Let’s be clear here up front: I understand why Dana White and Zuffa would support legal action like SOPA & PIPA, and were I in their place I’d be concerned about piracy too. They have a company whose foundation is built upon their customers paying to see events live, so anything that undermines that business is clearly going to have an impact on profits.

That being said, SOPA is not the way to stop piracy. In fact I’d be very surprised if our government was able to introduce any kind of legislation that effectively stamps out piracy in all its forms. Fighting a war on piracy is similar to fighting wars on drugs and terrorism; they may be noble causes but ultimately they will prove to be futile. Religious and social divides will always cause cultures to hate each other, some people will always look for a way to alter their consciousness, and there will always be people on the internet with more free time than money.

Another thing that won’t help fight piracy is angering the hacker community. After taunting hackers on Thursday,the UFC President  had his site hacked again in addition to having his personal information compromised. I have no desire to know what Dana’s social security number is, but the fact that it’s now available for viewing on the internet should be a clear sign that mistakes have been made. Maybe Dana can shrug off this invasion of privacy and claim it’s no big deal. After all, he can change his phone numbers, hire private security for his home, and pursue legal action against anyone taking advantage of his personal information. His customers, however, may not be so lucky.

On Friday another member of the hacker group Anonymous (the very group White provoked on Twitter on Thursday) announced that he had hacked both UFC.com as well as the company’s live streaming site UFC.tv. This hacker also claims to have retrieved data from customer’s who have used UFC.tv to purchase PPVs. Anonymous made headlines this past Christmas when they used stolen credit card data to make donations to charity, and they have vowed to release the data acquired from the UFC if Dana provokes them again.

I know Dana has taken a carefree attitude towards this hacking situation, and at the start he wasn’t really out of line to do so. The initial attack just took down UFC.com for a few hours, which is roughly equivalent to taking down some advertisements. Had he left it at that things may not have gone any further.

By provoking the hackers (and specifically Anonymous) and equating their actions to terrorism, Dana brought unnecessary grief upon himself, his family, and his business. Anonymous doesn’t deal in the business of pirating PPVs, they are hackers acting as social activists. Whether or not you agree with their methods and their message is up to you, but there’s no reason to invite action from them against you and your business, particularly when your website is storing credit card information from your customers. It’s also worth noting that Anonymous is (by their very nature) a decentralized organization, with no control over their individual members’ actions. There’s been no action yet with any stolen information (at least that we know of) but this entire chain of events could lead to serious ramifications for the UFC and their online businesses. They have essentially broken the trust necessary in a capitalist society, wherein the consumer willingly supplies his financial information to a corporation with the implied understanding that it will be used in a responsible manner and not abused in any way. Obviously the UFC will be working with law enforcement agencies to find those responsible for this intrusion, but by inviting the attacks White may have implicated himself in any civil action that takes place in the future. It’s certainly too early to know exactly what will happen as a result of these hacks, but for now we can’t rule out the worst scenarios coming to pass.

So if the UFC and White are unable to completely stamp out piracy and stop the actions of hackers, what’s the solution?

One way to solve the problem is to give people a reason to buy your product online. Those who watch pirated streams are obviously willing to sit in front of their computer to watch a UFC event, so Dana White and Zuffa should be working to convert those people into paying customers. The easiest way to do this is to make PPVs less expensive. It seems like such an easy thing to do coming from somebody like me (you know, a consumer) but it really does make sense.

Whenever the price of his product is brought up, Dana dismisses the issue by stating that people can buy the program in groups, go to their local bar or restaurant, or if all else fails, just don’t watch it. What about those UFC fans like myself who usually watch the events alone? Not everyone has friends that watch the UFC and would be willing to pitch in for buying a PPV every single month. What about people under the age of 21, or those members of society who don’t drink? It’s hard to justify spending $45-55 for something that’s just for me, especially when that money could be used for food or clothing for my family. Dana would say that that’s too bad and I’ll just have to deal with not watching the UFC events, but is that any way to grow your business?

If the UFC really wants to get more people to purchase their streams online (especially in the wake of a possible violation on consumers’ private information), lower the price for the streaming version of the event. Since the UFC doesn’t have to share that $45 or $55 with cable and satellite providers for their online stream, perhaps they could pass some of those savings on to their consumer. Cut the price for a streaming event to $25 or $30 and I can practically guarantee that you’ll have a lot more people buying a reliable, quality stream over a sketchy pirated one.

This doesn’t have to be a permanent price change either; they could offer it on some of their events and reserve the higher price point for bigger cards. Flexible pricing is one idea that could be implemented for the streams as well as the regular PPV broadcast, and it allows the UFC to be more aggressive with cards that lack a blockbuster main event. As the sport’s biggest stars start heading towards the end of their career (and some are already there, see Lesnar, Brock and Liddell, Chuck) the UFC is going to be putting more and more fresh faces at the top of their cards, and having a lower price point for shows not anchored by proven draws allows these events to be seen by more people; which in turn gives these newer fighters a better chance to gain fans.

Let’s also consider the first time buyer. The whole point of getting their product on broadcast television with Fox is to create new fans who will in turn purchase the PPVs, right? If you had your first MMA experience this past Saturday night would you want to put down $45-55 to watch this weekend’s event? Make the first PPV after a Fox show lower priced and you’ll assure yourself a better chance of hooking those new fans.

The UFC will never be able to wipe out piracy completely. As their own employee Joe Rogan likes to state, “you can’t stop the internet.” Provide a product that’s both affordable as well as attractive, and back it up with great customer service, and you’ll please the customers you have while adding new ones all the time. It’s worked wonders for online businesses like Amazon.com, iTunes, and Steam, and there’s no reason why it can’t work for the UFC as well. They can continue their anti-piracy efforts by working with law enforcement to take down sites illegally streaming their shows, but at the same time they can be proactive and offer a more appealing product that people want to pay for.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

With all this major news there have been plenty of stories that have seemingly fallen through the cracks. One story that has played out over the course of 2011 has been the changing of the guard in the UFC’s welterweight division, as former contenders have continued to fall to up-and-coming fighters throughout the year. Georges St. Pierre continues to hold the championship, but this year has seen him unable to answer the challenge of two new contenders.

GSP had another successful title defense at UFC 129 in April, but it was yet another lackluster decision win in a string of five-round affairs from the champ. Sure he’s still the best fighter in the division, but “Captain Canada” has failed to provide much in the way of sizzle for the UFC’s fickle fans.

The problem may be one of motivation. In the lead-up to his UFC 129 bout with Jake Shields it seemed as though St. Pierre was going through the motions. GSP constantly made reference to Shields being “the most dangerous opponent he’s ever faced,” which might have more weight if he hadn’t already applied the same label to Dan Hardy not that long ago. As with his previous title defense against Josh Koscheck, St. Pierre kept his opponent at bay with a solid jab and constant footwork. There was little challenge to be had, just as there has been little-to-no challenge in so many of his previous title defenses.

It looked like Nick Diaz might be able to provide a tougher test for GSP, but a lack of proper behavior from Diaz left these questions unanswered. There was also the sudden insertion of Carlos Condit into the contender position, but an injury in training took St. Pierre out of the fight. After a vicious beat down on B.J. Penn, some trash-talking from Diaz, and another injury to St. Pierre, we’re now left with an interim UFC Welterweight Championship fight between the last Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and the last WEC Welterweight Champion.

St. Pierre isn’t the only fighter at 170 pounds that’s had trouble in 2011, as several of the men who have faced him saw their careers spiral downwards in the last twelve months. Hardy went 0-2 in 2011 to extend his losing streak to four. Thiago Alves was battered for three rounds by Rick Story, and Shields got flattened in under a minute by Jake Ellenberger. Of course this string of top 10 fighters losing to newer competitors was capped off on Friday with Jon Fitch, the consensus #2 welterweight fighter in the world, losing in twelve seconds to Johny Hendricks.

On top of that we have former arch-rivals to St. Pierre (and one another) Matt Serra and Matt Hughes seemingly coming to the end of their careers. Serra sat out this last year while Hughes came up short against Koscheck before asking the UFC to “put him on the shelf.” Let’s not forget another former rival of GSP, the two-time two-division UFC champ Penn, who also announced an indefinite vacation from the sport following his loss to Diaz.

The times, they are a-changin’ in the UFC’s welterweight division. Diaz and Condit are scheduled for what should be a spectacular fight to crown an interim champ while St. Pierre rests and recuperates. Hendricks has made a pretty good case for himself as the next challenger for the belt, whether it be against the Diaz/Condit winner or the eventual undisputed champion once St. Pierre returns. Ellenberger also has a pretty legitimate claim for a title shot if he can get past Diego Sanchez in February. St. Pierre will have a new challenger to face whenever he returns, but if this past year is any indication it looks like the new blood is taking over.

Can GSP retain his dominance against newer and younger fighters?

Stay tuned to find out.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Even with all that being said, I think Lyoto Machida will beat Jones on December 10 in Toronto.

I may be wrong, as I’ve certainly been wrong about Machida before. Jones has appeared virtually unstoppable since arriving in the UFC, but of course the same was said about Machida during his run up to the title. MMAth certainly doesn’t help me, since Machida lost to Shogun and Jones beat Shogun with ease. Machida’s mystique has already been cracked yet Jones appears to be Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America every time he’s in the cage.

So why do I think “The Dragon” will dethrone “Bones” Jones?

