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.

*Will we ever see a long shot outside of the top six in a division get a title shot, a la Matt Serra upset of George St. Pierre at UFC 69.  With each division so stacked (more-so with the Strikeforce acquisition), it is hard to envision. Watching VCU make a tremendous run in the NCAA basketball tournament and golfer Charl Schwartzel surprise most us at the Masters this past weekend, reminded me how fun it is for the underdog to come from nowhere to challenge for a big title.  Unfortunately, as the UFC grows and so much money is on the line with every event, I fear we will never again see a long shot get a title shot, unless a large tournament format is adopted.  Not likely.

*Frankie Edgar has a new website and branded T-Shirt.  Looks good.  I am intrigued and curious just how much money these top fighters make aside from their formal fight paychecks.  Understandably, careers are short, and they have to cash-in while their name is hot.  I suspect most make strong five figures just for the signage on their shorts.  Most now have signature T-Shirts for each fight … more $.  Then, many do seminars for a nice payday and more and more own MMA gyms.  If they play their cards right – with a solid 2-3 years on UFC PPV shows, many guys can set themselves up for a long time, as they should, this is a dangerous game.

*Mark Bocek has a fun promo video for his fight in Toronto at UFC 129.  Check it out here.

*Foo Fighters have a new album.  Very Good.

*I first met UFC fighter Matt Brown in 2007, when he was a trainer at Crunch Fitness on 83^rd St between Amsterdam and Columbus. One day, I saw him shadow boxing around the heavy bag and asked if he was a fighter. He was living in NY for a short time and soon to try out for the Ultimate Fighter show on Spike TV.  He had a very average pro record and was almost signed to the IFL, which would have prevented him from going the reality TV show route. My goodness, he turned out to be far from a typical NYC gym trainer.  Hope he picks up a win next time out.

*On the case of first encounters …  I first met Frankie Edgar in Neptune, NJ, also in 2007.  He was wielding a blowtorch installing urinals at the local high school that day.  We were doing a feature on him for NBCSports.com.  After eight hours working as a plumber he logged four hours in the gym.  I learned that day Frankie Edgar is a hard worker, to put it mildly.

*Ricardo Almeida will soon be judging MMA fights in New Jersey.  Ex fighters becoming judges is a huge plus for this sport.  Hopefully, in the future, all judges will be required to be ex fighters.

*I hope George St. Pierre watched Nick Diaz fight last Saturday.  Unfortunately, I don’t think it will change his ways any time soon.  Meaning: his preference for safety over going for it!

*I have stopped following two people today on Twitter.  Too much noise.

*Fights at UFC 129 I am excited about:

-Jose Aldo v. Mark Hominick

-Nate Diaz v. Rory McDonald

-Jason McDonald v. Ryan Jensen

-Randy Couture v. Lyoto Machida

*Charlie Sheen played Radio City Music Hall last night.  As a media strategy – he would have done better just continuing to offer himself out in short bursts, on Ustream, Twitter, Blog video.  I think we like him in short bursts of crazy talk, not sitting for two hours, 100$ poorer.

*I am glad Chael Sonnen is back on the scene.  I love his honesty, bravado, machismo, salesmanship, huge ego, and carnival barker ways … all wrapped in one.

Time to face the rain.  Cheers.

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.

Heavy.com initially reported the match-up, which has since been confirmed by several media outlets since.

Brown is winless in his last three outings, where he has been defeated by Ricardo Almeida, Chris Lytle, and Brian Foster–all by way of submission. However, before the recent stretch of bad luck, “The Immortal” procured a three-fight win streak, finishing off opponents Ryan Thomas, Pete Sell, and in his last victory James Wilks, finishing off the TUF winner on third-round strikes.

Attonito is perhaps on better grounds with the UFC, though he is also coming off of a loss of his own. After debuting in the organization with a second-round TKO of fellow housemate Jamie Yager (from the eleventh season of TUF), Rich went on to record a dominating decision win over Renzo Gracie black belt Rafael Natal last September. However since then, Dave Branch was able to avenge the loss for his fellow Gracie teammate, taking home a decision win over Rich.

The loss prompted Attonito to try his hand at the welterweight division.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.

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.

“What are you going to do to me that hasn’t been done to me already.  I have been knocked out on national television.  I know what it is all about.  I feel like I am in a good head right now.”

The wars may have taken their toll on Sell but also opened his eyes to what he needed to do.

“I took the time to reflect on things and reinvent myself.”

What this reinvention will look like is still to be determined.  Sell knows his MMA DNA is as a brawler, but not many know he is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu, which may play a larger role in his future style as he works to surmount his desire to slug.

“Let me tell you something, this wasn’t an easy thing for me to overcome, but over practice and time I have gotten a lot better with that. I know when you go at somebody you can’t just get it back right there (if hurt), you got to be ‘I am going to get you’ it may not be right now but I will get you … you got to keep emotions out of it.”

