Marquardt on Wanderlei "I will knock him out."

 Add Nate Marquardt (30-10-2) to the growing list of UFC Middleweight's that have called out Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) this year. In a recent interview with Fighters Only Nate also responded to Dana White calling him a choker after his disappointing UD loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 122 .

" After the fight and in recent days , Dana White has publicly criticized me for being a "choker" and not being aggressive enough. While Dana's comments were difficult to hear, I firmly believe that I am one of the best fighters in the world and will one day be the UFC Middleweight Champion."

"However in hindsight Dana is right. In order to live up to my full potential and realize my championship dreams I need to be more aggressive and showcase my inherent killer instinct. I need to stalk my opponents, impose my will and finish fights on a consistent basis. 

 " In order to re establish myself as a number one contender, my next opponent needs to be an elite figher who will stand and bang with me in the center of the Octagon until one of us is knocked out. The fight that makes the most sense to me is Wanderlei Silva. I have a tons of respect for Wanderlei and have wanted this fight for years, the fans have wanted this fight, they deserve to see two of the best fighters in the world in an all out war. " 

 "Wanderlei is an amazing fighter who is very aggressive , I will pursue him with unwavering tenacity, then I will knock him out! I promise the UFC, Dana, my fans, my team, my coaches and most importantly myself that never again will there be a question about my cage aggression." 


 So who do you think deserves to win the Wanderlei Silva first opponent of 2011 sweepstakes? Akiyama? Leben? Sonnen? Bisping Part 2? Or Marquardt?

Ryan Bader Q & A

  Light Heavyweight Contender Ryan Bader did a Q&A with Mike Goldberg & fans before the UFC 123 Weigh Ins in Auburn Hills, Michigan for UFC Fight Club Members (and the hundreds of other fans who snuck in past Palace security). BloodyElbow posted this FanHouse video today. Seeing this in person made me a fan of Bader. Came off as a solid guy. 

UFC 124: St. Pierre " Koscheck is the perfect villain."

Via: UFC

UFC 124: Koscheck "This time around GSP is gonna see a different fighter."

Via: UFC

MMA Live UFC 123 Recap/Strikeforce St. Louis Preview

Via: Bloody Elbow

MMA Black Friday

MMAWeekly - 50% Off Entire Inventory

MMAWarehouse - Great Deals until Nov. 29th

UFC.com - Limited Quantities

MiddleEasy - Check out this list of Black Friday Deals that MiddleEasy has compiled.

Aldo out of UFC 125 fight, Grispi to fight Poirier

 Saturday - A well dressed Jose Aldo receives his UFC Featherweight belt about 45 minutes outside of Detroit in a ceremony held at the Palace of Auburn Hills .





 Tuesday - Heavy.com reports that Aldo will not be able to defend his title against John Grispi at UFC 125 due to a compacted vertebrae that is causing tingling in both of Aldo's arms.

 Wednesday - Grispi will still fight at UFC 125. His opponent will be Dustin Poirier. Grispi risks his No # 1 contender status, and the fight will no longer be the Co Main Event of the evening according to MMAJunkie .

 Aldo's trainer Andre Pederneiras says convincing Aldo not to fight was Hell.  Aldo should be back in 3 months time. according to Pederneiras.

UFC 124: GSP vs. Koscheck 2 Trailer

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre (20-2) makes his 5th straight Title defense in his 2nd career meeting with Josh Koscheck (15-4) on December 11th in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.


 GSP defeated Koscheck via UD at UFC 74 back on August of 2007. This was the first fight  for St. Pierre after Matt Serra ended his 1st title run via TKO. This will be Koscheck's 17th fight in the UFC and  his 1st title fight.

Penn vs. Fitch to Headline UFC 127 in Australia

 MMAFighting reports that B.J. Penn will indeed stay at Welterweight and will fight Jon Fitch at the Acer Arena in Australia on February 27th of 2011.



 "I already made the fight. Him and Fitch in Sydney." White explained to reporters after Penn's 21 second disposal of Matt Hughes earlier in the night. Fitch was rumored to take on Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126, but a fight with Penn is obviously a much more intriguing match up for the fighter, whose style has been labeled as boring by many critics.

 White also announced at the Post Fight Presser that Aussie native George Sotiropoulos will take on German UFC 122 submission of the night winner Dennis Siver in a Lightweight clash on the same card.