The first reason is a matter of timing. Jones is a warrior and one of the best embodiments of a pure athlete, but he is also human. When Jones meets Machida in the center of the octagon in December it will be his fourth fight in a little over ten months. Add in to that the fact that he’s been training essentially nonstop between those fights and fatigue is a very real possibility.

Let’s not forget that those three fights he’s already had have been against some of the best fighters in the UFC. All three men were top ten fighters when Jones faced them, and you could make the case that the biggest challenge is yet to come. Machida may not be the invincible warrior he was a few years ago but he’s still one of the most unique fighters in the sport of MMA. I know Greg Jackson has a world-class facility in New Mexico but I doubt he has any guys on his team that are masters of Shotokan karate.

If this fight stays on the feet I have to believe that the edge goes to Machida. He’s still extremely hard to hit, although he’s obviously never faced anyone with the reach of Jones. If the two do engage any back-and-forth exchanges it’s probably going to be Jones that takes the most punishment. Let’s also not forget that Jones has yet to show any true knockout power since joining the UFC, and at the same time we don’t know how well his chin will hold up if it’s hit repeatedly over the course of a potential five rounds. If you don’t think Machida can knock Jones out, I’ve got a UFC Hall of Fame member’s tooth that I’d love to sell you.

It’s also important to note that this is Jones’ first time facing a southpaw. Jones is still learning how to be an effective striker, as his genetic gifts have been able to cover up a lot of the holes in his boxing. If there’s a single fighter at light heavyweight who is great at finding those holes and exploiting them, it’s Machida.

The easy solution may be for Jones to turn this into a ground battle, and it’s this area where he will likely win the fight if he is indeed victorious. Jones has some of the best ground and pound of any fighter in the modern era of the sport, and Machida will likely be in trouble if he’s put on his back.

That being said, I’m not sure if Jones can get the fight there. Jones brings those amazing throws and trips that work so well, but Machida’s balance is simply uncanny. He’s got plenty of experience in wrestling and sumo and has proven several times over that his takedown defense is top notch. If Jones decides to clinch with Machida he could be making a big mistake given how well Machida utilized the clinch in his destruction of Thiago Silva.

Again, Jones is a genetic freak so if anybody can put Machida on his back it’s probably the champ. We can’t forget that Machida is a black belt in BJJ even though we rarely see his ground game in effect during his fights. Jones’ reach advantage could work against him should the two fighters spend any real time on the ground, as those long limbs give Machida even more to grab a hold of before attempting any limb-based submissions.

Let’s review. Jones is facing (arguably) the toughest opponent of his career, on shorter notice than usual, at the tail end of a four-fight blitz through the upper levels of the division. Jones will have to figure out how to defeat the fighter that is like no other, who has very real knockout power, and who will probably test his chin like it’s never been tested before. If Jones wants to take Machida down he will likely have a very hard time doing so, and even if he gets the fight there he’s dealing with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

It’s so hard to try and accurately predict what will happen in the cage when these two meet in eight weeks. This is the fight I wanted to see from the moment Jones won the strap, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Seeing as we’re still two months out I reserve the right to change my mind, but for now I like Machida’s chances to hand Jones the first legitimate loss on the young champion’s record.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

One would think that he’s proven this already. If you ask any fan who the best fighter ever to compete at 155 pounds is, they’ll probably tell you B.J. Penn. Of course, Frankie beat him twice. He’s also beaten a number of guys that have been considered amongst the best lightweights in the world, and on Saturday night he avenged the only loss he’s ever had in the sport.

On top of his recorded accomplishments he’s also showcased an ever-evolving understanding of the sport, as well as a true warrior spirit. His boxing has become second-to-none, and his wrestling still holds up against the strongest guys in the division. He also happens to have an iron will and an unbreakable spirit, as he once again came back from the brink of defeat to keep victory just out of Gray Maynard’s reach.

So why does everyone still insist that he should fight at featherweight?

Don’t get me wrong, I get it. Frankie would undoubtedly run game on a whole host of guys at 145 lbs. I wouldn’t want to pick a winner between him and Jose Aldo but I would love to see it someday. If and/or when he does lose the UFC Lightweight Championship he may want to consider dropping down in weight, but that’s his decision to make at the time he feels like making it.

Frankie would make a great featherweight, but you know what? Roy Nelson would make a great light heavyweight if he decided to start dieting. Thiago Alves would make a great lightweight if he stopped lifting weights so much. Stefan Struve would make…actually I suppose he’s kind of stuck where he is, so nevermind that one.

My point is this: I’m sick of people who aren’t fighters telling fighters what weight class they should be at. As Joe Rogan pointed out during commentary on Saturday, Frankie feels that his smaller size gives him an advantage. He’s quicker than most lightweights, and his conditioning has been simply outstanding in each of his five-round fights. If I was a fighter I would probably hate cutting weight too, so what’s wrong with Frankie being one of the few guys that doesn’t have to do it?

The results should speak for themselves. Edgar is making a strong argument for the distinction of being the best lightweight in the sport’s relatively-brief history. Let him make his case and stop trying to tell him he’s too small, because he will just keep proving you wrong.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The UFC and Spike TV have had a great relationship for a number of years, one where both parties have benefited tremendously from the other’s involvement. Spike was still struggling to establish it’s identity and it’s place in the cable landscape when they took a chance on a reality show featuring the UFC. At the same time the UFC was putting on great fights, but they needed help expanding their audience.

There have already been plenty of words written about how much of a game-changer The Ultimate Fighter was when it premiered. It allowed Spike to fully establish it’s own identity, as here was something unlike all of their other original programming. Of course the UFC found plenty of new fans thanks to the fighting styles of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. I can’t even really fully imagine where this sport would be had it not been for “TUF.” That’s how much of an impact it had.

Now this relationship that worked out so well in the past is coming to a close. The UFC is taking their fights, their fighters, and their “Ultimate Fighter” and getting in bed with FOX. There’s no time for foreplay either, as the company has chosen to put a heavyweight title fight live on broadcast television on November 12th when Cain Velasquez defends his belt for the first time against Junior Dos Santos.

That very same night Spike will run a marathon of UFC Unleashed featuring the two men fighting for the belt that same night. They can do that because Spike retains control of the UFC’s broadcast library throughout 2012. They are even going so far as to name this marathon “Velasquez vs. Dos Santos: Unleashed for the Heavyweight Title,” a name that was expertly crafted by the think-tank at Spike to be as confusing as possible for the casual fan.

I know it seems kind of silly to think that anyone would confuse a marathon of old fights with an actual live title fight, much less a title fight that’s taking place on a broadcast television. Yet the fact is that not everybody is as smart and handsome as you, dear reader. There are plenty of casual UFC fans who have no idea that the company is parting ways with Spike next year. If these same people aren’t big fans of football or Glee then they might not know about the big title fight in November.

Regardless of the counter-programming efforts of Spike executives, I think it’s safe to say that the UFC’s premiere event on Fox will do pretty well for itself. Let’s not forget though that Spike still has old UFC fights for an entire year. Once their current deal expires I expect Spike will take the gloves off completely, and begin airing more UFC marathons at the same time as PPV events. That’s when the UFC starts to run into some danger.

Consider this – A UFC PPV event is this Saturday (it’s not, but play along here) and the main event is a somewhat mediocre non-title fight. That same evening Spike airs a marathon of old Fight Nights or Unleashed episodes. Given the choice between new fights that may or may not be good and classic fights you know are good, is your wallet going to let you pick the new fights every time? If Spike decides to show a few older Fight Nights or TUF Finales that you haven’t seen in a while, would that entice you to tune in?

Time can only tell how the bitter battle between the UFC and Spike will play out over the next year. Of course, there is a way for the UFC to get out of this situation: they would simply need to buy back the rights to their own library from Spike. The only reason they aren’t doing it is because that then opens up Spike to start airing events from Bellator, who have become the nations de facto #2 MMA promotion since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce. Spike clearly wants Bellator on their network, as otherwise the fact that they’re streaming Bellator pre-lims on their website makes no sense at all. Spike and MTV2 are owned by Viacom so it would be an easy move to slide those events from one channel to the next.

The question then becomes this: does the UFC stand to lose more viewers from showings of their old fights, or are they in greater danger from Bellator coming to Spike? Considering the fact that everything Dana White has done for the past ten years has been in service of growing the UFC brand, I’d say it’s the former.

Bellator probably won’t see that big of a Spike for their ratings if they shift from one network to the next (save for the fact that Spike is available in more homes than MTV2). At the same time the fact that Spike has free reign to counter-program whatever the UFC does for a whole year has to be considered a problem heading into what could potentially be the biggest year in history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

If I was one of the owners of the UFC, I’d be living a wildly different lifestyle. But also I would be telling anyone who would listen that we need to buy back those rights from Spike. It doesn’t matter if they’re not ‘honoring the spirit of the deal;’ cut them a check and cut those ties for good. We need to move forward, and we can’t do that if some cable station is running old Brock Lesnar fights in between episodes of Manswers and reruns of CSI.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this is (obviously) a work of parody. Nobody whose name or picture appears here has anything whatsoever to do with this article. All terrible attempts at humor are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

Here’s a woman who won her opportunity to compete for a title almost a year ago, only to have it given to someone else after she was sidelined with an injury. After nearly a year away from the cage Miesha returned and gave an outstanding performance to win the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship. There can be little doubt that this will be one of the greatest moments of her mixed martial arts career.

