On Saturday, Oct. 4, UFC 86 will make its basic cable television premiere. The show, which originally aired on pay-per-view on July 5, was headlined by Forrest Griffin’s dramatic decision upset over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the UFC light heavyweight title.

The following week on Oct. 11, UFC 87 will also premiere on Spike. The show, which originally aired Aug. 9 on PPV, featured Georges St. Pierre successfully defending his UFC welterweight title in a five round unanimous decision against Jon Fitch. UFC 87 also saw heavyweight Brock Lesnar record a unanimous decision victory over Heath Herring.

Then, on Saturday, Oct. 18, UFC 89 will air on a same day tape-delay basis from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. The card will feature Michael Bisping taking on Chris Leben in the night’s main event and will also see light heavyweights Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera square off.

The airing of UFC 86 will go head-to-head with EliteXC and CBS’ third-ever telecast of “Saturday Night Fights.” This will be the second time in which the UFC and Spike have counter-programmed a live EliteXC event on CBS.

During “Saturday Night Fights II” on July 26, the UFC and Spike aired a replay May’s UFC 84 event that featured UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn recording a third round TKO against Sean Sherk.

While EliteXC’s show on CBS attracted more total viewers, the UFC 84 replay still beat SNF II in the coveted male 18-34 demographic. According to a press release issued by Spike TV, UFC 84 outdrew SNF in the male 18-34 demo by 27% with Spike totaling 433,00 men compared to CBS’ 341,000.

The Oct. 4 telecast of “Saturday Night Fights” is considered to be a key show for the future of EliteXC on CBS after the July 26 show only drew a 1.7 rating. While EliteXC officials have attempted to downplay the disappointing ratings claiming that the show was affected by the summer airing and a shorter turnaround time to promote the event, the show still attracted fewer viewers than what CBS normally drew in the Saturday primetime slot.

One major benefit that EliteXC and CBS will have this time around when they go head-to-head with the UFC and Spike TV is that they will be featuring their two biggest attractions in Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Gina Carano on the show. The July 26 show had been headlined by a EliteXC middleweight title rematch between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith.

However, while the returns of Slice and Carano will no doubt help, UFC 86 will not be the only programming competing with “Saturday Night Fights” for male viewers between the ages of 18 and 34. ABC will be televising a college football game between Ohio State and Wisconsin that same night with FOX also expected to air a Major League Baseball wildcard playoff game in the opposing timeslot.

Throwdown.com, one of Jackson’s sponsors, conducted an interview with Jackson in the hours preceding his arrest. The Daily Pilot is indicating that representatives of the company stated that hours before his arrest that they watched his upset loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 with him. According to the report, it was the first time Jackson had reviewed the footage.

On Monday, Jackson had met with representatives of Throwdown TV in what was his final interview before his Tuesday arrest. Many fights fans have watched that video and have speculated that Jackson was not in a proper state of mind during the course of the interview.

Gary Alexander is a host with Throwndown TV and conducted the interview. After reading comments on Five Ounces of Pain in which people speculated about Jackson’s mental condition during the interview, Alexander contacted us to offer his perspective.

His account of the interview also contradicted the Daily Pilot’s report which indicated that Jackson watched the Griffin footage the same day of his arrest. According to Alexander, Throwdown met with Jackson the day prior.

“We were with Quinton all day on Monday,” Alexander stated via e-mail while speaking exclusively with Five Ounces of Pain. “We’ve known him for some time due to Throwdown’s sponsorship of him. We watched the Griffin fight with him and he told us that it was the first time that he’s watched the fight in it’s entirety. He analyzed the fight, pointed out what he did wrong and what he needed to change in the future. He was in good spirits all day, happy and was taking the recent loss to Griffin in stride. He was looking forward to training again, modifying his training to improve himself, cleaning up his diet and moving forward. We did not observe Quinton (as he has been recently described by the public & media) as ‘depressed’ or ‘unhappy.’ He was his normal joking, jovial happy self. We wish him the best and we will continue to support him 100%. He is and always will be part of the Throwdown family.”

Alexander also revealed that an explanation for Jackson’s perceived low-energy demeanor could have to do with the fact that he awoke from a nap shortly before the commencement of the interview.

Rosholt, Hendricks, and Roller all wrestled for amateur wrestling powerhouse Oklahoma State and are all members of Texas businessman Ted Ehrhardt’s “Team Takedown.” Team Takedown signed the three fighters to exclusive management contracts in which the fighters draw a salary and have their training expenses paid for by Ehrhardt. In exchange, Ehrhardt is entitled to a share of the fighters’ earnings.

Rosholt, perhaps the crown jewel of the three fighter acquisitions by the WEC, is a middleweight fighter with a 4-0 record. The 25-year old was a three-time NCAA champion at OSU and was also a four-time NCAA All-American. He was recruited out of high school after winning three State championships.

The charismatic Hendricks is 3-0 in his young career as a professional mixed martial artist. The 24-year old welterweight was a two-time NCAA champion and a four-time All-American at OSU. He is also a former three-time Big 12 conference champion as well as a three-time State champion while in high school.

