Hamill posted his retirement announced on his official website. Here are some of the highlights: “Today is a sad day for me. After six years and 13 fights in the UFC I’m ready to hang up my gloves and retire from this amazing sport… My career has been plagued by injuries starting with The Ultimate Fighter and disrupted my training ever since. There hasn’t been even one training camp where I’ve been able to train without training around an injury. I have not been kind to my body and it has nothing left after 28 years of non stop competition. It’s time to finally give it a rest… Thank you to all my training partners who have shared their blood sweat and tears with me along the way. Thank you to all my friends and family for their unconditional support and most of all thank you to my fans! It’s the fans that have made this the truly special experience it has been.”

Matt Hamill is a “UFC born, UFC bred” fighter, having had only one of his professional MMA fights ever take place outside of the Octagon. After a highly entertaining stint on “The Ultimate Fighter”, Hamill officially debuted in the UFC in 2006 with a great first-round TKO victory. Hamill fought and won two more times before losing to Michael Bisping in a decision that many fans and insiders still consider one of the worst judging errors in the history of MMA.

After going 1-1 for most of 2008, Hamill ended 2008 with a big second-round TKO, which kick-started what would end up becoming a five-fight win-streak. Even though one of those wins was a DQ win over Jon Jones, the other four were all against top opponents and featured entertaining finishes, like Hamill’s decision win over Tito Ortiz or his head kick KO win over Mark Munoz.

For his efforts to climb out of his stance as a gatekeeper, Hamill was given former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson at UFC 130. Hamill would lose by decision, and the rest is history.

In all honesty, I’m really going to miss Matt Hamill. I say this without hyperbole, and as a big Matt Hamill fan: Matt Hamill is one the most inspiring stories in MMA history. His story of conquering deafness to emerge as a high-profile, high-level Octagon warrior is right up there with stories like Randy Couture becoming MMA’s ageless wonder. He may never have held a championship, but Matt Hamill was a very talented, very entertaining fighter with a commandingly-positive record.

I honestly wish Matt Hamill wasn’t retiring, but I admit that I feel that way for a completely selfish reason: I don’t want him to retire because I like watching him fight. I’m legitimately sad right now. There’s only a few fighters on my “dark horse favorites” list, meaning the fighters I always pay attention to no matter how their popularity fluctuates and who I’ll always root for no matter who they’re facing. Matt Hamill was one of those fighters, and I can’t think of anything that could’ve happened for me to remove him from that list.

I apologize if this comes off as a bit sentimental and emotional, but that’s how I feel and I’ve never had a problem sharing my opinion. I’ll end with two single, simple sentences.

Thank you, Matt Hamill, for consistently and wonderfully entertaining me for five years straight.

I’m going to miss you.

First up, let’s head to MMA Mania for news on how the fighters of UFC 130 are holding up. The official medical suspensions stand as such.

Quinton Jackson: Must have left hand x-rayed; if positive then must be cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension, no contest until 06/28/11, no contact until 06/19/11.

Frank Mir: Must have left ribs cleared by doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension, no contest until 06/28/11, no contact until 06/19/11.

Stefan Struve: Suspended until 07/28/11; no contact until 07/13/11 for precautionary reasons.

Brian Stann: Must have right thumb x-rayed; if positive then must be cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension, no contest until 06/28/11, no contact until 06/19/11.

Jorge Santiago: Must clear left orbital fracture with ENT or ophthalmologist or no contest until 11/25/11.

Rafaello Oliveira: Suspended until 07/28/11; no contact until 07/13/11 for precautionary reasons.

Michael McDonald: Must have left shoulder cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension until 07/28/11, no contact until 07/13/11.

Next up, we go to the one and only Sherdog for the official list of reported payouts for UFC 130. As expected, several of the major headlining attractions left with a considerable chunk of change. Here’s what everyone made.

Quinton Jackson — $250,000 (no win bonus) def. Matt Hamill — $32,000

Frank Mir — $250,000 (including $125,000 win bonus) def. Roy Nelson — $15,000

Travis Browne — $16,000 (including $8,000 win bonus) def. Stefan Struve — $21,000

Rick Story — $34,000 (including $17,000 win bonus) def. Thiago Alves — $33,000

Brian Stann — $46,000 (including $23,000 win bonus) def. Jorge Santiago — $36,000

Demetrious Johnson — $12,000 (including $6,000 win bonus) def. Miguel Torres — $30,000

Tim Boetsch — $36,000 (including $18,000 win bonus) def. Kendall Grove — $28,000

Gleison Tibau — $50,000 (including $25,000 win bonus) def. Rafaello Oliveira — $10,000

Michael McDonald — $12,000 (including $6,000 win bonus) def. Chris Cariaso — $4,000

Renan “Barao” Pegado — $10,000 (including $5,000 win bonus) def. Cole Escovedo — $6,000

So it does look like both Quinton Jackson and Frank Mir could be out for nearly the rest of the entire year, which is a shame since both men scored big wins at UFC 130. But they’re both dealing with serious injuries, and I wish them both the best as well as a speedy recovery.

In regards to the UFC payroll, it doesn’t surprise me that Jackson and Mir made off with a quarter of a million. What surprised me is how much their opponents made in comparison. Here’s some simple math for you, fans and friends.

According to this payroll, Quinton Jackson made nearly eight times as much money as his opponent, “Ultimate Fighter” standout and longtime journeyman fighter Matt Hamill.

The discrepancy gets even worse when you compare Frank Mir’s salary to that of Roy Nelson. The former UFC Heavyweight and Interim Heavyweight Champion, Mir, made nearly seventeen times more money that the winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10, Roy Nelson.

Of course, this money does not include things like bonuses, whether traditional or untraditional. It also doesn’t include things like sponsorship deals.

But still… that’s one whopper of a discrepancy. The UFC is definitely home to the big, big paychecks… it just appears that that’s only true for a very select few.

5. Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson living up to its potential.

I was very hesitant about Miguel Torres after his bore-fest of a UFC debut, I’ve made no secret of that. But he honestly redeemed himself a whole lot (though not completely) at UFC 130. This was a Miguel Torres I could like: his style is wholly different, but the old fire and passion is still there, as is the hunger to get a dramatic finish. Johnson was simply the better man, and as I predicted, this fight saw him fully emerge as a UFC Bantamweight Championship contender. All told, it was the best fight of the UFC 130 preliminary card.

4. Frank Mir controlling and dominating an over-matched and overweight Roy Nelson.

When Frank Mir is off… he’s way, way off. But when Frank Mir is on? When Frank Mir is on, it becomes very apparent why he’s a former Heavyweight champion. Mir showed up in great shape and really controlled Roy Nelson, who is a tough opponent for anybody. Both men ended up gassing, but mostly because the first round of their fight was so frantic and exciting. It wasn’t the best performance of Frank Mir’s career, but it did demonstrate that he’s still a force in the UFC’s Heavyweight division after all this time.

3. Quinton Jackson fully shaking off the ring rust against Matt Hamill.

Jackson didn’t look too impressive against Rashad Evans, the same could be said for his bout with Lyoto Machida. But when you look at his UFC 130 fight with Matt Hamill and consider that he had a fractured hand going into the bout… Jackson looked very impressive. With some of the shots he hit Hamill with, you have to wonder if those shots would’ve knocked Hamill out if “Rampage” had his hands at full strength. This wasn’t the full rebirth of the Quinton Jackson of old, but it was a huge step in the right direction.

2. Brian Stann dominating Jorge Santiago.

Even if we put aside the tremendous story of a former Marine and Silver Star recipient fighting on Memorial Day weekend, it’s tough to look at Brian Stann and not picture him as a possible title contender before the year is through. Stann seems to be putting it all together at Middleweight: fast hands, crisp striking, and dangerous KO power. Jorge Santiago came into the UFC after an amazing run in Japan… and Brian Stann may have just sent him back there. It was a fantastic performance, and when you add in Stann’s background, it was the best feel-good moment of the night.

And my personal pick for the best moment of UFC 130 is…

1. Travis Browne’s Superman Punch KO on Stefan Struve.

If you ever wondered why this was called the “Superman Punch”, here’s your answer: if someone knows how to use it correctly and has good power in his hands, it’s nearly guaranteed to knock an opponent senseless. Like many flashy strikes, it’s mostly used not to damage but to create openings and get inside an opponent’s head. But Browne utilized the move to its full effect when he folded up the gigantic Stefan Struve. That’s a highlight that will be on Browne’s reel for the rest of his career, and it was honestly the best moment of an underwhelming UFC 130.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from UFC 130: “Rampage vs. Hamill”.

Next for Brian Stann: Now that he’s dropped down to Middleweight, Brian Stann just keeps finding a way to finish people in dramatic fashion. He’s now on a three-fight win-streak with three stoppages: tww KO’s and one submission. He’s also got one “Fight of the Night” award under his belt as a Middleweight. Stann is a huge breath of fresh air in a division still recuperating from Anderson Silva’s reign of destruction, so I see Stann being immediately put into a “contender eliminator” fight in his next bout.

Next for Roy Nelson: I feel quite sad to say this, but it’s time for “Big Country” to lose the “big”. Perhaps it’s Nelson getting up there in years, perhaps it’s the simple fact that what everyone said would happen finally is happening. But Roy Nelson has got to lose weight, and fast. His cardio is abominable if it goes past the first round, and Mir proved that it’s even abominable in the very first round if you know how to work him. If Nelson doesn’t show up to his next fight at a trim 220, 240 at maximum, then he’s doomed to stay knocking out UFC Heavyweight bottom-feeders until he loses a few in a row and the UFC cuts him.

Next for Frank Mir: What an interesting situation Frank Mir finds himself in. He continues to find ways to prolong his career as a top-flight UFC Heavyweight, and to be honest, I think he looked awesome against Roy Nelson. I don’t have anything against Frank Mir, I actually consider myself a bit of a fan of the man. But it worries me that he can look great in some fights only to get pummeled in other fights. Based on his name and style, Mir will probably get a “contender eliminator” fight for his next fight… but if it’s someone who knows his tricks and has good punching power, he could lose his shot at the title once again. And since he’s been fighting in the UFC for so long, there are a lot of people out there that know his tricks. And since it’s the UFC Heavyweight division, a lot of people have good punching power.

Next for Matt Hamill: Much like Roy Nelson, I truly hate to say this. But I think this fight proved that Matt Hamill is and always will be a gatekeeper. He’s awesome against a certain type of opponent, but that opponent doesn’t have “best in the world” status. Expect Hamill to be a staple of the UFC’s “Fight Night Live” outings for the foreseeable future.

Next for Quinton Jackson: At least for now, Quinton Jackson has preserved his spot as one of the best 205 fighters in the UFC. What’s next is anyone’s guess, considering how many top-ranked Light Heavyweights are in the UFC and constantly fighting for their shot at the championship. I will say this, though: one way or another, we’ll know by the end of the year whether or not Quinton Jackson will fight for a championship. If he does, he faces a tough but not insurmountable task. If he doesn’t, he’ll continue fighting for one and winning more than he loses so long as he shows up in shape, focused, and healthy.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? What do you see happening in the near and not-so-near future of the big winners and losers of UFC 130: “Rampage vs. Hamill”?

