According to records released to FiveOuncesOfPain.com, topping the list as the highest paid fighter was heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez who earned a total of $60,000 for his second round TKO victory over UFC newcomer Denis Stojnic. Velasquez had a guarantee of $15,000 which was supplemented by another $15,000 in the form of a win bonus. He also earned another $30,000 in the form of a “Knockout of the Night” bonus.

Stojnic received a paltry $5,000 for his efforts which would have been supplemented by another $5,000 if he would have been victorious.

Joe Lauzon was next on the list as he earned a total of $50,000 for his second round submission victory over Jeremy Stephens. Lauzon received a $10,000 guarantee plus a $10,000 win bonus. He also received another $30,000 in the form of a “Submission of the Night” bonus.

Complete salary lists are listed below but please keep in mind as a disclaimer that the published figures do not include any undisclosed totals such as signing bonuses, locker room bonuses, sponsorship earnings, and any other forms of compensation to fighters that are not disclosed to the commission as a matter of public record.

1. Cain Velasquez: $60,000 ($15,000 to show plus $15,000 to win: and $30,000 for “Knockout of the Night”)

2. Joe Lauzon: $50,000 ($10,000 to show plus $10,000 to win: and $30,000 for “Submission of the Night”)

3. Josh Neer: $48,000 ($9,000 to show plus $9,000 to win: and $30,000 for “Fight of the Night”)

4. Mac Danzig: $45,000 ($15,000 to show: and $30,000 for “Fight of the Night”; would have earned an additional $15,000 had he won)

5. Kurt Pellegrino: $32,000 ($16,000 to show plus $16,000 to win)

6. Anthony Johnson: $26,000 ($13,000 to show and $13,000 to win)

7. Gleison Tibau: $26,000 ($13,000 to show plus $13,000 to win)

8. Rich Clementi: $23,000 (would have earned an additional $23,000 had he won)

9. Dan Miller: $18,000 ($9,000 to show and $9,000 to win)

10. Matthew Riddle: $16,000 ($8,000 to show and $8,000 to win)

11. Luigi Fioravanti: $13,000 (would have earned an additional $13,000 had he won)

12. Jake Rosholt: $13,000 (would have earned an additional $13,000 had he won)

13. Rob Emerson: $10,000 (would have earned an additional $10,000 had he won)

14. Jeremy Stephens: $10,000 (would have earned an additional $10,000 had he won)

15. Steve Bruno: $7,000 (would have earned an additional $7,000 had he won)

16. Matt Grice: $7,000 (would have earned an additional $7,000 had he won)

17. Nick Catone: $6,000 ($3,000 to show and $3,000 to win)

18. Matt Veach: $6,000 ($3,000 to show and $3,000 to win)

19. Denis Stojnic: $5,000 (would have earned an additional $5,000 had he won)

20. Derek Downey: $3,000 (would have earned an additional $3,000 had he won)

The disclosed fighter payout for this event is $424,000.

According to records obtained by FiveOuncesOfPain.com from the commission, Denis Stojnic, Luigi Fioravanti, Matt Grice, and Derek Downey have all been suspended as a result of injuries sustained during the event.

Stojnic, who suffered a second round TKO loss to Cain Velasquez, was suspended for 30 days.

In addition to being released by the UFC after the event, Fioravanti who has since was also suspended for 30 days following his first round TKO loss to Anthony Johnson.

Grice received a 30-day suspension following his first round TKO loss to Matt Veach.

It was also a rough debut for Downey. In addition to lossing to Nick Catone via second round submission, the kickboxing standout was released by the UFC and also received a 30-day medical suspension.

Patience is for the viewer at home. Unlike a pay-per-view show, the network carrying the event – in this case, Spike TV – is obligated to hit a specific number of commercial breaks for various reasons. Remember, it’s a business, but for that reason alone, the viewer can often get frustrated due to the slower-paced nature of the telecast.

And while those watching shows such as UFC Fight Night 17 require a bit of patience (insert Axl Rose chiming in, “Yeahhhh, yeah….); those producing them also need a little bit of luck.

