Here are some interesting quotes from Stout courtesy of our friends over at Fightline: “We’re in combat sports but we want to make it clear that it’s a sport to us and that we don’t condone violence in other settings… Violence against people who are not willing participants just isn’t right… This is a sport and it’s okay to do it inside the gym but once you leave the gym it’s only to be used for self defense and that’s it really.”

A veteran of over twenty professional fights, Sam Stout has been fighting for eight years. Stout has won four out of his last five bouts, including a recent KO victory over Yves Edwards that is a sure-fire “Knockout of the Year” contender. Stout faces fellow rising star Dennis Siver at the ridiculously-amazing (so long as no one gets injured) UFC 137 card in October.

If you’ll permit me to do so for a few minutes, I’d like to hop on the soapbox for just a quick bit.

I truly, honestly believe that it’s programs like these and fighters like Sam Stout that are leading the way for not only MMA’s global legalization, but also for its global acceptance as one of the best sports in the world.

If there’s one thing I absolutely detest, it’s ignorance. I’ve heard “violence begets violence” so many times when it comes to the reasons not to legalize MMA nation-wide that the phrase has lost all meaning to me. And still, old politicians and worried soccer-moms think that this sport isn’t the right fit for their state or home.

The truth of the matter is this: MMA is violent, but it’s a sport. The fights happen in a controlled environment, the fighters are professional athletes that work ridiculously hard to get to where they are. And to top it all off, most of them are pretty amazing people.

I really applaud Sam Stout for not only trying to raise awareness on such a wide-reaching pair of issues, but also for leading the charge and trying to set an example other MMA stars should honestly be following. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good “bad boy” MMA fighter, and in MMA we’ve got plenty of them. But, and this is something I firmly believe is integral to keep any sport both respectable and honorable, for every bad boy there needs to be at least one (preferably more) role model.

At first glance, it may sound strange to talk about role models in a sport that revolves around grown men trying to kick, punch, and choke each other unconscious. But many things, not just MMA, can end up surprising you if you’re just willing to go beyond that first glance.

In the past, I’ve had my differences with Sam Stout and where he finds himself in the UFC’s ultra-crowded Lightweight division if he manages to get past Dennis Siver. But I’ve never had a problem with Sam Stout as a person. And thanks to this interview, I now know for certain that Sam Stout is actually a pretty amazing person and even a role model.

Here are some highlights from an interview Stout recently had with Fightlinker:  “You don’t make it to that high in the division… if you don’t know how to do everything and [Siver’s] definitely shown some significant improvements in his game… I think that puts me definitely top 10 if I beat Dennis Siver … that’s the way I feel and that’s the way I hope the UFC head honchos see it.”

Sam Stout makes an interesting point… I think you could consider Dennis Siver a Top 10 Lightweight, and you normally become a Top 10 Lightweight by beating a Top 10 Lightweight. Normally.

However, I just don’t think that beating Dennis Siver puts Sam Stout in the top ten. I think it just knocks Dennis Siver out of the top ten.

I can explain it best if I give you an example. Let’s say that Siver is the #10 Lightweight in the UFC, and Sam Stout is #12. Before the winner of this fight is determined, we need to consider that Siver is coming off of a close fight that many felt he should have lost. We also need to consider that Stout hadn’t finished anyone in over three years before KO’ing Edwards. Based on that, if Sam Stout beats Dennis Siver I think you could make a serious case for Siver dropping down to #12, Stout moving up to #11, and the #11 fighter taking Siver’s spot in the Top 10.

Basically: sometimes beating a Top 10 opponent doesn’t put you in the Top 10, it just takes the guy you beat out of the top ten. This has happened countless times with just about all the major websites that do these kinds of “top ten” rankings.

Of course, we aren’t talking about major websites, we’re talking about the UFC. And the UFC can do whatever it wants, especially with the super-crowded Lightweight division. But just off the top of my head, let’s see if I can name ten Lightweight fighters that I think have as much or even more of a claim to a Top 10 spot than the winner of Siver/Stout.

First and second is Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard, of course. Then you have fighters like Melvin Guillard, Jim Miller, and Clay Guida. There’s also former WEC fighters like Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and Ben Henderson. And yes, Pettis still deserves a spot in the Top 10 even though he lost his UFC debut due to the fact that he beat so many good Lightweights in the WEC.

That’s, what… eight fighters with relatively little thought? Maybe not the full ten right off the top of my head, but it’s pretty close. With his recent win over George Sotiropoulos and the fact that he’s won four of his last five with one loss to Clay Guida thanks to a freak injury, you could make a case for Rafael dos Anjos taking up a ninth spot in the Top 10. And even though he’s 3-2 in his five most-recent fights, the fact that every single one of those fights earned some type of post-fight “Of The Night” bonus plus the fact that he’s about to face Melvin Guillard leads me to believe that Joe Lauzon could occupy the tenth slot.

My main point is this: the UFC’s Lightweight division is super-crowded right now, and that’s a good thing. Normally I don’t pay much attention to rankings and I just enjoy the fights I’m given. However, and this is said without an ounce of disrespect intended, I just don’t think Sam Stout is realistic when he says that beating Dennis Siver makes him a Top 10 Lightweight.

Our friends over at Five Ounces of Pain have the scoop. According to their sources, Siver/Stout is being targeted for UFC 137 later this year.