Full results courtesy of MMA Weekly.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson defeats Matt Hamill via unanimous decision (30-27 x3). Frank Mir defeats Roy Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26). Travis Browne defeats Stefan Struve via KO at 4:11 of the first round. Rick Story defeats Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (29-28 x3). Brian Stann defeats Jorge Santiago via TKO at 4:29 or round two. Demetrious Johnson defeats Miguel Torres via unanimous decision (29-28 x3). Tim Boetsch defeats Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27 x3). Gleison Tibau defeats Rafaello via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:28 of round two. Michael McDonald defeats Chris Cariaso via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28). Renan Barao defeats Cole Escovedo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

I’ll begin with my most prevalent reaction to this card: as the title says, this card lives up to the “anti-hype”. Some fights were good, but some fights weren’t. Some fighters gave good performances, some fighters gave marginal, average, and occasionally sloppy/bad performances. It was an average event in a day and age where “average” is below average. This is the UFC we’re talking about, and most people decried this as a glorified “Fight Night Live” card. With only a few exceptions, they ended up being right.

Renan Barao left me honestly a bit disappointed. With his kind of record, I thought he would totally blitzkrieg Cole Escovedo and set himself up as an immediate Bantamweight Championship contender. I said the exact same thing about Michael McDonald, who once again showed tremendous talent but squeaked his way past a close decision. Gleison Tibau put on a good performance, but he’s the definition of a journeyman.

I think Tim Boetsch could be a force at Middleweight, but he seemed to be playing it safe for most of his fight and it got a little boring at times. On the very positive side, Miguel Torres took a huge step forward in redeeming himself with his heartfelt, entertaining performance against Demetrious Johnson. In losing to “Mighty Mouse”, Torres actually gained back some of the respect that I lost for him when he made an incredibly boring UFC debut.

I loved seeing Brian Stann go to town, and I also liked seeing Travis Browne KTFO Stefan Struve. But I have to wonder if either of those two fights belonged on the main card of a major UFC Pay-Per-View. I personally found the bout between Rick Story and Thiago Alves very boring. And after being a fan of Roy Nelson for most of his career, I now have no choice but to admit that Roy Nelson’s quirky physique has stopped being quirky and started becoming the Achilles Heel everyone says it would end up becoming. As much as he loves it, Nelson needs to lose his gut… and quickly.

And in the main event of UFC 130, a star-struck Matt Hamill fought an injured (we’d find that out in Jackson’s post-fight interview) Quinton Jackson. Even Jackson himself gave his performance a failing grade, rating it a five out of ten. Jackson kept himself alive in the Light Heavyweight title hunt, but Matt Hamill seemed so far out of his element that I think many people will rightfully question what this win proved.

Overall… I normally don’t mind being wrong, but I really wish I had been right. I really wish this card had been a “sleeper hit” and answered all the cynics. But it didn’t… and that’s very unfortunate.

5. Three free fights on Facebook.

The main event of the free Facebook preliminary broadcast features a battle between two journeyman UFC fighters, and that’s always an interesting and competitive bout. But you’ve also got two fighters who basically don’t belong on the prelims and could be major stars in a very short amount of time. The first one is Renan Barao, who possesses an incredible record of 25-1. The second is Michael McDonald, with a record of 12-1 with eleven stoppages. Those fighters shouldn’t be missed, so the Facebook stream shouldn’t be missed.

4. Two big fights on Spike TV

Speaking of journeyman, one of the UFC’s most popular Middleweight journeyman will be in action at UFC 130: Kendall Grove. Grove takes on Tim Boetsch, who recently had a four-fight win-streak broken. But even bigger than that, you’ve got former top-ranked Pound-for-Pound stalwart and long-reigning WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres taking on the fiery Demetrious Johnson. Whoever wins that fight will be only one or two fights away from a shot at the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

3. Brian Stann fighting on Memorial Day Weekend.

No matter what your personal feelings are on the current war situation, we should all agree that Memorial Day is a time best served for reflection and honoring the fallen. Brian Stann will fight for both his country and his comrades when he steps into the cage at UFC 130, which takes place during Memorial Day weekend. Stann is so pumped for this fight that he recently gave an interview where he said that he’d fight every single day of this weekend if he could. Depending on how his fight with Jorge Santiago goes, Stann may take a huge step towards the UFC Middleweight Championship at this event.

2. Nelson vs. Mir is going to surprise a lot of people.

People are thinking this is going to be a good fight and a fun brawl… and I honestly think they’re wrong. It’s going to be a good fight… and a superbly-technical ground war. In a way, this is the fight Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira should have been: striking will be put on the backburner although not abandoned entirely, while both men dazzle fans with their ground wizardry. If you’ve got even a modicum of respect for the ground game, this is a must-watch fight.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 130 is…

1. Matt Hamill’s coming-out party.

I’ve talked about it for so long, and now the day is finally here. Later today, I fully believe that Matt Hamill will finally step into the role of a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship contender. He’ll be facing arguably the toughest test of his career, but that’s going to motivate him to put on the best performance of his life. I can’t wait to see Matt Hamill triumph over adversity one more time and become the fighter I always knew he could be.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 130. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill: I’ve staked my claim in Matt Hamill’s corner ever since this fight was first announced, and that’s not changing anytime soon. I know Matt Hamill can beat “Rampage”, I’ve seen his heart and will carry him through too much to ever doubt him again. We’re going to see the best Matt Hamill we’ve ever seen in this fight, and he’s going to surprise a lot of people. Hamill will show up in great shape and very focused, and will beat Jackson by Unanimous Decision.

Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson: It all comes down to two things: size and strength. Both of these fighters have it, but I think Roy Nelson has more of it. As awkward as it is, Roy Nelson’s big belly allows him to really control people on the ground, it’s nearly impossible to get out from under it. Nelson also has big one-hit knockout power, whereas Mir has good power but really needs to soften a guy up before TKO’ing them. Even the big power punch he landed on Cheick Kongo wasn’t enough to turn out the lights in an instant, and that was full-force and dead square on the chin. Both are so good on the ground that neither one of them is getting submitted, and although Nelson has both speed and power in his strikes, I think Frank Mir won’t get stopped and dropped. Roy Nelson wins a tough, close bout by Unanimous Decision.

Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve: Stefan Struve is a bit of an enigma. When he’s put up against a good opponent, his size, reach, and heart all make him a very formidable foe. When he’s put up against someone with huge punching power, though, he can go out like a light in under a minute. Unfortunately for Struve, eight of Browne’s ten wins have come by some form of (T)KO. If Struve takes this fight to the ground, he’ll likely win by Submission by Round 2. But if Struve wants to stand and bang just to prove that he can, that chin is going to betray him before long, and Browne will win by TKO by Round 2.

Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago: Santiago has been on a very good run outside of the UFC, but it’s an entirely different level of competition inside the Octagon. Brian Stann is quickly molding himself into a top-tier Middleweight, and he looked excellent in his fight with Chris Leben. I just can’t get past the fact that Santiago has been dropped and stopped five times in his career, over half of his career losses have come from someone cracking his chin. That’s exactly what I think is going to happen here: Brian Stann wins by first-round KO.

Rick Story vs. Thiago Alves: Story may be on a good five-fight win-streak, but three of those wins were decisions and two were Split Decisions. Thiago Alves hasn’t fully recaptured the magic of his 2008 run, though. However, he looked like he was well on his way to doing just that in his last fight. I think this fight will end with Alves taking a firm step towards another title shot, even though Story will make him work for it. Thiago Alves wins by TKO in Round 3.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Who do you see winning, and why, at UFC 130?

The Event: UFC 130, currently scheduled for May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three preliminary fights will be streamed at the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 6:45 PM ET. Two additional preliminary fights will then be shown on Spike TV starting at 8:00 PM ET. The main UFC 130 Pay-Per-View card starts at 9:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: This isn’t hype talking: this card really does have something for everybody. You’ve got a great grappling/BJJ match-up in Roy Nelson vs. Frank Mir in the co-main event. In the main event, Quinton Jackson is a knockout artist while Matt Hamill is the journeyman that’s closer than ever to realizing his dream. You’ve got strikers like Thiago Alves, submission specialists, grinders, wrestlers, “jack of all trades” fighters, and more.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Both Quinton Jackson and Matt Hamill want a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. For Matt Hamill, it’s a dream he’s spent most of his MMA career working towards. For Quinton Jackson, it’s a shot at redemption after some tumultuous years, and quite possibly his last chance to capture UFC gold before he retires. Both men will push the pace and make this fight exciting no matter where it goes.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Frank Mir and Roy Nelson are two very different fighters, but they share several interesting similarities. Mir recently abandoned his super-muscular 265 pound physique in favor of his more-natural 240 or so, while Nelson routinely tips the scales near the Heavyweight weight limit based mostly on the size of his famous beer belly. But the one thing these two share most in common is that they’re highly-distinguished grapplers and submission specialists with fierce punching power. Much like Hamill/Jackson, this fight should be entertaining no matter where it goes.

Why You Should Watch This Card: In addition to the great co-main and main events, you’ve got several good fights on the main Pay-Per-View card and especially the free preliminary cards. If you’re a WEC fan, you’ve also got some big former WEC names competing on the card, names like Miguel Torres. If you’re a fan of the mid-tier, Kendall Grove and Gleison Tibau are competing. The list of fighters competing at UFC 130 runs the gamut, and while they may not be the best the UFC has to offer, they’re certainly an interesting group of good-to-great fighters.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: As I just admitted, these honestly aren’t the best fighters the UFC has to offer. Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill is a good fight, I even keep promising it’s going to be great, but I agree with the cynics that it’s not a particularly notable main event. Mir/Nelson is good, but then you have to ask yourself if you think Mir and/or Nelson could really pose a threat to the UFC’s upper-echelon Heavyweights. UFC 130 features a host of matches that should be good, sure, but very few of them are particularly meaningful.

Closing Thoughts: For all the cynicism this card has inspired, I’m actually really looking forward to UFC 130. It’s shaping up to be a great event, overall. It may not be the best or most star-studded event in UFC history, but it should be an excellent way to kick off the UFC’s summer endeavors.

And what about you, fans and friends? Anybody out there looking forward to UFC 130?

Quinton Jackson is one of those rare fighters that hardly needs an introduction. But I’ll attempt to do him justice. When Jackson steps into the Octagon at UFC 130 tomorrow, he’ll celebrate his fortieth fight as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. With an overwhelmingly positive record of 31-8, the man nicknamed “Rampage” has won nine of his last eleven bouts. Jackson has been fighting since 1999, and was one of the biggest stars of the legendary PRIDE FC promotion.

Jackson’s run in PRIDE was arguably as good as any of PRIDE’s mega-stars. Known for his vicious punching power as well as his amazing slams, “Rampage” proved to be a breakthrough hit as well as a highly-regarded fighter. That success instantly translated into a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship shortly after Jackson made his UFC debut. Since 2008, Jackson has been working his way back to a title shot. It’s taken him several major controversies, a season coaching “The Ultimate Fighter”, and a highly-published dispute with the UFC that involved him “retiring”, but Jackson is now closer than ever to getting another title shot.

The one person standing in Jackson’s way is Matt Hamill. Without hyperbole, Matt Hamill has got to be one of the most-inspiring MMA stories of all time. Hamill was born deaf, but overcame his disability thanks to his unbreakable will and a love for amateur wrestling. Hamill was a contestant on the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, and made an immediate name for himself before bowing out of the reality TV show due to injuries. Hamill made his UFC debut in 2006, which was only the second fight of his MMA career. It really says something that Matt Hamill has realistically fought his entire career inside the Octagon.

