5. Vitor Ribeiro

Unfortunately for “Shaolin”, Ribeiro is now on a three-fight losing streak. I think Couture would be a very interesting opponent for the former highly-regarded prospect. It would be an interesting stand-up fight, and both men would likely benefit from the experience. On the ground it’s anyone’s ballgame, as Ribeiro has twelve wins by submission. If Ribeiro wins, he basically saves his career and pulls it off of life support. If Couture wins, he’s beaten a very decorated ground specialist and a former “Challengers” headliner.

4. David Douglas

“Tarzan” had an equally impressive showing at “Challengers 14”. It took Douglas barely over a minute to finish his opponent, and with an added five pounds of muscle (Douglas fought at a catchweight of 150 at “Challengers 14), Douglas would be a pretty tough test for Ryan Couture. Douglas has power, speed, fluidity, and lots of raw potential. This would be a real proving point for both fighters.

3. Jorge Gurgel

Gurgel seems to be on the decline, but he’s still a tough test for a surging fighter like Couture. If Couture wants to test his stand-up, Gurgel will be right there willing to give and take. If it goes to the ground, Gurgel is an incredibly skilled submission master. This fight would go a long way towards proving where both men stand in Strikeforce’s increasingly-crowded Lightweight division.

2. Carlo Prater

Wow, there’s impressive debuts, and then there’s snatching a guy up in a D’Arce the second the fight gets underway. This would be an awesome fight on the ground, I can see both men basically setting the cage on fire because of how fast they move on the ground. Both men have long limbs and impressive squeezing power, and it’s likely that both men won’t tap and will have to be choked unconscious. This match would be awesome to watch.

And the number one fighter I’d like to see Ryan Couture face is…

1. Shinya Aoki

I admit, Aoki takes the number one spot purely because I think this would be an amazing ground fight. Aoki has never had good stand-up, but on the ground, he’s a submission wizard. This would be a defining moment for Couture if he were to win it, because let’s be honest and give credit where credit is due, not many people can hang with Aoki on the ground. If Couture ends up proving that he can, it would be a gigantic feather in his cap.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Is Couture ready for a step up in competition? Why or why not? And who would you like to see him fight?

Noons, with speedy hands, expects Diaz to try and take this fight on the ground.  Earlier this week, Noons spoke to the media and shared thougths on his bitter rivalry with Diaz and the fight ahead.

Is moving up to 170 pounds a big deal?

Noons: “No. I told Scott (Coker) that when I came to STRIKEFORCE that I wanted to fight the best guys.  This is a fight that we talked about from the beginning that we wanted to make. I have been off the MMA scene but I have been boxing ever since EliteXC went under. I have stayed busy, and making 170 is a lot easier than making 155. I had to go under a whole body transformation to the make 155. I am in this to fight the best, beat the best. At the end of the day, people want to see fights and I want to make that happen.  So 170 is not that hard to make.”

How do you prepare for someone with a unique boxing style like Nick?

Noons: “I have respect for Nick as a fighter. He has a good style. I like watching his fights. Styles make matches, and that is what is going to make this match exciting. I don’t have respect for him as a person. He has a unique fighting style and it works for him, but it wouldn’t work for me.  On October 9 you are going to see how the styles match up. Either you like his style or you like my style. I would have to be stupid to think he isn’t going to try to take me to the ground. Being bigger and longer, that is kind of his game.  I have to use my game plan to keep it where I feel like I have the best advantage.”

You had a lack of interest in a rematch before, how come you are enthusiastic about it now?

Noons: “At the time with EliteXC, I had a different management, and I didn’t have a great relationship with EliteXC. But what topped it off was the fact that at the time I beat someone, who was the best in the world, and they wanted an immediate rematch but only wanted to pay me three times less money. Nick is back on top. I am coming back on top, and I think it makes for an interesting matchup. There is a history there and it’s perfect timing. I think timing is everything.”

Is it going to be a lot tougher to beat Nick the second time around?

Noons: “No. Tell Nick to bring my belt; same result, different day. Styles make fights. He’s gotten better and I’ve gotten better, and it’s going to be an interesting match come the 9^th.”

KJ, do you think Nick has gotten better recently with his hands?

Noons: “I think everybody who has time and gets more fights gets better. He’s gotten better and so have I.  The people he has fought are not strikers like me though; they don’t have the pedigree that I have grown up with. It’s just different styles, and I think styles make matches. He has gotten better and bigger. No, I haven’t ever fought at 170 but it will be an interesting fight. You can’t compare me to other fighters he has fought. We fight in different styles. He has beaten some legends but I am a different fighter.”

Do you think being smaller is an advantage for you?

Noons: “I am looking to mix it up. I have to be stupid not to think he isn’t going to take it to the ground. He has a game plan, and is a very exciting fighter. I just have to be ready for that stuff. What makes a good fighter is being able to change during the fight. In the first fight I changed my game plan immediately. If I am winning in the first few rounds I will keep my game, but if he is winning I will change my style to be able to win during the fight. Nick has killed legends, and we are a new generation of fighters so this should be an interesting fight.”

What was your original strategy that didn’t work in the first fight?

Noons: “The whole camp I trained to come forward and make him fight backwards, because he never fights backwards. He probably can’t even fight backwards. His defense is his offense. So in the first fight I was trying to come forward, and he wasn’t letting that happen, so I couldn’t come forward because I didn’t want to get taken down. You have to be able to adjust and I am ready to adjust however he is going to fight.”

What do you think is going to be the biggest difference between fight No. 1 and fight No. 2?

Noons: “He is going to get knocked out. I just train all around as best as I can. When the fight happens I come with a game plan, and I am going to become victorious.”

How will Nick be different in this fight, compared to the last?

Noons: “He is going to want to take me down; wear me down; try to submit me. He’s going to ground and pound and try to get me tired.  My game play is I run up the middle, like a football player, so try to stop me.  He is not going to come out with some crazy stuff. People pretty much stay with their styles. I am just going to run my play, try to stop it.”

How much has your wrestling and grappling improved since the last fight?

Noons: “I am probably the best white belt in jiu jitsu on the planet. I do everything. I travel a lot. I try to mix it up, and I think that is what really makes a difference. I don’t claim to be with any gym. I am with team Noons, and I like all the different gyms because they help me become a better fighter.  I do wrestling, jiu jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, MMA sparing. I work on everything.”

How do you rank Nick’s boxing style?

Noons: “People like to compare the boxing and MMA, and they are two totally different sports. What Nick uses in an MMA ring probably wouldn’t work in a boxing ring, and that goes the same for me. I change my style up as well. My hands are a little bit more down to take away the shot and you have so many more variables. My style changes when I go from MMA to boxing and boxing to MMA. Nick doesn’t do boxing but his style works for MMA, he has gotten better, but so have I.”

Do you expect to dominate this fight like you did last time?

Noons: “Of course I do. What do you think I am going to go into this fight thinking I am going to lose?  When I go into a fight I always think I am going to win.  Every fight is a calculated risk and the harder I train every day I am minimizing that percentage as small as possible.  I take a fight because I know I know I can win.  There is some history and I am a competitor at heart. It is going to take a lot to break me down, trust me.”

Is there any chance that your relationship with Nick will be repaired after this fight?

Noons: “Who knows. After this fight, we might fight again. He keeps winning, I keep winning. I like to watch him fight, but I can’t stand him personally. I have heard he is a nice guy, and I am a nice guy.  But when he pulls stuff that I disagree with, I want to fight him and beat him. The ball is in his court.

Do you really think that Nick will stand in front of you and box you, or that his ultimate goal is to bring you to the ground, where he feels you are the weakest?

Noons: “His ultimate goal is to take me to the ground but he will stand and bang, to suck me in. I think he will roll the dice to see if he can hang with me on the standup. I just have to prepare the best way I can and go from there.”

Does it make people take a chance they wouldn’t normally take, because of the personal feeling between you two?

Noons: “Of course, I have respect for him as a fighter, and I am coming to fight and I think he is. I might just throw everything out the window and try to take this guys head off, and he might do the same.  People want to see us matchup because we both want to take each other down.”

What do you guys think.  Can Noons take out Diaz again? How will it happen?

The San Jose, based promotion took its show on the road down south, when Strikeforce visited Texas with two-title fights and some sure crowd pleasers.

Probably the two bouts that stuck out the most come fight night, being King Mo’s first defeat as a mixed martial artist at the hands of challenger Rafael Feijao (for Lawal’s 205-pound strap)–in devastating fashion at that–and K.J. Noons’ one sided beat down of former UFC lightweight competitor Jorge Gurgel.

While both fights shared different outcomes, both have one thing in common: a canned supplement of oxygen, which by most states who govern mixed martial arts contests, is deemed illegal or is largely unmentioned/vague in most regulations.

MMAJunkie.com picked up the beat of the story, when said media source spoke to the Public Information Officer of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Susan Stanford, who deemed that said participants Noons and Lawal were well within the guidelines when the competitors chose to use the “enhancers”, which most athletes believe aid in respiratory recovery between rounds.

“It’s my understanding that the physician did consult with the ringside physician, and it was approved by the physician,” Stanford said while speaking with MMAJunkie. “It was within (the rules).”