Will any of it matter in a year’s time? Will there still be a women’s division in Strikeforce next summer? Will there still be a Strikeforce next summer?

We don’t know much about the deal that Zuffa made to acquire Strikeforce this past March, but we do know that part of the deal includes finishing out the myriad of contracts Scott Coker and Co. had signed over the years. Hence the now hilariously ironic phrase “business as usual,” repeated over and over during Dana White’s announcement of the sale. The idea he was pushing was that Strikeforce would continue to operate as a separate unit while the UFC did their own thing. Zuffa would own the two top MMA organizations in the world and pretend that they had no control over Strikeforce.

The problem is that everybody knows how this story ends. Strikeforce as an MMA organization is living on borrowed time. They have contracts with broadcasters and fighters and those contracts need to be honored, but once that business is done it would be foolish for anyone to believe the Strikeforce will live on as a separate brand in this sport. Every other MMA promotion that has been purchased by Zuffa has ceased to exist sooner or later.

The end is nigh, but nobody wants to look at the crazy guy on the street holding the sign. The promoters, the fighters, the fans and the media want to continue acting as though Strikeforce is a real promotion with a real future. Why?

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion took three years to defend his belt only to eventually be released by the organization over the weekend. Their lightweight champion recently spent a year on the sidelines waiting for the company to line up a challenger (and he has no current fight scheduled). They also left their other women’s champion on the sidelines due to a lack of challengers, then spent no time or effort towards building new opponents for her. Their middleweight belt has been abandoned almost as many times as it’s been defended.

The championships of Strikeforce already had little value beyond the metal and leather they were made of before the Zuffa purchase, and unfortunately that value has all but evaporated now that the more prestigious UFC titles are just an arm’s length away.

This leads us to former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. He had eliminated all challengers within the Strikeforce welterweight division, and at the same time he was hungry for bigger fights with better paydays. He started running some reports that he was going to try his hand at boxing, but this was merely leverage to get what he really wanted: a shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre.

Diaz does have the valid point of having no big money fights left in Strikeforce, but now that one champion has jumped ship to the UFC how long can it be before other title holders start to want the same kind of treatment?

It’s not just champions either. Former Strikeforce poster boy and current B-movie star Cung Le has publicly stated that he will not be coming back to Strikeforce, and if he does make a return to MMA it will only be for the UFC. Jason “Mayhem” Miller was snatched up by the UFC shortly after the sale and will soon be seen as one of the head coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. Several other contracted Strikeforce fighters have taken to calling out guys under the UFC banner.

It’s clear that most of the fighters are ready to move on to the brighter lights and bigger paydays of the UFC, but there can be little done in the face of those aforementioned pre-existing contracts. Strikeforce is obligated to deliver so many events for Showtime, fighters are guaranteed so many fights, and of course certain fighters have their special allowances written in. Diaz had a clause that allowed him to box, and without it who knows if he would have gotten the fight with GSP?

The point I’m making here is that while Strikeforce can continue to put on entertaining events (as they did this past weekend) I will continue to watch. However I refuse to pretend that those belts Coker is wrapping around fighters’ waists have that much value beyond the shiny precious metals so carefully arranged on their surface.

I’ll leave you with this question that I posed on Twitter this past Saturday night: If Tarec Saffiedine were to be offered a shot at the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship or a pre-lim spot on a UFC PPV, which one do you think he would pick?

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this is (obviously) a work of parody. Nobody whose name or picture appears here has anything whatsoever to do with this article. All terrible attempts at humor are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

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These two have been exceptionally busy in recent weeks, as the company has been rolling out fight announcements at a blistering pace. With fights being posted faster than blog editors can post them, I decided to sit down and take a look at several upcoming UFC events to see which fights I was most excited for. These may not be the fights with the biggest stakes (even though there are three title fights on the list) but they are the ones that have the majority of my interest.

Getting a list such as this down to ten picks is pretty tough, considering the next 100 days will feature five PPV events and three cable broadcasts. Some of these cards aren’t complete, and of course there’s always the ever-looming threat of an injury killing some awesome fight, but for now these are the fights that I feel are most worth our time and attention in the coming months. If there are any particular bouts you feel I’ve overlooked then by all means feel free to call me on them in the comment box.

10. Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger (UFC Fight Night: Battle On The Bayou) – The two Jakes are at completely different points in their career, and the main event of the next (last?) Fight Night event on Spike should be an interesting stylistic match-up. Shields is obviously still trying to win over the UFC faithful after a dismal win over Martin Kampmann and a less-than-impressive (if I’m being nice) showing against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129. Ellenberger has been nothing short of impressive in each of his five octagon appearances, with his only loss coming via split decision to potential title contender Carlos Condit. If Shields can’t get this to the ground he’ll have his chin repeatedly tested against Ellenberger, but of course the balance swings considerably towards Shields if this fight goes horizontal.

9. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Forrest Griffin (UFC 134) – Both men’s careers have had ups and downs in equal share since that first meeting at UFC 76. Each man has won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, and both of them have been on the wrong end of a severe clowning in the cage. Rua is rebounding from said clowning; a vicious mauling at the hands, elbows, and feet of Jon Jones. Griffin has already erased some of the memories of his “fight” with Anderson Silva (I use quotation marks because anyone who saw it knows that only one of them was actually fighting) with decision wins over former champs Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. Griffin is picking up steam and has the advantage of holding the win from their first meeting, but Rua will have the most support of any Brazilian fighter on the UFC 134 card. I expect this one to be the most electric fight at the UFC’s return to Brazil.

8. Charles Oliveira vs. Donald Cerrone (UFC on Versus 5) – It’s almost become cliché to award “Fight of the Night” to a bout before it’s even happened, but even still I expect Dana White to save himself some trouble and make out a couple of bonus checks to these two men on the morning of August 14th. Cerrone has already gone 2-0 since coming over from the WEC, where he was a part of five FOTN winners during his tenure. Oliveira has picked up two “Submission of the Night” bonus checks during his first year in the UFC, and he looked fantastic for the majority of his most recent bout with Nik Lentz. While I don’t expect either man to come away from the fight knocking on the door to contendership, I do expect an outstanding battle in all areas of MMA from two young athletes on the rise in the lightweight division.

7. Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson (UFC on Versus 6) – I don’t care if it’s simply a move to boost ratings before they go into contract negotiations, I cannot wait for this title fight on free TV (well it’s not really free, but you know what I mean). “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is almost certainly going to light up the flyweight division if/when the UFC ever implements it, but for now he’s doing pretty well for himself at 135 lbs. anyways. I don’t know if his unmatched speed in the cage will be able to nullify the fancy footwork of the UFC Bantamweight Champion, as he was clearly at the top of his game against a tough Urijah Faber earlier this month at UFC 132. Cruz seems all but unbeatable at this point in his career but I’ll be more than happy to watch Johnson try and take the gold on October 1st.

6. BJ Penn vs. Carlos Condit (UFC 137) – The only person who’s not looking forward to this fight is Jon Fitch. Fitch may have wanted a rematch with Penn following their draw earlier this year, but he’s not ready to go and these two fighters are. Condit is within a hair of battling for the UFC Welterweight Championship and is coming off of back-to-back “Knockout of the Night” honors, but that’s an award Penn has won pretty recently too. You never know which BJ will show up on any given night, but he will need to bring his best if he’s going to stop the surging “Natural Born Killer.” Winner of this fight gets next at the champion, so there’s more at stake than just pride when the cage door closes.

5. Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz (UFC 135) – Like most MMA fans I have a special spot in my heart for the classic encounter between Takanori Gomi and Nick Diaz. As MMA fights go that one had just about everything, and even the tainted finish can’t soil my enjoyment whenever I watch it. While I don’t expect this fight between Gomi and the younger Diaz brother to be a repeat of the PRIDE 33 bout, I do think we’ve got all the makings of a new classic. Gomi isn’t the same fighter that he was during the heyday of PRIDE, but his KO of Tyson Griffin should be fresh enough in people’s minds to remind everyone that “The Fireball Kid” still packs some power. Diaz will almost certainly be willing to stand and trade with Gomi, and frankly I’ll be surprised if either fighter tries to take this one to the ground (despite Diaz’s BJJ credentials and Gomi’s long-forgotten wrestling acumen).

4. Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens (UFC 136) – Pettis may have blown his chance at UFC gold in his debut fight for the company, but we can’t throw him under the bus just yet. You haven’t forgotten about that kick, have you? On the other side of the cage we’ve got “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens, who is just as likely to hurt you whether he wins or loses the fight. Both fighters are modern day mixed-martial artists and as such they are well-versed in all aspects of the fight game. Both fighters are also proficient strikers with a number of stoppage victories on their win column. The UFC’s lightweight division is in shambles at the moment with a number of good-to-great fighters mixing it up and very few clear-cut contenders. Neither man can afford a loss in a division that’s this competitive, so you can expect a war when these two hook up.

3. Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz (UFC 137) – It’s pretty easy to hate on GSP these days given the fact that he hasn’t won via strikes or submission in over three years. Some would say that he hasn’t been challenged enough, and that’s a fair point in my eyes. The UFC has had to create challengers and storylines to make main event match-ups that can be compelling, but even then we’re still left with one-sided five round affairs that more and more fans are turning on. Fortunately we won’t have to worry about St. Pierre’s next opponent challenging him, as many expect Diaz to be St. Pierre’s most aggressive challenger to the UFC Welterweight Championship. If GSP wants to stand and trade then I’m sure Diaz will be happy to oblige him, but if St. Pierre relies on his ground skills he’ll be dealing with a BJJ black belt. I’m still not sure how I think this one will go down, and as a result this is the most excited I’ve been in a while for a St. Pierre title defense.

2. Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson (UFC on Versus 5) – I was hardly surprised when I realized that half of the fights on this list are taking place in the lightweight division. Being 155 lbs. in the UFC means being in the most competitive division in the world. For Miller this fight means that he can earn a chance to avenge one of the two losses on his record and fight for a UFC championship. For Henderson it’s a chance to prove to that he really was the best lightweight in the WEC and he deserves a spot amongst the elite in UFC as well. With all due respect to Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy, this is the most important fight on Versus next month.

1. Frank Edgar vs. Gray Maynard (UFC 136) – What a long strange trip this has been. Maynard wins the first meeting, then later on he gets passed over for a title shot in favor of Edgar. Edgar wins the belt, then beats BJ a second time just to be sure. Edgar and Maynard meet a second time and Gray comes within a second or two of winning the belt, only to have Edgar come roaring back and take the fight right to the challenger. After the draw a third meeting is scheduled, and then rescheduled. It feels like it’s taken forever, but we’ll finally be able to see the next chapter in what has become one of the all-time great UFC rivalries. If Maynard wins he’ll maintain his undefeated record and go 2-0 against one of the best lightweight fighters of all time. If Edgar wins he’ll have evened the score and avenged his only career loss, and maybe then he can finally find a new challenger for his UFC Lightweight Championship. It’s one of the most anticipated UFC title fights of the year, and it’s the fight I’m most excited for in the next 100 days.

Honorable Mentions:
Alan Belcher vs. Jason MacDonald (UFC Fight Night: Battle On The Bayou)
Anthony Johnson vs. Charlie Brenneman (UFC on Versus 6)
Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce (UFC 133)

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fights tomorrow night, and he holds the most recent win over Lyoto Machida. Machida is still the only man to defeat Rashad Evans, who hasn’t fought in a year. Evans’ last win? Of course, it was against “Rampage.” You’ve also got great fighters in the division like former champs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Forrest Griffin (who will clash for a second time at UFC 134), and Rich Franklin.

One name that doesn’t get mentioned much in the conversation for UFC light heavyweight contenders is the other half tomorrow night’s main event: Matt Hamill. He’s fought in the UFC for virtually his entire career (carrying just one pro fight into his time on The Ultimate Fighter) and his only losses were Franklin and Michael Bisping, and nobody really thinks Bisping won that fight.

Dana White has made it clear that “Rampage” will probably get the first crack at newly crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, assuming that Jackson wins tomorrow night. There’s been no mention of what Hamill’s title aspirations look like should he pull off the upset, but it seems to me that it’s an option we should look at. I know, I know. It sounds crazy to think of Hamill being the next guy to get the shot, but let’s look at the evidence.

First it should be stated that beating “Rampage” is a pretty good accomplishment in its own right. If Hamill can find a way to finish Jackson as well, that would be nothing short of jaw-dropping. His performance on Saturday is the most important factor in determining whether he’s next in line or simply “in the mix.”

The majority of names in Hamill’s win column may not be all that impressive (after all, who hasn’t beaten Tito Ortiz or Keith Jardine these days?) but there is one name that stands out: Jon Jones. Yes, the win was via disqualification in a fight that Jones was clearly winning, but a win is still a win. More importantly: it’s an angle that can be used to sell Jones vs. Hamill 2 as a main event.

There’s another important factor that bears mentioning when we discuss Hamill’s title aspirations. As of this moment, he is the only fighter I’ve mentioned in this article who is on a five-fight win streak. You can talk down the names on that list all you want, but Hamill stands in sparse company when it comes to guys putting together wins at 205 lbs. in the UFC.

Let’s also not forget just who Hamill is to the UFC. He’s another one of their guys. He was on TUF almost five years ago and has been with the UFC ever since. They love pushing the fighters who have cut their teeth in the Octagon, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that Hamill has his share of exciting finishes for the highlight reel. He won’t need a lot of promotion since anyone who calls themselves a UFC fan already knows who Matt Hamill is.

Of course, anyone who doesn’t know who the Ultimate Fighter alum is will have their opportunity to learn his story in a big way later this year. Specifically, they’ll have the chance to see his story on the big screen when Hamill hits theaters this fall. The success of this movie could be very good for the UFC, and vice-versa. Cross-promotional opportunities will abound whether or not Hamill is in contender status, but the UFC can maximize the public’s attention on Hamill with a prime spot on one of their fall PPVs.

Which leads me to my final point, and it’s the proverbial “elephant in the room.” By now you should know that Matt Hamill is deaf. While his story has not been pushed by the UFC to promote him as a fighter, there can be little doubt that the mainstream media would latch on to the idea of a fighter that has been deaf since birth competing for one of the highest prizes in combat sports. This factor should not earn Hamill any special privilege (and I’m sure he would be the first person to say so) but if you’re already thinking about putting him in a high-profile fight it certainly can’t be ignored.

Can Hamill earn a title shot with a win at UFC 130? We can’t speculate much further until we know what happens on Saturday night. If “Rampage” wins (as most people expect) then I imagine we’ll see him try his luck against Jones later this year. Here’s hoping Hamill gets the same consideration for a shot at the gold if he does the unexpected this weekend.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

UFC 129 is already poised to break numerous records. It’ll be the largest attendance for the UFC in the company’s history, and their first event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It will be the longest broadcast in UFC history with Facebook pre-lims starting at 5pm ET, Spike prelims at 8pm ET, and the PPV broadcast starting at 9pm ET (an hour earlier than usual). This event also features Jose Aldo becoming the first man ever to make his UFC debut in a title defense.

There’s plenty of exciting action up and down the card so let’s get to it. Remember: These odds are for entertainment purpose and should not be used in any actual wagering. Just like online poker sites. Sorry if that hits a little too close to home for any of you.

Odds of both UFC champions remaining UFC champions after Saturday: 2 to 1 – Apologies to any fans of Jake Shields, but just about every winning streak has to end some time. Georges St. Pierre is too good in too many areas, and I don’t like Shields’ chances of taking GSP down. Apologies also go to fans of Mark Hominick, but there will be only one pasty, bald Canadian that gets to have Dana White strap a belt around his waist. Aldo has too much power and too much speed to be out-boxed by the more technical striking of Hominick for five rounds. It’s MMA and anything can happen, but I’m fairly confident that neither champion will lose their belt in Toronto.

Odds of Nick and/or Nate Diaz starting another cage-clearing brawl after Shields’ fight: 209 to 1 – For those that don’t know, Nick Diaz will be the corner for his brother as well as Shields. I’ve got to think that the Cesar Gracie boys will be on their best behavior for Uncle Dana, but this is the Diaz brothers that we’re talking about. They’d probably get into a knife fight over which fast food place in Stockton, California has the best munchies.

Odds of Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan mentioning the Anthony Pettis ‘Showtime’ kick during the opening bout, even though Pettis isn’t on the card: 1 to 1 – It’s still relatively fresh in peoples’ minds, but I have a feeling that that kick is going to follow Ben Henderson for the rest of his career. It sucks to be on the wrong end of any highlight reel (just ask Mirko Cro Cop, Chuck Liddell, or Sean Salmon) but unfortunately Ben just happened to be in the cage with Pettis when he decided to add a touch of parkour to his MMA repertoire. Here’s hoping “Bendo” can pull off his own highlight move when he’s in the cage with Mark Bocek. At the very least I imagine we’ll see him escape another submission that would have finished any other fight. That’s kind of his thing.

Odds on all five Canadians sweeping their respective Facebook bouts: 500 to 1: – Ten of the twelve fights at UFC 129 will feature a Canadian fighter against someone not from The Great White North, which means that roughly half the fighters on the card are probably not hockey fans. Five of those battles for national pride will take place on the evening’s Facebook stream, and if I had to make a guess I’d say that the Canadian fighters will go 3-2. I like the chances for Claude Patrick, Ivan Menjivar, and John Makdessi, but I’m not so sure about Jason MacDonald and Yves Jabouin. MacDonald is getting on in years and I wonder how much he’s got left to show for in the octagon, so I’m calling his fight with Ryan Jensen a toss-up. On the other hand Jabouin is likely going to get smashed by Pablo Garza.

Odds on Saturday night being the last time we see Randy Couture compete in the octagon: 20 to 1 – It’s always hard to be believe the retirement talk from a guy who’s said it twice already, but then again it is just 54 days until Couture turns 48 years old. He’s got plenty of reasons to walk away at this point, but I’m pretty sure that Dana White and the UFC can come up with numerous reasons for Randy to come back at least one more time. I’m talking about money, of course, and as you may have heard it does make the world go ‘round. If Couture can pull of the upset one more time he may just get talked back into another fight, but I won’t be too terribly sad if this really is the end.

Odds on Lyoto Machida getting his third loss in as many fights: 100 to 1 – For the record I’m of the opinion that Machida should have gotten the nod from the judges against “Rampage” Jackson, but that fight was close enough that I can’t really argue the point. I don’t believe that Machida’s fight with Couture will be close. In fact I’m willing to bet that it won’t even go to the judges. Machida lost a bit of the killer instinct he developed in his run to the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship when “Shogun” Rua took the belt, but after a meek showing in his last fight I have to believe that Machida will look to be in top form on Saturday.