UFC 123 Bonuses

Matt Hughes talked Dana White into raising the bonuses from $60,000 to $80,00 for this event.

• Fight of the Night: George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon

• Knockout of the Night: B.J. Penn

• Submission of the Night: Phil Davis

UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida Results

Main Card:

 Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida

Rampage controlled the pace of the fight for the first 2 Rounds and was clearly the busier fighter. Although they were both very close rounds Rampage won them by a hair. Machida was dominant in the 3rd round but it would be too little too late for the Dragon. 


• Rampage Jackson defeats Lyoto Machida via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

 Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn

The rubber match between these 2 legends of the sport ended in 21 seconds . B.J. Penn caught Matt Hughes with a straight right that had the UFC Hall of Famer asking his corner "What Happened?". After running out of the Octagon in excitement, Penn returned to profess his love for Detroit, the UFC , and Joe Rogan while also paying  respects to "his idol" Matt Hughes.

• B.J. Penn defeats Matt Hughes via KO 21 seconds into the fight

 Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Falcao

This festival of snooze had a sold out Palace crowd chanting "Lets Go Red Wings" at one point. With two 4 time Stanley Cup Champions (Kirk Maltby & Kris Draper) in attendance this chant was very appropriate.

• Falcao defeats Harris via UD (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

 Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch

• Phil Davis defeats Tim Boetsch via modified kimura (aka Mr. Wonderful) at 2:55 of the 2nd Round.

 George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon

• George Sotiropoulos wins his 7th straight fight in the Octagon by defeating Joe Lauzon via kimura at 2:43 of the 2nd Round.

Spike TV Card:

Aaron Simpson vs. Mark Munoz

• Mark Munoz defeats Aaron Simpson via UD (29-28 x 3)

Matt Brown vs. Brian Foster

• Brian Foster defeats Matt Brown via guillotine choke at 2:11 of the 2nd Round

GSP ESPN Sportscenter Commercial

John Anderson thinks twice about borrowing from Georges St. Pierre.

Dana White UFC 123 Vlog Part III

Shot of the Week: Hughes & Penn - All Smiles & Jokes

Shot by @MsTracyLee .

Check her full UFC 123 Weigh In gallery over at CombatLifestyle .

While it was entertaining to see Rampage run into Machida's fist, my favorite moment was seeing these two crafty veterans laugh it up.

B.J. Penn Detroit Interview

The Prodigy expresses his excitement about fighting Hughes again to Ariel Helwani, whether or not he's done at Lightweight and his changes in coaching for his UFC 123 fight. Great interview. MMAFighting

UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida Pick EM

 This Fall, the UFC takes its talents (sorry poking fun at LeBron decision special never gets old) to the suburbs of Detroit, where we join former MMA Champion's Quinton *Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Matt Hughes, and B.J. Penn under the same roof. As a fight fan from Detroit I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't grateful that we have been blessed with a stacked card like this one, and not a shitefest like say... UFC 119 : ).

Main Card: 

• Quinton *Rampage* Jackson vs. Lyoto *The Dragon* Machida

 With a UD loss to Rashad Evans, and months of filming/promotion of The A- Team in his rear view mirror, Jackson comes into this week looking very much like the Rampage of old. Machida, who enters the Octagon coming off the first loss of his career is a heavy favorite in this one, even though he was knocked out via the fists of Shogun a mere 3 and a half minutes into his last fight.

 Not only does Rampage find the elusive Machida in this bout, expect to watch him do some unsavory things to The Dragon before its all over. Rampage via KO.

• Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn

 The highly anticipated rubber match between two MMA legends that is set to take place tomorrow night at the Palace reeks of fireworks. All I can see right now is  B.J. licking his paws after this one. Penn via submission.

• Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Falcao

 All these guys do is win, and win violently. Harris pumps up the crowd with a deadly TKO finish over the talented UFC newcomer.

• Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch

 Davis takes this one via Split Decision after a 3 Round War, remaining undefeated in his MMA career.

• George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon

 Lauzon survives an early earboxing from Sotiropoulos only to lose via Unanimous Decision.

Spike TV Card:

• Aaron Simpson vs. Mark Munoz


Munoz via vicious ground and pound.

• Matt Brown vs. Brian Foster

 This one has all the makings of Fight of the Night. Neither of these guys go down easy. In person it seems that Brown is a lot bigger than Foster but online it says otherwise. Foster looks like he's chomping at the bit to get into a fight and Saturday Night he'll be getting paid for one. Foster via decision.

