Though both events were pay-per-view affairs, I would contest that Shark Fights probably pulled in larger numbers due to the heavy saturation of MMA notables littered on the card.

While all bouts proved to be interesting in their own right, there was one fight that rose above the rest, and apparently the Shark Fights execs believe the same to be true.

The co-main event of the evening, a bout pitting UFC veterans Rameau Thierry–who is better known simply as Sokoudjou–and Houston Alexander pulled out all the stops in their light heavyweight affair last night.

After a dominant round turned in by the Team Quest product, Thierry, who knocked down Houston on two occasions and unleashed a heavy dose of ground and pound–it looked like he left everything he had inside the cage as the second round began.

Early on in the second, Houston was able to connect on several jabs early, while Thierry was notably winded after a spirited first round. Alexander then quickly unloaded on a barrage that eventually left Sokoudjou on the ground against the cage in a panic. Alexander followed up with 30-something unanswered blows before the referee stepped in to halt the bout.

For their efforts, the competitors were awarded a $2,500 bonus.

It’s not UFC making money, but it’s something.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the bonuses? Obviously, its a trend that I hope most organizations can some day adopt and put to use on a regular basis, or at least come pay-per-view time. Additionally, what about Sokoudjou? He’s been flakey ever since his run in the UFC, or is it more so a case of too much too soon? You decide–let your opinions known below.

Courtesy of MMAMania.com, the fights went down as follows: Trevor Prangley defeats Keith Jardine via Split Decision. Houston Alexander defeats Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO (Strikes) at 1:31 of Round Two. Paul Daley defeats Jorge Masvidal via Unanimous Decision. Danillo Villefort defeats Joey Villasenor via Unanimous Decision. Tarec Saffiedine defeats Brock Larson via Unanimous Decision. Ronnie Mann defeats Douglas Evans via Split Decision. Paul Bradley defeats Johnny Reese via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:28 of Round One. Aaron Rosa defeats Devin Cole via Unanimous Decision. Daniel Straus defeats Karen Darabedyan via Unanimous Decision. Eric Davila defeats Pete Spratt via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:49 of Round Two.

I didn’t get a chance to check out the full undercard on Sherdog, but I did catch a few fights here and there. I’ve got no major complaints with what I saw. When it comes to the main card, it was a bit hit-and-miss to be honest. I didn’t like how most of the fights went to the judges, with almost every decision fight having at least one boring round. Although, for the most part, we got ourselves some good fights from some talented athletes.

In regards to specific fights, Paul Daley proved once again that he badly needs to work on his wrestling. Masvidal seemed to be taking him down at will, with Daley offering very little in the way of defense. I think the only thing that saved Daley was a late-round resurgence built upon a key referee stand-up that did seem debatable. Even though he won, Daley proved that he still needs a lot of work and that he isn’t always the one-hit KO artist he’s hyped up to be.

I think Alexander vs. Sokoudjou was easily the Fight of the Night. I was a little hesitant about this fight, thinking that I’d be in for a long and boring night if the Houston Alexander that fought Kimbo Slice showed up against the Sokoudjou that fought Lyoto Machida. What we got was both men at their relative best, with Sokoudjou landing some crazy shots in Round 1 but Alexander somehow surviving, rallying, and beating a gassed-out Sokoudjou down in Round 2. It was an intense, emotional fight. It wasn’t technical by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a good brawl.

If one emotion could summarize my feelings regarding the main event of Shark Fights 13, it would be “sadness”. Love him or hate him, for all his ups and downs, you’ve simply got to respect the Techno Viking. Keith Jardine came out to fight and tried his best to beat Trevor Prangley, including a fantastic resurgence in Round 3 that was unfortunately a case of “too little, too late”. Prangley deserves a lot of credit for his methodical counter-punching style, and I think he could go far as the Shark Fights Light Heavyweight Champion. But man it hurt to see Jardine lose five in a row.

I honestly don’t know where “The Dean of Mean” goes from here. 0-5 is an incredibly hard hole to dig yourself out of, even if those five losses were against some super-stacked competition. I honestly believe that nothing short of a complete overhaul, starting from the ground up, will save Jardine’s career. But wherever he does go from here, I’ll be pulling for him. I’m going to hold out hope for Keith Jardine. The alternative is the sad realization that one of my “dark horse” favorites has peaked at the age of 34 and has no future in this business. And I’m simply not ready to accept that yet.