Odds on the Rogers Centre’s urinals overflowing during the Jason Brilz/Vladimir Matyushenko bout: 3 to 1 – No offense to either fighter, but there aren’t many fight fans who get excited at the prospect of two strong wrestlers facing one another. There’s always the chance that the wrestling cancels out and they engage in a sloppy slugfest, but more than likely this one will come down to a 15 minute snugglefest with each man jockeying for position.

Odds on Jake Shields getting the most cheers of any fighter on the card: 1 million to 1 – He may as well go all out and enter the arena waving an American flag while “Real American” plays over the loudspeakers. The 55,000 fans in attendance will be booing Shields harder than they’ve ever booed before when he comes out, and I can’t even imagine what the response would be if he manages to beat St. Pierre. Get ready for the loudest UFC card ever.

I can’t wait.

The first thing Jeremy and I need is something to discuss. Fortunately we’ve got an individual who is back in the news lately, and whose relevance in the world of mixed-martial arts has increased dramatically within the last year of his career. He’s a fighter who is a proverbial wellspring of talking points, and he’s known just as much for his actions inside the cage as he is for his activities and attitude outside the cage.

By now you may have figured out that I’m talking about Chael Sonnen. 

Towards the tail-end of 2009 Sonnen made a huge statement about his place in the UFC’s middleweight division with a dominant win over perennial contender Yushin Okami. He followed that up with an equally dominant performance against Nate Marquardt, and his win there catapulted him right into the #1 contender’s slot and a match-up with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. While few people gave Sonnen a shot at winning the gold he went on to shock the entire world by decisively winning four straight rounds against the man many call the best fighter alive. Sonnen had UFC gold in his grasp before Silva was able to lock up a triangle choke and save his title with just minutes to spare. 

Surprisingly enough, that dramatic losing performance would be the highlight of Sonnen’s career thus far. From there it all went downhill.

First there was the revelation that Sonnen had failed his post-fight drug test after UFC 117. That meant that he would have to forfeit his opportunity for an immediate rematch with Silva, a fight that was all but certain to happen following Sonnen’s impressive showing in his first UFC title shot. In his appeal to the California State Athletic Commission he had his suspension reduced to six months, but questionable statements made regarding discussions with Nevada State Athletic Commissioner Keith Kizer have come back to haunt Sonnen as he attempts to get re-licensed.

In addition to his problems with the athletic commission, Sonnen has also had to face criminal charges relating to a money-laundering scheme from his other job as a realtor in Oregon. While Sonnen could have faced some serious jail time he has instead entered a plea of guilty and come away with a stiff fine and several years on probation. His legal problems forced the UFC to “freeze” Sonnen’s contract, putting another obstacle in the way of his second shot at a UFC title, but he’s taken care of those problems and can now move forward with his fighting career.

I want to go back to the mood everyone was in following UFC 117. At that time it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Sonnen would get an immediate rematch with Silva, despite the fact that he lost the fight cleanly. Normally immediate rematches are used when the first fight ends controversially, but here it almost seemed like Sonnen had come so close to winning the belt that everybody just wanted to see if he could do it again. So I guess my first question for you, Mr. Lambert, is this: did you want to see Silva vs. Sonnen 2 after watching their first fight?

Lambert: As harsh is it might sound given Sonnen’s performance, I didn’t want to see Silva vs. Sonnen 2 immediately after UFC 117. Look, I know Sonnen put up the best fight of anyone against Silva in the UFC and I know he was a mere two minutes away from capturing the title and if Tito Ortiz had pulled him aside after he lost via triangle choke to Forrest Griffin in 2003, maybe he wouldn’t have got caught in another triangle, but he lost and he got finished. How many fighters get immediately rematches after losing a title fight where they were finished in UFC history? Randy Couture (a fluky occurrence and was 1-1 with Vitor Belfort) and Andrei Arlovski (a weak heavyweight division, was 1-1 with Tim Sylvia). That’s it, that’s the list. And in both those cases, Couture and Arlovski got their immediate rematches after they lost the belt, not after they failed to capture the belt. It’s not even like Sonnen was a long time dominating champion who lost, he was the challenger who got the title shot thanks in part to Belfort getting injured for the 10 millionth time.

After Sonnen went down in flames against Silva, I wanted him to fight Belfort while Yushin Okami got his shot at the belt. I didn’t think Belfort deserved a title shot either with a catchweight win over Rich Franklin and a long layoff so Sonnen and Belfort could fight to determine the #1 contender and Okami could get a title shot that he earned years ago. Instead Sonnen screwed himself over in worse than a Jenna Jameson solo video, but I’m sure we’ll get into that later.

Adam, I know you were pretty over Sonnen’s schtick by the time UFC 117 rolled around but were you ready to deal with it for another few months or so leading to a rematch or did you think Chael should have a new target to fire at?

Tool: I wasn’t a fan of the immediate rematch idea either. Sonnen lost, so he should have to work his way back up to get a second shot. I’ll give him his props for doing better against Silva than anyone else has in the UFC, but at the end of the night he tapped out and that was that. Maybe Vitor Belfort wasn’t the most deserving contender either, but at least he hadn’t already lost to Silva in the year prior to their meeting. 
 
I guess as far as Jeremy and I are concerned, it was a blessing that Sonnen’s tests came back positive following his UFC 117 drug screening. As a huge fan of Anderson Silva I took a small bit of enjoyment out of the fact that Sonnen cheated and he still couldn’t beat the champ, but I’m sure that Sonnen doesn’t see it that way. After all, in his eyes he didn’t do anything wrong. In his appeal to the athletic commission he claims to have gotten permission for his testosterone treatments, but of course he has no documentation stating that such permission was given.
 
While dealing with his licensing issues for one career he also got hit with felony charges relating to his other job as a realtor in Oregon. The double-whammy of legal issues has kept Sonnen on the sidelines for the last eight months, and in the meantime the UFC’s middleweight division has chugged right along. My question to you then Jeremy is this: have Sonnen’s legal problems killed all of his momentum from his UFC 117 performance? Or do you expect him to come back and be right there “in the mix” at 185 lbs.?

Lambert: It’s a little bit of both actually. The legal problems have killed his momentum because he was scheduled for an immediate rematch and now he’ll need to win a fight or two before challenging for the belt again but at the same time, he’s still “in the mix” thanks to his mouth. Anyone with the gift of gab in MMA can get themselves a big fight, even if they haven’t earned it. Just look at Jorge Rivera. A mid-level fighter for his entire career, but because he made some videos calling out Michael Bisping, he found himself in the co-main event on a PPV. As long as Sonnen runs his mouth and people notice him, he’s going to be in the spotlight.

Speaking of the spotlight, it’s been long rumored that Sonnen would be one of the coaches (possibly against the aforementioned Bisping) on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. With this season’s TUF ratings hitting their lowest points ever thanks in large part due to the lack of conflict between Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, do you think UFC should turn to Sonnen and his tongue to help revive the series and create the drama that every reality series desperately seeks?

Tool: If Spike executives have their way I’m sure they’d love to put Sonnen in the coaching position. After all his egotistic, abrasive, and oftentimes humorous personality is practically made for reality TV. If he were to get a coaching slot against Bisping that would probably be the first time in history when I’d actually be rooting for Sonnen, so there’s that too.

All that being said, I would have to question the logic behind putting Sonnen into such a high-profile position after all the drama he’s endured. Nevermind the fact that the man has pled guilty to felony charges; he is fresh off of a suspension for taking a banned substance in a title fight. The UFC needs to make it clear that while guys who fail their drug tests will be allowed back into the company, they will not be given the kind of promotional push that a coaching spot on “TUF” would allow. 

So if he’s not on “TUF,” what should he do? Sonnen’s hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission has been pushed back to next month, but unless he’s completely unreasonable at that hearing he should be licensed to fight again once it’s all over. The UFC is starting to fill up their cards for August and beyond, so who should be the man to welcome Sonnen back to the octagon?  

I say go ahead and make Sonnen vs. Bisping. “The Count” has been bucking for high-level opposition in the hopes of getting a title shot, and other than Anderson Silva himself you can’t get much higher in the rankings than Sonnen. Unless the UFC decides to start bringing in Strikeforce fighters sooner than later I think this particular “U.S. vs. UK” match-up is the best option available. 

What do you think Jeremy? Who should get the chance to have Sonnen talk smack about them for the next few months?

Lambert: I’m all for Sonnen vs. Bisping because the levels of hyperbole from both men leading up to the fight would be off the charts and I won’t feel bad if either man loses. UFC has booked an October 15 date in England and that seems like the perfect time to do Bisping vs. Sonnen. Even if Sonnen doesn’t get re-licensed, he could still fight in England with no problem. Now would UFC try and upset the commissions by allowing Sonnen to fight on their card overseas? I doubt it because Dana usually hates going against commissions but would it really kill them? When Antonio Silva was suspended in the US, he fought over in Japan, and then came back to Strikeforce in America with no problem. Of course, Silva is, by all accounts, a gentle giant and a very nice person while Sonnen is, well, Sonnen is Sonnen.

I do have to comment on Tool saying that, “unless Sonnen is completely unreasonable at that hearing he should be licensed.” This is not out of the realm of possibility. If Sonnen has been anything in the past year, it’s unreasonable. I can honestly say that I would not be shocked if Sonnen shows up to his hearing and starts accusing Mexicans of tampering with his drug sample or misremembering facts. This is the same guy who said, “I don’t let facts get in the way of a good story.”

