Herman (14-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was a finalist for season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” losing a tough, back-and-forth decision to Kendall Grove. He was offered and signed a contract with the UFC regardless, and has had fluctuating results since. His first fight after the show, he was systematically taken down and submitted by a fighter who was offered a spot on the same season but passed, Jason MacDonald.

Herman seemed to finally find his stride as a UFC fighter in 2007 with 3 straight wins against increasingly tougher competition, culminating with handing Joe Doerksen his first knockout loss of his career. In came 2008 and a loss to Demian Maia at UFC 83. Not much to take from that loss, as Maia has been exposing everyone he has faced to possibly the best submission game in the middleweight division, if no the whole UFC. Herman has shown his best attributes are his wrestling and overall ground game with improving stand up. He has also shown he still has a way to go with his takedown and submission defense, as well as overall conditioning.

Belcher (12-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is a fighter from Biloxi, Mississippi who may be slightly guilty of believing the hype of his nickname a little too much. “The Talent” has had an up and down UFC career starting by filling in for the oft-injured David Terrell at UFC 62 against Yushin Okami. Belcher lost a tough unanimous decision against Okami, but demonstrated that he belonged in the big leagues.

He followed with an impressive head-kick knockout of Jorge Santiago at UFC Fight Night 7, showing his impressive stand up skills also pack knockout power. A bit of a schizophrenic fighter, his performances are very erratic. He has excellent Muay Thai skills and decent wrestling to go with them, but his ground game is very rudimentary as he sports a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He may be an occasional victim of his own overconfidence, as demonstrated in his last fight at UFC 83 where he was to face Patrick Cote.

Cote succumbed to a knee injury two weeks before the fight and he was replaced with Jason Day, a first time UFC fighter. Belcher looked visibly relaxed and somewhat sloppy in the early going as Day asserted himself on the ground and then surprised Belcher on the feet with a hard elbow that open the floodgates to an impressive TKO victory over Belcher.

Both fighters come in with big expectations in the UFC. They are also coming off of disappointing losses with a “must-win” mentality and maybe just a little something to prove to themselves as well as everyone else. The oldest adage in our sport applies here, as it is striker versus grappler in this bout. Whoever can control the flow of this fight will win, with Herman wanting to take down Belcher and work his ground and pound while Belcher will try to keep it standing and work for the knockout on his feet with his superior striking.

Who wins the position battle? In my opinion Belcher has just enough take down defense to stave off a rather average single leg takedown that Herman possesses. This should enable him to expose Herman on the feet. Herman does not have a great chin as he has shown time and time again in his losses, and was even rocked a few times in his win over Doerksen. Belcher has very good knockout power in both his hands and feet, and should be able to keep the fight standing long enough to win via TKO.

Herman has very good potential that he has never seemed to be able to reach at Team Quest. I think he needs a change of surroundings with a new striking coach that can get through to him. I look for Belcher to win via TKO in round 2 and possibly give Herman a chance to look for that new camp after another disappointing loss.

The question is, does he belong there?

While Franklin was impressive in finishing Matt Hamill with a swift kick to the liver in round three, he hardly looked dominant up to that point. Franklin is a well-rounded fighter who is clearly capable of holding his own in the UFC’s 205 division. But why settle for mediocrity when you can be the second best fighter in the world at the weight class below? At 185 pounds, Franklin is one of the masters of the middleweight domain. But at 205 pounds, I think he’s going to tread water in the UFC’s stacked light heavyweight division.

After his second loss to Anderson Silva, it was clear that something had to change for Franklin. Facing the likes of Travis Lutter at 185 pounds is a low-risk but even lower reward situation. The risk is that after having faced some of the world’s best at middleweight and defeated most of them, Franklin could possibly lose to a lesser opponent if he’s unable to feel properly motivated while training.

But is a move to light heavyweight the answer to the UFC’s Rich Franklin problem?

Timing is everything and the time for him to move to 205 isn’t now but was two years ago when he was the middleweight champion and there didn’t appear to be anyone left for him to beat at 185 until Silva waltzed into the UFC and demolished Chris Leben on Spike TV. Not to mention, the depth at light heavyweight in the UFC at the time was nothing like it is now.

While Franklin can beat the Matt Hamills of the world at 205, how would he do against the likes of Lyoto Machida, Quinton Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and current champion Forrest Griffin? We already know he’s lost to Machida so how is he going to survive in the UFC’s stacked light heavyweight division? Franklin said he doesn’t want to be a middleweight gate keeper but if he starts taking somewhat winnable fights against the likes of Keith Jardine, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Jon Jones, Andre Gusmao, and Thiago Silva, doesn’t he essentially become a gate keeper at light heavyweight?

