There have been a huge amount of rumors floating around the internet now that Spike TV and the UFC are poised to end their relationship after so many years. One very popular rumor is that Spike TV is already preparing for life without the UFC: they’ve got the upstart Bellator promotion square in their sites. Luckily for Spike, they’re owned by the same people that own the MTV2 network (the current home of Bellator FC), so this rumor does have some degree of truth and probability. But what would it mean to have Bellator on Spike TV? Here are my thoughts on just that. ...

Recently, much has been made of the ufc and Spike TV possibly ending their long-held partnership. For my part, I wondered whether or not the UFC had finally outgrown Spike TV. We now have a pair of interesting updates on the situation, courtesy of UFC President Dana White and industry insiders. While White still contends that the UFC is talking to “everybody”, a new report states that the UFC could be interested in purchasing its own network. Here are all the details. ...

Where can you watch the ufc for free? In today’s cash-strapped economy, that’s a pretty big question to most MMA fans. There’s Facebook, of course. ION Television occasionally. Versus every few months. But above and beyond, the go-to location for the UFC on TV has always been Spike TV. It’s the network that took a chance on the UFC when no one else would, giving Spike TV a major piece of its brand identity and giving the UFC the resurrection into the mainstream it so badly needed. But could that deal finally be coming to an end after all these years? It just might be. Here are all the details. ...

If there was any question regarding the appeal of Jon Jones, put it to rest. Jones, just 23-years-old, has turned the mixed martial arts world on it's head with some of his in-the-cage moves that have never been maneuvered before. Jon makes low percentage moves effective, and hit's them almost every time he enters the cage, whether it's his lateral drops that he has put many a fighter down with, including season one finalist of "The Ultimate Fighter", Stephan Bonnar. Now that he will be challenging Mauricio "Shogun" Rua this weekend for the promotion's light heavyweight title, the UFC has adopted a new show that will be surrounding Jon in his moments leading up to the fight entitled "UFC Presents Jon Jones: In the Moment". ...

While the ufc continues to go to ever-greater lengths to crush piracy, they seem equally as committed to giving their fans a perfectly legal way to get their free MMA fix. The UFC had a novel concept with its “Prelims Live” series of specials, and the mini-events continue to grow in fight quality and deliver solid ratings to Spike TV in their key Males 18-34 demographic. And while the specials have ventured onto Facebook and the ION Television network recently, Spike TV has now made it known that “Prelims Live” will continue to shine where it was created. Here are all the details. ...

Free MMA. It’s serious business. MMA fans want as much of it as they can get, MMA promotions know the value of finding the sweet spot between filling that need and over-saturating the market. The ufc had a novel idea in the form of its “Prelims Live” specials, showing usually-unaired preliminary bouts from major Pay-Per-View cards in order to give their affiliates a decent ratings bump and give MMA fans another incentive to order the PPV, depending on the quality of the fights showcased. Recently, two reports have surfaced that indicate the future of “Prelims Live”, including the announcement that the special series is once again breaking new ground, and has set Facebook squarely in its sights. Here are all the details. ...

The ratings are in for both “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12’s premiere episode and UFC Fight Night 22: “Marquardt vs. Palhares”. TUF 12 episode 1 featured an all-new cast of Lightweight hopefuls fighting their way into the house with Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck playing the role of mentors/coaches. Fight Night 22 featured Nate Marquardt dramatically finishing Rousimar Palhares in a key Middleweight showdown. So were the shows a success? It depends on who you ask. It depends on what your definition of “success” is. It…depends. Here’s the full ratings rundown, courtesy of Sherdog. ...

Thoughts, reflections, speculation, deductions, and criticism from the UFC fights last night in Austin, Texas. 1. Yes, Rousimar Palhares should know better.  Don’t stop fighting mid-round without referee assistance.  However, I still feel odd about Marquardt’s victory.  He did exactly what he should do and capitalize on his opponent’s mistake, but it just doesn’t feel right that Palhares felt genuinely “wronged,” albeit incorrectly, and consciously stopped fighting.  Marquardt was cleared of greasing and I am not saying he did anything wrong, but, in no way was Marquardt dominating and the fight was up for grabs.  Horrible mistake for Palhares and I don’t feel Marqaurdt is clearly the better fighter since this ended in such a clumsy, odd, bizarre, uncomfortable way.  Hopefully, Palhares gets back to winning ways and we see this fight again some day. ...

Spike TV announced that the premiere episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 11" (TUF) saw a drastic drop in viewership from the debut episode of TUF 10. The ratings drop was a decline of 53 percent and no one was more shocked than me at this news. ...

We are now getting the numbers from the prelims on Spike TV this past Saturday and they are very good. This very well could lead to more pay-per-view buys for future events. My only question is why did they not do it sooner? ...

As I surf the internet bouncing from one mixed martial arts(MMA) site to the next a reoccurring theme occurs. The discussion of Pride Fighting Championships, the fighters, the rules and now a select number of fights being show on Spike TV. This brought back fond memories for me and made me think about the current state of MMA and what made Pride stand out from the crowd. ...

According to a Spike TV press release today, the the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event televised from Fort Bragg 10 December in Fayetteville raised over $4 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Ratings numbers reveal that 2 million viewers watched the free televised UFC event making it one of the most popular programs for the night.

According to IFHF president, Bill White, the UFC and Spike TV are admired for the recent efforts.

"We are profoundly grateful to the UFC and Spike TV for their extraordinary support of our nation's Wounded Warriors,” stated White. “Their efforts have moved us that much closer to complete the traumatic brain injury center in Bethesda for the service members that are fighting for our freedom overseas.”

The IFHF provides assistance to American military personnel critically injured during service. The "Fight For The Troops" event on Spike TV raised money aimed at building a $65 million, 75,000 square foot treatment and rehabilitation center for soldiers with traumatic brain injuries (TBI).