“The Ultimate Fighter” season five veteran Gabe Ruediger is one of the more recent released from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rueidger went 0-3 inside the octagon before upon his release from the organization, most recently competing at ufc 126 earlier this month, where he suffered a knockout loss to notable slugger Paul Taylor.

Before then, Ruediger had run a six-fight win streak upon his return to the world’s ultimate proving grounds (thanks Mike Goldberg) however his return to the UFC, which seem like a stretch just a couple of years ago, was short lived.

“Godzilla” went 0-2 upon his return to the UFC, after failing to make good on his promotional debut against Melvin Guillard in September of 2006, being the victim of a highlight reel second-round knockout opposite of “The Young Assassin”. Ruediger didn’t do any favors for himself there after, when he appeared on the fifth-season of TUF, however failed to make weight for his first fight inside the house and was ultimately kicked off the show. He became the butt of a lot of jokes there on out, however rehabilitated his image with the six-fight win streak and his resigning with the organization in 2010.

Gabe made his reentry in August of last year, stepping on short notice for an injured Terry Etim at UFC 118 against former cast member Joe Lauzon. The native of Massachusetts blitzkrieged through Ruediger, dominating him from start to finish en route to an arm bar inside of the first-round. The subsequent loss to Taylor was the icing on the cake that inevitably led to his release.

MMAWeekly.com confirmed the release, and also hints at the possible drop to the featherweight class for 33-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, who had a relatively easy time cutting the weight for his last outing.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the recent news? Where would you like to see “Godzilla” go from here, and what weight class do you think best suits him? Sound off in the comment section below.

Champion Anderson Silva deftly defended his title with a rousing first-round knockout of former friend and teammate Vitor Belfort with a surprising front kick which floored the Brazilian. Following up with a few additional blows was all that “The Spider” needed to end the night of the former light heavyweight titleholder.

Forrest Griffin made a successful return to the cage, following a year-plus spent away from the cage, when he defeated former middleweight champ Rich Franklin, defeating the legend in a clean sweep decision victory.

The night produced several more exciting fights over, however some of those bouts came with their price.

UFC 126 took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas this past Saturday, and while some men listed below were victorious, they didn’t leave without their fare share of some bumps and bruises. Griffin especially has the potential to face some serious time away from the cage once again. The Xtreme Couture product returned to the octagon following a slew of personal problems and nursed injuries following a decision victory over Tito Ortiz, which took place in November of 2009. Griffin didn’t miss a beat in his return, but he may have re-aggravated a fracture in his foot that could have him out of action for large put of 2011.

Jake Ellenberger who was also victorious in a rousing welterweight affair against the previously undefeated Eduardo Rocha, could potentially be sitting alongside Forrest as he is required to have both of his hands x-rayed before he returns to action.

Below is a featured list of suspensions, courtesy of MMAJunkie.com by way of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The full list of suspensions included:

* Vitor Belfort: Suspended until March 23 with no contact until March 8 for precautionary reasons

* Forrest Griffin: Suspended until Aug. 5 unless right foot is X-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor

* Carlos Eduardo Rocha: Suspended until March 23 with no contact until March 8 due to a scalp laceration

* Jake Ellenberger: Suspended until Aug. 5 unless both hands are X-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic
doctor

* Paul Kelly: Suspended until March 23 with no contact until March 8 due to a right-eyebrow laceration

* Michihiro Omigawa: Suspended until April 7 with no contact until April 7 due to a right-eyebrow right brow
laceration and head blows

* Chad Mendes: Suspended until March 23 with no contact until March 8 for precautionary reasons

* Gabe Ruediger: Suspended until April 7 with no contact until April 7 due to a right-eyebrow laceration and
head blows

* Ricardo Romero: Suspended until March 23 with no contact until March 8 for precautionary reasons

* Kenny Robertson: Suspended until March 23 with no contact until March 8 for precautionary reasons

So, MMA peeps, any surprises you see here? Sound off in the comment section below.

Forrest Griffin deftly defeated former champ Rich Franklin in a pivotal light heavyweight match-up, moving him closer to the title, however Jon Jones beat him to it when he submitted then-undefeated prospect Ryan Bader with a second-round submission.

However nothing surprised me more then some of these fighter pay-outs with some seeming valid, while others have me scratching my head in humble confusion.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taylor initially made his lightweight debut in just his last bout where before he competed as a welterweight in all of his other ufc appearances despite being the noticeably smaller fighter.

