» Fighter: Rafaello Oliveira

UFC lightweight title contender “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) debuted at tenth in Fighters.com’s Lightweight Rankings in November due mostly to former top tenner Katsunori Kikuno’s (5-1-1) stoppage loss to third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (16-2) at DREAM.12 in Osaka October 25.

Read More About Fighters.com November Lightweight Rankings – The Rise of Diego Sanchez…

Xtreme Couture’s “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) scored his bulliest victory in four-plus years TKOing Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) at 3:02 of round one in a 195-pound catch weight main event at UFC 103 in Dallas Saturday night.

“Jesus, I love you,” shouted Belfort in the Octagon after the fight, and in his dressing room he added,  “God gave me a gift and I’m using it.  And, I’m ready.  A lot of people thought I was done, you know, and that’s what I’m bringing to this game – hope, faith, and hard work.

Read More About Vitor Belfort Phenomenal Over Rich Franklin, dos Santos Convinces Cro Cop to Quit at UFC 103…

Affliction refugees who’ve found sanctuary in the UFC now include former EliteXC welterweight title challenger “Semtex” Paul Daley (18-9-2), lightweight “The Upgrade” Dan Lauzon (12-2), lightweight “Tractor” Rafaello Oliveira (8-1), and “Machine” Mark Hominick (14-7), announced UFC President Dana White Friday afternoon.

Englishman Daley lost a UD to “Goat” Nick Thompson (38-11-1) at MFC 20 in Edmonton last February and was scheduled to fight “Thoroughbred” Jay Hieron (14-4) at Affliction in Anaheim Saturday before the event’s cancellation.

Lauzon tapped Bobby Green (5-2) in a rear naked choke at Affliction in Anaheim last January and would’ve tangled with “Polish Hammer” Chris Horodecki (13-1) at Affliction Saturday. He begins a second stint in the Octagon after getting TKO’d by “King” Spencer Fisher (23-4) at UFC 64 in Las Vegas in 2006.

Read More About UFC Converts Include Paul Daley, Dan Lauzon, Mark Hominick, and Rafaello Oliveira…

Former PRIDE Lightweight Champion “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6) will fight “Tractor” Rafaello Oliveira (8-1) at Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August.

Once considered one of MMA’s premier lightweights, Gomi is one win removed from a two-fight losing streak, beginning with a split decision loss to Sergei Goliaev (9-6) in Sengoku last November and continuing through a tapout by ankle lock to Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) in an undeserved Sengoku lightweight title fight in January. In May, Gomi notched one in the win column in Tokyo with a knockout of Takashi Nakakura (10-2) in Shooto.

“Tractor” is on a three-fight win streak, most recently scoring a UD over John Mahlow (12-10) at XFC 8 in Knoxville in April.

The fight will round out the Trilogy’s pay-per-view card.

Heavyweight “Pee Wee” Dave Herman (12-0) TKO’d “Meat Truck” Kerry Schall (21-11) in 66 seconds Friday night in Hammond, east of Chicago.

The “W” was Herman’s third under the ProElite umbrella, a promotion whose heavyweight division has been stung recently with champion “Big Foot” Antonio Silva’s (11-1) positive test for banned substances and poster boy “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson’s (3-1) 14-second KO loss.

The victory came by a combination of knees with Schall in Herman’s Thai clinch and punches once Schall dropped.

After his brief TUF 8 appearance, light heavyweight Jason Guida (17-18) was overwhelmed by “Cannibal” Mamed Khalidov (15-3-1) by second-round TKO at 4:53.

King of the Cage Welterweight Champion Anthony Lapsley (14-3) won a majority decision over Mike Stumpf (10-2) by judges’ scores of 30-27 twice and 29-29.

Read More About Herman Rolls Over Meat Truck, ShoXC Results…