Head Kick Legend is reporting that Machida will rematch Rashad Evans with only a few weeks’ notice. It should be noted, however, that several other sites are reporting that the UFC is still actively searching for an opponent for Evans. That’s not saying that HKL’s story is false, just that Machida/Evans is merely a popular rumor at this point. The fact that it’s a fight that makes a lot of sense also helps its believability.

Rashad Evans hasn’t fought since May 2009, back when he defeated Quinton Jackson. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion has quite a history with Lyoto Machida.

Machida was Rashad’s first opponent after winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, and many fans were actually betting on the challenger to win. Evans set out to prove that he was a worthy champion… and it didn’t work out that way at all. In the first loss of his professional career, Evans was dominated, dismantled, and viciously knocked out. An online picture of Rashad Evans falling in mid-knockout dubbed “KO Face” spawned literally thousands of mockingly hilarious Photoshop pictures. When he coached against Quinton Jackson on “The Ultimate Fighter”, Jackson even went as far as to imitate Evans getting KO’d by Machida in order to anger him.

The win was so dominant that it led UFC commentator Joe Rogan to claim that we would be entering the “Machida Era”. Unfortunately, Machida would win a very controversial decision over Mauricio Rua and then lose by first-round KO in the immediate rematch. A tough decision loss to Quinton Jackson put Machida in “do or die” mode, and he responded with a brilliant flying front kick that KO’d MMA legend Randy Couture at the fantastic UFC 129 event.

This rematch definitely interests me, so I hope that this rumor ends up being true. I think Lyoto Machida could use a really big win now, his comeback is off to a great start but it needs longevity. I honestly don’t think a lot has changed since the first Evans/Machida bout, so I think Machida has a good chance of knocking Evans out again.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I have a problem with Rashad Evans, in fact I’ve mostly supported him through many of his recent troubles including his beef with Jon Jones. I’m just a much larger fan of Lyoto Machida, and I want “The Dragon” to get back to being a championship contender. I still get a little riled up when the Machida cynics laugh at the phrase “Machida Era”, and I think that with enough time and hard work, Lyoto Machida could become UFC Light Heavyweight Champion again. And even if Rashad Evans beats Lyoto Machida, this sounds like a really good fight on paper.

So not only do I hope this fight happens, I’m honestly more excited for this fight than I was for the originally-intended Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis showdown.

Courtesy of Sherdog, the UFC 133 card now stands as such: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara, Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle, Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson, Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya, Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole, Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace, Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce, Mike Thomas Brown vs. Nam Phan, Rafael Natal vs. Constantinos Philippou

In discussing UFC 133, I think I’ll start from the bottom and work my way up.

Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan is a match-up that really interests me. Phan has been on the sidelines since December, when he was frankly robbed of a victory courtesy of a horrendous judge’s decision. Meanwhile, Mike Brown has been struggling to find his footing in the UFC but has stayed employed as an Octagon fighter thanks to taking two fights back-to-back. I do think Brown will be gone if he loses to Phan, though. Part of me hopes that the former WEC champion gets the big win he needs, another part of me would love to see Phan win in order to keep hope alive for a rematch with Leonard Garcia.

I think it’s pretty interesting that Brian Ebersole will more-than-likely lead the main event of UFC 133’s Facebook broadcast. After a huge win over Chris Lytle, I thought the UFC would simply do a little more with Ebersole. But I do partly agree with putting him on the undercard: he may have shrugged off the role of “sacrificial lamb” in the bout with Lytle, but there are still a lot of questions hovering around him. If he beats Hallman, though, I do think Ebersole will have earned a spot on the main card for his next bout.

I think it’ll be interesting to see what Jorge Rivera does against Alessio Sakara. That’s a battle of tough veterans that should be pretty entertaining. Also, is anyone else excited for Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama? I know both men have lost lately, but that seems like a great “clash of styles” fight. I’m also really pumped for Rich Franklin vs. “Little Nog”. Hopefully, that fight turns into the great brawl that the Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin fight should have been.

And for the main event, Rashad Evans dug his own grave and now needs to lay down in it. I’d actually consider myself a semi-fan of Rashad Evans, but even I have to point out the irony of the situation, with Evans sitting out all this time only to get injured, then the champion he was supposed to face gets injured, and now he’s doing what he tried not to do and has to put his shot at the championship on the line.

And to be honest, I think “ring rust” will play a significant factor in this fight, with Evans sitting out for over a year simply because he chose to do so. It’ll play an even bigger factor than usual, given how hungry Phil Davis is and how eagerly he wants to knock off some serious contenders. I’m not saying Davis will come out and dominate Evans, but I do think Evans will have a tough time both due to Phil’s toughness/technique as well as the fact that Evans has gone so long without stepping inside the Octagon.

Overall, UFC 133 may not be the best card, but a lot of the fights look very fun on paper and the event has plenty of “sleeper hit” potential.

The two-men are now officially serving headlining duties for UFC 133, which takes place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6th.

While plans to have a championship headliner pitting UFC titleholder Jose Aldo against Chad Mendes were in the works, it looks as though the organization has instead opted for the Evans-Davis bout.

Jose Aldo was last seen in action against Canadian striker Mark Hominick in the co-main event for UFC 129 last month, where in a grueling five-rounds of action, Aldo came out on top, though worse for the ware. Heading into the bout, Aldo had been suffering from difficulties cutting weight thanks to antibiotic medication for an undisclosed illness. UFC President Dana White discussed the possibility of Aldo making a quick return to the octagon for this August in order to help elevate the title-less UFC 133 event.

Although, at this time, there is now explanation as far as why Aldo will not be adorning the UFC 133 event, there is no reason not to watch this event, regardless.

Besides the Evans-Davis headliner, which will serve as a last hurdle title shot for Rashad, there are many other notable bouts that need all the respect they deserve, featuring former champions and fan-favorites galore.

Here is the full-bout lineup as it stands, courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Vitor Belfort
Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
Michael McDonald vs. Nick Pace
Brian Ebersole vs. Dennis Hallman
Riki Fukuda vs. Rafael “Sapo” Natal

The fight in of itself began to pique the interest of with multiple story lines attached to it—but now, that’s going to have to wait.

Originally, Jon Jones was to defend his ufc light heavyweight title against Rashad at UFC 133, however the champion is now going to be on the mend due to injury and now “Mr. Wonderful” has stepped in his place.

UFC 133, which takes place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6, was originally the venue that was expected to house the light heavyweight grudge match between both Rashad and Jones, whom prior to the scheduled fight were both training partners housed under the Greg Jackson brand. Since the fight has been announced, both Jones and Evans have gone on very different paths.

Evans ended his 6-year relationship with the Jackson camp and has now began his own team with the likes of heavyweight giant Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, former K-1 Heroes Champion “JZ” Cavalcante, and former Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago, among others. Since the split, both Jones and Evans have made it clear how they feel about each other, and despite having called one another “brothers” in the past, it was Jon who pulled punches in the media, to which Evans responded in kind.

The feud will have to be put on the back burner for now, as Jon will now be undergoing surgery after he suffered a torn ligament in his thumb during training. MMAWeekly.com were able to confirm the injury with sources close to Jones, and have now identified Phil Davis as Jones’ replacement in the August light heavyweight tussle.

Davis was last seen in action in March when he defeated legend Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, where both men served as the main-event for UFC Fight Night 24. Phil stepped up on short notice after Tito Ortiz, Rogerio’s original opponent, had suffered an injury in the weeks leading up to the fight. After a contentious first-round, Davis turned it around and eventually earned takedown after takedown on Nogueira which helped him secure a well-deserved decision victory over the former PRIDE superstar.

Evans, meanwhile, has not been seen inside the octagon since last May, when he defeated rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 114. Rashad dominated the bout from start to finish with his superior wrestling, though a third-round scare from Jackson was all that the former PRIDE star could muster before Evans walked away with the decision. Rashad awaited on a title fight with then champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua until March of this year, however a subsequent injury in training left him unable to continue and in stepped in his then training partner in Jon Jones, who defeated the Brazilian with a third-round TKO.

So now, Evans vs. Davis is on deck next–but what do you think MMA peeps? Who do you favor, and should the winner of the bout be considered the legitimate number one contender to the title? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. Randy Couture

Couture is a perennial entry in my “Apocalypse” lists, and for good reason. The man is so versatile, I think he could survive whatever horror my imagination feels like throwing at him. In most alien movies, there’s always that one grizzled veteran that everyone respects, the one that helps lead the rebels to victory and overcome the alien masses. Plus, Couture earns an immediate spot on this list for his ability to recruit the other members of “The Expendables”, which would undoubtedly and quickly become the most savage, most vicious, most notorious anti-alien team on the face of the planet. Picture “Inglourious Basterds”, except with aliens. And Sylvester Stallone. That’s what will happen if Randy Couture is thrust into an alien apocalypse.

4. Brock Lesnar

In most alien films that involve the aliens taking over, there’s always that one big action scene where the imprisoned humans stage an outbreak and score the first concrete victory for humanity. Normally it’s the hero of the film that gets all the credit, but there’s usually a hulking, usually-silent behemoth there to help him. Brock Lesnar could be that hulking behemoth. Whether it’s holding something open so the prisoners can escape or saving the hero in the nick of time by pulverizing an alien’s brains between two giant fists, Lesnar would be two hundred and sixty-five pounds of pure humanity-saving muscle.