Luck, as in good, quality fights. Fortunately, UFC Fight Night 17 delivered in this area, which is the main reason why the telecast as a whole was a success.

PACING -

Because a commercial broadcast such as this one faces the challenge of having to hit so many commercial breaks, I’d personally like to see a major change made in the beginning of the broadcast.

It’s a change I’ve also suggested in my “Putting The ‘Fix’ in Affliction” article – shameless plug – but one I’d really like to see, especially for shows airing on commercial television.

Start the show with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan quickly introducing themselves on camera. Next, have Goldberg toss it to the referee inside of the octagon, who then asks if the fighters are ready. Then, within the first 30 to 45 seconds of the telecast, your first fight begins. If both fighters survive the first round, use the time between rounds to do another introduction and quick preview of the night before getting back to round two.

Of course, this may be wishful thinking, but consider this – it took nearly 15 minutes of the telecast before the first fight of the night began (Anthony Johnson def. Luigi Fioravanti by TKO, round one). It took 34 minutes before the second fight began (Josh Neer def. Mac Danzig by submission, round two); and one hour, six minutes in before the third fight began (Cain Velasquez def. Denis Stojnic by TKO, round one).

Again, business is business and commercials pay the bills, but adjusting the way the top of the show is formatted instantly gives the viewers what they tuned in to see: a fight.

Having said that, Spike TV delivered six entertaining fights (four live, two on tape) to those watching at home. Three of those fights ended in the first round – with the other three ending in the second round.

The only true gripe I had in the pacing department was when Rogan had to take a few minutes to conduct an interview with DEA agent Brian Doyle, who was promoting season two of Spike TV’s “DEA” show. While the reasoning for my gripe was obvious – it has nothing to do with the UFC or mixed martial arts – I must admit, the show actually looks pretty good in a “Cops” kind of way. And if they pulled me in, I imagine they did so with some other viewers, which means that I should just keep my mouth shut and let those at Spike TV do their job.

ANNOUNCING -

Goldberg and Rogan turned in their usual, solid effort last night. But I believe that one particular sequence is worth pointing out.

I’ve always thought of Goldberg as a solid blow-by-blow man, as long as he avoids doing two things: 1) getting overly hyped about a fight, and 2) forgetting that he is not the analyst and that Rogan is.

Both Goldberg and Rogan train in the sport of mixed martial arts. For an analyst like Rogan, it not only makes him more knowledgeable of the sport, but also brings him more credibility with both the viewers and the fighters.

The same goes for Goldberg. Yet, every once in a while, I find Goldberg crossing over the line from blow-by-blow man to analyst. Simply put, his job is to call the shots and let Rogan describe the technicalities of the sport.

However, there are times when Goldberg actually needs to play the analyst role – and while those opportunities are rare, he excelled in it last night and deserves credit for it.

After Neer submitted Danzig with a triangle choke, Spike TV went to a commercial break. When they came back from break, a replay of Neer’s successful submission attempt was shown, with Goldberg – not Rogan – breaking down how Neer successfully applied the choke.

Why was Goldberg doing this opposed to Rogan? Because Rogan was already inside of the octagon with Neer, waiting to conduct his post-fight interview.

It’s not like Goldberg had writers feeding him scripted lines during the commercial break on what happened. And it’s unlikely Rogan had time to discuss the replay with Goldberg before heading into the octagon. So clearly, the producers were confident that Goldberg was able to break down the submission alone, which he did quite smoothly. Good job by Goldberg, and a solid example of how he could display his knowledge of the sport without stepping on Rogan’s toes.

OVERALL PRODUCTION VALUE -

Personally, I think it’s time for the UFC to do an overhaul with their graphics packaging. The color scheme is boring and out-dated, and in addition, the use of graphics on a show like Fight Night 17 seems almost non-existent, beyond the Tale of the Tape and Round/Time Remaining ones.

Also on a negative tip, I have never understood the way the producers and writers have Goldberg set up the top of these shows.

At the beginning of the telecast, Goldberg and Rogan were wrapping up their preview of the night’s main event, Lauzon versus Stephens. Goldberg made a reference as to how the 155 pounders were taking center stage in the main event, which was followed by him saying, “But, some heavyweights will be showcased on a jam-packed card as well.”

