Marcus Hicks interview after the jump.

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SpikeTV has announced that UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will serve as the coaches for the eighth installment of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality television series.

TUF 8 will feature lightweights and light heavyweights and will premiere on Wednesday, September 17, at 10:00 p.m. ET.

The release also confirms that Nogueira will defend his interim title vs. Mir on a yet-to-be determined pay-per-view event.

Cage Potato is reporting that Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira have been selected as the coaches for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show:

An unofficial source tells Cage Potato that the coaches have been signed for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, and they are none other than UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former champ Frank Mir.

This would indicate that Mir will get the next title shot against Nogueira and the two will likely face off in a pay per view extravaganza at the end of the season. Coming off of a season with personable guys like Forrest and Rampage, Nogueira and Mir may be a change for the worst. The UFC seems infatuated with making the coaches for TUF fight one another for a title at the end of the season but I don’t think Mir and Nogueira will be able to carry a season of TUF like Forrest and Rampage, Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, etc.

Most of the fanbase only knows Frank Mir because he beat Brock Lesnar and most of them have no clue about Nogueira’s past history and likely have only seen him fight because they bought the UFC 81 pay per view that Lesnar vs. Mir was a part of. Putting these two as the coaches of the next season could prove to be costly as far as ratings go.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s trainer Luiz Alves has made a claim that Tim Sylvia used some sort of skin lotion or cream at UFC 81.  The cream, once Sylvia started sweating, made him extra slippery.

If you can read Portugese, the original website is here. If you can’t, a Google translation of the site is here.

Read more about Nogueira and Sylvia on FiveOunceOfPain.com.

Now that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is the UFC interim heavyweight champion, the contenders will be lining up for a title shot. It is highly unlikely that Fedor Emelianenko will be one of those guys. Still, Nogueira would like that opportunity.

I’ll be here. I have the belt. If he comes here, I am ready to face him,” said Nogueira.

For that to happen, a lot of miracles would have to take place and maybe even a few miracles after that. But clearly, Nogueira, the new UFC interim champion, would love the opportunity to avenge his prior defeats to Emelianenko.

However, Emelianenko is not with the UFC and does not look to be joining the top MMA organization anytime soon.

He has his own decisions. He chose another organization. I hope he has a good future there,” said Nogueira.

Still, for Nogueira, the question will always be out there as long as he is title holder: Will it be difficult to receive full championship credit when he never beat Randy Couture for the belt and he lost twice to Emelianenko, the man universally regarded as the best heavyweight in the world?

Yes, Nogueira holds the UFC belt, but just having the belt is not be enough to make him the #1 ranked heavyweight in the world. He’ll need some big victories over some top guys in order to ascend there.

Brock Lesnar is no joke.

Did he lose? Yes. Is he capable of fighting on this level, especially given the UFC’s lack of heavyweight talent? You bet your ass he’s capable. Before Lesnar got caught in the kneebar he looked like everything that he was built up to be. He ragdolled Mir all over the place until he got caught in the kneebar. He took him down with ease, he almost knocked Mir out on the feet, and he pounded him in the face relentlessly. Are there still questions regarding Lesnar’s game? Absolutely. His submission defense was quite lackluster. But he proved last night that he can hang with a former heavyweight champion and will have plenty of more fights down the road to climb up the heavyweight ladder. One thing that really impressed me was Lesnar’s attitude after the fight. He was smiling, he knew he made a mistake, and was very humble. That’s how you win fans over. Give Brock a bit more time and he will be the UFC’s biggest star.

Props to Mir for hanging tough.

I’ll eat my crow. I picked Lesnar in this fight and thought that if Lesnar had him in a position to where he was landing clean punches to Mir’s face on the ground, Mir would cover his face, turn over on his side, and that would be the end of it. Props to Mir for hanging in with Lesnar when he was in the worst possible position during the fight. Any time you’re in the Octagon with a BJJ black belt, anything can happen. Mir is one of the best heavyweight submission artists in the game and he stuck with his bread and butter and eventually caught Lesnar making a mistake and totally capitalized on it. Good win for Mir, hopefully this is the fight that lights a new fire under his career.