Since making his UFC debut, Hamill’s record stands at a very respectable 9-2. He’s faced some interesting challenges in his day: Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Mark Munoz, Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine. He’s also finished a majority of his opponents: of his nine Octagon victories, five have been by (T)KO. One has been by disqualification. And despite some cynics decrying Matt Hamill as a boring fighter in the weeks leading up to this fight, Matt Hamill has been to a decision (win or lose) four times in roughly five years.

Heading into this fight, I can’t wait for Matt Hamill to fully assert himself and step into the role of a championship challenger. I’m just sad he’ll have to take down “Rampage” to do it. This is Hamill’s time now, I firmly believe that and I firmly believe in him. Hamill is ready for a challenge of this magnitude, and he’s going to come out and surprise a lot of people at UFC 130.

And that’s it, fans and friends! After four days and many, many entries… “A Closer Look at UFC 130” officially comes to a close. I hope you’ve enjoyed the series, and I hope you’ve learned a thing or two about this very interesting event and its diverse cast of fighters.

5. It’s an interesting “striker vs. grappler” dynamic.

As the saying goes, styles make fights. Quinton Jackson may not be fighting as much as he used to. And he may have shown up to his last few fights with some sizable ring rust. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that his punching power, when he hits you squarely and solidly, seems to have not diminished much if at all. Meanwhile, Matt Hamill is a dominant wrestler that recently out-wrestled and dominated Tito Ortiz, who used to be one of the most-dominant wrestlers in the business.

4. Matt Hamill is closer than he’s ever been to getting a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, and that’s some big motivation.

Currently, Matt Hamill is on a five-fight win-streak. That’s the longest win-streak of Hamill’s career, and he hasn’t been fighting bums. Even if you exclude the win he got over Jon Jones by disqualification, Hamill has won four out of his last five with two (T)KO finishes. This opportunity has been a long time coming for Matt Hamill, and I don’t doubt that he’ll do whatever he can to prove that he belongs amongst the Light Heavyweight elite. With that kind of motivation propelling him, we’ll probably see the best Matt Hamill we’ve ever seen when he steps into the cage at UFC 130.

3. Jackson needs a big win to erase the Machida controversy, and that’s some big motivation as well.

A lot of people don’t talk about Quinton Jackson as much as they used to. It may have something to do with the long absences from the sport he keeps taking, it may have something to do with the fact that he’s not looked as good as he used to in some of his more-recent fights. For a former champion, that’s some pretty strong motivation. Jackson needs a big win if he wants to stay relevant in the sport, and until he does decide to call it a career, I think staying relevant is very important to “Rampage”.

2. Matt Hamill is not a boring fighter.

I hear this complaint all the time, and it honestly baffles me. Matt Hamill has been to a decision in his two most recent fights, sure, but they were both entertaining scraps against Tito Ortiz and Keith Jardine. Aside from those two occasions, Hamill has been to a decision on two other occasions. All told, Matt Hamill has ten wins with six stoppages. Just by using simple mathematics, that means that Matt Hamill finishes a majority of his fights. I’ve never been unimpressed with Matt Hamill, and I think those that are maybe haven’t seen as many of his fights as they should. Matt Hamill is constantly evolving, he’s got a tremendous heart, and the one thing he is not… is a boring fighter.

And the number-one reason why Matt Hamill vs. Quinton Jackson should be a great fight is…

1. No ring rust means “Rampage” is back on track.

If Quinton Jackson shows up healthy and focused at UFC 130, there’s a high chance that we’ll see a dramatic knockout. Even if his dedication to the sport has wavered, you can’t deny that Jackson still belongs amongst the 205 elite. Now that his fighting schedule is back to a normal UFC fighter’s schedule, Jackson has had ample opportunity to shake off the ring rust. So long as the rust stays off, Jackson should deliver a very, very entertaining performance at UFC 130.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of this match-up?

White recently said just that in a new interview over at USA TODAY. Here are the highlights: “Talking’s fun before the fight, but if you do all this talking and then you go in there and don’t fight, who wants to see that (crap) again? Rampage-Rashad, the (freaking) snoozefest? …When have you not seen Matt Hamill fight? Matt Hamill’s going to go in there and try to beat him.”

Much like Dana White, it honestly baffles me how many people have vocally opposed the idea of Hamill/Rampage in favor of a second Rampage/Evans encounter. Let’s not sugar-coat it: their first encounter was a bad fight.

When people think of Jackson/Evans 2, I think they’re putting on a pair of rose-colored glasses and remembering the months leading up to the fight, not the actual fight itself. And to be fair, the pre-fight hype and altercations leading up to Jackson/Evans was some of the best build the UFC has seen in years. The season of “The Ultimate Fighter” they coached against each other was vastly entertaining, solely on the strength of both men’s hatred towards each other and in spite of the fact that TUF Season 10 featured some of the worst fights in the show’s entire history.

But when it came time to actually fight, the intense give-and-take brawl fans had been waiting for never materialized. Instead, what we were left with is a very disappointing fight that many fans seem to be sweeping under the rug with a laundry list of excuses.

To fans thinking that the second fight will be the encounter the first fight should have been, all I can ask is: why? Why do you think that? I understand that you have faith in your favorite fighters, but what’s with all this talk of seeing a rematch to a fight that was vastly underwhelming, when Jackson is instead getting a new, fresh opponent that is hungry for top-division status and wants to achieve that status by dismantling Rampage?

It’s really as simple as that: when have you not seen Matt Hamill fight? Matt Hamill is an entertaining, dynamic fighter, and he’s currently on a major win-streak. Hamill deserves this opportunity, he’s earned it, and he’s fought through some tough wars both in the Octagon and in life in general in order to earn his shot at championship relevancy. So while fans continue to be divided on this upcoming match, I’ll keep shouting it from the rooftops until someone listens: Matt Hamill vs. Quinton Jackon is actually going to be a pretty good fight.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any reaction to Dana White’s comments?

5. Matt Hamill struggles against high-level competition.

When Michael Bisping fought Matt Hamill, Bisping was a 13-0 fighter with his last three wins all coming by way of TKO. When Matt Hamill fought Rich Franklin, Franklin was a former UFC Middleweight Champion and had won three of his last four fights, two of which were by TKO. You can debate at how high of a level they were at when Hamill fought them, you can even debate that Hamill should have beaten Bisping, but let’s not debate that Matt Hamill has had two past chances to attain top-level status and failed both times. This is relevant for one simple reason: despite some ups and downs, “Rampage” is still very much a high-level opponent.

4. Matt Hamill has never fought someone like Quinton Jackson.

Quinton Jackson certainly has a lot going for him. He’s a very talented veteran. He has serious knockout power. He’s got good wrestling even though he doesn’t use it much nowadays. If you try to submit him, he simply lifts you up off the ground and tries to slam you into unconsciousness. Jackson may be famous for his fists, but it’s his versatility that has kept him relevant for so long. Quinton Jackson is surprisingly versatile, and as a whole, he represents a strong departure from Hamill’s normal competition. Facing someone you’re not accustomed to fighting is tough enough to begin with, when that someone is Quinton Jackson, you’re definitely in for a lot of trouble if you don’t show up at your absolute best.

3. Don’t sleep on Jackson’s power or else you really will be going to sleep.

Has Matt Hamill ever faced a true knockout artist like “Rampage”, someone that packs a massive amount of power behind each and every punch? Jon Jones certainly comes close, but even “Bones” doesn’t have Jackson’s level of strength. And let’s not forget that no chin is unbreakable no matter how long it holds up. It’s becoming increasingly evident that if you’re an MMA fighter that’s never been knocked out before… all you have to do is wait, because your time will come. Jackson’s heavy hands are widely perceived as the deadliest tools in his arsenal, and that’s a big problem for Matt Hamill.

2. With a big victory over Lyoto Machida and ring rust behind him, Jackson is relevant and fired up again.

When Jackson fought Rashad Evans, it was his first fight in over a year. He looked very rusty and lost. Six months later, he fought Lyoto Machida. He still looked just a bit rusty, but he won a hard-fought bout. When Jackson fights Hamill, it’ll be after approximately another six months. Basically, Jackson is back on schedule, is coming off a huge victory, and now has some serious momentum behind him. Jackson seems to have found that spark again, and a motivated Quinton Jackson is a very dangerous, very scary Quinton Jackson.

And the number one reason “Rampage” could end up defeating Matt Hamill is…

1. Because it’s Rampage.

There is only one “Rampage” Jackson. This is the man that started the downfall of Chuck Liddell. He unified the PRIDE Middleweight and UFC Light Heavyweight Championships. He’s got countless KO’s on his highlight reel. He’s an eleven-year, thirty-nine fight veteran. He’s even an action movie star. Jackson is a character, but he’s also a fighter, and he’s a champion in spirit and determination regardless of whether or not he’s got a title around his waist. The main reason Matt Hamill could beat Quinton Jackson is also the main reason Quinton Jackson could beat Matt Hamill: simply because he is who he is.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Jackson or Hamill: who wins it and why?

5. With top-division status on the line, Hamill will be at his most motivated when it comes time to fight.

“The Hammer” has fought eleven of his twelve professional MMA fights inside the Octagon. In that time, he’s had two clear shots at top-division status, but he lost both times, first to Michael Bisping (even though fans debate the outcome of that fight to this day) and then to Rich Franklin. But those losses lit a fire inside Hamill, and he hasn’t lost a fight in over two years. Hamill is more motivated than ever, and this will be one of his biggest tools to defeat “Rampage”.

4. Hamill is a good wrestler and Jackson falters against good wrestlers.

Inside the Octagon, Quinton Jackson has lost to two men: Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans. In the Evans fight especially, “Sugar” was able to thoroughly control Jackson on the ground and against the cage. Hamill is a highly-lauded wrestler, and his recent performance against Tito Ortiz proved that he can even dominate fighters who are or were known for their great wrestling.

3. What decision? Matt Hamill can knock you out.

While it’s true that Matt Hamill’s last two fights have both gone to a decision, this does not mean that he’s unable to finish a fight. In fact, Hamill has twice as many stoppage victories as he does decision victories. He’s even got a High Kick KO on his record. Hamill has surprising power in his hands and has stopped plenty of fighters before, and this will be one of the keys to defeating an opponent like Jackson, who may come in underestimating Hamill’s standup skills.

2. Hamill is on the biggest win-streak of his career.

I’m honestly baffled at the people who say that Hamill doesn’t deserve a shot at “Rampage”. The man is on a five-fight win-streak that includes two (T)KO victories. A lot of people still give Hamill grief for his DQ win over Jon Jones, but Hamill rebounded from that (as much as you can rebound from a win, anyway) with two strong showings over Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz. If it wasn’t Jackson, it would’ve been some other top-division Light Heavyweight. Hamill has proven that he’s ready for them.

And the number one reason Matt Hamill could end up defeating Quinton Jackson is…

1. Because it’s Matt Hamill.

It’s really as simple as that. Matt Hamill is the type of person that triumphs over adversity. He’s had some tough defeats along the way, but each and every time he’s come back a better, stronger fighter. “Rampage” may have stronger fists, but no one has Matt Hamill’s heart and determination. The simple fact that Matt Hamill is who he is definitely makes it possible that he can beat “Rampage”.

That’s it for now, but stay tuned for part two, featuring five reasons why Quinton Jackson could beat Matt Hamill. And what do you think fans and friends? How much of a shot does “The Hammer” have against “Rampage”?