UFC 122: 4-2
2010: 79-42

A History of Penn vs. Hughes

January 31, 2004

UFC 46: Supernatural (Las Vegas, Nevada)

 Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes (35-3) comes into the Octagon making his 6th defense as Welterweight Champion. The Challenger, B.J. Penn (6-1-1), moves up to Welterweight after going 0-1-1 in 2 UFC Lightweight Title Fights.

 The Result: B.J. Penn defeats Matt Hughes at 4:39 of the 1st Round by taking his back and sinking in a rear naked choke that forced Hughes to tap. Penn kisses Hughes on the lips then proceeds to go into what would become a trademark apeshit B.J. Penn emotional roller coaster celebration.

September 23, 2006

UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn II (Anaheim, California)

After B.J. Penn (10-3-1) left the UFC, Matt Hughes (40-4) regained the vacant Welterweight Championship by defeating Georges St. Pierre on October 22nd of 2004. Penn fell via Split decision to St. Pierre in a fight that would determine the Number 1 contender in the Welterweight division. An injury forced St. Pierre out of a rematch against Hughes, and Penn was more than happy to step in for another shot at the belt he vacated two years prior.

The Result: Penn takes the first 2 rounds of the contest only to find himself trapped in the crucifix of Hughes where he feasted on multiple strikes to the face.. Matt Hughes wins this contest at 3:53 of the 3rd Round via TKO (strikes). Hughes returns the compliment making it 1 to 1 with Penn.

November 20, 2010

UFC 123: Hughes vs. Penn III (Auburn Hills, Michigan)

 No title on the line here. Just the right to claim 2 out of 3 in what may go down as one of the greatest Mixed Martial Arts trilogies of all time. B.J. Penn (15-7-1) comes into his rubber match with Hughes dropping 2 in a row to current Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. He moves back up to 170 to finish what he started 6 years ago with Matt Hughes (45-7) who comes into this fight winner of his last 3 fights, and as the newest member of the UFC Hall of Fame in which he was inducted back in May of this year.

The Result: ?????

Recent UFC Fight Announcements & Rumors

photo by Dave Mandel - Sherdog



• Welterweight Wunderkind Jon Fitch is slated to take on Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126 (MMAJunkie)



• Veteran Bantamweights Miguel Torres & Antonio Banuelos will also being taking their talents to Las Vegas for UFC 126 (MMAJunkie)

• Cole Miller will take on Matt Wiman in a Lightweight contest at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 (UFC.com)

• Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle is in the works for the rumored UFC 127 Australia Card in early February. Condit's last fight earned him KO of the Night (Possibly KO of the Year) honors against Dan Hardy at UFC 120. Lytle's last fight was a UD victory over former Welterweight Champion Matt Serra.  (MMAMania)

• Tito Ortiz gets a last chance dance with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 128 during the rumored Abu Dhabi event. (MMAJunkie)

Matt Hughes talks Hughes vs. Penn III in Detroit

Check out MMAWeekly.com for more videos and interviews pertaining to UFC 123, and all things MMA.

B.J. Penn talks Hughes vs. Penn III in Detroit

Interview done by the guys over at MMAWeekly.com . Check out their site for more great interviews and MMA content updated daily.

UFC 123 Friday 11.19 Events

1 PM EST: UFC 123 Autograph session featuring : Forrest Griffin, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, and Kenny Florian.

4 PM EST: UFC 123 Rampage vs. Machida Weigh In

Countdown to UFC 123 Fighter Quotes

 B.J. Penn: 

 "I'm gonna come out guns blazing, everything I got. I don't want this to be Matt Hughes 2, B.J. Penn 1. Matt Hughes .... I'm Coming. 

Matt Hughes:

"The rubber match is the tell all."

Rampage: 

 "He can say whatever he wanna say. I'm gonna do my talking in the cage."

Lyoto Machida:

"There is an old samurai saying: If you pay too much attention to the leaf, you miss the tree. If you pay too much attention to the tree, you miss the forest. So I really can't just focus on any one thing."

Minotauro Nogueira:

" Lyoto is very good black belt jiu jitsu. I think on the ground he can take care of Rampage."

Rampage:

"It's Ultimate Fighting Championships. It's not Ultimate Elusive guy. You know what I'm saying?