In a barn burner, stand up affair turned in against Sam Stout, Taylor inevitably lost the bout via a close split-decision. Despite garnering a 3-5 record inside the worlds largest organization, Taylor has become a staple in the promotion due to his aggressive style, which has earned him three “Fight of the Night” awards, and in nearly every fight he’s been in would be considered a candidate for said award.

The same cannot be said for Gabe Ruediger.

“Godzilla” initially made his UFC debut in 2006, where after a dominant first round turned in against current budding contender Melvin Guillard, Ruediger would go on to lose via knockout in the second round.

After a memorable stint on the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, where Gabe was eliminated from the competition before stepping in the cage due to failure to make weight and inevitably becoming hospitalized, it looked as if his future in the UFC was done then and there.

However, Ruediger eventually made his way back inside the promotion when he stepped up for an injured Terry Etim at UFC 118. Ruediger faced Joe Lauzon, whom was also featured on the same season of TUF alongside Ruediger. Both men were on the same team, but did it matter? Nope.

Lauzon ran over Gabe en route to an armbar finish, submitting Ruediger a little over two-minutes inside of the opening round.

Both men are in desperate need of a win, especially in an ultra competitive lightweight division where fighters are being cut left and right due to the influx of new competitors from the WEC, who have since been merged with their sister promotion.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the new addition to the UFC 126 pay-per-view event? Said card is expected to take place on Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Thanks to MMAJunkie.com for breaking the story. Sound off in the comment section below.

In an interview with the Boston Herald, Lauzon recently said the following: “…Getting off the stool for the second round, my legs felt like concrete… I felt pretty good at the end of the first, but at the beginning of the second I felt dead… Instead of recovering, I got way worse… It had to be an adrenaline dump. I think I pushed a pretty good pace in the first round, but I didn’t feel like it was something that would make me gassed… It’s definitely something we have to address and figure out before we fight again. I can’t keep having this happen.”

So, is Lauzon telling the truth? Was it simply a matter of his body failing him at the most inopportune time? I have to say, fans and friends… stranger things have happened. George Sotiropoulos is being built up as the next huge Lightweight star and a future Lightweight champion. He’s got a lot of hype behind him, of that there can be no doubt. For Joe Lauzon to get a shot at derailing that hype train after putting on the best performance of his career at UFC 118 when he obliterated Gabe Ruediger… that’s an incredible amount of pressure.

The fact that he more than likely won the first round in a big way also more than likely contributed to Lauzon’s adrenaline dump. When you get that kind of momentum, the kind Lauzon had heading into Round 2, a few seconds of rest can be an eternity. Lauzon has had some cardio problems in the past, but the man looked like the walking dead by the time he got out of his corner. He was easy pickings for Sotiropoulos, and for someone who did much more than simply holding his own in the first five minutes, that’s a terrible shame.

At the end of the day, I believe Joe Lauzon. I don’t think he’s making any excuses, and I think he knows full well that this process needs to come to an end as quickly as possible. Lauzon has a history of hot-and-cold performances, and for someone as talented and entertaining as he is, that is also a real shame. I look forward to seeing how Lauzon comes back from this loss, and I wish him all the best. He may have hit another bump in the road, but the book is far from closed when it comes to J-Lau.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you believe Lauzon, or is he covering up some kind of deeper issue? What did you think about his recent performance against Sotiropoulos?

1.1 million viewers tuned in to see Nik Lentz defeat Andre Winner via Unanimous Decision and Joe Lauzon steamroll Gabe Ruediger before submitting him via armbar at 2:01 of round 1. UFC 109’s prelims garnered the highest of any “Prelims Live” special, with 1.9 million viewers that watched both Melvin Guillard and Mac Danzig fight to a Unanimous Decision win over their opponents, Ronnys Torres and Justin Buchholz. One would think that the star-studded UFC 118 card would have drawn more interest than the less-than-stellar UFC 109 card, which was headlined by Randy Couture taking on Mark Coleman. But the UFC 116 card, featuring the return of current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, only drew 1.3 million viewers for their two fights, which saw Ricardo Romero armbar Seth Petruzelli and Brendan Schaub TKO’ing Chris Tuchscherer.

Clearly, the interest in the main Pay-Per-View card didn’t play nearly as big of a role as many thought it would in attracting viewers to see the prelims. I’m moderately surprised at this, but it’s not exactly a revelation either. I think fight fans are judging these “Prelims Live” specials on the strengths of the actual fights, not on their interest in the fights to come. Fight fans are far more familiar with Melvin Guillard and Mac Danzig than with Andre Winner or Ricardo Romero. Also, the quality of the initial fight likely had a huge effect on people either staying plugged in or switching the channel: the Lentz vs. Winner bout in particular was very boring, and I can see how many fight fans would have switched to other programming without even giving the second fight a chance.

