Wednesday the UFC finally confirmed a match-up between Jesse Taylor (6-2) and TUF 7 runner-up “Doberman” CB Dollaway (6-1). The wrestlers will meet at Fight Night on 19 July in Las Vegas. Taylor was kicked off The Ultimate Fighter for drunken antics after the show wrapped.  He was to face Amir Sadollah (1-0) in the finale. Dollaway was Taylor’s replacement after winning a fight-off with Tim Credeur (10-2), but lost the finale match via first round armbar to the new TUF champ Sadollah. ...

The Nevada State Athletic Commission pulled a bout between middleweights Timothy Credeur (9-2) and Cale Yarbrough (0-0) from The Ultimate Fighter finale’s undercard Saturday. Credeur, a TUF 7 semifinalist, tested positive for drug Adderall, which is often prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Credeur informed the NSAC before Friday’s weigh-ins that he had stopped taking the medication several days earlier. Adderall “acts as a cardio-vascular restrictor and that's the main reason it's banned because it can cause athletes to have a cardiac episode with the stress they're under when they're in an athletic competition,” according to NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer. “Secondly, it can have a performance-enhancing effect as well.” No disciplinary action against Credeur will be taken. ...

Three TUF champions highlighted the action in Las Vegas Saturday night: the original, the past, and the future. The future shines brilliantly for The Ultimate Fighter's newest blast into the mainstream consciousness, Amir Sadollah (1-0). In his professional debut, Sadollah tapped "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-1) in an armbar at 3:02 of round one to win the seventh season of the popular SpikeTV reality show contest. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (19-2), one of the two original Ultimate Fighters, looked physically fitter than ever in his third-round TKO of American Top Team's Luigi Fioravanti (12-4) at 4:07. After back-to-back "embarrasing" losses, "Spyder" Kendall Grove (9-5), TUF 3 champion, recaptured past glory in a three-round split decision over former UFC titlist Evan Tanner (32-8). The likeable young TUF walk-on from Virginia, Sadollah, versus the cocky All-American favorite, Dollaway, was a rematch of an exhibition fight fought on the final episode of last season's The Ultimate Fighter. Saturday's finish was almost a replay of that fight's end. ...

The Ultimate Fighter wasted no time this week in getting into the action as the final semi-final match got on between middleweight “The Doberman” CB Dollaway (6-0) and Amir Sadollah (0-0). Immediately, both fighters came out striking and spent the first part of the round striking and circling, feeling each other out.  Amir landed a left roundhouse kick to the body of CB, knocking CB to the mat. However, Amir moved in too quickly and CB was able to get a double leg take down that he turned into a slam. Amir then pulled guard and attempted and arm bar as CB worked the ground'n'pound that has thus far been successful for him.  Amir was able to avoid most shots as well as stopping CB from passing his guard. Eventually, Amir was able to sweep CB off of him and get to his feet where he landed a body shot that visibly shook up CB.  However, CB recovered and was able to get another take down.  He passed to half guard, then took Amir’s back with 15 seconds to go in the round.  The round ended with CB in mount on Amir. ...

Jesse Taylor (6-2) and Tim Credeur (9-2), somewhere in the timeline of living together in the TUF house, like Todd and Copper in The Fox and the Hound, decided to be "friends for life." But, business called on Wednesday night's episode; and, both men looked to family and friends back home for some tear-jerking motivation.  (I promise I didn't almost cry when Credeur was talking about his wife.) Round one: Nah, let's talk about Fighters.com's eighth-ranked light heavyweight coach Forrest Griffin (15-4) first. 1. He can choke out ninth-ranked "Shogun" Mauricio Rua (16-3). 2. He can coach as good as anyone on the show thus far. 3. The man can play hoops.  And dunk!  Easily. In a game of The Ultimate Fighter, Vegas's version of H-O-R-S-E, Griffin pulled no punches when he slaughtered Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6), who confessed, "I suck at basketball.  I'm probably the world's worst basketball player.  I don't play basketball.  I kick ass." After Griffin won the 10G's offered by apparent money bags UFC President Dana White, each fighter on his team socked away two grand themselves, thanks to the traditional $1000 offering being doubled after Jackson nailed (okay, he banked it...) a three-pointer when White challenged the gameless champ. Okay, now round one.  Actually...let's talk about getting drunk and peeing on carpet. ...