5. Now that he’s shaken off the rust, Jackson’s next fight should be a good one no matter who he faces.

The reason this one starts us out is because I think this applies to any of Jackson’s future opponents, not just Matt Hamill. Jackson looked very rusty in his bout with Rashad Evans, and to be honest, he still seemed to have a few problems against Lyoto Machida. But now that he’s two fights into his comeback, we should soon see the return of the “Rampage” Jackson that won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

4. Matt Hamill can take a punch.

Matt Hamill has only been TKO’d once in his career… by a liver kick. He came pretty close to being TKO’d in December 2009 when he fought Jon Jones, but a large part of that near-stoppage was due to the fact that Jones got a bit too excited and started blasting Hamill with illegal elbow strikes. Jackson has crushing KO power in his hands, but Matt Hamill is a survivor and I don’t see him crumbling during the first salvo. I think a lot of people currently predicting doom for Matt Hamill will be very surprised when he takes some of Jackson’s best punches and keeps going.

3. Matt Hamill has been on the verge of championship relevancy for the last several years, so this fight would likely see him at his best and hungriest.

Currently, Hamill is on a five-fight win-streak and hasn’t lost since September 2008. Hamill has always been hunting for a title shot from the moment he first stepped into the Octagon, but for one reason or another it just hasn’t happened. But there can be no doubt: if he beats Jackson, Hamill immediately ascends to top-division status. This fight against Jackson would showcase the most motivated Hamill we’ve ever seen, and if you’ve followed Matt Hamill at all throughout his career, you’d know that a motivated Matt Hamill is a threat to anyone.

2. It’s a new, interesting opponent for Quinton Jackson, and there’s not too many in the UFC that “Rampage” hasn’t faced before.

While Jackson/Evans 2 is certainly a big-money match-up, does it make sense to have the second encounter so soon after their first? Evans did win by Unanimous Decision. As a Jackson fan, I want to see “Rampage” in new and exciting fights against people he’s never fought before, wasn’t that one of the big reasons the UFC signed Jackson in the first place? Jackson has fought a whole lot of people, but there’s many in the UFC that he’s never tangled with, and this is the kind of fight that keeps Jackson’s career interesting, not stagnant.

And the number one reason I think we should all be looking forward to this match is because…

1. Both men just aren’t boring fighters.

Everything else aside, this reason stands out as my biggest counter to the lukewarm reception this match-up has been getting. Nine times out of ten, Matt Hamill is not a boring fighter. Nine times out of ten, Quinton Jackson is not a boring fighter. Why then is everyone assuming that this fight won’t be anything special? Hamill will make it competitive or he’ll die trying, Jackson will hunt for the knockout and he’ll have to get past Hamill’s formidable chin to do so. It may not look like much of a match at first glance, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see that this has the potential to be a great fight.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What’s your opinion on Hamill vs. Jackson?

“Rampage”, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, was originally scheduled to face off against Brazilian slugger Thiago Silva before he came under scrutiny with recent allegations of a failed drug test post-UFC 125 last January.

Since that time, a rumor had been floating around that rival Rashad Evans would instead take Silva’s place, however multiple sources have confirmed that Hamill, not Evans, will be meeting with Jackson come this May, though if you’d ask Quinton, he’d much rather face off against the Greg Jackson product.

As news of a Hamill-Jackson bout began to come to a head, Quinton took the time to campaign a rematch with Evans rather then take on the season three veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter” in Hamill.

“I’m not interested in Fighting Matt,I rather fight Rashad,I have un finished business with him (sic)”, said Jackson, who took to Twitter to unveil his desire to meet with Evans once again.

Their animosity dates back many years, however gained ton’s of notoriety when the two former champions met on the tenth season of TUF, where they were both nearly coming to blows every episode or so. The pair finally met last May, and though Jackson had his moments, Rashad earned a hard-fought decision win over the former PRIDE star. Quinton has since spoken publicly of his desire to meet with Evans again, though if there was any better time for him to seek a bout with the former collegiate wrestler, it would be now.

Rashad was poised to take on UFC titleholder Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the promotion’s 205-pound belt, however a late injury forced Evans from the scheduled March card, and teammate Jon Jones has since stepped up in his place.

A knee injury will sideline Evans for approximately 6-8 weeks, leaving him an ample amount of time to reappear on the May 28th card for “UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III”, should he chose to. Both Rashad and Quinton’s original main-event meeting reportedly netted the promotion over 1 million in pay-per-view buys, making it the only event in the company’s history to do so without a title on the line.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think–would you rather see Jackson/Evans II, or Quinton take on Hamill? I personally think it’s too soon to see “black on black crime” inside the cage again, but it doesn’t mean I won’t watch it if that’s whats on tap next. Sound off in the comment section below.

MMAJunkie.com previously reported that the American Top Team product was the sole fighter on the January fight card who’s post-fight drugs screenings were still under the scope, and since then Silva has admitted some foul play, though suggests that no performance enhancing drugs were involved.

Now, his loss is another man’s gain, as Matt Hamill has since stepped up in his place.

MMABay.co.uk has reported that “The Ultimate Fighter” alumni will be taking the place of the Brazilian slugger in order to face Jackson at “UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III” at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on May 28.

Multiple sources have since confirmed the new booking. Hamill was originally scheduled to face undefeated light heavyweight prospect Phil Davis on said pay-per-view event, however officials will now likely search for a new opponent for “Mr. Wonderful” while Matt steps up to face the former champion in Jackson.

Matt is currently riding a five-fight win streak heading into his May bout with “Rampage”, with his last victory coming at the expense of former titleholder Tito Ortiz. The two met last October, where Hamill used his superior wrestling skills to dictate the action, taking Ortiz down on several occasions and used superior ground-and-pound skills en route to a decision win. Interestingly enough, Ortiz was something of a mentor to Hamill as he was his designated coach on the third season of TUF, however both men put friendship aside to compete against one another.

Jackson recently bounced back from a lackluster defeat to rival Rashad Evans, with a close split-decision win over former champ Lyoto Machida last November.

A win for either man here could likely spell title implications in the foreseeable future.

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

The collegiate wrestling All-American will now embark onto the upper echelon of the packed 205-pound division when he takes on “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran Matt Hamill coming up at UFC 129.

The event is scheduled to take place on April 30 at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada–the UFC’s first inception into it’s new territory. The venue can hold upwards to 60,000 in attendance, however the organization will likely taper down the number closer to 40,000, considering President Dana White has always stressed the importance of the fans experience.

Davis has done nothing but live up to his moniker of “Mr. Wonderful” since his inception into the worlds largest mixed martial arts organization. The undefeated prospect is now 4-0 under the Zuffa banner with notable victories over the likes of former WEC champ Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, and in his most recent appearance a second-round submission victory over veteran Tim Boetsch. The submission defeat was the first and so far only one of “The Barbarian’s” career, and in turn earned Davis “Submission of the Night” honors at UFC 123 last November.

Hamill, however, hopes to derail the hype that surrounds Davis in hopes to work his way to a shot at the promotion’s light heavyweight belt. A talented wrestler in his own right, Matt has reached world-class success when he picked up the Gold Medal at the 2001 Deaflympics in Rome for Freestyle wrestling. His wrestling pedigree was on display in his last performance when he dominated former coach Tito Ortiz at UFC 123 last November. Hamill was able to work the former champion to the mat several times, mixing in a dose of ground and pound that eventually aided the 34-year-old en route to a decision victory. The win extended a five-fight win streak for “The Hammer” inside the octagon, and with a win over Davis he could potentially enter serious title contention.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match up for UFC 129? Both Hamill and Davis hold high-level wrestling pedigrees, however that doesn’t necessarily mean that the fight will play out on the ground since both men have ever improving stand up, which especially true in the case of Hamill who has finished both Reese Andy and Mark Munoz on strikes in some of his recent performances. Who do you think will win? Sound off in the comment section below.

MMA Fighting reports that “Hamill” was given the “Breakthrough” award at the prestigious American Film Institute Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. The article also states that the film was recognized as a “Hidden Gem” by the Los Angeles Times. Germain Lussier of slashfilm.com recently put up a review of the film, calling it “a unique spin on the classic, tried and true sports formula of one person trumping over the competition” that “manages to simultaneously inspire and entertain.”

The official website for “Hamill” is available here, the official trailer for the film is available here.

Although I do agree with the sentiments that “Hamill” follows the basic “sports film formula”, it definitely sounds unique for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the simple fact that Matt Hamill has such an interesting life story. He’s battled through all kinds of adversity, and it looks like the film captures that perfectly. I’ve only seen the trailer, but I really have nothing negative to say about the film. It seems to do a great service to Matt Hamill, it’s a truly inspiring story, and it looks well-acted with some really good scenic shots.

And to be perfectly honest, this is exactly the kind of film Mixed Martial Arts needs right now. I don’t know how much pressure that puts on this film, but I think “Hamill” has the potential to change how the mainstream views Mixed Martial Arts if it becomes successful and lands a distribution deal. What we need is for film makers to start taking this sport seriously, to realize that the true-life stories of this sport far outweigh and outmatch the stories most writers could come up with, especially given the roles most Mixed Martial Arts stars find themselves in nowadays.

Because to be honest, what we’ve gotten so far (for the most part) is a slew of cheaply-made, utterly atrocious direct-to-DVD movies about laughably bad plots that are horribly acted, horribly shot, and for the most part, just plain horrible. I’m tired of seeing MMA fighters in throw-away roles just so would-be filmmakers can try to cash in on the MMA craze that’s sweeping the mainstream.

A film like “Hamill” takes this sport seriously, it shines a bright light on the men and women that make this sport so unique and enjoyable to watch. I would hate for this movie to go silently into the night while so many cliché action movie schlock-fests continue to be produced, so I’ll continue to support “Hamill” for as long as it takes. Because a lot of good really could happen if the masses get to give this film a try.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you think a film like this would be accepted in the mainstream, and what would it do for MMA if it were?

As if you couldn’t guess, UFC mega-star Brock Lesnar earned the most money at UFC 121. In fact, he earned double that of his opponent, despite losing to Velasquez in very humbling fashion. Lesnar’s situation is mirrored by Tito Ortiz, who pocketed a cool quarter million despite Matt Hamill making easy work of him. Here’s how everyone’s pay scale broke down, courtesy of MMA Weekly.

Cain Velasquez: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) defeated Brock Lesnar: $400,000. Jake Shields: $150,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus) defeated Martin Kampmann: $27,000. Diego Sanchez: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) defeated Paulo Thiago: $18,000. Matt Hamill: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus) defeated Tito Ortiz: $250,000. Brendan Schaub: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win. Court McGee: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) defeated Ryan Jensen: $10,000. Tom Lawlor: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) defeated Patrick Cote: $21,000. Daniel Roberts: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) defeated Mike Guymon: $8,000. Sam Stout: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) defeated Paul Taylor: $16,000. Chris Camozzi: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) defeated Dongi Yang: $8,000. Jon Madsen: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) defeated Gilbert Yvel: $30,000.

Ironically, Lesnar finds himself the most well-paid fighter of UFC 121 but also the fighter that may be out the longest due to injuries sustained during the fight. Unless Lesnar is medically cleared, he’s looking at a six-month layoff thanks to Cain Velasquez’s barrage of fists. Jake Shields could also be sitting on the sidelines for 180 days unless he too is cleared by a doctor. Courtesy of MMA Mania, here are the full list of medical suspensions for UFC 121.