3. Dana White

Who said you had to be on the human’s side to survive an alien apocalypse? Dana White is the king of the shocking deal: we never thought he’d buy PRIDE and he did, we never thought he’d buy Strikeforce and he did. In the new world of alien domination, I can definitely see Dana White staying alive by negotiating with the aliens and ensuring his survival by trying to lead humanity to its doom. Everyone vilifies Dana White already, so I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks that White would be humanity’s Benedict Arnold, working together with the alien overlords to ensure his continued survival while at the same time ensuring humanity’s destruction.

2. Bruce Buffer

There isn’t a single “alien apocalypse” movie I can think of that doesn’t feature some grand motivational speech somewhere in the course of the movie. And who better to give that speech than Bruce Buffer? Buffer practically explodes with energy and all he does is announce who’s fighting. Buffer would probably give himself a heart attack if he had to rally humanity against its evil alien overlords. But before he did, he would probably give the best pre-fight rallying speech in history. Just picture him screaming “IT’S TIME” to a couple thousand eager rebels and try not to get goosebumps. And if Buffer does survive such a speech without his head exploding, he’d certainly be the go-to motivational speaker for the entire resurgent human race.

And the number-one fighter I think would be most likely to survive an alien apocalypse is…

1. Phil Davis

Look at this man. Really look at him.

Does that man look human? No? Well, there’s a reason for that: it’s because he’s not. Phil Davis is an alien, and in an alien apocalypse he would be the good alien that all the bad aliens try to eliminate. And just when you think all hope is lost for “Mr. Wonderful”, the cavalry arrives: an army of Phil Davis alien clones. That’s right, not only is Phil Davis an alien, he’s his own alien race. Alien clone Phil Davis army: humanity’s greatest weapon.

And if you hadn’t clued in before: APRIL FOOLS, fans and friends. This was all in fun and I hope you enjoyed it. But I just have to ask: who do you think could survive an alien apocalypse?

And while Rogerio succumbed his second loss inside the octagon, he still managed to pull in the largest base salary of all fighters on the card, which included the likes of former contenders Dan Hardy and Anthony Johnson also in action.

The following payroll does not reflect any additional “bonuses” that the UFC may have offered their fighters, as the public has now become aware of the extra locker room fight earnings as per the whole Michael Bisping/Jorge Rivera incident where UFC President Dana White stated that he withheld said “bonus” from “The Count”–not his win bonus or a “Fight Night” bonus–just a “bonus”. Particularly, main event or co-headlining bouts will usually benefit from such extra incentives from the UFC brass.

Also, the following figures do not reflect the actual “Fight Night” bonuses which were in the amount of $55k and were awarded to Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa for their “Fight of the Night”, Johny Hendricks for his “Knockout of the Night” win over T.J. Waldburger, and finally Chan Sung Jung aka “The Korean Zombie” for his “Submission of the Night” award which was bestowed to him after he cinched up a twister in his rematch with former title challenger Leonard Garcia.

UFN 24 payouts (courtesy of heavy.com):

Nik Lentz – $30,000 (includes a $15,000 win bonus)
Waylon Lowe – $12,000.

Aaron Simpson – $30,000 (includes a $15,000 win bonus)
Mario Miranda – $10,000

TJ Waldburger – $8,000
Johny Hendricks – $44,000 (includes a $22,000 win bonus)

Christian Morecraft – $12,000 (Includes a $6,000 win bonus)
Sean McCorkle – $10,000

Edwin Figueroa – $6,000
Michael McDonald – $10,000 (Includes a $5,000 win bonus)

Kris McCray – $10,000
John Hathaway – $26,000 (includes a $13,000 win bonus)

Mackens Semerzier – $12,000 (includes a $6,000 win bonus)
Alex Caceres – $8,000

Mike Russow – $28,000 (includes a $14,000 win bonus)
Jon Madsen – $10,000

Chan Sung Jung – $10,000 (includes a $5,000 win bonus)
Leonard Garcia – $18,000

DaMarques Johnson – $14,000
Amir Sadollah – $40,000 (includes a $20,000 win bonus)

Anthony Johnson – $40,000 (includes a $20,000 win bonus)
Dan Hardy – $25,000

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – $90,000
Phil Davis – $34,000 (includes a $17,000 win bonus)

The “Big Sleepy” Award: I’m giving this one to “Big Sexy” Sean McCorkle for getting put to sleep while standing upright. Seeing him get choked out in such an unconventional way was rather bizarre, but it also made for one of the best moments of the night. In typical McCorkle fashion he recently posted a mass tweet to “the haters” saying that he lives a live his detractors could only dream of even if he gets cut from the UFC. Always a class act.

The “Smiling Through The Pain” Award: Alex Caceres, whose smile could light up a dark room from the second he first stepped into the Octagon up until the end of the fight and all during the gigantic beatdown Mackens Semerzier gave him. “Bruce Leroy” just seemed so genuinely happy to finally be getting his shot in the Octagon that I was honestly a little sad that Semerzier made such quick work of him. Even after he lost he was still smiling.

The “Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game(plan)” Award: Anthony Johnson, for promising to stand and bang with Dan Hardy in the weeks leading up to their fight only to spend a majority of the fight taking Hardy down and grappling with him. A certain section of the fanbase is very angry at Johnson for his bait-and-switch, but honestly, I think Johnson needed a win and employed by far the best tactic to get one. He’s primarily a wrestler, and he out-wrestled someone who has never and likely will never have any sort of significant ground game. Johnson may have played it safe, but he also played it smart. So I’m honestly not that upset with “Rumble” and I’m glad to see him back in the UFC.

The “Cliché Breaker” Award: In reference to C-C-C-C COMBO BREAKER, this one is being given to Phil Davis for the many, now-cliché references made between him and current champion Jon Jones. Before the fight everyone was harping on how they were so similar, now that the fight’s over everyone is harping about how they’re so different. I say we should let Jon Jones be Jon Jones and Phil Davis be Phil Davis. I look forward to seeing where both men go in their careers, but I’m honestly tired of seeing them compared to each other again and again and again… and again. I’m partly guilty of this myself, so this’ll the last you’ll hear from me on this subject.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. And remember, it’s all in good fun… mostly. What about you? Any thoughts/opinions ready to be shared?

5. Mackens Semerzier’s all-out blitzkrieg on “Bruce Leroy” Alex Caceres

I had my hesitations with Caceres from the get-go, and I think this fight proved above all else that he’s not ready for the UFC. I also had my doubts with Semerzier, but he definitely proved me wrong and I’m honestly glad he did. I think Semerzier took a big step on the comeback trail with this win, and it was definitely one of the most dominating wins of his career. There’s just no way you utterly storm through an opponent and not end up on a list like this.

4. Christian Morecraft’s Standing Guillotine Choke.

Up until the end of the fight, Christian Morecraft was comfortably ahead on my scorecard in his bout against Sean McCorkle. I had Morecraft winning it two rounds to one, although I wasn’t ruling out a third-round resurgence combined with the always-puzzling judges possibly giving McCorkle the decision win. But Morecraft wouldn’t let it go to the judges, and sunk in a Standing Guillotine Choke, a move that rarely seems to work. But work it did: after a few seconds of struggling, McCorkle went limp and his unconscious body flopped to the canvas seconds later. It was simply one of the most impressive finishes of the night, and that’s saying something.

3. Amir Sadollah rightfully (finally?) coming into his own.

Here’s some honesty for you: up until last night I had never bought into the hype surrounding Amir Sadollah. Up until last night he had only ever finished one opponent, and it’s hard for me to forget that he sat on the sidelines for over a year only to come back and get TKO’d in twenty-nine seconds. But when Sadollah fought DaMarques Johnson, everything just seemed to click with him. In short, Sadollah finally made me believe that all the hype surrounding him back when he won “The Ultimate Fighter” might not have been in vain. It was a head-turning performance that turned my head and made me rethink my opinion of Amir Sadollah, so of course it gets a spot on this list.

2. The first-ever UFC victory by Twister. ‘Nuff said.

Of all the things I thought I’d see when Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia met for a second time… I never thought I’d see a win by Twister. Not only is that a very complicated and intricate move, it was also done by someone who’s primarily known as an iron-chinned power-puncher. How could this crazy submission win not get one of the highest spots on this list?

And my personal pick for the best moment of Fight Night 24 is…

1. Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa’s epic three-round war.

“Epic” and “war” pretty much sums up this fight. From the first second to the last, both of these fighters tried to finish each other and had each other in pretty big trouble at several times throughout the course of the bout. It was clear that McDonald had won, but it was also clear that Figueroa had made it far closer than anyone was expecting. This is the kind of bout everyone loves to see, no matter what your preference is. This was two fighters putting all of their heart and soul into a fifteen-minute brawl, and it was honestly one of the better fights of the year so far.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from Fight Night 24. But what about you? What do you think everyone will be talking about in the days/weeks to come?

Next for Sean McCorkle: What to do with Sean McCorkle? He’s an excellent trash-talker and up until December of last year he was unbeaten at 10-0, but now he’s on a two-fight losing-streak with both losses by stoppage. How do you package and market a guy that just got choked unconscious, and before that was beaten to a bloody pulp? McCorkle may be cut from the UFC following this loss, and if he isn’t, he’ll be right back on the undercard for a third and final time. There’s no way the UFC keeps Sean McCorkle employed if he loses three times in a row.