Fighters.com's Middleweight Champion "Spider" Anderson Silva (21-4) and third-ranked light heavyweight "Dragon" Lyoto Machida (13-0) are training Heavyweight Champion "Minotauro" Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's (31-4-1) The Ultimate Fighter 8 team, according to Tatame. Frank Mir (11-3), the other TUF 8 coach, has brought in Abu Dhabi Absolute Weight Champion Robert Drysdale and strength and conditioning coach Rafael Alejarra, of tenth-ranked light heavyweight "Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva's (32-8-1) snorkel training fame, according to MMA Weekly. The eighth season of SpikeTV and Zuffa's popular reality TV contest is shooting now in Las Vegas. ...

The results were inevitable...so inevitable the SpikeTV producers couldn't even muster up enough drama to scoot me to the middle of my seat, much less the edge. Tim Credeur (9-2) versus Daniel Cramer (0-0) and "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-0) versus Cale Yarbrough (0-0). Just peep their records. Fighters.com's top-ranked light heavyweight "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-6) laid out Dollaway's strategy for Yarbrough: "Whip his ass." Jackson reminded Dollaway before the fight that "[Yarbrough] aksed for everyone but you!" At the first bell, Dollaway commenced Jackson's strategy.  After a few half-hearted stand-up exchanges, Dollaway shot for a double-leg slam, passed to mount, and pounded Yarbrough. Yarbrough rolled to his stomach, then turtled up as referee Herb Dean repeatedly warned him to fight back. After the fight, Dollaway accused Yarbrough of doing what he had to do to end the fight. ...

The pack has been cut from 32 to six. Two were slated for the chopping block on Wednesday night's episode with the winners moving on toward the prize of a six-figure contract. Dante Rivera (10-2) was pitted against Jesse Taylor (6-2). Matt Brown (9-6) scrapped with lanky amateur Amir Sadollah (0-0). With the quarter finals looming, a coin was flipped to assign the coaches to the four fighters. Jesse and Amir had Forrest Griffin (15-4) backing them. "Rampage" Quinton Jackson(29-6) cornerd Dante Rivera and Matt Brown. Jesse, who confessed he enjoys dipping microwaved cheeseburgers in ranch dressing, put on the rubber suit and, like fighters have done for years when they need to cut weight...played Ping Pong? By the time Jesse left for the hot tub, the table and floor were splattered with pools of sweat. He was courteous enough to step away from the hot tub where he politely urinated in his shorts, claimed it "feels good on my leg", splashed his feet in the yellow puddle, and jumped back into the water. His opponent joined him soon after and soaked in Jesse's waste, a sign of things to come. ...

By Jon Grilz UFC President Dana White began this week's The Ultimate Fighter episode explaining what many people have had on their minds since last week's episode: Why didn’t the fight between Cale Yarbrough (0-0) and Patrick Schultz (5-1-1) go to a third round? Simple.  Round two was scored 10-8 in favor of Yarbrough. While Schultz has a legitimate beef, it was Fighters.com’s top-ranked light heavyweight “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) who took his aggression out on fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4), telling Griffin that there upcoming title fight won’t go to a decision. Forrest then had what he referred to as a “man period”, smashing through one of the doors in the training center and shadow boxing while a very confused White was left to wonder exactly what was happening to his coaches. Meanwhile, the remaining fight was set between "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-0) and Nick Klein (4-0). CB is a former All-American wrestler at Arizona State University and entered MMA because he lacked options after college wrestling.  His strength and skill have made him a dangerous fighter, as Rampage found out first hand. After being mocked by Rampage for getting caught in a kneebar in practice, CB delivered a light kick to Rampage's side, provoking his coach to strip off his socks and go toe-to-toe with CB. Rampage shot for a double-leg takedown which CB turned into a guillotine choke, submitting the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champ. While Klein had received praise from his coaches for his jiu-jitsu and all-around ability, he seemed to be a bit self-deprecating, referring to himself as the “weak link” on the team. Back at the training center, Forrest found a way to release some of the tension he was carrying from Rampage’s earlier comments. Griffin found a net gun and proceeded to shoot Rampage as he sat against the cage after a sparring session. Rampage took it all in good spirits, seeming to be more concerned that his family saw him “get netted” on national television, than anything else. As for the fight between CB and Nick, it was fast, intense, and technically advanced. The fight opened with CB attempting a leg kick, which Nick caught and turned into a takedown. CB rolled with the takedown and attempted a guillotine choke.  Nick escaped and turtled up.  CB rotated to the back, but made no attempts to sink his hooks in.  Nick went for a knee bar escape from turtle and almost sunk it before CB was able to twist free.  Nick countered by rolling to guard and attempting an arm bar, which CB muscled out of. CB then began reigning down punches inside Klein's open guard while attempting to pass to side control several times.  After finally passing Nick’s guard, CB maintained side control only for a moment as Nick was able to pull half-guard again and attempt another arm bar. Once again, CB passed the guard and Nick rolled to turtle position.  CB continued to reign down punches, most of which landed on the back of Nick’s head, opening a small cut. Again, Nick rolled to guard, attempting one final arm bar that failed just as time expired in the round. Round two began with Nick coming out and working his jab.  CB countered with leg kicks that seemed to upset Nick.  So, Nick returned the leg kicks before attempting a few more jabs.  Then, to the dismay of his corner, Nick pulled guard and took the fight to the mat. Nick was able to keep CB’s posture broken for a short time while he tried to land blows from the bottom; but, CB began to pass and Nick again rolled to turtle.  Klein then attempted another knee bar escape. Unfortunately for Nick, CB seemed prepared this time and rolled with the attempt, ending up in guillotine position.  CB then pulled half-guard and sank the choke.  Nick was forced to tap out. Winner by second-round guillotine choke submission: CB Dollaway With the final preliminary fight out of the way, it was time for the semi-final match-ups to be set. Fighters were called in one at a time and asked whom they would most like to fight.  Most fighters were ambivalent about their next opponent, except CB who only wanted to fight Cale. Cale’s mocking comments had been piling up on CB and finally tipped the scale when Cale made a comment questioning CB’s sexuality and choice of sunglasses. The semi-final match-ups were set: Jesse Taylor (6-2) v Dante Rivera (10-2) Amir Sadollah (0-0) v Matt Brown (9-6) Daniel Cramer (0-0) v Tim Credeur (9-2) CB Dollaway(6-0) v Cale Yarbrough (0-0) ...

