Like many other fighters in the increasingly competitive ufc, the former highly-touted prospect Paulo Thiago knows full well that he’s fighting for his career each and every time he steps into the Octagon. Since famously making his debut by pulling off a monumental upset and TKO’ing current UFC Welterweight Championship contender Josh Koscheck, Thiago has struggled to find a secure foothold in the UFC. And now more than ever he knows that another defeat may mark the end of his UFC career. ...

As the clock turns ever-closer to 2011, the UFC has several big fights and events lined up to kick off the new year in style. Perhaps one of those most important events is not the New Year’s Day UFC 125 or the Super Bowl Weekend UFC 127, but the second edition of “UFC Fight for the Troops”, a “Fight Night Live” event designed to raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. 11 fights have recently been made official for the card, and while not PPV-caliber, it is star-studded nonetheless. Here are all the details. ...

It’s an event that’s been rumored and speculated for quite some time, and now it’s finally official: the Ultimate Fighting Championship will host another “Fight for the Troops” show. Today the ufc and Spike TV officially made “Fight for the Troops 2” official, announcing that the event will take place on January 22 in Fort Hood, Texas. Another prevalent rumor was also confirmed, as it was announced that Kenny Florian would be taking on Evan Dunham in the night’s main event. Here are all the details so far. ...

It was reported yesterday that Mike Swick, a former ufc middleweight and welterweight contender, would return to action this January for "UFC Fight for the Troops 2" against a to be announced opponent. Well, now that opponent has a name. In his sophomore effort with the promotion, David Mitchell will look to score his first win inside the octagon when he tussles with the American Kickboxing Academy product January 22, at Fort Hood in Killeen, Tex. Mitchell initially made his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 22 when he meet TJ Waldburger last September, losing by unanimous decision, and in turn broke his own undefeated streak of eleven wins in a row. ...

After bursting onto the scene in February of 2009 with a shocking KO win over current top welterweight contender Josh Koscheck, the UFC’s Paulo Thiago has struggled to find both relevancy and a foothold as he faces increasingly stiffer competition in one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions. Thiago is 3-3 in the UFC, with big victories over the aforementioned Koscheck as well as Mike Swick coupled with deflating losses to the likes of Jon Fitch and most recently Diego Sanchez. But Thiago has and likely always will be an entertaining fighter, which is why it’s recently been revealed that he’s signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC. ...

American Kickboxing Academy is littered with top contenders, title challengers, and even champions. Cain Velasquez most recently became AKA's first homegrown champion, capturing the heavyweight title at ufc 121 last month against juggernaut Brock Lesnar. Jon Fitch is regarded as the consensus number 2 welterweight in the world, just behind champion Georges St. Pierre, whom Fitch battled against some time ago, in order to vie for the promotion's 170-pound title. Josh Koscheck went from "The Ultimate Fighter" infamy in season one to becoming the coach eleven season's later against the aforementioned welterweight champion, and will challenger him for his title in December. Then, there's Mike Swick. ...

UFC 109 took place last night and was an event I did a few articles on here. I wanted to take the time to eat some crow and give my thoughts on the event. First let me start by saying I was 100% wrong about Chael Sonnen (24-20-1). He dominated Fighters.com fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2). This is the first time we saw Nate unable to do anything for 14 minutes. He looked a bit lost off his back and other than two guillotine attempts he had nothing to offer in the way of submission offense. Congratulations to Chael for proving me wrong. ...

I thought I would sit down and make my picks for UFC 109 today. We usually make picks on MMA Gospel Radio and we made a few with The Fight Pastor however I have had more time to think and these are my official picks, enjoy. ...

There were no fights in the mixed martial arts welterweight top ten in January and, therefore, no movement in the rankings for February. Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) and fifth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) are set to battle for the top spot at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  Predictions range far and wide, from Hardy has one foot in the grave to Hardy is the man to upset St. Pierre like "The Terror” Matt Serra (9-6) di at UFC 69 in Houston in 2007. ...

Fighters.com's fifth-ranked welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) has one chance at beating Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  It's a slim chance, despite the hype that is being spun to convince us that the Hardy versus St. Pierre matchup is competitive. ...

"I finish fights," declared Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4) soon after losing a unanimous decision to then UFC lightweight champion “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) at UFC 64 in Las Vegas in 2006. ...

Fighters.com's ninth-ranked welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) took one small step ahead in the 170-pound rankings this month after winning a three-round unanimous decision over now tenth-ranked “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3) at UFC 105 in Manchester November 14 and a giant leap into a title fight versus Fighters.com and UFC Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2), probably at UFC 110 in Sydney February 21. ...

Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) won a unanimous decision over ninth-ranked “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3) by judges' scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 once at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester Saturday. After the win, a fresh-looking Hardy said, "Yeah, that was a tough fight. I did what I could, England.  I did what I could.  Sorry I didnt get the finish, but we got there in the end." ...