Matt Hughes on B.J's kiss after Hughes vs. Penn 1:

" B.J. could've kissed me on the lips 20 times and I'm still trying to figure out what just happened."

B.J. Penn on kissing Hughes after taking his WW Title.

" I fought for 2 UFC belts. I didn't win them , and i was like, I Love You Man. Thank You. Thanks for the belt. 

Joe Lauzon on learning jiu jitsu:

" Basically went from 10 hours of video games to 10 hours of jiu jitsu from day one. " 

Joe Lauzon:

" I'm gonna go out there. I'm gonna beat you up or you're gonna beat me up. And thats the only to have it. 

Lauzon on the Pulver upset:

" I was a 7 top 1 underdog on the fight. My friend's made a killing.


Hughes on Hughes vs. Penn 1:

" For Dana White to call me up and say *Hey, I got a 55 lb fighter who wants to move up and fight you. I was licking my chops. 

Machida:

" Rampage's biggest threat is his body. He's a very strong guy. He's got very heavy hands. I'm gonna complicate his game plan by moving around and I don't think he's going to be able to find me."

Lauzon:

" I wanna be at the point where they can line up anyone and I' m condfident I'm gonna smash him. I'm not there yet, where I'd fight anyone like that, but I'm getting real close."

Sotiropoulos:

" Saw UFC 1 and I basically knew there and then, that's what I wanted to do."

Lauzon on fighting Florian:

" I didn't win the fight but it made me feel really good about how I did. I had a little bit further to go but I was right there."

Penn on Hughes vs. Penn III:

" I always knew this fight would happen. I'm driven by the challenge. I always was."

Hughes on the importance of winning the rubber match:

" This isn't a fight I wanna lose. If I lose this fight, I basically lost (the) 2 fights previous to that. This fight means alot more."


Hughes on Penn's fighting style:

" I think B.J. is more deadly. He's very unorthodox. It'd be great to get a B.J. Penn clone in here for me for a month and a half but there are none."

Rampage has some advice for Machida:

" I think he prolly need to avoid even getting in the cage with me."

Hughes on Penn vs. Hughes II:

" When people ask me, 'Hey, whats your favorite fight?' I tend to say B.J. II. I overcame the guy that beat me before."

UFC 123 Presser Pics

A couple more of my super amateur 123 Presser pics after the break. Good Times!

TUF S12:E10

photo via Bloody Elbow

Fight #1: Aaron Wilkinson taps to Kyle Watson's rear naked choke with 1:02 remaining in the 1st Round.

Michael Johnson defeats Alex Caceres via UD (20-18 x 3)

Semi Finals bouts air next Wednesday at 9 PM EST in a 2 Hour Finale.


• Nam Phan (Team Koscheck) vs. Michael Johnson (Team GSP)

• Johnathan Brookins (Team GSP) vs. Kyle Watson (Team GSP)

UFC 123 Press Conference at 1 PM Today in Detroit

 The press conference for UFC 123 takes place at the MGM Grand in Downtown Detroit this afternoon (Nov 17). Watch it over at MMAMania or come down and say hi if you are in the Detroit area. This event is free to the public.

UFC 123 Tele Conference Call Audio

Via : BJPenn.com

Full Audio Here







 
 UFC 123 takes place in Auburn Hills, Michigan This Saturday and Features the Rubber Match between UFC Legends Matt Hughes & B.J. Penn as the Co Main Event of the evening .

  The Main Event of the Night following Hughes vs. Penn III will showcase 2 Former Light Heavyweight Champions. Quinton *Rampage* Jackson will take the center of the Octagon to challenge Lyoto *The Dragon* Machida in a fight that could earn the victor a shot at the Light Heavyweight Champion after Shogun fights Rashad for the belt in 2011.

UFC 122 Results: Okami earns his title shot

Main Card:

• Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami

 Okami defeats Marquardt via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) to put himself in line for a shot at the Middleweight Championship of the World. Okami was the last man to defeat Silva back in 2006 at Rumble on the Rock 8. The victory came way of DQ due to an illegal up kick delivered by Anderson Silva.

 Dana White's thoughts on Nate Marquardt after his Main Event loss? "He's a choker." Source : MMAJunkie

• Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner

 Siver defeats Winner via rear naked choke. (3:37, Round 1) *Submission of the Night ($60,000)

• Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta

Sadollah defeats Sobotta via UD (30-27 x 3) Sadollah broke the UFC record for leg kicks in a fight landing 46 according to FightMetric .

• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic

 Soszynski defeats Reljic via UD (30-27 x 3)

• Duane Ludwig vs. Nick Osipczak 

 Ludwig defeats Osipczak via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

 Alessio Sakara vs. Jorge Rivera was canceled due to an Sakara being unable to fight due to an illness.

WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki Results

photo via: MMAWeekly/Scott Peterson


Main Card:

• Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki



 Just in case you missed it Thursday night here is the Main Event in a nutshell. Urijah Faber strolls down the aisle pumping the Dre & Pac, waves hello to his mom then proceeds to choke a dude beyond past unconsciousness. All while on Live T.V.. Faber defeats Mizugaki via Rear Naked Choke (4:50, Round 1) *Submission of the Night

• Chad Mendes vs. Javier Vazquez 

 Mendes defeats Vazquez via UD (30-27 x 3)

• Erik Koch vs. Francisco Rivera

 Koch defeats Rivera via TKO (1:36, Round 1) * KO of the Night

•  Joseph Benavidez vs. Wagnney Fabiano

 Benavidez was relentless in this one eventually submitting Fabiano on his third or so attempt via guillotine (2:45, Round 2)

• Damacio Page vs. Demetrious Johnson 

 Johnson defeats Page via guillotine (2:27, Round 3)

UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami Quick Pick EM

 The UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami card goes down today in Oberhausen, Germany, and airs via same day tape delay at 9 PM EST on Spike tonight in the states. That means watch out for the ESPN sports ticker or Twitter if you do not want to be spoiled.

 I'm up against it here, ye ole 9-5 awaits, so here are my super quick picks.

Main Card:

• Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami (Middleweight #1 Contender Bout)

 Neither of these guys can beat Chael Sonnen but they can beat just about everybody else in the Middleweight division. With Chael on the shelf for a year due to juicing it looks like Nate Marquardt regains Number #1 status at 185. This gives the High Altitude fighter his first shot at he title in 3 years against the winner of Silva vs. Belfort in February. Marquardt by TKO.

• Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara


 When in Rome. Wait that doesn't make any sense. Both fighters are riding high coming in on 3 fight win streaks earning themselves Co- Main Event status on a big card. Expect big things from the veteran Alessio in 2011. Sakara by KO

• Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner

 The German takes with home octagon advantage. Siver by decision.

• Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta


 Sadollah sends Sobotta packing with his 3rd straight loss under the bright lights. Sadollah by submission.

• Krzystof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic


 They usually keep Soszynski in some sort of experimental chamber in Poland leading up to his fights so expect an even newer, fresher version of *The Polish Experiment* at UFC 122. Soszynski by Vulgar Display of Polish Power.

WEC 52: 8-3
2010: 75-40

Prelim picks after the break

WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki Pick EM

 Tonight's WEC event in Las Vegas, Nevada marks the first of three Zuffa Fight Cards in 10 days. With only 2 WEC events left, some interesting story lines are sure to develop. All eyes tonight will be on Urijah Faber who makes his debut at 135 tonight against Bantamweight Contender Takeya Mizugaki.


 Now to the Pick EM portion of this broadcast. Coming off another 7-4 showing at UFC 121 our 2010 YTD Record now stands at 67-37. With 3 events that boast 33 fights in 10 days its comforting knowing that I can go 3-30 and still be at .500 for the year. Of course if that happens I promise I'll retire. Honestly my showing this year for the WEC has been less than stellar. Passing this one up though would be a cheap move, there are only 2 events left! Plus yesterday was the wrong day to sign up for Bodog with the banks being closed for Veterans day today. I need some action on this card! I guess picking for fun will have to do. Here we go!

Main Card ( Televised Live on Versus 9PM EST.)

• Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki


 This is a must win for WEC Poster boy, Kenny *Fucking* Powers workout buddy, & frequent Jim Rome guest Urijah Faber. With 4 fights in the WEC all going the distance, Faber needs to find a way to finish Mizugaki and cement himself as the Number 1 contender for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. On the flip a side an upset by Mizugaki would give him a second chance at the Bantamweight strap after having list in his WEC debut against former champion Brian Bowles back at WEC 40 in April of 09.

 Coming off one of the most impressive leg fuckerys dealt to Faber via one Jose Aldo, Urijah is hungry and has something to prove. I have him finishing Mizugaki in this one on his way to a Bantamweight title that he should hold for quite some time as long as Jose Aldo doesn't decide to drop 10 pounds. Faber via TKO.