And according to MMAJunkie, “Combative Sports Program statutes do not specifically address the use of oxygen; Stanford said banned substances include Monsel’s solution, silver nitrate, ammonium capsules and smelling salts”.

So, do you see an unfair advantage being used for said athletes using canned oxygen, or is it simply another aid that should athletes feel deem a specific purpose, should be used come fight time.

Next for Chad Griggs: Even though he was the first man to ever bring Bobby Lashley down to earth, I don’t see “The Grave Digger” being anywhere close to a championship opportunity in the near-future. Lashley had been dominating on Griggs up until that point, and aside from the smartly-timed uppercut to cut Lashley open in Round 1 and the all-out flurry he closed out Round 2 with, Griggs didn’t show that much in the way of offense. Chad Griggs is the next Seth Petruzelli, basically. He may have a few decent undercard/lower-card fights in him, but I see him having major trouble with any of Strikeforce’s elite.

Next for Bobby Lashley: Relative obscurity, plain and simple. Now that the hype train has derailed, Lashley is just another jacked-up Heavyweight that has above-average looks and below-average fighting skills. Lashley looks awesome on a poster due to his hulking physique, but as well all know, and as Lashley learned in his fight with Griggs, that physique comes at a price. Lashley needs better cardio, better striking, any sort of submission offense…he’s a work in progress and there’s a lot of work to be done. In the here and now, I see the Strikeforce promoters as well as his management trying to play damage-control and giving Lashley more cans, and unfortunately for Lashley, I see them beating him just like Griggs beat him.

Next for KJ Noons: A shot at Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez. Noons has serious boxing skill and has no love for Team Cesar Gracie. With Strikeforce’s relatively weak Lightweight division, Noons/Melendez is one of the few matches I’m actually looking forward to in the near future. A rematch with arch-rival Nick Diaz will happen eventually, but only after either Noons beats Melendez or Diaz loses his Welterweight Championship.

Next for Jorge Gurgel: Not a whole lot. Gurgel has stated that he’s only in it to have fun nowadays, meaning that he wants to stand and trade rather than fall back on his extensive Brazilian Jui Jitsu credentials. Unless he goes back to what made him a player in the game in the first place, he’ll continue to get (T)KO’d. If he does switch back to being a predominantly ground-based fighter, he’ll hover around the mid-level.

Next for Ronaldo Souza: Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, or Cung Le. Souza needs a tough test to prove that he’s a legitimate champion, which I personally think he is, and all three men pose some very interesting threats to “Jacare”. It’s also very possible that he’ll be faced with an immediate rematch with Tim Kennedy.

Next for Tim Kennedy: If it’s not an immediate rematch with Souza, Kennedy will get fights with people like Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, or maybe even Melvin Manhoef: all good strikers that Kennedy could either strike or grapple with. And while none are at championship-level, a string of victories over mid-level opponents is really all you need in Strikeforce’s generally-limited weight divisions in order to get a shot at the title.

Next for Muhammed Lawal: A rematch with Gegard Mousasi. Mo looked excellent against Mousasi but floundered against “Feijaio”. Mo would prove that he’s here to stay with another victory over the man people were calling the future of the business up until Mo defeated him.

Next for Rafael Cavalcante: Most likely Renato Sobral, maybe Dan Henderson. It’s too soon for Gegard Mousasi or a rematch with King Mo, so it’ll be slim pickings for Cavalcante unless Strikeforce signs away a big-name star. Look for “Feijao” to continue his winning ways regardless.

And what do you think, fans and friends? What does the future hold for these fighters?

First, let me make one thing clear: KJ Noons is a great fighter, and Jorge Gurgel is an idiot for trying to stand with him. The stand-up game has never, ever been Gurgel’s strong suit, while KJ Noons has a legitimate pro boxing record of 12-2, with five wins by KO. In professional Mixed Martial Arts, Noons has eight (T)KO’s to his credit. Clearly this is a man that can knock your head off, and Gurgel supposedly wanted to stand with him because he felt tired of relying on his bread-and-butter Brazilian Jui Jitsu game and instead wanted to “have fun” in however many fights he has left. But it’s the way that Noons took care of Gurgel that is cause for concern.

For example, I don’t believe for a second that the after-the-bell looping hook that floored Gurgel at the end of the first round couldn’t have been avoided, which is what Noons said when asked about it. The general consensus for those in agreement with Noons is that he was already in motion by the time the bell rang, and couldn’t have pulled his punch. And I’d like to call foul on that immediately. KJ Noons is an excellent striker, and an excellent striker can pull a punch in a split-second. I think it was well within Noons’ ability to stop that punch from connecting. Noons simply wanted to end the round in a big way, even if the punch occurred after the bell, and it was clear that Gurgel was dead on his feet from the moment he got back into his corner. For knocking an opponent senseless after the bell, even inadvertently, that should have at least ended the fight in a No Contest.

But Gurgel just wouldn’t stay down, and in round 2, he received even more punishment. Here is where I think Noons should have been immediately disqualified: he threw a blatant illegal knee to the head of Gurgel while Gurgel was down and the referee had already stopped the fight. No matter what else, that should be grounds for an immediate disqualification. If the illegal kick was thrown after the fight had been waved off, which those who support Noons say, that just means that Noons once again threw a blow after he was supposed to stop. If anything, the situation is even worse if Noons threw the knee once the fight was already over: getting caught up in the heat of the moment and throwing a blow when it’s all already over is what got Paul Daley permanently exiled from the UFC.

And finally, I think the referee does deserve some of the blame, as a few have pointed out, but I also believe that the poor excuse for refereeing shown in this fight is no excuse for the classless, dirty fighting of KJ Noons. The referee should have been close enough to the action to both prevent the hook in Round 1 and the knee in Round 2. This referee seemed tentative to do anything at all, and should be justly criticized for his inaction. But that does not simply wipe the slate clean and absolve KJ Noons. Noons should have been disqualified, but coming from a promotion that basically gave a slap on the wrist to a group of men that led a gang-style beatdown on one individual, I honestly don’t expect this situation to be resolved anytime soon.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Should Noons have been DQ’d? And if not, why not?

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (203.75) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (203.5)

Tim Kennedy (185) vs. Ronaldo Souza (184.75)

Karl James Noons (156.25) vs. Jorge Gurgel (154.75)

Bobby Lashley (246) vs. Chad Griggs (228.5)

Daniel Cormier (249) vs. Jason Riley (256.5)

Andre Galvao (170.75) vs. Jorge Patino (170.8)

Rocky Long (146.25) vs. Vinicius Magalhaes (144.5)

Kier Gooch (155.5) vs. Adam Schindler (155.5)

Jose Santibanez (154.25) vs. Reynaldo Trujillo (155.25)

Humberto DeLeon (127.25) vs. Chad Robichaux (131)

Chad Cook (205.25) vs. Arteneus Young (204)

As you can see, many fighters took generous use of the one-pound-over allowance given to non-title fights. And still, several fighters couldn’t make the weight. To his credit, Gurgel immediately forfeited his right to decline the match after “KJ” Noons weighed in over the weight limit; the fight will go on as planned. Vinicius Magalhaes also accepted a fight with his opponent that also weighed in over the weight-limit, except his bout with Rocky Long has now been changed to a catchweight fight. Chad Robichaux also missed the mark the first time around, but he was given an extra hour to cut the weight and allowed to try again. He did manage to make the weight the second time around, so his fight with Humberto DeLeon will go forward as planned.

In regards to three Strikeforce fighters missing weight, I don’t think this is all that abnormal, or that it paints Strikeforce in a negative light. MMA fighters seem to miss weight more and more often nowadays. For whatever reason, more and more people are struggling to make their weight class, and the only thing that’s saving them is the one-pound-over rule. I’m not criticizing Strikeforce in particular, but the MMA band of brothers as a whole. Fight in your natural weight class, guys.

Considering all of that, I’m still looking forward to “Houston”. King Mo and Cavalcante should put on a great match. King Mo has some awesome wrestling, but “Feijao” belongs to the prestigious Black House team, home to the Nogueira brothers, two of the best ground wizards you could ever hope to have as training partners. Both Mo and Cavalcante have serious punching power, too, so this one might end early and end brutally.

I’m also excited for the Middleweight Championship fight, even though I generally think that just throwing two guys into a title fight devalues the significance of the championship. However, I think you couldn’t ask for a better Middleweight Champion than Ronaldo Souza. He’s very energetic, has a great ground game, and his striking continues to improve. Plus, he could always face Jason Miller again, the two have quite a rivalry going ever since Souza beat Miller at DREAM 4 and Miller cracked Souza’s skull open at DREAM 9 with an illegal (though inadvertent) soccer kick to the dome. I’m even excited to see Bobby Lashley, on the off chance that Chad Griggs will beat him or, at the very least, make the fight competitive.

And what about you, fans and friends? Now that the fights are official and there’s nothing holding this card back, how excited are you for Strikeforce: “Houston”?

First reported by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, a Strikeforce lightweight matchup between former EliteXC 160-pound champion KJ Noons (8-2) and eight-time UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel (13-6) may have been sealed on my Nokia N95 Thursday night.

After reading Helwani’s report, I text messaged both fighters for confirmation.

Gurgel responded first: “I am!”