UFC middleweight Rob Yundt (6-1) of Alaska announced in a MySpace bulletin Wednesday that he's signed to fight Roman "Legionarius" Alessio Sakara (12-7) at 21 June's TUF finale. Yundt said, "I'm gonna be the reason the UFC sends his ass packing after I whoop his ass!" Yundt lost his Octagon premier in February to "Cachorrao" Ricardo Almeida (9-2) by first-round guillotine choke submission. Despite ups and downs, Sakara has been a UFC fixture the passed three years. "Legionarius" dropped to 185-pounds in March, but was TKO'd by "Crippler" Chris Leben (18-4) in his division debut. Yundt was originally told he would fight a TUF 7 cast member. "That's not the case anymore," Yundt said. The Alaskan told Fighters.com on 5 May that he had been training with ninth-ranked light heavyweight "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) at Big Bear. "I'm training hard and feel great.  I've been in Big Bear with Tito for four of the last six weeks and am heading back Sunday for another two weeks.  I'll be ready for sure." ...

"This is the kind of thing I've tried to stay away from," UFC President Dana White said Thursday when asked about "Kimbo Slice" Kevin Ferguson (2-0) becoming the mainstream face of MMA when he headlines 31 May's CBS-broadcast EliteXC card. CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights will be the North American broadcast television unveiling of our sport. "This is more than a spectacular opportunity for Kimbo to be in front of a potential audience of 100-million plus eyeballs," said EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw, also on Thursday. "I think it sucks," White concluded.  "Kimbo Slice isn't a mixed martial arists.  This is a guy who was fighting in your back yard three months ago.  Now he's headlining on CBS." For those behind White, the argument runs: MMA has gone from groin strikes to Unified Rules since UFC 1, from Kevin Rosier (2-6) to "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Kimbo Slice erases the last 15 years of the sport's evolution. How many years does Brock Lesnar (1-1) erase?  At least 12, back to the beginning of the powerful Hammer House era. Lesnar headlines the UFC's August card in Minneapolis versus Hammer House's original "Hammer" Mark Coleman (15-8). But, an argument that either Slice or Lesnar is going to convince the mainstream that MMA peaked in 1996 is misguided. That's what they already think. We're blinded inside the MMA bubble to the reality that Slice and Lesnar still represent what the mainstream thinks MMA is. A backyard brawler or former pro wrestler sell tickets and PPV buys because that's still the mainstream expectation of MMA. Despite the last three years of North America  MMA eruption, the mainstream still considers MMA a blood-thirsty, no-holds-barred duel of brutes. Few minds will be changed, but continued mainstream ignorance may be encouraged.  There's still so many to educate about the sport. Notes From Around MMA * Last Wednesday on TAGG radio, “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1) became the latest UFC fighter to complain about his compensation, saying, “It's kind of sad, you know, when the company comes out on the cover of Forbes, and then you definitely just know where all the money is going to. It's kind of like, 'What the hell?'" * TUF 7 cast member Jesse Taylor (6-2) told the North County Times, “"Let's just say I'm undefeated so far,” about his record on the SpikeTV reality competition show. * When asked by Eastside Boxing what his most satisfying moment was, “Stitch” Jacob Duran said, “For MMA the most satisfying moment came during the Forrest Griffin/Mauricio Rua fight.  I was working Forrest's corner during this fight when he received a lightning bolt gash on the center of his forehead.  It was a really bad cut and the fight was close to being stopped.  I managed to get it under control for about four minutes, and Forrest went out and submitted Rua.”  Fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4) thanked Duran with a card and gift certificate to an upscale restaurant. * “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) is urging UFC President Dana White to make a fight between UFC Welterweight Champion St. Pierre and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4), the top-ranked welterweight and middleweight respectively.  "If Dana can make that fight, I'll be in the line to buy a ticket," Silva told Yahoo!Sports. * “Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1) was discharged from the South Korean military two days after reporting for mandatory service.  Officials cited Choi’s brain tumor pressing against his optic nerve as the reason for his dismissal. ...