Sell’s manager is on the job, seeking out his first comeback fight with a national organization and they expect some news very soon.  “Drago” is back in the gym twice a day, at Ray Longo’s for striking and Serra Jiu Jitsu for his ground game.  Both gyms are in good spirits with the rise of Sell’s training partner, Chris Weidman, as he prepares for his first UFC fight against Alessio Sakara.

“The guy (Weidman), his Jiu Jitsu got phenomenal, his wrestling is retarded … his boxing is awesome, if I was going to pick his weakness – I don’t really know.  The kid has a bright future ahead of him.”

Sell’s long layoff has been partially due to a serious groin tear he suffered last summer.  Now fully healthy, “Drago” feels the big blows he took in the UFC have not slowed him down and his chin is as strong as ever looking forward to his second act as a mixed martial artist.

“When I am in there sparring, I am getting hit, hit hard, and coming back, I feel so good.  I am good to go man. I am playing a smarter game now, playing it safer and not gonna take a couple to give a couple.”

Look for the new and improved Pete “Drago” Sell in a big time MMA cage very soon.

—

What are your favorite Pete Sell memories from his UFC career.  His fights were never dull!

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.

MMAWeekly.com has been able to confirm the match up with sources to match-up. Riddle is coming off of a decision defeat to the hands of UFC newcomer Sean Pierson. Though valiant and relentless during the fifteen-minute affair despite being dropped midway through the fight, Riddle lost some traction he was beginning to gain inside the octagon as he saw a two-fight win streak snapped at UFC 124 last December. Matt made his mixed martial arts debut inside the octagon, and has gone an impressive 5-2 run against tough competition.

While Riddle may be in hot water should be get back-to-back losses, it’s Brown who really has to watch out that he doesn’t get the infamous UFC slip as he is now riding a wave off three-losses in the cage. In his last outing, Brown was defeated by H.I.T Squad protege Brian Foster at UFC 123 last Novemeber, succumbing to a guillotine choke in the second round. All three of his losses recently have come by way of submission.

“UFC on Versus 3″ is set for March 3 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky with a special 170-pound headliner pitting former title challenger Diego Sanchez as he takes on former top contender Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new welterweight affair? Will Riddle be able to use his wrestling savvy skills in order to work a decision win over Brown, or will “The Immortal” be too game for his former “TUF” buddy to handle? Sound off in the comment section below.

Bleacher Report gives us a nice little synopsis of this particular mini-scandal: earlier this week, on a broadcast of ESPN’s “MMA Live”, it was reported that Matt Brown had been cut from the UFC after losing three straight fights, all of them by submission. According to famed internet journalist Ariel Helwani, however, that is not the case. Helwani recently took to Twitter to announce that Brown will in fact remain employed with the UFC, citing the UFC itself as his source.

This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, that false MMA news has hit the net and made its rounds before getting corrected. Just a short while ago, it was reported that old-school UFC veteran Kimo Leopoldo had in fact died, with multiple websites picking up the story, only for it to be revealed by Leopoldo himself that he was still quite among the living. Even more recently, a report surfaced shortly after the UFC’s release of Todd Duffee that saw Duffee’s manager call the man an “ass”. It turns out he was misquoted and actually called his fighter an “asset”.

But in all honesty, I think the reason so many websites jumped the gun and picked up on this story is because it sounds so plausible. The UFC has been growing increasingly more competitive on a per-event basis, to the point where I’ve said time and time again that no contract is safe and that no one is immune to the UFC’s pink slip. I’ve even wondered aloud if the UFC is approaching a point where they begin putting too much pressure on their fighters with their super-competitive nature. In the case of Matt Brown, however, I really don’t think you can make any sort of case at all.

Three straight submission losses. That’s just not good, not good at all. They were entertaining fights, and Brown had won three straight before this losing streak, but still… he’s 0-3 in three attempts and hasn’t recorded a win in over a calendar year. Brown is already 4-4 in the UFC since debuting in 2008, but if Matt Brown loses his next fight, he will have officially lost as many fights as he’s won in his entire career as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

I’m not trying to be heartless and without sympathy, but the fact of the matter is that releasing Matt Brown makes a lot more sense than releasing someone like Todd Duffee, or Efrain Escudero, or the recently-released Gerald Harris. The UFC can’t keep mixing up its precedents: either you can stay employed even if you lose so long as you put on entertaining performances, or a loss is a loss is a loss and you have to win and win dominantly time and time again in order to remain gainfully employed. They shouldn’t be able to have it both ways, because right now, this double standard reeks of favoritism and unfairness.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Matt Brown’s situation?

According to MMA Mania, the one-hour “UFC 123 Prelims LIVE” special that aired on Spike TV was good enough to draw in 1.5 million viewers, the same number the last special (for UFC 121: “Lesnar vs. Velasquez) earned. This latest broadcast saw Brian Foster submit Matt Brown, while Mark Munoz fought three tough rounds against Aaron Simpson and won by Unanimous Decision. The UFC continues to deliver fans in both its and Spike TV’s core audiences, with the special garnering a 1.31 in the men 18-49 demographic and a 1.21 in the men 18-34 demographic.