And what about you, fans and friends? Now that it’s come and gone, what did you think of Shark Fights 13?

Courtesy of MMAMania.com, the weigh-in results were as follows: Keith Jardine (204.5) vs. Trevor Prangley (202.75), Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (204.75) vs. Houston Alexander (204.75), Paul Daley (172) vs. Jorge Masvidal (168.75), Joey Villasanor (185.5) vs. Danillo Villefort (184.5), Tarec Saffiedine (169.75) vs. Brock Larson (170.75),  Douglas Evans (144.25) vs. Ronnie Mann (144.75), Paul Bradley (170.5) vs. Johnny Reese (169.25), Aaron Rosa (241.75) vs. Devin Cole (233.25), Karen Darabedyan (155.75) vs. Daniel Straus (152.75), Eric Davila (176.5) vs. Pete Spratt (170.25)

Paul Daley was given an hour to cut the necessary weight in order to make 171, but after tipping the scales once again, had lost only a fourth of a pound. Daley, who has struggled to make the cut to 170 in the past, will now forfeit a whopping ten percent of his fight purse to his opponent.

I have to wonder what Paul Daley’s doing wrong. His body and build seems like a natural welterweight. Sure, he’s a bit on the bulky side. But he’s nowhere close to athletes like Thiago Alves, who I’m convinced could make Middleweight with his eyes closed and could even make Light Heavyweight if he tried. Daley is a small, compact fighter, and I think Welterweight is the best place for him. I think his striking power and speed would be not-insignificantly diminished if he jumped up to Middleweight. I’ve been a vocal proponent of fighters moving up to their natural weight class, especially when they miss weight repeatedly. But for Paul Daley, I honestly think that he may just not be trying hard enough.

In regards to the fights themselves, I have to admit, this is one good-looking card. I like that Shark Fights is trying to play to their fighter’s strengths when making their match-ups. I think Keith Jardine has a very good shot at taking a large step forward on the comeback trail in his fight with Prangley. I don’t see him scoring a big one-hit KO, but I can see him softening up Prangley in Round 1 and finishing him in Round 2 with a final barrage of TKO-inducing strikes. Alexander vs. Sokoudjou also interests me because both men have given us epic KO’s as well as extremely lackluster performances. It will be very interesting to see which versions of themselves show up at Shark Fights, but if they fight at their best, it could be one of the best fights of the night.

All in all, I’ve got no real problem with Shark Fights. Their main-card fights are loaded with potential, and their undercard should give us at least a couple sleeper hits. So I like what they’re doing and I wish them success. And don’t forget that Sherdog.com will be hosting a free, live stream of the undercard bouts on their website.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Now that all the fights are official, what’s your take on Shark Fights in general and this card in particular?

According to the Sherdog report, the live stream will feature matches like Douglas Evans vs. Ronnie Mann and Marcus Hicks vs. Karen Darabedyan. The main event features Keith Jardine taking on Trevor Prangley. Prangley was on a five fight win streak before drawing with Karl Amoussou and then getting submitted via Rear Naked Choke by Tim Kennedy. Jardine is on a four-fight losing streak, piling up some very unfortunate and very tough losses to the likes of Quinton Jackson, Thiago Silva, and Ryan Bader. Until his recent termination, Jardine was a thirteen-fight veteran inside the UFC, which is unquestionably the world’s best MMA promotion with the deepest roster of best-in-the-world fighters. Jardine had also gained a sizeable following in the UFC due to his willingness to engage and ability to tough out a victory.

The other bouts slated for the event also feature a host of former UFC, Strikeforce, and even PRIDE FC stars. The official lineup for Shark Fights 13 reads as such: Keith Jardine vs. Trevor Prangley, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Houston Alexander, Paul Daley vs. Jorge Masvidal, Joey Villasenor vs. Drew McFedries, Brock Larson vs. Tarec Saffiedine, Douglas Evans vs. Ronnie Mann, Paul Bradley vs. Johnny Rees, Devin Cole vs. Aaron Rosa, Karen Darabedyan vs. Marcus Hicks, and Pete Spratt vs. Eric Davila.