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The following are the bonuses awarded to selected fighters for UFC 81 as reported by our good friends at MMAjunkie.com:

• Fight of the Night: Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
• Submission of the Night: Frank Mir (submitted Brock Lesnar with a knee bar)
• KO of the Night: Chris Lytle (knocked out Kyle Bradley)

Tim Sylvia, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Frank Mir and Chris Lytle all received $60,000 for their efforts.

The amount of $60,000 awarded to the fighters is the largest ever handed out by the UFC for fighter bonuses. The sum is $25,000 higher than the $35,000 bonuses issued at UFC 80 and $5,000 higher than the bonuses awarded at UFC 79.

Additionally, Brock Lesnar made $250,000 by just showing up, while Mir made $40,000 to show.  Lesnar also had a $200,000 win bonus had he slipped the kneebar and pounded Mir out.

Read more UFC 81 content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com

MAIN CARD
• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia via Submission (Guillotine) Rd3.
• Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar via Submission (Leg Lock) Rd 1.
• Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn via Submission (Standing Guillotine) Rd 2.
• Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt via Submission (Choke) Rd 1.
• Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau via Unanimous Decision

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley via TKO (Strikes) Rd 1.
  
• Tim Boetsch def. David Heath via TKO (Strikes) Rd 1.
  
• Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin via Unanimous Decision
• Rob Emerson def. Keita Nakamura via Split Decision

Tons more content on UFC 81 HERE

Check out more UFC 81 content on Five Ounces of Pain!

You can say whatever you want about Tim Sylvia, and I won’t ever defend some of his actions outside of the cage, but the guy wins fights. If he wins Saturday’s fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira he will become a three-time UFC heavyweight champion.

No, he doesn’t say it in this ESPN video but I’ll say it.

According to Gary Herman of CBSSports.com, UFC president Dana White officially announced following UFC 79 that Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will be fighting each other on February 2 at UFC 81 in Las Vegas for the interim UFC heavyweight title:

“Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Tim Sylvia will face off on Feb. 2 for the UFC interim championship,” UFC president Dana White said.

The announcement means that Randy Couture is still currently the UFC heavyweight champion, but it is being speculated that the UFC has not stripped him of the title per the advice of their lawyers. It is believed that there’s a champion clause in Couture’s contract that keeps him bound to the UFC as long as he’s the title holder.

White said during the post-fight press conference that he disagrees with Couture’s recent assessment that he will be free to fight Fedor Emelianenko in October. He was quoted by Herman as saying that Couture either needs to retire or fulfill his contract. If Couture retires, it’s also believed that the term on his UFC contract will freeze.

In Herman’s article, White is quoted as saying he still has plans for Couture:

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG, INCLUDING HIS THOUGHTS ON RANDY COUTURE’S LEGAL OPTIONS

In a new interview with Amaury Bitetti, a trainer for twin brothers Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the introduction to the piece at GracieMag.com talks about how February will be a busy month for the brothers.

It says that Rogerio will fight for Hardcore Championship Fighting on February 1, while Minotauro will be taking on Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title on February 2:

Now his twin brother will have one of the most important fights of a career that reached the mark of 30 wins the last time he fought. Minota will face the giant Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight belt, February 2nd in Las Vegas. GRACIEMAG.com went after black belt Amaury Bitetti, responsible for two beasts’ ground training, to find out more about both their preparations for their upcoming commitments, here goes:

(HT: Richard Cartey)

What: UFC 81
When: Feb. 2nd ‘08; night before Super Bowl XLII
Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MAIN CARD
• Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - (for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship)
• Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir
• Nate Marquardt vs. Jeremy Horn
• Rob Yundt vs. Ricardo Almeida

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau
• Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley
• Terry Martin vs. Marvin Eastman
• David Heath vs. Tim Boetsch
• Keita Nakamura Vs. Rob Emerson

Check out more UFC 81 content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