Next up is MMA Weekly, which recently reported the official medical suspensions for UFC 123. They are as follows: Matt Hughes is suspended for sixty days following his KO loss to BJ Penn. Karo Parisyan, Mike Lullo, and TJ O’Brien have all been suspended for thirty days. Lullo must also be cleared by a physician for an undisclosed injury before he is able to compete again. Surging Lightweight George Sotiropolous must also be medically cleared for an undisclosed reason before he can fight again, although he was not technically suspended for any length of time.

I really enjoyed the “Prelims LIVE” special for UFC 123, so I’m glad that it drew in a decent little rating. If nothing else, it was free MMA on TV, so it at least deserved a passing glance. However, I feel that this special in particular deserved a complete watching. You had two great fights happen on this one-hour broadcast, and they really got me pumped up for the main Pay-Per-View card. In particular, I really enjoyed the hard-hitting war between Mark Munoz and Aaron Simpson. I think these “Prelims LIVE” specials are delivering good MMA on such a consistent basis that they may even be encroaching upon “under-rated” territory.

In regards to the medical suspensions, nothing really shocks me. I honestly think that, in the case of Matt Hughes, even more time off could have been warranted. That was an absolutely brutal knockout courtesy of BJ Penn, and it was certainly sad to see a legend that I respect so much humbled so thoroughly. Then again, as a massive BJ Penn fan, I’m immensely happy that Penn has practically vaulted down the comeback trail and set himself up as a legitimate threat at Welterweight. It’s going to be a very, very, very interesting 2011 for “Baby Jay” and his legion of fans. Overall, UFC 123 was a great event and a great way to close out the year.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of the “Prelims LIVE” special, and do any of these medical suspensions surprise you?

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.

In addition the 170-pound fight, a pivotal match up in the lightweight division has been arranged, with two “The Ultimate Fighter” veterans squaring off on the pay-per-view event. Joe Luazon will meet George Sotiropoulos, who is currently riding a 6-fight win streak inside the octagon, with his last victory coming over the likes of perennial contender Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 116. For Lauzon, a win could vaunt him back into the title mix.

Here is the full card in it’s entirety. Thanks to MMAJunkie.com for the lovely format.

MAIN CARD

* Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida
* Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn
* Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos
* Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis
* Maiquel Falcao vs. Gerald Harris

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Matt Brown vs. Brian Foster
* Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

* Dennis Hallman vs. Karo Parisyan
* Darren Elkins vs. Edson Barboza
* Paul Kelly vs. T.J. O’Brien
* Nik Lentz vs. Tyson Griffin

5. Rampage Jackson v. Lyoto Machida (UFC 123)

This fight is all about the questions at hand.  Is Rampage mentally still excited about MMA. In several interviews he has not seemed to be his old wacky, trash talking self.  My view is that he is just clocking in to get his paycheck. Does he still burn to fight?  Will Lyoto be the old dominating Lyoto before Shogun knocked him out?

My concern is that both these guys like to counter.  Each needs the other to engage first.  This scenario can lead to a tentative, less exciting fight, as neither wants to commit first.

4. Matt Brown v. Brian Foster (UFC 123 Spike TV)

Matt Brown came into the UFC via the Ultimate Fighter show as a tough guy who came forward always looking to brawl and bully.  This led to winning 4 out of his first 5 fights.  His last two fights have ended badly, getting finished by Ricardo Almeida and Chris Lytle on the ground.  Can he return to his tough-guy standup strengths?  He will have to, to win and keep his job in the UFC.

3. Joseph Benavidez v. Wagnney Fabianno  (WEC 52)

One of the great things about the WEC joining under the UFC banner is the world will be exposed to some great fighters which have never received big media.  Wagnney Fabianno is one of these names.  A world class third degree Jiu Jitsu black belt with heavy hands.  Google the Fabianno / Lierley video from the IFL to see his knockout power.  At 35, Fabianno has been in the game a long time but should now have the stage to really shine.  However, he will have his hands full against Benavidez, who recently lost his title shot vs. Jose Aldo.

2. Nate Marquardt v. Yushin Okami (UFC 122)

Nate the Great is coming off an ackward win over Rosuimar Palhares and should lock up a title bout if he beats Okami.  With Chael Sonnen out of the picture, this is the time and chance for Marquardt.  Okami is coming off a solid win over Mark Munoz and also is back in title contention talk.  Both are warriors and this could be a classic, if one or both decide to come forward and not onlu wait to counter.

1.  Joe Lauzon v. George Sotiropoulos (UFC 123)

Lauzon and Sotiropoulos will not be the fight to headline UFC 123 commercials or brand the Times Square billboard, but these two are each peaking and the winner is primed for a title shot in the near future.  Sotiropoulos is simply beating people up across the board. 6-0 in the UFC, he is looking unstoppable on the ground.  Lauzon was a beast in easily dispatching Gabe Reudiger at UFC 118.  Since both have stellar ground games, this one may stay standing longer than most think.  This fight may showcase the highest level of skill on the entire UFC 123 card.

–

Which fights are you most looking forward to this month?

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.