While some may be quick to point out that this card is mostly filled with people who weren’t good enough for the major promotions, I’m more of a “glass half full” kind of guy. On any given day, these fighters could go out and put on great performances. Many have done so in the past. They may have fallen on hard times recently, but that shouldn’t overshadow the expansive skills they’ve shown at their best. I think these fights make sense, and that Shark Fights made some great match-ups with the talent they’ve been given. This should be an entertaining event, and I applaud both Shark Fights for taking the gamble on Pay-Per-View and Sherdog for giving Shark Fights more exposure while giving fight fans more quality Mixed Martial Arts.

It probably won’t register on anyone’s “Events of the Year” list, but a solid event is a solid event. I have to be honest and admit that I won’t be counting off the days and marking my calendar to see either the free streaming undercard or the main card on Pay-Per-View. But there are far worse things I could be doing with my time than watching some free and most importantly legal streaming Mixed Martial Arts. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I can see myself giving this promotion a chance come September 11.

And what about you, fans and friends? With a portion of the card now free and easily accessible to anyone with a high-speed internet connection, how excited are you for the upcoming “Shark Fights 13” event?

After exploding into the Octagon with a first-round KO of “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (14-5-1) at UFC 71 in Las Vegas in 2007, Alexander was only able to pick up one more “W” in five attempts with the big show.

Alexander was matched versus Slice at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in Las Vegas last Saturday as a chance for Alexander to display the intensity and stand-up skills that earned him instant credibility after his UFC debut.

But, Alexander seemed spooked by the Youtube sensation, or intimidated by the threat of fighting his last fight in the Octagon.  Whatever the case, Alexander stayed far away from Slice, circling the outside and slamming leg kicks into Slice’s arthritic knees.  It was a timid performance versus an opponent Alexander is objectively more skilled than.  But for Slice’s insistence on making a fight of it in round two, it would’ve been wholly disappointing.

And, UFC President Dana White told reporters in Memphis Thursday that the performance and loss was enough to send Alexander packing.  A usually exciting fighter, Alexander should be able to find work at one of the UFC’s major competitors.

Judges scores were 29-28 twice and 29-27 all in favor of Slice.

The first round was barely mentionable as Alexander circled outside and waved leg kicks while Slice stood firmly in the center of the Octagon looking for a brawl.  The two fighters clinched twice, but briefly and uneventfully.

But, round two…wow!  Alexander came out of his corner to take another walk around the Octagon; but, Slice came out like Alexander was in Kimbo’s backyard.  Slice clinched and took Alexander to the mat in full mount, landing a few shots.  Alexander wormed back to his feet; but, Slice took Alexander’s back and suplexed him.  Alexander shot for a single-leg in the scramble; but, again, Slice stood and fell atop Alexander on the mat and passed to full mount.  Alexander gave up his back after Slice began landing shots to Alexander’s dome.  Slice briefly worked a guillotine, but decided to mount Alexander and land short elbows before the bell ended the round.

Alexander’s strategy finally paid off in round three when he dropped Slice with a solid leg kick.  Slice didn’t so much stand up, as shoot for a single leg takedown directly from his butt.  But, after a lay’n'pray from both fighters, referee Josh Rosenthal compelled them to their feet.  It was obvious Slice could barely stand on his lead leg after Alexander’s kick early in the round; but, Slice engaged Alexander for an exciting, if sloppy brawl that ended when an Alexander elbow sent Slice backpedaling and bell saved both fighters.

The final episode will air for two hours and feature fights that will determine the two athletes who will fight for a six-figure UFC contract at at SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in Las Vegas December 5.

The remaining heavyweights include James McSweeney (3-4), ex-NFL defensive tackle Matt Mitrione (0-0), “Big Baby” Marcus Jones (4-1), “Titties” Darrill Schoonover (10-1), “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4),  and Brendan Schaub (3-0).

Wednesday nights episode will feature matchups between McSweeney and Mitrione and Jones and Schoonover, then the winners of those fights in semi-final matchups with Nelson and Schaub.

