By John Moody Rain, rain, rain.  Something about rain that is conducive for writing.  Creates a pensive mood here on Broadway and 77^th in the Big Apple. *My first MMA interview was with Kalib Starnes at UFC 71 in Las Vegas.  Starnes beat Chris Leben at that event, the under card of Chuck Liddell v. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.  Oh how Starnes and Leben’s careers have gone in different directions.  Starnes recently lost to Patrick Cote at RingSide MMA 10 in Montreal.  Leben will be in a featured fight against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132. ...

A welterweight match-up has been added to the looming "The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale" show. Matt Brown, a fighter who is likely on his last leg with the promotion, will be taking on Rich Attonito in his next outing with the UFC. Attonito drops down from the middleweight division to make a splash at 170-pounds, where Brown will be there to greet him. The TUF Finale show takes place on June 4 and will serve as the culmination for the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter" which features a field of welterweights coached by opposing fighters Junior dos Santos and former champ Brock Lesnar. In the main-event of the TUF finale, WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis will meet with perennial contender Clay Guida, which will likely determine a new contender to the 155-pound belt. ...

By John Moody Pete Sell is known for delivering and taking big blows.  His knockout of Phil Baroni and war with Scott Smith are UFC classics. After going 1-4 in his last five UFC fights and being released in the spring of 2009, the man called “Drago” is plotting his return.  His go-for-broke style was fan pleasing yet not the best strategy for his long term career.  After his loss to Matt Brown at UFC 96, Sell took a much needed breather and a very hard look at his career. ...

"The Ultimate Fighter" season seven veteran Matt Riddle has stepped up to the plate in order to face arguably one of toughest challenges to date in his young mixed martial arts career. Since an injury has plagued Mark Scanlon from his participation on "UFC on Versus 3", Riddle now will step up to the plate in order take on former castmate Matt Brown in a welterweight affair. The two fighters were on opposing teams as they spent their time on "TUF", and while both did not make it to the finals of the middleweight bracket on the show, they still managed to find their ways into the UFC and have found success inside the octagon. However, in this bout, it's especially important since both men are coming off losses and an additional defeat could signal either man to receive their walking papers. ...

Journalists sometimes make mistakes. In the rush to get to the next big story as quickly as possible, sometimes details get overlooked and the truth gets obscured or even outright forgotten. ufc star Matt Brown likely had a fun few hours when he first got hold of an online report stating that he had been released from his UFC contract. While that turned out not to be the case, I’ve got to wonder if it was sound logic to begin with. Here are all the details. ...

As so often happens in our sport, the MMA world at large is still feeling the effects of a recent ufc card. The card in question is UFC 123: “Rampage vs. Machida”. It was an even filled with surprises, from Maiquel Falcao dominating Gerald Harris to BJ Penn utterly demolishing Matt Hughes. Recently, both the medical suspensions and the “Prelims Live” rating have been made public. Here are all the details. ...

In a duel between former champions, light heavyweight's Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida are now officially set to face each other later this month, serving as the headliners for UFC 123. The 11-bout card has been made official by the promotion today, including two-televised Spike TV bouts serving as the lead in for what is shaping up to be a good night of fights. Along with the highly anticipated light heavyweight match up, a pair of former welterweight champion's are set to face one another for a third time in order to put to rest a rivalry that has lasted for over 7 years, when BJ Penn meets UFC Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes in the co-main event of the evening. ...

November is a busy month.  We have a big political election this week, something called the World Series - was a big hit - in San Francisco at least, a menu full of pro and college football, and then Thanksgiving to round out the month.  What should not be lost amongst the chop chop of daily life, is a plate full of spectacular MMA this month.  Rampage is back at it, Matt Brown fights for his UFC career survival, and Joe Lauzon may have the toughest opponent of them all this month.  Check out five fights you MUST watch in November. ...

The ultra-successful "ufc Prelims" special, which has served as a lead in to the Pay-Per View portion of UFC bouts, will be returning on Nov. 20, when the organization visits Auburn Hills, Mich. for UFC 123. Headlining the nights festivities will be former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida in a non-title bout, with a trilogy between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and BJ Penn being completed that night, serving as the co-main event of the evening. Prior to these bouts, a pair of middleweights and 170-pound fighters will be in action as part of the Spike TV special, which will have the potential to reach 96.1 million people at home in these United States. ...

ufc 123, which takes place at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, will be host to a great night of fights. While your still wiping away the crust from your eyes after watching UFC 119, try to have something to look forward to. While there are no titles on the line come November, what we do have is an exciting and dynamic night of fights. The UFC just made official today the fight card, which will include a headlining bout pitting former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson versus Lyoto Machida, in a contenders bout. ...