I pose one final question to you Adam: If Chael Sonnen’s career ended tomorrow, how would you remember him?

Tool: I would remember him in lots of ways. I’ll remember the times he’s actually made me laugh with his various soundbites and interviews. I’ll remember the times he’s made me cringe with his vaguely racist remarks and poorly executed one-liners. I’ll remember the time he brought me to the edge of my seat by nearly beating my favorite fighter. I’ll also remember the time he had a front row seat to the self-destruction of another fighter’s career. I’ll remember him as the uncrowned final WEC Middleweight Champion, but I’ll also remember that he tried to pull one over on everybody the first time he tried to win that title. I’ll remember him as the guy who nearly won UFC gold, and the guy who sabotaged what could have been an immediate rematch for that same belt.

I’ll remember him dominating other great middleweights like Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami, and Dan Miller. I’ll also remember him tapping out to guys like Demian Maia, Paulo Filho, and Renato “Babalu” Sobral (and Forrest Griffin…and Jeremy Horn (twice)…and Trevor Prangley). I’ll remember him as one of the best middleweight fighters of the last few years, and one of the most inconsistent fighters of all time.

Mostly though I think I’ll remember him getting submitted by Silva, because that never gets old for me.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Remember: this article for entertainment purposes only and you should not try to take anything I say seriously. That’s what my family does and it seems to have worked out alright for them.

Odds on this weekend‘s card being “business as usual”: 100 to 1 – We all know that Zuffa will be making changes to the Strikeforce product as time goes on, but I doubt we’ll see that many differences in place this weekend (aside from fighters using elbows on the ground). The production side of things is still controlled by Showtime, although I don’t think I’d be that surprised if Strikeforce decided to show a preliminary fight or two if there’s time on the main broadcast (especially with DREAM Featherweight Champion Hiroyuki Takaya making his Strikeforce debut on the undercard). Otherwise I expect this will still look like your normal Strikeforce event, although I think I might still have to freak out just a little when a commercial for UFC 129 comes on.

Odds on Paul Daley doing something stupid after his fight with Nick Diaz: 50 to 1 – I don’t expect Daley to deliver another sucker punch special after he loses to Diaz, but then again you never know. I don’t expect Daley to incite Team Cesar Gracie into another cage-clearing brawl, but then again you never know. I don’t expect Daley to use whatever mic time he gets to badmouth his new old bosses, but…actually this one is probably pretty likely.

Odds on Keith Jardine getting re-signed to the UFC if he beats Gegard Mousasi: 1 to 1 – We all know that Dana White is a big Keith Jardine fan, and if “The Dean of Mean” can pull off the upset this weekend I have no doubt he’ll be back in the octagon before the end of the year. After all he was a model employee during his time in the UFC, and he even got a win over Chuck Liddell back before that was the cool thing that everybody was doing.

Odds on Keith Jardine beating Gegard Mousasi: 1,000 to 1 – Apologies to any Jardine fans but it’s just not happening. Mousasi hits too fast and too hard for Jardine’s notoriously weak chin to hold up, and it’s not as if Jardine has the wrestling acumen to follow “King Mo” Lawal’s example for beating Mousasi. At the age of 35 Jardine is clearly on the downward tail of his career, so I for one will be hoping that this fight is mercifully short and sweet.

Odds on people remembering that Gilbert Melendez is fighting: 500 to 1 – I just don’t get it. Melendez is always talking about how he’s the best lightweight in the world, yet he resigns with Strikeforce (before the Zuffa deal) rather than try to jump to the UFC and face the other top guys in his division. He shows consistent loyalty to Strikeforce despite the fact that the company has done little to no promotion for any of his fights. On top of that they’ve left him (and the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship) out in the cold for the last year. Melendez really is one of the best in the world at 155 lbs., so here’s hoping he gets the chance to prove it soon against some fresh competition. Otherwise he’s going to be stuck beating the same guys he’s already beaten, which is exactly what I expect he’ll do this weekend against Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Odds on a referee being assaulted for doing his job: 10 to 1 – Oh wait, Mike Kyle isn’t on the card anymore. Nevermind.

Odds on Frank Shamrock making some sort of statement to try and patch things up with the UFC: 10,000 to 1 – Maybe I’m being too cynical here. I’m sure that whatever is going on with Shamrock and Dana White can be resolved now that they’re all under the same banner. I mean, it’s not like Shamrock has blamed Dana for MMA’s problems getting regulated in New York. There may be some bad blood between the two, but it isn’t as though they’ve resorted to name-calling. I’m sure they’ll be able to patch things up, even if Shamrock did start an anti-bullying charity in response to Dana’s comments. All water under the bridge, I’m sure.

Odds on Lyle Beerbohm actually choosing to go to the ground with Shinya Aoki: 100 to 1 – I know Beerbohm has said in interviews that he’s not afraid of Aoki’s ground game but he can’t seriously believe that, can he? It would be foolish of “Fancy Pants” to mess around with Aoki on the mat, especially given the fact that it’s widely known how weak the DREAM Lightweight Champion is in the stand-up department. As long as Beerbohm can avoid the takedowns he should have a clear path to the biggest win of his life, but if he decides to mess around on the floor then it’s his funeral.

Odds on a group of UFC fighters showing up at the arena and kicking off some sort of “Invasion” angle: 1,000,000 to 1 – Sorry fanboy, but Wrestlemania was last weekend.

There are a lot of people who now think we need to see Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva, but I’m not one of them. Here’s why.

First I think that Jones needs the opportunity to establish himself as his division’s top fighter. The reason a Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre superfight has so much potential is because both fighters are the undisputed kings of their weight classes. As of this writing we’re less than 24 hours into Jones’ title reign. The man needs to worry about defending his belt against a former teammate first. If Jones wins his first defense he should then have another challenger lined up right away, and that brings me to my second point.

The UFC needs to establish some sort of clear pecking order in the light heavyweight division. Right now they’ve got a ton of high-level fighters, all of whom have a win and/or loss against at least one other top guy. If we discount the DQ loss to Matt Hamill (since Jones was clearly winning that fight anyways) we now have a light heavyweight champion who is essentially undefeated. The division has been highly unstable for a number of years now so I for one would welcome “The Jones Era” at 205 lbs.

The last reason I say hold off on Jones vs. Silva is because the man known as “Bones” is still not nearly as well-known as some of the company’s other champions. His stock has risen so fast that he’s still something of an unknown commodity amongst casual fans. Those of us that follow the sport so closely have obviously kept a well-trained eye on Jones since that star-making performance against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. We know that he’s something truly special so it’s fair to want to see him face that upper echelon of talent right away, but what the UFC needs is for Jones to get a few more main events under his belt.

Let’s be clear here: I’m not saying that I never want to see Jones vs. Silva. It’s clear that the fight has plenty of potential and if I was to make a short list of guys that I think could beat Jones, I would undoubtedly put Silva’s name on there. At this point it’s important to consider each man’s place in his career; Silva has dominated his division for a number of years while Jones has just now taken over as the top dog in his weight class. A superfight between the two would be great for Jones’ career if he wins, but thoroughly devastating if he loses.

Right now Jones vs. Evans is the fight that makes the most sense. In the last week the topic of these two teammates fighting one another has far overshadowed the talk of Jones trying to beat “Shogun.” Dana White has long insisted that training partners will have to fight one another if gold is on the line, and this fight is his chance to finally see that mantra put into effect. This fight has several ready-made storylines in place and if the pre-fight talk turns ugly (as it very well could) then I think there’s a strong chance Jones vs. Evans could be one of the biggest fights of the year. After that there are a number of high-profile light heavyweight fights on the horizon, and with that there are plenty of fresh opponents for the newest UFC champion.

Let Anderson Silva defend his belt. Let’s not dismiss Silva vs. St. Pierre just yet. Give Jones a chance to get comfortable at the top, and maybe we can talk about Jones vs. Silva in a year or two.

There are outside factors of course. Things have been jammed up pretty well at the top of the ladder for nearly a year now. UFC Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar has been stuck fighting the same two guys, but here’s hoping he’ll break that trend after he meets Gray Maynard for a third (and hopefully final) time in May. After that the title picture is pretty much wide open. There’s a veritable lion’s den of tough guys up and down the divisional rankings, but at this point no one fighter stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the pack. So who’s it going to be?

Recent bookings in the division have left us with very little answers, and what’s worse is that things show no sign of getting better. Here’s the question I’d like to answer: if Maynard was injured in training camp tomorrow and Edgar needed a new opponent for UFC 130, who should Joe Silva call?

I suppose the first name that might come to mind is Anthony Pettis. After all, the last WEC Lightweight Champion was supposed to have earned a UFC title shot with his win over Ben Henderson, but unfortunately the unsatisfying draw at the end of UFC 125 changed those plans quickly. Now Pettis is slotted to face Clay Guida in June, and if Pettis loses (which he very well could) then he’s out of the title picture for the time being. Guida is about as tough of a draw as one could get in his UFC debut, but a hard-fought victory there should earn Pettis enough cred to get that promised shot at the gold. We won’t know either way for another three months. So what about now?

