After spending a majority of his career in the light heavyweight division, Tim Boetsch will now be moving down to the middleweight class and he will be taking on "The Ultimate Fighter" season three winner, Kendall Grove. Boetsch entered the UFC in February of 2008 as a late replacement, taking on David Heath at UFC 81, where he earned an impressive first-round TKO over the then budding light heavyweight prospect. The win helped establish himself as an exciting fighter in the new organization, however his career in the UFC has been a roller coaster ride at that, much like Kendall Grove. And while both men remain fan favorites, they will both likely be fighting for their jobs come this May. ...

You put a lot of pressure on yourself when you choose “Mr. Wonderful” as your nickname. Then again, I suppose “Mr. Adequate” kinda defeats the purpose of having a nickname at all. Nevertheless, Phil Davis lived up to his “Mr. Wonderful” moniker in a big way at the recent ufc 123 event, submitting Tim Boetsch with a crazy quasi-Kimura that led popular UFC commentator Joe Rogan to name the submission after Davis. It was one of Davis’ best performances, but according to a recent interview, that fight could have been his last. Here are all the details. ...

Following last nights return to the state of Michigan, 4 fighters were awarded additional bonuses for their efforts. 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. ...

What’s next? It’s a subject that is on a lot of people’s minds now that ufc 123: “Rampage vs. Machida” is in the history books. What does the future hold after a great night of fights that saw several interesting stories come and go, with several great fights here and there? If you’ve followed me at all, you’d know that I simply can’t resist getting my two cents in. So here we go again, fans and friends: get ready for the next edition of my “What’s Next” column, where I predict the future for the big winners and losers of UFC 123. Let’s get started. ...

It’s easy as 123, fans and friends. UFC 123, that is. “Rampage vs. Machida” is now a thing of the past. It was a night filled with surprises and a not-inconsiderate amount of controversy. In the main event, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson won against fellow former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida in a fight that even “Rampage” himself felt was so incredibly close that it deserves an immediate rematch. In addition to that, the long-standing rivalry between former UFC Welterweight Champions BJ Penn and Matt Hughes came to a dramatic end at UFC 123, with Penn KO'ing Hughes before the half-minute mark. Here are the full results as well as some commentary for UFC 123: “Rampage vs. Machida”. ...

This weekend marks one of the last major UFC shows of the year and of the decade, as the promotion looks to put on UFC 123: “Rampage vs. Machida” on November 20. The main event sees two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions clash in an epic showdown with serious title implications, while the co-main event sees two former UFC Welterweight Champions meet for a third and final time. As is customary for any major MMA event, I’m bringing the crystal ball back out and giving my official picks and predictions for all the major fights of UFC 123: “Rampage vs. Machida”. Let’s get to it. ...

In a duel between former champions, light heavyweight's Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida are now officially set to face each other later this month, serving as the headliners for UFC 123. 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. ...

ufc 123, which takes place at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, will be host to a great night of fights. While your still wiping away the crust from your eyes after watching UFC 119, try to have something to look forward to. While there are no titles on the line come November, what we do have is an exciting and dynamic night of fights. 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. ...

Now that UFC 117 is now in the books, after one of the promotion's best night of fights in recent memory, where middleweight champion Anderson Silva defended his title against top contender Chael Sonnen, Matt Hughes solidified himself in the 170 pound division, and Junior dos Santos became the next challenger after Cain Velasquez, for the UFC heavyweight title. ...

With less than a week away from UFC 117, which will feature Anderson Silva in his 7th title defense, opposite of the sharp-tongued Chael Sonnen, will be held in Oakland, Cali., before a ruckus west coast crowd, with sure crowd pleasing fights anchoring the card. While there will be no SpikeTV broadcast of the preliminary card, I felt that there was some attention that was need to be made to our untelevised bretheren. ...

Former UFC light heavyweight “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (9-3) will fight "Bolo" Mychal Clark (4-6) at the Philadelphia Motorcycle Show when MMA promotion Respect Is Earned presents Philly Biker Brawl at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks October 10. ...