Fighters.com will post UFC 105 results Saturday night begining at 8:00 PM ET. UFC 105 takes place at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14 and features a light heavyweight main event between “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) and “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-3). ...

Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) awaits the winner between ninth-ranked “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2) and tenth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6) at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14.  According to UFC President Dana White, St. Pierre will defend his title versus the winner in Britain. ...

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

UFC welterweight “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2) and “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6) will matchup to determine the top contender to UFC welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2), UFC President Dana White confirmed Monday to AOL FanHouse's Mike Chiapetta. ...

American Kickboxing Academy's "Quick" Mike Swick (14-2) and Xtreme Couture's "Hitman" Martin Kampmann (15-2) will fight at UFC 103 in Dallas 19 September, announced the UFC today, and the winner will be the next challenger to UFC welterweight champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2), according to a report by MMA Junkie. Both former middlweight title prospects who dropped weight to compete at 170-pounds, neither Swick nor Kampmann have proven themselves against the UFC's established competition: former champions "Terror" Matt Serra (9-6) and Matt Hughes (41-7) and former title challengers "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (16-4) and Jon Fitch (19-3). Swick trains with Fitch and former welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (12-4) and most recently outclassed "Killa B" Ben Saunders (7-1-2) with a second round TKO at UFC 99 in Cologne last month. But, Swick's most noteworthy "W" is a unanimous decision over nails-tough "Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis (16-5), who never cracked the top ten himself. ...

Welterweight "Quick" Mike Swick (13-2) defeated "The Road Warrior" Jonathan Goulet (22-10, 1 NC) via TKO in only 33 seconds on Wednesday night near Fort Bragg during the UFC Fight for the Troops event. Over a year of trash talking between the two fighters (which started when the two were first set to meet in September 2007, a fight Swick had to back out of due to a rib injury) culminated in a 33 second win for Swick in his third fight since dropping from a middleweight to a welterweight. As the fight began, the two fighters danced around each other, each posed to shoot in or throw a shot, but it was Swick that opened up first with a cross-jab-cross combination to the head of Goulet.  Goulet dropped to his knees and grabbed one of Swick's legs in an attempt to buy some time. Instead, Swick landed left crosses and hammer fists to the side of Goulet's face in a flurry until the referee was forced to step in and end the fight. The official announcement was Swick winning via TKO at 0:33 of the first round. ...

UFC welterweight “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) shared his thoughts recently with Fighters.com about fighting on the Fight Night 16: Fight for the Troops card 10 December in Fayetteville, NC, near Fort Bragg. He will face Quebec’s Jonathan Goulet (22-10). ...

“All I’m doing is agreeing with everything, training hard, I want to win fights, make money, and live my dream, which is what I feel I’m doing,” UFC welterweight “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) told Fighters.com Thursday afternoon after training at the American Kickboxing Academy. Swick was speaking about the UFC cutting his teammates, Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked welterweight Jon Fitch (17-5) and heavyweight “Hungarian Nightmare” Christian Wellisch (8-4), due to their refusal to sign a lifteime likeness agreement for the UFC's video game.  He himself talked to UFC President Dana White and was told he would not be blacklisted. Fitch and Wellisch have since decided to sign the agreement and re-join the UFC. ...

Welterweights "Quick" Mike Swick (12-2) and Jonathan Goulet (22-9) have agreed to fight at Fort Bragg, south of Raleigh, 10 December, Fighters.com has confirmed. No contract has been signed, however. Swick won a unanimous decision over "Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis (14-4) in London 7 June. Goulet TKO'd Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-5) in the first UFC bout on Canadian soil in Montreal 19 April, picking up the $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus. ...

Evan Tanner was one of the pioneers of the sport that I looked up to when I started my MMA career. Its sad to see him go and I hope he is resting in a better place. - "Quick" Mike Swick (12-2), UFC welterweight ...

SpikeTV announced Monday that it will air all twelve episodes of the debut season of reality show The Ultimate Fighter, as well as the finale, on 13 September. Clips of a reunion special filmed recently at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas will air throughout the marathon. TUF 1 cast members involved in the reunion are Fighters.com’s Light Heavyweight Champion and current UFC champion Forrest Griffin (16-4), Chris Leben (18-4), “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-4), Josh Koscheck (11-2), “Rock” Nathan Quarry (10-2), “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (10-3), “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2), Bobby Southworth (9-5), and “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2). The reunion special will be hosted by Joe Rogan, and UFC President Dana White will also be on hand to discuss the impact the show has had on the UFC and on the sport of mixed martial arts. ...

“Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) has indicated that that his July elbow surgery will keep him from competing on the UFC 90 card in October, despite UFC President Dana White’s announcement Monday to the contrary. "I don't know why the mix-up happened, but I just talked to [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva, and we confirmed that it's going to be December [for my return] - possibly November if I can get healed up fast enough," he told MMA Junkie. Swick is back to his training, doing some cardio and grappling, but has not returned to sparring yet.  He said to MMA Weekly on Tuesday, “As of right now it is still not 100%, mostly because I am training on it so much, but should be completely healed within the next few weeks." ...

“Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) will fight in UFC 90 in Rosemont, near Chicago, 25 October, UFC President Dana White announced Monday at a press conference. Swick, who had minor surgery on his elbow in July, last fought in June, earning a unanimous decision victory over “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4). He is 2-0 since moving down to the welterweight division. ...

It’s the week building up to Fighters.com Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2) versus top contender Jon Fitch (17-2); and, honestly, I’m kind of bored with the division. Long-time 170-pound ruler Matt Hughes (42-7) has lost…something. Specifically, his last two fights and, all too early in his career, his competitiveness. Hughes’s eventual grudge match with “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) has lingered so long it seems almost a chore now. EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields (21-4-1) mauled his top non-UFC challenger “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-10-1) in 1:03. His next opponent will only be anti-climactic and prospects for a legitimate challenge in the foreseeable future are dim. A shame, a damned shame. Yes, there is the “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) versus “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2) on the October horizon. But, it’s still questionable whether Alves can consistently make 170-pounds; and, Sanchez is, well, questionable after losing his two biggest fights versus Josh Koschek (11-2) and Fitch. Besides, Shields takes them both out in the first round. Please, argue if you disagree so that I have something to get excited about in the welterweight division. Really, email me at chad@fighters.com and tell me how wrong I am. Anyway, there is one potential match-up that excites me, right at the cusp of the 170-pound elite. ...

“Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) underwent minor surgery late last week, but hopes to return in November or December, he told MMA Junkie Monday. The surgery, to remove bone fragments from his elbow, was scheduled before his last bout in June. The UFC welterweight won a unanimous decision in June, ending the eleven-fight win streak of “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4). ...

Watching Fighters.com's fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes(42-7) TKO'd at 1:02 of the second round by younger, stronger, faster, and more complete (currently) sixth-ranked "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (15-3) last night at UFC 85 in London, I couldn't help but recall the country boy whoopin' Hughes put on the original Ultimate Fighter Royce Gracie (14-3-3) two-years ago. Hughes stalked Alves for a takedown at the first bell, settling for bottom position by pulling guard, but never finding the submission opportunity he thought he could force. Again, Hughes took the Brazilian to the mat mid-way through the first and smothered the kickboxer; but, Alves utilized butterfly guard to neutralize Hughes's offense. The only damage done on the mat in round one was after the confident "Pitbull" bulldogged the veteran to the mat and hammered a crevice in Hughes's nose with an elbow strike. Hughes, like Gracie at UFC 60, was impotent. Alves wasn't falling for the tried and true tricks, wasn't physically overwhelmed by the stocky farm boy from rural Illinois, and wasn't intimidated by the future Hall of Famer's legacy. The second round was short; the end poignant. Hughes ducked for the takedown that's served as a sure-shot for ten years; and, Alves flew the distance between him and Hughes, colliding into Hughes's right jaw with his left knee. One punch later and referee Herb Dean waved off the fight, and, officially, the Matt Hughes era. Alves never doubted the outcome, but remained humble while pleading from the Octagon, "Mr. Dana White, I've been a good boy, please give me a title shot!" "He got me, no doubt," Hughes admitted. For Hughes, there remains a grudge match with fourth-ranked "Terror" Matt Serra (9-5), then a lot of prayer and consultation with his family for the proudly Christian husband and father of two. ...

Last February in Vegas, North County Fight Club heavyweight Eddie Sanchez took one for the team. Sanchez looked like a lamb being lead to slaughter entering the Octagon to become Cro Cop's cage debut.  He took an "L" at 4:33 of round one by TKO. He was to become Cro Cop's only cage victim in three starts. Had Sanchez known Cro Cop was...human (as we found out in fights versus Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo), he may have done enough to see the final bell, maybe even win. Sanchez may be given a second chance, this time with the vital intel' going in. The rumor among fighters is that Sanchez is getting the call to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 85 in London. Lesnar debuted in the Octagon versus Frank Mir and was quickly submitted via knee bar. Neither Sanchez nor Lesnar has confirmed.  Mum is the consistently official word at the UFC; so, I didn't even ask for official confirmation. Also rumored for the UFC's return to 02 Arena is a welterweight scrap between "The Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis and "Quick" Mike Swick. The fight is tabled and awaiting signatures from the principles. Davis comes off a one-minute knockout of Jess Liaudin in Newcastle, making four stoppages and 11 wins in a row.  Swick's last night's work was a lackluster majority decision debut at 170-pounds versus Josh Burkman. Sokoudjou has confirmed judoka on judoka violence at UFC 84 in Vegas versus Kazuhiro Nakamura. "He's someone I respect," Sokou says.  "It's just business.  Nothing personal." Both return from losses to "The Dragon" Ryoto Machida. "The Hungarian Nightmare" Christian Wellisch says,  "I have not signed a contract for another fight." Wellisch is rumored to welcome hulking wrestler Shane Carwin to the Octagon at UFC 84. ...