He turned in a solid performance last night and defeated a credible opponent, yet I am just not excited about Franklin competing at 205 pounds. It seemed like a cool idea a couple years back, but not now. No, a third go round with Silva is not an option but I’d still love to see Franklin stay at middleweight and participate in big fights against the likes of Dan Henderson, Nathan Marquardt, and Michael Bisping. There’s also always Thales Leites and Demian Maia if they can get a few more wins.

A big reason for the move to a new weight class is to get away from Silva. But guess who just competed at 205 in July and guess who might return to light heavyweight if he’s able to defeat Patrick Cote at UFC 90 on Oct. 25? The idea of both Franklin and Silva graduating from 185 at the same time makes little sense since their undisputed status as 1-2 at middleweight is the cause for stagnation when it comes to the UFC middleweight title picture. Silva is the one who cleaned up 185, not Franklin. If anyone should make the move, it should be Silva. And if the flirtation between Silva and the UFC’s light heavyweight division continues, the need to vacate the middleweight title might arise. At that point, who better to challenge for the vacated title than Franklin?

Other UFC 88 thoughts:

- I felt it was a good show from top-to-bottom. Aside from Rashad Evans’ incredible knockout, there was nothing really amazing, but there was nothing terrible either and every fight was entertaining. Kudos to the UFC for getting the Tim Boetsch vs. Mike Patt and the Jason MacDonald vs. Jason Lambert fights on the air for a total of seven-of-nine fights making the telecast.

- Some people might question Hamill for going down because of a kick to the body but a kick to the liver is no ordinary kick to the body. I’ve only received one kick to the liver and it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. First, I was glad I was sparring on an empty stomach because I lost all control of my bowels. Had I eaten that morning, I would have wasted a perfectly good pair of MMA shorts. My lower body felt paralyzed and a jolt of pain went up through the center of my chest all the way into my brain. Matt Hamill, I feel your pain.

- Matt Brown was robbed against Dong Hyun Kim. There was no gray area: Brown won that fight. Usually when Cecil Peoples goes against the other two judges in a fight he gets it wrong. But Atlanta must be bizarro world because last night he got it right and the other two judges got it wrong. Usually Doug Crosby is on the money so I’d love to know how he saw that fight. But just because he’s right quite often doesn’t mean he got it right last night. What MMA needs is an independent organization that evaluates judges on a regular basis and reports back to the commissions. A judge is going to make mistakes and isn’t going to get every call right. But if there is a repeated pattern of poor judging, there is no mechanism in place for a commissioner to make the call to remove a judge that he is responsible for hiring. Nobody wants to make themselves look bad. If there was an organization that graded officials then commissions could determine which judges were best qualified to preside over major matchups and which judges need to be replaced.

- Martin Kampmann and Rousimar Palhares are two middleweights who belong at welterweight. Kampmann has said in the past he has no intention of dropping to 170 but he’d be a force there. He’s a great technical striker but he doesn’t have the power needed to make it to the top at 185. He had to go to the ground against Drew McFedries after he started eating bombs and it was more of the same vs. Marquardt last night, except that Kampmann couldn’t get it to the ground this time. Drop him a weight class and suddenly he starts knocking guys out and justifying the nickname “The Hitman.” Personally, I think a Kampmann vs. Georges St. Pierre fight could be amazing. As for Palhares, he is only 5’8” and has a lot of upper body bulk that I am not sure is doing him any good. At 185, he’s a middle of the road guy. At 170, he’s title contender material.

- If Palhares stays at middleweight, one fight I’d love to see is Palhares vs. Maia. I think if it went to the ground it would look like a WEC fight, except at 185 lbs. Another fight I want to see is Henderson vs. Marquardt. Joe Silva, if you’re reading this, please make it happen?

- Lambert’s hard luck continues and with a drop in weight failing to produce a win, the UFC may decide to allow him to fight outside the promotion. It was the body triangle by MacDonald that really did Lambert in. Once you lose the ability to move your hips, you have no chance to turn into your opponent’s guard. But Lambert giving up his back was a mistake in the first place. You never want to be mounted but I’d rather be mounted than give up my back. There are so many more ways to defend the mount than your back and the odds of having a fight stood up in mount are much higher than when your opponent has your back. But not giving up your back in MMA is easier said than done. When you eat a few shots while your opponent is mounted it’s human instinct to protect your face and turn over.