Sam Stout’s first fight in the UFC was over five years ago, and he’s currently a respected veteran of over twenty fights. Nicknamed “Hands of Stone”, Stout has a majority of his career wins (nine of seventeen) by some form of (T)KO. Stout most recently competed at UFC 131, viciously KO’ing fellow veteran Yves Edwards in the first KO win for Stout in roughly three and a half years. It was a definite “KO of the Year” contender, and it got people talking about Sam Stout again.

With his many recent victories over tough Lightweight fighters, a lot of people are now talking about Dennis Siver again as well. Siver is currently on a four-fight win-streak, the longest win-streak he’s ever assembled in the UFC. Siver’s recent wins include a dominant performance against Andre Winner, an upset victory over George Sotiropoulos, and a somewhat-controversial decision win over Matt Wiman.

As a fan of Lightweight fighters and lighter-weight fighters in general, this fight definitely interests me. The UFC’s Lightweight division is super-crowded right now, and I think a fight like this will really give some clarity to the division. Plus, both men match up very well with each other.

Dennis Siver hasn’t really been able to let his striking shine in his recent fights, for one reason or another. But coming off of a tremendous KO win, you’ve got to think that Stout will come in looking to trade with Siver. I love striking-focused fights where two different striking styles face off against each other, so Stout vs. Siver seems right up my alley.

Both men could have some interesting counters for each other before all is said and done. If Stout comes in throwing too many bombs, Siver could get his timing down and begin to let loose with kicks. Let’s not forget, currently the deadliest weapon in Siver’s arsenal is his spinning back kick. At one point, Siver finished two opponents in three fights with that maneuver.

Then again, Sam Stout’s punching power is no joke and he’s improved a lot in all major areas of the game since he first came into the UFC. Stout has good cardio, good speed, and good ducking/dodging ability. Siver may be the better, more technical striker, but sometimes that’s not what matters in the fight game. It may be a cliché, but if Sam Stout can force Dennis Siver to fight his fight, Sam Stout has a great chance of winning this and eliminating Siver from the super-crowded Lightweight contender scene.

All in all, I think we’ll be in for a real treat with this one and this fight makes me look forward to UFC 137 even more.

First up, let’s head to MMA Junkie for news on how many fans packed into the arena to see UFC 131, and how much they spent throughout the night. According to MMAJ’s report, UFC 131 saw an attendance of 14,685 and live gate receipts to the tune of approximately 2.8 million dollars. It should be noted that this was smack dab in the middle of the Vancouver Canucks playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was generally assumed that since hockey is nearly a way of life in Canada, the attendance and live gate of UFC 131 would suffer. Unfortunately, this did end up being the case: according to MMA Junkie, this is the least-attended, least-successful UFC card in Canada since the UFC started going to Canada.

Next up is the one and only Sherdog with a report on the traditional post-fight award bonuses. All four of these men took home a cool $70,000 dollars for their spirited performances. Sam Stout was the obvious pick for “Knockout of the Night” after his heinous KO’ing of Yves Edwards, and he did end up taking the award. For his first-round submission win due to a Standing Guillotine, newcomer Chris Weidman was awarded “Submission of the Night”. For their back-and-forth brawl that saw both men land major punches and stagger their opponent, both Jon Olav Einemo and Dave Herman were awarded “Fight of the Night”.

And finally, let’s go back to Sherdog for a report on how the Spike TV presentation of “UFC Prelims LIVE” fared. According to them, the special one-hour broadcast that featured both Chris Weidman and Sam Stout in their award-winning performances averaged 1.6 million viewers.

Although no official reference was given, by my own research the UFC 131 “Prelims LIVE” special pulled in a pretty good rating for that type of special. Which is a great thing, in my opinion. I’ll always advocate these preliminary bouts, the “anything can happen” atmosphere of major/important UFC shows always seems to carry over, at least in part, to the preliminary fights. To date, we’ve seen multiple preliminary fighters take home “Knockout of the Night”, “Submission of the Night”, and even “Fight of the Night”. It’s a breeding ground for sleeper hits, and that’s about as positive of a compliment as I could give. Whether it’s through Facebook, Spike TV, or even ION Television, I wish this series nothing but the best.

I realize that the whole hockey thing affected UFC 131’s bottom line, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world. I think it was a bit funny that UFC President Dana White had to eat a bit of crow and admit that hockey was a sport held in absolute reverence by the Canadians, this after saying that he thought MMA was bigger than hockey. But it is what it is, and unlike most people, I usually don’t fault Dana White for being the promoter that he is. At the end of the day, it’s an event that drew close to 15,000 people and made close to three million dollars. That may be “only decent” by the UFC’s standards, at least for Canada, but that still blows everyone else out of the water. It’s even better than most of the UFC’s outings in America.

All in all, I think UFC 131 was a successful event both in terms of fight quality and the bottom line.

The Cecil Peoples Lifetime Achievement Award For The Greatest Display Of Utter Blindness And Ineptitude I’ve Ever Seen: The judge that awarded Darren Elkins a 30-27 victory over Michihiro Omigawa. I mean this without hyperbole: this was a travesty of justice, something so horrendous that many fans have voiced concern that either the judging in MMA is broken beyond repair or that this fight was fixed. There is simply no way Darren Elkins won this fight, and to give him a 30-27 is the highest of insults. There may have been bigger robberies… I just personally haven’t seen any of them. I’m not going to forget the way this fight made me feel for a long, long time.