Fighters.com’s top-ranked light heavyweight “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) finally got make his first match-up on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter Wednesday.

Team Jackson drafted Gerald Harris (6-2) to face Team Forrest’s Amir Sadollah (0-0) in what Rampage dubbed “the classis wrassler” versus kickboxer match-up.

Rampage was high on Harris, with whom he shares fight styles.  They like to slam opponents and pound them.

Fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4) had questions about Amir’s confidence before the match.

 Gerald Harris (6-2) v Amir Sadollah (0-0)

Ding, ding!  Harris immediately shot in and drove Sadollah to the fence for a double-leg takedown.

From Amir’s half-guard, Harris landed a few punches and short elbows.  Amir controlled his posture to minimize the damage.

Sadollah was able to stand back up and Harris clinched him up looking for another takedown.  Again, Harris brutally slammed Amir like a child.

After some light G’n’P, Gerald once again slammed Amir and fought from Sadollah’s open guard.

Working to their feet again, Amir threw a big knee, but missed, setting up Gerald for the low single.  Gerald grabbed on to Amir’s leg; but, Amir managed to reverse the position before Gerald could take him down.

Amir was trying to get Harris in the crucifix position, popping Harris with two elbows to the body in the process.  Gerald escaped as Amir tried to take his back and Harris drove Sadollah against the fence to finish the round.

Amir began round two determined to keep his feet.  He connected with a couple of sharp leg kicks before Harris pushed him against the fence again for the takedown.

From the top, Gerald landed a wide-arcing elbow before standing again.

Amir, who had been getting dominated to this point, responded with a knee that looked like it stunned Harris.  Gerald looked immediately for another takedown and shot in low, grabbing Amir’s leg near the ankle.

Refusing to the let go of the leg, Gerald eats a few body shots from Amir, who tries to take his back.  Harris escaped the ensuing scramble and took Amir down against the fence.

The fighters stand back up; and, Amir, sensing defeat landed a right knee to the jaw of Harris that dropped him for a flash knockout.

Harris turtled-up and grabbed Amir’s leg instinctually.  Sadollah threw a few punches before the referee stopped the fight.

Winner by technical knockout: Amir Sadollah

Rampage was depressed because Gerald was one of his favorites.  Harris was crushed and enraged.  Neither had time to lament on the loss as the final fight pairings for the first round were quickly named.

Team Forrest selected Cale Yarbrough (0-0) to face Team Rampage’s replacement fighter, Patrick Schultz (5-1-1), leaving Team Forrest’s Nick Klein (3-0) versus Team Rampage’s top pick, CB Dollaway (6-0)

Both Yarbrough and Schultz are stand-up specialists and make a “no jiu-jitsu” truce. 

Forrest said Yarbrough could beat anyone in the house as long as they stayed away from “that hippie stuff”, referring to wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Patrick said he was looking forward to having a kickboxing match ending in a knockout.

Cale Yarbrough (0-0) v Patrick Schultz (5-1-1)

Early on, the fight between Yarbrough and Schultz looked exactly as hyped.  Yarbrough threw a high kick that Schultz caught and used to send him to the mat; but, Schultz allowed Cale to stand right back up.  They wanted to bang!  The boxing match continued and Schultz was effectively working his jab, mixing in a few power punches.

Both men were content to strike and neither would capitalize on the many openings for takedowns.  Schultz appeared to have a more technical boxing game and was getting the best of the stand-up.