- When the ABC passed a bunch of rules in July, one of the new ones recommended be adopted by commissions across the country was banning the use of “smothering,” which is the act of taking your hand and putting it on the mouth of your opponent while in their guard or in mount in order to disrupt their breathing. It’s a great tool to use in a street fight and like Mike Goldberg said, it’s definitely “old school.” But the sport we watch now is referred to as MMA and is no longer known as “No Holds Barred.” I say it’s high time to get rid of such an unsportsmanlike maneuver.

- Thank you Joe Rogan for properly explaining to Goldberg the difference between a teep in Muay Thai and a straight heel kick in Kung Fu/Karate.

- I really enjoyed Henderson’s low stance employed during his fight vs. Palhares. His takedown defense was almost impeccable. It was the kind of performance that other fights are going to study and copy.

- The UFC needs an opponent for Machida at UFC 89 in October and the the perfect off-roster candidate was in the building last night in Ricardo Arona. Arona has the balls to take the fight on short notice but the problem is that he’s going to expect to be paid. The UFC apparently feels his fighting style doesn’t justify his asking price.

- I am at a loss for why Evans decided to incessantly play with his nipples during ring introductions prior to the start of the main event vs. Liddell. My wife mentioned that St. Pierre apparently did the same thing before his last fight, except not as much. I don’t know, maybe Evans was lactating?

- Where does Karo Parisyan go from here? How about some time off and then a trip to the WEC?

Well, in the immortal words of Will Smith: Aw, hell no!

As arrogant as it sounds, I’m sorry folks but I’m not going to be eating anything today after Chuck Liddell’s devastating loss last night at UFC 88 in which he ate a huge overhand right by Evans.

The truth of the matter is, outside of Mauro Ranallo and David Andrest, I don’t know anyone who thought Evans had a shot. And in the case of Ranallo and Andrest, even a blind squirrel catches a nut sometimes. I kid, I kid. But a lot of the people who are going to respond to this thread and say “I told you so” are the some of the same people who felt Evans was going down in the first place.

To classify last night’s upset a shock would be an understatement. This was Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga all over again; as the underdog not only won, but he did so by stealing his opponent’s signature move.

Liddell’s loss last night angered many fans and those frustrations are on display in many message forums right now. Many of these fans likely lost big money on Liddell and were already frustrated they couldn’t take advantage of the Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Karo Parisyan moneyline. Gamblers gripe. But that’s a story for another time.

But the angry mob doesn’t want to give Evans his just due because of the evasive nature he exhibited for much of the first round and first half of the second round. They are claiming Evans didn’t deserve to win. Well, I think that’s a bunch of hogwash. That’s the nature of fighting. Evans earned last night’s victory and deserves credit because he not only put his overhand right on Liddell’s chin, he left him sprawled out on the canvas. And in doing so left no doubt about whether the fight had reached it’s conclusion.

So I fully acknowledge Evans deserved to win last night. However, at the risk of sounding like Georges St. Pierre, aside from that overhand right, I was not impressed with his performance. What we saw last night was a page ripped out of Lyoto Machida’s playbook. It was counter-fighting at its finest without the countering from Evans until Liddell opened himself up like the red sea and granted safe passage to Evans’ right fist.

Sorry, but I’m supposed to acknowledge that Evans is a threat as a striker after one high kick executed on Sean Salmon and one overhand right in which Liddell not only gift-wrapped his chin for Evans, but presented it to him on the proverbial silver platter? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed last night’s show and the main event made for great theater, but Liddell should have won that fight. Liddell gave it away much like he gave the fight away to Evans’ teammate, Keith Jardine, last September.

There are those who are going to claim “Liddell is overrated” or “Liddell is finished and needs to retire” but I am not subscribing to those theories. I have a much different explanation for what happened last night and I’m sure I will take heat for it. As someone who has never fought professionally, I supposedly don’t have the fighting credentials to play “Sunday Morning Quarterback.”

Oh well, I don’t care.

The conclusion I have come to is that Liddell doesn’t need to retire but instead needs a new camp. He needs a new approach that John Hackleman and “The Pit” can’t provide him. A lot of the mistakes we saw from Liddell last night are the same mistakes we saw in losses to Randy Couture, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and Jardine. Why Liddell has not improved as a fighter in recent years is partially his fault and partially the fault of his trainer.

By UFC fighting standards, Liddell does not have the best chin in the world. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he has a glass jaw, but I don’t see how anyone can deny the fact that Liddell has proven to be knockout prone at times. With that said, why does he keep exposing his chin so much? Yes, anytime you throw a power shot you’re going to expose your face, but it just seems like Liddell telegraphs what’s coming and that an attentive fighter that’s willing to watch hours of tape can easily spot Liddell’s tell and time him up. I’d like to call Evans’ shot heard around the world last night a lucky punch, but I am willing to wager he knew what was coming. What happened last night wasn’t pure luck, it was good scouting.