Though a plotline forced by the show this season has been the return of “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-1) after his first round loss to Nelson,  light heavyweight “Assassin” Houston Alexander (9-4) has confirmed he’ll fight Slice December 5.

Fighters.com will post live coverage of the final fights of season 10 tonight.  Return to Fighters.com tonight for discussion of the final fights and the season.

The matchup is rumored to be held at a 215-pound catchweight.

Alexander TKO’d “Tank” Sherman Pendergarst (11-15) at Adrenaline MMA 4 in Omaha September 18 after losing three consecutive in the Octagon by first-round stoppage.

Slice was TKO’d by “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (11-4) at EliteXC in Fort Lauderdale in October 2008 and lost again in an exhibition bout versus “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4) on SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10.

According to a source, the matchup was originally scheduled as a light heavyweight bout, but Slice indicated he couldn’t make the 205-pound limit and the fighters agree to fight at 215-pounds.

On a media conference call in September promoting Slice’s exhibition bout versus “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4) on The Ultimate Fighter 10, Slice indicated he would be willing to drop to 205-pounds if a promoter asked him to do.

Alexander TKO’d “Tank” Sherman Pendergarst (11-15) at Adrenaline MMA 4 in Omaha September 18.

Slice was TKO’d by “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (11-4) at EliteXC in Fort Lauderdale in October 2008.

The matchup has been rumored, but not confirmed by Fighters.com.  The Times of Northwest Indiana has broke stories about Alexander before and Fighters.com considers the publication a good source for information about Alexander.

Sylvia’s downward spiral bottomed-out at 2:32 versus Jason Reily (6-2).  Sylvia dropped the North American Allied Fight Series heavyweight champion with an overhand left, then finished him on the mat with hammerfists.

Alexander was even quicker, setting-up Sylvia’s training partner at Militech Fighting Systems, “Tank” Sherman Pendergarst (11-15), with chopping leg kicks, before putting him on the mat with a bone-crushing knee to Pendergarst’s body, and finishing him with punches at 1:51.

Both fighters moved up a weight class.  Sylvia weighed 287 pounds for the fight, 22 pounds over the Unified Rules heavyweight limit, but 23.6 pounds less than his disastrous KO loss to “Merciless” Ray Mercer (1-1) at Adrenaline MMA 3 in Birmingham June 13.  Alexander’s matchup versus Pendergarst was contested in the heavyweight division.

Monte Cox both promotes Adrenaline MMA and manages Sylvia and Alexander and this fourth iteration was conceived specifically to get Alexander a payday and some cage time after a year long hiatus from the Octagon.  The opposition Sylvia and Alexander faced wasn’t UFC-level, but the stakes for each fighter were all-or-nothing.

After losing to Mercer in what was supposed to be a boxing match until the Association of Boxing Commissions reversed their sanctioning policy days before the event, Sylvia found himself peering out of the deepest trench of his underrated career.  A source close to Adrenaline MMA confided to Fighters.com that Alexander’s UFC career was on the line versus Pendergarst.

Both fighters now find themselves out of the quicksand of losses and on stable ground to regain former glory.  Sylvia plans to fight again before the end of 2009 and Alexander might return to the Octagon as early as December.

Perhaps it goes without saying; but, Fighters.com wanted to verify the stakes for Alexander. “Oh, yeah. If he loses, that’s it with the UFC,” said Fighters.com’s source.

Alexander exploded onto the international MMA scene when he TKO’d “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (14-6-1) in 48 seconds in Alexander’s Octagon debut at UFC 71 in Las Vegas in May 2007, but has been shelved by the UFC since losing his third straight when he tapped in an arm triangle to “Red” Eric Schafer (12-4-2) at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha in September 2008.

And, according to Fighters.com’s source, the UFC had warned Alexander he wouldn’t have another opportunity to fight in the Octagon until December. Adrenaline MMA 4 in Alexander’s hometown of Omaha is manager and Adrenaline MMA CEO Monte Cox’s way to get Alexander a pay day and some cage time in the interim.

Veteran heavyweight Pendergarst has lost five consecutive fights, but has submitted his opponent in eight of his 11 wins.