Brock Lesnar, Jake Shields, Diego Sanchez, and Court McGee are all suspended for 180 days unless cleared by a doctor for various injuries incurred during the course of their fights. Brendan Schaub, Tito Ortiz, Ryan Jensen, Dongi Yang, Gilbert Yvel, and Gabriel Gonzaga were all suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days, for precautionary reasons. Paulo Thiago and Chris Camozzi were suspended 60 days, with no contact for 60 days, due to the cuts they sustained during their fights. Both men are looking at reduced suspensions if they are cleared by a doctor.

Love him or hate him, I think Brock Lesnar earned every penny of his almost half-million salary. Everyone is still talking about UFC 121, and that’s a good thing even if you hate Lesnar. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if this Lesnar-headlined card drew another million buys, which seems to be the norm for him nowadays. And people wonder why UFC President Dana White looked so crestfallen when he had to put that big lump of gold around Cain’s waist. In regards to the fighter suspensions, they all seem par for the course.

So what do you think, fans and friends? Who earned their dollars and who got an easy paycheck at UFC 121? And anything noticeable about the suspensions from where you’re sitting?

New UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez was rightfully awarded “Knockout of the Night” for making quick work of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. The fight was blissfully brief: both men traded takedowns, then Lesnar got clipped and Cain pounced on him like the monster that he is. Daniel Roberts earned himself $70,000 as well for a great Anaconda Choke on Michael Guymon that Guymon fought bravely against but ultimately tapped to. And finally, Paulo Thiago and Diego Sanchez each got their additional $70,000 as well, as the two men received the “Fight of the Night” award for their fast-paced and very exciting encounter.

I think Cain Velasquez definitely deserved “Knockout of the Night” for his amazing performance against Brock Lesnar. If you recall, I thought Cain would win it by TKO, but I had Lesnar lasting four rounds and succumbing to punches out of fatigue more than anything. Instead, Cain picked his shots, delivered huge power right onto Lesnar’s chin, opened up a massive gash on his cheek, and pounded out the man who famously survived the striking game of Shane Carwin. In an era where “bigger is better”, Velasquez proves that you don’t need to tip the scales at 265 to be a UFC Heavyweight Champion. I wish him all the best and am really looking forward to seeing him defend his championship.

As for Paulo Thiago and Diego Sanchez, I was very impressed by their fight as well. Paulo Thiago always seems to have a problem when it comes to justifying his hype, he’s never truly gotten out of the shadow of his KO win over Josh Koscheck but he’s made some admirable attempts. Diego Sanchez seemed to discover that old fire inside himself in this fight, and I think he earned himself another worthy entry into his highlight reel when he ran screaming across the cage with Paulo Thiago on his shoulders before sending the man crashing down to the mat with a massive slam.

Overall, UFC 121 was a big event and saw some big finishes that were awarded with big bonuses. I’m glad that the UFC’s “Of the Night” bonuses continue to increase, the athletes receiving them usually fully deserve them, and a huge bonus is a great incentive to keep producing entertaining and engaging fights. I think UFC 121 set up quite a lot of fights that will play out in 2011, so I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the UFC 121 fight bonuses, and UFC 121 as a whole?

Next for Brendan Schaub: In all likelihood it’ll be a rematch with Roy Nelson once Roy Nelson loses to Shane Carwin. I love me some “Big Country”, but I just don’t see him being able to withstand Carwin’s raw punching power, which I think is the pound-for-pound best in the UFC right now. If Nelson does beat Carwin somehow, then Schaub might get another gatekeeper like Cheick Kongo.

Next for Gabriel Gonzaga: Gatekeeper status, as harsh as that sounds. Gonzaga has been hit-or-miss for a long while now, and his performance against Schaub proved that that’s not going to change anytime soon. He’ll always have the Mirko Filipovic KO to look back on, but he’s never again going to be anywhere close to a UFC championship. Even with all that said, though, he’ll probably be a pretty good gatekeeper. I still like Gonzaga, I’m just being a realist when I say that he’s going to be welcoming rookies into the upper echelon or sending them back down the pecking order for quite some time.

Next for Tito Ortiz: Retirement. No more excuses, Tito. Ortiz looked downright bad against Matt Hamill, and with absolutely no disrespect meant to the man, Matt Hamill has never been a top-division fighter. No matter how many corrective surgeries he’s had or how healthy he keeps saying he is, Tito Ortiz hasn’t gotten a good win over a relevant opponent in a long, long, long time. It’s time to pack it in and call it a career before you become your most hated adversary, Ken Shamrock.

Next for Diego Sanchez: It’ll be a trip back down to 155 as earlier reported, but now I can safely say that I think Sanchez will work his way back up to title contention when he cuts to Lightweight once again. Sanchez put on a vintage performance and rejuvenated a career that had honestly begun to stagnate. If we see the Diego Sanchez of UFC 121 show up in the UFC’s Lightweight division as it stands right now, we’re looking at a possible champion.

Next for Jake Shields: It’s already been confirmed that Dana White has made Jake Shields the top contender to the UFC Welterweight Championship. How do I think he’ll do? It depends who he’s facing. I think Jake Shields is a phenomenal fighter that simply made a few mistakes and perhaps let the pressure get to him, which is why he gassed out and barely edged out Martin Kampmann at this event. Whether it’s Georges St. Pierre or Josh Koscheck, I think Shields will once again do a lot better than virtually anyone gives him credit for and perhaps even win the title.

Next for Brock Lesnar: He’ll be back and better than ever, that’s all I can really say right now. Lesnar isn’t done, and he’s still growing by leaps and bounds as a Mixed Martial Artist. In his next fight, we’ll either see a Lesnar with an incredibly improved stand-up game or a Lesnar that does nothing but shoot for a takedown. Either way, I think Lesnar will jump right back into the title picture and may even get another shot at it by the end of 2011.

Next for Cain Velasquez: Junior Dos Santos if we’re talking specifics, getting marketed for everything he’s worth by the UFC if we’re talking in generalities. With how stacked the Heavyweight division has been lately, the UFC is going to milk Cain’s status as the first Mexican UFC Champion for all it’s worth, both because it makes sense and also because he may lose to Dos Santos.

And that’s what I see when I stare into my little crystal ball, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think is next for the winners and losers of UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez”?

Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: I honestly believe that Schaub is overlooking Gonzaga and is beginning to believe his own hype. There’s no doubt that Schaub is talented, but the fact that he’s already talking about a title shot convinces me that he’s not nearly focused enough on “Napao”, who can still be a major threat to the right opponent. Gonzaga may be a glorified gatekeeper, but he’s got a lot of fight left in him. Expect him to catch Schaub off-guard and get the (T)KO in the second round.

Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago: I think this is a make-or-break fight for both fighters, although much more for Sanchez. Even if it’s been revealed that Sanchez is dropping back down to Lightweight win or lose, I think that another loss would put his job in serious jeopardy. For Thiago, it’s all about getting the hype train rolling again after Martin Kampmann derailed it. I simply think Sanchez has more experience and wants the win more, but it’s going to be close, so I’m picking Sanchez by Unanimous Decision with 29-28 scores across the board.

Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill: Part of me hates myself for doing this again, but I truly believe Ortiz when he says that he’s back and healthy and better than ever. I think Matt is a good fighter, but he’s consistently proven that he’s just not up to top-level standards. And if Ortiz really is as healthy as he says he is, he’s still a top-level athlete. This is another do-or-die situation, with Ortiz squarely in the cross-hairs. Because he needs it badly and says that he hasn’t felt this good since he went on his historic run as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, I’m picking Ortiz to win via Unanimous Decision. But if he loses again, and worse yet, if he makes more excuses, Tito Ortiz may as well call it a career.

Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann: His performance against Dan Henderson fully converted me; I now consider myself a Jake Shields fan. As such, I’m pulling for him as well as picking him to defeat Kampmann. I think Kampmann will always be a real-life example of “so close and yet so far away”, I see him hovering around the top of the division for the foreseeable future but rarely getting into true title contention. Shields is already a proven champion, so I think he’ll really impress in his UFC debut. I don’t expect him to outright dominate Kampmann, but I do think he’ll finish this fight. I’m picking Jake Shields to submit Martin Kampmann early in the third round.

Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar: I’ve been favoring Velasquez from the start, and that hasn’t changed. Cain has incredible cardio, serious power, unbreakable will, incredible heart, and trains with one of the most prestigious training camps in Mixed Martial Arts. Lesnar won’t be able to withstand the pace Cain will set and the leather he will throw for what could turn into a five-round fight. I’m still thinking Lesnar gasses out, despite the negative reaction that opinion has been getting. Trust me: Lesnar’s cardio has looked great because he’s controlled the pace for every single one of his fights, other than the Shane Carwin fight where he just absorbed punishment and survived to the end of the round. Cain will push Brock like he’s never been pushed before and tire him out. Look for Cain to nail one last barrage on a weakened and slow Lesnar and get the TKO in the fourth round.

And those are my picks, fans and friends. It’s not final call: who’ve you got for UFC 121 and why?

Adorned on the cover of magazines, video games, posters, there was no denying the impact that “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has had on the sport, but are his best days behind him?

Well, he certainly doesn’t think so.

After a tumultuous relationship with Dana White that hindered any talks of Ortiz, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, returning to the worlds largest mixed martial arts organization, he was later able to revitalize his career, mend fences and after two successful surgeries, he finds himself in awkward space: at the bottom, looking for his way back to the top.

One of the original stars of the UFC, Ortiz has had his fair share of obligations with the organization. Having defended his title when he was champion at a record setting (for the 205-pound division) 5 times, coupled with his brash and cocky attitude, there was no denying the magnitude of Ortiz’ celebrity, even in the organization’s infantile stages. Now that he’s just another face on the card, he relishes the new role, and has no problem handing over the reigns to Brock Lesnar, who will be headlining UFC 121 this Saturday opposite of Cain Velasquez in defense of his heavyweight title.

“It takes a lot of pressure off. It’s awesome”, said Tito during the pre-fight press conference in Anaheim, Cali.

“I like to see Brock doing all the work, and Cain doing all the work. But at the same time, I still do the extra P.R. the UFC will let me do. It’s Dana’s decision at the end. I’m thankful just to be on the card.”

Tito is grateful to be on what he call’s “Brock Lesnar’s card”, and with a subtle 0-3-1 record in his last four fights, albeit all against former champions (Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida and Forrest Griffin, respectively). At the end of the day, he envisions victory over his former protege Matt Hamill, and hopes to make his way back to the top, once again.

“To be on Brock Lesnar’s card, I kind of jumped at it”, began the 35-year-old.

“I seen this card being here in Anaheim, and I called Dana, and I wasn’t even clear from my doctor yet, and I said ‘is there an opening for that card?’. I mean to be on a pay-per-view card of this magnitude is an awesome opportunity of course.

“I just need to earn my way back up on top. Coming off of an 0-3-1 record, I need to work my back up, and I understand that. When I prove myself on Saturday night, then I’ll be in the UFC’s hands.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Tito’s chances Saturday night? Can he overcome all the adversity leading up to his bout with Hamill, check the ego at the door and come out on top?
Sound off in the comment section below.

He’s claimed being healthy on, who knows how many occasions.

Heading into his second bout with Forrest Griffin at ufc 106, all the pre-fight hype surrounding Ortiz was centered around him claiming that his re-entry into the the worlds largest organization would be on the heels of a successful surgery repairing damage to his back and neck (which had been sustained over the years).