The UFC did have a couple of rising contenders in the form of George Sotiropoulos and Evan Dunham, but now with both men having lost in their last bouts they’ve each taken a big step back. I suppose it makes sense to match them up now (as was reported earlier this week), but it would have made a lot more sense to match them up before Dunham fought Melvin Guillard and Sotiropoulos fought Dennis Siver. Dunham vs. Sotiropoulos could have been a title eliminator fight just a few months ago, so why wasn’t that fight made for Fight For The Troops 2 or UFC 127?

Then we have the two men who beat those up-and-comers. Guillard is now slated to face Shane Roller while Siver has been booked against Matt Wiman. Wiman and Roller are both pretty good, and each man has a nice little win streak going, but it’s still a step backwards after the high-profile upsets Siver and Guillard put together. Why not have the two rematch each other? Their first fight was almost three years ago and it’s safe to say that they’ve each gotten better since then.

Now to be fair not all of these problems are Joe Silva’s. He’s had to make some adjustments on the fly based on fight results, injuries, etc. It also doesn’t help that things are beyond chaotic in the lightweight division these days with the recent addition of the WEC roster. We’ve got a great “UFC vs. WEC” match-up on this weekend’s UFC 128 card as Jim Miller faces the undefeated Kamal Shalorus. Miller is on a great streak at the moment with six straight wins over some tough guys. He’s also got one big problem: the only two losses in his career have come against the two top guys in his division. I’m sure Miller would love the chance to avenge either one of those losses (regardless of who holds the belt after UFC 130), but first he needs to get past the “Prince of Persia.” Shalorus is making his UFC debut with a fair amount of hype behind him after some solid performances in the WEC. I’m curious to see how this fight plays out, but if Miller loses that’s yet another possible contender sent back to square one.

Of course the game has changed in the last seven days. The UFC has purchased Strikeforce so now it’s reasonable to think that top lightweights like Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson, and KJ Noons could be coming to an octagon near you very soon. There are still barriers in the way of the fighters’ current contracts with Strikeforce, but I would have to think that if they’re willing to be released from those deals they could easily be moved right over to the UFC.

Personally I’d love to see Melendez make his UFC debut as the #1 contender. He’s beaten just about every other highly-ranked lightweight fighter outside of the UFC, and assuming he gets by Tatsuya Kawajiri next month (which he should) then I’m sure I won’t be alone in hoping he gets to make his octagon debut before the year is up.

That’s all speculative though, and it still doesn’t address the problem at hand. Who is the next #1 contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship? I don’t know, but I hope it isn’t too much longer before we get to find out.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Chuck Liddell vs. Don Flamenco – Just because I want to see Chuck knock somebody out again.
 
Anderson Silva vs. Dr. Octopus – Where’s your giant mechanical arms now, playboy?
 
Dan Henderson vs. Freddy Krueger – Who will land that killer right hand first?

Royce Gracie vs. Michael Jordan – Two sports’ greats collide, and if Gracie wins then Jordan has to shave that stupid little mustache off.
 
Frank Edgar vs. The Situation – The winner gets J-Woww; loser gets Snooki.
 
Chael Sonnen vs. Charlie Sheen – I don’t like Sheen’s chances of winning this fight, but really this one is all about seeing who can out-crazy the other in their pre-fight interviews.

Jose Aldo vs. a Velociraptor – One of them is going to have to wear a hat or something, because otherwise I won’t be able to tell them apart.

Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg – Yeah these guys have fought twice before but this time Trigg gets a samurai sword. He still loses via Rear Naked Choke.
 
Randy Couture vs. The Rock – They have so many things in common. Both are modern-day legends in their sport of choice. Both are beloved by millions around the world. Both have starred in crappy movies that rhyme with “Florpion Fling”.
 
Kimbo Slice vs. ZZ Top – Special attraction fight: Loser gets their beard shaved off by the winner.
 
Brock Lesnar & Shane Carwin vs. The Legion Of Doom – I’m not talking about Hawk and Animal; I’m referring to the Legion of Doom from the old Super Friends cartoon show. I’ll take Carwin over Solomon Grundy or Black Manta any day of the week.

Cris Cyborg vs. Sarah Palin – I just want Palin to be laid up in the hospital when the next presidential election rolls around.
 
Alistair Overeem vs. Mr. Ed – I’m sorry but if you don’t want to see Overeem fight a horse, you’re not a real fan.
 
Butterbean vs. Galactus – One of them eats planets, the other one’s a comic book character.
 
Arianny Celeste vs. Brittney Palmer- Of course this is when I would wake up! Damn you alarm clock! DAMN YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!

Join in and list a few of your dream match-ups below in the “Comments” section!

None of this is news to anyone who follows the sport with any sort of seriousness. So why are so many fighters under contract to the world’s second largest mixed martial arts organization having trouble getting fights?

2010 was a year in which Strikeforce saw record growth across the board. They ran eight regular events and seven smaller Challengers cards, branching out past their West Coast roots to hold shows across the country. They’ve made some great additions to their roster with newly crowned Strikeforce 205-pound champ Dan Henderson being the most notable of the group. There were setbacks of course; the disastrous “Strikeforce: Nashville” was easily one of the worst events of the year for a number of reasons. Most Strikeforce events have been met with great reactions from fans and press alike, and ratings for Showtime have been good and even occasionally great.

At the same time the company has neglected the careers of several of their fighters under contract. Few fighters have been perpetually screwed in quite the same way as Jay Hieron. He recently spoke about his split from Strikeforce and it’s easy to see why he was so unhappy during his time there. He was signed in 2009 and slotted into an immediate title fight with Nick Diaz, but then when Diaz missed a drug test (for some unknown reason) Hieron was moved down to the prelims to fight “TUF” reject/professional pants-wetter Jesse Taylor. Five months later he scored his second win in Strikeforce against Joe Riggs which was the last fight on his contract. Contract negotiations kept the former IFL champion out of the cage for the next year, and Strikeforce seemingly refused to give Hieron the title fight he’d already been scheduled for once. He bolted for Bellator where he won his promotional debut this past weekend, thereby moving into the semi-finals of the welterweight tournament. If he wins the tournament he’ll be fighting at least three more times this year, and he’ll be guaranteed a title shot. Given all those factors it’s easy enough to see why Hieron took a hefty pay cut to sign with Bellator. He needed to get back to fighting and right now that’s a pretty good place to do exactly that.

Hieron moved on to new opportunities but there are plenty of fighters still locked up with Strikeforce while waiting to fight again. Tim Kennedy did get to compete this past weekend (breaking an almost seven month layoff), but he made plenty of noise in recent months about his difficulties in finding some competition. He was victorious against Melvin Manhoef on Saturday and afterwards he revealed that he had acquired a cut on his chin during training, but he covered it with makeup to make sure the athletic commission didn’t deny him his chance to compete. Kennedy also revealed that after making an attempt at fighting full-time he has gone back to his other love: shooting people with a sniper rifle in service of his country.

Kennedy was originally slated to take part in a third fight with his old arch-nemesis Jason “Mayhem” Miller, but Miller was yanked from the fight with no reason given and Manhoef took his spot instead. Is Miller being booked for another fight? Unfortunately we don’t know. What we do know is that “Mayhem” has not been inside the cage since the aforementioned Strikeforce: Nashville card. For those of you keeping score at home that show was eleven months ago. Since then Miller has fought once in Japan and continued in his duties of bringing MMA to tweens everywhere on his MTV2 show Bully Beatdown (now in its third season). You would think that Strikeforce would be making more of an attempt to book one of their biggest stars, but then again you (probably) don’t work for Strikeforce.

Then there were the rumors that surfaced last week surrounding Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight Champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos. The rumors that popped up came from Brazil and were attributed to the infamous “sources close to the fighter,” and they claimed that “Cyborg” was considering signing a contract with the WWE. Those rumors have yet to be officially confirmed or denied, but with Santos having not fought since June of last year (and with no fights on the horizon) it really doesn’t seem all that crazy to consider that she might be getting restless.

Several other fighters like Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and Lyle Beerbohm have also expressed displeasure with their bookings (and lack thereof), but I don’t think it’s unfair to say that anybody has recently been treated more unfairly by Strikeforce than Dutch-Afghan fighter Siyar Bahadurzada. Siyar was contacted by Strikeforce and offered a contract with the company in April of 2010. He signed the contract and sent it back. He then waited 10 months for a call from Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou but that call never came. Then earlier this year he found out that the reason he hadn’t gotten a fight yet was because Strikeforce had not signed his contract.

Does that make any sense at all? Strikeforce reached out to Bahadurzada and his management to have him fight in the organization. They sent him a contract. He signed it. They ignored the signed contract and left a fighter in the cold for almost a year. Siyar was able to continue competing overseas, but to this day he is still waiting to make his American debut.

Just for the record; Bahadurzada holds a win over Evangelista Santos, who was the last man to compete for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship,

It’s clear that Strikeforce has a problem, but what’s the solution? To me (a company outsider with little-to-no knowledge of the inner workings at an MMA promotion) the answers seem simple. First I’d stop running the Challengers events immediately and turn those timeslots into normal Strikeforce events. Stop doubling (or even tripling) up on title fights and spread those bouts out. Strikeforce has seven championships so there’s no real reason why they couldn’t have at least 14 title fights a year. If your champion won’t defend their belt (no names necessary here, I hope) then strip them of the title and get it on somebody who wants it. Lock more fighters into exclusive contracts and be more aggressive in contract negotiations.