And at the end of the day, I think we all know what the problem here is: these are preliminary fights, they’ll never do that good in the ratings. I’m not trying to discredit any of the talented fighters that fight on the UFC’s prelims, but these “Prelims Live” specials lack the appeal of a Fight Night Live card, since they’re smaller parts of a bigger whole and not an event in and of itself. I don’t ever see these “Prelims Live” specials doing so badly that Spike nixes the idea entirely, but I don’t see them breaking any records either.

That is, of course, unless the UFC gives us preliminary fights like Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung, which was a preliminary fight showcased by their sister-promotion the WEC. It’s a fight which is in serious talks for Fight of the Year candidacy. A great fight is a great fight, and a great preliminary fight can overcome the stigma of being a preliminary fight. But honestly, have we really seen a can’t-miss preliminary fight in the entirety of these “Prelims Live” specials? Don’t give us mid-level but sometimes virtually unknown fighters fighting mostly good but sometimes incredibly boring fights and then wonder why your ratings are so up-and-down. Unless the UFC puts some real effort behind making the preliminary fights worth watching in their own right, they should be satisfied with whatever number they get.

And what about you, fans and friends? Why do you think the “Prelims Live” specials continue to fluctuate in terms of ratings?

“I have the advantage of training with BJ many times from the middle of January to middle of February.  He was on fire when I was out there with him, having great training sessions every day. Full of life, super sharp. I expected to see this absolute killer come fight time.”

In light of all the training they have done together, Lauzon has a pretty good sense of what makes BJ tick and was concerned about Penn from the moment he entered the arena in Abu Dhabi.

“As soon as he started walking out, I could see it wasn’t there.  I don’t know what it was, (Penn) just didn’t have that energy, you could tell something was wrong. I had a bad feeling about the fight from the start.”

Nonetheless, Lauzon thought the fight was very close and could have gone Penn’s way.  As with most critics of the scoring in this fight, the debate hinges on the third round.

“I still think the third round was debatable.  I think there are some rounds that are clear cut and some rounds that it is almost like flipping a coin, depending on what you are giving points to.  I thought that rounds one and two were definitely BJ, four and five to Frankie and whoever you give round three will take the fight.”

While this Boston native has forged a strong bond with the Hawaiian ‘prodigy,’ Lauzon wants to be clear that BJ’s “off night” is not just a result of Penn’s functionality but also because of the performance of a lifetime from his opponent from Toms River, NJ.

“I give him (Edgar) tons of credit.  I thought he was going to have no chance at all, I didn’t know where he could beat BJ anywhere.  He pulled it off, I was super impressed.”

Looking back, Lauzon realized it was really about Edgar blunting all that makes Penn look so splendid, and credit is due where credit is due.

“Frankie, actually had the perfect game plan.  I said that BJ just didn’t look like he was there, but that does not take away from Frankie at all.  I thought Frankie was on top of his game.  And one fighter can make another fighter look bad just by having a good night. It was also Frankie making BJ look bad.”

—

Chime in now.  What type of game plan would you give Edgar to defeat Penn a second time.  Flip it.  How does Penn beat Edgar?

@john_moody

Moody: Talk about how and when you learned your fight with Terry Etim was cancelled?  Must have been a shock?

Lauzon: I got an email from Joe Silva on Thursday (August 5^th) telling me Terry Etim pulled out and they were looking for a replacement.  I guess he busted up his ribs.  A rib injury is pretty common. My first thing was that, I wanted to make sure they find someone so I can fight in Boston.  I have like 600 -1000 people coming.  They assured they would find me a fighter.  Everything took place quickly.  They said, “what do think about Gabe Ruediger,” I was fine with it.  They gave me a name, I was happy.  Didn’t matter who it was.  Couple hours later I switched from Terry Etim to Gabe Ruediger.

Moody: You guys were on the Ultimate Fighter show and did not always see eye to eye.

Lauzon: I don’t think fighting was his first priority.  He was trying to create a good entertaining television show.  His weight was an issue.  I think he expected to have this big dramatic cut and he mans-up and gets it done and everyone is happy and he pulls through.

On the show, I wanted him to do well, I was helping him cut weight, when he actually couldn’t make it and they called an ambulance I was standing over him squeezing an IV over him.  When he was causing problems, like bickering with Matt Wiman and being difficult, I call like I see it – I wasn’t like ‘Gabe wasn’t doing anything.’  I was like ‘Gabe was causing problems, Gabe was doing this and that.’  And he took that, on the show, as if I was friendly with him, then talked trash afterward. No. I wasn’t talking trash. I call it like I see it.