Next for Michael McDonald/Edwin Figueroa: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. It really says something that this fight, on the preliminary Facebook broadcast, was so good that it earned “Fight of the Night” for an event filled with some pretty big names in the UFC. I’d love to see these two go at it again, especially considering that Figueroa had one week to train for his opponent. With both men getting a full camp’s worth of training in, their second encounter could be even better. I say book the rematch as soon as possible and put it on the main card.

Next for Leonard Garcia: Even though Garcia recently lost, I think he should still have a rematch with Nam Phan. “The Korean Zombie” got his shot at revenge and gave us the first-ever UFC win by Twister. I’d love to see what Phan would be able to do in order to even their rivalry to one win apiece. Plus, for the first time in a long time, Garcia actually seemed to be sticking to his gameplan. Considering the very controversial nature of their first fight and the interesting changes Garcia seems to have made, I think a Garcia/Phan rematch still makes a whole lot of sense.

Next for Dan Hardy: Dana White recently said “not necessarily” when asked if Dan Hardy losing three straight fights would result in him getting his UFC pink slip. To which I say: everyone is expendable eventually. If Dan Hardy does get another fight in the UFC, it will absolutely be his last shot. There’s just no way that Dan Hardy stays in the UFC after losing four straight fights. It’s do or die time for “The Outlaw” and no matter who his next opponent is, Hardy will be fighting for his UFC career.

Next for Anthony Johnson: Anthony Johnson is in a pretty interesting position: he came back after over a year off and only looked a tiny bit rusty, but still, he won a somewhat-boring fight. It was the win he needed, but not the one the fans wanted. I think Johnson should rematch Josh Koscheck, who’s coming off of a deflating five-round thrashing at the hands (mostly the jab) of Georges St. Pierre. Not only would it be a fun and marketable fight, the winner of Koscheck/Johnson 2 would definitely take a big step in the right direction.

Next for Phil Davis: As I said before, I considered this fight Phil Davis’ “entrance exam” into the upper echelon. I think Davis is ready for fighters like Ryan Bader, or perhaps Lyoto Machida if Machida loses his  upcoming fight to Randy Couture. Davis is in a weird position with me: I’d consider him “the bottom of the top”. He needs tough challenges, but based on his Fight Night 24 performance, I think the cream of the crop would be too much for him right now. In the immediate future, look for Davis to be back on a Pay-Per-View against another Light Heavyweight that’s trying to break into the top of the division, or a top-division talent that’s on his way down.

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 Fight Night 24?

However, Davis has done just that, as he recorded unarguably the biggest win of his career when he took on the former PRIDE star, and perennial top-10 fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Despite contentious moments throughout the bout, Davis managed to get the job done and earn the decision win.

Rogerio’s knock has always been his takedown defense, which was largely exploited in his matches with Jason Brilz and Ryan Bader–two high level collegiate wrestlers.

However, Davis was poised as one of the best collegiate wrestlers to ever step foot inside the octagon, and on paper, held a much better pedigree than either Brilz or Bader had in the past, but it was Nogueira that was able to stuff each and every shot taken by Davis early in the bout.

The whole first-round saw a frustrated Davis attempt takedown after takedown with Rogerio shrimping away every one, and every time the two broke apart, Phil paid for the misstep with counter punches thrown by Nogueira, whom in the past has trained with Brazil’s Olympic boxing team.

However, a change in strategy in the second-round helped turn the whole bout around. Instead of relying on his power doubles, Phil switched to single leg takedowns, which worked like a charm. Finally able to secure his first takedown in the second, Davis worked Nogueira against the cage and worked powerful knees to the body and punches in bunches to wilt Rogerio against the cage, seemingly steeling the round. Next, Davis was able to takedown Nogueira again as the Brazilian seemed to be fatiguing little by little, and after some short punches worked on the mat, it seemed that the decision was then sealed.

And after three rounds of action, Davis earned the hard-fought decision win, when all three judges awarded him the bout with scores of 30-27 across the board.

So, MMA peeps, what did you think of Phil’s performance? Who would you like to see him face next? Keep in mind Davis stepped on short notice for this bout, and still managed to edge out the win. More importantly, where does Nogueira go from here? After an illustrious career spent in the now defunct PRIDE organization where he has defeated some of the best in his class, Antonio has now dropped back-to-back fights via decision, largely due to his inability to defend the takedown. Does it surprise anyone else that he’s not the Jiu-Jitsu whiz that his brother is? Sound off in the comment section below.

Phil Davis defeats Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via Unanimous Decision. Anthony Johnson defeats Dan Hardy via Unanimous Decision. Amir Sadollah defeats DaMarques Johnson via Submission (Strikes) at 3:27 of Round 2. Chan Sung Jung defeats Leonard Garcia via Twister Submission at 4:59 of Round 2. Mike Russow defeats Jon Madsen via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2. Mackens Semerzier defeats Alex Caceres by Rear Naked Choke at 3:18 of Round 1. John Hathaway defeats Kris McCray via Split Decision. Michael McDonald defeats Edwin Figueroa via Unanimous Decision. Christian Morecraft defeats Sean McCorkle via Standing Guillotine Choke at 4:10 of Round 2. Johny Hendricks defeats T.J. Waldburger via TKO at 1:35 of Round 1. Aaron Simpson defeats Mario Miranda via Unanimous Decision. Nike Lentz defeats Waylon Lowe via Guillotine Choke at 2:24 of Round 3.

I enjoyed three out of the four “UFC on Facebook” free preliminary fights, with one decent bout and one mundane one. I thought Mike Russow and Jon Madsen was an o.k. fight, although I was a bit puzzled by the decision to end the fight. It certainly wasn’t a fight that lit the canvas on fire, but it was competitive. John Hathaway’s win over Kris McCray did absolutely nothing for me, though.

I definitely enjoyed seeing Mackens Semerzier and Christian Morecraft win, both were very entertaining and dominating performances. I liked Morecraft’s victory a whole lot, it takes a lot of power to choke someone unconscious with a standing guillotine.

But far and away my favorite fight of the Facebook broadcast was the three-round all-out war between Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa. Both men simply left it all in the center of the Octagon, for fifteen minutes they brought out the best in each other and set one of the quickest paces of the night. I’d love to see a rematch between these two, since Figueroa had barely a week to train for this fight. Judging on both men’s performances, it’s pretty clear that the UFC will be calling them back before long. This was just another reminder that the lighter-weight fighters consistently deliver some of the best action around.

Speaking of lighter-weight fighters, how insane was it to see the first-ever Twister submission in the UFC? Before the fight-ending submission I honestly wasn’t enjoying this rematch between Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia nearly as much as I had enjoyed their first encounter, but that wicked Twister more than made up for it. I didn’t lose an ounce of respect for Garcia for tapping out with one second left on the clock, for a fighter like Leonard Garcia to tap out you know he must have been in an excruciating level of pain.

I think Amir Sadollah really came into his own with his performance against DaMarques Johnson. All of Sadollah’s punches were very crisp, and in my opinion, he hasn’t looked this good since he won the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. I think it will be very interesting to see where Sadollah goes from here.

Although ring rust is very real, Anthony Johnson’s wrestling is realer. So is Dan Hardy’s one-dimensionality. Johnson fully proved me wrong and to be honest, part of me is glad that he did. Although it wasn’t the flashiest win, this was still a big feather in Johnson’s cap. With a little improvement and an active schedule, Johnson could very well end 2011 by recapturing the potential and hype that surrounded him when he debuted in the UFC.

Phil Davis didn’t exactly give a “wonderful” performance, but a win is a win and he clearly beat “Little Nog”. However, this wasn’t the big win everyone thought would propel Davis into prime title contention against Jon Jones. This was Davis’ entrance exam into the upper echelon, and while he passed it, he didn’t ace it. Davis needs at least two more fights against top-flight competition before he’s ready for a title shot.

Overall, I enjoyed this event. A few of the fights were hit or miss, but in the end there were more hits than misses. Some of the fights weren’t all that enjoyable, but some of them really were. Overall, it was a solid if not super-amazing night of fights.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What are your thoughts and feelings on Fight Night 24?

With that said, most of the attention shared on the weigh-in ceremony largely surrounded the seemingly gargantuan Anthony Johnson, whom in the past has had a difficult time cutting to the welterweight limit of 170-pounds.

However, today he looked as lean and svelte as he ever has before, as did everyone else who hit the scales, as not one fighter had an particular issue making their own specific weight class.

Johnson, a 6’1 knockout powerhouse in the welterweight class, has had an extended layoff due to a lingering knee injury that in 2010 finally took a toll on his body, which he paid for later with the subsequent surgery that had him sidelined for the rest of the year. Anthony used every bit of the welterweight limit to make weight today, as he tipped the scales at 171-pounds (given the one pound allowance as per the Washington State Athletic Commission) as did his opponent and friend, Dan Hardy, who also came in at 171.

After the co-main event was out of the way, the rest of the attention laid upon the main event fighters, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Phil Davis who both came in at the maximum of 206-pounds for their light heavyweight match-up.

