The results were inevitable...so inevitable the SpikeTV producers couldn't even muster up enough drama to scoot me to the middle of my seat, much less the edge. Tim Credeur (9-2) versus Daniel Cramer (0-0) and "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-0) versus Cale Yarbrough (0-0). Just peep their records. Fighters.com's top-ranked light heavyweight "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-6) laid out Dollaway's strategy for Yarbrough: "Whip his ass." Jackson reminded Dollaway before the fight that "[Yarbrough] aksed for everyone but you!" At the first bell, Dollaway commenced Jackson's strategy.  After a few half-hearted stand-up exchanges, Dollaway shot for a double-leg slam, passed to mount, and pounded Yarbrough. Yarbrough rolled to his stomach, then turtled up as referee Herb Dean repeatedly warned him to fight back. After the fight, Dollaway accused Yarbrough of doing what he had to do to end the fight. ...

Fighters.com's numero dos heavyweight "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8) told CagePotato today, "The exclusivity has to go away or else we’re going to have the same problems with becoming a fractured sport the way boxing has." With respect to MMA's classiest act, I disagree. The UFC's stranglehold over the top of the sport has ensured the best fighters fight each other. The best match-up in boxing right now is WBC welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus WBA and IBF welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto. For those not in the boxing know, it ain't happenin'. Mayweather is ducking the young bull Cotto for more lucrative, less competitive rematches with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.  Those happen to be match-ups Mayweather is more likely to win.  Hell, he's already beat them both. It's the UFC's umbrella over the sport that has made sure champions fight contenders, not pretenders who allow champions to hold on to belts maximizing the marketability of their reign. You see, when free agent fighters and their management pick their opponents, whether in boxing or MMA, they tend towards safe fights. Exhibit A:  Everyone's favorite MMA ducker, sixth-ranked heavyweight "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (27-1). While a showdown with third-ranked "Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (21-5) has been an option, Emelianenko has picked fights against middleweight "The Law" Matt Lindland (20-5) and kickboxer "Techno Goliath" Hong Man Choi (1-1). Such is matchmaking when managers and free agent fighters seek to prolong their marketability versus the safest reasonable opponents. I mean, Lindland and Choi are both world champions, right?  Nevermind that their championships were in a different weight class and sport respectively than Emelianenko. I'm not advocating for the UFC.  I could care less about which promoter logo is atop a fight card.  It's the card itself that interests me.  The fact is, the UFC's centralized organization of the sport has produced the best fights and, by definition, avoided "becoming a fractured sport the way boxing has." Notes From Around MMA * Top Strikeforce lightweight contender “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2) maintains “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9) oiled up before their March 2006 title fight, won by Guida by UD.  Thomson claims, “I mentioned it to Clay's brother one time.  I said, ‘Clay was really slippery in that fight…’  He just looked at me, shrugged, and said, ‘You do what you have to do to win.’  I just thought, ‘Whatever, douche bag.’  But, Clay…I think his career has leveled off.  He got a few big wins, but he's taken some losses the last couple of years.” * Couture (16-8) told IGN he’s pursuing a video game deal with EA Sports.  He also claimed, “I don't care where the fight happens,” in response to a question about fighting sixth-ranked Emelinanenko in the UFC.  Couture had previously expressed his desire not to fight Emelianenko in the UFC. * UFC middleweight Rob Yundt (6-1), who lost his UFC debut in February to “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2), will return to the Octagon 21 June on the TUF 7 finale versus one of the TUF contestants.  The UFC won’t reveal Yundt’s opponent to him until that fighter is eliminated on the show. * The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize and sanction MMA in the state by a vote of 95-2.  The bill is held-up in the Senate by Senators Dewayne Bunch of Cleveland and Bo Watson of Hixson.  The two southeast Tennessee legislators have attached an amendment earmarking the profits from MMA events for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division I wrestling team.  According to the Nashville Post, the amendment may violate NCAA rules.  Tennesseans are urged to contact their state Senators and urge the passing of the bill next week without the earmarking amendment. * Fourth-ranked welterweight “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) and UFC light heavyweight "The Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-1), both New York state residents, and UFC executive Marc Ratner were lobbying New York state Senators Tuesday to legalize and regulate MMA in the state.  A bill legalizing and regulating the sport in New York has passed the state’s assembly, but is opposed in the senate. * Canadian kickboxer “Black Sniper” Michael McDonald (1-1), 2002 and 2004 K-1 North American Grand Prix Champion, won a decision over American kickboxer “The Jet” Rick Roufus (1-1) in an MMA bout fought under the radar in Romania last month. * “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) and “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (1-1) will go head-to-head 31 May in a ratings battle.  SpikeTV will air Ultimate Iceman to compete directly with CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights at 9:00 PM EST.  SpikeTV will air an entire day of UFC programming on 31 May, beginning at 11:00 AM EST. * Star magazine reported that actress/singer Mandy Moore has a crush on top-ranked welterweight “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Moore was in the UFC 83 crowd last month when St. Pierre claimed the UFC welterweight title from Serra (9-5). * You know it’s a slow MMA news cycle when eighth-ranked lightweight “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) testing negative for steroids in a Nevada State Athletic Commission test is a headline.  Of course he tested negative!  The headline is if he had tested positive…again. * As I concluded after the first episode of this season's The Ultimate Fighter, Jeremy May (5-5) is a douche bag and nothing could've made me happier than seeing him get smashed by fellow-Cincinnatian Matt Brown (9-6) last night. ...