Finally, with 1:45 left in the round, Cale realized he was getting picked apart.  He shot in for a double-leg takedown and, with no defense from Schultz, got in Schultz’s guard, pounding him with hammer fists.

After about a minute, the fighters stood and Cale scored another easy takedown, ending the round with some light G’n’P inside Schultz’s guard.

Fighters.com scored this round 10-9 for Schultz.

Schultz, looking gassed, wanted no part of the ground game.  He came out swinging to start the second round.

Cale got another takedown into Schultz’s half-guard.  The fight stayed on the mat the entire round; and, Yarbrough was dominant.  He connected with punches and a few elbows while keeping Schultz’s back on the mat.

Cale looked like he was getting stronger and gaining confidence as the round wore on.

Schultz, however, was gassed out.  He wasn’t trying to escape, just trying to avoid the stoppage.

Fighters.com scored the round 10-9 for Yarbrough.

When it was announced that a third round wasn’t necessary, everyone knew the outcome.

Winner by decision: Cale Yarbrough

Rampage was upset, thinking Schultz had won round one.

Forrest offered Yarbrough for another round.

Schultz told Forrest, “Go back to your corner.  I can’t wait until you fight Rampage.”

Forrest countered with a “Who the fuck are you?” stare.

Rampage warned Forrest, “I bet my whole purse our fight doesn’t end in a decision,” then stormed off.

The UFC and SpikeTV announced Monday that season eight of The Ultimate Fighter will feature Fighters.com's top ranked heavyweight and UFC co-titlist  “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) and Frank Mir (11-3) as coaches of light heavyweight and lightweight contestants. The next season will begin production at the end of May and will premier 17 September. Nogueira and Mir will battle for Nogueira's share of the UFC title on a PPV card after the 13-episode season concludes. Nogueira won his half of the championship in February by submitting fourth-ranked "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-4) in a guillotine choke. The other UFC co-titlist is second-ranked "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8). In what was considered his last chance in the UFC, Mir spoiled Brock Lesnar's (1-1) UFC debut in February by submitting him in a kneebar in the first round. Former UFC champ Mir is 3-2 since defending his title from Sylvia in June 2004, after which he suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle accident and was forced to vacate the title. ...

Fighters.com's numero dos heavyweight "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8) told CagePotato today, "The exclusivity has to go away or else we’re going to have the same problems with becoming a fractured sport the way boxing has." With respect to MMA's classiest act, I disagree. The UFC's stranglehold over the top of the sport has ensured the best fighters fight each other. The best match-up in boxing right now is WBC welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus WBA and IBF welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto. For those not in the boxing know, it ain't happenin'. Mayweather is ducking the young bull Cotto for more lucrative, less competitive rematches with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.  Those happen to be match-ups Mayweather is more likely to win.  Hell, he's already beat them both. It's the UFC's umbrella over the sport that has made sure champions fight contenders, not pretenders who allow champions to hold on to belts maximizing the marketability of their reign. You see, when free agent fighters and their management pick their opponents, whether in boxing or MMA, they tend towards safe fights. Exhibit A:  Everyone's favorite MMA ducker, sixth-ranked heavyweight "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (27-1). While a showdown with third-ranked "Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (21-5) has been an option, Emelianenko has picked fights against middleweight "The Law" Matt Lindland (20-5) and kickboxer "Techno Goliath" Hong Man Choi (1-1). Such is matchmaking when managers and free agent fighters seek to prolong their marketability versus the safest reasonable opponents. I mean, Lindland and Choi are both world champions, right?  Nevermind that their championships were in a different weight class and sport respectively than Emelianenko. I'm not advocating for the UFC.  I could care less about which promoter logo is atop a fight card.  It's the card itself that interests me.  The fact is, the UFC's centralized organization of the sport has produced the best fights and, by definition, avoided "becoming a fractured sport the way boxing has." Notes From Around MMA * Top Strikeforce lightweight contender “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2) maintains “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9) oiled up before their March 2006 title fight, won by Guida by UD.  Thomson claims, “I mentioned it to Clay's brother one time.  I said, ‘Clay was really slippery in that fight…’  He just looked at me, shrugged, and said, ‘You do what you have to do to win.’  I just thought, ‘Whatever, douche bag.’  But, Clay…I think his career has leveled off.  He got a few big wins, but he's taken some losses the last couple of years.” * Couture (16-8) told IGN he’s pursuing a video game deal with EA Sports.  He also claimed, “I don't care where the fight happens,” in response to a question about fighting sixth-ranked Emelinanenko in the UFC.  Couture had previously expressed his desire not to fight Emelianenko in the UFC. * UFC middleweight Rob Yundt (6-1), who lost his UFC debut in February to “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2), will return to the Octagon 21 June on the TUF 7 finale versus one of the TUF contestants.  The UFC won’t reveal Yundt’s opponent to him until that fighter is eliminated on the show. * The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize and sanction MMA in the state by a vote of 95-2.  The bill is held-up in the Senate by Senators Dewayne Bunch of Cleveland and Bo Watson of Hixson.  The two southeast Tennessee legislators have attached an amendment earmarking the profits from MMA events for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division I wrestling team.  According to the Nashville Post, the amendment may violate NCAA rules.  Tennesseans are urged to contact their state Senators and urge the passing of the bill next week without the earmarking amendment. * Fourth-ranked welterweight “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) and UFC light heavyweight "The Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-1), both New York state residents, and UFC executive Marc Ratner were lobbying New York state Senators Tuesday to legalize and regulate MMA in the state.  A bill legalizing and regulating the sport in New York has passed the state’s assembly, but is opposed in the senate. * Canadian kickboxer “Black Sniper” Michael McDonald (1-1), 2002 and 2004 K-1 North American Grand Prix Champion, won a decision over American kickboxer “The Jet” Rick Roufus (1-1) in an MMA bout fought under the radar in Romania last month. * “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) and “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (1-1) will go head-to-head 31 May in a ratings battle.  SpikeTV will air Ultimate Iceman to compete directly with CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights at 9:00 PM EST.  SpikeTV will air an entire day of UFC programming on 31 May, beginning at 11:00 AM EST. * Star magazine reported that actress/singer Mandy Moore has a crush on top-ranked welterweight “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Moore was in the UFC 83 crowd last month when St. Pierre claimed the UFC welterweight title from Serra (9-5). * You know it’s a slow MMA news cycle when eighth-ranked lightweight “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) testing negative for steroids in a Nevada State Athletic Commission test is a headline.  Of course he tested negative!  The headline is if he had tested positive…again. * As I concluded after the first episode of this season's The Ultimate Fighter, Jeremy May (5-5) is a douche bag and nothing could've made me happier than seeing him get smashed by fellow-Cincinnatian Matt Brown (9-6) last night. ...