The full weigh-in results are formatted as per MMAJunkie.com:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (206) vs. Phil Davis (206)
Dan Hardy (171) vs. Anthony Johnson (171)
DaMarques Johnson (171) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Chan Sung Jung (146)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Jon Madsen (261) vs. Mike Russow (256)
Alex Caceres (146) vs. Mackens Semerzier (146)
John Hathaway (171) vs. Kris McCray (170)
Edwin Figueroa (136) vs. Michael McDonald (135)
Sean McCorkle (266) vs. Christian Morecraft (265)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Johny Hendricks (170) vs. T.J. Waldburger (170)
Mario Miranda (185) vs. Aaron Simpson (185)
Nik Lentz (155) vs. Waylon Lowe (156)

5. Is Phil Davis ready for a main-event role?

Jon Jones would have you believe that a rookie that can seemingly do no wrong can always triumph over adversity and realize their potential, but the truth of the matter is that the UFC has a long history of potential-filled fighters that wash out when put in high-profile matches. Recent examples include Josh Grispi and John Hathaway. Sometimes the hype train gets derailed and never fully gets back on track. Davis may look like the next big prospect… but the same was said about Brandon Vera back in the day.

4. The experience factor.

Phil Davis has eight fights… Little Nog has twenty-four. Davis has been fighting MMA professionally for a little over two years… Little Nog has been doing it for over a decade. Davis has fought outside of the United States one single time… Nogueira has fought all around the world. The UFC loves to make “veteran vs. newcomer” match-ups, and there are some high-profile instances of the newcomers beating the veteran. But sometimes the Cinderella story stays in fairy-tales. With no disrespect meant to Phil Davis, he won’t bring anything to the table that Little Nog hasn’t seen and dealt with before.

3. Even late into his career, Nogueira can still knock people out.

To this day, people still talk about Rogerio’s thrilling KO win over Luis Cane in his (Nogueira’s) UFC debut. And why is that? The reason is simple: up until that point Cane was perceived as one of the next big things at Light Heavyweight, and it was thought that he would become a sure-fire championship contender if he beat Nogueira. Sound familiar? Even this late in the game, “Little Nog” still packs quite a punch. The seven-fight win-streak he was on before losing to Ryan Bader included four (T)KO’s. When Nogueira lets his hands go, people end up going down. The same could very well happen to Phil Davis.

2. Does anyone think Phil Davis can submit a Nogueira brother?

There’s a difference between having the tools to get the job done and using them. And there’s a difference between the heart of most fighters and the heart of a Nogueira brother. Every second this fight is on the ground is another possible opportunity for Nogueira to grab hold of something and make Davis tap. Even if Nogueira has to eat punches to get it, “Little Nog” still has the famously-tough Nogueira chin. Phil Davis will have to have his submission defense at its absolute highest, because Little Nog has fifteen minutes to submit him and that’s a task he’s fulfilled many, many times before.

And the number one reason why Antonio Rogerio Nogueira could beat Phil Davis is…

1. Phil Davis has never fought a fighter as versatile as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

That’s really what this fight boils down to, and this is the biggest reason why Nogueira could win it all. Little Nog is very good at several major areas of the MMA game, and there’s not one aspect of the game that he’s bad in. He’s a good striker, a great grappler, he’s got a solid chin, he’s got good cardio, he’s got a little bit of everything and a whole lot of victories. You don’t go 19-4 against some of the best fighters in the world unless you’re one of the best fighters in the world. Nogueira’s versatility has been his deadliest weapon for a long time, and that’s a blade that’s still razor-sharp.

And there you have it, fans and friends. That’s my say on the matter. But what about you? One last time: Phil Davis. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Who’ve you got winning and why?

5. The age factor.

With age comes experience, and that’s something we’ll get to a bit later. But with age also comes the slow but steady degradation of your skills, especially if you’re a fighter with many hard-fought wars. Phil Davis is eight years younger, and as Jon Jones recently proved, this is becoming a young man’s sport. With his recent loss to Ryan Bader and his super-close win against Jason Brilz, many are already seeing signs of “Little Nog” slowing down. And that’s a weakness Davis can exploit to its fullest.

4. Davis is on a great win-streak.

Phil Davis has competed four times in the UFC, and he’s never lost. That’s something Nogueira can’t say: not only has he only competed in the UFC three times, he’s lost once already. Davis has also never lost a fight, period. And he’s got only three decision wins on his record, the other five wins have all been finishes. Phil Davis isn’t another bland Lay and Pray wrestler, he’s a dynamic young talent that goes out to finish and has looked very, very impressive in his UFC career so far.

3. Davis has faced strikers before.

What do Brian Stann, Tim Boetsch, and Alexander Gustafsson all have in common? They all have over five (T)KO wins on their record: Stann has seven, Gustafsson has seven, and Boetsch has six. Although he made his UFC debut with a thunderous KO over Luis Cane, “Little Nog” has only five (T)KO wins on his record. Another thing those three aforementioned fighters all have in common? You guessed it: Phil Davis beat them.  In fact, he finished two of them.

2. Davis’ submission game is constantly improving.

Now, don’t get me wrong fans and friends. I don’t think we’ll see the day where Phil Davis submits Little Nog, and that’s something I’ll address in the reverse of this topic. But my point is this: Davis has come a long way, and both his submission offense and defense have shown marked improvement. He may never submit Little Nog, but he may just be able to hang with him on the ground. Davis has all the tools necessary to not get submitted and blast back at any submission attempts with some big Ground and Pound.

And the number one reason why Phil Davis could beat Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is…

1. “Little Nog” struggles against high-level wrestlers in the UFC.

This is solely based on his UFC performances. Jason Brilz is a very controlling wrestler, and many (most infamously Chael Sonnen) cried foul when “Little Nog” beat him. Then Nogueira met Ryan Bader and Bader was able to beat Nogueira by Unanimous Decision. Davis and Bader are cut from the same high-level wrestling cloth, and this is definitely Nogueira’s biggest weakness.

And that’s it for now, fans and friends. Stay tuned for the reverse that’s soon to follow. But what about you? What do you think Phil Davis has to do to beat Antonio Rogerio Nogueira?

The UFC has recently launched a new campaign where the organization regularly hosts previously un-televised UFC bouts live and free, streaming on their facebook page for fans to watch some of their favorite fighters who may not have made the broadcast for whatever the reason.

The tradition has become largely popular with the fans, and now the UFC will be presenting five fights to air on their facebook page, and I would be foolish to not insist everyone to check out the full lineup.

Most notably, back in action will be season twelve of “The Ultimate Fighter” nuisance Alex Caceres, also known as “Bruce LeeRoy”, will be returning to the cage for the first time since his stint on Spike TV reality show. He will be facing off against tested WEC veteran Mackens Semerzier, in a featherweight match-up.

Also on the facebook stream, undefeated heavyweight prospect Jon Madsen will look for his fifth-straight win under the UFC banner when he takes on the grizzly Mike Russow. Madsen was last in action when he TKO’d former PRIDE star Gilbert Yvel for his first stoppage win inside the cage. Russow, meanwhile created abuzz in the industry when he rallied back from being dominated by one-time prospect Todd Duffee at UFC 114 last May, only to turn the tide and knockout the goliath heavyweight in the third and final round.

Here is the full bout lineup, format courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Phil Davis
Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson
DaMarques Johnson vs. Amir Sadollah
Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Alex Caceres vs. Mackens Semerzier
Jon Madsen vs. Mike Russow
John Hathaway vs. Kris McCray
Edwin Figueroa vs. Michael McDonald
Sean McCorkle vs. Christian Morecraft

PRELIMINARY CARD

Mario Miranda vs. Aaron Simpson
Johny Hendricks vs. T.J. Waldburger
Nik Lentz vs. Waylon Lowe

–So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the full card? Pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. Sound off in the comment section below and be sure to tune into http://www.facebook.com/UFC beginning at 7:30pm EST.

Part of me has to wonder if the UFC’s decision to add three more fights to their Facebook stream was done in order to at least somewhat compete with Bellator. With this new start time, there will be at least a handful of Facebook fights that compete head-to-head with Bellator’s offering on Saturday night. I’ve spoken out about watching two shows before, and how I don’t normally like to do so. Yet it looks like I’ll have to do so once again. At least I’m content with the knowledge that those Facebook fights certainly seem appealing.

I can’t wait to see Leonard Garcia vs. “The Korean Zombie” and I really hope that it lives up to its potential. I’m honestly a bit worried that Chan Sung Jung will change it up too much, he vowed to make some pretty drastic changes following his first-ever KO loss. I know Garcia won’t change up anything, love him or hate him he fights his own style and it entertains a lot of people. Garcia is either too prideful or too dumb to be afraid to engage. If Jung isn’t afraid to engage, this could be a fight that’s every bit as good as their first encounter.

I think I’ve been a little unfair to Anthony Johnson, so I’d like to make one thing clear: I don’t really have anything against the man. I think he’s very entertaining and could be a major force sooner or later. But there’s just too many factors against him in this fight with Dan Hardy. For one, Hardy is a great striker and he wants to get back in the UFC’s good graces in a major way. Johnson has also been out for a long time, over a year. So long as Hardy can keep it standing, I feel pretty safe in picking Hardy to win this one.

But let’s give credit where credit is due: if Johnson takes this one to the ground early and often, he could outright dominate Dan Hardy. Hardy doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him, but he is and likely always will be a one-dimensional striker. Hardy has simply never been good off of his back, and against a high-level wrestler like Johnson, the chances of Hardy losing are high if Johnson is able to stay in control on the ground and not gas himself out.

The main event certainly has a lot of potential, and part of me really wants Rogerio Nogueira to win. I have a massive amount of respect for both Nogueira brothers, and I always look forward to seeing them fight because they’re master tacticians on the ground. But Davis is just too new-school, and in a lot of ways this fight should mirror Jon Jones’ recent thrashing of Mauricio Rua. Rogerio has more of a chance since he’s stayed active and has a world-class ground game, but I feel that Davis is just too strong and will Ground and Pound his way to a big and very convincing victory.