But, Noons was more hesitant, texting me, “Don’t know yet.”

But, I responded with Gurgel’s confirmation and Noons quickly texted back, “It’s on then!”

I forwarded Noons’s message to Gurgel, who confirmed again, “Then it is!  Hell fucking yeah!”

Helwani reported the matchup was on the table for the August 21 Strikeforce card in Houston.

Noons is coming off a three-round split decision victory over “Hurricane” Conor Heun (4-4) at Strikeforce in Los Angeles June 16.

Gurgel won a unanimous decision over Heun at Strikeforce Challengers 2 in Kent in June 2009, but has since dropped a Strikefore top lightweight contenders matchup versus Billy Evangelista (9-1) Challengers 4 in Fresno in November 2009.

The two 155-pounders will battle to throw their name in the mix at the top of Strikeforce’s lightweight division with Evangelista, former champion “Punk” Josh Thomson (16-3-1), and current champ “El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (18-2).

These men entered the Octagon with more questions than answers surrounding them and their fight careers. The fans and some of my media brethren were saying that Rich was on the downside of his career and that age had caught up to him. Franklin had lost two of his last three and needed a win last night to begin his run at the title in the light heavyweight division.

Chuck Liddell stepped into the Octagon a man on a mission as well. Chuck had found himself on a major slide losing four of his last five and three of those being via knock out. However this was a different Chuck Liddell according to all reports.

Chuck had not had a drink of alcohol in over nine months, had stopped being out until the early morning hours and even showed up to the weigh-ins looking ripped with six-pack abs. His trainer John Hackleman had stated that this was the best Chuck he had ever seen. He was faster, stronger and more focused than in any other training camp. All of that may be true as Chuck looked great right from the start but in the end it did nothing to stop him from getting his third straight knock out loss.

When the cage door closed and the bell ran Chuck became the hunter walking Franklin down and using early aggression that no one was used to seeing from the former champion. Typically Chuck likes to force his opponent to over commit to strikes, always looking for that counter punch that will send them to the mat. This fight was different as Chuck was wasting no time looking to hurt Rich earlier.

Both men were throwing kicks and the speed advantage that Rich had seemed to be nullified by the predator like stalking the Iceman was doing inside the Octagon. Rich didn’t have time to settle in and fight that cerebral fight I talked about here.

Franklin was being slightly overwhelmed and went in for the shot only to have it stuffed. He ate a shot to the head and body for his efforts while he came back with an inside leg kick to Chuck’s thigh.

The exchanges had the crowd buzzing as Rich threw solid leather in the form of a left hook which led to yet another fiery exchange and Liddell shooting in and taking Rich to the ground. Neither fighter is really known for their ground game and while I hate to use the following statement it does ring true here. Both Rich and Chuck have very underrated ground games. Yes, I said it!

Rich used the butterfly guard to keep Liddell off balance and unable to land heavy shots. Chuck went for a choke but Rich fought it off and got back to his feet.

Fireworks went off here as they took the center of the Octagon and Rich threw shots to the body and did some nice work with a solid combo on Chuck. Chuck is not one to back down though and he rocked Franklin with his trademark right hand only to be hurt himself when following up by a left hand from Ace.

Liddell rocked but sensing the kill was near pushed in and had Rich against the cage. He started throwing with reckless abandon and that was the first and last mistake he would make that night as Ace landed a solid shot straight to the jaw of Chuck that sent him to the canvas out cold.

The downfall of Chuck was his inability to remain calm and stay focused. Maybe it was the pressure to win, to knock someone out rather than to be knocked out but when he felt he had Rich hurt he pushed to much. He threw wild punches and as usual left himself wide open for a counter shot. Whatever the reason, Chuck was knocked out yet again which I can’t believe makes anyone happy.

Chuck has been one of the most predominant faces in the UFC for a long time and seeing him go out like that made many cringe. I come from Ohio and have had the chance to train with Rich Franklin and Team Jorge Gurgel and while I was excited to see Ace get a win, I was anything but excited to watch a legend like Chuck go out like that. One can say he went out on his sword though like a true warrior.

Of course this takes nothing away from Rich Franklin. As one man loses and hopefully, for his own safety, rides off into the sunset another man emerges in the light heavyweight division. This test did not tell us if Rich can actually make a title run but it did confirm just how tough this guy truly is when he is inside the Octagon.

Early in the round Chuck threw a body kick that Franklin blocked and for his efforts he received a broken left forearm. That did not deter him from continuing to fight and even throwing punches with that hand. Rich has shown before that no matter what happens to him in a fight he will not quit. When being interviewed by Joe Rogan after the fight he said he came there to fight and that even though he could feel the bone clicking in his arm he never thought about quitting, after all fighting is his job.

So no matter what happens with Rich from here on out I believe the man is a true warrior and solidified his place in UFC history with his knock out of the legendary Chuck Liddell.

So as the lights went up in the aftermath of UFC 115, we seemingly say goodbye to one of the sports best and at the same time we have to give respect to a man many believed was washed up and was expected to be a stepping stone on the road back for the legend. As they say, this is MMA and anything can happen.

Marshall lost to a top 15 fighter in “The Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (24-4) and his record inside the Octagon is now 3-1. The fight itself went to a decision where one judge had the fight for Marshall at 29-28 and the other two judges saw the fight for Vladimir with scores of 30-27. The fight was plagued by booed from the crowd in an attempt to get the fighters to engage more. Seems like it did not help though.

On an interview with MMA Junkie Eliot said I could have fought better,” “I could have fought more aggressively. I thought Vladdy wasn’t really engaging much; it was hard for me to find my distance with him.”

“But those are the kind of fights Vladdy has: he either beats the crap out of somebody or he has close decisions. I’m disappointed in myself. I didn’t fight to the best of my abilities.”

Regardless of the outcome many, including Marshall, are shocked by the cut. Yet in mixed martial arts (MMA) and specifically in the UFC the threat of being cut is always a possibility fighters are aware of every fight.

“They want to get rid of you, they get rid of you,” Marshall said. “If they don’t, they don’t. That’s how it goes.”

I understand that but with this being his first loss the cut must have been made from an excitement stand point. Eliot last fought “The Hitman” Jason Brilz (18-2-1) at UFC 103 and that fight went to a split decision as well.

“I beat Brilz, and he gets a little easier of a fight, and I get a little bit harder fight,” Marshall said. “And now, I’m the one that’s not there anymore, even though I fought a top-15 guy.

“I guess I should have lost the Brilz fight and fought Eric Schafer.”

We have heard Dana White and the UFC say in the past that it does not matter if you win or lose as long as you leave it all in the cage and put on a hell of a show. So maybe he could not overlook three decisions in his four UFC fights. Yet even though Dana stated wins and losses don’t matter, we all know that to be untrue.

If you doubt that just ask Brazilian jiu jitsu black black belt who would rather stand and trade, Jorge Gurgel (13-6). Jorge fought seven times in the UFC with three wins. Jorge put it on the line every fight and went away from his bread and butter just to be a more exciting fighter and satisfy the UFC. Yet Jorge is now cut from the company and fighting for Strikeforce.

So what exactly is the process for cutting a fighter? The trimming of fat is needed in any business and especially in arguably the top MMA promotion in the world. This is understood but not me, the fighters, the fans and I would venture to guess most employed by the UFC actually have a clue as to the criteria that decides a cut.

As a fighter who is under contract to UFC and Zuffa would you not like it to be stated what the stipulations are for being cut?

I feel that fighters the need to stand up and demand that they have a clear concise picture of what will get you cut written into their contracts. After all, isn’t that what contracts are for in the first place?

The fight had been renegotiated as a 172-pound catchweight fight after Daley couldn’t make the 171-pound welterweight limit Friday.

Among hardcore American UFC fans, the fight was to be a second coming out for Hazelett, considered one of the best MMA submission grapplers in any division.  But, for Daley and his English fans, it was a coming out for the explosive kickboxer instead.

Hazelett utilized his four-inch height advantage with jabs and teep kicks to keep Daley outside early.  And, Hazelett launched a snapping high kick to keep Daley honest, though Daley blocked the brunt of the kick.

But, 15 seconds or so after the two minute mark of the co-main event, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt, Hazelett, and Muay Thai champion, Daley, stood toe-to-toe in an exchange that ended with a Daley looping left hook flooring Hazelett.  Daley pounced, but it was academic as Hazelett was finished after the big shot and the referee ended the fight.

The win for Daley is marred by his inability to make the 170-pound limit and therefore doesn’t count towards the division rankings, though he was awarded the $50,000 Knockout of the Night award denied to “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-3) after he missed weight then KO’d eighth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) at UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24.

Ironically, UFC President Dana White announced after the fight that sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck (14-4) is a likely next opponent for Daley.  Koscheck was Johnson’s follow-up to Johnson’s overweight KO performance and Koscheck tapped Johnson in a rear naked choke at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21.

Daley is without question an exciting kickboxer, but Fighters.com remains skeptical Daley will be able to compete at the top of the division due to his lack of basic grappling skills.  He’s been submitted five times, most recently in an armbar by second-ranked Jake Shields (24-4-1) at EliteXC Heat in October 2008.  Though the UFC’s emphasis on exciting stand-up fights has benefitted Daley in his two knockout wins, Daley will be put on his back eventually like “Assassin” Houston Alexander (9-5) before him.