MMAJunkie.com has indicated that match ups between middleweights Mark Munoz vs Aaron Simpson, and Matt Brown vs Rory MacDonald, will serve as the two bouts selected for the Spike broadcast.

Munoz, a heavy handed wrestler is coming off the sting of his first defeat in the middleweight division, where he lost a close split-decision to top contender Yushin Okami. The Japanese star brought it to the former NCAA champion early and often, dropping Munoz on one occasion and stuffing all of his take down attempts. Mark hung tough, and even managed to wobble Okami to the ground and pressured him with his improved stand up arsenal. In the end it wasn’t enough, and Munoz saw a three-fight win streak snapped with the loss.

Aaron, meanwhile, is coming off a loss as well, his first as a professional mixed martial artist. A two-time NCAA champion in 96′ and 98′, became an assistant wrestling coach for Arizona State, where he initially compiled 110 victories for the university.

There, he coached the likes of UFC standouts CB Dollaway, Ryan Bader, and current UFC heavyweight number one contender, Cain Velasquez. Being bit by the biting bug, Aaron opened up to the idea of fighting as a living in 2007, and compiled a perfect 4-0 before joining the UFC. Going on to garner a three-fight win streak within the promotion, his run was snapped when Simpson met with Chris Leben at “The Ultimate Fighter” season 11 finale, losing by TKO in the second round.

Both Rory MacDonald and Matt Brown are coming off losses as well. The Canadian shined though, in his bout against former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, last June at UFC 115. Arguably ahead on the score cards going into the third round after getting the better of the stand up against Condit, Rory was notably fatigued in the final round. Carlos was eventually able to work the fight to the floor, eventually mounting the former King of the Cage lightweight and welterweight champion, pounding him out for a TKO victory in waning moments of the fight. Prior to the loss, MacDonald made a successful debut into the organization with a first-round arm bar over fellow KOTC veteran Mike Guymon at “UFC Fight Night 20″ in January of this year.

Brown, however is feeling the sting of defeat well and hard. The former contender is coming on the heels of two consecutive losses, submissions at that, to standouts Ricardo Almedia and most recently current top contender Chris Lytle.

In the bout with Lytle at UFC 116, which was the second in the series, the two traded blows early, Brown effective on the feet, the welterweight battle found its way to the floor in the early stages of the second round. Both fighters were jockeying for position, and Lytle was eventually able to secure an arm, and completed the bout ends with an arm bar victory over Brown.

Prior to the losses to Ricardo and Chris, Brown was riding a three-fight win streak in the organization and four of his last five overall. However now on the cusp of his UFC career, this is a must-win situation for both Brown and MacDonald. A loss for either could spell pink slips, which can also be said of Munoz and Simpson.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the UFC 123 prelims? Worthy? Do you have any other bouts in mind as far as what you would rather see in place of said matches? Sound off in the comments section below.

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.

Also on the card, BJ Penn and Matt Hughes try to settle the score once again when the two competitors meet for the third time. Both men have split victories, BJ Penn getting the better of the “farm boy” at UFC 46, where he was able to slip in a rear naked choke and claim the welterweight title from then champion Hughes. Matt, meanwhile, got a little bit of a taste of revenge when he was able to pound out the former lightweight star (at the time) inside of three rounds.

While no animosity exists, according to the two competitors, there is a healthy rivalry that has carried over the last 6 years of their lives, and this will give them the chance to settle the score once and for all. Hughes is riding a 3 fight win streak inside the crowded 170-pound division where he is slowly sneaking ahead of. Most recently, he continued the streak when he put to sleep Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Ricardo Almeida, with a modified guillotine win over. The victory at UFC 117 las August, was perhaps one of Hughes’ most impressive in recent years.

BJ, mean while has been on a slope, dropping his last two contests in the lightweight division, with decision losses to current champion Frankie Edgar.

Here is the card as follows: formatted by MMAJunkie.oom

MAIN CARD

* Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida
* Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn
* Maiquel Falcao vs. Gerald Harris
* Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis
* Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson
* Matt Brown vs. Rory MacDonald
* Dennis Hallman vs. Karo Parisyan
* Darren Elkins vs. Edson Barboza
* Paul Kelly vs. Gabe Ruediger
* Nik Lentz vs. Tyson Griffin

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the card? If you are in the Detroit/Auburn Hills area, I highly suggest you make an effort to catch the event live. Who do you think will take which bout? Sound off in the comments section below.

MMAWeekly and MMAJunkie have both been able to confirm the welterweight clash–which was originally reported by Sportsnet.ca.

The match up is what would be considered a definite early candidate for “Fight of the Night”, since both competitors have demonstrated vaunted technical prowess and aggressive approaches in every fight they enter.

MacDonald, a former King of the Cage champion in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions made his promotional debut at “UFC: Fight Night 20″ last January, against fellow KOTC veteran Michael Guymon, finishing him up with a first round arm bar.

His following performance, a loss to the aforementioned Condit at UFC 115 in Vancouver, opened up a lot of eyes, even in a losing effort–Rory was able to impress.