• Chad Mendes vs. Javier Vazquez

 This Mendes cat can wrastle.I don't see how he doesn't overpower Vazquez and win this one on the mat. This will be the fight that showcases Mendes wrestling prowess and puts him into the title talk at 145. Mendes by UD.


• Eric Koch vs. Francisco Rivera


 Rivera came in as a replacement for John Grispi since UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo needed a worthy opponent for New Years Day. With Hominick out with a hand injury Grispi was the only guy who made sense. Now Koch gets to fight a dude that I'm gonna be honest with you, I have never heard of. He's undefeated at 5-0 making his WEC debut tonight against Koch who's one loss comes via Chad Mendes. I'll take Rivera via KO because he looks like a dude who doesn't give a fuck.

• Joseph Benavidez vs. Wagnney Fabiano

 This is the one I'm looking forward too . Both of these guys are a threat on the feet and the ground making this one a very very intriguing bout. I see Fabiano trying to take this one to the ground with Benavidez using his take down defense and *freakish for a little guy* bad ass mutha fucka power strikes to pull out the win. Benavidez via TKO. Team Alpha Male 3-0 sweep!

• Damacio Page vs. Demetrious Johnson


 We have not seen Page in 13 months due to injuries that have plagued the fighter throughout the past year. I expect to see Page come out guns blazing in this one, taking out the undersized Johnson. Plus I really don't feel comfortable picking against someone nicknamed *The Angel of Death*. Page via submission.

WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki Weigh In Highlights

Via: Heavy.com

HOV-MMA Bantamweight Ranks

1. Dominick Cruz (16-1) WEC

 Will defend his WEC Bantamweight Title against Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53 on December 16th. The Winner of this fight should get the winner of Faber vs. Mizugaki for his first UFC Bantamweight Title Defense.

2. Joseph Benavidez (12-2) WEC

 His only 2 career losses come at the hands of Dominick Cruz via Decision. Perfect candidate for a Flyweight division in the UFC. Benavidez fights Wagnney Fabiano tomorrow night in Vegas.

3. Scott Jorgensen (11-3) WEC

 One of the most exciting fights in the sport gets his title shot against Cruz at WEC's last event in Glendale, AZ.

4. Brian Bowles (8-1) WEC

 Bowles was forced off of theWEC 52 fight card with an injury. He should make his UFC debut early in 2011.

5. Miguel Torres (38-3) WEC

 Miguel Torres will make his UFC debut against Antonio Banuelos at UFC 126 in February .

6. Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2) WEC

 Mizugaki headlines WEC 52 against Urijah Faber tomorrow night. Taking out his opponent, who is making his Bantamweight debut, would be a huge win for Mizugaki.

7. Wagnney Fabiano (14-2) WEC

 Fabinao takes on Benavidez at WEC 52 tomorrow night.

8. Masakatsu Ueda (11-1-2) Shooto

 The Shooto champ hasn't fought since May. It's uncertain who he will face next.

9. Masakazu Imanari (21-7-2) DEEP

 The DEEP Bantamweight Champion currently holds a 5 fight win streak. His last loss came in a Featherweight bout against Bibiano Fernandes.

10. Brad Pickett (19-5) WEC

 I know its hard to say a fighter looked impressive in defeat. The judges unanimous decision ruling in favor of Scott Jorgensen over Brad Pickett at WEC 50 really didn't do the English fighter much justice. Pickett will take on Ivan Menjivar at WEC 53.

Zombie Killers to face off at Fort Hood

 The Featherweights responsible for a couple of Zombie Killings at WEC 51 will meet at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 in Kiilleen, Texas on January 22nd, 2011.

 



 The match up is tentative according to MMAJunkie because of Hominick's injured hand, a lingering injury that may have cost him a title shot against Jose Aldo at UFC 125.

 Here is a look at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 (also knows as UFC Fight Night 23).

• Kenny Florian vs. Evan Dunham


• Melvin Guillard vs. Yves Edwards


• Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague


• Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran


• Waylon Lowe vs. Willamy Freire


• Rani Yahya vs. Chan Sung Jung


• DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Guymon


• Charlie Brenneman vs. Amilcar Alves


• Mike Swick vs. David Mitchell


• Mark Hominick vs. George Roop

TUF S12:E9

photo: BloodyElbow.com

Tonight: Brookins vs. Sako
              McKenzie vs. Phan

• Team GSP goes tactical

• Sako wants to avoid giving Brookins his back.