The Best in the Business Award: Herb Dean, who I’ve been a fan of for a long time. Many people think Dean is the best referee in the UFC right now, at UFC 131 he made a serious case for being perhaps the best referee in the history of MMA. Herb Dean thought Shane Carwin could continue, and he could. Herb Dean had to restart a fight on the ground with both men arguing over what position they were in, and not only did Dean know the position, he even knew its technical name. If the judging in MMA could be even half as good as the job Herb Dean does just about every time he referees a fight, we’d basically never have a robbery again.

The “Too Close for Comfort” Award: Yves Edwards, for having me legitimately fear for his well-being after seeing him get knocked out so viciously. I’m not sure if I gave this award to Takeya Mizugaki after he fought Urijah Faber, but that fight had the same feeling: until it was announced that the loser was o.k., I couldn’t enjoy the moment. I couldn’t think “wow, what an awesome finish!” All I thought was “wow, that looked really bad and I really hope he’s not hurt.” In a world where the vicious KO is praised above almost all else, seeing Yves’ legs twitch while he was in the “fighter’s crucifix” position came too close to passing my comfort zone. Hence the name “too close for comfort”.

The Scott Smith Award For Most Inspiring Comeback After Getting Your *** Kicked: Dave Herman, for battling back from the brink and taking out Jon Olav Einemo. Herman was stumbling and fumbling all over himself thanks to some choice shots landed by his opponent, but he eventually gave as good as he got and ended up TKO’ing Einemo. It was a comeback that looked pretty improbable until it actually happened, so it definitely deserves a spot on this list.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. And remember, it’s all in good fun… mostly.

The pay-per-view event takes place in Vancouver, Canada on June 11 at the Rogers Arena. The main-event of the evening is expected to pit former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar against top contender Junior dos Santos. However also on the card will be an equally explosive lightweight match that everyone will want to tune into.

Former top UFC contender Yves Edwards continues his road to the top as he will be taking on fan favorite Sam Stout at the June event. The winner will likely catapult themselves to the top of the heap with a win over one another.

MMAJunkie.com has been able to confirm the bout with sources close to fighters.

Edwards was long considered to be the uncrowned king of the lightweight division early in his UFC career. In fact, his highlight reel knockout over former Strikeforce titleholder Josh Thomson remains to be one of the premier knockout’s in all of the sport. Yves left the organization in 2006 after suffering embarassing losses to lesser talent in Mark Hominick (who now competes in the featherweight division) and Joe Stevenson.

He has since bounced back with a three-fight win streak, two of which came under the UFC banner beginning in 2010 when he made his promotional return with a dominating decision win over veteran John Gunderson in September of last year. Next, he took on Cody McKenzie, a popular personality from the twelfth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. While Cody was game, the submission specialist eventually succumbed to a rear-naked choke when the American Top Team product cinched the hold in the waning moments of the second-round last January.

Stout, meanwhile, rebounded with a win of his own at UFC 121 last October. The Canadian striker met with fellow lightweight dynamo Paul Taylor, where the both of them engaged in a war that lasted it’s full fifteen-minutes of action. In the end, Sam edged out the Brit in an exciting split-decision win.

Both Stout and Edwards are known as dynamic strikers, and will produce the goods that the fans are looking to see. Either a “Knockout” or “Fight of the Night” award seems destined for either man.

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

The Greg Jackson product has been tabbed as a replacement for an injured Sam Stout, and will now face lightweight standout Paul Kelly at UFC 126.

The event takes place on Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and will feature a main event pitting current middleweight champion Anderson Silva against former teammate Vitor Belfort for the title.

MMAWeekly.com initially reported the change in affairs for the upcoming pay-per-view event. Cerrone enters the UFC following the merger of his previous home with World Extreme Cagefighting, following the organization’s final event at WEC 53 on December 16, where Donald picked up his second consecutive win when he defeated former IFL star Chris Horodecki with a second round triangle choke. “The Cowboy” remains one of the select few of lightweight fighters that will be transitioning the UFC’s crowded weight class, and his first test will be against Brit Paul Kelly.

The Team Kaobon fighter recently picked up an impressive win this past November when he took on “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran T.J. O’Brien at UFC 123. Kelly was able to subdue his lanky 6’2 foe, and eventually score the TKO victory inside of the second round. Paul has now won two of his last three fights, however since dropping down to the lightweight division in June of 2009, he has alternated wins and losses and is in need for consistency in the crowded 155-pound class.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the new lightweight addition? There is no word yet where the fight will be featured, whether or not it will be on the preliminary portion of the card, but all signs point to yet. If anything else, this fight should be an early candidate to either be featured on a Spike TV special or nonetheless, ION television. Who do you think will walk away the victor? My money is on an impressive debut for Cerrone, preferably triangle choke since Kelly will likely take this fight to the ground. Sound off in the comment section below.

MMA Weekly brings word that a fight between Ross Pearson and Spencer Fisher is being targeted for UFC 127, which is scheduled to take place February 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Pearson won the ninth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, but most recently suffered his first loss in the UFC. Still, Pearson is 3-1 inside the world’s largest MMA promotion. He’ll have a tough test ahead of him, though: Spencer “The King” Fisher is a thirty-fight veteran with over ten fights in the UFC. Fisher is 1-2 in his last three bouts, but remains a tough test for virtually anybody.