Roller, the oldest member of Team Takedown at 27, is 3-1 as a pro lightweight. While at OSU, he was a three-time NCAA All-American and a former Big 12 conference champion. He was a four-time High School State champion.

Debut dates for the trio of fighters have not been set. Although information pertaining to their first fights for the WEC could be made available within the next several days. The WEC’s next event will be held on Aug. 3 in Las Vegas and will be followed by an event on Sept. 10, most likely to be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Rosholt will likely become an instant contender for the WEC middleweight title that is currently held by Paulo Filho. Meanwhile, after several wins, both Hendricks and Roller could become title contenders in their respective weight classes as well.

In other Team Takedown-related news, Rosholt and Hendricks are scheduled to be featured on the VERSUS MMA-themed reality television show “TapouT” on Aug. 20.

(Pictured: Jake Rosholt)

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MMA Junkie has learned the recipients of the traditional UFC Fight Night bonuses.

• Forrest Griffin and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson each earned a $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus for their 5 round war
• Melvin Guillard received $60,000 for “Knockout of the Night” after his 1st round KO over Dennis Siver. (Guillard’s KO was also the only (T)KO of the night)
• Cole Miller earned “Submission of the Night” and $60,000 for his 3rd round triangle choke over Jorge Gurgel.

Congratulations to the winners. It’s hard to argue with any of the choices.

Read more UFC 86 content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

But before I hit the sack, I just wanted to ask if I was the only one out there who scored today’s main event 49-46 in favor of Quinton Jackson?

I thought it was an amazing fight and that Forrest Griffin fought the best fight of his career. A lot of the rounds were extremely close, but I felt that Jackson stole rounds three and four because he landed more power shots.

The kicks landed by Griffin took their toll and scored points, but at the end of the day, I think a power shot to the face is worth more. Forrest’s head jilted back on several occasions and Jackson not only cut him, but opened up the cut further.

I scored the first round 10-9 Jackson (I was about to give it to Forrest until the knockdown); the second round 10-9 Griffin (I need to re-watch the round though because I almost felt like it might have been a 10-8 round in favor of Griffin); round 3 I had 10-9 in favor of Jackson (it was a tough call though); round 4 was again 10-9 Jackson; and the final round I had 10-9 Jackson.

I will re-watch the fight tomorrow. Maybe I am completely wrong. There’s a reason why I’m a writer/fan and not a judge. I just wanted to see if there is anyone else out there who scored the fight the same way I did.

CLICK HERE for more UFC 86-related content from 5 Oz of Pain!

I know a little about Rosholt having written a feature about him and his Team Takedown teammates for FIGHT! several months back. And I have to concur with said columnist/show host’s opinion. Just a few days after that conversation took place, our friends at RawVegas.tv released a video featuring Rosholt working with top jiu jitsu instructor Marc Laimon.

Incidentally, one of Rosholt’s teammates, Eric Bradley, will be making his EliteXC debut this Saturday vs. Mikey Gomez on the undercard for “Street Certified.” The bout will be available on ProElite.com at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s a look at Rosholt:

Finalized for the Feb. 15 card are bouts involving Masters of the Cage light heavyweight champion Jake Rosholt and former Oklahoma State University standout Johny Hendricks.

Rosholt is signed to fight Chad Jay while Hendricks is slated to face off against Blake McDaniel.

So far, HDNet Fights has yet to formally announce fights for the card but matchmaker Guy Mezger had previously indicated that Rosholt would in fact be fighting for the promotion in February.

In addition to Rosholt and Hendricks, there’s also a possibility that Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Frank Trigg could have a rematch stemming from their ICON Sport bout from 2006 in which Trigg defeated Miller via TKO at 2:53 of round two.

Both Trigg and Miller won their respective bouts during the most recent HDNet Fights card on Dec. 15.

Here are the official results for Team Takedown:

- MOTC light heavyweight champion Jake Rosholt defeated Christopher Clark at 4:07 of round 2. Rosholt is now 2-0.

- Eric Bradley lost to James Head at 1:47 of round 2 via TKO. Bradley’s record is now 1-1.

- Johny Hendricks was successful in his pro debut, winning via TKO at 1:54 of round 3 against Victor Rackliff.

- Shane Roller suffered an upset in his pro debut, losing to Jake Pruitt via TKO at 2:15 of round 3.

Official results for fights involving non-Team Takedown fighters:

- IFL veteran Wayne Cole defeated Heath Johnson via TKO at 1:00 of round 1.

- Cody Senseney submitted Warren Walker at 0:55 of round 1.

- Tim Estes won via TKO against Marcus Lanier at 1:45 of round 1.

- Cole Province submitted Aaron Williams at 3:20 of round 4.

- Former NCAA wrestling standout Paul Bradley defeated Mike Van Meer at 3:58 of round 1.

- Jared Hess defeated Dominic Brown via TKO at 2:37 of round 1.

Additional notes:

- The official attendance was 1,652.

- UFC referee John McCarthy served as the guest referee on the card.