And that’s that, fans and friends. What about you? Any last thoughts on Fight Night 24?

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Phil Davis: As much as I don’t like to admit this, it seems that an experienced wrestler with a tough chin and punching power is an Achilles Heel to Rogerio Nogueira, at least at this point in his career. He barely beat Jason Brilz, he didn’t beat Ryan Bader, and I don’t think he’s going to beat Phil Davis. Not only has Davis never been (T)KO’d or submitted, he’s never lost, period. He’s also proven very versatile in his short time as a fighter, with two (T)KO’s, two submissions, and three decisions. I think this one will be another decision win for him, since Nogueira is very tough. Little Nog’s chin will hold and his submission game is too good, but in the end he’s going to spend the majority of the match on his back eating punches. Unless Nogueira lands something unexpected and catches Phil Davis, Phil Davis wins by Unanimous Decision.

Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson: As Mauricio Rua most recently proved, “ring rust” is very real. Anthony Johnson has been on the sidelines for over a year, and even when he was active he struggled to make weight. Johnson is a monster Welterweight in a promotion filled with monster weight cuts, and due to both that and the rust, I think Johnson will struggle to make weight for this fight and only barely do so. I expect Johnson will be very rusty and gas easily, and Hardy will be able to finish him. Hardy wants it bad and has always been a great striker, while Johnson has simply been out for far too long. Dan Hardy wins by TKO in Round 2.

Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson: Johnson is coming off of a crushing (literally) victory over Mike Guymon that saw Johnson nearly snap his opponent’s spine in half with a wicked Body Triangle. Amir Sadollah never fully lived up to his potential, he’s currently 4-2 and has only ever finished one opponent. But Johnson has also experienced defeat many times, his overall record is at a marginal 12-8. However, I simply think Johnson wants it more and will work harder, because unlike Sadollah he wasn’t put into the role of a can’t-miss prospect right off the bat and instead had to work hard to stay in the UFC. DaMarques Johnson wins by Split Decision.

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung: As much as I like Leonard Garcia, to the point where I’ve vocally defended him despite his recent controversial wins, I think a time of reckoning is at hand. “The Korean Zombie” may have had his chin finally cracked, but I just don’t see it weakened enough to the point where Garcia will be able to stop him. I think Jung is hungrier than he’s ever been and will do whatever it takes to win his UFC debut. Garcia will gas himself out like he always does, and a refined and even more dangerous version of The Korean Zombie will beat Garcia via Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Who do you see winning, and why, at Fight Night 24?

5. Plenty of goodness on the undercard that we’ll probably get a chance to see.

A lot of main-card UFC fighters have been finishing their fights lately, and that’s a great thing for several reasons. First and foremost it makes the fights more exciting. But we also get more fights, with the UFC filling any time gaps with preliminary action from earlier in the evening. And the non-Facebook preliminary action features fighters like John Hathaway, Sean McCorkle, Aaron Simpson, and more.

4. More free fights on Facebook.

The UFC continues to deliver free preliminary fights over multiple channels, and for Fight Night 24, they’re giving away more free fights from an already-free event. Even better, they’re both really interesting fights: Mackens Semerzier takes on Alex Caceres (aka “Bruce Leroy”) while Jon Madsen fights Mike Russow. They may not be the best fights of the evening, but they’ve got their own fair share of potential and should be two fights that are well worth watching.

3. Garcia/Jung 2? Wow.

The first fight between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung was an amazing display of will, skill, heart, and fortitude. These two battled back and forth, exchanging huge punches at will, and somehow both of them were able to stay standing. It was particularly eerie to see “The Korean Zombie” walk through all of Garcia’s punches without flinching. Both men may have come under fire recently, with Garcia winning another controversial decision while Jung got KO’d for the first time in his career, but this should still be a great fight.

2. Anthony Johnson vs. Dan Hardy, for free? Even more wow.

The first time I heard about this bout, I wondered why it wasn’t being featured on Pay-Per-View. But the facts are the facts: Johnson has been out for over a year and Hardy has lost two straight. Putting them on a Fight Night just makes sense. What’s good about that, though, is that both men will come in hungry and wanting to get back on Pay-Per-View by making a big statement. Before he took his hiatus, Johnson was a can’t-miss prospect. Even though he’s lost two straight, Hardy is still a great striker. Both men may be down on their luck, but this could easily be the best fight of the night.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC Fight Night 24 is…

1. The main event could be a huge sleeper hit.

Phil Davis vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is a fight ripe with potential. Both men have been a bit overlooked recently, especially in the UFC’s ultra-competitive Light Heavyweight division. But this bout could end up being an amazing fight. Davis is young, strong, and possesses a dominant top game. Nogueira is wise, packs quite a punch, and possesses the kind of submission game that goes with being a Nogueira brother. It could go anywhere and everywhere, and both men could finish each other at any time. This is going to be a fantastic main event.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see Fight Night 24. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

The Event: UFC Fight Night 24: “Nogueira vs. Davis”, currently scheduled for March 26, 2011 at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Two free preliminary fights will be streamed at the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 9:00 PM ET. The main card portion of the show will be televised live on the Spike TV network starting at 10:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: Now that Jon Jones is the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, a certain section of the fanbase has brought Phil Davis to the forefront as a possible challenger everyone needs to start paying attention to. But in order to step into that role, he’ll have to beat “Little Nog”: tough, skilled veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Also, Dan Hardy and Anthony Johnson fight with both men’s Welterweight relevancy at stake.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Phil Davis is a very imposing physical specimen, and he’s currently undefeated. However, Rogerio Nogueira has very powerful hands and a world-class ground game. Can Davis repeatedly shoot for the takedown and not get hit by a big knee or uppercut? Can “Little Nog” get the submission against a high-level wrestler that’s got both power and speed, and whose ground game continues to improve? Both men pose some very big threats to each other, so this should be a great fight.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Both Anthony Johnson and Dan Hardy need big wins to stay at or near the top of the division, since both have had to deal with some difficult losses in their most-recent bouts. Both men are going to be hunting for the finish from the second the first bell rings. Simply put, this is going to be a match-up between two very tough fighters that are near the top of a very hotly-contested division. There’s so much potential for fireworks that this fight honestly could have been put on Pay-Per-View.

Why You Should Watch This Card: This is simply one of the best-looking Fight Night cards in recent memory. Both the main event and co-main event have a whole lot of potential, and for very different reasons. You’ve also got the rematch to one of the best WEC fights I ever saw, Leonard Garcia vs. “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Add two more recently-announced free fights on Facebook and you’ve got a great night of live, free UFC action.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: A lot of these fighters are honestly on the decline. The fights might be good, but I have to wonder how much they’ll matter in the grand scheme of things. Phil Davis is certainly undefeated, but everyone else? Their recent fight record is a little underwhelming: “Little Nog” is 1-1, Dan Hardy is 0-2, Anthony Johnson is 1-1 and is returning after over a year off, Amir Sadollah is 1-1, DaMarques Johnson is 1-1, Leonard Garcia is 1-1, and “The Korean Zombie” is 0-2.

Closing Thoughts: All things considered, I’ve still got some decently-high hopes for this show. Many of these fights look like they’ll be a lot of fun, so I’m going to go ahead and just enjoy a free night of UFC action. I really do think this is a very solid card, especially for a “Fight Night”, so I’m definitely going to watch this event.

And what about you, fans and friends? Anybody out there looking forward to Fight Night 24?

Coming soon to Fighters.com, will be a full length feature on Pace about this move and his upcoming fight against Michael McDonald on the undercard of the Nogueira vs. Davis feature bout in Seattle, at the end of March.

But first, watch Pace himself instruct how to apply the now famous “Pace Choke.”

Click through to watch the video.

However, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has since pulled out of the scheduled 205-pound affair due to injury and now budding prospect Phil Davis has stepped up in his place.

Davis, a collegiate wrestling champion has been one of the more talked about athletes that have since entered the octagon, and while Nogueira has one ot better Jiu-Jitsu games in the sport, his aim is to knock out “Mr. Wonderful”.

In his last outing, Rogerio was outpointed by then undefeated wrestling standout Ryan Bader. The two men met at UFC 119 last September, and while Nogueira had his moments, Ryan was able to take down the Brazilian several times over in order to take the contentious decision win.

Breaking a two-fight win streak with the loss, which included a “Knockout of the Night” performance over former contender Luiz Cane, Rogerio now hopes to rack up another KO victory, this time over Davis.

“I’m training too hard, everything’s perfect now”, said the former PRIDE star who spoke with TATAME.com.

“You can hope an aggressive me, I’ll really go for it this time. I just have to prevent the takedowns, but I’ll attack him, I’ll try to finish it and the good positions. My plan is to knock him out. He’ll have to fight a tough guy, it’ll be a good fight.

Phil is undefeated in his career, however if there was any man in the light heavyweight class who can ratch up the knockout over Davis, it would be Nogueira, who has trained with Brazil’s Olympic boxing team inthe past and has found a lot of success on the international level as well.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of Antonio’s comments? How do you think he will fair against Davis? Sound off in the comment section below.