Top Canadian welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald, who had a strong showing against former WEC champion Carlos Condit at UFC 115 last June, will meet "The Ultimate Fighter" veteran and former contender Matt Brown at UFC 123. ...

Yesterday on MMA Gospel Radio we had a massive three hour show with five amazing guests, one of which was Ryan Thomas (12-4) who just recently lost via one of the worst stoppages in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. He lost to Ben Askren (4-0) via a non verbal submission due to an arm triangle. The referee thought he had gone out when he was not even close to being put to sleep. What follows is MMA Gospel's interview with Ryan, done by Gary Friedman, that aired last night. This is the first installment of that amazing interview. ...

Welterweight American Matt Brown (11-7) pounded out English The Ultimate Fighter 9 champ “Lightning” James Wilks (4-3) by TKO at 2:27 of round three at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester Saturday. The final exchange looked like it might spell doom for Brown.  Wilks reversed a Brown standing Kimura and pulled guard, yanking Browns left arm behind his head. ...

The UFC unveiled Tuesday a ten-fight card for UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14 with a previously announced light heavyweight main event between Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked heavyweight “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) and “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-3) atop the bout sheet. ...

UFC welterweight Matt Brown (10-7) relented Wednesday afternoon and told Fighters.com, “I guess I'm allowed to say now since it's everywhere. Yes, I'm fighting [The Ultimate Fighter 9 champ "Lightning" James Wilks (4-2)] at UFC 105 in Manchester 14 November." MMA Junkie reported the possible match-up Wednesday morning after Fighters.com reported Monday that Brown had lined up an opponent other than former UFC welterweight champion “Terror” Matt Serra (9-6), a rumor that had been reported by MMA Weekly. I guess the magic number is "3": It takes three reporters to unveil an undercard fight on an event three months out. ...

Matt Brown (10-7) told Fighters.com Monday, "I'm not fighting Serra. I've got a fight lined up. Can't talk about it though." MMA Weekly reported Monday morning that Brown was a possible opponent for former UFC welterweight champion "Terror" Matt Serra's (9-6) return from a disappointing UD to fellow former titlist Matt Hughes (41-7) at UFC 98 in Las Vegas 23 May. Once described by Fighters.com's fifth-ranked light heavyweight "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-7) as "born to be a fighter", Brown has racked up three wins versus a single loss in the Octagon since losing to Amir Sadollah (1-1) on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter. He TKO'd "Drago" Pete Sell (8-5) at UFC 96 in Columbus 7 March. ...

Welterweight "Immortal" Matt Brown (9-7) tapped "Tank Engine" Ryan Thomas (11-3) in an armbar at 0:57 of the second round at UFC 91 in Las Vegas Saturday night.  Brown took the fight on two-weeks notice and reportedly cut 25 pounds to make the 170-poound limit. Thomas forced the action early scoring multiple takedowns and double under hook control.  Brown climbed the cage to stand both times. On the ground, Thomas continued to force the action, keeping a fast pace as Brown had to fight to gain any control on the ground.   Towards the end of the first round, Brown came very close to both a guillotine and a triangle submission. At the start of the second round, Brown stood his ground.  Once the action hit the ground, Brown capitalized on Thomas keeping his arm in the middle of Brown's guard by transitioning to an armbar.  Thomas tried to roll out of it, but was forced to tap. ...

The Ultimate Fighter 7 alum Matt Brown (2-1) will step in for fellow TUF 7 alum Matt Riddle (1-0) against welterweight Ryan Thomas (11-2) at UFC 91 in Las Vegas 15 November, according to the Wrestling Observer. Riddle was forced to pull out due to a knee injury sustained in training. Brown lost a split decision at UFC 88 in September to “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (7-3). Thomas lost his Octagon debut at UFC 87 in August, submitting to Ben Saunders’s (6-0-2) armbar in the second round. ...

"Sugar" Rashad Evans (12-0-1) knocked out Fighters.com's fourth-ranked light heavyweight "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-6) with a right hook in the second round Saturday night in Atlanta. Liddell lay unconcious on the canvas for several minutes after the punch. Evans jitter-bugged around a stalking Liddell the entire fight.  Liddell never really got a beat on him, but landed a straight right in the first round.  Evans back-pedalled and taunted Liddell with a dance. In the second round, Liddell lunged for an uppercut and took Evans's counter right hook square on the jaw to end the fight at 1:51. Franklin Finishes Friend "Ace" Rich Franklin (24-3) TKO'd his friend and former training partner "Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-2) at 39 seconds of round three with a left kick to Hamill's floating rib in Franklin's return to 205. Franklin had landed the same kick consistently through the first two rounds.  In the third, the kick dropped Hamill and Franklin landed two punches before referee Mario Yamasaki waved the fight off. ...