Now he meets wild man, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. After running a three-fight win streak after appearing in the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Brown hit road blocks in division standouts Ricardo Almedia and then Chris Lytle most recently at UFC 116 in Matt’s last appearance, where he lost via arm bar.

It’s likely due or die for both competitors, as two in row can signal the end for nearly any fighter in the UFC, and three is an almost guarantee pink slip for Brown.

So, who do you think prevails in this scrappy, welterweight match?

MMA Gospel Radio (MGR): Welcome Ryan, I have to say, I am happy to hear you got another shot. (in the Bellator tournament)

Ryan Thomas: Yeah, I am too, it’s one I definitely deserved I think. I think people are happy to see me back in this Bellator tournament.

MGR: First off, what got you interested in MMA and how long have you actually been training?

RT: I have been wrestling my entire life, ever since I was about five years old. All the way through college. I wrestled for two years at a junior college and then transferred to Eastern Illinois University. That is where Matt Hughes and Matt Veach wrestled at and I was there for a year. Then my program got cut while I was wrestling there and I wanted to keep competing. My assistant coach at Eastern, Clay French,he was the King of the Cage Champion and I started training with him. I also trained with Chase Beebe, the WEC bantamweight champion. Derick Noble worked out with us back then and been fighting ever since, about four years now. It has been a roller coaster ride, that’s for sure.

MGR: You experienced something this week something I would imagine very fighters have had to experience. With all the ups and downs it should make you feel unique.

RT: Yeah it does, it has been pretty cool and has really helped to get my name out there. That is part of the whole game though. If you want to be one of the best in the world you have to jump on these opportunities, roll with the punches if things don’t go your way. When they do you have to adapt and be flexible and that is what I am trying to do, make the best out of it, keep my head up and hope to get back in there and win this tournament.

MGR: What would say right now are your strengths and weaknesses as a fighter and how have you been working on each of the weaknesses?

RT: I guess I could have started younger with the jiu jitsu and the muay thai but anymore people are starting much younger. I know my opponent Jacob McClintock has been doing jiu jitsu since he was like 12 years old. One weakness I have is I am training in East Central Illinois and there aren’t very many gyms around there and the people I am competing against are at real big gyms that have all the resources at their fingertips. They have a muay thai coach, a jiu jitsu coach and a wrestling coach and surrounded by world class fighters as training partners all in one facility. I am driving all over the midwest, Chicago and Indianapolis and in little Matsue, Illinois where my main gym is but it has been worth it. It got me in the UFC and now in Bellator and I am going to make the best of it.

MGR: Do you ever envision yourself maybe moving to another location, for instance New Mexico or Vegas where there are some of the larger gyms?

RT: Yeah, I am. That is something me and my coaches have been talking about. They all agree with me that I have kind if outgrown where I came from in East Central Illinois. I have outgrown the gyms there and may need to move to a bigger gym where I have more high quality training partners than what i have got right now.

The only bad part is I just graduated from college with my elementary education degree in December. I am taking a couple extra classes so I can be a P.E. teacher also. So I can’t leave right now because I am in the middle of these classes. I need to wait until May till these classes are over. When I signed up for them I didn’t expect to be in Bellator and was having a hard time getting fights so it was the right thing to do at the then. After this semester I am probably going to have to go elsewhere.

MGR: You started your career at middleweight and since dropped to welterweight after just a few fights. Some people find it hard to understand how much difference there is in size from a middleweight compared to a welterweight. Did you feel a big difference in the strengths of opponents when you fought at 185 as opposed to 170?

RT: I don’t think the strength was that big a deal for me because when I first started. The more I fought and as I got to welterweight I stated to fight tougher opponents and a lot of them were stronger than the middleweights I fought. I think welterweight is my home because as I train and learn more about nutrition I have gotten leaner and leaner and I like to cut a little weight anyway so it works out well for me.

MGR: Your two fights in the UFC were against Ben Saunders and Matt Brown. How stressfull was it fighting in the UFC and can you give us just a few thoughts on each of those fights?

RT: The first one I took on short notice, it was 12 days and I had to cut 26 pounds. I really didn’t get to fight to my full potential in that one. I am not happy with how I performed. In that one everything happened so quickly, I did not have time to really enjoy with trying to get in shape and getting medicals. I really didn’t get to have fun with that one like I hoped to. The next one I was supposed to fight Matt Riddle but he got hurt so I got Matt Brown instead. I fought him pretty tough and definitely thing I was winning that fight and I just got caught in an armbar. Yeah, it was pretty awesome fighting in the UFC, it has always been a dream of mine.

MGR: Very few people can say they were able to do that and if you win Bellator you could possibly be back on your way there.

RT: Yeah maybe, I am happy with Bellator. If I can win this tournament and get that belt I am not going to want to go anywhere. I am happy with Bellator and how Bjorn Rebney (Bellator CEO) has treated me.

MGR: We had Bjorn on the show and all our listeners were impressed, as were we and it is nice to hear that you would like to stick with them.