Alexander has been submitted twice and was TKO’d on his back versus Thiago Silva (15-1) at UFC 78 in Newark in November 2007. As phenomenal as Alexander has been on his feet, he’s been as abysmal on his back. And, the fight will be in the heayvweight division, Pendergarst’s optimal weight class.

It’s rare the UFC allows one of it’s fighters to fight outside the Octagon while remaining contracted to the UFC. It’s rarer still so much is at stake for that fighter. And, remember that it was at Adrenaline MMA 3 in Birmingham 13 June where former UFC heavyweight champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-6) was upset by “Merciless” Ray Mercer (1-0) in a nine-second KO.

Sylvia will return at Adrenaline MMA 4 versus Jason Riley (6-1). Riley knocked out Justin Black (2-2) for the heavyweight title at Caged Vengence 4 in Columbus 3 April.

Adrenaline MMA 4 will be held at the Mid-American Center in Council Bluffs on 18 September. The undercard will start at 7:30 PM; the main card will be broadcast on HDNet beginning at 9:00 PM. Pre-sale tickets start at $33 for general admission, $103 ringside, and $530 for a table of ten. Purchase tickets at Ticketmaster.

The rest of the card includes:

HDNet Broadcast at 9:00 PM:
“Grinder” Chad Reiner (19-8) v “Meat Cleaver” Forrest Petz (13-7)
Alonzo Martinez (22-10-1) v Ryan Williams (10-4)
Jeremy Lang (13-1) v Matt Delanoit (13-6)
Joe Vedepo (9-2) v Webster Farris (1-0)
James Siepel (4-1) v Bob Tuttle (0-0)

Untelevised:
Todd Meneely (0-0) v Corey McDonald (1-1)
Dustin Smith (2-0) v Marcos Marquez (3-1)
Matt Bentley (0-1) v Danny Black (1-0)
John Hansen (3-1) v Gregg Van der Creek (0-0)
Dakota Cochrane (3-0) v Bill Holcombe (1-1)
Ryan Shell (0-1) v Roberto Rojas (4-0)

On a three-fight losing streak and most recently on the horizontal end of a “Merciless” Ray Mercer (1-0) nine-second knockout at Adrenaline MMA 3 in Birmingham 13 June, Sylvia will get to diggin’ himself out of the deepest trench of his underrated career versus Jason Riley (6-1).

Riley knocked out Justin Black (2-2) for the heavyweight title at Caged Vengence 4 in Columbus 3 April.

After three first-round losses in the Octagon, Alexander gets a pass from the UFC to fight “Tank” Sherman Pendergarst (11-14), training partner of Sylvia.

At UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha in September 2008, Alexander tapped in a arm triangle to “Red” Eric Schafer (12-4-2). Alexander is still under contract to the UFC, but has been given the opportunity to get some action while he awaits his next Octagon appearance.

One-time UFCer Pendergarst has lost five in a row, most recently a first-round TKO to Joey Beltran (7-1) at Bellator 5 in Dayton 1 May.

Middleweight Jake Ellenberger (20-4) was pegged to fight Adrenaline 4 until he was happily poached by the UFC to fight “Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit (23-5) at Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City 16 September.

Adrenaline MMA 4 will be held at the Mid-American Center in Council Bluffs on 18 September. The undercard will start at 7:30 PM; the main card will be broadcast on HDNet beginning at 9:00 PM. Pre-sale tickets start at $33 for general admission, $103 ringside, and $530 for a table of ten. Purchase tickets at Ticketmaster.

The rest of the card includes:

HDNet Broadcast at 9:00 PM:
“Grinder” Chad Reiner (19-8) v “Meat Cleaver” Forrest Petz (13-7)
Alonzo Martinez (22-10-1) v Ryan Williams (10-4)
Jeremy Lang (13-1) v Matt Delanoit (13-6)
Joe Vedepo (9-2) v Webster Farris (1-0)
James Siepel (4-1) v Bob Tuttle (0-0)

Untelevised:
Todd Meneely (0-0) v Corey McDonald (1-1)
Dustin Smith (2-0) v Marcos Marquez (3-1)
Matt Bentley (0-1) v Danny Black (1-0)
John Hansen (3-1) v Gregg Van der Creek (0-0)
Dakota Cochrane (3-0) v Bill Holcombe (1-1)
Ryan Shell (0-1) v Roberto Rojas (4-0)

According to NWI.com, Omaha’s Alexander is still under contract with the UFC, but will be allowed to fight for Andrenaline MMA after losing three straight by stoppage in the Octagon, most recently tapping in an arm triangle to “Red” Eric Schafer (13-4-2) at Fight Night 15 in Alexander’s hometown last September.