With the failed signing of Fedor and the letter of resignation from Couture, the UFC is now left with a Heavyweight Division that is going to have a very hard time supporting a champ as the legitimate No.1 in the world. In the coming months and the early part of next year there are a number of fighters who will stake a claim for the belt. Depending on who becomes champ, the UFC is going to have varying levels of difficulty when it comes to marketing them as the World’s best. Let’s examine the situation:

Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera

There is no denying ‘Minotauro’ is a great Mixed Martial Artist and no doubt in the top 3, or at the least top 5 heavyweights in the world. However, if he were to beat Cheick Kongo and then the winner of Vera/Sylvia (or just, as been speculated) for the title, the UFC will have an extremely hard time selling him as the No.1 when Fedor has demolished him twice.

Tim Sylvia

If Tim Sylvia manages to get past Vera and then Noguiera/Kongo the UFC is left with a champ who was never really popular to begin with and also has just been man-handled by a 44 year old legend, who many believe should still be fighting inside the octagon.

Cheick Kongo

If Cheick Kongo gets passed Noguiera it will be something spectacular in itself, and if he then manages to defeat either Sylvia or Vera the UFC will have crowned a champ who is untarnished. By untarnished I mean a fighter who has not fought either Couture or Fedor and therefore has the chance to be built upon as the No. 1 Heavyweight without any previous losses to the other proclaimed “top dogs“. It also helps Kongo’s cause that he is a 6 foot 4, ripped, imposing figure, who looks like he could demolish anything with a pulse. The fact that Kongo is a Frenchman that can’t speak English could pose some marketability problems for the UFC but Kongo as Champ does have its advantages over the previously stated pair.

Andrei Arlovski

If the UFC ever works out negotiations with Andrei and he manages to work his way up the rankings and eventually becomes champ (while being head of the ‘Jerry Springer Show ‘ security no less) then the UFC has a chance for a very marketable champ with a claim to the No.1 crown. If the Arlovski of old returns, then many an MMA fan will be once again reviving comments on how some believe Arlovski to be a bad match up for Fedor and how he’d be too quick for Couture. These are a lot of ifs, and before he or the UFC goes on and starts supporting these grandiose claims, Arlovski HAS to be beat Tim Sylvia in such a fashion that no one will ever bring it up again.

And finally…

Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera

The best case scenario for the UFC in having the world’s best heavyweight is if Brandon Vera demolishes everything in his path on the way to the title. If this is done the UFC gets a heavyweight champ, that is not tarnished by losses to either Couture or Fedor (better yet, undefeated), gives a great interview and is an explosive and exciting fighter.

There you have it. The UFC is in quite a mess at the moment and really need the cards to fall their way for them to get out of it. But let’s face it, that really hasn’t been happening lately.

According to Kevin Iole’s latest “Mailbag” article in the Yahoo! sports section, the winner of this Saturday’s match between Brandon Vera and Tim Sylvia will fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the vacant UFC heavyweight title in early 2008:

The winner of the Brandon Vera-Tim Sylvia fight on Saturday at UFC 77 in Cincinnati will meet Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the vacant heavyweight title sometime early next year.

According to Dave Meltzer in his latest FoxSports.com column, a rumored match between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cheick Kongo may not take place at UFC 79 on Dec. 29 as had been previously reported. It now appears that Nogueira vs. Kongo could take place in either January or February.

Meltzer also indicates that a deal to bring the UFC to Montreal in January has yet to be finalized.

Brian Knapp of The Fight Network is reporting that a heavyweight clash between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cheick Kongo is planned for UFC 79 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.

Nogueira made his UFC debut this past July at UFC 73 and defeated Heath Herring for the third time in his career. Meanwhile, Kongo is on a two fight win streak with his most recent victory being a sound unanimous decision over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 75 in September.

It is believed that the winner of Kongo vs. Nogueira could be the next in line for a title shot against current UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture.

In addition to Kongo vs. Nogueira, all indications are that Matt Serra will make his first defense of the welterweight title in a match against Matt Hughes in one of the show’s main events.