The way Goldberg delivered that last line, you expected to segue to the only heavyweight fight of the night, Velasquez versus Stojnic.

Instead, Goldberg continued on, voicing over a quick preview of the Danzig – Neer, Velasquez – Stojnic and Fioravanti – Johnson fights. Which, in turn, made this segment sloppy, confusing and a failure in the flow department.

There were also some technical glitches as well – a rarity with live UFC cards. With about a minute left in round one of the Fioravanti – Johnson fight, there was a time clock glitch, which resulted in it going out for the remainder of the fight. There was also a similar looking glitch with the trunks graphic at the beginning of the Danzig – Neer fight as well. And finally, in continuing my nitpicking quest, there were some bad takes of shots towards the end of the show when they were showing Lauzon in his dressing room after his win.

Of course, as usual with UFC related telecasts, there were several positive notes. The production crew seemed to roll in a good replay of Johnson taking a low blow in what seemed like just a millisecond after it actually happened.

And, unlike Affliction Entertainment, the UFC’s production crew showed why they’re the best in the game when it comes to audio. You can always tell how knowledgeable a crowd is by the way they react during specific segments of fights.  When Danzig avoided danger and regained position in round two of his fight with Neer, viewers clearly heard the Tampa crowd cheering. Another example of the knowledgeable Tampa crowd was shown when they cheered Lauzon getting full mount on Stephens in the middle of round two. There was also great audio of Velasquez and his hammer fists nailing Stojnic, as well as the referee explaining his stoppage of the fight. During the Matt Veach - Matt Grice fight, excellent audio picked up Grice stating his case to the referee as to why the fight shouldn’t have been stopped – a notion that was also supported by Rogan.

THE FINAL WORD -

Overall, while a bit sloppy from a technical perspective at time – and disappointing in the graphics department – UFC Fight Night 17 was a very good, entertaining show to watch.

Goldberg and Rogan were on point, as was the production team when it came to replays and stellar audio. All of these aforementioned elements are critical in complimenting one another and telling the story of the fights – and until another promotion steps up their game and does it better, anytime you watch a televised UFC card, you’re watching the cream of the crop in the world of televised mixed martial arts.

The near-sold out event brought in a live gate of approximately $428,000.

The event marked the first time the UFC has ventured to Tampa and the Spike TV broadcast featured season five veteran of The Ultimate Fighter Joe Lauzon recording a second round submission over Jeremy Stephens during the night’s main event.

In all, the live crowd was treated to 10 total bouts including non-televised matchups featuring Florida-based fighters such as Steve Bruno, Luigi Fioravanti, and Gleison Tibau.

The event continued the trend of the UFC holding its “UFC Fight Night” series to larger venues outside of its home base of Las Vegas. In the past year, the company has brought UFNs to such markets as Broomfield, Colorado (6,742 attendees for a $753,429 gate); Omaha, Nebraska (7,000 fans and a $700,000 gate); and Fayetteville, North Carolina (approximately 8,500 attendees).

The eighteenth installment of UFC Fight Night is scheduled for April 1 in Nashville, Tennessee at the 20,000-seat Sommet Center. The event will be headlined by the UFC debut of former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit as he takes on Danish kickboxing standout Martin Kampmann. The event will be featured on Spike TV as a two hour broadcast and serve as a prelude to the premiere for the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

An aggressive Neer pushed the pace in his Spike TV televised bout against Danzig, the winner of the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Danzig absorbed a great deal of punishment while dishing out a fair share of his own. However, Neer’s relentless pace became too much and the veteran fighter submitted Danzig with a triangle choke at 3:36 of round 2. Both Neer and Danzig were awarded for their efforts with the “Fight of the Night” honor.

Velasquez, an undefeated heavyweight prospect who was a two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State, earned his 30K bonus by recording the “Knockout of the Night” bonus against newcomer Denis Stojnic. Instead of relying on his wrestling base, Velasquez worked his standup against the Golden Glory kickboxer and delivered a wide array of punches, elbows, and knees. The fight went to the ground in the second, where Stojnic was the recipient of a barrage of strikes. Determining that Stojnic was not intelligently defending himself, the referee called a stop to the match at 2:34 of round 2 and awarded Velasquez the TKO victory.