While Evans didn’t mimic Jardine’s gameplan, it looked like Greg Jackson installed some of the same ideas such as attacking Liddell’s lead leg and focusing on foot work in order to control the distance between the two. You would think that Liddell’s camp would anticipate this and make some adjustments? But while Liddell looked to be in great physical condition last night, I just don’t feel like he was tactically prepared for the fight. Why does Liddell continue to expose his lead leg to cut kicks more than any fighter in existence? If someone walked into an MMA camp and exhibited such a wide base in their stance such as the one exhibited by Liddell, they would be corrected right away. But Liddell continues to not only give up his leg, he refuses to check kicks.

Listen, Liddell doesn’t need to hang it up, he just needs a good Muay Thai instructor.

And while we know that Liddell might be able to hit harder backpedaling than any human known to man, he might not be the fighter we think he is when it comes to fighting forward. Evans’ back last night was against the cage two times and instead of advancing and applying pressure, Liddell allowed him to circle out of range. Again, that’s where a good Muay Thai instructor would have done Liddell some good. He could have shot the gap and tried to clinch up with Evans and put his back on the cage and delivered knees and maybe a couple of uppercuts or hooks that might have put Evans on Queer Street (is there such a street?).

The secret on how to fight Liddell is out and while my little essay earlier in the week breaking down the fight has proven to be a total joke, I was right about one thing: the way to beat Liddell isn’t by trying to take him down and burning yourself out, it’s by standing with him and testing his chin. Evans acknowledged this in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan and it was almost as if he read what I had written verbatim. Am I clairvoyant? No. I just pointed something out that’s become obvious to a lot of people. But instead of staying one step ahead, Liddell is one step behind and has not made a single alteration to his awkward punching style in which he throws shots from crazy angles that makes it difficult for him to bring his hands back and protect his chin.

Liddell needs to evolve as a fighter and adjust. I’m likely wasting my breath as it would be be naive to think someone as loyal as him would just up and turn his back on “The Pit” after all these years. And at 38, Liddell is probably set in his ways. The style he is using now at one time earned him a UFC light heavyweight title and made him one of the most feared punchers alive. Success breeds content. Finding a winning formula in life isn’t easy and when you do find the recipe for success, there can be a fear of trying to deviate what got you where you are today. But to use another cliche, you can either change with the times or allow time to pass you by. Randy Couture is 44 and isn’t the same fighter he was four years ago, let alone 10 years ago. He is constantly changing his strategy and implementing new technique instead of being stubborn.

In martial arts, there are no more masters. You don’t reach that mythical place where you reach an apex and mastered all there is to know. Martial arts has evolved more in the last 15 years than it had in the previous 100. Things are changing constantly in martial arts thanks to MMA, as competitive fighters are always looking for an answer to a problem.

Even the best must continue to push themselves and continue to learn in order to stay on top. Liddell needs to make some changes and while I am sure I’ll experience a backlash from some for questioning his training, I’m just calling it like I see it. I’m not suggesting “The Pit” isn’t a great place to train; I’m just suggesting that Liddell might want to broaden his horizons and incorporate some new ideas into his routine before he’s no longer relevant in this sport.

A proposed main event between two of the most beloved fighters in UFC history during the promotion’s biggest show of the year went up in smoke last night, possibly costing Zuffa tens of millions of dollars in the process. And they have Rashad Evans and his camp, Greg Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., to thank for that last night.

In a wise but boring strategy of refusing to pressure Liddell on his feet or attempt takedowns – which prompted fans at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta to boo on occasion – Evans circled Liddell frequently in order to stay out of range and avoid a knockout that the vast majority of MMA fans felt had been inevitable. In typical Liddell fashion, he did not take Evans’ bait and remained patient instead of wearing out his 38-year old body by chasing down his much younger opposition.

The two exchanged glancing blows briefly at times with each fighter catching the other on the way out as they disengaged. However, for the most part, the fight lacked any real action until Evans and Liddell both opened themselves up at 1:51 of round 2 with each prepared to unload. But it was Evans’ superior hand speed that allowed him to beat the former UFC light heavyweight champion to the punch, plastering Liddell’s chin with an overhand right that turned his head and sent him straight to the canvas.