Fighters.com could not confirm the appearances of Alexander, Sylvia, or Horn with Adrenaline MMA President Monte Cox.

However, Fighters.com has confirmed with sources close to the event that Omaha middleweight Jake Ellenberger (20-4) will take his four-fight winning streak into Adrenaline, though no opponent has been chosen.

Ellenberger knocked out Brazilian Top Team’s Marcelo Alfaia (6-5) in 42 seconds at Bellator 11 in Uncasville 12 June.

In a downright stupid matchmaking call in the Adrenaline MMA 3 main event, Sylvia got laid out in nine seconds by forty-eight year old former boxer “Merciless” Ray Mercer (1-0) in Birmingham 13 June.

Horn bounced back from a dismal 0-3 run in his lastest Octagon stint to tap Chris Davis (5-1) in a rear naked choke at Adrenaline MMA 3.

“That’s for Evan Tanner!  My hero,” Schafer dedicated the win to the former UFC Middleweight Champion who passed away last week.

Schafer ate two knees early while reaching to wrestle Alexander to the mat; but, ten months to the day after having his ground game exposed by tenth-ranked Thiago Silva (13-0), Alexander has apparently yet to learn even the most basic ground defense.

Schafer pressed Alexander to the fence, took him to his back, and passed immediately to side control, then the mount.

As Schafer pounded Alexander, the “Assassin” failed to buck or even close the space Schafer used to rain G’n'P.

Schafer then worked Alexander’s left arm around Alexander’s throat and sank in the arm triangle for the tap.

Alexander made his UFC debut knocking out Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-3-1) in May 2007 followed by a TKO over “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara (12-7) in September 2007, but is coming off two consecutive losses.

Alexander’s most recent loss, to “Sandman” James Irvin (14-4) in April, tied the UFC record for quickest knockout at 0:08 of the first round.

“Red” Schafer returns to the Octagon after two first-round victories at the Gladiators Fighting Series.

Schafer was TKO’d by “Count” Michael Bisping (15-1) and “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-4) in his last two UFC fights.

Schafer, a submission specialist, is Alexander’s choice, according to MMA Junkie.

The former title challenger from Sityodtong, Florian, dominated the quirky computer tech.

“KenFlo” opened a gash on the back of Lauzon’s head with elbows from his full guard in the first round, but was warned by referee Herb Dean for striking behind the head.

It was a call Dean missed while refereeing a lightweight fight between “Cleat” Rich Crunkilton (16-2) and Sergio Gomez (7-2) at last week’s Las Vegas WEC event.

After the stand-up, Lauzon clinched for a takedown and stepped over Florians body in half-guard for a knee bar that turned into a Achilles lock that Florian yanked free from.

Lauzon snatched an ankle again and reclined into a heel hook that Florian was again able to wriggle free from to end the round.

The frantic mat work and elevation exhausted “J-Lau” for the second round and Florian was able to score a takedown into full mount that Lauzon never bucked free from.

Florian poured on a cocktail of elbows, straights, and hammerfists from the mount, but Lauzon defended.  Dean called an end to the fight after it was clear Lauzon was to spent to transition out of the bad spot.

In a grueling war game between undefeated wrestlers, “The Bully” Gray Maynard (5-0) won a decisive unanimous decision over “The Answer” Frank Edgar (8-1).

Maynard set the pace in the first round by stuffing Edgar’s takedown attempts and deciding when he’d take the inevitable wrestling match to the mat.

Edgar made it a scrap in the second round with crisp 1-2 combos that scored, but Maynard continued to stuff “The Answer’s” shot and score his own powerful takedowns, though neither fighter did much more than molest the other on the mat.