Former UFC light heavyweights “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (9-3) and Alex Schoenauer (13-9) will rumble at the Philadelphia Motorcycle Show when MMA promotion Respect Is Earned presents Philly Biker Brawl at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks October 10. Boetsch talked to Fighters.com about training with Seattle-based MMA trainer Matt Hume (5-5) and fighting Schoenauer. ...

Former UFC light heavyweights “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (9-3) and Alex Schoenauer (13-9) will rumble at the Philadelphia Motorcycle Show when MMA promotion Respect Is Earned presents Philly Biker Brawl at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks October 10. ...

"Sugar" Rashad Evans (12-0-1) knocked out Fighters.com's fourth-ranked light heavyweight "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-6) with a right hook in the second round Saturday night in Atlanta. Liddell lay unconcious on the canvas for several minutes after the punch. Evans jitter-bugged around a stalking Liddell the entire fight.  Liddell never really got a beat on him, but landed a straight right in the first round.  Evans back-pedalled and taunted Liddell with a dance. In the second round, Liddell lunged for an uppercut and took Evans's counter right hook square on the jaw to end the fight at 1:51. Franklin Finishes Friend "Ace" Rich Franklin (24-3) TKO'd his friend and former training partner "Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-2) at 39 seconds of round three with a left kick to Hamill's floating rib in Franklin's return to 205. Franklin had landed the same kick consistently through the first two rounds.  In the third, the kick dropped Hamill and Franklin landed two punches before referee Mario Yamasaki waved the fight off. ...

The UFC officially replaced an injured James Lee (13-3) with UFC newcomer Michael Patt (12-2) on the organization's Atlanta card 6 September. Patt, who trains with Jorge Gurgel (12-4) in Ohio, submitted Jarred Taylor (2-4) in the first round this month at the Texas-based Urban Rumble Championship. Patt will face “Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (7-2), who was TKO’d in the second round by “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1) in April. ...

The UFC announced Thursday that Kurt Pellegrino (15-4) and Thiago Tavares (13-2) will meet in a lightweight preliminary bout at UFC 88 in Atlanta 6 September. Pellegrino lost his most recent fight to Nathan Diaz (9-2) when Diaz caught him in a triangle choke in the second round at Fight Night 13 in April. Tavares also lost his last fight, to “Handsome” Matt Wiman (10-3) via second-round TKO at UFC 85 in June. The UFC also confirmed three other preliminary match-ups, a welterweight match between “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1) and Matt Brown (7-6), a light heavyweight match between “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (7-2) and James Lee (13-3), and the previously reported match between welterweights “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-7) and “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (14-8). Kim made his Octagon debut at UFC 84 in May with a third-round TKO over Jason Tan (5-3). Brown, a TUF 7 competitor, won his fight in the June finale with a TKO in round two over “No Regard” Matt Arroyo (3-2). Boetsch fell to “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1)’s punches in round two in April. Lee lost his UFC debut in January to “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara (12-7) via first-round TKO, ending a ten-fight win streak. ...