RT: Yeah, they have treated me great. I was really happy for them to bring me on board for the tournament and then after everything that happened last Thursday he made me the first alternate and here I am in Connecticut getting ready to throw down again. He is a great guy. He didn’t have to do all this. With me fighting Thursday in Chicago, I guess Connecticut is one of the stricter commissions and they really didn’t want me to fight but Bjorn pleaded with them and really put his neck on the line and kind of talked them into bringing me on board. He told them what happened to me and the promise he made me about being the first alternate and he really came through for me.

The next installment will be up tomorrow and we will get to hear about the fight with Askren and much more.

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.

“I was lucky to get out of [the Kimura],” admitted Brown after the fight.  “I don’t know how I got out.”

But, after several attempts, Brown successfully rolled free and, as the fighters stood, wrapped a guillotine choke around Wilks’s neck.  Wilks collapsed; and, Brown passed to full mount and released the choke.  Brown stung Wilks’s skull with fists and elbows before referee Leon Roberts stepped in to end the fight.

“I was neverous, a little jet lagged coming out over here,” an exhausted Brown said after winning.  “But, that’s what  champions are made of.  working my way up.”

Wilks might have won the first round with an aggressive clinch tactic that forced Brown to fight off the cage most of the round; but, Wilks wore himself out and entered round two gassed.  Wilks was saved by the bell at the end of round two when Brown wrapped a tight triangle choke around Wilks’s neck as Wilks plunged into Brown’s guard at the end of the round.

As speculated Monday, the UFC welterweight contender matchup between American “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2) and Brit “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6) was officially announced for Manchester.

The co-main event pits Brit “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2), returning from a highlight reel knockout loss to “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas in July, across the Octagon from Canadian Denis Kang (34-11-1).

The rest of the card includes:

Matt Brown (10-7) v “Lightning” James Wilks (4-2)
“Real Deal” Ross Pearson (14-5-1) v Aaron Riley (28-11-1)
Terry Etim (13-2) v Shannon Gugerty (12-3)
“Relentless” Paul Taylor (10-5-1) v. “Hitman” John Hathaway (10-0)
“Slick” Nick Osipczak (5-0) v Matthew Riddle (3-0)
Alexander Gustafsson (7-0) v Jared Hamman (2-1)
Andre Winner (10-3-1) v “Crazy Cuban” Rolando Delgado (6-4-1)

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.

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.

Brown has left his primary training camp at JG MMA Academy in Cincinnati to train in Las Vegas.

Wilks tapped Damarques Johnson (12-7) in a rear naked choke to win the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas 20 June.

105 is likely to also feature the returns of Brits middleweight “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2), welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6), and lightweight TUF 9 champ “Real Deal” Ross Pearson (14-5-1).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Franklin took a deep cut over his right eye from a Hamill uppercut in the first round.  In the second round, Yamasaki asked a referee to take a look at the cut.

“I’m walking around with a black eye already; so, it wasn’t too bad,” Franklin said of the cut after the fight.

The fight continued; and, Hamill chose to stand with “Ace” after several takedown attempts were resisted.

Of his new weight class, Franklin said, “Cutting weight this week was awesome; but, pushing around another 20 pounds wasn’t.”

Marquardt Kayos Kampmann

Middleweight Nathan Marquardt (27-8-2) quickly KO’d kickboxer “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (13-2) at 1:22 of round one Saturday night in Atlanta.

After the fight, Marquardt said, “I knew I was better and, though he was a kickboxer, I knew I could take him standing.”

Marquardt connected early with a right head kick that plopped Kampmann on his ass.  Kampmann bounced back up, but ate Marquardt’s straights while backpedaling to cage.  At the fence, Marquardt dug an uppercut into Kampmann’s chin.  Kampmann fell and the fight was stopped.

Pellegrino Brutalizes Tavares

Before Saturday night, only two fighters had ever defeated lightweight Brazilian Thiago Tavares (13-3).  “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (12-4) beat him twice in Atlanta.

Officially, the judges scored the unanimous decision 29-27 twice and 29-8, all for Pellegrino.

Pellegrino won a 10-8 first round on two score cards, dropping Tavares with a flush right hook and crackling uppercut.  On the mat, Pellegrino’s elbows opened up cuts on each of Tavares’s temples and under his righ eyelid.

In the second round, the only round Tavares won (paritally due to an inadvertant eye poke by Tavares), Pellegrino squeezed an armbar from his back; and, Tavares appeared to tap; but, referee Yves Lavigne missed the call.

After the fight, Pellegrino said, “I know it was super duper tight.  Yeah, he tapped.  All I remember him saying was ‘you couldn’t get me.’”

Pellegrino eeked out a close third between two exhausted fighters to put away the unanimous decision.

Barbarian Chops Down Patt

After peppering Octagon rookie Michael Patt (12-3) with right hooks, “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (8-2) crashed a straight right through Patt’s guard.

Patt took a seat on the mat with a split lip and a faint idea where he was.  Boetsch pounded the fight closed at 2:03.

Boetsch said after the fight, “I’m pumped.  I trained real hard to get an explosive finish like this.”

Kim Barely Beats Brown

“Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (11-0-1) remained undefeated versus Matt Brown (7-7)…barely.