Evans followed up the right hand by attempting to hit Liddell after he had fallen but referee Herb Dean jumped in and prevented what appeared to be an unconscious Liddell from absorbing any more damage. After the fight had been called to a stop, Liddell looked to have remained unconscious for several seconds afterwards, as he was laying on the mat completely motionless.

The knockout was about as undisputed of a conclusion to a fight as you will find. There was no way for even the most loyal Liddell fan to claim a flash knockout or a premature stoppage.

The result of Evans vs. Liddell coupled with the nature in which the fight came to an end will allow the main event for UFC 88 to join fights such as Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga and Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra to go down as one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the UFC.

In shocking Liddell last night, Evans earned himself a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title. However, whether he’s actually granted that shot is hardly a given. The bottom line is that Griffin vs. Evans on the marquee of the UFC’s biggest event of the year doesn’t have the same ring to it as Griffin vs. Jackson II or Griffin vs. Silva (pick a Silva, any Silva). But even the most ardent Evans critic must acknowledge that the UFC has put many hurdles in front of Evans and he’s cleared them all.

High-profile wins over Liddell, Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar, along with a draw over Tito Ortiz have greatly enhanced Evans’ resume, which also includes a 12-0-1 record and the title of the heavyweight winner of season two of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

The concept of having winners from the first two seasons of the UFC’s greatest marketing vehicle face each other for the most prestigious title in MMA carries a lot of intrigue but it still might not have the gusto the promotion is seeking for its biggest show of the year.

With Liddell out of the picture for now, the UFC will have to choose an opponent for Griffin from a list that includes Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Machida had been scheduled to face Thiago Silva at UFC 89 and appeared at least one more win away before being granted a light heavyweight title shot. Silva’s decision to pull out with a back injury is hardly cause to grant Machida a shot that the UFC essentially said he wasn’t already deserving of.

Having only made one single title defense before losing the belt to Griffin, Jackson does not have an obvious case for an immediate rematch.

And while Silva has had a remarkable career and has seen his profile in the U.S. increase greatly following a win over Keith Jardine in May at UFC 84, the fact of the matter is that he has still lost three of his last four fights and has just one win in the UFC since 1999.

Last night’s unplanned outcome could force the UFC to look at two unconventional options for Griffin on NYE weekend; one could involve Anderson Silva returning to 205 pounds if he’s able to beat Patrick Cote at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 and not take too much damage.

Bringing Silva back on such short notice might seem like a long shot, but the lure of a title shot might be too much to ignore and the fact that he would not have to cut a lot of fight makes a quick turnaround feasible. Knowing the UFC, they usually like to have more of a window to promote their main events than the turnaround between UFC 90 and NYE weekend would allow.

Of course, Tito Ortiz remains unsigned and holds a controversial win over Griffin. While he’s coming off a loss to Machida, Griffin vs. Ortiz II has a lot of marketing appeal. The chance to get Griffin a win over Ortiz should have some appeal to UFC President Dana White. And if Ortiz were to win the title, having him as champion would not be the worst thing in the world as it would create a possible rematch with Wanderlei Silva and a first-time matchup against friend and former training partner, Jackson.

However, when you break it all down, the least complicated scenario of them all might just be to match Griffin with Evans on Dec. 27. Whether Evans gets a light heavyweight invitation to the UFC’s annual New Year’s Eve weekend bash remains to be seen, but he certainly forced his way towards the front of the line with last night’s victory.

Is Chuck Liddell done?

Is he done fighting? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. Chuck loves to fight, he’s very exciting, and he will do this until his body tells him that he can’t do it anymore. But one would certainly have to think that he’s done competing for the light heavyweight championship. With as stacked as the 205 lbs. division is in the UFC right now it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be able to work his way back into a situation where he gets a crack at the title. He would have to win at least two, if not three fights in a row, and they would have to be against legitimate contenders. That is, unless the UFC fast tracks him back to a title shot which is entirely likely (see: Brock Lesnar). Chuck’s knockout loss ruined a big money fight with Forrest Griffin in December but I don’t think he’s done fighting by any means. For Liddell now, it’s all about pride.

We were all wrong about Rashad Evans.

Every one of us was mistaken about Rashad Evans. He used a perfect gameplan, frustrating Liddell and making Liddell engage instead of the other way around. And when Evans finally picked his spot, he knocked Liddell out cold. Every “expert” in MMA called this one for Liddell and it couldn’t have gone worse for the former champion. Rashad Evans is very, very legitimate. He is now 17-0-1, extremely athletic, possesses big knockout power, and can wrestle with the best of them. He is a very legitimate threat to Forrest Griffin’s title, whether we want to admit it or not. Sorry for underestimating you, Rashad. By shocking the world tonight you have assured that we won’t do it again.