We then head back to MMA Weekly, which also recently revealed that a fight between Paul Kelly and Sam Stout has been set in motion. The bout is supposedly going to take place at UFC 126, which is currently scheduled to take place February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sam Stout is a veteran of over twenty professional MMA fights, and is 3-1 in his last four fights. This fight with Stout will mark the fifteenth fight of Paul Kelly’s career, and Kelly is 2-2 in his last four fights.

I think both fights are solid match-ups, and I look forward to seeing them. I don’t think either fight will steal the show, but we’re almost guaranteed some fireworks in both bouts, so I should have little reason to grab the remote when these two fights get underway. Sometimes a match doesn’t have to be high-profile to be enjoyable, sometimes a good fight can just be a good fight. And these two fights definitely look good.

I think Ross Pearson needs a good win under his belt, especially over a fighter like Spencer Fisher. It’s going to be very interesting to see how the TUF champion handles coming back from a big loss in the promotion that’s made him a star. If Pearson can rise to the occasion, he may have it in him to one day go all the way. If Spencer Fisher emerges the victor, it’ll prove that no matter what else may come, at the end of the day you can never fully count out the UFC’s cast of wily veterans.

Stout vs. Kelly should be an entertaining brawl, since both men have shown a penchant for putting on some good brawls in their day. I think this fight will be an important stepping stone for both men, since they both seem to be at a crossroads of sorts in their careers. Five out of the six losses Stout has on his record have occurred in the UFC, and this bout may go a long way towards giving him the kind of relevancy that has eluded him for much of his UFC career. All three of Paul Kelly’s career losses have occurred inside of the UFC, so a big win in this fight should give him a big confidence boost as well as a credibility boost.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts or opinions on these two fights?

“People are paying good money at home to watch this fight and people in the audience are paying better money to put on a good show.  I think it is your job, it is an obligation you have to give them what they are looking for.  I am not going to run from my opponent, I am not going to lay on top of him.  I am going to finish every fight I am in.”

Rivera has certainly backed up this point throughout his career.  He has gone 6-3 in his last nine UFC fights and all but two ended in KO or TKO.  Sakara will be a test, but Rivera will not be in awe.  For MMA newbies, Rivera has career wins over Travis Lutter and David Loiseau and losses to Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin.  At 38, Rivera shared with Fighters.com that he wants to win but he also wants to thrill.

“I want to be known as an exciting fighter. A guy who comes to lay it all on the line win or lose I am coming.  I train hard.  Doesn’t matter who I am fighting I have to train hare.  This is the top tier in MMA right here.  Every single person in this organization is good and they belong.  To take anybody lightly to train soft is going to cost you in the ring.”

El Conquistador certainly must fit in Dana Whites list of favorite fighters and has been rewarded by fighting for the UFC since 2003.  White needs guys who generate oohs and ahhs from the house and this is what Rivera does best.  Rivera loves to bang, but also knows that this is entertainment and wants to give the people what they want.

“The fans are the ones to do it all.  When my career is over. I want to be remembered. Some of these guys may have more wins than I do.  May have fought tougher guys. But if they are boring, nobody is going to remember them.  I want to be remembered.  When my name comes up, I want people to say – ‘I loved watching him fight.’

Such a quote must be music to Dana White’s ears.

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Give it up folks.  Can Rivera KO Sakara?  How will this fight play out.  Chime in now.

This card certainly brings the goods with Lesnar topping the slate but it is the Spike TV bouts and undercard which really makes this night shine.  Patrick Cote and Ryan Lawlor kick off the two fights on free TV while fans in the house will be treated to the always exicting Sam Stout battling Paul Taylor at lightweight and Gilbert Yvel brawling with Jon Madsen at heavyweight.

Are you ready for BROCKTOBER?  Read on for all the latest event details from the UFC.

These fights were confirmed as final for UFC 121 today by the UFC:

Back in the Octagon^® for the first time since a submission victory over Kris McCray to win Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter^®, Court McGee (fighting out of Orem, Utah / 11-1) will put his six-fight professional winning streak on the line against Ryan Jensen (fighting out of Omaha, Neb. / 16-5). The 33-year-old is coming off a submission win over Jesse Forbes barely a minute into the fight. The pair of middleweights are sure to put on a grappling clinic, with 15 of the 27 wins between them coming by submission and each fighter winning Submission of the Night honors in their last fight.

Patrick Cote (fighting out of Quebec City, Quebec Canada / 14-6) looks to re-establish himself as a middleweight contender after blowing out his knee in a title fight against Anderson Silva after four straight UFC wins that include first-round knockouts of Drew McFedries and Kendall Grove. But first, “The Predator” will first have to get through “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (fighting out of Orlando, Fla. / 6-3, 1 NC), the last fighter to beat C.B. Dollaway, doing so in under a minute with a guillotine choke that earned him Submission of the Night in his middleweight debut at UFC 100.

In a welterweight matchup, Mike Guymon (fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif. / 13-3-1) looks to build on his recent success, having won six out of his last seven bouts, including a unanimous decision victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida in his last fight at UFC 113 to pick up his first UFC victory. “The Joker” will meet up with Daniel Roberts (fighting out of Tulsa, Okla. / 10-1). “Ninja” boasts excellent wrestling, as an NAIA All-American wrestler, and jiu-jitsu skills, with seven of his wins coming via submission, and he is coming off a decision victory over Forrest Petz that earned him his first win in the Octagon at UFC 116.