Wednesday night's episode of The Ultimate Fighter got started with the fighters preparing for the much anticipated bout between Matt Brown (9-6) and Jeremy May (5-5).

The night before the fight, eliminated fighters Brandon Sene (2-0) and Matt Riddle (0-0) were doing shots and it appeared May was doing some with them.  He claimed he had “twelve or thirteen” shots, which upset the other fighters.

Apparently May had filled up a vodka bottle with water and was only pretending to be drunk, trying to play some mind games with Brown and Team Forrest.

It was nothing new for May as we learned he had been nursing a knee injury that held him out of the majority of Team Rampage’s conditioning and sparring sessions.  May himself admitted he faked the severity of the injury to pace himself during training.  Jeremy rode the bike while his team completed grueling conditioning sessions.

That dishonest approach and his cocky attitude angered everyone in the house, including the other fighters on Team Rampage.  Teammate Matt Riddle was so disgusted with May that he revealed Jeremy’s knee injury to Matt Brown the night before the fight.

 Matt brown is no joke.  He revealed his colorful past that includes plenty of drugs, alcohol, fighting, and even a few stints in jail.  By all accounts, he is a serious individual.  He didn’t trash talk much before the fight and was just happy to finally get Jeremy and his mouth into the Octagon.

 Matt Brown (9-6) v Jeremy May (5-5)

May came out swinging, managing to land a few punches and a knee on Brown.  May tried a head kick and Brown sent him to the canvas with a straight right.

May, wanting to get the fight to the ground, did not attempt to stand up.  Brown hit a few leg kicks before dropping a right hand on Jeremy’s face and taking side control.

Brown moved to the mount and looked for submissions.  May sensed this and fed Matt an armbar.  Brown took the bait; and, Jeremy was able to slam out of Matt’s armbar attempt and wound-up standing in Brown’s open guard.

Jeremy landed a few punches from the top before Matt turned the tables and got on top in May’s closed guard.  Matt transitioned to side control, then knee-on-stomach and connected with a few shots before both fighters stood back up.

May, with his hands dropped, looked gassed.  Brown hit him with a jab and then a right cross that sent Jeremy to the mat again.

Brown punched May’s face twice from his open guard before both fighters stood again.  At this point May’s tank was empty.  He could barely stand up straight.  Brown smelled blood and landed a nice knee to set up a beautiful left head kick to the hunched over May, knocking him out and forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

 Winner by knockout:  Matt Brown

The loss didn’t humble Jeremy May.  Even though lying about his injury and skipping conditioning obviously contributed to him gassing out, he still said Brown got lucky and, that if they fought again, the result would be different.  