• Fight 1: Round 1: Rear naked choke anyone? Brookins submits Sako via Rear naked in the 1st Round. Thats 2 in a row now for Brookins.

• Phan works hard on guillotine defense. Let's see if Team Koscheck can finally avoid the deadly submissions of Team GSP.

• Fight 2: Round 1: McKenzie dominates the first 3+ minutes of Round 1 against Phan. To Phan's credit he does a great job with his takedown defense.Cody looks exhausted as the end of the round nears, Nam lands some pretty solid shots.

• Round 2: Nam finds his rhythm as the Round goes on. Nam knocks Cody down with a body punch. Cody cannot continue. Koscheck loves it. Nam Phan wins via TKO (strikes)

Next episode: Kyle Watson vs. Aaron Wilkinson. Michael Johnson vs. Bruce Leeroy. Dana announces the Semi Final matchups.

EllisMania 6 Results

Robot Fight pic & Results via BestofEllis .

Fight videos should be posted soon at EllisMania

• Musical Chairs fight Winner: Rocky Balboa

• Hot Chick Fight: Erika Ashley vs. Ashley Speilman

 Erika Ashley wins . Speilman forfeits after Round 1. Turns out she was worried about her nose.

• Robot Fight: Team Cock vs. Team Vagina 2000

 Team Vagina 2000 comes away victorious in the First Round.

• Jason Ellis vs. We Outspoken

Ellismate knocks out 3 of the 4 band members in the 1st Round. Completes the job by finishing off the final member  in the 2nd Round

• Don Frye Fight: Steve Linterman vs. Brian Jonker

 The fight ends up in a draw. Apparently what on paper looked like a great idea turned out to be a shite fight.

• Four Way Shock Collar Fight: Jason Ellis, Kit Cope, Kevin Stuard & Jeff Honaker.

 Stuard and Honaker gassed out . Cope ended up catching Ellis and choking him out in dramatic fashion.

• Ronnie Faist vs. Donald Schultz

 Ronnie Faist wins via TKO, 3rd Round.

Mayhem vs Ellis, RawDog vs. Angel results after the break.

Updated EllisMania 6: November Pain Card

bestofellis.com

@EllisMate

TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale

 Main Card: 

• Finalist #1 vs. Finalist #2

• Stephan Bonnar (12-7) vs. Igor Pokrajac (22-7)

• Demian Maia (13-2) vs. Kendall Grove (12-7)

• Johny Hendricks (9-0) vs. Rick Story (11-3)









Prelim Card:

• Rich Attonito (9-3) vs. Dave Branch  (7-1)

• Leonard Garcia (14-6-1) vs. Tyler Toner (10-2)*

• Pablo Garza (9-1) vs. Fredson Paixao (10-3)**



* not yet official from ufc.com/both of these fights mark the first ever Featherweight bouts under the UFC banner. (*MMAWeekly/**MMAMania

TUF S12:E8

photo: BloodyElbow

• Team Koscheck's Marc Stevens & Aaron Wilkinson will face off in the Wild Card bout.

• Bruce Leeroy doesn't want to train because his back hurts.


• Koscheck continues his cute little fued with Team GSP Male Nurse Brad Tate.

• Tate does his best impression of  Koscheck taking a phantom illegal knee (earlier in the year vs. Daley in Montreal), Kos throws back a GSP vaseline quip, and its on!

• Team GSP's Alex & Michael agree on paper to fight each other when the teams even out next round.

• Aaron receives news that his Nana has passed.

• Very quiet fight without GSP or Kos involved in the coaching process. All I hear is Nam Phan giving Aaron instructions.

• Aaron Wilkinson defeats Marc Stevens via guillotine Round 2. Stevens won Round 1 easy, claims he could not feel his legs going into round 2. Stevens admits he needs to work on his guillotine defense ( he was tapped out by Cody McKenzie by the same choke 17 seconds into his 2nd fight). Dana points out how brutal Nam Phan was as a corner man.

• Quarterfinal Announcement:

• Jonathan Brookins (Team GSP) vs. Sako Chivtchian (Team Koscheck)

• Cody McKenzie (Team GSP) vs. Nam Phan (Team Koscheck)

• Kyle Watson (Team GSP) vs. Aaron Wilkinson (Team Koscheck)

• Michael Johnson (Team GSP) vs. Alex Caceres (Team GSP)

• The first two Quarter bouts will take place on next weeks episode.