Rich Franklin’s future is at 205 lbs.

185 lbs. should no longer be a thought in Franklin’s mind. The matchups at 205 lbs. are so much more intriguing for him at this point in his career. That’s where the money matchups are right now for him. At 185 he has nothing to do but be the gatekeeper for who gets to get the piss beat out of them by Anderson Silva next. That’s a role that he obviously doesn’t cherish. He proved tonight that he can hang with and beat a big, strong, 205 lbs. wrestler with a good chin and heavy hands and that should be enough to convince him to stay at that weight class. Obviously he’ll do whatver Zuffa tells him to do but it’s evident that 205 lbs. is where he belongs right now, not because that’s the best weight for him but because that’s where his talents and his marketability is best used right now. Fights with Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson, a rematch with Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, the list goes on. Those are big money fights and fights that will sell PPVs. Even the fight with Dan Henderson can still take place at 205 lbs. as that is the weight that Henderson prefers to fight at. After tonight it should be clear to everyone that Franklin’s future is at 205.

What’s next for Dan Henderson?

Dan Henderson did what he needed to do to survive against Rousimar Palhares tonight. Palhares was about as tough of an opponent as you could give Henderson in his third fight since returning to the Octagon. Especially considering that his first two fights were against Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva. Rousimar Palhares was no cupcake for Henderson and he had Henderson in trouble a couple of times throughout the fight. Henderson didn’t look overly impressive tonight and almost got caught a couple of times but he did what was needed to get the win and keep afloat in the UFC. The question now becomes where does he go from here? I don’t see Henderson beating Anderson Silva even if he does want the rematch. A fight with Franklin makes sense but at what weight? Now that Henderson has that win under his belt he’s sort of at a crossroads as to where to go with his career.

Nate Marquardt looked fantastic.

Marquardt absolutely steamrolled Martin Kampmann tonight and didn’t waste any time doing it. Kampmann is known for his striking and Marquardt never even let him get started in that regard, taking it to the Dane from the time the bell rang. Marquardt is a very solid fighter with strong standup and a very good ground game. The problem with him is, just like Franklin, there’s a ceiling at the top of the division and his name is Anderson Silva. There’s only so far for him to go and I don’t think anyone’s interested in seeing a rematch between he and Silva. A rematch with Thales Leites, however, is in order.

Did Matt Brown get screwed?

I don’t know. It was an awfully close fight with both fighters having their moments throughout the fight. Kim definitely took round one and Brown definitely took round two. But round three was where it got really interesting. Kim had the two takedowns but was unable to do much from his position while Brown seemed to be the much more aggressive fighter and got the best of the standup. From a pure position standpoint you can make a case that Kim rightfully won the fight. I don’t think Brown got screwed. He certainly fought very valiantly, proved that he belonged in the cage with Kim, and will most certainly be back for future fights. For what it’s worth, Cecil Peoples was the only judge who had it scored for Brown.

According to the report, the Kampmann vs. Marquardt bout could be officially announced next week.

Marquardt has a lifetime MMA record of 26-8-2 and is 5-2 lifetime in the UFC. He last fought at UFC 85 in June, losing a controversial split decision to Thales Leites in which Marquardt was docked a point for what the referee deemed an illegal blow to the back of Leites’ head. Prior to that, he had submitted Jeremy Horn with a guillotine choke during UFC 81 this past February.

Meanwhile, Kampmann is undefeated in the UFC with a record of 4-0 and 16-2 in his MMA career. His last three wins have come against Thales Leites, Drew McFedries, and Jorge Rivera. An outstanding Muay Thai fighter, Kampmann has become a well-rounded martial artist since joining Randy Couture’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.

UFC 88 will be televised on pay-per-view and will be headlined by former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell taking on season 2 heavyweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Rashad Evans.

The complete lineup for UFC 88 is as follows:

Main Card -

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell
Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
Martin Kampmann vs. Nathan Marquardt
Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares

Preliminary Card -

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Thiago Tavares
Matt Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Tim Boetsch vs. James Lee
Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan

Franchi has signed a five fight deal with the promotion, according to Gary Marino of GVM Sports Management, speaking to Five Ounces of Pain.

Trained by his co-manager, Ryan Ciotoli of Bomb Squad MMA in New York, Franchi will make his WEC debut on Sept. 10 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. against Jose Aldo.

