Florian weighed the limit at 156 pounds and Gomi weighed 155 pounds.

The Ultimate Fighter 10 champion “Big Country” Roy Nelson (14-4) and 6? 11? heavyweight prospect “SkySkraper” Stefan Struve (23-3) both also made weight for their matchup.  Nelson weighed 263 pounds while Struve weighed 248 pounds.

Fight night 21 will air live on SpikeTV at 8:00 PM EST.  The rest of the weights below:

Nate Quarry (186) vs. Jorge Rivera (186)
Ross Pearson (156) vs. Dennis Siver (156)
Rafaello Oliveira (156) vs. Andre Winner (156)
Ronys Torres (155) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)
Rob Emerson (154) vs. Nik Lentz (155)
Gleison Tibau (156) vs. Caol Uno (156)
Lucio Linhares (184) vs. Yushin Okami (184)
Gerald Harris (186) vs. Mario Miranda (186)
Charlie Brenneman (170) vs. Jason High (170)

Timely too!  Sanchez is scheduled to fight Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.

Top contender “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) has a few options for his next challenge.  He could fight Sengoku champ Mizuto Hirota (9-3) when Japanese promotions DREAM and Sengoku collaborate north of Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, but told a press conference announcing the collaboration he didn’t know who Hirota is.  Or, he could take the previously rumored matchup versus eigth-ranked “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) at the same event.  Or, Aoki could make his Strikeforce debut, as the Japanese star has signed with the UFC’s top competition to make his American debut in 2010.

Fourth-ranked “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) was challenged by former foe and top tenner Eiji Mitsuoka (15-6-2) for the DREAM/Sengoku collaboration, but no confirmation of the matchup has been announced.

Fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) will fight Nate Diaz (10-5) at UFC Fight Night 20 at the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia January 11.

Sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1) will take on late replacement for “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (15-4), undefeated Matt Veach (8-0), at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas December 5.

Ninth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) announced he’ll fight “Tractor” Rafaello Oliveira (8-2) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2.

Fighters.com November Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4)

8. “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)

9. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

10.  “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2)

“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.

In Dallas, Franklin’s disastrous strategy most evidently handed Belfort his fifth straight victory since losing a UD to “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7) at PRIDE 32 in Las Vegas in 2006.  The usually cool as a cucumber Franklin pawed impatiently at Belfort with his right jab, leaving himself exposed to Belfort’s quick hands.

“First round, you have to feel your opponent, see where he are,” explained Belfort post-fight.  “I saw he was kind of rushed trying to pace the fight.  And then, I was just taking my time.”

One lunging Franklin jab too many and the quick-handed former UFC champion dropped Franklin with a grazing counter left hook and pushing right hook.

“I just listen to all my coaches,” said Belfort.  “They were saying, ‘Find your distance and throw.’”

Franklin fell to his knees, face down; and, Belfort crammed another left hook into Franklin’s jaw.  Franklin’s body limped up; and, referee Yves Lavigne pushed Belfort off Franklin.

Though Belfort and Franklin fought at 195 pounds, Belfort’s last several wins were earned in the middleweight division.  He now finds himself contending with Henderson and “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) for a title shot against Fighters.com Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4).

Franklin falls to 1-2 in his last three and remains without a clear future at either middleweight or light heavyweight.  “Losing wasn’t part of my plan,” Franklin admitted after the loss.  “So I’m just going to have to let the dust settle and figure out what’s going on.”

In the co-main event, heavyweight prospect “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1) forced once-feared “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (25-8-2) to quit at 2:00 of round three after a dos Santos straight right blinded Filipovic.

Though Filipovic overpowered the larger “Cigano” in the clinch in the first two rounds and connected a smattering of straights that left a healthy mouse beneath dos Santos’s left eye, “Cro Cop” phoned in another jittery performance in the Octagon. 

“My game is to move forward and be attacking at all times,” “Cigano” described after the fight.

When dos Santos advanced whipping combos at “Cro Cop”, “Cro Cop” backpedaled and threw his hands out to halt dos Santos’s advance.  Though Filipovic’s defensive strategy had the sophistication of a playground brawl, it actually kept the fight within reach for two rounds.

In round three though, dos Santos connected an uppercut beneath Filipovic’s defensive tactic and unloaded an assault of knee strikes to Filipovic’s body and head, until a knee to Filipovic’s body in the clinch against the fence opened “Cro Cop” up for the punch that left him blinded and waving off the fight.