Try to keep up. Phil Davis was originally expected to meet with Matt Hamill this May for UFC 130, however “The Hammer” was since pulled from the bout to replace Thiago Silva who was originally expected to face off against former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Then, Jason Brilz was pegged as Hamill’s replacement. Now, former titleholder Tito Ortiz has reportedly been forced out of his bout with PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira this March, and now “Mr. Wonderful” will be stepping up in his place on just a few weeks notice.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the news via Twitter: “Tito has pulled out of fight night due to getting stitches. 8-0 Phil davis will be fighting lil nog now and is pumped for this fight!”, exclaimed the enegmatic sports figure.

Davis is undefeated in his young MMA career, and is currently riding a four-fight win streak inside the octagon. In his last outing, the former NCAA wrestling champion defeated veteran Tim Boetsch in the second-round of their 205-pound affair, submitting “The Barbarian” with a modified kimura. The victory earned the Allianca MMA product an extra $80k for his “Submission of the Night” performance over Boetsch, who was never submitted before his bout with Davis.

Nogueira is in a bit of trouble in his bout with Phil. While many believed that his original match-up with Tito Ortiz was a much easier one at best, Nogueira has long had troubles with talented wrestlers, case in point his last outing with “The Ultimate Fighter” season 8 winner, Ryan Bader. The powerhouse 205-pounder was able to drive Rogerio to the mat on several occasions, earning him the win by unanimous decision. Nogueira’s previous outing with Json Brilz was another indication of his wanting takedown defense, however he still managed to squeak out a split-decision.

In Davis, the Black House fighter will be taking on not only one of the division’s most promising prospects, but one of the best collegiate wrestler’s in the sport.

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

Instead, the Llyod Irvin product who trains alongside former UFC contender Brandon Vera and UFC champion Dominick Cruz, will be taking on Jason Brilz at UFC 129, which takes place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada.

MMAJunkie.com originally reported the new match-up for the pay-per-view event, which will be headlined by a welterweight showdown pitting champion Georges St. Pierre against former Strikeforce titleholder Jake Shields.

Brilz steps in for Matt Hamill who was originally slated to take on the former collegiate wrestling star, however “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran has since been called to replace Thiago Silva in a bout with former champion Quinton Jackson at UFC 130 in May.

Jason was last seen in action when he lost a controversial split-decision to perennial top-10 fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114 last May. Since then, Brilz had been slated for several match-ups though has bowed out due to injury.

Davis, meanwhile, is undefeated in his young mixed martial arts career, and is currently riding a four-fight win streak inside the octagon. Phil, 26, holds notable victories over the likes of former WEC champ Brian Stann and budding prospect Alexander Gustafsson. Most recently, “Mr. Wonderful” defeated veteran Tim Boetsch, submitting “The Barbarian” with a modified kimura in the second-round of their November meeting. The loss marked Tim’s first by submission.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new match-up? Who do you favor? Both men come from wrestling backgrounds, but make no mistake that Davis holds the more prestigious pedigree of the two, as he achieved national acclaim earning the NCAA Division I title in 2008. 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.

Chris Weidman (205lbs) is not yet known to the wider world of MMA … but that may change radically in 2011. Weidman is a former 2x All American wrestler from Hofstra who beat Ryan Bader and Phil Davis during his days on campus.  After college, Weidman joined up with Team Serra Longo and has rolled to four wins in the Ring Of Combat. Most impressive, however, was his run at the 2009 Abu Dhabi grappling tournament in Barcelona Spain where he beat Daniel Tabera, while competing well with Andre Galvao and Vinny Magalhaes in defeat.  This was after just eight months of Jiu Jitsu training. The Baldwin, Long Island native, who trains regularly with Gian Villante, (Strikeforce Heavyweight) will not be on the “up and comer” list much longer.

Story Update 4:40pm 2/10: Weidman has standing contract offers from Strikeforce and Bellator.  Both are pending review by Team Weidman.

Click through to watch the video.

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.

According to a report from MMA Weekly (warning: link features graphic images and is not for the squeamish), Davis discovered a heinous two-inch gash shortly before BJ Penn fought Matt Hughes at UFC 123. The cut had been missed when Davis went for his post-fight doctor examination, and upon further inspection, the on-site doctor discovered a deep cut that went all the way down to the bone. Davis ended up requiring thirty-six stitches in order to close the wound. Left untreated, the damage could have been quite severe.

Here’s what “Mr. Wonderful” had to say regarding the situation: “I missed it, the UFC doctors missed it, and we saw a little blood trickling, but neither I nor the doctor had any idea it was as bad as it was… Thank God I didn’t go home like that. Knowing me being me, I wouldn’t have gotten medical attention right away and I would have gangrene and I’d probably lose my foot or something. Not even joking. It was cut all the way to the bone.”

I’m glad that Davis can breathe a sigh of relief and come back from this injury virtually unscathed. Like Davis himself said, gangrene is no joke. And believe me, fans and friends, a cut that deep that goes unnoticed is practically an open invitation. I look forward to seeing what’s next for “Mr. Wonderful” once he returns.

I honestly think that the future is quite bright for Phil Davis. With this fourth straight win in the UFC, Phil Davis has now spent half of his short two-year career as a Mixed Martial Artist inside the world’s most prestigious MMA promotion. Phil Davis had a banner year in 2010: he competed four times, won every single bout, and finished two of them. His performance over Boetsch even earned him a “Submission of the Night” award. 2011 just might see Phil Davis firmly assert himself as a force to be reckoned with in the ridiculously star-studded UFC Light Heavyweight division.

In the immediate future, I think Davis deserves a co-main event slot on a “Fight Night LIVE” card. Not only should the UFC be giving him more mid-level opponents, I think they should also test his drawing power. Davis looks to have all the tools necessary to become a big star in the UFC, so I’m all for pulling the trigger and seeing just how far Davis can go.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any predictions for what the future holds for “Mr. Wonderful”?

UFC 123 took place in the suburbs of Detroit, at the Palace of Auburn Hills before a stellar crowd. The main event of the evening was billed as a battle between two former light heavyweight champions in Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida.

While the 205-pound match up was the main affair, a few men shined a little bit brighter then the rest, and have since been the hot topic of discussion, and deservedly so.

BJ Penn completed a trilogy with rival Matt Hughes, serving as the co-main event of the evening during lat nights festivities. Penn struck hard early when he dropped the UFC Hall of Famer in just a few seconds inside of the first round. The former welterweight champion in BJ capitalized on the opportunity to finish Hughes on the ground, where a few additional punches sealed the deal. And at just 21 seconds inside of the very first round, Penn was declared the winner. For his efforts, “The Prodigy” picked up the nights “Knockout of the Night” award, and has now snapped a two-fight losing streak.

Phil Davis, one of the budding contenders in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, did not disappoint those in attendance when he was able to finish Tim Boetsch inside the second round. The NCAA Div. 1 wrestling champion was able to take down the savvy UFC veteran early and often, and in the second round was able to control “The Barbarian” with his budding Jiu-Jitsu skills, eventually looking up a modified kimura lock, and forced the tap out not once..but twice. The referee did not see the initial tap, but caught the second, which is unfortunate for Boetsch, but he appeared fine following the bouts conclusion. For his efforts, Davis picked up “Submission of the Night” and also pocketed a cool $80k. He is now 4-0 in the UFC and remains undefeated as a professional.

Joe Lauzon and George Sotiropoulos had some bad blood heading into the cage, and it showed in the first round. Heading into the bout, Lauzon complained of George’s fighting attire, which consisted of several applications on his legs, including the traditional shorts, knee pads, ankle supporters, and additional garments. But, cooler heads prevailed and the bout went on as scheduled. Lauzon was sharp in the opening round, stuffing takedowns and working well inside the clinch with short strikes, and clipped George on a few occasions. The second round though was a different story, and the Aussie native was able to work his strong Jiu-Jitsu game, eventually submitting “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran with a kimura. Both men picked up the nights “Fight of the Night” award for their strong performances.

So, MMA peeps, do you agree with the winners? Do you think anyone else was more deserving of said honors? If so, speak up. Sound off in the comment section below.

Next for Karo Parisyan: I’m not unsympathetic to Karo Parisyan, I’m just very skeptical. And his one-sided loss at UFC 123 pretty much proved me right. Parisyan was a shadow of a shadow of his former self, and I don’t think Karo Parisyan belongs in the UFC. He’ll be back to fighting overseas or in mid-tier promotions in the US before he inevitably calls it a career and closes the book on one of the most interesting “what could have been” stories in Mixed Martial Arts.

Next for George Sotiropolous: I know this next statement is going to come off as incredibly bold, but, hey, I’m in the mood to be incredibly bold. So here it is: I’m predicting that George Sotiropolous will be the UFC Lightweight Champion before the end of 2011. Everything he’s done up to this point leads me in that direction. His victory over Joe Lauzon was yet another example of how well-rounded he is, how he’s able to remain cool under pressure, and how he has the killer instinct necessary to become a champion. Big, big, big things are in store for George Sotiropolous.

Next for Maiquel Falcao: Something tells me that the UFC is going to do whatever they can to get rid of Maiquel Falcao. For one, he ruined the hotstreak of Gerald Harris, and the UFC had been building him up as the next big monster athlete. Secondly, Falcao earned himself no fans when he coasted in the third round and basically stopped fighting once he realized that he had won the first two rounds and didn’t really have to do anything if he didn’t want to. Falcao is going to be facing some incredibly stiff competition in the coming months, and if he loses more than once I think the UFC will wash their hands of him.