Sam Stout (fighting out of London, Ontario Canada / 16-6-1) has quickly become a fixture in the UFC, with good reason. The 26-year old veteran, “Hands of Stone,” has received five total and three straight Fight of the Night awards in his career, including wins over Joe Lauzon, Matt Wiman and Spencer Fisher. Stout has another Fight of the Night candidate on the horizon as he takes on Paul Taylor (fighting out of Walsall, England / 10-5-1, 1 NC). “Relentless” is dropping from welterweight to lightweight for this battle, and is a three-time Fight of the Night winner himself. Taylor will look to add another award to his resume in his first-ever pro fight in the United States.

Despite breaking his jaw during a preliminary victory at the start of The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 and being unable to continue onto the show, Chris Camozzi (fighting out of Lakewood, Colo. / 13-3) refused to give up on his dream and was rewarded with a fight against James Hammortree at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale, which resulted in a unanimous decision win. The 23-year old will match up with the undefeated Dongi Yang (fighting out of South Korea / 9-0), who is making his UFC debut. Yang has never been to a decision, winning eight bouts by knockout and one by submission, and has allowed a fight to last into the third round only once in his professional career.

In a bout that pits experience against youth, heavyweight Gilbert Yvel (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / 36-15-1, 1 NC) looks to use his extensive mixed martial arts experience to propel him to victory; “The Hurricane” has been in there with standouts like Junior Dos Santos, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and many more. On the other side of the Octagon^®,Jon Madsen (fighting out of Granite City, Ill. / 6-0) has just six professional fights under his belt, but is yet to taste defeat. Madsen has been able to use his technical boxing and impressive wrestling skills to guide him to a perfect 3-0 record in the Octagon to date.

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BROCKTOBER is finally here!  Sound off about this card.  Which fight are you most interested in?

10-1 Court McGee will make his return to the Octagon in his second UFC fight, and his first since beating Kris McCray and becoming the Ultimate Fighter Season 11 champion. When you consider the fact that McGee has struggled with substance abuse to the point of it nearly costing him his friends, family, and even his life, McGee’s dramatic win via Rear Naked Choke was one of the best feel-good moments in MMA in 2010. Standing in Court’s way at UFC 121 will be 15-6 Ryan Jensen, a six-fight UFC veteran that is 2-2 since his return to the UFC in 2008. While it’s your basic run-of-the-mill “veteran vs. up-and-comer” match, both men have shown flashes of brilliance and should give fans a great preliminary fight.

Former UFC Middleweight Championship contender Patrick Cote will also be in undercard action at UFC 121, taking on the energetic and entertaining Tom Lawlor. Known for his hilarious spoofs of classic UFC fighters in the weigh-ins leading up to a fight, Lawlor has struggled to find success in the UFC, having lost two straight fights after a win over C.B. Dollaway at UFC 100. Patrick Cote is perhaps best known for his loss to current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, and needs a win just as badly as Lawlor, having lost two straight as well. It’s a very real possibility that a loss could result in either man receiving his pink slip from the UFC, so the need to get back into the win column should make for an exciting match.

Veteran fighter and UFC newcomer Michael Guymon will take on submission specialist Daniel Roberts in what should be another exciting match. 2010 marked the first and only time that Roberts lost a pro MMA fight, and his 10-1 record comes with seven submissions. An eleven-year veteran of the sport, Michael Guymon would conceivably have the advantage over Roberts, when you consider that Guymon has only lost three times and that Roberts has only been competing in pro MMA for three years. However, two of Guymon’s losses were due to submission, even though he has six submission wins to his name. So there’s a very real possibility that this fight will turn into a back-and-forth ground war, with one man taking his opponent’s ligaments home as a trophy.

The final preliminary fight officially announced for UFC 121 features Sam Stout stepping inside the Octagon against Paul Taylor. A battle of the “young veterans”, both men have a combined fifteen years of experience under their belts, even though Stout is only 26 and Taylor 30. Both men are knockout specialists with eight “Fight of the Night” awards between them, so they should give fans a great brawl, and it’s very likely that somebody is getting KO’d before all is said and done.

With the addition of these preliminary match-ups, I’m looking forward to UFC 121 even more, and my anticipation of this event was already sky-high. All four preliminary fights offer something different, but they all have one thing in common: they’re all great fights on paper. Anything can happen when the cameras go live, but right now, UFC 121 is shaping up to be another impressive milestone for the world’s largest MMA promotion.

And what about you, fans and friends? How excited are you for UFC 121, and what do you think of these newly-announced fights?

Here are my top 10 fighters who succeed when the fight becomes a brawl.

10. Sam Stout: While Stout showed more consistency in his last win over Jeremey Stephens, he made his name in two epic slugfests with Spencer Fisher where each showed disregard for personal health and let the leather fly. Under the sound guidance of trainer Shawn Tompkins, his stand-up game is more and more refined. However, in his back pocket, Stout always carries his true MMA DNA, which is waiting to emerge when needed and pull a win from the edge of defeat by taking a structured fight into the gutter to make a measured fight a brawl.