Strikeforce needs to keep their fighters happy if they intend to continue their growth as a company, and they’ll need as many good fighters as they can get if they ever want to become a serious competitor to the UFC. When a fighter sits on the sidelines it takes money out of his or her pocket, and it costs the company future profits that could be earned by letting their stars go to waste. A fighter like Kennedy has the kind of life story that could earn the company extensive crossover appeal. Miller already has a devoted following of fans and enough charisma to sell just about any match-up. Cyborg is the most feared female fighter in the world and a modern-day pioneer for women’s MMA.

Let your fighters fight Strikeforce. It’s better for everybody that way.

It started at the weigh-ins where Bisping and opponent Jorge Rivera got into a heated face-off and had to be separated. While the camera rolled to film the event for Dana White’s video blog Bisping dropped an infamous homophobic slur towards Rivera. This word may not have the same social impact as some other vilified terms and phrases, but in the year 2011 it is not an acceptable term to use in a public setting. Of this there can be no argument. The UFC’s production team should have bleeped the word on the video blog, but more importantly Bisping shouldn’t be using it when he’s publicly representing the UFC (or at all, really).

Then we come to the fight itself. After the staredown at the weigh-ins it was clear that emotions would be running high. Regardless of that fact Bisping cannot claim that his illegal knee to Rivera in the first round was unintentional. Bisping is a veteran of more than 20 professional fights, and he has been fighting in the UFC for almost five years. He has never come close to delivering a foul like the one he gave Rivera on Saturday. He claimed in the post-fight press conference that he simply pulled the trigger too early on the knee, but that’s a laughable claim as well considering the fact that Rivera wasn’t even making an effort to get back to his feet. The fight should have been stopped right then and Bisping should have a DQ loss on his record.

Inexplicably the fight was allowed to continue and Bisping eventually “triumphed” with a TKO win in the second round. After getting the win most fighters would be gracious in victory and then proceed to make amends with their opponent for whatever bad blood may have been spilled. Instead Bisping spat at Rivera’s corner before getting in Jorge’s face to demand an apology. I don’t care if Bisping claims he was just trying to spit at the ground in front of Rivera’s corner men. It’s the complete opposite of good sportsmanship and it’s not the sort of thing the UFC should tolerate.

Can you imagine what the NFL would have done if, after winning Super Bowl XLV, Aaron Rodgers had run over to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bench and spat on the ground in front of them? Rodgers would have probably been fined, possibly suspended next season, and the sports media would have had a field day. White is lucky that Mixed Martial Arts isn’t a bigger sport than it is right now because if that was the case then he’d see one of his homegrown stars dragged through the mud on cable sports networks and talk radio airwaves all over the world.

Some are already trying to claim that Rivera has some responsibility for this whole mess as well. These people want to point a finger at Rivera for the ethnic stereotypes he negatively portrayed in his YouTube videos while claiming that it’s somehow the same as what Bisping did this weekend, but there’s a pretty big difference there. Rivera’s videos may have been in poor taste but the only one that’s represented poorly there is Rivera himself. Bisping’s homophobic slur was on Dana White’s video blog which is posted to the UFC’s YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. His actions during the fight itself were obviously seen by millions of fans around the world. Everything Bisping did wrong was done while he was on the UFC’s dime, and as a representative of the company he failed miserably.

White and the UFC need to start holding their fighters accountable for their actions in the octagon. If a fighter is exhibiting behavior that casts the company in an unfavorable light then the company should punish that fighter. Bisping should be fined a portion of his purse and then either suspended or moved down the card for his next fight. His actions were inexcusable, despite his best efforts to make excuses for them, and the UFC needs to make sure that the rest of their roster knows what kind of behavior is expected of them. The best way to do that is to make an example out of Bisping, and I for one hope that that’s exactly what the UFC brass chooses to do.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The UFC light heavyweight division has long been considered the most important weight class in the company, as many of the sport’s biggest stars have called 205 lbs. their home at one point or another. Guys like Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, and Randy Couture carried the UFC for a number of years, but as of late the light heavyweight division has had trouble finding that next guy. At the moment what was old is new again, as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has captured UFC gold and reclaimed his position as the definitive #1 fighter at light heavyweight. Rua has held the top spot for almost a year even though he’s yet to make his first title defense, but we won’t have to wait too much longer for that.

Conveniently enough, we also won’t have to wait too much longer to see if Jon Jones is the next big thing at 205 lbs. He was supposed to have the biggest test of his career this past Saturday against the undefeated Ryan Bader, but once again Jones has made a legit fighter look like an amateur at a “smoker.” Before UFC 126 it seemed as though Jones was destined for big things in the company, but I’m not sure if anybody could have predicted how quickly those things would get big. After beating Bader badly, Jones got the proverbial bombshell dropped in his lap; Rashad Evans was out, and he was in against “Shogun” next month.

There’s already been some debate as to whether or not this fight makes sense, but to me it absolutely does. Jones is only 23 and has a long career ahead of him. Even if he loses to Rua it’s not as though this will be the end of his title aspirations. Jones is taking a title fight on short notice, and he’s facing the top fighter in the world at 205 lbs. There’s no shame in losing this fight, and with his unlimited potential there’s no reason to think that he won’t be able to make it back to contention again someday. But just how much of a chance does Jones really have?

In my opinion, he’s got a pretty great chance. Jones is heading into the biggest fight of his life fresh off another training camp, while his opponent is coming off of a 10 month layoff. Rua has had numerous surgeries on his knees and whenever he’s come back from that surgery he’s not been able to perform at his highest level (witness his fights with Forrest Griffin and Mark Coleman for confirmation of that). Jones is already at peak physical condition while Rua is going to have a very real case of cage rust. Some people might claim that at the age of 23 it’s too early in Jones’ career to be fighting at this level, but allow me to remind you that “Shogun” won the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix when he was 23 as well.

Rua does have one advantage in that he was already training for a fight on March 19th, and he was already preparing to face a wrestler. While I’m sure “Shogun” and his team are already drilling takedown defense, they face a significant challenge in training for Jones. Specifically, there is no real way to prepare for Jones’ striking abilities. He’s got such a massive reach and he uses those limbs so effectively, and on top of that he’s got an unorthodox style trained in the fine art of YouTube-Fu. There nobody else in the world that I can think of who fights like him, so how in the hell is “Shogun” going to find anybody capable of mimicking that?

On top of that Jones has the wrestling acumen to dictate exactly where this fight takes place, and he presents problems from virtually all positions. If he’s not in the position he wants to be in he’s perfectly capable of leap-frogging his opponent to get there (as we saw on Saturday). He doesn’t have the pure BJJ background that Rua possesses but his innovative submissions could still give “Shogun” plenty of trouble. The only place we haven’t seen Jones work from is off his back, but if a powerhouse wrestler like Bader couldn’t get Jones down what chance does “Shogun” have?

Of course, nobody expects the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion to try and take Jones down. Rua is a far more decorated striker, and in his performances against Lyoto Machida he would repeatedly cutting off the cage while implementing a more measured and technical approach to his attacks. Jones’ style has little in common with Machida (save for the fact that each fighter is pretty unique), but Rua is still going to have similar problems with getting in close enough to attack Jones while avoiding any significant counters. One thing working in Rua’s advantage is that we’ve yet to see Jones demonstrate true one-punch knockout power in the octagon, while “Shogun” has already separated several opponents from consciousness in his UFC run.

I expect Jones will look to maintain distance and use his striking to set up the takedown, but one of the things that makes Jones so much fun to watch is his unpredictability. At this point in his career there’s no way to know for sure how he’ll perform against “Shogun,” as there is too wide of a talent gap between the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and every other opponent Jones has faced. Rua could outclass the young Jones and dominate in his first title defense, or it could be a closely contested five round war that ends in a narrow decision.

We must also consider the third option; that “Bones” is going to straight-up wreck “Shogun” and any other opponents he faces. Jones has the kind of raw potential that’s rarely seen amongst fighters in any weight class, and I don’t think it’s out of the question to believe he’s going to run right through the UFC light heavyweight champ. There’s no way to know for sure until March 19th, and personally I cannot wait.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Nearly all of the evening’s fighters made weight, with the exception of Nick Pace. According to a UFC official, Pace declined to try and cut the additional weight and as such he will be fined 20% of his purse and what was to be the UFC’s first bantamweight bout will now be at a catchweight instead.

According to Joe Rogan, the Ultimate Fighter tournament finals will serve as the evening’s main event.

Here is a rundown of TUF 12 Finale weigh-in results as they unfold live in Las Vegas:

Dave Branch (185 lbs) vs. Rich Attonito (185 lbs)
Fredson Paixao (145 lbs) vs. Pablo Garza (146 lbs)
Nick Pace (138 lbs)* vs. Will Campuzano (136 lbs)
Kyle Watson (156 lbs) vs. Sako Chivitchian (156 lbs)
Ian Loveland (145 lbs) vs. Tyler Toner (146 lbs)
Cody McKenzie (154 lbs) vs. Aaron Wilkinson (155 lbs)
Leonard Garcia (145 lbs) vs. Nam Phan (146 lbs)
Johny Hendricks (171 lbs) vs. Rick Story (170 lbs)
Demian Maia (186 lbs) vs. Kendall Grove (186 lbs)
Stephan Bonnar (205 lbs) vs. Igor Pokrajac (205 lbs)
Jonathan Brookins (154 lbs) vs. Michael Johnson (156 lbs)

*Pace came in 2 pounds over and will forfeit 20% of his purse.