The loss is particularly disappointing for Hazelett.  It was his second time stepping up in competition and again ended in Hazelett layed out on his back.  And, it’s the third consecutive disappointment to come out of the Cincinnati-based camp headed by Jorge Gurgel (13-6).

MMA Gospel Radio (MGR): We are excited to have you on the show. You are on of the biggest up and coming fighters right now. Everyone is talking about Dustin Hazelett. You earned your black belt under Jorge Gurgel, you have three submission of the night honors. People see you as a jiu jitsu guy. Tell me about your stand up game because I know you have been working on it.

Dustin Hazelett (DH): I have been working really hard on my stand up for a long time. I have been helped out a lot by my thai coach Dorian Price who is an excellent coach. Also he is built a lot like me so I can utilize alot of the same moves, tricks and tools that he uses. It has been a huge help. I have been looking forward to fighting since I have been working so hard on it for so long and putting so much hard work into it. I am looking forward to kind of showing it off.

MGR: We talked about your submission game. You are being touted as having one of the best submission games in MMA. How does it feel to be compared to guys like Demian Maia and Jacare?

DH: It is awesome to be compared to people like that because they are obviously so great at jiu jitsu and I really don’t think of myself like that so it is cool to see other people think of me like that.

MGR: I asked our previous guest Luke (Zachrich) a similar question, having earned your black belt under Jorge, I know it frustrates me, I know Jorge and it frustrates me watching him fight at times knowing he is going against his strong point. Is it frustrating for you as well?

DH: You mean to watch him stand there and brawl instead of using his jiu jitsu?

MGR: Exactly!

DH: (laugh) Yeah, it’s kind of frustrating but I have talked to him about it a couple times at length. He says he just has fun standing and MMA is one of those things that you can’t get into for the wrong reasons. You can’t get into it if you don’t love doing it. I am a firm believer in that and you should have fun doing it. If you have fun standing and brawling then I guess you should stand and brawl.

MGR: I guess so. Honestly, I scream at the TV when I watch Jorge fight sometimes.

DH: You and me both (laugh)

MGR: Getting back to you, you hold wins over Josh Burkman, Tamdan McCrory. Of those two who do you feel was the most difficult opponent for you?

DH: I would say Burkmann was the more difficult opponent for me. It is tough to say. I caught Tamdan off guard with that head kick and when we hit the ground I believe he was barely conscious so that made my job a lot easier catching the submission

MGR: I watched your fight with Josh Koscheck. I thought for sure you were going to take that fight, it looked like you got clipped on the back of ear. You were doing well with your distance in the fight, moving well. How important is it for you to get that fight again, I know it was a big fight for you.

DH: Obviously I would like a rematch with him but it is not one of my top priorities. I am looking no further than Paul Daley. That is my main priority and I am not looking past that right now

MGR: You mentioned Paul, he is your next opponent at UFC 108. Everyone knows Paul is a striker, the guy has heavy hands. They call him Semtex for a reason. I personally thought in his last fight with Martin (Kampmann) Martin made the mistake of not taking the fight to the ground. Can you scout Daley for us from what you have seen thus far?

DH: I think you pretty much summed it up. He is a great striker. I think his ground game is a weaker point.

MGR: I am looking forward to this fight but all the fans I talked to wanted you to fight Karo Paryisian in the jiu jitsu versus judo battle. Karo seemed to be disrespecting jiu jitsu a little bit. I know he has some personal issues but do you hold a grudge against him?

DH: No I don’t hold any grudges against him. Obviously the things he said about jiu jitsu and eating jiu jitsu guys for breakfast upset me but at the end of the day there are more important things than fighting and he has some of those to deal with. When I found out I was obviously very disappointed and shocked but I was not as upset as I thought I would be. It is fully because and believe in God’s plan. You never know when something like that is happening why it is happening but I believe that if you continue to have faith then good things will come out of it. Now I have this fight with Daley that is the co-main event so I think good things will come of it.

MGR: I have always been a fan Dustin and I guess I was screaming Dustin Hazelett before most knew who Dustin Hazelett was so I am looking forward to you getting to make your mark at UFC 108. My co -host Gary wanted to know what is more exhausting for you when training, striking or jiu jistu?

DH: I am starting to get more comfortable with my striking now so I am not getting as tired doing it now but in the past it had been the striking.

MGR: Let’s step away from fighting for a second. I know you used to be social networking sites like MySpace. It seems like you have dropped away from those. Is there a reason you have gotten away from them while so many fighters are using them to promote themselves these days?

DH: I am not a big fan of hyping up fights or anything like that. I am more of a shy person, not a people person. I have never been a people person, never been overly charismatic or good with large groups of people or anything. My whole life I have been the outcast, never talked to a lot of people and I kind of gotten used to that throughout the course of my life. Once I started getting a little famous everybody wanted to talk to me and it is very odd for me. I feel like all that stuff promoting the fights and stuff, all the smack talking I am firmly against. I feel your previous fights should hype up your next fight. If your last fights aren’t good enough to hype up the next fight then you should be put back on the  under card until you get more exciting fights. That is kind of where I stand on that. Basically all I do all day is train, play video games and read. That is about it.

MGR: One of the listeners in our live chat, Cageside Chat, wanted to know what kind of beard you would be rocking at UFC 108?

DH: I am not sure. I kind of wing it. I go by how I feel and right now I have the thick beard. I don’t strategically plan it out. MGR: So it is not part of your training camp to grow the beard out?

DH: No,actually a lot of times I end up having to trim it because it gets to long and starts getting caught and it is very unpleasant having pieces of your beard ripped out.

MGR: Not looking past Daley, where would you like to be in this sport in two years?

DH: The obvious answer to that would to be the champion, ultimately that is my goal. That is why I got in to this. If I did not believe I had what it took to be a champion then I probably wouldn’t be doing this because just fighting around and losing fights and never making it to the top doesn’t sound very appealing to me. I firmly believe I have the ability to become a champion someday so that is my goal.

MGR: My co-host Gary wanted to know, since you mentioned you like to read, what have you been reading recently?

DH: Recently I have been trying to read the bible cover to cover. I have always wanted to do it, I grew up in church and stuff and I am a christian. I have never actually read the bible cover to cover. I have read a lot of excerpts. Right now I am working on that and it is a massive undertaking. I still read other books on the side to take a break from it. Just today I was reading “As A Man Thinketh” I am really into psychology. I believe the stronger I can make my mind the better fighter I will be so I read a lot of psychology books.

MGR: IF you get a title shot what do you feel it would take to beat GSP? Do you see something you could exploit?

DH: I feel I match up better against St. Pierre than many of the fighters in the division right now because his wrestling is so good. The welterweight division is so wrestler heavy. There are a lot of great wrestlers like Koscheck, Fitch and that is to just name a couple. None of them can take him down and when they get put on their backs, most grapplers are better top guys. I am one of the better guys off their back with jiu jitsu in mma. I think that gives me a distinct advantage over the other challengers to the title, that is to be able to fight off my back.

MGR: I wish you the best of the luck. I am a big fan. Maybe you will get another sub of the night at UFC 108. Any sponsors you would like thank before we let you go?

DH: I would just really like to thank everybody at JG MMA Academy for helping me out. It is tough training through Christmas and the holidays. It is good to have the support of my team there. Also Ecko.

Frank seems to be looking for an exciting stand up war which casual fans seems to thirst for today. I feel  the most exciting fights are ones where we see the actual definition of mixed martial arts. The continued rise of this sport and the very future of it depends upon fighters and promoters working to show what a true mixed martial artist is and not focusing on only one aspect of that,specifically the stand up wars.

I noticed that many times during a pay per view we get to see the knock out of the night even when it is not a main card fight. Seldom to we get to see the submission of the night when it is an under card fight. This is a travesty to the sport. We can’t continue to promote the sport, the fighters and the evolution of it while focusing on the stand up aspect and essentially ignoring the other aspects.

Promoters tout mixed martial arts as the combination of boxing, muay thai, kick boxing,wrestling and jiu jitsu. This is the evolution of the sport. We see fighters working hard to evolve into complete mixed martial artists. Guys like Fighters.com and UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (12-4-1) and UFC welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2). Yet it is the strikers that are getting the biggest headlines in the national media.

On ESPN’s website today we see former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le. A man highly touted yet has faced not one top tier middleweight. He is known for his striking and this gets him publicity. That and his new found movie career. I would much rather see fighters such as Strikeforce interim lightweight champion “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) and “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (9-2) get publicity. Both of these men train hard to become well rounded. Cowboy is known as a submission fighter but has worked hard recently to clean up his stand up. This is what the sport is all about.

Spike TV has done a great job of promoting mma but look at one of the shows they like to run, Ultimate Knock Outs. This is run over and over while Ultimate Submissions is a show I have never seen. We seem to be promoting the stand up and ignoring the ground game. It is an injustice to pander to the new fans who tune in to watch someone get knocked out using the four once gloves. I understand that many new fans want to see a knock out but it is our job to make sure we educate them and a show like Ultimate Submissions would do just that. When  watching the reruns of fights on Spike, instead of showing us a fight with great stand up I say show us a fight with great transitions. Maybe then we will see a fight go to the ground and not have to listen to fans boo even while one fighter is passing guard.