- Eric Bradley and Shane Roller both received medical suspensions through Oct. 28.

One of their prospects – two-time NCAA champion Johny Hendricks, from Oklahoma State – is about to get his first test this Friday. Though he’s been wrestling almost since he could walk, Hendricks has only been training in MMA for three months. Fortunately for him, those three months were spent at Randy Couture’s Las Vegas gym – just one of the perks of signing with Team Takedown.

“It’s great,” said Hendricks. “I wake up every day, train hard for three hours, and then I go home and rest. Later I come back and train again, and I don’t have to worry about anything besides training and getting better…Everything’s been like sunshine.”

It’s an advantage that most up-and-coming MMA fighters don’t get. In a world where even some experienced fighters have to work full-time jobs just to get by, Team Takedown’s model is a new way of building MMA stars.

But the big question is, will their substantial investment in these young fighters pay off?

At the moment, they don’t seem to be in a big hurry to turn a profit. Hendricks is starting his MMA career in Oklahoma City’s “Masters of the Cage” organization, facing off against jiu-jitsu fighter Victor Ratcliff (2-0). Despite his wrestling experience, he says he is well aware that the big time is still a long way off.

“I need more fight time before I can get in there with guys at the level of the UFC or IFL or Bodog,” said Hendricks. “I need that time to figure out what kind of fighter I am, what I need to work on. Right now I don’t know what kind of fighter I am.”

Hendricks’ move marks a larger trend in MMA. After the recent success of wrestlers like Josh Koscheck and Matt Hamill, more NCAA champions have to be considering a move to professional fighting instead of vying for one of the precious few spots on an Olympic squad.

But just because a few wrestlers have made the transition, doesn’t mean it will necessarily work for others. In Hendricks’ case, he’s fighting not only to further his own career, but he has the expectations of his management team – created by businessmen Ted and Doug Ehrhardt, along with Tim McBride – to shoulder as well, though he claims he isn’t feeling that pressure just yet.

“I put enough pressure on myself. Anything I do I want to win, want to be the best at. The way I look at it is basically like a scholarship. I want to do well for them, but I always want to do well. I’m just focusing on doing what I need to do to get my hand raised.”

What he needs to do obviously involves learning the other facets of MMA that his wrestling background might not have prepared him for.

“I train a lot of jiu-jitsu. That’s been my main focus. I’ve been working tons of jiu-jitsu. I haven’t even taken a shot for a long time. I’ve just been focusing on my striking and jiu-jitsu.

“I’m focusing really hard on my ground-and-pound skills, working on transferring from position to position, and working on hitting people from wherever I’m at. Wherever the fight goes I want to be ready, but I know I’m probably going to do what I do best and that’s wrestling.”

Friday’s bout could mark the first phase of a major sea-change in MMA. If Team Takedown proves successful in their bid to turn wrestlers into fighters, there’s no telling who might follow their lead.

Before anyone can call them geniuses, though, their fighters have to prove the validity of their vision in the ring. Hendricks will get his chance in Oklahoma City, along with teammates Jake Rosholt, Shane Roller, and Eric Bradley. Whether or not they help change the sport of MMA, these wrestlers turned fighters are worth keeping an eye on.

Note: For those interested, Friday’s bouts can be seen on the web via pay-per-view at watchthisfight.com.

Ben Fowlkes is the editor of the IFL’s official website and is a special contributor to CBSSports.com. Ben also maintains his own blog, The Fighting Life.

Roller, who trains out of Guy Mezger’s Lions Den affiliate in Dallas, is scheduled to face Jake Pruitt in a 155 lbs. bout.

Meanwhile, Hendricks, who trains with Team Takedown teammates Jake Rosholt and Eric Bradley in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture, will be fighting Victor Ratcliff in a match scheduled for 170 lbs.

In addition to the pro debuts of Roller and Hendricks, the 11-fight Masters of the Cage XVI card is also expected to feature Bradley and Rosholt along with several other former amateur wrestling standouts.

Bradley and Rosholt made their debuts last month on a Masters of the Cage Card with Bradley defeating Troy Allison in the first round and Rosholt winning the MOTC light heavyweight title with a first round defeat of Dusty “Dream Killer” Miller.

Hendricks was an NCAA Division I champion at 165 pounds in 2005 and 2006 while competing for Oklahoma State.

He is a member of Team Takedown, which is a fight team started with the intent of helping standout wrestlers from the collegiate ranks convert to MMA.

Other members of Team Takedown include fellow OSU alums Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller along with former Penn State wrestler Eric Bradley.

Hendricks, Rosholt, and Bradley all train with Randy Couture at Xtreme Couture in Vegas while Roller is currently training with Guy Mezger at the Lions Den locations in Dallas.

Both Rosholt and Bradley made their debuts on July 21 at a Masters of the Cage event in Oklahoma. Rosholt submitted Dusty Miller at 3:40 of the first round while Bradley tapped Troy Allison at 2:41 of the first.

Bradley is also signed to EliteXC and will be fighting on a future card.