Wednesday night's episode of The Ultimate Fighter got started with the fighters preparing for the much anticipated bout between Matt Brown (9-6) and Jeremy May (5-5).

The night before the fight, eliminated fighters Brandon Sene (2-0) and Matt Riddle (0-0) were doing shots and it appeared May was doing some with them.  He claimed he had “twelve or thirteen” shots, which upset the other fighters.

Apparently May had filled up a vodka bottle with water and was only pretending to be drunk, trying to play some mind games with Brown and Team Forrest.

It was nothing new for May as we learned he had been nursing a knee injury that held him out of the majority of Team Rampage’s conditioning and sparring sessions.  May himself admitted he faked the severity of the injury to pace himself during training.  Jeremy rode the bike while his team completed grueling conditioning sessions.

That dishonest approach and his cocky attitude angered everyone in the house, including the other fighters on Team Rampage.  Teammate Matt Riddle was so disgusted with May that he revealed Jeremy’s knee injury to Matt Brown the night before the fight.

 Matt brown is no joke.  He revealed his colorful past that includes plenty of drugs, alcohol, fighting, and even a few stints in jail.  By all accounts, he is a serious individual.  He didn’t trash talk much before the fight and was just happy to finally get Jeremy and his mouth into the Octagon.

 Matt Brown (9-6) v Jeremy May (5-5)

May came out swinging, managing to land a few punches and a knee on Brown.  May tried a head kick and Brown sent him to the canvas with a straight right.

May, wanting to get the fight to the ground, did not attempt to stand up.  Brown hit a few leg kicks before dropping a right hand on Jeremy’s face and taking side control.

Brown moved to the mount and looked for submissions.  May sensed this and fed Matt an armbar.  Brown took the bait; and, Jeremy was able to slam out of Matt’s armbar attempt and wound-up standing in Brown’s open guard.

Jeremy landed a few punches from the top before Matt turned the tables and got on top in May’s closed guard.  Matt transitioned to side control, then knee-on-stomach and connected with a few shots before both fighters stood back up.

May, with his hands dropped, looked gassed.  Brown hit him with a jab and then a right cross that sent Jeremy to the mat again.

Brown punched May’s face twice from his open guard before both fighters stood again.  At this point May’s tank was empty.  He could barely stand up straight.  Brown smelled blood and landed a nice knee to set up a beautiful left head kick to the hunched over May, knocking him out and forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

 Winner by knockout:  Matt Brown

The loss didn’t humble Jeremy May.  Even though lying about his injury and skipping conditioning obviously contributed to him gassing out, he still said Brown got lucky and, that if they fought again, the result would be different.  

Fighters'com's first-ranked light heavyweight "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-6) was frustrated after losing the first fights and was even more so when sixth-ranked Forrest Griffin (15-4) revealed he was picking the match-ups by flipping a coin.  After the next coin flip at Team Forrest’s training session, it was determined Luke Zachrich (7-1) would take on Team Rampage’s Dan Cramer (0-0).

Neither man had the rugged look common of fighters, but they produced the most exciting fight so far this season.