The UFC announced Thursday that Kurt Pellegrino (15-4) and Thiago Tavares (13-2) will meet in a lightweight preliminary bout at UFC 88 in Atlanta 6 September. Pellegrino lost his most recent fight to Nathan Diaz (9-2) when Diaz caught him in a triangle choke in the second round at Fight Night 13 in April. Tavares also lost his last fight, to “Handsome” Matt Wiman (10-3) via second-round TKO at UFC 85 in June. The UFC also confirmed three other preliminary match-ups, a welterweight match between “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1) and Matt Brown (7-6), a light heavyweight match between “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (7-2) and James Lee (13-3), and the previously reported match between welterweights “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-7) and “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (14-8). Kim made his Octagon debut at UFC 84 in May with a third-round TKO over Jason Tan (5-3). Brown, a TUF 7 competitor, won his fight in the June finale with a TKO in round two over “No Regard” Matt Arroyo (3-2). Boetsch fell to “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1)’s punches in round two in April. Lee lost his UFC debut in January to “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara (12-7) via first-round TKO, ending a ten-fight win streak. ...

Three TUF champions highlighted the action in Las Vegas Saturday night: the original, the past, and the future. The future shines brilliantly for The Ultimate Fighter's newest blast into the mainstream consciousness, Amir Sadollah (1-0). In his professional debut, Sadollah tapped "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-1) in an armbar at 3:02 of round one to win the seventh season of the popular SpikeTV reality show contest. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (19-2), one of the two original Ultimate Fighters, looked physically fitter than ever in his third-round TKO of American Top Team's Luigi Fioravanti (12-4) at 4:07. After back-to-back "embarrasing" losses, "Spyder" Kendall Grove (9-5), TUF 3 champion, recaptured past glory in a three-round split decision over former UFC titlist Evan Tanner (32-8). The likeable young TUF walk-on from Virginia, Sadollah, versus the cocky All-American favorite, Dollaway, was a rematch of an exhibition fight fought on the final episode of last season's The Ultimate Fighter. Saturday's finish was almost a replay of that fight's end. ...

The pack has been cut from 32 to six. Two were slated for the chopping block on Wednesday night's episode with the winners moving on toward the prize of a six-figure contract. Dante Rivera (10-2) was pitted against Jesse Taylor (6-2). Matt Brown (9-6) scrapped with lanky amateur Amir Sadollah (0-0). With the quarter finals looming, a coin was flipped to assign the coaches to the four fighters. Jesse and Amir had Forrest Griffin (15-4) backing them. "Rampage" Quinton Jackson(29-6) cornerd Dante Rivera and Matt Brown. Jesse, who confessed he enjoys dipping microwaved cheeseburgers in ranch dressing, put on the rubber suit and, like fighters have done for years when they need to cut weight...played Ping Pong? By the time Jesse left for the hot tub, the table and floor were splattered with pools of sweat. He was courteous enough to step away from the hot tub where he politely urinated in his shorts, claimed it "feels good on my leg", splashed his feet in the yellow puddle, and jumped back into the water. His opponent joined him soon after and soaked in Jesse's waste, a sign of things to come. ...