Next for Matt Hughes: What a trip it’s been for Matt Hughes. And no matter what anyone else says, I personally don’t think the trip is over. Hughes is going to come back, he’s certainly not going to end his career on perhaps the biggest loss he’s ever had to endure. He’ll face a lower level of competition when he returns, but he will return. There aren’t many steps left on the comeback trail for Matt Hughes, but this loss to Penn is a temporary roadblock and not a permanent impasse. Sooner rather than later we’ll see Hughes back in the Octagon and winning again.

Next for BJ Penn: It’s been announced that Penn will face Jon Fitch at UFC 127 in Australia, and I for one can’t wait to see that fight. I’ll have more to say about this in the coming days, but for now, I’ll say this: love him or hate him, I think Jon Fitch is the perfect fighter to beat BJ Penn. Stay tuned.

Next for Quinton Jackson: With a big (albeit controversial) win over a great opponent, the UFC will officially begin building “Rampage” back up towards a title shot. Jackson will be facing some big threats very soon, look for him to remain on a steady diet of top-level competition. Before 2011 is through I think we’ll see another major rematch for Rampage, whether it be against Rashad Evans or Mauricio Rua.

Next for Lyoto Machida: The man who once won sixteen straight fights has now lost two straight. It’s a tough time to be Lyoto Machida. I personally think Machida may be the next man to test out Jon Jones, or possibly Ryan Bader. As much as it pains me to admit it, I think the UFC will soon be testing out Machida as a gatekeeper and seeing how he does. But if it happens, I also predict that Machida will blast the competition and firmly put himself back “into the mix”. It’s always darkest before the dawn, and Lyoto Machida isn’t going anywhere.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and losers of UFC 123?

Quinton Jackson defeats Lyoto Machida via Split Decision. BJ Penn defeats Matt Hughes via KO (strikes) at 0:21 of Round 1. Maiquel Falcao defeats Gerald Harris via Unanimous Decision. Phil Davis defeats Tim Boetsch via Submission (Kimura) at 2:55 of Round 2. George Sotiropoulos defeats Joe Lauzon via Submission (Kimura) at 2:43 of Round 2. Brian Foster defeats Matt Brown via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:11 of Round 2. Mark Munoz defeats Aaron Simpson via Unanimous Decision. Dennis Hallman defeats Karo Parisyan via TKO (strikes) at 1:47 in Round 1. Edson Barboza defeats Mike Lullo via TKO at 0:26 of Round 3. Paul Kelly defeats T.J. O’Brien via TKO (strikes) at 3:16 of Round 2. Nik Lentz defeats Tyson Griffin via split decision.

I have very, very mixed feelings in regards to the main event. I consider myself a fan of both men, but a bigger Machida fan. I think this is a fight that’s going to be debated at length for the next several weeks, at the very least. I think it was a very close fight with the third round unquestionably going to Machida. However, with or without controversy this match managed to live up to most of its potential. I’m excited for a rematch, and I think we’re going to get one sooner rather than later.

I guess this is what I get for doubting BJ Penn. It’s unquestionable and undeniable: BJ Penn is back on the comeback trail and perhaps better than ever. He looked amazing against Matt Hughes, who I and many other people thought had more than a passing shot at beating “Baby Jay”. BJ needed a big and dominant win in about the worst way possible, and he got just that at UFC 123. No matter what the future holds for BJ Penn in either the Welterweight or the Lightweight division, one important question was answered at UFC 123: BJ Penn is not done. Not by a long shot.

I also noticed that the “UFC 123 Prelims Live” special delivered a solid hour of action to lead into the official Pay-Per-View telecast. Mark Munoz and Aaron Simpson gave us three good action-packed rounds, while Brian Foster and Matt Brown fought to a very entertaining submission finish. Add in a showing of the Parisyan/Hallman fight that took place earlier in the evening, and you had ample reason to tune in and watch some free MMA on TV.

Overall, UFC 123 was a very strong event with several noteworthy fights. I think we’ll be feeling the repercussions of this event for quite some time, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for some of the night’s big winners and losers.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of UFC 123?

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon: This could end up being a great fight…depending on which George Sotiropolous shows up. But I don’t think there’s any doubt that George will win this one. At least, I’d be incredibly surprised if Lauzon pulled out the victory. For all intents and purposes, Sotiropolous is being groomed as the next big threat at Lightweight while living up to that mantle. Look for him to take the submission win during Round 2.

Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch: I have to admit, I’m not too familiar with either fighter. To me, it seems as if Boetsch has more experience in the UFC while Davis has more potential as a young and undefeated UFC newcomer. We might just have a very entertaining war on our hands. Based on his undefeated track record and his penchant for toughing it out, I’m thinking that Phil Davis takes a hard-earned Unanimous Decision at the end of three good rounds of action.

Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Falcao: There seems to be no stopping Gerald Harris. The man is on a ten-fight win-streak, a five-fight TKO streak, and has stopped each and every single one of his opponents since August 2008, when he last recorded a Decision win. But Maiquel Falcao is also on a very high win-streak (seven) with a huge amount of finishes. This fight doesn’t just have sneaky “Fight of the Night” potential, it may be good enough to land on some people’s “Fight of the Year” lists. Look for Gerald Harris to win by KO in Round 2 after an amazing Round 1.

Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn: If you had asked me about this match back when Penn still had the UFC Lightweight Championship, I would have answered without a moment’s delay: this is BJ’s fight to win. Now I’m honestly not so sure. I look at where Penn is right now compared to where Hughes is, and I’ve got to say: Hughes seems to have the better mentality going into this fight. Now that Hughes is fighting just for the fun of it, he’s able to take a lot of risks that end up paying off more often than not. I hate to pick against someone I’ve been such a big fan of for such a long while, but both my heart and my head tell me that Matt Hughes is going to fight his way towards a Unanimous Decision win.

Lyoto Machida vs. Quinton Jackson: I’ve said a whole lot about this fight in the days and weeks leading up to it, so I’ll keep my predictions short and sweet. We’re going to witness the rebirth of “The Dragon”. He’s going to come on strong and finish stronger. “Rampage” will put forth a solid effort, but he’ll crumble underneath a resurgent and resurrected Machida. Lyoto Machida KO’s Rampage Jackson by Round 2 at the very latest.

So that’s what I think is going to go down, fans and friends. What about you? What does your inner Nostradamus have to say regarding the big match-ups at UFC 123: “Rampage vs. Machida”?

The 11-bout card has been made official by the promotion today, including two-televised Spike TV bouts serving as the lead in for what is shaping up to be a good night of fights.

Along with the highly anticipated light heavyweight match up, a pair of former welterweight champion’s are set to face one another for a third time in order to put to rest a rivalry that has lasted for over 7 years, when BJ Penn meets UFC Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes in the co-main event of the evening.

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

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

MAIN CARD

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

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

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

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

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

The UFC just made official today the fight card, which will include a headlining bout pitting former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson versus Lyoto Machida, in a contenders bout.

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

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

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

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

MAIN CARD

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

PRELIMINARY CARD

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

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

After Anderson pulled out a Hail Mary, fifth round submission, after challenger Chael Sonnen dominated the Brazilian for the better part of 4 and half rounds, the Blackhouse teammate was able to pocket “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” honors, on top of a hefty payday.

The figures below, which is formatted from MMAJunkie.com, were originally disclosed by the California State Athletic Commission, following the bout on August 7.

Anderson Silva: $200,000 (no win bonus)
def. Chael Sonnen: $35,000

Jon Fitch: $108,000 (includes $54,000 win bonus)
def. Thiago Alves: $60,000

Clay Guida: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus)
def. Rafael dos Anjos: $12,000

Matt Hughes: $200,000 ($100,000 win bonus)
def. Ricardo Almeida: $35,000

Junior Dos Santos: $80,000 ($40,000 win bonus)
def. Roy Nelson: $15,000

Rick Story: $22,000 ($11,000 win bonus)
def. Dustin Hazelett: $18,000

Phil Davis: $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus)
def. Rodney Wallace: $6,000

Johny Hendricks: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
def. Charlie Brenneman: $8000

Tim Boetsch: $32,000 ($16,000 win bonus)
def. Todd Brown: $6,000

Stefan Struve: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Christian Morecraft: $6,000

Dennis Hallman: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Ben Saunders: $12,000

So, Anderson and Matt Hughes were the night’s top earners, deservedly so, but…is anyone surprised by the numbers? For a long time, Anderson has been coveted by UFC President Dana White, as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, however his numbers don’t represent that. 6 figures, yes, however, a 12-0 i run in the UFC, and moves to light heavyweight would attract a larger base pay and win bonus for the Brazilian, should GSP rack in larger numbers.

Some can make the argument that yes, Georges St. Pierre is a much more popular fighter than Silva of course, at least with Anderson’s most recent performances (aside from UFC 101 and 117), but should popularity or credentials be more decisive come contract time, and a fighters due?

It’s something I run back and forth with, and can’t really decide. I guess that’s why they leave it up to head honchos to figure that kind of stuff out, but what do you think? Performance vs Popularity, which is greater?

Johny Hendricks vs Charlie Brenneman

Will Hendricks ever see a UFC main card, ever again?

Marking his UFC debut in some-what controversial action, when he knocked off season 7 ultimate fighter winner Amir Sadollah, with a barrage of punches early, signaling the referee to wave off the contest in just 29-seconds into the first round.