Luke Zachrich (7-1) v Dan Cramer (0-0)

Cramer landed two punches immediately and the fighters clinched up.  Dan threw some more shots and attempted a trip that ended up pushing Luke against the fence.  They separated and Luke landed a straight left that seemed to stun Cramer for a second before he was able to tie Luke up again, land a knee to his face, and execute the trip for a takedown.

After a brief scramble, both men got back to their feet.  Cramer tried to walk through a few of Luke’s punches to get the tie up, but decided to stop after a few of them connect solidly to his chin.  He backed off and then charged in throwing long looping punches, sticking his chin out begging for Luke to connect.

The fighters clinched against the cage and engaged in some dirty boxing.  Cramer landed punch after punch on Luke’s face.  Zacharich landed a few clean shots of his own, but couldn’t match Dan’s pace.

After eating about twenty punches, Luke got the trip for a takedown and got to the mount.  Dan rolled and Luke took his back with just under a minute left.  Zacharich looked for the rear naked choke, and initially appeared to have it locked in pretty deep.  Dan, nearly punched out from his barrage on Luke, wasn’t doing much to defend the choke.  Luke, tired from eating all of those punches, had no energy to finish the choke; and,  both fighters were happy to finish the round with Luke on Dan’s back.

Round two started with Luke and Dan trading punches and clinching.

Cramer got a trip for a takedown and took the mount on Zacharich.  He landed some punches and elbows; and, Luke gave up his back to stop the onslaught.  Two more punches from there and Luke was under the mount again.  Dan rained down punches with a few elbows mixed in.  Luke couldn’t escape the mount or defend the punches; so, referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight.

Winner by TKO: Dan Cramer.     

Finally, Team Rampage won a fight and gained the matchmaking rights for the next fight.  Rampage was giddy after the win and to have control over the next match-up.

After losing the opening two fights, “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) knew he had to do something to inspire his team.  So, he brought in The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner, "The Count" Michael Bisping (15-1), to train with his team.

Bisping talked to the fighters about his experience on the show.

“It changed my life” said Bisping.  He reminded the fighters what a great opportunity they had in front of them, and told them, “Don’t slack on your training.  Don’t get drunk at the house.  Get your sleep.  Eat right…everything I didn’t do.” 

 We got to hear what the house thought of Matt Brown (5-6); and, he seems like someone you would not want to mess with.  He trains extremely hard!  So much so that Forrest had to remind him not the hurt his training partners during sparring.  He wasn’t there to make friends.  This no-nonsense attitude earned him the moniker Matt “Mother-Fuckin’ Brown” from his teammates.

So, who better to play a prank on than Brown?  Jeremy May (5-5) couldn’t think of anyone, so he decided to stir the pot a little and put lime juice in Matt’s chewing tobacco.

Matt heard from another fighter what May had done, and he was pissed.  Brown confronted Jeremy and told him to get ready to fight.  He wanted blood.

Just when we thought the Brown/May fight would be announced, team Forrest selected veteran Dante Rivera (10-2) to lock horns with MMA neophyte Brandon Sene (2-0), who’s fighting experience came on the battlefield as a Marine Corps Sniper. 

Brandon Sene (2-0) v Dante Rivera (10-2)

The match started with a few range-finding punches from each fighter.  Dante pushed Brandon into the fence and tried to control him there.  Sadly, this would the theme of the fight.  Sene threw a few knees before Dante managed to trip him and score the takedown.

Rivera got side control; but, Sene was able to explode back to his feet before Dante could do any damage.

Dante again pushed Sene up against the cage; and, Brandon began landing knees to the thighs of Rivera.  Sene defended another takedown attempt.  He connected with a few more knees before referee Steve Mazzagatti separated the fighters and restarted them in the center of the Octagon.

Dante looked again to tie up and push Brandon against the fence.  This time he slammed Brandon to the mat for the takedown.

From his closed guard, Brandon landed punches and elbows on Dante’s face, and was able to keep Rivera from passing his guard.  Rivera went for a dangerous-looking achilles lock before Brandon escaped.  Dante recaptured side control in the closing seconds of round one.

Fighters.com scored the first round 10-9 for Sene.