Kim won a split decision 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Brown.  Fighters.com scored it 29-28 for Kim; but, UFC commentator Joe Rogan told the disappointed crowd he thought Brown had won.

Kim rode Brown’s back most of round one, nearly finishing Brown in a rear naked choke while Brown stood.

Apparently, that was the controversial round as two judges and Fighters.com scored it 10-9 for Kim while Cecil Peoples scored round one 10-9 for Brown.

Kim was sluggish in round two.  Brown took advantage, capturing Kim in his Thai clinch and hammering knees to the Korean’s midsection.

In round three, Brown walked right through a square Kim left hook; but, Kim followed up with a toss into Brown’s full guard.  Kim opened up a deep cut under Brown’s left cheekbone with a slick elbow.

Kim lamented, “I hate to go to a decision.  Next time I’m going to be different.”

Brown made clear after the fight, “I don’t fight for the judges.  I fight for the fans and to finish.”

MacDonald Avenges Maia Loss

Middleweight “Athlete” Jason MacDonald (21-10) willed a second-round submission ”W” over “Punisher” Jason Lambert (23-9) after nearly being forced to tap in a guilltoine himself at the end of round one.

MacDonald said after the fight, “[The guillotine] was pretty tight; but, my head was toward the screen and I knew I could hold my breath for six seconds.”

MacDonald held on and dumped Lambert on his ass to open the second round, then passed to mount.  Lambert rolled right into J-Mac’s rear naked choke at 1:20.

“I knew he was getting tired from making the cut to 185 pounds,” MacDonald said, ”so I knew if I could take it into the later rounds I would get him.”

Chonan Earns Split Decision

Two of the three cageside judges prevented welterweight “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-8) from serving “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (15-8) a cold dish of revenge for 2005 TKO loss.

Chonan won a split decision by 29-28 twice and 28-29 once in favor of Carneiro.  Fighters.com scored the fight for Carneiro 29-28.

Carneiro dominated round one, flopping “Piranha” on his back and chiseling a cut over Chonan’s right eye with elbows.  Earlier in the round, Carneiro had nearly scored an omoplata transitioned from a triangle; but, Chonan rolled free.

Chonan won the second round by stuffing Carneiro’s shot and out wrestling him while landing infrequent punches.  The crowd pleaded with referee Herb Dean to stand the fighters; but, Dean let them tussle for position.

Chonan stuffed Carneiro’s shot again in the third, but rolled into Carneiro’s guard.  Carneiro landed a few shots before Chonan regained his feet.  Chonan gained top position before the round ended, but did little damage.

Hendo’ Earns First UFC “W” Since 1998

“It’s been awhile,” said “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (23-7) after squeaking a unanimous decision “W” over “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (8-2) passed the judges by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28.

A timid Hendo’ wanted no part of Palhares’s Brazilian jiu-jiu, consistently waving off the ground game throughout the three rounds.

Instead, “Hollywood” stalked with his devastating right hand cocked.

“Normally I’m more aggressive,” he said, “so, I apologize about that.

Palhares shot often, almost all of them stuffed by Henderson.  Palhares also peppered Hendo’ with an impressive array of kicks and nearly locked in two knee bars.

Hendo’ only landed his overhand right cleanly with ten seconds left in the fight, dropping Palhares.  Hendo’s pounced with two more overhands to steal the round.

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.

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.

But, unlike the first fight, Dollaway made haste taking the samboist to his back and pounding him, opening a shallow cut on Sadollah’s forehead.

Sadollah flailed for position, eventually sucking up the “Doberman’s” left paw and swinging his legs over Dollaway’s head to secure the armbar.

Dollaway stood and remained standing as Sadollah worked the technique.

Finally, Dollaway ended the fight with a single tap causing referee Herb Dean to step in.

Sadollah leapt to his feet and threw his arms in the air.

Dollaway threw his hands out to his sides, complaining about the stoppage; but, replays clearly showed Dollaway tapping.

And, as “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) famously said, Dollaway exhibited in his immature and ridiculous post-fight protest: “Tapping is for bitches.”

“Nightmare” Sanchez showed off a leaner physique and tighter striking game versus a pudgy and lethargic Fioravanti.

In his southpaw stance, Sanchez stalked with his right lead extended and left fist cocked, both of which he used to tag Fiorivanti, who was hesitant to engage on his feet or on the mat.

When Sanchez was able to down Fioravanti, “Nightmare’s” trademark G’n'P dominated.

But, it was Sanchez’s refurbed striking game, highlighted by a roundhouse kick, that won the fight.

In the third round, Sanchez snapped a left kick to Fioravanti’s head, sending Fioravanti backpedaling.  Sanchez followed with a flying knee flush to Fioravanti’s jaw before pounding out the stoppage with his fists.

It was do or die for both Grove and Tanner in the main event, both fighters coming off of knockout losses and at career lows.

However, 6’6″ Grove was just too physical for the former champion, Tanner.

At range, Grove launched long rights that split Tanner’s guard.

But, most of the fight was fought in the clinch, with Tanner, sporting a full beard, resembling a homeless mugger assaulting the Hawaiian for change.