Fighters'com's first-ranked light heavyweight "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-6) was frustrated after losing the first fights and was even more so when sixth-ranked Forrest Griffin (15-4) revealed he was picking the match-ups by flipping a coin.  After the next coin flip at Team Forrest’s training session, it was determined Luke Zachrich (7-1) would take on Team Rampage’s Dan Cramer (0-0).

Neither man had the rugged look common of fighters, but they produced the most exciting fight so far this season.

Luke Zachrich (7-1) v Dan Cramer (0-0)

Cramer landed two punches immediately and the fighters clinched up.  Dan threw some more shots and attempted a trip that ended up pushing Luke against the fence.  They separated and Luke landed a straight left that seemed to stun Cramer for a second before he was able to tie Luke up again, land a knee to his face, and execute the trip for a takedown.

After a brief scramble, both men got back to their feet.  Cramer tried to walk through a few of Luke’s punches to get the tie up, but decided to stop after a few of them connect solidly to his chin.  He backed off and then charged in throwing long looping punches, sticking his chin out begging for Luke to connect.

The fighters clinched against the cage and engaged in some dirty boxing.  Cramer landed punch after punch on Luke’s face.  Zacharich landed a few clean shots of his own, but couldn’t match Dan’s pace.

After eating about twenty punches, Luke got the trip for a takedown and got to the mount.  Dan rolled and Luke took his back with just under a minute left.  Zacharich looked for the rear naked choke, and initially appeared to have it locked in pretty deep.  Dan, nearly punched out from his barrage on Luke, wasn’t doing much to defend the choke.  Luke, tired from eating all of those punches, had no energy to finish the choke; and,  both fighters were happy to finish the round with Luke on Dan’s back.

Round two started with Luke and Dan trading punches and clinching.

Cramer got a trip for a takedown and took the mount on Zacharich.  He landed some punches and elbows; and, Luke gave up his back to stop the onslaught.  Two more punches from there and Luke was under the mount again.  Dan rained down punches with a few elbows mixed in.  Luke couldn’t escape the mount or defend the punches; so, referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight.

Winner by TKO: Dan Cramer.     

Finally, Team Rampage won a fight and gained the matchmaking rights for the next fight.  Rampage was giddy after the win and to have control over the next match-up.

After losing the opening two fights, “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) knew he had to do something to inspire his team.  So, he brought in The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner, "The Count" Michael Bisping (15-1), to train with his team.

Bisping talked to the fighters about his experience on the show.

“It changed my life” said Bisping.  He reminded the fighters what a great opportunity they had in front of them, and told them, “Don’t slack on your training.  Don’t get drunk at the house.  Get your sleep.  Eat right…everything I didn’t do.” 

 We got to hear what the house thought of Matt Brown (5-6); and, he seems like someone you would not want to mess with.  He trains extremely hard!  So much so that Forrest had to remind him not the hurt his training partners during sparring.  He wasn’t there to make friends.  This no-nonsense attitude earned him the moniker Matt “Mother-Fuckin’ Brown” from his teammates.

So, who better to play a prank on than Brown?  Jeremy May (5-5) couldn’t think of anyone, so he decided to stir the pot a little and put lime juice in Matt’s chewing tobacco.

Matt heard from another fighter what May had done, and he was pissed.  Brown confronted Jeremy and told him to get ready to fight.  He wanted blood.

Just when we thought the Brown/May fight would be announced, team Forrest selected veteran Dante Rivera (10-2) to lock horns with MMA neophyte Brandon Sene (2-0), who’s fighting experience came on the battlefield as a Marine Corps Sniper. 

Brandon Sene (2-0) v Dante Rivera (10-2)

The match started with a few range-finding punches from each fighter.  Dante pushed Brandon into the fence and tried to control him there.  Sadly, this would the theme of the fight.  Sene threw a few knees before Dante managed to trip him and score the takedown.

Rivera got side control; but, Sene was able to explode back to his feet before Dante could do any damage.

Dante again pushed Sene up against the cage; and, Brandon began landing knees to the thighs of Rivera.  Sene defended another takedown attempt.  He connected with a few more knees before referee Steve Mazzagatti separated the fighters and restarted them in the center of the Octagon.

Dante looked again to tie up and push Brandon against the fence.  This time he slammed Brandon to the mat for the takedown.