New Years Resolution Fight Card Update

Main Card:

• Lightweight Championship: Frankie Edgar (13-1) (C) vs. Gray Maynard (10-0)

• Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo (C) (18-1)  vs. John Grispi (14-1)

• Clay Guida (27-11) vs. Takanori Gomi (32-6)

• Nate Diaz (13-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (13-0-1)

• Chris Leben (25-6) vs. Brian Stann (9-3)

Prelim Card:

• Brandon Vera (11-5) vs. Thiago Silva (14-2)

• Jacob Volkmann (11-2) vs. Antonio McKee (25-3-2)

• Phil Baroni (13-12) vs. Brad Tavares (5-0) *

• Matt Wiman (12-5) vs. Cole Miller (17-4) *

UFC 125: Resolution
* -  MMAJunkie reports these fights as in the works

Updated HOV-MMA Rankings

 Here is our November Rankings Update for the Light Heavyweight thru Featherweight classes (Heavyweights were featured at the end of October). The Debut of the Bantams/Male Pound for Pound/Female Pound for Pound Ranks will be featured on the front page tomorrow, or can be found along with all HOV-MMA Ranks right now on our Rankings Page.

Light Heavyweight:

1. Shogun Rua (19-4) UFC (1)
2. Lyoto Machida (16-1) UFC (2)
3. Rashad Evans (15-1-1) UFC (3)
4. Quinton Jackson (30-8) UFC (4)
5. Forrest Griffin (17-6) UFC (5)
6. Rafael Cavalcante (10-2) Strikeforce (↑7)
7. Ryan Bader (12-0) UFC (↑NR)
8. Gegard Mousasi (30-3-1) Strikeforce/DREAM (↑9)
9. Jon Jones (11-1) UFC (↓8)
10. Randy Couture (19-10)UFC (10)

Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva (27-4) UFC (1)
2. Chael Sonnen (24-11-1) UFC (2)
3. Nate Marquardt (30-9-2) UFC (↑4)
4. Jake Shields (26-4-1) UFC (↓3)
5. Ronaldo Souza (13-2) Strikeforce (↑6)
6. Yushin Okami (25-5) UFC (↑7)
7. Demian Maia (13-2) UFC (↓5)
8. Dan Henderson (25-8) Strikeforce (8)
9. Chris Leben (21-6) UFC (9)
10. Vitor Belfort (19-8) UFC (10)

Welterweight:


1. Georges St. Pierre (20-2) UFC (1)
2. Jon Fitch (23-3) UFC (2)
3. Josh Koscheck (15-4) UFC (3)
4. Nick Diaz (22-7) Strikeforce (4)
5. Jake Shields (26-4-1) UFC (↑NR)
6. Carlos Condit (26-5) UFC (↑9)
7. Thiago Alves (17-7) UFC (↑NR)
8. Matt Hughes (45-7) UFC (↓6)
9. Dan Hardy (23-8) UFC (↓5)
10. Martin Kampmann (17-4) UFC (↓8)

Lightweight:

1. Frankie Edgar (13-1) UFC (1)
2. Gray Maynard (10-0) UFC (2)
3. Gilbert Melendez (18-2) Strikeforce (3)
4. Shinya Aoki (26-5) DREAM (↑5)
5. B.J. Penn (15-7-1) UFC (↓4)
6. Eddie Alvarez (21-2) Bellator (6)
7. Ben Henderson (12-1) WEC (↑8)
8. Kenny Florian (14-5) UFC (↑9)
9. Sean Sherk (34-4-1) UFC (↑NR)
10. Evan Dunham (11-1) UFC (10)

Featherweight:

1. Jose Aldo (18-1) UFC (1)
2. Mike Brown (24-6) WEC (2)
3. Urijah Faber (23-4) WEC (3)
4. Manny Gamburyan (11-5) WEC (4)
5. Michihiro Omigawa (12-8-1) DREAM (5)
6. Marlon Sandro (17-1) Sengoku (6)
7. John Grispi (14-1) UFC (7)
8. Bibiano Fernandes (8-2) DREAM (8)
9. Joe Warren (6-1) Bellator (9)
10. Hatsu Hioki (22-4-2) Sengoku/Shooto (10)