This education of fans is also a responsibility fighters must take seriously. Frank is dodging a fight because he feels it would not be exciting. It is the fighters job to work to be the best and in doing so one must take fights that put them against the best. Even if a fight may end up being a fight like we saw when Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) took on “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-7). The fight was a five round wrestling match with Jake doing very little striking and Mayhem unable to look for subs due to the great top control of Shields. There will be times when these things happen. Fighters seem to be more worried about how they look in the cage then if they win or lose. How many times do you see a fighter lose and then ask the crowd if they enjoyed the fight? Yes, promote yourself but let’s allow our sport to turn into a Jorge Gurgel (12-4)

Jorge is a black belt in jiu jitsu yet has decided to put all that aside to be an “exciting fighter” who focuses on stand up. This has led to him being cut from the UFC due to loses. Jorge may have the ability to be a top lightwieght fighter but it is his insistence on putting on a show that has been his downfall. Do not abandon one aspect of this amazing sport just to be exciting. Seasoned mma fans know and new fans will find out that the most exciting fights are the ones that transition from stand up, to wrestling , to jiu jitsu and then back to the feet. Fights such as Fighters.com ninth ranked light heavyweight “Axe Murder” Wanderlei Silva (15-1) versus Hidehiko Yoshida (9-6-1) or Fighters.com third ranked light heavyweight “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4) versus fourth ranked heavyweight “Lil Nog” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1).

We can use knock outs to bring people new fans to the sport but without educating them ikn all aspects of the sport fighters like Frnak Shamrock will continue to refuse fights they don’t feel will be exciting and we could miss the next Shogun versus Lil Nog fight. There comes a time when one needs to shut up, step inside the cage and let his skills speak for themselves and the fans will surely be pleased.

The fighters exchanged punches from the opening of round one before Evangelista suddenly took Gurgel to the ground. In response during the final seconds of round two, Gurgel landed a powerful left kick sending Evangelista to the mat. Gurgel almost landed a guillotine choke on Evangelista, but the local favorite escaped during the remaining seconds.

The final round was a back-and-forth affair, but Evangelista pulled through and earned a lightweight title shot.

Following the fight, a disappointed Gurgel stated, “The guy is tough. I have to take my hat off to him.”

In another exciting fight, heavyweight Shane Del Rosario (7-0) defeated local fighter “Cash Money” Brandon Cash (4-1) with a first round submission.

During the third televised fight on Showtime, middleweight Luke Rockhold (6-1) defeated Jesse Taylor (9-4) with a rear naked choke in the first round. The referee called the fight at 3:42 of the round one.

Merritt Warren (2-4) defeated Thomas Diagne (0-1) via heel hook in a lightning fast affair. Warren quickly caught Diagne in the submission forcing the French San Shou champion to tap at 3:49 of the opening round.

“I am very, very excited to be part of Strikeforce and given a chance to fight new blood and capture a belt.  UFC has been my family for a few years now but I am ready for the next chapter,” Gurgel said.

“There are some amazing contenders in my weight class including Josh Thomson (14-2-1) and Gilbert Melendez (14-2).  I will do whatever it takes to climb to the top of this league.”

Despite losing his last fight to Aaron Riley (27-10-1) via unanimous decision earlier this month, he and Riley earned UFC 91’s “Fight of the Night” honours.

Gurgel’s UFC record was 3-4.

Lightweight Stephens earned “Knockout of the Night” with an epic third-round uppercut delivered to the chin of Rafael dos Anjos (12-1).

Welterweight Hazelett secured the second “Submission of the Night” of his career with his “armbar from the omoplata”, forcing “Barn Cat” Tamdan McCrory (10-2) in round one.

The back-and-forth lightweight scrap between Riley and Gurgel was “Fight of the Night”, which Riley took in a narrow unanimous decision.

Both fighters had their moments with Gurgel seeming to edge on the cards. At one point, the opening round exploded into a flurry of punches from both fighters ended by a powerful body kick from Gurgel.

The second round started just like the round before with both fighters throwing the idea of a ground fight out of the window and swinging hard and constantly.  Riley threw a number of strong punches on Gurgel following a trip along the fence.  Riley looked to have control at the middle of the fight.  A powerful left hook to the jaw of Gurgel left him rattled only to recover and throw head kicks that were all blocked by Riley.

Both fighters returned to form in round three by throwing leather with no regard.  Riley eventually tagged Gurgel with a kick to the head that sent Gurgel into the cage.  Gurgel survived, but followed with tired action for moments.  The pace of the fight eventually caught up to both men, leaving them visibly weaker than round one.  The final round ended with two respectable punches from Riley and an attempted head kick.

FIghters.com: Jorge, your scheduled to fight at UFC 91.  This event is being hyped by the industry insiders as a UFC card with potential to set record pay-per-view sales.  What’s your thoughts on being part of this event?

Jorge Gurgel: To be honest.  It’s a huge honor to be part of the UFC.  Period.  My dream in life has always been to be part of the UFC and fight in the UFC.  As far as the event being the highest pay-per-view event ever, for me it’s just another fight.  You know, there’s so much on the line for fighters now days.  Every performance counts. The next fight is the most important fight every time.   My job is always on the line. I am very focused on my fight and my teammate’s fights: Dustin Hazelett and Kenny Florian.  I am worried about our performances and how the three of us are going to do and then everything else will take care of itself. 

FIghters.com: Your opponent, Aaron Riley, is coming off two straight wins; but, it’s his first fight in the UFC since 2006.  Do you think Riley’s time away from the Octagon plays to your advantage?

Jorge Gurgel: No, I do not.  I think Aaron Riley is a very, very tough opponent.  I think Aaron Riley is a very seasoned fighter.  He has fought Robbie Lawler at 170 pounds.  He has fought Spencer Fisher.  So, Aaron Riley returning to the UFC because he has so much experience makes absolutely no difference in the way he is going to perform.  You know, he’s got almost forty fights.  Wherever Aaron fights it really makes no difference.  It’s not like he is going to have first fight jitters returning to the UFC.  If anything it’s going to make him fight harder and better.

FIghters.com: Several months ago it was revealed within a UFC blog that you wanted to change training routines and start a new camp under Mark DellaGrotte.  Is Mark DellaGrotte part of your training for the upcoming fight at UFC 91?

Jorge Gurgel: Yes, I am here in Boston right now.  I’ve been training here in Boston for a while.  It’s been one of my goals to accomplish.  I have such a good strength and conditioning coach now too.  Kevin Kerns trains me and he also trains Nate Quarry, Kenny Florian, and Kurt Pellegrino.  I’m in good hands, man.

I live here in Boston in the gym right now.  I am living totally Rocky Balboa style. [laughing]  You know, with Mark Dellegrotte, I’ve got great training partners now.  I’ve got Kenny Florian here.  And Kevin goes out of his way to come get me because I don’t have a car here and he trains me three days per week at Studio Sityodtong.  And, I also work with Mark Dellegrotte and the entire Studio Sityodtong team at night.  So, I really feel this is the best camp I’ve ever had.  I am really happy to be here.

FIghters.com: You have been deemed a warrior following the epic fight at UFC 73 against Diego Saraiva (12-18-1) where you won following a broken jaw and, of course, you were later hospitalized due to injuries.  As a professional mixed martial artist, do you believe in the concept of heart carrying a wounded fighter through to victory?

Jorge Gurgel: You know what, I do believe in heart, but if I say it in front of my trainers they will yell at me. Marcus Davis is one of my best friends; and, he and Mark Dellegrotte have been trying to beat it into my head that everyone already knows I have heart.  And, Kenny Florian as well. 

You know, Kenny is in my weight class but he’s also a great friend.  And, he says, “Jorge, nobody questions whether you have heart.  Everybody knows you are one of the toughest guys out there.  You’re tough and you fight with a lot of heart.  Now it’s time for you to show them you can fight smart.” 

It’s my biggest challenge.  I understand my heart and my desire to win.  I understand my will to get out there and trade blow for blow to prove who’s got the biggest heart.  To win fights this way has earned me victories and fans, but it doesn’t carry me or give me longevity in the sport.  Let’s put it this way.  If I had to corner myself, I would have a heart attack. [laughing]  I corner a lot of people properly.  I corner eight or nine UFC fighters.  You’ll see me in people’s corners all the time.  But, if I had to corner Jorge Gurgel, I would probably walk out in the middle of the fight and say, “You, I am done with you.  I am not calling you any more because you are as dumb as it gets.”  [laughing] 

I am a very emotional fighter and I have too much fun and I tend to amend gameplans and then go to slug it out and fight with my heart only.  And, I am really trying to change this and learn from DelleGrotte and Kevin and the entire camp here.  You know, to fight smart and implement a gameplan so I can have longevity in my career.  Everybody knows I have heart and I fight hard; but, now I want to prove to them that I can follow a gameplan, be a coachable fighter and to fight smart. 

FIghters.com: Jorge, you were upset recently by Cole Miller (14-3) of American Top Team at UFC 86.  But you were highly favored going into that fight.  What did you learn from this loss?