9. Carlos Condit: Condit’s last two UFC wins over Jake Ellenberger and especially Rory McDonald exposed to the world his genius for reversing a losing situation late in the contest when each fighters textbook form is long gone and all that is left is dripping blood, burning lungs, and a dwindling time clock.  As McDonald lost his shine in round three, Condit found a way to rock the heralded Canadian, put him on his back, and drop the leather and elbows.  McDonald, who entered round three comfortably ahead, learned a painful lesson of how Carlos Condit works best when things look the worst.

8. Roger Huerta: I almost think the more Huerta tries to diversify his skill set the less effective he becomes.  This guy is a grit fighter Hall of Famer, and does his best in unstructured brawls where it is a matter of will and guts.  Nobody may have more guts than Huerta givin his remarkable journey in childhood.  His UFC 69 win over Leonard Garcia is Huerta’s perfect fight – where he simply needs to be a survivalist and let his hands go.  The more technical a fight gets, the less it is to his advantage.

7.  Chris Lytle: Ever since Lytle lost to Matt Serra in the finals of the Ultimate Fighter in a very lackluster fight, he pledged to let it all hang out in the cage every time.  It is never boring when Lytle fights and until his last two submission wins, fans could bank on Lytle loading up on his right hand to move a fight from neutral or negative to his advantage with a furious stand-up game.  Most opponents strategize to stay out range with Lytle, but as the gas tank empties, the Indianapolis firefighter usually finds the range and turns the fight into a brawl.

6.  Stephan Bonnar: It was in his last win over Krzysztof Soszynski that Bonnar got the #6 spot in this article …  by pushing the match into his comfort zone – a messy bloody scrum – to finish the fight.  Early in the second round Bonner was behind, but as The Polish Experiment faded slightly, Bonnar unloaded his entire arsenal to capture the win.   Aside:  Fatigue is critical in allowing the “inner brawler” to emerge.  With fatigue, the edge comes off and a fighter’s most natural fighting style steps forward.

5. Chris Leben: Leben would have been higher on this list if he had not showed such an evolved game in his last win over Akiyama.  However, rest assured, in at least one point of every Leben fight he will push the fight into a sloppy, swinging affair that always benefits “The Crippler.”  Leben often looks least effective early in the first round, but as opponents slow and they start to question their own game plan, he turns the fight from a thinking affair to a brawl and slugging war … and right into his sweet spot.

4. Chan Sung Jung (Korean Zombie): The Zombie has garnered near legend status with MMA fans off just one fight on American TV against Leonard Garcia.  I had him winning the slugfest, but was absolutely fascinated with his utter disregard to pursue any sort of pace or game plan for this fight.  He simply walked forward and looked to throw the hardest punch possible at every moment possible.  Fascinating for the drama of this style, but also for the conscious disregard for never trying to structure the fight in any way.  In this age of Greg Jackson/GSP game plans, it was strangely refreshing.

3. Leonard Garcia: Garcia first gained awareness in his battle against Roger Huerta at UFC 69 as fans ate up the back and forth war.  What makes Garcia unique is that he seems to utterly relish standing in the pocket throwing bombs with no regard for taking punishment.  His legend status (for me) was sealed in the epic battle with The Korean Zombie in what should be fight of the year 2010.  I will cancel appointments, turn off the phone, and basically stop time to watch Garcia fight.

2. Wanderlei Silva: He is the legend, the godfather of this style of fighting.  A man who has thrived the most when the fight may look the worst from a technical standpoint.  While he has added skills to his tool box in recent years, Silva will always find his cage home in the moments when a fight becomes unhinged from structure and the fighters could as easily be brawling in a parking lot instead of in front of 20,000 fans.

1. Scott Smith: Never have I felt more secure that a hurt fighter would win a fight as when Scott Smith appears nearly unconscious.  From the moment he pulled victory from sure defeat against Pete Sell at the Ultimate Fighter-4 in 2006, Smith has made a good living absorbing way to much punishment and finding a fifth gear to out slug opponents who likely felt they were in total control of the fight.  Smith was virtually finished against Benji Radach and Cung Le-1 before he gathered himself and his right hand to turn a sure loss into a breathtaking win.

**While MMA has evolved in so many ways, and many like to tout (including myself) how technical this sport is, I contend, these types of fighters, engaged in these types of fights, is what really sells tickets.  It gets fans saying “can you believe that fight,” generates hysteria in the building, and ultimately helps MMA grow.

What are your thoughts?  Who should be on or off this list?

Lauzon tapped “Li’l Heathen” Jeremy Stephens in an armbar at UFC Fight Night 17 in Tampa February 7.

Stout won a three-round unanimous decision over Matt Wiman (10-5) at UFC 97 in Montréal April 18.

UFC 108 is expected to be headlined by a title fight between Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) and Xtreme Couture’s “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8).

Both strikers came out swinging in the first round.  Stout knocked Etim down with a left hook; but, Etim rebounded with a Superman punch.

Said Etim, “That was the gameplan from the start, you know?  He said he was going to trade and, give him all of his credit, he stuck to what he said.”

In the second round, Etim slowed his pace and relied on his reach advantage with jabs and low kicks.  Stout countered with a straight right; but, Etim took Stout to the mat and took his back before the bell sounded.

Etim kept his distance again in the third round.  Stout landed the only significant punches of the round, a one-two combo.