Moody: OK, more on fighting Ruediger later… UFC 118 in Boston, sounds cool. Does it help or hurt to be fighting in your hometown?

Lauzon: There will be some different distractions but it is nice sleeping in my own bed, nice not having to fly somewhere, nice not having to figure out the area.  You go away for the week and have to find the best places to eat, to train; I would rather sleep in my own bed, train at my own gym and go to all the places I am comfortable with.

Moody: How will Boston receive the UFC?

Lauzon: It will be loud for sure. Boston sports fans are super passionate about everything.  You go to any kind of sport and hear “Yankees suck” chants break out.  It will be awesome.  For such a big show like the UFC to come here, it will be insanity.

Moody: What about all the friends and family, is that a distraction as the fight gets close?

Lauzon: Lucky I have enough guys around me to keep every one away.  I turn off my phone and nobody can reach me directly.  As far as the actual fight itself, it will be fine. I have had 20 something fights in Massachusetts. I have had tons of family at much smaller places.  I sold hundreds of tickets at places that only hold a thousand people and it was always fine.  It will be a big venue so it will be fine.

Moody: Where is your overall toolbox at?  What do you need to work on the most?

Lauzon: I am never happy with anything.  My Jiu Jitsu can always be better, my wrestling, my boxing, my conditioning, so many areas I can get better at.  What you work on is dictated by the coaches that are around and how you are injury-wise.   This sport now, you have to have great conditioning, boxing, clinch work, wrestling, you have to be the full complete fighter. It is doing everything bigger and better.

Moody: What did you think watching Gomi knockout Griffin a couple weeks ago?

Lauzon: That fight made me appreciate Kenny Florian’s stand-up and his jab.  I thought Kenny made Gomi look pretty bad.  Gomi made Tyson look terrible.  Gomi carries bricks in both hands.  He has no problem trading and is super tough and is a nightmare for anyone.

Moody: Favorite song currently.

Lauzon: I like “Yeah Ya Know” by T. I.

Moody: OK, in your former career, you were a computer tech expert.  Explain what is going on when you get the famous blue screen of death on your windows PC?  What should one do?

Lauzon: They should get a Mac.  The blue screen is an unexpected error, so it typically happens when a program does something that it is not supposed to.  The problem with a windows machine is that there is not a layer of protection between the software and hardware.

Moody: How much money do you get for the sponsor tags on your shorts?  Do you make more money on your shorts than from the purse?

Lauzon: I have had fights where the show money was way more that the sponsor money and I have had fights where it was the opposite.  Generally, your relationship with a sponsor, there are some that are more long term, but for the most part it is a one-night deal.  On fight night you are a fighting billboard.  You put the logo on your shorts and they send you a check.  There is no commitment or obligation.  I wear your stuff and that is it.

Moody: Anything you would not put on your shorts?

Lauzon: If there is something I don’t want on my shorts I can veto anything. There are some banned sponsors from the UFC.  For the most part, it is not a big deal.  I have no problem putting ‘Condom Depot’ on my shorts … doesn’t matter to me at all.

Moody: Back to the fight.  Gabe Ruediger has skills.  Discuss.

Lauzon: Gabe was always a decent fighter.  He was WEC champ and is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu; Gabe has always been a decent fighter.  In a lot of cases he got by on just being talented and not working too hard.  Gabe is a tough fighter, he is not a push over for sure – he is on a 5 or 6 fight win streak.

Moody: How hard was it to reset your mind and training from Etim to Reudiger – two different styles?

Lauzon: Everything is flipped.  With Etim, I saw good standup, long reach but good on the ground too.  Gabe is the opposite.  Standup is good but not as great as Etim, but his ground is much better.  It is a different skill set.  I went to being the shorter fighter to probably being a little taller.   In this fight, instead of fighting a guy that is fighting like hell to stay up will be fighting a guy who probably wants to be on the ground.  I am sure the fight will hit the ground.

Moody: Is it fair to say you have more to lose and less to gain against Ruediger than vs. Etim?

Lauzon: I definitely have more to lose than win in this fight. I know Gabe is dangerous, but the majority of people don’t know that Gabe is dangerous at all. They just see him as the kid that could not make weight.  Gabe is tough. Gabe is no pushover.  I will call him on stuff, but will give him credit too. He has good Jiu Jitsu and is good in the clinch.  Gabe has legit skills.

Moody: Good luck at UFC 118, and thanks for taking time to talk with Fighters.com.

What your thoughts on Lauzon v. Ruediger?  Who will win?  Are you excited for UFC 118?