Edgar was gassed by round three and the bigger “Bully” slammed Edgar three times to convince all three judges he was dominant.

Earlier in the night, “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (5-1) pummeled TUF finalist Tom Speer (9-3) over 51 seconds, knocking home the stoppage “W” with a clean straight right that slumped Speer against the cage.

“I’m crunk right now, I’m real crunk,” said Johnson after the fight.

Johnson began the end with a left kick to Speer’s head as the wrestler attempted to shoot, followed by a knee that backed Speer to the cage.   Speer was out on his feet when he absorbed the death blow.

In a welterweight clash, “The Pitbull” Thiago Alves (14-3) crumpled “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) with a left knee strike to Parisyan’s head in the second round as Parisyan sought the clinch.

At 34-seconds of the round, referee Steve Mazzagatti dove across the downed fighter as he defended Alves’s follow-up pounding.

“The referee did a good job,” Alves claimed after Parisyan disputed the stoppage.  “He was out!”

Parisyan had won round one with deft, one-off striking versus the American Top Team trained kickboxer, who appeared wary of Parisyan’s takedowns. 

In his UFC debut last February, “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (7-2) surprised David Heath (7-3) with an onslaught ending in a first-round Boetsch TKO.

Tonight, “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1) weathered Boetsch’s first round avalanche of strikes to reveal “The Barbarian” couldn’t continue his barrage passed the first five minutes.

Hamill began the fight with a powerful double-leg takedown, but couldn’t capitalize before the referee stood the fighters.

Boetsch proved effective with a repeating knee strike that split Hamill’s lip like a ripe peach, splashing blood across Hamill’s chest.

In round two, Boetsch heaved heavily from his corner.  He shot for a single-leg takedown and held Hamill’s leg as the champion wrestler hovered over him hammering punches.  Boetsch rolled into guard, but had nothing left as “The Hammer” finished him at 1:25 with undefended plugs to Boetsch’s face.

Fast-rising Nathan Diaz (9-2) submitted Kurt Pellegrino (11-4) in an air-tight leg triangle choke in the second round of their undercard match, flashing double middle fingers in the air as Pellegrino tapped helplessly.

Diaz was cut on his right eyelid by Pellegrino punches in a first round controlled on the mat by Pellegrino.

Pellegrino dumped Diaz at will and hammered punches and elbows inside Diaz’s full- and half-guard.  Pellegrino passed to side control and pinned Diaz’s arms, hammering Diaz’s unprotected face to open the cut.

But, durable Diaz escaped a lost first round.

The second round continued as the first, with Diaz getting dumped to the mat by Pellegrino.  This time, Diaz ran his guard up Pellegrino’s back and submitted the lightweight in a leg triangle at 3:06 of the round.

“He shouldn’t have pinned me down like that,” Diaz scolded Pellegrino after the hard-won “W”. 

In the televised card’s first fight, “The Assassin” Houston Alexander (8-3) got touched by “The Sandman” James Irvin (14-4) in the first exchange of their light heavyweight match.

Alexander was beaten to the punch by a right Superman punch from Irvin as Alexander launched his own right cross.

Alexander fell to the mat and Irvin followed with a right exclamation point to Alexander’s noggin as referee Steve Mazzagatti dove to Alexander’s rescue at :08 of the fight, tying a UFC record for quickest KO.

“I was still conscious,” Alexander repeated after the stoppage.

Amidst boos, Irvin challenged, “We can do it again right now.  If you want to go out into the parking lot, we can do it right now.”

 In untelevised fights, “The Dentist” Josh Neer (24-6-1) won a unanimous decision over “Dinyero” Din Thomas (20-8), who was returning from a knee injury in his last outing.

 ”Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-5) submitted lightweight Ryan Roberts (8-3) 16 seconds into the fight.

“Pitbull” Manvel Gamburyan (8-2) submitted Jeffrey Cox (9-5) in guillotine choke at 1:41 of the first round.

“The Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9) TKO’d lightweight Samy Schiavo (10-5) at 4:15 of round one.

Finally, welterweight George Sotiropoulos (9-2) TKO’d Roman Mitichyan (5-2) 2:24 into round two.