Jorge Gurgel: Hey, I really won that fight.  But, I messed up.  I am not sure who it was or which philosopher said it originally, but you know the one who said, “Shit happens?”

The only thing that came out of that fight for me is that I believe shit does happen.  Because I was ahead on the scorecards.  But it took me one split second of losing focus to lose the fight.  I don’t know what happened to me.  I was dominating the fight.  I was 100% confident that I was the best mentally and physically that I’d ever been walking into a fight before.  Many say it was my best performance to date in the UFC. 

But, with fourteen seconds left in the fight, I got caught in a triangle and I never get caught in triangles.  Not even in practice do I get caught in triangles.  It’s just one of those things where people say, “tough break.”  It was all I heard all night from the UFC and the fans: “Tough break man, tough break.  Shit happens, shit happens.” 

I tried to get up and I slipped off of my right foot and made the triangle tighter and I remember thinking the whole time, ‘This is not happening, this is not happening.  I am going to get out of here.  This is not happening.’

But, then the triangle started getting tighter and tighter.  And, my family was there.  You know, it was the first time in my life I have ever become depressed.  I really felt depressed afterward.  It was really hard for me.  The best person to put things in perspective was my stepfather.  He’s a huge fan and it was the first time my parents had ever come to see me fight.  So this made the loss extra hard on me. 

My stepfather walked up to me after the fight, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Jorge, this is the first time in my life I have seen a fighter win and lose a fight in the same fight.”

I couldn’t say anything back for a minute.  I looked down at the ground and then I said, “You’re right Dad, you’re right.  I am sorry.  I don’t know what to say.  You know, I don’t know how that happened.” 

Rich Franklin came up to me and said, “Jorge the whole time until the last second I was saying you were going to get out.  Jorge never gets caught.” 

But, I did get caught.  I simply got caught.  I had one second of losing focus and I got caught in a triangle. More power to Cole Miller; but, up until that moment, I had control of the fight.  I think it doesn’t matter. Shit happens and I am over it now.  I am ready to move on to bigger and tougher challenges and to see how I do.  To see how much better and smarter I have gotten. 

FIghters.com: Speaking of Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (25-3) and being an Ohio resident yourself and one of Rich’s training partners, what did you think of the fight between Franklin and “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-2) at UFC 88?

Jorge Gurgel: That was great.  I like Matt.  You know, obviously Rich is my best friend.  I am always happy to see Rich perform and Rich win.  For some reason when I talked to Matt’s camp they were very upset that Matt Hamill didn’t perform.  They kept saying, ”Matt Hamill did not fight the Matt Hamill fight.”  But, what can we say?  Matt tried to do his thing; but, it’s very hard against Rich.

People underestimate Rich’s ground game tremendously.  It may be easy to take him down sometimes, but it is very hard to keep him there.  And, Rich keeps them going.  He’s a cardio machine.  He hit Matt Hamill with the right body shot.  Rich was like a robot.  I was very impressed how Matt Hume was calling the shots; and, Rich was very smart hearing everything Matt [Hume] was saying.  Rich implemented a gameplan perfectly, like Matt Hume said, and was able to put Matt Hamill away.  I was very happy.  There is nothing I’ll take away from that fight.  I think Rich fought a very, very good fight and came out with a good victory.

FIghters.com: What’s your assessment of Franklin’s upcoming fight against fifth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (23-7) at UFC 93 in Dublin 17 January?

Jorge Gurgel: I have a lot of respect for Dan Henderson.  So does Rich.  I’m sure he will say the same.  Rich has a bit more size because the fight will be taking place at 205 pounds.  Dan Henderson is always extremely dangerous.  But, we know his weapons.  We know he’s a great wrestler and he has a great overhand right.  It’s no secret to anybody.  All I can say is that Rich is going to be ready.  We’ll all be together in Ireland hopefully witnessing another Rich Franklin victory.

FIghters.com: SInce 2005, we have seen the rise and stardom of numerous alumni from Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter reality show.  At UFC 92, two former winners of the show will fight for the UFC and Fighters.com light heavyweight championship.   What’s your personal take on the show where you also once starred yourself and it’s impact on the sport of mixed martial arts?

Jorge Gurgel: I will tell you the truth here and I might really shoot myself in the foot.  I thought the show was great up until maybe the third season or so.  But, now I don’t like to watch it at all.  I was always under the impression that being a professional martial artist is a full-time job.  And, every time some ignorant person comes in off the street and says, “Well, I got out of high school and I got a scholarship to wrestle in college; and, after that, it was either get a regular job or fight for the UFC.”  That makes me sick.  It’s ridiculous. 

I think fighting is a full-time job.  I think we should be seen as professionals too.  You know, people that give up a lot and sacrifice to make this a full-time job to be able to support their families.  But, lately I think the show has really watered down the values and everything that martial arts is all about.  We train hard.  But now on the show, there’s no Kenny Florian, no Forrest Griffin, and no me. 

You know, there was no breaking furniture and spray painting walls and throwing barbecue sets into the swimming pool when I was on the show.  Where I come from, that stuff costs money.  Where I come from, people have to work for food.  But, now I see a bunch of wannabes.  People that want to fight for the wrong reasons.  People that are on television to get a free Tapout shirt and some airtime.  They are not fighters. You know, people that really want to become fighters will collect the dividends of hard work in the long run. People that experience success too early will not. 

Many of the people on the show now don’t deserve to be there or don’t belong to be there and they are giving the UFC the very name that the UFC is trying to avoid.  You know, a bad reputation of punks, for lack of a better word, or uneducated people that don’t have the opportunity or the ability to get a good regular job and then decide to fight in the cage or Octagon instead.  The show does not portray a true and honest image of mixed martial artists.  The show does not do that at all. 

Now days there’s always an episode where somebody quits.  Then there’s the episode where the contestants talk badly to one another in the house.  There’s always episodes where they play pranks on each other too. There’s the episode where everyone gets in a fight in the backyard because they’re all drunk.  Then there was that episode once, of course, where the guy left the show because of his girlfriend.  [laughing]  There’s always the episode where the coaches argue with each other.  And, there is always an episode where a guy cannot make weight! 

So, everything is already pretty much staged. Every season there’s episodes where we already know what is going to happen.  It’s just a different set of people in the same episode happening over and over and over. 

Originally, I started martial arts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to do two things only: to test myself as a person in one-on-one combat against another person and to honor my school and my teacher.  To honor the school, where I came from, was important.  Now, the UFC has been going overboard in great, great lengths and in big places; but, the marketing that the reality show is putting out there and the way this show is being portrayed disgusts me.  It makes us professional fighters look like schmucks.  It makes the guys who really want to be “ultimate fighters” look stupid.  And, like I said, besides the first three seasons of the show, I think show has gone down tremendously and I do not care for it at all. 

FIghters.com: Some people say that there’s a bit of irony in the fact that UFC President Dana White predicts that by 2012 the sport of MMA will be a contemporary to organized sports such as football, baseball, and soccer.  While at the same time there are organizations such as EliteXC involved in questionable practices and equally questionable marketing campaigns.  Do you also find it ironic when Dana White criticizes EliteXC while similar controversies occur on The Ultimate Fighter television show?

Jorge Gurgel: Yeah, but there’s a big difference between the two.  And, I do not want to be misquoted here. EliteXC is literally doing wrong and shady things in the sport of mixed martial arts on live television.  But, the TUF show is just a TV show.  Just a reality television show.  They are two different things completely. 

On a reality show, regardless of whether it’s associated with mixed martial arts, it’s a situation where anything can happen and will probably happen.  Those TUF guys are going to do some crazy things eventually when put in front of a camera all day.  Those guys are going to fight at some point. 

You know, “Hey, let’s put itching powder in each other’s beds because we are thirty-years old and we have nothing better to do. Yay!”  [laughing]  “Let’s  go ahead and freeze each other’s underwear and open cans of sardines and put the juice on everyone’s beds.  Let’s throw somebody in the pool and fight and get drunk all night.  Yay!” 

Now, that’s reality television.  And, for the average American or whatever, that appeals to them, I guess.  But, at EliteXC there’s nothing worse than the joke of Kimbo Slice“.  A guy that got famous fighting in the streets of Miami for money, beating up people on the Internet, and he becomes huge, huge MMA figure.  A figure of mixed martial arts?  A representative of our sport?  Selling fights and making sponsorship money from Tapout and getting paid $500,000 to fight?  And, with no real training?  Come on, I have been fighting for fifteen years. 

FIghters.com: What about the rumors of EliteXC’s fight-rigging and those sort of controversies?

Jorge Gurgel: Yeah, well, if you knew me better you’d know that I am the least educated person when it comes to the Internet.  I don’t read the forums.  I do not read my interviews.  I mean, I give interviews, but I usually don’t read them afterward and often forget what I’ve said.  [laughing]

But, I do know that Seth Petruzelli opened his mouth and said EliteXC were offering him bonuses to keep the fight standing.  I do not doubt this for one second.  EliteXC was living off of the myth of Kimbo Slice.  Did you see the fight when Seth hit Kimbo close to the back of the head with one punch and that guy, whatever his name is, I think Shaw or whatever it is, the guy in charge of EliteXC, he was screaming, “In the back of the head ref, the back of the head!”