Lauzon competed in the night’s main event against Jeremy Stephens, a late injury replacement for Hermes Franca. The Massachusetts native and former TUF 5 castmember received the “Submission of the Night” award by finishing a game Stephens with an armbar at 4:43 of round 2.

Quick results are below…

MAIN CARD:

• Lightweight: Joe Lauzon def. Jeremy Stephens via submission (armbar) at 4:43 of round 2
• Heavyweight: Cain Velasquez def. Denis Stojnic via TKO (strikes) at 2:34 of round 2
• Lightweight: Josh Neer def. Mac Danzig via submission (triangle choke) at 3:36 round 2
• Welterweight: Anthony Johnson def. Luigi Fioravanti via TKO (strikes) at 4:39 of round 1

PRELIMINARY CARD:

• Lightweight: Kurt Pellegrino def. Rob Emerson via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:14 of round 2
• Middleweight: Dan Miller def. Jake Rosholt via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:03 of round 1
• Lightweight: Matt Veach def. Matt Grice via TKO (stikreS) at 4:35 of round 1
• Lightweight: Gleison Tibau def. Rich Clementi via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:35 of round 1
• Middleweight: Nick Catone def. Derek Downey via submission (keylock) at 1:13 of round 2
• Welterweight: Matthew Riddle def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision

Below is a photo gallery of the actual weigh-ins.

Lost in the media shuffle is tomorrow’s UFC Fight Night 17 event, which will emanate from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida while also being televised on Spike TV starting at 9 p.m. ET.

As far as “Fight Night” cards go, UFN 17 is solid with a quartet of young prospects being featured in televised matches. Viewers will be treated to fights featuring Joe Lauzon, Cain Velasquez, Anthony Johnson, and Mac Danzig.

Lauzon will be headlining the show against Jeremy Stephens, a late injury replacement for teammate Hermes Franca, who is out after tearing a ligament in his knee. Both Lauzon and Stephens are explosive and their styles should make for a very entertaining main event.

Below is a brief preview of the entire card…

Televised Main Card:

– Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens - Stephens is a very good athlete, has solid wrestling, and has the potential to be explosive. However, Lauzon has advantages when it comes to submissions, technical striking, and tactical fighting. I consider Lauzon to be a step above Stephens at this stage of their respective careers and am picking Lauzon to win via second round submission.

– Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic - A lot of people this this is a total squash in Velasquez’s favor, but Stojnic is a really good kickboxer who trains out of Golden Glory in Holland with the likes of Ernesto Hoost, Gegard Mousasi, Gilbert Yvel, and Marloes Coenen. Velasquez better not mess around here and better get the fight to the floor ASAP. I think he will fight a smart fight and take Stojnic down with ease and pound out a first round TKO.

– Anthony Johnson vs. Luigi Fioravanti - Johnson is great at dishing out punishment and Fioravanti is good at taking it. I see Johnson landing a couple of highlight reel punch combinations and kicks and Fioravanti treading water until the third round when Johnson puts him away with a third round TKO.

– Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer - Neer’s recent legal troubles are well documented and I have to wonder how much of a distraction it was during his training. If all things were equal, I’d say that Neer has a chance to pull off an upset but being that they are not, I expect Danzig to win via second round TKO.

Non-Televised Preliminary Card:

– Jake Rosholt vs. Dan Miller – I am a huge Rosholt fan but this is a terrible matchup for him. Rosholt’s standup technique is lacking and his submission defense is a mystery right now. We know Rosholt can hit hard and word is that his submission offense is very advanced for someone at such an early stage in their career. However, Miller is technical and slick on the ground and much more experienced on the feet. I believe we’ll see Rosholt physically dominait Miller for two and a half round before Miller pulls off a submission off his back.

– Rich Clementi vs. Gleison Tibau - Tibau is bigger, stronger, and may have better pure jiu-jitsu. Hiwever, Clementi is more experienced and may have better jiu-jitsu for MMA. I see the fight going the distance and I expect Clementi to find a way to win a split decision despite not being as physically gifted as Tibau.

– Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson - Emerson has won his last two fights and is coming off an impressive first round knockout over Manny Gamburyan at UFC 87. However, I think Pellegrino’s standup is good enough to allow him to hang with Emerson long enough to get it to the ground. Once on the floor, Pellegrino will smash Emerson en route to a second round submission.

– Matt Grice vs. Matt Veach - Grice is a really good wrestler but he needs to be careful because Veach is reallty dangerous with his submissions. I expect Grice to keep the fight standing and end up recording a second round TKO.

– Nick Catone vs. Derek Downey - I expect Catone to rely on his solid wrestling skills to control this fight and record a second round TKO due to ground and pound.

– Steve Bruno vs. Matt Riddle - Riddle has been through a lot of changes in his camp recently and remains very young and inexperienced. He’s the better athlete of the two and will have a sizable strength advantage. However, he hasn’t fought in awhile and this will be his first full cut to welterweight. I see Riddle dominating the fight but making a mistake late in the third with Bruno rallying to win by submission in the third.

Upon graduation, Velasquez went on to wrestle for Iowa Central Community College where he won the NJCAA National Championship in the heavyweight division. After one year at Iowa Central, Velasquez transferred schools and continued with his success in wrestling, this time for the prestigious Arizona State University wrestling team. While with ASU, the imposing heavyweight obtained All-America honors, a Pac-10 title, went on a 21 match win streak and was named the 2005 Pac-10 Conference Wrestler of the Year.

The transition to the fighting world of mixed martial arts was a natural one for Velasquez. He made his successful debut at a Strikeforce event in October of 2007, knocking out Jesse Fujarczyk in the very first round. Ending all of his fights on his own terms, Velasquez has yet to be pushed out of the opening round.

Known as a cardio machine and a monster in the gym, Velasquez has quickly garnered the respect of his peers, many of the top fighters in the game. Even before Velasquez had stepped into the octagon for the first time, people were talking. There were many that were saying then, and are saying now, that the twenty six year old prospect has the potential to become the future of the heavyweight division. Those are some pretty high expectations for a fighter entering his fifth professional bout to have hanging over his head but Velasquez told FiveOuncesOfPain.com in an exclusive interview that he’s not sweating what other people expect from him. According to Valasquez, actions speak louder than words in the cage.

“I’m just doing my thing,” said Velasquez. “Regardless of what people say about me, I’m going to have to go out there and prove it. People can say all that they want but I’m going to have to go out there and make all of those statements true.”

He will have another opportunity to prove that he is the real deal on Saturday night when he faces off with Golden Glory striker, Denis Stojnic, at UFC Fight Night 17. Everything has gone according to plan with Velasquez’ training and he is hungry to get in the octagon and let his fists do the talking.

“I’m feeling really good right now,” said Velasquez. “All of my training is done so I’m ready to get in there and fight and get this over with.”

Training with one of the best camps in the business has left Velasquez overflowing with confidence entering his third trip into the octagon. American Kickboxing Academy has been the home to many of the UFC’s top fighters over the years and the gym has no shortage of big men for Velasquez to work with.

“I have been training a lot with Paul Buentello, Mike Kyle and Kyle Kingsbury to get ready for this one,” said Velasquez. “I’ve also been training a lot with Christian Wellisch, who’s fought Jake O’Brien on Saturday, and of course all of the rest of the guys at AKA.”

“I’ve really been focusing on my entire game for this fight. He likes to come forward so I want to use my footwork and look for openings when he comes in.”

Facing a fighter that is making his debut in the octagon often presents problems for fighters and coaches looking to obtain valuable video tape on their opponent and the fact that Stojnic has spent the bulk of his career competing in Eastern Europe and Holland makes the task no easier for Velasquez and his camp. Luckily for Velasquez he was able to utilize this glorious thing we call the internet to do the homework that had to be done.

“There’s a couple of his fights that I have seen of his on YouTube so I have been able to study him a little,” said Velasquez. “I’ve seen two of his fights and some of his training sessions. He’s an aggressive fighter and I’m an aggressive fighter so I think that it’s going to be a great fight. I think we match up well.”