By Jon Grilz UFC President Dana White began this week's The Ultimate Fighter episode explaining what many people have had on their minds since last week's episode: Why didn’t the fight between Cale Yarbrough (0-0) and Patrick Schultz (5-1-1) go to a third round? Simple.  Round two was scored 10-8 in favor of Yarbrough. While Schultz has a legitimate beef, it was Fighters.com’s top-ranked light heavyweight “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) who took his aggression out on fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4), telling Griffin that there upcoming title fight won’t go to a decision. Forrest then had what he referred to as a “man period”, smashing through one of the doors in the training center and shadow boxing while a very confused White was left to wonder exactly what was happening to his coaches. Meanwhile, the remaining fight was set between "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-0) and Nick Klein (4-0). CB is a former All-American wrestler at Arizona State University and entered MMA because he lacked options after college wrestling.  His strength and skill have made him a dangerous fighter, as Rampage found out first hand. After being mocked by Rampage for getting caught in a kneebar in practice, CB delivered a light kick to Rampage's side, provoking his coach to strip off his socks and go toe-to-toe with CB. Rampage shot for a double-leg takedown which CB turned into a guillotine choke, submitting the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champ. While Klein had received praise from his coaches for his jiu-jitsu and all-around ability, he seemed to be a bit self-deprecating, referring to himself as the “weak link” on the team. Back at the training center, Forrest found a way to release some of the tension he was carrying from Rampage’s earlier comments. Griffin found a net gun and proceeded to shoot Rampage as he sat against the cage after a sparring session. Rampage took it all in good spirits, seeming to be more concerned that his family saw him “get netted” on national television, than anything else. As for the fight between CB and Nick, it was fast, intense, and technically advanced. The fight opened with CB attempting a leg kick, which Nick caught and turned into a takedown. CB rolled with the takedown and attempted a guillotine choke.  Nick escaped and turtled up.  CB rotated to the back, but made no attempts to sink his hooks in.  Nick went for a knee bar escape from turtle and almost sunk it before CB was able to twist free.  Nick countered by rolling to guard and attempting an arm bar, which CB muscled out of. CB then began reigning down punches inside Klein's open guard while attempting to pass to side control several times.  After finally passing Nick’s guard, CB maintained side control only for a moment as Nick was able to pull half-guard again and attempt another arm bar. Once again, CB passed the guard and Nick rolled to turtle position.  CB continued to reign down punches, most of which landed on the back of Nick’s head, opening a small cut. Again, Nick rolled to guard, attempting one final arm bar that failed just as time expired in the round. Round two began with Nick coming out and working his jab.  CB countered with leg kicks that seemed to upset Nick.  So, Nick returned the leg kicks before attempting a few more jabs.  Then, to the dismay of his corner, Nick pulled guard and took the fight to the mat. Nick was able to keep CB’s posture broken for a short time while he tried to land blows from the bottom; but, CB began to pass and Nick again rolled to turtle.  Klein then attempted another knee bar escape. Unfortunately for Nick, CB seemed prepared this time and rolled with the attempt, ending up in guillotine position.  CB then pulled half-guard and sank the choke.  Nick was forced to tap out. Winner by second-round guillotine choke submission: CB Dollaway With the final preliminary fight out of the way, it was time for the semi-final match-ups to be set. Fighters were called in one at a time and asked whom they would most like to fight.  Most fighters were ambivalent about their next opponent, except CB who only wanted to fight Cale. Cale’s mocking comments had been piling up on CB and finally tipped the scale when Cale made a comment questioning CB’s sexuality and choice of sunglasses. The semi-final match-ups were set: Jesse Taylor (6-2) v Dante Rivera (10-2) Amir Sadollah (0-0) v Matt Brown (9-6) Daniel Cramer (0-0) v Tim Credeur (9-2) CB Dollaway(6-0) v Cale Yarbrough (0-0) ...

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.

Ponder this before next Wednesday's TUF 7 episode: Next week, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) and Forrest Griffin (15-4) will be choosing fighters for their team.  Assuming you've watched the first two episodes, who would you choose? Would you choose fighters who're rough, but you think have a higher upside; or, fighters who're already more complete? Would you choose fighters with styles most like yours?  Or, would you try to fill out a well-rounded squad? UFC President Dana White was right tonight when he stated, "There are no pussies here."  The elimination round has held some of the best fights of any TUF season. The episode opened with Dan Simmler (0-0) versus Mathew Riddle (0-0); and, Riddler came to battle.  He scored a sweet toss early and worked inside the jiu-jitsu fighter's guard.  But, Riddle gassed shortly into round one and Simmler had the mo' going into the second. That mo' was floored almost immediately in what "Rampage" called, "The gruesomest knockout I've ever seen." As Simmler launched a kick, Riddle decked him with a right hook, followed by two vicious hammerfists after Simmler hit the floor. Simmler moaned for several minutes, then woke-up repeating, "Was this a real fight or practice?"  He was carried away by ambulance. Brutal.  Riddle takes a bed. In the next fight, Patrick Schultz (5-1-1) looked mean at the bell and piled on Cincinnatian Luke Zachrich (7-1); but, Zachrich woke-up after taking a few shots and rolled Schultz into a guillotine to take another bed. Erik Charles (2-5) bragged before his fight with Timothy Credeur (9-2) that he was "one of the fastest guys out here."  He was right!  Charles tapped out in a Credeur armbar quicker than any other fighter in the competiton.  Credeur takes a bed. In highlights, "Mohawk" Brandon Sene (2-0) beat Aaron Meisner (2-0) by rear naked choke. Gerald Harris (6-2) was all over Mike Marrello (7-1-1) with G'n'P for a unanimous decision.  Jeremiah Riggs (1-0) "put Mississippi on the map", but Daniel Cramer (0-0) put "Mississippi" on the mat for a first-round G'n'P TKO. Jesse Taylor (6-2) had a quick night taking down, mounting, and wrapping Nick Rossborough  (8-3) in a rear naked choke submission. Finally, Cincinnatian Matt Brown (5-6) weathered the early pressure of wrestler Josh Hall (1-2), who escaped two tight triangle chokes only to succumb to a G'n'P stoppage. My team picks, in alphabetical order: Matt Brown Timothy Credeur CB Dollaway Gerald Harris Nick Klein Matthew Riddle Dante Rivera Cale Yarbrough ...