"KenFlo" Kenny Florian (9-3) finished fellow Bostonian lightweight "J-Lau" Joe Lauzon (16-4) in a vicious pounding from the full mount at 3:28 of round two in the main event of Ultimate Fight Night Live in Denver tonight. The former title challenger from Sityodtong, Florian, dominated the quirky computer tech. "KenFlo" opened a gash on the back of Lauzon's head with elbows from his full guard in the first round, but was warned by referee Herb Dean for striking behind the head. It was a call Dean missed while refereeing a lightweight fight between "Cleat" Rich Crunkilton (16-2) and Sergio Gomez (7-2) at last week's Las Vegas WEC event. After the stand-up, Lauzon clinched for a takedown and stepped over Florians body in half-guard for a knee bar that turned into a Achilles lock that Florian yanked free from. Lauzon snatched an ankle again and reclined into a heel hook that Florian was again able to wriggle free from to end the round. The frantic mat work and elevation exhausted "J-Lau" for the second round and Florian was able to score a takedown into full mount that Lauzon never bucked free from. Florian poured on a cocktail of elbows, straights, and hammerfists from the mount, but Lauzon defended.  Dean called an end to the fight after it was clear Lauzon was to spent to transition out of the bad spot. In a grueling war game between undefeated wrestlers, "The Bully" Gray Maynard (5-0) won a decisive unanimous decision over "The Answer" Frank Edgar (8-1). Maynard set the pace in the first round by stuffing Edgar's takedown attempts and deciding when he'd take the inevitable wrestling match to the mat. Edgar made it a scrap in the second round with crisp 1-2 combos that scored, but Maynard continued to stuff "The Answer's" shot and score his own powerful takedowns, though neither fighter did much more than molest the other on the mat. Edgar was gassed by round three and the bigger "Bully" slammed Edgar three times to convince all three judges he was dominant. Earlier in the night, "Rumble" Anthony Johnson (5-1) pummeled TUF finalist Tom Speer (9-3) over 51 seconds, knocking home the stoppage "W" with a clean straight right that slumped Speer against the cage. "I'm crunk right now, I'm real crunk," said Johnson after the fight. Johnson began the end with a left kick to Speer's head as the wrestler attempted to shoot, followed by a knee that backed Speer to the cage.   Speer was out on his feet when he absorbed the death blow. In a welterweight clash, "The Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3) crumpled "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) with a left knee strike to Parisyan's head in the second round as Parisyan sought the clinch. At 34-seconds of the round, referee Steve Mazzagatti dove across the downed fighter as he defended Alves's follow-up pounding. "The referee did a good job," Alves claimed after Parisyan disputed the stoppage.  "He was out!" Parisyan had won round one with deft, one-off striking versus the American Top Team trained kickboxer, who appeared wary of Parisyan's takedowns.  In his UFC debut last February, "The Barbarian" Tim Boetsch (7-2) surprised David Heath (7-3) with an onslaught ending in a first-round Boetsch TKO. Tonight, "The Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-1) weathered Boetsch's first round avalanche of strikes to reveal "The Barbarian" couldn't continue his barrage passed the first five minutes. Hamill began the fight with a powerful double-leg takedown, but couldn't capitalize before the referee stood the fighters. Boetsch proved effective with a repeating knee strike that split Hamill's lip like a ripe peach, splashing blood across Hamill's chest. In round two, Boetsch heaved heavily from his corner.  He shot for a single-leg takedown and held Hamill's leg as the champion wrestler hovered over him hammering punches.  Boetsch rolled into guard, but had nothing left as "The Hammer" finished him at 1:25 with undefended plugs to Boetsch's face. Fast-rising Nathan Diaz (9-2) submitted Kurt Pellegrino (11-4) in an air-tight leg triangle choke in the second round of their undercard match, flashing double middle fingers in the air as Pellegrino tapped helplessly. Diaz was cut on his right eyelid by Pellegrino punches in a first round controlled on the mat by Pellegrino. Pellegrino dumped Diaz at will and hammered punches and elbows inside Diaz's full- and half-guard.  Pellegrino passed to side control and pinned Diaz's arms, hammering Diaz's unprotected face to open the cut. But, durable Diaz escaped a lost first round. The second round continued as the first, with Diaz getting dumped to the mat by Pellegrino.  This time, Diaz ran his guard up Pellegrino's back and submitted the lightweight in a leg triangle at 3:06 of the round. "He shouldn't have pinned me down like that," Diaz scolded Pellegrino after the hard-won "W".  In the televised card's first fight, "The Assassin" Houston Alexander (8-3) got touched by "The Sandman" James Irvin (14-4) in the first exchange of their light heavyweight match. Alexander was beaten to the punch by a right Superman punch from Irvin as Alexander launched his own right cross. Alexander fell to the mat and Irvin followed with a right exclamation point to Alexander's noggin as referee Steve Mazzagatti dove to Alexander's rescue at :08 of the fight, tying a UFC record for quickest KO. "I was still conscious," Alexander repeated after the stoppage. Amidst boos, Irvin challenged, "We can do it again right now.  If you want to go out into the parking lot, we can do it right now."  In untelevised fights, "The Dentist" Josh Neer (24-6-1) won a unanimous decision over "Dinyero" Din Thomas (20-8), who was returning from a knee injury in his last outing.  "Maximus" Marcus Aurelio (16-5) submitted lightweight Ryan Roberts (8-3) 16 seconds into the fight. "Pitbull" Manvel Gamburyan (8-2) submitted Jeffrey Cox (9-5) in guillotine choke at 1:41 of the first round. "The Carpenter" Clay Guida (23-9) TKO'd lightweight Samy Schiavo (10-5) at 4:15 of round one. Finally, welterweight George Sotiropoulos (9-2) TKO'd Roman Mitichyan (5-2) 2:24 into round two. ...