FIghters.com: Yes, it was Jared Shaw who is the son of Gary Shaw and a vice-president at EliteXC. 

Jorge Gurgel: Yeah, it became a joke.  Do you remember the next day?  On the front page of Yahoo it said something like: “Kimbo Slice has been exposed” or something like that. “The big lie has been exposed” or whatever it was. 

I think we both agree here.  I’m an advocate for martial arts.  I try to represent the sport as well as I can.  I have thirteen schools.  I have over 400 students.  I try to lead by example.  I hate with a passion anyone who takes mixed martial arts for granted or approaches this sport in a manner that’s not professional. 

So again, long story short, EliteXC and the TUF show, I do not care for whatsoever.  Of course, there are some exceptions.  There are some fighters there that absolutely want to be there and deserve to be there.  You can see the fighters that want to make it and want to do something for themselves.  And, then there’s the other majority of fighters that do not belong there.  They are only there to get a free t-shirt and some air time. 

The EliteXC situation and what’s coming out and what they are doing is totally unethical and unprofessional.  I disagree with it completely.  I just want the sport of mixed martial arts — which is the career that I chose for myself — to be a sincere and honest as I dreamt it was going to be when I was a kid.  So, a lot of this stuff frustrates me.  A lot of this hurts me tremendously.  But, I am just one person.  I can’t change everything.  And, I cannot make things change and make my opinions count.  I have to worry about my fights and my students and then carry on. 

FIghters.com: Earlier you mentioned the old honor of the martial arts school and martial arts teachers.  Do you think that old spirit or those sort of ethics will ever become status quo in modern mixed martial arts?

Jorge Gurgel: It will never come back.  I tell everybody that the next person I will actually spend my time teaching those values to will be my children when I have my own children.  I do have people like Dustin Hazelett, which is pretty much like my own son.  He’s my blackbelt and a UFC standout.  And, I have my other students that give it a try and train hard and that they believe in what I say.  When I speak they are there to listen to me.  And they are there to understand that I have been doing this for many years.  That I was born and raised in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, honoring my school and my teacher.  And also being respectful and being loyal.  Loyalty is everything.  But, now many people just want to sign up one day the the very next day they want to fight. 

“When can I fight?  When can I fight?  Can I fight now, Jorge?” 

This is not how things are supposed to be.  Things have really changed.  The sport of mixed martial arts has given me the opportunity to live a very good lifestyle.  I own a school.  I have a great house, a good car, and food on my table.  It’s given me the opportunity to fight for a living and get paid accordingly for my hard work.  But at the same time, the values have been extremely watered down.  And that hurts my heart tremendously because I remember how things used to be.  But now they are far, far, far from what they once were and I don’t think it’ll ever be back like it used to be again.  Ever.

Gurgel is looking to rebound from a triangle-choke loss in July to “Magrino” Cole Miller (14-3) with only 12 seconds left in the fight.

Riley last fought in September, winning a unanimous decision over “Snake” Steve Claveau (7-7-1).

New UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) demoralized and upset former Champ “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (29-6) by unanimous decision Saturday night in Las Vegas.

“This is the greatest night of my life,” Griffin said after toppling the odds.

Though Jackson won the first round by staggering Griffin with a left, then dropping the challenger with a right uppercut, Griffin laid the groundwork for his decision victory by whittling away at Jackson’s lead leg with low kicks.

“He jacked my leg up,” Jackson admitted.

In the second round, Griffin buckled the champ with a leg kick and passed to mount on the mat, grinding elbows into Rampage’s head, but doing little damage.

Rampage limped into round three searching for a knockout, but managed only a combination that Griffin weathered, though he admitted, “Every punch that motherfucker threw hurt.”

Jackson scored a fourth-round takedown; but, Griffin wrapped a leg triangle, then transitioned to an omoplata when Jackson freed himself from the triangle.

Jackson stood out of the submission and cracked Griffin with a right hand, opening a cut on the challenger’s right eyelid, then followed with a left as the bell ended the round.

It was back-and-forth and both fighters felt they needed the final round to win; but, Jackson seemed disappointed by the situation, while Griffin was inspired.

Griffin got back to game plan in the fifth round, stinging Rampage’s lead leg, as Jackson threw desperate haymakers without landing.

The judges scored the fight 48-46 twice and 49-46 once for Griffin. Fighters.com scored it 48-46 for Griffin, our new champion.

“He whupped my ass,” Jackson admitted after the battle; but, Griffin said, “It was close and I think we’re gonna have to do it again.”

Cote Wins Title Shot

“Predator” Patrick Cote (14-4) won a spot in line to the UFC Middleweight Championship owned by Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4) by winning a split decision over “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-3) Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Cote explained the split decision, “I got three knockouts in a row. I can’t do that all the time, especially against this kind of guy.”

Judges scores were 29-28 twice for Cote and 29-28 once for Almeida. Fighters.com scored the fight 29-28 for Cote.

But, it didn’t feel like Cote’s night in the first round.

Almeida pulled guard into a guillotine to open the fight; but, Cote defended; and, the fighters regained their feet.

Almeida shot and passed into Cote’s half-guard where “Cachorrao” stuffed lefts down Cote’s throat, winning the round with G’n'P.

Between the first and second round, there was a curious delay as Almeida’s glove seemed to have busted at the seams and needed to be repaired.

Cote may have changed the tide at the end of a slow second round when a right hand found Almeida’s head as the horn ended the round.

“My game plan was to sprawl’n'brawl and that’s exactly what I did the last two rounds,” Cote said after the fight.

Almeida was winded by round three; and, it was a Cote kickboxing academy in the third as “The Predator” lined-up straights with both fists and lit-up Almeida’s legs with kicks.

“My conditioning was there. I was running against him in the third round and my conditioning was still there,” said Cote.

Cote pleaded in the locker room after the victory, “I want some credit, man. I want some credit that I’m well-rounded. I’m not just a slugger. I proved tonight that I’m able to wrestle, I’m able to do on the ground, I can kick, I can elbow, I can do jiu-jitsu.”

Daddy Guillotines Tibau

After a first round spent bothered, but not troubled in a Gleison Tibau (15-6) omoplata attempt, “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (34-8) caught the Brazilian in a guillotine when Tibau shot for a double-leg takedown at 2:57 of the second round.

Fought mostly on the mat, and lingering for several minutes in a Tibau omoplata attempt, Stevenson and Tibau decided to compare BJJ belts.

Tibau came up short, though defended two guillotines before Stevenson locked in the winner as Tibau shot.

Stevenson explained after the fight, “Honestly, you know, he just put his head there and I took it. It was nothing fancy.”

Koschek’s Elbows Open Up Lytle

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked welterweight “Kos” Josh Koscheck (13-2) chiseled crevices above both eyebrows of “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) during a UD for “Kos” Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Koscheck planted Lytle on the mat in all three rounds and worked elbows and leather like pistons to Lytle’s forehead, opening gashes in the second round.

“I thought they were going to stop it,” Koscheck said after the fight, “because he had some pretty bad cuts.”

Lytle wasn’t “Lights Out” though, catching Kos in two guillotines at the shots and a heel hook in round one; but, Koscheck was ice cube-cool defending the subs and returning to work on Lytle’s head.

“The only [guillotine] that got really tight was the last round there,” Koscheck explained, “But, I’m pretty good at getting out of them. I just roll…like an alligator.”

With his blood puddled on the mat, Lytle mustered one final flurry after referee Yves Lavigne stood the fighters in round three.

Kos avoided any damage and walked out of the Octagon with crimson-tinged hair and a decision by 30-26, 29-27, and 30-28, but declaring respect for the man he had just mangled.

Dominant Tyson Griffin UD

Lightweight Tyson Griffin (12-1), known as a wrestler, performed a breakout kickboxing display in a UD over “Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-6) Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Over all three rounds, Griffin tenderized Aurelius’s ribs and nearly spun his BJJ blackbelt opponent around with leg kicks.

The body barrage left “Maximus” worn by round two. He made only weak attempts to take Griffin to the mat, but stayed away from most of Griffin’s upstairs bombs.

Griffin admitted after the fight, “I hit him with some good shots; and, he didn’t fall down, so…hey!”

Unable to put Aurelius away on his feet, Griffin scored a single-leg takedown in round three.

“I don’t want to be a guy that dominates two-and-a-half rounds and gets caught,” Griffin explained, “so, you know, I decided to take him down, control the rest of the fight, and, you know, get that ‘W’.”

Aurelius sucked up Griffin’s left arm, then his right; but, Griffin defended and bloodied the right side of Aurelius’s face until time ended the fight.

Griffin scored 30-27 three times for the “W”.

Gonzaga Mauls McCully

Tenth-ranked heavyweight “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) wasted no time getting back to winning by tapping Justin McCully (8-4-2) in a Kimura 1:57 of round one.

Gonzaga dropped McCully with a leg kick, pounced, passed to mount, and applied the shoulder lock surgically to force the tap.

“I come from real Brazilian jiu-jitsu school and I’m proud of my Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills,” said Gonzaga after the fight.

Miller Taps Gurgel With 12 Seconds Left

American Top Team lightweight “Magrino” Cole Miller (14-3) tapped Jorge Gurgel (12-4) in a triangle with 12 seconds remaining in their fight.