And claiming a clear bill of health, after the bouts conclusion Ortiz revealed a broken orbital bone and a cracked skull as the ultimate cause of a poor performance turned against his rival (the two met previously some years ago, where Ortiz claimed a highly disputed split-decision victory at UFC 59, while Griffin picked up a split-decision victory in the rematch).

“I got bounced on my head, trying to take down one of my friends inside the Octagon that I have in my house up here in Big Bear”, said Ortiz while speaking with USA Today concerning some of his previous dehibilating injuries heading into his rematch with Griffin.

“I got bounced on my neck. Arms and legs went completely numb. Scared me. I laid on the floor for about a good minute and a half. I was completely paralyzed for about a minute and a half”, continued the former light heavyweight champion.

“Slowly but surely my feeling came back to my arms, came back to my legs, and I was able to stand up. I’d never felt that feeling before. I had severe achiness to my neck, and I kind of realized that I had a ruptured disc in my neck.

“…I got through a physical for the UFC and I fought with a fractured orbital bone and a ruptured disc in my neck.”

However, after it’s all been said and done with, Tito (again) now says no excuses, no turn overs, and he’s in perfect shape to be able to defeat his former “The Ultimate Fighter” protege, Matt Hamill come this Saturday, at UFC 121.

“It’s nice to be injury free”, claimed “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy”.

“If anybody has ever had any back problems, lower back problems, neck problems — any spinal problem that’s compressing on the spinal cord — they’ll feel my pain. Now try doing that stuff where you’ve got to train five days a week, where you’ve got to do the sparring and do the running and do the jiu-jitsu and the kickboxing.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Ortiz’ recent claims of a perfect bill of health? Is it just talk, or will we see the old Tito back in the cage once again? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what the always-controversial MMA veteran had to say over at USA Today: “I’m just happy to be fighting back in the UFC and to continue my career… I feel like a new man after going through two major surgeries… I’m a new man now… I told myself I would never take a fight like I did last year ever again. I promised myself I’d never do that, because I never want to give a guy an opportunity to beat me again… It’s been a good six, seven years since I felt the way I do now. The last time I felt like this was when I had my world title.”

I know, I know. Believe me, fans and friends, I know: we’ve heard this all before. We’ve heard the excuses, the “I’m back and better than ever”, the “Oh wait I was injured” after “back and better than ever” didn’t exactly go according to plan. At this point it’s hard to take anything Ortiz says seriously unless he proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt in the Octagon. Only the staunchest Ortiz supporters jump on his hype train nowadays. A large majority take anything that comes out of Tito’s mouth with quite a few grains of salt.

But in all honesty, I think Ortiz still has the chance to make good on his long-ago promise of being a contender in the UFC again. He may not be up to the impressive standard set by veterans like Matt Hughes and Randy Couture, but he’s not Chuck Liddell by any stretch of the imagination. Ortiz is down, sure, I don’t think anyone can seriously try to raise an argument to the contrary. But he’s not out.

It simply remains to be seen where Ortiz belongs in the UFC. The future does look bleak, despite his credentials and past Ortiz hasn’t won a fight since 2006. But anything is possible and Ortiz may have one last run left in him. Then again, he may not. He may be done no matter what he says, and his fight against Hamill would just be a case of prolonging the inevitable win or lose. But if anyone deserves a second chance, it’s Tito Ortiz. He’s still got a lot of name valued and could become a big-time draw again if he just wins his next few fights.

In the end, I’ll be pulling for Ortiz in this fight. I think his year-long layoff from the UFC mellowed him out considerably, and most of the time he seems downright respectable nowadays, scandals with wife and famed porn star Jenna Jameson notwithstanding. Ortiz still has plenty left to give and could go on a pretty decent run in the UFC if everything works out. But if he loses, I don’t want to hear any excuses. I know that’s a lot to ask of Tito Ortiz, but he’s only digging his own grave if he continues to cover up his losses with a laundry list of injuries. Win or lose, I think we’ll find out once and for all what the future holds for Tito Ortiz at UFC 121.

And what about you, fans and friends? What does the future hold for Tito Ortiz?

But, none the less, both competitors will find themselves pitted against one another when the collegiate wrestlers meet at an as of yet announced event in Las Vegas, Nev., for UFC 127.

Jones, the proverbial golden boy of the light heavyweight division, has been nothing but impressive since his inception into the UFC. While his record reads 11-1, by all means the Endicott, New York, native is an undefeated prodigy. His lone loss, a disqualification against “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran Matt Hamill, showed the new and improved Jon Jones, who had then transitioned to Greg Jackson’s camp. Almost immediately, Jones was able to take down the accomplished with a trip, mount, and unleash a hellish barrage of ground and pound, however the fight was stopped when Hamill was deemed unable to continue after illegal elbows were thrown.

While Jones picked up the first loss of his career, he also picked up the biggest push as well. In his next two fights, “Bones” was pitted against veterans Brand Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko–two men who have fought some of the best guys in the world, contenders in their division, and were deemed the toughest challenges in the 23-year-old Jones’ career. I guess someone forgot to tell Jon, whom ended both fighters inside of the first round with his patented ground-and-pound assault, with elbows as his weapon of choice.

The less flashy of the two, Bader, a collegiate wrestling All American, has risen to the top of his division with victories over veterans Eric Schafer, Keith Jardine, and most recently, top-5 light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueria.

Against “Minotoro” (not to be confused with “Minotauro”), Bader excelled with his wrestling prowess, which all took place at UFC 119 on September 23. Taking down the former PRIDE star all throughout the bout, the fight was decided only a little bit on the feet, where Ryan found he was a few years behind his Brazilian counterpart, who was part of Brazil’s Olympic Boxing team. Eventually, Bader was able to squeak out a unanimous decision victory, though the bout was much closer than the scores would indicate.

The two light heavyweight contenders are expected to meet at UFC 127, on Super Bowl weekend on February 5, in Sin City.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match up between the two prospects of the 205 pound division? While Jones’ style is flashy and aggressive, Bader does represent a legitimate test as a power house wrestler. Sound off in the comments section below.

Jonny Bones has utterly destroyed every single opponent he’s ever faced. The only person to ever beat Jon Jones has in fact been Jon Jones, when Jones lost his head for a moment and landed some illegal elbows to Matt Hamill which forced those in charge to disqualify Jones. Jones dominated Stephan Bonnar like no one had ever dominated him before, he’s only one of two men that have ever (T)KO’d Brandon Vera, and he currently holds the record for the quickest (T)KO win over thirteen-year veteran Vladimir Matyushenko, a record that was held by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski since 2003. I hate to say this, but I think Brandon Vera may be a bit bitter that Jones is realizing his potential as a superstar when Vera himself was in this same position a few years ago, only to hit some very hard stumbling blocks and ultimately fail at becoming a big-time star. Whereas Brandon Vera was touted as the future of the Heavyweight division and failed to live up to such acclaim, Jon Jones has done everything in his power to prove once and for all that he is definitely the future of the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division.

And remember, this is all coming from someone who went against the grain and predicted that Matyushenko would be the one to beat Jones. Instead, Jones gave us arguably the best performance of his career and seemed to have it all too easy finishing off a man that started fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist when Jon Jones was ten years old. I honestly don’t see Jones’ domination ending anytime soon, even as he finally transitions into fights with the super-elite of the Light Heavyweight division. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Jon Jones is “the chosen one” destined to bring about an end to the string of UFC Light Heavyweight Champions losing the belt in their first few fights. Jones will likely have his string of quick, all-out dominating finishes brought to a halt when he’s matched up with people like Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Quinton Jackson, or Mauricio Rua, but I gotta say: I think Jon Jones could win every single one of those fights.

In all honesty, I think Brandon Vera may be a little jealous, a little green with envy, when it comes to Jon Jones. I think a Jones/Vera rematch doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless Vera gets some good wins under his belt, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it if Vera works his way back up. If Vera truly believes he can beat Jon Jones, actions always speak louder than words. I think Brandon Vera can work his way up to a rematch with Jon Jones if he tries hard enough, but until then, Vera is just stirring the pot and trying to keep his name out there while he heals up from the elbow Jones hit him with that broke his face in three places.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Does the prospect of Jones/Vera II appeal to you?

In the co-main event slot, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields will make his debut in the UFC, fresh off his five-round outclassing of Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Nashville in April of this year. Standing in his way is the tough Martin Kampmann, who rebounded from a KO loss to UFC exile Paul Daley with big wins over Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago. Speaking of Paulo Thiago, the man still trying to step out of the shadow of his surprise KO over the current UFC Welterweight Championship #1 Contender Josh Koscheck will also be competing at UFC 121. Facing Thiago will be Diego Sanchez, in Sanchez’s second Welterweight fight since losing a fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship to then-champion BJ Penn.

Also announced is a fight between popular UFC Light Heavyweight Matt Hamill and his friend/coach/mentor Tito Ortiz, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and one of the most controversial fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon. Ortiz will be returning from an injury that forced him to back out of a proposed third fight with Chuck Liddell. It’s been four long years since Tito Ortiz has scored a win inside the Octagon. Rounding out the main card is a fight pitting Heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Gabriel Gonzaga against each other. Gonzaga may have been cast in the role of elite-level gatekeeper in his recent fights, but should prove a very tough test for Schaub, who has looked excellent in all his UFC fights save for a KO loss to Roy Nelson.

UFC 121 is shaping up to be one of the best cards of the year, an astonishing fact considering that 2010 gave us “Aldo vs. Faber” and UFC 116. This card is loaded with potential from top to bottom, and I think every single Pay-Per-View fight could have been a headline attraction in their own right. Lesnar vs. Velasquez is a no-brainer. With the mentor vs. student appeal, Ortiz vs. Hamill could have headlined its own Pay-Per-View. Shields/Kampmann could easily have led a British PPV or a Fight Night Live, as could Paul Thiago vs. Diego Sanchez and Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. Anything can happen when the cameras go live, but on paper, the Pay-Per-View card is filed to the brim with can’t-miss fights. If all the fights live up to their potential, UFC 121 will be like a Christmas gift come early, even though it takes place near Halloween.

And what do you think, fans and friends? How excited are you for UFC 121, and which fight in particular are you looking forward to the most?

Even in a losing effort (albeit a disqualification) to TUF veteran Matt Hamill, Jones looked every bit as dominant as he has in wins over perennial contender’s Brand Vera and most recently, Vladimir Matyushenko.

It’s hard to say what will be next for the 205-pound wrestling stud, but Jones in the mean time is enjoying his most recent triumph none the less, which now moves him to 11-1 overall, and marks his fifth win, inside the octagon.

“It’s very exciting. Vladimir (Matyushenko) has the best record I’ve ever gone against”, said Jones while speaking with Sherdog.com in regards to the win.

“It’s an honor for me. It’s a testament to all my hard work and passion for this sport. It’s just great. My goal is to keep climbing from here, and that’s what I’m trying to do”.

UFC President Dana White has stated on several occasions, that a win over Matyushenko would not only garner Jones top billing in the light heavyweight division, but a crack into the top-8 of the weight class. Jones, though, is a little bit hungrier, and won’t settle for less than a top-5 opponent in his next bout.

“My fight’s have been going real well…but not to sound arrogant, that’s the last thing I would ever want, but these fight’s have been going real fast”, said the Greg Jackson product.

“I think it will take a top-5 guy to make it a great fight, and that’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking for that war, I’m looking for that experience, and a top-5 guy would be good for me, I feel”.