Velasquez makes no bones about his intentions in his upcoming fight with Stojnic. His intentions are bad.

“The perfect ending to this fight would be the TKO or knockout, for sure,” said Velasquez. “A submission would be good too, I just want to finish him.”

Finishing his opponents has been something that Velasquez has shown a natural ability to do so far in his career. Four minutes is the longest any of his opponents have managed to last up until this point in his career.

“It just kind of happens,” said Velasquez. “I don’t like to force anything but of course, I like to end my fights with punches. I don’t really like to end fights with submissions but if it’s there I’ll take it.”

The stoppages may come easy to Velasquez but that doesn’t mean for a second that he wants to leave his fate in the hands of the judges anytime soon. The role of a finisher in the UFC’s heavyweight division suits Velasquez just fine.

“It’s important to me that I finish my fights,” said Velasquez. “It just goes along with my style of fighting. I’m aggressive and it will be exciting when I fight, for sure. It will not be a boring fight.”

The ASU stand out feels like the transition to MMA for top level wrestler’s such as himself is a natural progression. The experience with the type of grueling training that mixed martial artists must expose themselves to makes the crossover that much easier for life long athletes like Velasquez.

“I think that anyone that has wrestled at a high level will have an advantage when making the transition to mixed martial arts,” explained Velasquez. “Just because of the mentality that goes into training for wrestling and how we translate that to MMA. The mentality is very high paced and the practices for wrestling are very high paced so it makes the transition to MMA easy.”

“The transition from wrestling to MMA has been fairly easy for me. Just building all the jiu-jitsu and kickboxing around my wrestling, it has been easy.”

With all of the high expectations that have been placed on Velasquez at this early point in his career, the rising star knows to keep his feet on the ground and to take things one fight at a time. The title shot will come eventually, but there’s no need to rush things.

“I think the more fights I get under my belt before I challenge for the title, the better,” said Velasquez. “I’m not really sure how many more.”

“I do feel really comfortable out there in the cage but I think that the more fights I have, the better off I would be. Just for me to feel really super comfortable in there and have a lot of experience in the cage before that big fight comes along.”

As a Mexican American in the UFC, Velasquez is in a unique position to grab the attention of an enormous market in the sport. Known for their undying loyalty to their native boxers throughout the years, Mexican Americans have historically been tremendous fans of the fight game. Being one of the representatives for his race in the worlds fastest growing sport is a position that Velasquez considers himself honored to be in.

“It’s a great feeling that people would look at me in that way and to be a representative,” said Velasquez. “There has always been a lot of interest in the Mexican boxers. The Mexican boxers have always been in the high rankings, especially in the lighter weights. I think it’s a great feeling for me to be in that position and to show everybody what I have.”

What better fighter to potentially capture the attention of a large audience that may be unfamiliar with the sport than Velasquez? The talented Mexican American sums up what he stands for with the writing on his chest, “Brown Pride”.

“My tattoo is a symbol for the pride that I have in my heritage. It just stands for Mexican pride, being proud of who I am. It’s not gang related or anything like that, it’s just being proud of where I come from.”

Velasquez may very well be the future of the heavyweight division but only time and combat will tell. “The future” or not, Velasquez promises to be one to watch for years to come in the increasingly top level athlete dominated world of mixed martial arts.

“I’m going to keep my fights exciting,” said Velasquez. “I’m going to build my way up to the top. I’m going to climb the ladder, for sure.”

“My ultimate goal is to become the UFC heavyweight champion, that’s it. People talk about all the hype surrounding me but I have to go out there and prove it and that’s what I’m here to do.”

“I want to thank my team, Team AKA and all of my coaches. Also, I want to thank my manager, DeWayne Zinkin at Zinkin Entertainment.”

In this case Amir Sadollah’s misfortune has turned into Anthony Johnson’s and Luigi Fiorvanti’s good fortune. With Sadollah once again forced to withdraw from a scheduled fight with UFC newcomer Nick Catone, the UFC has promoted a the welterweight clash between Johnson and Fioravanti to the main card of this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 17 telecast on Spike TV.