“I’m here to finish fights,” proclaimed dos Santos after the third win during his 11-month UFC career.
 
Welterweight “Semtex” Paul Daley (19-9-2) TKO’d Xtreme Couture’s “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (15-3) at 2:31 of round one in Daley’s UFC debut.  Daley staggered Kampmann with a left hook, sending Kampmann reeling to the cage.  Another left hook clammed Kampmann up as Daley teed off in the barrage of punches that ended Kampmann’s night.  Referee Yves Lavigne stepped in to stop the fight while Kampmann was still on his feet.

“I was saying to myself at the beginning of the fight, standing across the cage from him, ‘I’m going to knock you out.  I’m going to knock you out,’” Daley said after the fight.  “I just kept repeating it in my head.  ‘I’m going to knock you out.  I’m going to knock you out.’  I stood there looking at him thinking, ‘I’m going to knock you out.’  And, there you go.”

American Kickboxing Academy welterweight Josh Koscheck (13-4) TKO’d “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-7) with a straight right at 1:25 of round one as Trigg clutched the cage.  Trigg dropped to the mat and Koscheck followed-up with two right hands before the referee stepped in.

After the victory, Koscheck announced, “I know there’s a guy who just signed a new contract.  His name is Matt Hughes. I’ve been asking for that for a long time.”

Xtreme Couture lightweight Tyson Griffin (14-2) TKO’d Hermes Franca (19-8) at 3:26 of round two.  Griffin crumpled Franca with a straight right, then pounced in a flurry while dodging Franca’s submission attempts until Griffin landed flush to end the fight on the mat.

Lightweight Efrain Escudero (8-0) TKO’d American Top Team’s “Magrinho” Cole Miller (15-3) at 3:36 of round one.

Middleweight “Gorilla” Tomas Drwal (17-2) tapped out Miletich Fighting Systems’ “Massacre” Drew McFedries (8-6) in a guillotine choke at 1:03 of round two.

Lightweight “Mongoose” Jim Miller (15-2) won a TKO 45-seconds into round two when Steve Lopez (2-2) injured his shoulder in his Octagon debut.

Lightweight “Carny” Nik Lentz (14-3-1) won a three-round unanimous decision over “Tractor” Rafaello Oliveira (8-2).

Welterweight Rick Story (6-2) tapped out Brian Foster (12-4) in an arm triangle at 1:09 of the second round.

Light heavyweight Eliot Marshall (7-1) won a three-round split decision over “Hitman” Jason Brilz (17-2-1).

Light heavyweight “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (23-4) won a three-round unanimous decision over Igor Pokrajac (14-6).

Lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos (13-3) won a three-round unanimous decision over “Saint” Rob Emerson (9-8).

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.

Oliveira won a UD over John Mahlow (12-10) at XFC 8 in Knoxville last April and was tapped to take on former PRIDE lightweight champion “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6) at Affliction.

Hominick tapped Savant Young (8-8) in an armbar at Affliction in Anaheim in July 2008 and would’ve met Deividas Taurosevicus (10-3) Saturday.

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.

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.

Middleweight Alexander Shlemenko (22-3) TKO’d “Bubba” Robert McDaniel (11-5) with a knee to McDaniel’s chest the rendered McDaniel unable to answer the second-round bell.

Lightweight Lyle Beerbohm (8-0) opened up a blood-gushing split in Rafaello Oliveira’s (5-1) head with an elbow from the top position, causing the doctor to stop the fight between the first and second round.

Matt Jaggers (8-4) won a UD over Orville Smith (8-1) by judges’ scores of 30-27 twice and 30-26.

“Spider” Jared McMahon (9-0-1) tapped Jacob Hey (4-2) in a rear naked choke at 3:11 of round one.

Jeff Cox (1-2) tapped Jay Ellis (9-25) in a guillotine choke at 0:28 of round one.

Tiawon Howard (6-2) tapped Johnny Hughes (2-5) in a rear naked choke at 3:42 of round one.

Josh Barnes (2-0) TKO’d Jeremy Norton (7-3) at 2:22 of round one.

Deray Davis (3-0-1) tapped John Kuner (0-1) in an armbar at 3:53 of round two.