The Northeastern-based Franchi made his pro debut on October 27, 2007, defeating Richard Miner via first round TKO while competing under the Extreme Fighting International banner in Springfield, Massachusetts. He improved his record to 2-0 last year when he submitted Brian Conrad on a Full Force Productions show this past December with an armbar at 2:15 of round 1.

In 2008, Franchi took a step up competing for Joe Cavallaro’s World Championship Fighting promotion in Massachusetts, where recorded a second round TKO over Justin Homsey at 0:40 of round 2 in February. The win earned Franchi a shot with the International Fight League during the promotion’s May 19 show. In that bout, Franchi needed just 2:19 to submit Frank Latina with a rear naked choke.

This has been a big week for GVM Sports Management and the Bomb Squad, as Marino confirmed that Jon Jones has signed a four fight deal with the UFC and will make his debut next week at UFC 87 in Minnesota as an injury replacement for Tomasz Drwal in a light heavyweight bout against Andre Gusmao.

EliteXC’s next card will be a ShoXC event scheduled for August 15 and will feature five bouts to be televised on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET from the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, Calif.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the finalized card after speaking with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Shaw, the card will feature two light heavyweight bouts with Jared Hamman and Po’ai Suganuma rematching each other in the night’s main event and Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate making his EliteXC debut against Jaime Fletcher.

Shaw indicated that the winners of the 205 pound fights could find themselves in line for an opportunity to fight light heavyweight sensation Rafael Feijao.

Also added to the card is a 160 pound lightweight match featuring Fabricio Camoes taking on Sammy Morgan. The promotion is said to be very high on Camoes and a win could catapult him onto a spot on a future EliteXC card.

Four other fighters will be making their EliteXC debuts as well, with Debi Purcell and Rosi Sexton set to do battle in a female MMA fight and Keith “K.O.” Berry and Reggie Orr set to scrap.

Berry is recognized as the King of the Cage middleweight champion but the bout is only scheduled for three rounds so it’s unlikely that his title will be on the line.

Meanwhile, Orr was one of 32 middleweights brought out to Las Vegas by the UFC and Spike TV earlier this year to fight in qualifying bouts in order to make the final cast for the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Hector Lombard had been tentatively scheduled to make his EliteXC debut on the card but a lingering wrist injury will prevent him from being healed in time.

MMAWeekly is also stating a rumored bout between Brandon Vera and Keith Jardine in the light-heavyweight division is now also confirmed for the event. The bout is much needed for both as Jardine wants to quickly rebound from his beating at the hands of Wanderlei Silva while Vera wants to look impressive coming off of a decision win over Reese Andy last month at Fight Night 14.

UFC 89 will take place on October 18th with a scheduled main event of Michael Bisping vs Chris Leben. In addition to Vera/Jardine, also scheduled are two more light-heavyweight duels between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva as well as Sokoudjou battling Luis Banha Cane.

Cro Cop recently responded in a blog post stating among other things:

I was asked by the members of media if I’m willing to fight Overeem since we challenged me twice already. I watched DREAM 5 and I was happy to see a strong heavyweight match-up on the card, I have no doubts that DREAM will put more match-ups like that in the future. It was a very good performance by Alistair I must say. I’m happy to accept his challenge and I’m looking forward to this fight as I believe that we can deliver an entertaining fight. Now it’s up to DREAM to make this fight happen, I’m ready to face my challenger on the next show already.

It looks as though both fighters are up to the challenge but the question remains if DREAM will actually make the bout. When two Japanese heavyweights agree to fight one another one usually ends up fighting Zulu at the event.

If the bout were to occur, I never thought I’d say this but I think Overeem at the very least has a shot. Coming off of his impressive win over Mark Hunt, Overeem has looked very impressive in his recent bouts while it’s obvious Mirko has not. I’ll still give Mirko the benefit of the doubt until he loses again but Alistair is certainly looking more dangerous than he used to.

The finalization of the matchup is believed to be contingent upon St. Pierre successfully defending his UFC welterweight title against challenger Jon Fitch at UFC 86 on August 9.

If St. Pierre is able to defeat Fitch, it is anticipated that an official announcement about St. Pierre vs. Penn II could be made soon after.

Five Ounces of Pain previously reported that the UFC’s year end event in December is also expected to feature Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defending his interim UFC heavyweight title vs. Frank Mir.

Kelly Kobald, a fighter who trains out of Minnesota Martial Arts, has been rumored as the possible opponent for Carano for the October show. Minnesota Martial Arts is the same camp that Kaitlin Young fights out of so she should be well prepared for the fight if she is indeed Carano’s next opponent. Kobald is a veteran of Bodog Fight and has dropped her last two fights to Tara LaRosa and Julie Kedzie. Before that, Kobald was on a seventeen fight win streak.