It was a hot one!

The first round was a back-and-forth brawl that saw both fighters score in combinations, with Gurgel getting the best of Miller.

Miller decided to take Gurgel to the mat in round two and scored from top position with G’n'P while passing to half-mount.

“I was just getting out-pointed, so I thought on the ground would be the best bet,” explained Miller after his victory.

Gurgel scrambled free, but found himself in a guillotine, which he defended.

After three Gurgel takedowns led to nothing for the Cincinnatian, Miller took advantage of the final trip from Gurgel. During a scramble, Miller locked in the triangle choke and forced Gurgel to tap at 4:48 of round three.

“The biggest mistake I think he made was just not being in as good of shape as me,” Miller reflected. “He left his hand in there. He was a little more tired than me.”

Guillard Big Punchin’

“Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (22-7-2) registered a hit on German lightweight Dennis Siver (11-6) in a 36-second TKO.

Guillard fired a big right at the opening bell, dropping Siver.

Siver wasn’t out though. The German defended Guillard’s follow-up G’n'P with an armbar attempt.

But, Guillard yanked free and finished the job with strikes.

After the TKO, Guillard said, “If I get [Roger] Huerta after [Kenny] Florian done with him, that’s good. If I don’t, oh well. But, that’s a rematch I want. I want to avenge that to myself. That’s something personal.”

Buchholz Taps Hill

Lightweight Justin Buchholz (8-2) tapped stringbean-physiqued Corey Hill (2-1) in a rear naked choke at 3:57 of round two.

The young fighters burned a furious pace into the second round. Buchholz pulled guard for the second time in the fight and tried to contort a gogo’ that Hill defended.

In defense, Hill gave his back; and, Buchholz scrambled behind Hill and locked in the choke.

Buchholz described the finish after the fight, “Got the rear naked and choke just started praying, ‘Please God tapout. Please God tapout!’”

Rampage weighed in at 205-pounds, as did eighth-ranked title challenger Forrest Griffin (15-4).

Xtreme Couture’s Griffin said, “It’s nice to fight in your hometown.  Thank you, guys.”

Griffin smirked in the gaze of an intense Rampage stare down.

All fighters on Saturday night’s card made weight.

Only lightweight Gleison Tibau (15-5) missed the mark, but by the allowed one pound at 156-pounds.  Tibau will fight “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (33-8).

6’4″ lightweight Corey Hill (2-0) looked absolutely emaciated at 155-pounds.

All the weights from Vegas are below.

“Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) 205-pounds v Forrest Griffin (15-4) 205-pounds

“Predator” Patrick Cote (13-4) 185-pounds v “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2) 185-pounds

Fourth-ranked“Kos” Josh Koscheck (12-2) 170-pounds v “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-15-5) 170-pounds

Tyson Griffin (11-1) 155-pounds v “Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-5) 155-pounds

“Daddy” Joe Stevenson (33-8) 155-pounds v Gleison Tibau (15-5) 156-pounds

Tenth-ranked“Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) 249-pounds v Justin McCully (8-3-2) 236-pounds

Jorge Gurgel (12-3) 155-poundsv “Magrino” Cole Miller (13-3) 155-pounds

“Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (21-7-2) 155-pounds  v Dennis Siver (11-5) 155-pounds

Corey Hill (2-0) 155-pounds v Justin Buchholz (7-2) 155-pounds

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked welterweight “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2) is set to face rugged vet “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-15-5).

Both fighters come off exciting TKOs in their previous bouts.

In February, Lytle ran roughshod over UFC debuting Kyle Bradley (13-5) in just 33 seconds.

“Kos” and “McLovin” Dustin Hazelett (10-4) traded evenly for a round before Koschek tagged “McLovin” with punches and kicks 1:24 into round two in March.

Hazelett’s trainer, Jorge Gurgel (12-3), will fight 6’1″ “Magrino” Cole Miller (13-3) at 86.

Miller of Georgia comes off his first UFC loss to Jeremy Stephens (13-2), a second-round TKO in January.

Gurgel won a unanimous decision over John Halverson (16-6) in March.

Rising middleweight “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2) will face streaking “The Predator” Patrick Cote (12-4) on the card.

Cote has won four straight, three consecutive by first-round stoppage.  Most recently “The Predator” devoured Andrew McFedries (6-3) in 1:44.

Almeida returned to MMA after a four-year hiatus to submit Rob Yundt(6-1) in a guillotine choke in February. “Cachorrao” boasts wins over Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked middleweight “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (19-8-2) and UFC title contender Nathan Marquardt (26-7-2) in the early ’90s.

However, it was UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva who left Nationwide Arena big pimpin’ with a total disclosed payday of $260,000 for his second round submission of “Hollywood” Dan Henderson.

Silva received $70,000 to show, a $70,000 win bonus, a $60,000 Submission of the Night bonus, and a $60,000 Fight of the Night bonus.  Mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money!

Henderson received a $60,000 bonus for participating in Fight of the Night.  “The Crippler” Chris Leben received $60,000 for Knockout of the Night in his victory over “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara.

Despite making the PPV broadcast in an non-stop stand-up war, Josh Koscheck and Dustin Hazelett lost out to Silva v Henderson for Fight of the Night.

The entire run-down below:

Andrei Arlovski: $170,000
Anderson Silva: $140,000
Heath Herring: $140,000
Dan Henderson: $100,000
Diego Sanchez: $60,000
Chris Leben: $50,000
Cheick Kongo: $30,000
Yushin Okami: $28,000
Evan Tanner: $25,000
Josh Koscheck: $20,000
Alessio Sakara: $17,000
Luigi Fioravanti: $16,000
Luke Cummo: $16,000
Jorge Gurgel: $14,000
Dustin Hazelett: $12,000
Jake O’Brien: $11,000
David Bielkheden: $8,000
John Halverson: $3,000

The kickboxer from Curitiba vanquished former PRIDE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion “Hollywood” Dan Henderson in a rear naked choke at 4:52 of the second round.

The first round illustrated why Henderson, 22-7, was pegged as Silva’s last great challenge at 185-pounds.

The wrestler from California nixed the champion’s world class stand-up with lateral movement that prevented Silva from setting and delivering his laser-like strikes.

Henderson grabbed hold of the “Spider” and dumped him to the mat in an awkward half guard that allowed “Hollywood” to smother Silva while peppering him with hammer fists.

The frustrated champion endured to the second frame.

In a sloppy Thai clinch, Silva slammed a knee to Henderson’s chiseled chin, causing the the top contender to crumble.

Silva pounced!  A barrage of strikes convinced Henderson to give up his back, the fatal flaw leading to a rear naked choke submission with just eight seconds to spare in the round.

While UFC broadcasters Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan wondered allowed who could challenge the champion, Silva seemed to indicate a third tussle with former UFC Middleweight Champion “Ace” Rich Franklin was due.

In the broadcasted card’s only heavyweight rumble, “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring tumbled into a split decision “W” over Cheick Kongo of France.

The Parisian kickboxer insisted on wrestling, to the surprise of everyone including Herring.  Kongo dumped the Texan by force of will, but never capitalized on his advantageous ground positions as Herring consistently swept and reversed into safer territory.

In the end, Herring’s pitter-patter of pounding and Kongo’s cluelessness on the mat served Herring the “W” and a possible rematch with current interim UFC belt holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whom Herring came within a hair of beating last year.

In untelevised heavyweight action, former UFC titlist “The Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski wrapped-up his current UFC contract and possibly his Octagon career with second round TKO of Jake O’Brien.

Arlovski has openly entertained the idea of quitting the UFC for greener opportunities.

Another pair of middleweights made the PPV broadcast when former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner was knocked silly…er with a knee from the Thai clinch by Yushin Okami.

The fight was Tanner’s first since April 2006 and the vet seemed to gas late into the first round before eating the death blow at 3:00 of the second.

18-4 Chris Leben TKO’d 185-pound newbie “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara of Italy at 3:16 of round one.

“The Crippler” Leben knocked Sakara to his back with a left hook behind the ear, then pounced on the Roman with six unanswered punches before referee Herb Dean waved the affair closed.

Welterweights Josh Koscheck and Dustin Hazelett lit each other up for a round before a Koscheck kick found the button behind Hazelett’s ear a minute into round two.  Koschek pummeled the fallen fighter until the referee called it a TKO for Koscheck.

The PPV opened with the longest three rounds of my life between welterweight contender Jon Fitch and UFC-debuting Chris Wilson of Team Quest.

Wilson spent most of his Octagon initiation on his bicycle while Fitch tried to chase him down.  The judges awarded Fitch a unanimous decision for aggression and superior wrestling positioning.

The rest of the untelevised portion of the card included a unanimous decision  “W” for 12-3 welterweight Luigi Fioravanti over Luke Cummo, who falls to 6-5.

“Nightmare” Diego Sanchez was tossed a bit of red meat in Sweden’s David Bielkheden after dropping two consecutive fights.  Sanchez devoured Bielkheden in a first round strikes submission.

Lightweight Jorge Gurgel took a unanimous decision over John Halverson to improve to 12-3, 3-2 in the Octagon.

 UFC 82 sold out Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.