MMAJunkie was the first to report the addition of the bout to the main card.

Johnson is coming off an impressive knockout victory over Kevin Burns at the live finale for the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Johnson was able to extract a measure of revenge on Burns, who month’s earlier was awarded a very controversial victory following an illegal eye poke that went unseen by referee Steve Mazzagatti.

Fioravanti is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Brodie Farber at December’s “Fight For The Troops” special. The former Marine is 2-1 in his last three fights and has displayed a strong chin during his UFC career.

Sadollah is not the only fighter who has been forced to withdraw from a UFN 17 due to injury. Hermes Franca had been scheduled to fight Joe Lauzon during the show’s main event but suffered a torn ACL while training and has since been replaced by Jeremy Stephens. Additionally, TUF 6 veteran George Sotiropoulos and middleweight Alessio Sakara also suffered injuries and were scratched as well.

Downey replaces season seven middleweight winner from The Ultimate Fighter Amir Sadollah.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the possible Downey signing on Tuesday afternoon and MMAjunkie.com was the first to confirm the news.

Downey, a native of Orem, Utah, trains under Jeremy Horn and holds a 10-3 record as a pro. He has tried out for the last two seasons of The Ultimate Fighter but now finds himself in the UFC after winning three consecutive fights and four out of his last fight.

He will debut against fellow newcomer Catone, a New Jersey-based fighter who is a former USKBA middleweight champion. Catone is 5-0 after turning pro in 2007 and has competed primarily for Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat. A standout wrestler, Catone holds notable wins against Eric Tavares and current UFC fighter John Howard.

UFN 17 will emanate from USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. As of now, the complete lineup is as follows:

Televised Main Card -

• Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic
• Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer
• Nick Catone vs. Derek Downey

Preliminary Bouts -

• Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson
• Jake Rosholt vs. Dan Miller
• Matt Grice vs. George Sotiropoulos
• Rich Clementi vs. Gleison Tibau
• Anthony Johnson vs. Luigi Fioravanti
• Steve Bruno vs. Matt Riddle

MMAjunkie.com was the first to break the news with the story since having been confirmed by the UFC’s official website.

Stephens is also slated to fight season eight lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter Efrain Escudero on April 1 during UFC Fight Night 18. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that if Stephens makes it out of UFN 17 in relative good health, he will fight as scheduled at UFN 18 against Escudero.

The 22-year old Stephens is 14-3 overall and holds a lifetime record of 3-2 in the UFC. Stephens’ most recent bout was a victory over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 91 this past November. The Des Moines, Iowa native registered one of the most impressive knockouts of the year when he finished dos Anjos at 0:39 of round 3 when he landed a massive uppercut from an extended distance.

Lauzon is veteran from the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter and holds a career record of 17-3. Inside of the Octagon, he is 4-1 with notable wins over Jens Pulver, Jason Reinhardt, and Brandon Melendez. His most recent victory occurred at UFC Fight Night 15 in September, where he TKO’d Kyle Bradley at 1:34 of round 2.

UFN 17 will emanate from USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. As of now, the complete lineup is as follows:

Televised Main Card -

• Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic
• Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer
• Nick Catone vs. TBA

Preliminary Bouts -

• Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson
• Jake Rosholt vs. Dan Miller
• Matt Grice vs. George Sotiropoulos
• Rich Clementi vs. Gleison Tibau
• Anthony Johnson vs. Luigi Fioravanti
• Steve Bruno vs. Matt Riddle

The website MMA Weekly first reported Wednesday night that Miller has been tapped to replace Sakara as the opponent for former NCAA champion Jake Rosholt during the former’s UFC debut on Feb. 7 at UFC Fight Night 17. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has since confirmed the news with sources close to the bout.

Miller is the brother of UFC lightweight Jim Miller and trains out of the AMA Fight Club in New Jersey. A veteran of 11 professional fights, he is 10-1 overall and 2-0 in the UFC. After winning his Octagon debut against Rob Kimmons at UFC Fight Night 15 this past September, Miller returned to fight a little over a month alter at UFC 90, where he won a unanimous decision over Matt Horwich.