"That's why [Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira] is the best in the world," former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia proclaimed after suffering a guillotine submission loss to the Brazilian in the interim heavyweight title main event at UFC 81 Saturday night. The fight pitted former world champions from the UFC and PRIDE, but was overshadowed by the MMA debut of former NCAA and pro wrestling champion Brock Lesnar. Significance was also diminished by Randy Couture's departure from the UFC while holding the title after defeating Sylvia in March 2007. 6'8" Sylvia pot-shotted the Sao Paulo native from the opening ding and occasionally popped a power shot in Nogueira's mug, even dropping him with a combo in the first session and again in the second. The Miletich-trained "Maine-iac" fiercely dominated the opening two rounds. Stubborn Nogueira had no quit, even as his face began to swell at the end of Sylvia's tremendous reach. "Minotauro" attempted takedowns; but, Sylvia's balance is exceptional for a big man. The train from Maine derailed in the third when Nogueira's notorious resilience muscled the battle to the mat. "He went for the guillotine, which we knew he was going to do," a distraught Sylvia explained post-fight. Nogueira became the first fighter to hold both UFC and PRIDE heavyweight titles when Tim Sylvia tapped out at 1:28 of the third round. "That's what he does to everybody," Sylvia echoed the sentiments of MMA faithful who've watched a battered Big Nog pull out seemingly impossible victories before. Nogueira's victory sets up a possible first defense versus French kickboxer Cheick Kongo, if Kongo can beat Heath Herring in Columbus next month.  But, both Fabricio Werdum and Andrei Arlovski have claims to the top contender-ship too. Sylvia may be headed for a history-loaded rematch with the man who broke his arm: Frank Mir. Another former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Mir, defended MMA's honor against powerhouse rookie Brock Lesnar by submitting him in a kneebar at 1:30 of the first round. Mir got dumped on his ass early by the massive Minnesotan who hovered and hammered fists and elbows. "He was so strong!"  Mir explained in the locker room. Tactic and technique determined the outcome though.  "It wasn't a textbook, perfect finish, but I ended up doing it 80% right." 80% is all it takes versus an inexperienced opponent.  As Lesnar stood to yank his arm from an armbar attempt, Mir secured a leg and rolled into a kneebar. "Frank [Mir] and I have some unfinished business," Tim Sylvia had taunted at a pre-fight press conference. The high profile "W" for Mir makes that rematch marketable. At 185-pounds, Nathan Marquardt entered the Octagon off a loss to division champ Anderson Silva to fight 79-17-5 Jeremy Horn, a late replacement opponent. The veteran Horn absorbed punishment on the mat before nearly catching Marquardt in a gogoplata in the first round. It was Marquardt, however, who applied a guillotine choke during a scramble and tapped Horn at 1:37 of the second round. After a four-year hiatus from MMA, Ricardo Almeida invoked nostalgia over his earlier successes by submitting another late replacement, undefeated Alaskan Rob Yundt, in a guillotine choke at 1:08 of round one. Almeida is a welcome addition to the scant 185-pound division. Lightweights Tyson Griffin and Gleison Tibau tussled for three exciting rounds to open the televised card. The shorter fighter, Griffin, popped Tibau with precise punches while Tibau seemed to take down the wrestler at will. In the end, the judges saw it unanimously for Tyson Griffin, though Gleison Tibau lost no one's respect. "Lights Out" Chris Lytle treated 13-5 Kyle Bradley's head like a speed bag in a 33-second TKO victory. Light heavyweight Tim Boetsch reminded MMA fans of "Tank" Abbott in tossing Oklahoman David Heath to the mat and pummelling a TKO out of him at 4:52 of round one. Terry Martin suffered another disappointing defeat, this time in a unanimous decision to "The Beastman" Marvin Eastman. The event opened with a spirited lightweight scrap won in split decision by Robert Emerson over Japan's Keita Nakamura. ...