.  Then Credeur began to unleash several wild punches including overhand right crosses and wide left hooks to the head of Loughran.

Loughran seemed to have no answer for the unorthodox punches and was unable to capitalize on Credeur dropping his hands and exposing his chin.

As the round ended, Credeur threw Loughran to the mat and immediately took side control landing a couple of right crosses to the head as the bell sounded.

Round two opened with Loughran shooting in on Credeur and attempting a takedown.  Credeur went with the takedown, ending up in Loughran’s open guard.  From the top, Credeur stayed active with several combinations of jabs and right crosses to the head as he worked to get side control.

Loughran tried repeatedly to pivot his hips from side to side, hoping to attempt an armbar on Credeur, even going so far as to control him with a brief attempt at rubber guard.  Soon, the referee stood the two fighters up.

It then appeared that Credeur got a finger to the eye from one of Loughran’s jabs; however, as Credeur tried to signal the referee, Loughran continued to push forward with punches and Credeur had to circle away.  Credeur continued to rub at his eye then landed several overhand right crosses and left hooks to the head of Loughran who was visibly shaken.

The round ended with Credeur on the offensive and Loughran just attempting to avoid being knocked out despite several unanswered punches to the head.

Loughran was unable to come out for the third round, vocally submitting to the referee from his corner.

In welterweight action, Dale Hartt (5-1) defeated Corey Hill (2-2) via TKO (doctor stoppage due to leg injury) at 0:20 of the second round in what appeared to have been a potential broken leg after Hartt checked a leg kick.

Naval officer, “Hollywood” Steve Bruno (10-4) defeated Johnny Rees (10-2) via submission (rear naked choke) at the 3:44 mark of round two. Following the fight, Bruno thanked the enthusiastic crowd largely composed of Army personnel for saving his life following a helicopter crash in Iraq.

Former Ultimate Fighter Luigi Fioravanti (14-4) defeated Brodie Farber (12-5) via unanimous decision.