While Jon hopes for a top tier opponent, it would be hard to imagine who will be available in the not-so distant future. Everyone seems to be tied up with fights, or injured. But for arguments sake, the light heavyweight picture, the top-5 at 205 in the UFC (below the champion, Mauricio Rua), are the following in my opinion: Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Quinton Jackson, Anderson Silva, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueria.

Lyoto Machida and Rampage will be tied up soon.

Rashad Evans and Jones train together, so that’s a no, no.

Anderson Silva has stated on several occasions that at the moment, has no desire to fight at 205, and in all honesty, may be a little bit more than Jones can chew at the moment.

Antonio Nogueria is on tap to face Ryan Bader…

Well, how about Forrest Griffin? Now that, would be a fight.

So, what do you guys think? Should Jones hold out for some of the upper echelon guys, or wait till Forrest is done kissing babies, and signing autographs on his book tour (while he’s healing up from injury)?

The two men will go to war to determine who will become the TUF season 11 champion and earn the six-figure contract from the UFC.

Court was a true dark horse coming into the competition but one Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio felt was highly promotable due to his background story.

Court has stated he is a drug addict. His story is one of redemption after being clinically dead from a heroin overdose.

“I’d lie, cheat, steal. I didn’t have anything. I pawned the majority of the [expletive] I had. I didn’t have anything. I lost pretty much everything I had. Life wasn’t looking good. Guys at my workplace didn’t want me around and I got switched from crew to crew. My life was horrible. It was nothing. I was a waste,” he told Yahoo Sports.

His first venture into black tar heroin is one he will never forget. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” McGee says. “I remember what vein it was in. I sat there and he made one up in a spoon. He shot it, just a little bit, and I remember I fell back in my seat and two tears rolled out of my eyes. They hit my earlobes and I just went ‘Ahhhh.’”

Court tells us about the night his life changed when he took that does of heroin that had him declared dead.

“At the time, they were using Meth and the rule was nobody in the house but me,” McGee says. “They walked in and saw this girl there and they were angry right away. ‘Who the [expletive] are you?’ They were freaking out that she was there. And she was freaking out and yelling back, ‘I think he’s dead. I think he’s dead.’ “

After coming back to life Court spent time in a rehab facility and as with most addicts he relapsed a few times. Once, as talked about on TUF, he took a drink in Las Vegas and wound up in Iowa with a long sleeve shirt on and no pants, unsure of how he’d gotten there but craving Meth.

His turn-around came on April 16 2006, Easter Sunday where he quit drinking and doing drugs for good. He has been sober ever since. Hoe fought drug addiction and now faces another fight, the fight to become “The Ultimate Fighter”.

Standing in his way is a very tough Kris McCray. Kris began studying martial arts at the age of 12 with Tae-Kwon-Do and Karate. As Kris got older he played many other sports but none gave him that excitement he felt from wrestling and kickboxing.

After a successful high school wrestling career, Kris went off to college, while teaching high school wrestling in his spare time. Kris entered the U.S. Army Reserve at age 21, spending 6 years in service. During this time, Kris began learning Jiu Jitsu and joined Team Gold Medal Grappling, a Master Lloyd Irvin affiliate. Kris also worked many odd jobs to support himself, ranging from taking tickets at a movie theater to bouncer, security guard, butcher, and anything else he could do to make ends meet.

Kris started fighting amateur MMA in 2006/2007 and went undefeated, with a record of 10-0-0. His talent caught the eye of MMA promoter S. Marcello Foran and in October 2008, Kris began fighting on the professional MMA level. He quickly became a rising star in the UWC – Ultimate Warrior Challenge. After going 4-0-0 (all first round victories), it was clear Kris was ready to test himself against the best in the world.

Now he sits ready to make a name for himself and earn the six-figure contract that all the men entering TUF 11 wanted to call their own. He had a hard road to the finals actually setting a TUF record of fighting five times.

This will be a battle of two very good wrestlers who also love to stand and bang. Fighters.com expects this to be one heck of a fight that will likely end up being a stand-up war.

The official line up for “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ finale is as follows:

MAIN CARD

Matt Hamill vs. Keith Jardine
Court McGee vs. Kris McCray
Chris Leben vs. Aaron Simpson
Spencer Fisher vs. Dennis Siver
Rich Attonito vs. Jamie Yager

PRELIMINARY CARD

John Gunderson vs. Mark Holst
Seth Baczynski vs. Brad Tavares
Josh Bryant vs. Kyle Noke
Chris Camozzi vs. James Hammortree
Travis Browne vs. James McSweeney

Petruzelli announced the fight, which takes place July 3, via his Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Seth takes the spot that had been reserved for “Robot” Steve Cantwell (7-3). Cantwell was expected to fight until the Nevada State Athletic Commission pulled him from UFC 108 in January. Since that time they had re-licensed Steve but this fight with UFC newcomer Romero fell apart in the past few weeks.

Petruzelli is not just known for his underdog victory of Kimbo, he made it to the semi-finals of “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) season two.

After the show he stepped into the Octagon twice, losing both times before being released. The losses were to “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (7-2) and Wilson Gouveia (12-8) with the last loss coming at UFC Fight Night 9 in 2007.

Since that time he has gone 4-0 with the hopes of getting back into the UFC. Many speculated that we might me see Seth back inside the Octagon after Kimbo’s stint on TUF. The UFC had a chance to put together a rematch that many would have liked to have seen. That did not happen and here we are with Seth about to fight a highly touted Romero.

Romero has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and recently began training at AMA Fight Club with UFC veterans “The Mongoose” Jim Miller (17-2) and Dan Miller (11-4). Over half of Romero’s wins come via first-round stoppage.

What are your thoughts on Seth being back in the UFC? Should they have brought him back to face Kimbo before cutting him?

I have seen many people say they think this fight is a mismatch and that Jones is taking a step back in competition after his dismantling of “The Truth” Brandon Vera (11-5) at the first UFC on Versus.

The Janitor is a grinder in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Similar to the poker player that can win at the mid and lower stake games but never can seem to pull the trigger in the higher stake games. The Janitor tends to use his strength and wrestling to wear men down and win by Unanimous Decisions.

His opponent Jones is a great wrestler though and will put the Janitor to the test. Jones has four wins inside the Octagon and should have five. He lost to “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (7-2) due to a disqualification from illegal elbows in the process of putting a severe beating on Matt.

Looking at his opponents it is clear the UFC is taking their time grooming him and giving him the best shot at a positive future in the UFC. Jones is very explosive and once on the ground has some of the best ground and pound I have seen in a long time. His striking game, while creative and interesting, has a way to go and this is what the UFC recognizes. Fighters.com believes they see a highly marketable fighter and future champion in Jones and they do not want to push him to fast.

The growth of a fighter can be a long road for some but Jones seems to be taking a short cut. He improves drastically each time I see him fight and his future is very bright if he keeps improving and doesn’t hit the plateau. So many promotions make the mistake of fast tracking a fighter with the potential of a guy like Jones and it ends up backfiring. Not only does it hurt the promotion but it hurts the fighter and can put them back a year or two in the growth process.

Booking this fight between the Janitor and Jones is an all around win for the UFC. They get the chance to see how Jones can handle a man who only has four losses and all against top-level competition. They also get to see if the Janitor can manage to grind out yet another win, making him even more marketable. Should Jones get passed the Janitor I look for the UFC to put him up against someone near the top of the division for his next fight.

Regardless of the outcome much will be learned about both of these fighters when UFC on Versus II takes place August 1 in Oakland, California.

The shoulder was popped back into its socket at the hospital and Hamill will have an MRI to assess any soft tissue damage.

Hamill’s shoulder was dislocated during a Jones throw to the mat which began a mounted assault of punches and elbows to Hamill’s head ending in the illegal elbow thrown “12-6″.

The stoppage by referee Steve Mazzagatti and decision to award Hamill the “W” after reviewing the instant replay is controversial.  Mazzagatti allowed Hamill to survive through a long, viscious attack from Jones while Hamill’s only defense was shielding his face.  The assault was only stopped after Jones through the illegal elbow and Hamill indicated he was unable to continue due to the shoulder injury.

Jones assumed he had won the fight and celebrated with his corner; but, Mazzagatti requested an instant replay review to determine whether the illegal strike lead to Hamill’s inability to continue fighting.  The determination at cageside was that it did; and, Jones was disqualified, giving Hamill the victory.

Jones apologized for the illegal blow after the fight.

Hamill, a seasoned wrestler and tough as nails fighter, came out looking strong with some of the most fluid striking we have seen from him.  Jones, a young and aggressive fighter with a strong Greco backgrond, came out in his typical fashion, throwing kicks and strikes from unusual angles.

Jones took Hamill down with a well-timed trip half way into the first round, moved to full mount, and immediately went to work with ground’n'pound elbows and strikes.

Referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the action at the 1:02 left in the first due to an illegal elbow. Mazzagatti stood Jones up and deducted a point from the fighter. When Mazzagatti returned to the still-downed  Hamill, Hamill indicated he was unable to continue.

The fight was deemed a win for Hamill by a Jones disqualification due to intentional elbows thrown from a “12 t0 6″ angle (up to down).

After the fight, Hamill also said he dislocated his shoulder which prevented him from properly defending himself from beneath Jones’s mount.

Hamill, a 32-year old New York resident, gives up over ten years in age, but is a seasoned veteran who is tough as nails. Following a very controversial split decision loss to The Ultimate Fighter 3 champion “Count” Michael Bisping (18-2) at UFC 75 in London in 2007, Hamill went on to find victory in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 13 against “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (9-3) via a second round TKO.  During that fight Hamill caught a nastily well placed knee that split his bottom lip. Despite the split lip, Hamill remained composed and carried on to defeat his opponent, proving his toughness and ability to keep cool.

Hamill has tremendous wrestling, but relies on his heavy handed striking to finish his fights, only winning by decision once with no submission victories under his belt. Hamill only has one other loss, to “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5), that came by way of a liver kick in the final round at UFC 88 in Atlanta in September 2008. Time and time again, Hamill surprises me with his ability to pull out victories and do so in powerful fashion. Hamill won “Knockout of the Night” for his head kick KO of “Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (3-1) at UFC 96 in Columbus March 7.

Jones is ten years younger than Hamill, but boasts the same number of professional fights. Jones, the youngest signed UFC fighter at the time of his contract signing, began his career as a mixed martial artist much like others in the business, fighting smaller shows and working his way into the UFC. Jones is a JUCO wrestling champ and, like Hamill, has heavy hands, with five of his nine victories coming by way of KO or TKO due to strikes. Jones also has two submission victories under his belt, both via guillotine choke and one of which put “Irish” Jake O’Brien (11-3). to sleep even after O’Brien had tapped. Jones, also from NY, is a fast, aggressive youngster who looks to continue his quick-rising fame by finishing Hamill, perhaps with one of his trademark spinning back elbows.

I have seen both of these men fight live, and although I am a huge Hamill fan, he doesn’t have the tools to stop what Jones brings to the table. Jones is fast and powerful and the wrestling backgrounds will cancel each other out, leaving a stand up war. Hamill is tough, and has a proven chin, but Jones is as fast as any opponent Hamill has ever seen and will land more strikes than Hamill is used to taking. Jones touts submission victories, and has a better ground game, so look for Jones to immediately move to dominate if the fight goes to the ground. You better believe Hamill has done his homework on Jones’s submission game, so there is a possibility that we won’t see a single shot throughout the duration of the fight. Don’t forget that this is the first fight for Hamill after the knee surgery, so expect there to not only be rust in the pipes, but also a Jones attack on said Knee via leg kicks.