Round two continued the trend of round one when Rivera immediately pushed Sene against the fence.  Brandon landed some punches as Dante continued to control him on the fence.  Just as Mazzagatti was about to separate the fighters for a second time, Dante got another takedown and looked to try some ground and pound in Brandon’s half guard.  This strategy seemed promising until Sene stood up after Dante had landed only a few punches.

Once again, Rivera pushed Sene up against the fence and got the trip for a take down.  He was on top in Sene’s half guard; but, it was Brandon who was landing the shots.  With one minute left, Brandon executed a half guard sweep and tried some ground and pound of his own from the top.  He ground some elbows into Dante’s face and finished the round on top.

Fighters.com scored the second round 10-9 for Sene.

After two rounds, the fight was tied; so, we got to see the first fight of the season to go the full three rounds.  Not deviating from his game plan, Rivera pushed Sene against the fence and took some body shots from Brandon before Mazzagatti separated the two. 

After the restart, Rivera threw a big shot with the right hand before driving Sene to fence for the final time.  Brandon landed some punches that Dante powered through to get a double leg takedown.

From Sene’s guard, Dante looked to control the position while Brandon continued to punch and elbow from the bottom.  Dante landed some punches and knees from the top as Brandon tried to escape.  Dante was able to maintain control of the position and spent the last two minutes of the round countering escape attempts from Sene.

Fighters.com scored the third round 10-9 for Rivera.

Brandon did a good job of avoiding Rivera’s submissions, but all of his offense came with his back against the fence or on the mat.  UFC President Dana White was not impressed with either fighter, but felt that Sene was more active and did more damage.  The judges saw otherwise, giving the fight to Rivera based on his takedowns and control.

Winner by decision: Dante Rivera

Rampage was furious about the decision; and, we learned next week’s episode will open with Jeremy May taking on Matt Brown to settle their grudge.

The first episode of season seven of "The Ultimate Fighter" started fast and furiously right where the previous six seasons began: with UFC President Dana White machine-gunning a barrage of obscenity at a wide-eyed group of knuckleheads, gym rats, the emotionally unstable, and, lurking somewhere within the pack, your next TUF champions, perhaps future UFC world champions. This season added the twist of doubling the field to 32 and matching wannabes to make the cut after just 48-hours in camp. Eight middleweight fights were contested on Wednesday's episode. IFL vet Mike Dolce (3-4) earned the first bed with a first-round right hook knockout of Gurgel Academy fighter Prince McLean (4-5). McLean confessed before the loss, "I don't know what I'm going to do [if I don't make the cut]."  The Cincinnatian broke down in tears on his way back to the Queen City. Season seven coach Forrest Griffin (15-4) warned that a wrestler was the worst match-up for his friend Cale Yarbrough (0-0), but the MMA amateur impressed versus wrestler John Clarke (6-2), who had to ditch 17 pounds to make weight for the fight. Yarbrough wiggled out of two near armbar submissions before pummeling the exhausted Clarke to a TKO in the first round. Another amateur, Amir Sadollah (0-0), also looked tough versus former Marine Steve Byrnes (6-1). I kept waiting for Byrnes to remove his Davy Crocket cap, but apparently "coon tail" was the look he requested on his last barber shop visit. After a scrap that didn't make me feel so out of shape, Sadollah submitted Byrnes in an armbar in the second round. Jeremy May (5-5) is an early contender for the inevitable "Douchebag I Can't Wait to See Smashed" award after taunting season seven's other coach, "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6), after wrapping Jackson's childhood friend David Roberts(5-7) in a leg triangle to earn a bed. "I like making people scream like that," May bragged after the "W". In highlights, CB Dollaway (6-0), Dante Rivera (10-2), Nick Klein (3-0), and Paul Bradley (5-0) earned beds in the TUF house. White dogged relentlessly on the wrestler Bradley for a lay'n'pray decision victory. The drafting of Jackson for coaching duties this season is already paying entertainment dividends. He claimed it was Dolce's B.O. that knocked out McLean in the first fight, saying, "The funk came in the punch!" Is it just me, or is there an irony in center Octagon of the world's most demanding athletic endeavor being papered by a fast-food sponsor? Regardless, it was the fighters' skills on display in the first episode, not their personalities; so, it's hard to latch on to any of the first eight to earn their spot in the final field of 16. Next week will feature the final eight qualifying matches before the coaches choose their teams for the big TUF tournament. ...