Pictured: Dave Herman

Undefeated EliteXC heavyweight title contender Dave “Pee Wee” Herman is expected to fight for the promotion again in September. FiveOuncesOfPain.com was informed of the news by Herman’s manager, Mike Camp, of F1 Management.

An opponent and a date are not yet known, but Herman could compete during an EliteXC event tentatively planned for Friday, Sept. 26.

The former Indiana-Bloomington standout wrestler had been in the running to challenge Antonio Silva this weekend for the vacant EliteXC heavyweight title, but Herman was unable to accept the fight due to a prior commitment.

He last fought on June 14 during EliteXC’s “Return of the King,” recording a TKO victory over former UFC and PRIDE veteran Ron Waterman at 2:19 of round 1.

Herman, 11-0, made his EliteXC debut this past February during the promotion’s “Street Certified” event, where he TKO’d Mario Rinaldi at 0:33 of round 3.

Both fighters are coming off of losses, Gouveia losing to Goran Reljic at UFC 84 in the second round via TKO. Before that, Gouveia had been on a nice winning streak, not having lost in the Octagon since dropping a unanimous decision loss to Keith Jardine in 2006.

Horn is coming off his second submission loss in a row in the UFC, this time at the hands of grappling wizard Dean Lister at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale. Until recently, Horn hadn’t been submitted in nearly seven years but has dropped three of his last four via submission.

Both fighters will be looking to get back on track and it’s possible that Gouveia could be trying his hand at a new weight class at 185 lbs. His frame is small for 205 lbs., especially at the top of the division and a cut to middleweight may do him well if that’s what weight the fight is being contested at.

Reljic recently signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and is undefeated after seven professional bouts.

Gouveia is coming off a come-from-behind victory over Jason Lambert at UFC 80 and is currently 10-4 in his career and 4-1 in his UFC career.

UFC 84 is expected to take place in May and will most likely feature a lightweight title fight main event between current UFC lightweight champion, B.J. Penn and former UFC lightweight champion, Sean Sherk.

Read more UFC 84 content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com

These bonuses were $20,000 less than the more recent UFC events. No reason has been given yet as to why that is.

It was reported on the broadcast that B.J. Penn received “Submission of the Night” honors for his Rear-Naked Choke victory to secure the UFC lightweight championship against a bloody Joe Stevenson. The submission came toward the end of two rounds of complete domination by Penn. The beginning of the end of Stevenson was when Penn scored an elbow on Joe that brutally cut his forehead and caused him to bleed profusely all over the Octagon. There was in interesting interaction between Penn and Sean Sherk during the post-fight interviews when B.J. started out saying, “Sean Sherk, you’re dead!”

Wilson Gouveia received “Knockout of the Night” honors for his flash left hook knockout against Jason Lambert. Gouveia spent most of the first round on his back receiving ground and pound strikes to the face. He came out in the second round with a new-found determination and created some distance to score a few solid strikes against “The Punisher” before the KO at 0:37 into the round.

Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor both receive the bonus for “Fight of the Night” as the two British fighters kept a high-pace throughout the entire three rounds, ultimately resulting in a unanimous decision victory for Wolfslair Academy’s Paul Kelly. The two went back and forth in standup and ground battle, but Kelly seemed to continuously get the better of the exchanges in his UFC debut.

There is still plenty of post-UFC 80 to come. Stay close to Five Ounces of Pain for more UFC 80 coverage.

This bout was originally set for UFC 76 back in September, but a severe nose breakage suffered by Gouveia in training meant the matchup had to be scrapped.

The two fighters are coming off impressive performances of late with Lambert having knocked out Renato Sobral at UFC 68 while the Brazillian Gouveia is coming of three straight UFC wins after dropping his debut to Keith Jardine at the Ultimate Fighter 3 finale.

In the same report, UFC.com also confirms a few other fights for UFC 80: Rapid Fire which is headlined by a battle for the Interim Lightweight title featuring B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson. These matchups along with other rumoured bouts for the card are stated below:

• B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson (for Interim Lightweight Championship)
• Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
• Jason Lambert vs. Wilson Gouveia
• Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera*
• Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin*

• Paul Taylor vs. Paul Kelly
• Alessio Sakara vs. James Lee
• Sam Stout vs. Per Eklund
• Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson*

* indicates bouts not confirmed by UFC.com

With the rumoured and confirmed bouts, it appears that UFC 80 is now a full card. Shapes up to be a pretty decent looking one too.

Read more on FiveOuncesOfPain.com