Jones has too many tools for Hamill to handle and will TKO him in round two.

Listen for more TUF 10 Finale predictions on MMA Gospel Radio this Saturday before the fights at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Hamill tore his meniscus training for the fight and will rehab for three to four weeks, according Hamill’s trainer Duff Holmes at MMA Junkie.

Soszynski knocked out Andre Gusmao (5-2) at UFC 98 in Las Vegas 23 May making him 3-0 in the Octagan since coming up short during his stint on TUF.

Former heavyweight contender Vera is 2-1 since dropping to 205 pounds. He TKO’d Michael Patt (12-4) in the second round at UFC 96 in Columbus 7 March.

French heavyweight Cheick Kongo (12-4-1) will meet UFC newcomer Mustapha al Turk (1-0), “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-2) will meet Reese Andy (7-2) in a light heavyweight bout.

Other bouts announced were “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (15-8) versus “Bad” Brad Blackburn (12-9-1), Antoni Hardonk (7-4) versus Mark Burch (10-2), and Dan Evensen (10-5) versus Pat Barry (1-0).

Kongo defeated Evensen with a first-round TKO at UFC 87 in August.

Al Turk defeated Gary Turner (3-1-1) by first-round submission due to strikes in March.

Hamill is hoping to come back from a third-round TKO loss to second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (25-3) at UFC 88 in September.

Andy is also looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to “The Truth” Brandon Vera (7-3) in July.

Chonan won a split decision over “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-8) at UFC 88.

Blackburn TKO’d James Giboo (8-3) in round two in July.

Hardonk defeated Eddie Sanchez (8-2) with a second-round TKO at UFC 85 in June.

Burch, a UFC newcomer, TKO’d Alex Rozman  (0-4) in round one in May.

UFC rookie Barry won his last fight in May with a first-round TKO of Mike Delaney (26-17-2).

UFC 92 is headlined by a title fight between Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) and “Sugar” Rashad Evans (12-0-1), a bout between second-ranked heavyweight “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (44-4-1) and Frank Mir (11-3) for the interim title, and a light heavyweight match-up between second-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (26-7) and sixth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1).

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked middleweight “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4) versus “Boogeyman” Dean Lister (11-5) and “Doberman” CB Dollaway (7-1) versus Mike Massenzio (11-2) are also on the card.

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.

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) bounced in place as reporters lined-up to interview the former UFC champion before his fight versus “Sugar” Rashad Evans (11-0-1) Saturday night.

Playful and boisterous, Liddell told Fighters.com he was ready to fight Evans today in a video interview that will be posted shortly.

Evans was a bit more low-key, focusing on the biggest fight of his career and rolling with middleweight training partner Nathan Marquardt (26-8-2), who fights “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (13-1) Saturday night.

Co-main event second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3), moving to 205 Saturday versus former training partner “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1), skipped his scheduled session.

Sources in Franklin’s camp alternately told Fighters.com that Franklin wasn’t feeling well and that he was eating to maintain the weight of his new division.

Neither excuse gives much solace to Fighters.com after Franklin’s comments about his uncertainty about fighting his former training partner and moving to 205 pounds.

Especially since Hamill, who was late for his session because he and his girlfriend were shopping (a better excuse), was like a kid with a new toy when talking about the biggest fight of his career versus his “hero”.

“Athlete” Jason MacDonald (20-10) and Kampmann both attended too, but neither actually worked out.

Japanese fighters “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (14-8) and ninth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) also attended, but only interviewed with the Japanese press.

Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight

Fighters.com: You had said you’d take fights at 205 if the UFC offered an interesting match-up.  Why is “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1) interesting to you?

Rich Franklin: Well, uh, the UFC more or less encouraged me to move up to 205 because my standing in the 185-pound weight class kind of left me stagnant, in a position where I was going to end up fighting only the guys who lost to Anderson Silva.  They weren’t…the UFC right now is not interested in seeing me fight Silva a third time and they really don’t want me fighting any of the contenders coming up because that would eliminate possible title fights.  And, with that said, I really don’t have anything much to shoot for at the 185-pound class.  So, they kept talking to me about moving up to 205; and, having agreed to move up to 205, they previously offered me one fight before they offered me the Hamill fight and I had turned that fight down; and then, uh, they came at…they came to me with the second fight, which was the Hamill fight.  And, I kind of put myself in a situation where I couldn’t really turn the fight down even though Matt and I had known each other and had some history together.  Um, I basically said to the UFC, you know, I said, “Well, that’s kind of a tough fight for me to take.”  I said, “But, if you take it to his camp and they’re interested in the fight, then I guess I’ll sign.”  And, that’s basically how the ball got rollin’ on that.

Fighters.com: You’re not real excited about the fight?

Rich Franklin: Uh…it’s…it’s not that.  No.  I mean, it’s not that I’m not real excited about the fight or anything, or…or whatever.  I mean, I’ve fought guys…the UFC is a small circuit of people, so you run into people constantly.  All the time.  You end up basically fighting guys that you know anyway.  Um…so, this isn’t completely uncharted territory.  It’s just, uh, you know, I mean.  If…when you talk about preferences or whatever, you obviously…it’d be easier to fight somebody you absolutely didn’t know.

Fighters.com: You had made clear months ago that you intended to stay at 185, but that you would take fights at 205 if they were interesting.  It seems like that’s changed.  You are now a 205 fighter?  Is that how you view yourself?

Rich Franklin: Uh…I think that’s how the UFC is viewing me for the time being.  Does it meant that I’ll never ever fight at ’85 again?  No.  Not necessarily.  I think at this point in my career…well, I’ll just say this: At least being at 205 it gives me the possibility of making a run for the title right now, with the UFC not being interested in me making a run for the ’85-pound title.  So, at least there’s something to shoot for;  but, it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t be…that I couldn’t move back down to ’85 and fight there in the future or whatever.  It’s just…I don’t know.  At this point in my career, I’m just, um, just kind of taking things fight-for-fight and worried about putting on good fights for the fans and being exciting.

Fighters.com: Do you have any interest in avenging your loss at 205 to fifth-ranked light heavyweight ”Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0)?

Rich Franklin: Yeah, if the UFC wanted that and it’s good for tickets and business and all that kind of stuff, then I would definitely give that some thought.

Fighters.com: Hamill has five MMA fights.  You have 26 fights, including title challenges, title defenses, five-round fights, world-class opponents, etc.  Is this a fair match-up?

Rich Franklin: Uh, yeah, well, I think so.  I’m giving up some stuff too.  I’m moving up a weight class.  I’m going to be giving up some weight here.  And, Matt, although his record says that he has five fights, he has the whole stint on The Ultimate Fighter and he’s had a successful career in the UFC.  At this point, the only fight he’s lost is the Bisping fight and that was a controversial decision within itself.  A lot of people felt, including myself, felt that he earned a victory there.  So…  And, as far as I’m concerned, I’m fighting an undefeated fighter.

Fighters.com: Hamill trained in your circle in Cincinnati; but, did you ever actually train with him?  Roll or spar with him?

Rich Franklin: Uh, yeah.  Probably, uh…you know, half a dozen times or so, we trained together.  Um, actually, I met Matt through my boxing coach, Rob Radford down at Boxing and Fitness, and he introduced to Matt because I was in need of someone helping me with my wrestling.  And, so, um, I met Matt because he had come into the gym to actually help me with my wrestling a few times.

Fighters.com: You expect Matt to want to take you down and wrestle, ground’n'pound, right?

Rich Franklin: Yeah, that’s what I would assume.  I wouldn’t put it passed him to try to stand-up with me.  But, I would assume that ultimately he’s going to want to put me on my back.

Fighters.com: I expect he’ll try to stand-up with you, take you down if the takedown is there; but, his last two fights he’s deliberately tried to impose his stand-up.  If he’s happy to trade with you, will you knock him out?

Rich Franklin: Um…well, I would say that my stand-up is definitely…that’s my strength in this fight.  I’m not going to go out there and try to out-wrestle him.  So…um, you know, we’ll see.

Fighters.com: I guess at this point you’d normally be in the middle of a weight cut?

Rich Franklin: Yeah, I would be in the thick of it right now.  And, so, the approach to this fight mentally…I mean, it’s just a much different approach to this fight.  There’s a lot of things I don’t have to worry about here.  I’m worrying about keeping on rather than taking it off.

Fighters.com:  At this point you’re probably usually pretty grumpy.  Do you feel more comfortable now?

Rich Franklin: Um…I don’t really…I haven’t notice, but my wife says I’m easier to get along with now that I’m able to eat more food closer to the fight.  That might be a question…that’s a question more for the people that know me.

Fighters.com: Do you feel much stronger at 205?

Rich Franklin: Well, uh…you know what?  Really, I’m not sure.  That’d probably be a good follow-up question to ask me after the fight.  I think the biggest difference is, I mean, the guys that I’m facing are going to be heavier.  So, you know, now I have to, in my opponent, carry an extra 15 pounds for the whole fight.  And that’s a lot of grinding on you for 15 minutes. So, the question here is: Am I going to feel strong against my opponents at 205?  As strong as I did at, say, 185?  Or, you know, is this going to be an overwhelming experience for me, which I seriously doubt?  I’ve been at 205 before.  I train with 205ers.  So, we’ll see what happens, but…  I mean, quite honestly, I’m not really too overly concerned about the weight factor here in this fight or anything like that.

Fighters.com: I notice you’ve already got the black eye.  Will that be there for the fight?

Rich Franklin:  It’s there.  It’s there right now.  It’s starting to heal up; so, I don’t know.  It might be gone by fight time.  Who knows?

Fighters.com:  That’s becoming your trademark.  What is that?  Why do you always have that black eye before a fight?

Rich Franklin: I don’t know.  Carelessness.  Lack of skill.  My training partners.  There could be a plethora of reasons that I have that thing all the time.  But, it’s always there.  Put it this way: You know I’m preparing properly, I guess.

• a previously reported light heavyweight bout between Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3) and “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1);

• a rumoured welterweight bout between tenth-ranked “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) and “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5);

• a middleweight bout between “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (22-7) and “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (8-1).

Yoshida, who won his last nine fights, made his UFC debut in May with a 56-second submission over “War Machine” Jon Koppenhaver (5-2).

Parisyan will look to come back from a second-round TKO loss to third-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) at Fight Night 13 in April.

Henderson, a former PRIDE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, was submitted via second-round rear naked choke by UFC and Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (22-4) in March.

Palhares is looking for his seventh consecutive win. In May he submitted Ivan Salaverry (13-7) via armbar in round one.

J.T. Stewart, Franklin’s agent, confirmed to the Cincinnati Enquirer that the contracts are signed.

Fighters.com’s source said that Franklin’s trainers have been preparing for a Hamill-focused training camp and sharing notes from Hamill’s time at Jorge Gurgel‘s Academy north of Cincinnati, where Franklin trains most of the year.

Hamill is coming off a second-round TKOof “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (7-2) in Denver 2 April.

Franklin is coming off a second-round TKOof “Serial Killer” Travis Lutter (9-5) in Montréal 19 April.

In May, Fighters.com suggested Franklin’s temporary move back to 205-pounds should be to avenge his 2003 loss to top light heavyweight contender“Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0).

However, a Franklin versus Hamill match-up will captivate the large Greater Cincinnati MMA community, both fighters being natives of The Queen City.

Too bad it’ll be fought in Atlanta.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But, durable Diaz escaped a lost first round.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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