Grove laid on Tanner, wearing Tanner down, while Grove split open Tanner’s head with elbows and peppered Tanner’s body with knees.

The judges ruled it a split decision “W” for Grove by scores of 30-26 twice for Grove and 29-28 once for Tanner; but, Al Lefkowitz, who scored the fight for Tanner, couldn’t have even been in the arena.

Fighters.com scored it 30-27 for Grove.

On the undercard, “McLovin” Dustin Hazelett (11-4) tapped “People’s Champion” Josh Burkman (9-6) in an armbar at 4:46 of round two.

Hazelett won “Submission of the Night”.

Lightweight brawler “King” Spencer Fisher (21-4) ground out a unanimous decision over fellow Iowan Jeremy Stephens (13-3).

TUF 7 contestant Matt Riddle (1-0) won his pro debut with a unanimous decision over Dante Rivera (10-3).

Middleweight Andrew McFedries (7-3) overwhelmed “Beastman” Marvin Eastman (15-8-1) from the bell to score a quick TKO at 1:08 of round one.

In a rematch from 2006, TUF 7 contestant Matt Brown (7-6) TKO’d TUF 6 “No Regard” Matt Arroyo (3-2) at 3:40 of round two.

Veteran “Boogieman” Dean Lister (11-5) submitted über-veteran “Gumby” Jeremy Horn (79-18-5) in a first-round guillotine choke at 3:52.

Similarly, Rob Kimmons (21-3) tapped Rob Yundt (6-2) in a first-round guillotine choke at 3:58.

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.

Just before the Octagon door was shut, Jesse offered his last words: “Dante, I love you man, you’re a great guy, but I’m gonna have to kick your ass.”

Rivera had his eyes on the money.  “I’d like to put $10,000 in my pocket.”

The horn blared and, within seconds, Rivera threw a looping and slow hook.  Jesse easily ducked and the takedown was almost a gi’me.

The mat was pretty much where the fight stayed.  Again and again, Jesse threw punches, elbows, and hammer fists, most of which connected somewhere on Rivera’s head or body.

Rivera managed to pull guard, but it was for naught.  Jesse pounded out a winning round with Rivera attempting the occasional impotent submission.

Round two was a mirror image of round one.  Rivera threw an easy to see loop of a punch, Jesse ducked for the takedown.

“Get up,” was Rampage’s main chunk of advice.  “You ain’t doin’ nothin’ on your back.”

Grammar aside, Rampage was correct.  Rivera, clearly outsized by cheeseburger-loving Jesse, was frustrated and mostly flat on his back, his hips rarely raised for an easily thwarted offense.

Jesse pounded down strikes to end the round.

Dana White chimed in with a scowl about Dante’s seeming lack of skill or effort.  “And Jesse, he didn’t look like a world-beater either,” White said, not impressed with the decision win by Jesse.

The second fight was, of course, expected to be a stark contrast to the slow pace of the first.

Stark indeed.

Brown and Amir admitted they had become good friends while rooming together.

“If you’re going to lose, it’s better to lose to a friend than an enemy,” Amir said, sporting a black eye going into the match.  “I don’t think I’m gonna fold.  I don’t think…”

Forest commented on Amir’s apparent lack of confidence and dare I say it, even fear?

“It’s exactly the feeling every fighter has,” Forest said, laughing.  “He’s just sissy enough to vocalize it.”

Jackson believes if Brown was in Japan, he would be a Samurai.

“I think Matt was born to be a fighter.  He has a fighter spirit.  I have that same spirit,” Jackson said about the former “Team Brown Nose” fighter in his corner.

The first minute showcased excellent stand-up work from both men.  Amir, the rangier fighter, used foot jabs to keep distance.  Brown’s punches were tight and accurate, at least touching Amir with nearly every attempt.

Amir responded with classic Muay Thai technique while against the fence.  A hard knee crashed into the rib cage of Brown, near the liver.  Brown moans and sinks a little.  He showed why everybody believes he’s made of the right stuff by staying clinched.  That body shot that would have dropped lesser men.

Amir showed great takedown defense as Brown tried to wrestle him to the ground.  Off the cage, the two threw almost an equal number of strikes, with both fighters hitting with regularity, though Brown started to edge ahead when the horn ended the violent round.

Brown came out in round two like a man on fire, but Amir withstood the attack and mounted his own offense, chasing Brown and throwing a flying kick (sure, it didn’t land, but it made it into the preview last week).

The action slowed a little, to the level where most fights peak.  Brown landed a knee on Amir’s head from the clinch.  Amir responded with a foot jab to Brown’s face.

Amir grabbed a body lock and tripped Brown to the mat.  Amir worked into mount, got pushed to guard, and worked to mount again.  Brown, turning on his side and hipping into Amir, pulled guard again.

After this position exchange again, a scramble ensued with Brown landing on top.  Amir, with no professional fights on his record and a “striker”, slipped a triangle around Brown and the Cincinnati fighter tapped.

Amir and Jesse moved on to the quarter finals.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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