Etim won his first fight since tapping “Wolverine” Matt Grice (9-1) in Etim’s Octagon debut at UFC 70 in Machester in April 2007, going zero for his last two.

Veteran of six UFC fights, Stout dropped his second straight decision.

“Count” Michael Bisping (16-1) 185 pounds v “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-4) 186 pounds

“I’m glad you guys let me into your country,” main event fighter Leben said at Thursday’s press conference.  “I was a little worried on the plane.”

Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in London 7 June, but opted to put to rest legal issues in Oregon stemming from an earlier DUI arrest to ensure a legal UK visa.

But, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brit Bisping, who told the press, “I am on a quest.  Losing this fight for me is not an option.”

Leben, wearing tight cornrows, chided his opponent, saying, “It seems to me that, when Michael Bisping fights, self-preservation is top on his list.”

A brawl would certainly benefit Leben.  Bisping’s stand-up style is a bit more circle-and-poke, while Leben is happy to plant and throw bombs.

“We’re going to be lettin’em fly!  We’re going to be having fun doin’ it,” Leben promised, which usually means they’ll knock their heads together shooting for takedowns at the opening bell.

But, let’s hope not.

Eighth-ranked “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1) 205 pounds v “The Truth” Brandon Vera (9-2) 203 pounds

At the pre-fight press conference Thursday, a very serious Vera turned to Jardine and challenged, “We’re going to be together for 15 minutes in the Octagon and I hope, I hope we get to find out a lot about each other before one of us goes to sleep.”

Jardine agreed, and quipped, “He’s got a real pretty style; and, me, I got a real awkward, real mean style.  So, it’s kind of going to be kind of like a beauty and the beast type thing.”

Jardine is coming off a 36-second knockout loss to seventh-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-81) in May; and, Vera made a disappointing debut at 205-pounds in a unanimous decision “W” over Reese Andy (7-2) in July.

Vera, a former heavyweight, summed up the meaning of the fight: “Me and Keith are both at a point in our career right now where we get either to take one huge step forward or end up taking two or three steps back.”

“Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4) 169 pounds vs. “Tellys” Paul Kelly (7-0) 169 pounds

Davis will try to come back strong from a loss to “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) in June versus Kelly, who Davis called “a brawler.”

Davis put down the weights for this fight in favor of getting back to his boxing background.

“I’m going to make-up for it in technique and speed.  Being able to fight off angles and stuff like that.  It might look like I’m right in front of him, but I’m actually not going to be right in front of him,” Davis said.

Kelly, of Wolfslair Academy, revealed, “You never know where it’s going to be.  It’s MMA.  You know?  I can’t guarantee I’m going to put Marcus on the mat.  We’ve worked on what we think he’s going to do.”

Ninth-ranked “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) 205 pounds v “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) 206 pounds

“Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) 170 pounds v “Relentless” Paul Taylor (9-3-1) 170 pounds

Akihiro Gono (28-12-7) 171 pounds v “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (19-6) 169 pounds

Shane Carwin (9-0) 264 pounds v “Old Skool” Neil Wain (4-0) 254 pounds

David Bielkheden (12-6) 156 pounds v “Joker” Jess Liaudin (12-10) 155 pounds

Terry Etim (10-2) 155 pounds v “Hands of Stone” Sam Stout (13-4-1) 155 pounds
 
David Baron (16-2) 155 pounds v Jim Miller (11-1) 155 pounds

“Dog” Samy Schiavo (10-5) 156 pounds v Per Eklund (13-3-1) 156 pounds

Swedish lightweight Per Ecklund (13-3-1) will face France’s Samy Schiavo (10-5), and in another 155-pound match-up, Canadian “Hands of Stone” Sam Stout (13-4-1) will take on Liverpudlian Terry Etim (10-2).

Ecklund’s last fight was in January when he lost a unanimous decision to Stout.

Schiavo was TKO’d at his Octagon debut in April by “Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9), snapping his six-fight win streak.

Stout lost his last fight, a split decision that went to Rich Clementi (32-12-1) in April.

Etim also lost his last fight to Clementi, by unanimous decision in May.

Former UFC Middleweight Champion and Fighters.com’s second-ranked 185-pounder “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3) also found the land of maple leaf friendly in a second-round TKO of “The Serial Killer” Travis Lutter (9-5).

TUF Champions “The Count” Michael Bisping (15-1) and Mac Danzig (18-4-1) debuted in new weight classes with stoppages.

Les habitants “The Athlete” Jason MacDonald (20-9), “Dooms” Jason Day (17-5), and Jonathan Goulet (22-9) also had success for the home team, while “The Rock” Nathan Quarry (10-2), Demian Maia (7-0), “No Love” Rich Clementi (31-12-1), and Cain Velasquez (3-0) scored wins as visitors to the true north, strong and free.

Though seven of the 11 duels on 83′s lineup featured St. Pierre’s fellow countrymen, this French-Canadian bon soirwas entirely the Quebecois phenom’s. He entered the Octagon blazing a crimson gi with the strength of 22,000 at the Centre Bell.

Serra had played a clever villain during the event’s promotional tour, but had no quips for “Rush” as St. Pierre packed him into the mat upon stuffing Serra’s initial shot.

St. Pierre mauled “The Terror” with short, sharp elbows as Serra pedaled through guards, all passed by St. Pierre. Serra finally crawled up the cage to his feet.