None the less, Hendricks has backed up his performance with two more commanding performances inside the octagon against Gabriel Gonzaga teammate, Ricardo Funch, as well as Canadian TJ Grant, in his most recent performances. While his style primarily consists of a ground and pound effort, made popular by his teammates and recognized collegiate wrestlers Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller based out of Team Takedown (ironically enough), out of Las Vegas, Nev., Hendricks is still waiting for another stoppage victory inside the octagon, in order to make an immediate impact in the UFC’s crowded welterweight division–but Brenneman might not be the right type of opponent for such a feat.

Brenneman, a winner of the popular “Pros vs Joes” show on SpikeTV, has opened up his MMA career with a respectable 11-1 record, and hails out of team AMA Fight Club, with the likes of Miller brothers Dan (UFC middleweight) and Jim (UFC lightweight contender), Eddie Alvarez, Chris Liguori, and UFC champion Frankie Edgar at his disposal, the sky is the limit for Brenneman.

While most believed that DREAM welterweight grand prix finalist Jason High had the wrestling credentials to stifle any of Charlie’s offense, which includes an evolving ground game with impressive strikes from within guard, “The Spaniard” was able to nullify most of his takedown offenses, enroute to a unanimous decision victory in his UFC debut–but he won’t be nearly as lucky with Hendricks.

Johny, who has some of the more impressive wrestling credentials in the UFC’s welterweight division with consecutive NCAA Division I titles in 2005 and 2006, and a 2007 second place finish, has the stuff to get the nod in what will sure to be his fourth consecutive win inside the octagon, which may earn him some much needed TV time, post fight.

Johny Hendricks via Unanimous Decision

Phil Davis vs Rodney Wallace

This bout won’t require too much finesse, as that outcome seems all but a done deal for 205-pound stud, Phil Davis, who has been likened to a phenom of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, much like that of Jon Jones, and for good reason..he’s that good.

Just under two years in the game, and with the sort of wrestling pedigree that Davis comes from, theres no reason why the sky would be limit for the 25-year-old out of Pennsylvania.

Opening up his UFC debut against former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann, Phil controlled every aspect of the fight, with an agressive ground game, moving to mount at near will, applying submissions, but eventually settling for a unanimous decision. His next bout saw him step in on short notice against heavy handed striker Alexander Gustafsson, eventually ending it with an anaconda choke in the last moments of the first round.

Rodney, though, has not been as lucky. After dropping back-to-back bouts against the aforementioned Stann and then to Jared Hamman (though winning “Fight of the Night” honors in a crowd pleaser), Wallace has the wrestling, but not that on the level of Davis.

While Wallace stands at just 5’9 in a sea of monsters in the 205 pound division, he will meet his end and inevitable walking papers after said bout.

Davis’ evolving Jiu-Jitsu game will come into play.

Phil Davis via Submission Rd. 1

Last but certainly not least…

Dustin Hazelett vs Rick Story

An intriguing welterweight matchup against the returning Jiu-Jitsu officionado Hazelett and Rick Story, will be an early “Fight of the Night”, says I.

With Story’s vitality and Hazelett’s obvious ground skills, the outcome of this fight is a serious toss up.

Dustin in his last fight, was seen on the losing side of things, opposite of UFC castoff Paul Daley, when he was viciously knocked out with a left hook followed up by additional punches on the ground after a hairy standup exchange went a wry–but dont let that fool you.

“McLovin” has a good standup arsenal, as most may remember him rocking Koscheck early with a punch-high kick combo several fights back, though he lost, gained much respect.

Since then, Hazelett has shown every bit of the Jiu-jitsu black belt he is, submitting Josh Burkman in a crafty wizor-to armbar transition that still has people gawking.

Story though, is a specimen himself. A strong, durable, welterweight, doesn’t know the meaning of “back up”. as his style is ingrained solely on moving forward and on the constant offense.

This style may be his downfall, as even exchanges early may see Story over zealous, and impatient, taking the fight to the mat and eventually meeting his demise.

Dustin Hazelett via Submission, Rd. 3

tune in for the Main Card break down—and keep in mind I’m no “high authority”, just offering opinion and open to discussion to anyone and all.

Davis debuted in the Octagon with a grueling beat-down of former WEC light heavyweight champion “All American” Brian Stann (8-3) leading to a unanimous decision at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.

Gustafsson debuted in the Octagon with a 41-second TKO of Jared Hamman (9-2) at UFC 105 in Manchester November 14.

I was very excited to see another Gracie step inside the Octagon but that fight was hard to watch. I am shocked the UFC actually showed the fight. I would have probably ended the broadcast early before showing that to awful display of MMA to fans. Neither fighter was worth watching and rarely, if ever, do I say that.

“The Terror” Matt Serra (10-6) had me eating crow as I called for “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-8) to use his wrestling to dominate the smaller Serra. Frank did not look for the shot and ended up getting knocked out by Serra.

Fighters.com sixth-ranked Demian Maia (11-1) has been working his striking and it was very evident in his fight with Dan Miller (11-2). Let’s not jump the gun here though. He could never stand with a clean striker but his improvement shows he is serious about trying to become the UFC champion.

This is the worst I have done with picks on any fight card,ever! Fighters.com ninth-ranked “Quick’ Mike Swick (14-4) did not help me out any. His loss to the man I am now calling the “AKA Hunter”, fourth-ranked welterweight Paulo Thiago (9-1) made a statement to the division. Paulo is a fast rising star in the division and his D’arce choke was very well set up.

Phil Davis (5-0) showed why he is such a great prospect. While his striking was sloppy, his speed and athleticism shined through. He moved from dominant position to dominant position during the fight. The UFC will need to bring him along slowly and allow his stand-up and submissions to improve before throwing him into the deep end of the division. He will be one to watch in the future.

After watching UFC 109 and thinking about the last Strikforce card, the UFC production team does a very good job of moving seamlessly from one thing to another. Plus they get prelim fights on the pay-per-view. Strikeforce will need to work harder to provide a painless broadcast like we saw last night.

A card that many mocked ended up with some entertaining fights, a knock out, great submissions and some shockers. All this and I did not have to sit through painful post-fight interviews by the fight professor.

The first fight that sticks out is “The Filipino Assassin” Phillipe Nover (4-2) versus “The Saint” Rob Emerson (9-8). This is a fight that has big consequences for both fighters. Both fighters are coming off of back to back losses staring at the three strike rule. When you have a fight in which one fighter must win to stay in the UFC, it tends to bring out the best in them. This is special because both men are trying to avoid getting the dreaded pink slip from Dana White and Joe Silva.

Emerson is a very aggressive fighter that loves to stand and trade shots with his opponent. Nover is no stranger to striking as he has trained in one martial art or another since he was ten years old. He has been focusing on his jiu jitsu for a while now and may want to try and end this fight early with a take down and submission. Now matter where the fight goes you can be sure that these two will leave it all in the Octagon in hopes of keeping their job with the most recognized MMA organization in the world. Fireworks should go off inside the Octagon during this one and sadly we may not see it.

The next intriguing match up you may not see is between Mostapha al Turk (4-4) and Rolles Gracie Jr. (3-0). Mostapha is a man who has not been able to have any success since his arrival in the UFC. He has been TKOed in both fights which I don’t think he will have to worry about in this match with UFC newcomer Rolles Gracie. Rolles is undefeated with all wins coming via submission which is not surprising being that he is a Gracie. I am always intrigued by the chance to see a Gracie step inside the Octagon. After all, it was another Gracie that many of us watched eyes glued to the television, as he submitted much larger men with moves most of us had never seen before. Now we have yet another Gracie entering into the UFC. Rolles has been splitting his time training between Greg Jackson’s MMA and Team Renzo Gracie (13-6-1). It will be interesting to see how far along his stand up game has evolved as most of the Gracie’s have lacked solid striking. However going against an admitted submission wrestler in al Turk, we could see the fight hit the mat very fast and witness the newest generation of Gracie pull off a submission reminding us all of Royce Gracie (14-3-3) and the start of the UFC.

The last fight that I wish was on the main card features “All American” Brian Stann (8-2) welcoming “Mr Wonderful” Phil Davis (4-0) to the UFC. I know Brian Stann has not come in with guns blazing since he came over from the WEC but the fact that he has transferred to Jackson’s Academy should intrigue anyone. Jackson has a knack for making average fighters become top ten fighters. Brian is very athletic and Greg Jackson is sure to have given him some new tools for his tool belt. Brian is also a fan favorite due to his hero status as a recipient of the Silver Star while serving in the Marine Corps.

Phil is one of the world’s top prospects in the sport being a four time All-American wrestler at Penn State University, a national champion and finishing his college career with a record 0f 116-20. These are major accomplishments that have the MMA world watching and waiting to see how he will fare in the sport. Training out of Alliance Training Center in San Diego he has managed to keep his record perfect even if it was only four fights.

All Star wrestler and world class prospect debuting against the Marine Corp Captain who many call an American hero. Intrigued yet? I don’t know about you but I get very excited to see fighters making their UFC debuts, especially when the guy happens to be such a major prospect. If he beats Stan his status of prospect becomes set in stone and he will sky rocket in popularity. That is if anyone other than those attending the event actually were to see the fight.

Those are three most intriguing fights we may not see at UFC 109. Is there a fight I did not mention that you feel belongs here? Maybe a fight I mentioned that you laughed out loud while reading about here? As always you can join me on MMA Gospel Radio every Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST by logging into www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel. We have the “Cageside Chat” open where you can talk with our other listeners as well as myself and co-host. Hope to see you there.