From his closed guard, Brandon landed punches and elbows on Dante’s face, and was able to keep Rivera from passing his guard.  Rivera went for a dangerous-looking achilles lock before Brandon escaped.  Dante recaptured side control in the closing seconds of round one.

Fighters.com scored the first round 10-9 for Sene.

Round two continued the trend of round one when Rivera immediately pushed Sene against the fence.  Brandon landed some punches as Dante continued to control him on the fence.  Just as Mazzagatti was about to separate the fighters for a second time, Dante got another takedown and looked to try some ground and pound in Brandon’s half guard.  This strategy seemed promising until Sene stood up after Dante had landed only a few punches.

Once again, Rivera pushed Sene up against the fence and got the trip for a take down.  He was on top in Sene’s half guard; but, it was Brandon who was landing the shots.  With one minute left, Brandon executed a half guard sweep and tried some ground and pound of his own from the top.  He ground some elbows into Dante’s face and finished the round on top.

Fighters.com scored the second round 10-9 for Sene.

After two rounds, the fight was tied; so, we got to see the first fight of the season to go the full three rounds.  Not deviating from his game plan, Rivera pushed Sene against the fence and took some body shots from Brandon before Mazzagatti separated the two. 

After the restart, Rivera threw a big shot with the right hand before driving Sene to fence for the final time.  Brandon landed some punches that Dante powered through to get a double leg takedown.

From Sene’s guard, Dante looked to control the position while Brandon continued to punch and elbow from the bottom.  Dante landed some punches and knees from the top as Brandon tried to escape.  Dante was able to maintain control of the position and spent the last two minutes of the round countering escape attempts from Sene.

Fighters.com scored the third round 10-9 for Rivera.

Brandon did a good job of avoiding Rivera’s submissions, but all of his offense came with his back against the fence or on the mat.  UFC President Dana White was not impressed with either fighter, but felt that Sene was more active and did more damage.  The judges saw otherwise, giving the fight to Rivera based on his takedowns and control.

Winner by decision: Dante Rivera

Rampage was furious about the decision; and, we learned next week’s episode will open with Jeremy May taking on Matt Brown to settle their grudge.

Ponder this before next Wednesday's TUF 7 episode: Next week, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) and Forrest Griffin (15-4) will be choosing fighters for their team.  Assuming you've watched the first two episodes, who would you choose? Would you choose fighters who're rough, but you think have a higher upside; or, fighters who're already more complete? Would you choose fighters with styles most like yours?  Or, would you try to fill out a well-rounded squad? UFC President Dana White was right tonight when he stated, "There are no pussies here."  The elimination round has held some of the best fights of any TUF season. The episode opened with Dan Simmler (0-0) versus Mathew Riddle (0-0); and, Riddler came to battle.  He scored a sweet toss early and worked inside the jiu-jitsu fighter's guard.  But, Riddle gassed shortly into round one and Simmler had the mo' going into the second. That mo' was floored almost immediately in what "Rampage" called, "The gruesomest knockout I've ever seen." As Simmler launched a kick, Riddle decked him with a right hook, followed by two vicious hammerfists after Simmler hit the floor. Simmler moaned for several minutes, then woke-up repeating, "Was this a real fight or practice?"  He was carried away by ambulance. Brutal.  Riddle takes a bed. In the next fight, Patrick Schultz (5-1-1) looked mean at the bell and piled on Cincinnatian Luke Zachrich (7-1); but, Zachrich woke-up after taking a few shots and rolled Schultz into a guillotine to take another bed. Erik Charles (2-5) bragged before his fight with Timothy Credeur (9-2) that he was "one of the fastest guys out here."  He was right!  Charles tapped out in a Credeur armbar quicker than any other fighter in the competiton.  Credeur takes a bed. In highlights, "Mohawk" Brandon Sene (2-0) beat Aaron Meisner (2-0) by rear naked choke. Gerald Harris (6-2) was all over Mike Marrello (7-1-1) with G'n'P for a unanimous decision.  Jeremiah Riggs (1-0) "put Mississippi on the map", but Daniel Cramer (0-0) put "Mississippi" on the mat for a first-round G'n'P TKO. Jesse Taylor (6-2) had a quick night taking down, mounting, and wrapping Nick Rossborough  (8-3) in a rear naked choke submission. Finally, Cincinnatian Matt Brown (5-6) weathered the early pressure of wrestler Josh Hall (1-2), who escaped two tight triangle chokes only to succumb to a G'n'P stoppage. My team picks, in alphabetical order: Matt Brown Timothy Credeur CB Dollaway Gerald Harris Nick Klein Matthew Riddle Dante Rivera Cale Yarbrough ...