In the center of the cage, St. Pierre blasted Serra with a Superman punch, setting up a double-leg takedown near the end of round one.

Serra, a mouse puffing beneath his right eye, emptied his tank about 90 seconds into round two as “Rush” tagged “The Terror” with five snapping jabs before planting him back onto the mat with a double-leg takedown.

St. Pierre’s G’n'P onslaught poured on, driving Serra into turtle guard. A series of unanswered rib-rattling knees persuaded referee Steve Mazzagatti to end the fight at 4:45.

“I tired him out,” explained the best 170-pound fighter in the world.

Serra countered, “I ended up coming up short, no pun intended.”

Welterweights Goulet and Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5) both pocketed 75 grand for battling the “Fight of the Night” in the card’s opening bout.

Goulet got the worst of it in the punch-up’s first round. Attempting to press his striking advantage, Goulet got tagged with a short Hironaka left hook. The Japanese fighter fell the Canadian and followed with a mix of fists and elbows to close the round.

“He tried to finish me,” Goulet admitted after the fight, “but he got too excited. I was careful because of my experience.”

The two fighters traded evenly to open the second before Hironaka was stunned with a punch that backed him to the cage. Goulet stalked with a flurry that dropped his opponent for a TKO at 2:07.

In the co-main event, Franklin also rebounded from a lost first round in which Lutter took the former champ to the mat and worked his jiu-jitsu juju. Franklin was nearly tapped in an armbar before he countered in a nifty maneuver that rolled him into Lutter’s full guard.

Lutter had worn himself weary by the second round and got caught with head kick as he shot for single-leg takedown. Franklin hammered “The Serial Killer” and motioned for the referee to stand him up. “Ace” picked Lutter apart on their feet with a combination of slick boxing and knees until the referree stopped the fight at 3:01

Danzig predicted to Fighters.com that Mark Bocek (5-2) is susceptible to a knee and the debuting 155-pounder delivered three big knees to set Bocek up for a rear naked choke submission at 3:48 of the third round.

“I paced myself, and I needed that; because, if I didn’t pace myself I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did in the last round,” Danzig said.

His fellow TUF Champion Bisping debuted at 185-pounds with a dominant TKO “W” over “Chainsaw” Charles McCarthy (10-5), who was unable to continue due to an arm injury after round one.

“Charles couldn’t get up,” “The Count” expalined after the fight.

Middleweight Quarry chased down a timid Kalib Starnes (8-3-1), who probably ran himself out of the UFC, for a unanimous decision.

Middleweight MacDonald added $75,000 to his bank balance with a “(T)KO of the Night” versus Joe Doerksen (39-12) at 54 seconds of the second round.

Middleweight Maia also earned 75 grand for “Submission of the Night”, a triangle choke of “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (14-5) at 2:27 of round two.

Middleweight Day made a successful UFC debut with a 3:58 TKO of “The Talent” Alan Belcher (12-5).

Lightweight Clementi ruined Canadian “Hands of Stone” Sam Stout‘s (13-4-1) homecoming with a split decision victory.

Finally, touted heavyweight Velasquez only spent 2:10 in his Octagon debut before TKOing Brad Morris (9-3).

The fight card’s big bout features interim UFC Welterweight Champions Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre.

“To be the champion, I have to beat the champion,” St. Pierre clarified.

St. Pierre, 15-2, was TKO’d by “The Terror” Serra at UFC 69 last April, but has dominated his subsequent two opponents.

“A bit of an underdog?  Is that what you heard?” Serra teased a reporter.  “What were the odds?  Something ridiculous, like 14 to one?”

Serra’s “W” was the upset of ’07, a year which included “Rampage” Jackson’s KO of top-ranked former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin‘s submission of highly-touted PRIDE standout Mauricio Rua.

Serra, 9-4, echoed St. Pierre, “That’s what I always heard: You beat the guy, you’re the guy.”

Serra’s championship is considered a fluke.

Serra lamented, “If I beat [St. Pierre] again, they’ll want to give him the best three out of five!”

“Serra likes being Rocky,” White explained, likening Serra’s role to Sylvester Stallone’s character in “Rocky IV”.  “I want to thank Matt Serra for taking this fight in Canada.  I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of Matt Serra fans here in Canada.”

UFC 83 will be the preeminent MMA promotion’s debut in Canada.

Quebec Boxing Council Commissioner Mario Latraverse announced, “In April, we have our Super Bowl.”

Quebec was the first Canadian province to sanction MMA in 1998.

White told a curious Canadian press corps, “People in Canada don’t even realize how big this sport is in Canada.”

Tickets went on pre-sale yesterday and White claimed “13,700 were sold on the first day.  We’re almost sold out now.  This event here will be the biggest UFC event ever.”

“It’s a dream come true,” a swaggering St. Pierre boasted of fighting in his hometown.  “I can’t be more happy than I am right now.”

St. Pierre’s loss to Serra is blamed on his mental focus.

“I had a lot of issues before,” St. Pierre admitted.  “It’s done now.”

However, fighting in his hometown will compound distractions unimaginably.

“My life might change,” St. Pierre mentioned thoughtfully.

White confirmed the card will also feature former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin versus TUF champion Travis Lutter, Brit TUF champion Michael Bisping, lightweight TUF champion Mac Danzig, and Canadians Patrick Côté and “Hands of Stone” Sam Stout.