The fight will serve as Rosholt’s first in the UFC in light of sibling promotion World Extreme Cagefighting disbanding its middleweight and light heavyweight divisions following its WEC 37 event on December 3.

Rosholt, 5-0, graduated from Oklahoma State University, where he won the 184-pound NCAA title in 2003 and the 197-pound title in 2005 and 2006. Additionally, he was a four-time All-American and a Big 12 conference champion in 2004 while attending OSU.

After making his pro MMA debut in 2007, Rosholt quickly amassed a 4-0 record before signing a multi-fight agreement with the WEC. Making his debut at WEC 36 on Nov. 5, Rosholt improved to 5-0 with a second round TKO over the previously undefeated Nissen Osterneck.

Sakara, a former professional boxer in Italy who currently trains MMA with Florida’s American Top Team, was forced to pull out of the previously agreed to bout due to an undisclosed injury.

UFN 17 will emanate from the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome in Tampa with the current card reported to be the following:

• Joe Lauzon vs. Hermes Franca
• Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer
• Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone
• Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic
• Anthony Johnson vs. Luigi Fioravanti
• Jake Rosholt vs. Dan Miller
  
• Rich Clementi vs. Gleison Tibau
• Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson
• Matt Riddle vs. Steve Bruno
• Matt Grice vs. George Sotiropoulos

“Josh will be fighting Mac Danzig February 7th in the co-main event in Tampa as scheduled,” reads a statement by KO Dynasty Sports Management CEO Mickey Dubberly, who represents Neer. “Josh has been training very hard for this fight, and is looking forward to putting on a great fight for the UFC and fans. Josh would like to once again thank his family, fans, friends, training partners, UFC, and everyone that has supported him thru his career.”

Neer’s involvement in the fight had been called into question following a New Year’s Day in Des Moines, Iowa arrest on charges of driving under the influence and eluding police.

The UFC has yet to issue an official statement.

UFN 17 will emanate from the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome in Tampa with the current card reported to be the following:

• Joe Lauzon vs. Hermes Franca
• Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer
• Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone
• Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic
• Anthony Johnson vs. Luigi Fioravanti
• Jake Rosholt vs. Alessio Sakara
• Rich Clementi vs. Gleison Tibau
• Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson
• Matt Riddle vs. Steve Bruno
• Matt Grice vs. George Sotiropoulos

Rosholt’s camp is believed to have agreed to the bout with Sakara expected to follow suit once he receives a formal bout agreement.

If the bout is finalized, the fight will mark Rosholt’s debut in the UFC in light of sibling promotion World Extreme Cagefighting disbanding its middleweight and light heavyweight divisions following its WEC 37 event on December 3.

Rosholt graduated from Oklahoma State University, where he won the 184-pound NCAA title in 2003 and the 197-pound title in 2005 and 2006. Additionally, he was a four-time All-American and a Big 12 conference champion in 2004 while attending OSU.

After making his pro MMA debut in 2007, Rosholt quickly amassed a 4-0 record before signing a multi-fight agreement with the WEC. Making his debut at WEC 36 on Nov. 5, Rosholt improved to 5-0 with a second round TKO over the previously undefeated Nissen Osterneck.

Sakara, a former light heavyweight competitor who currently trains out of American Top Team, is coming off a first round knockout at UFC Fight Night 15 back in September. Facing Joe Vedeop, Sakara finished the one-time Extreme Challenge fighter just 1:27 into the fight following a head kick.

UFN 17 is scheduled to air on Spike TV between 9-11 p.m. ET and will emanate from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Matchups for the show already officially announced include TUF 5 alum Joe Lauzon vs. former UFC lightweight title challenger Hermes Franca; TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer; TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah vs. UFC newcomer Nick Catone, and two-time NCAA All-American Cain Velasquez vs. UFC newcomer Denis “The Menace” Stojnic.

While not yet officially announced by the UFC, FiveOuncesOfPain.com was also the first to report that Gleison Tibau and Rich Clementi will be squaring off in a lightweight encounter.

Spike’s telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET and end approximately at 11 p.m. ET.

According to the announcement, the event will be headlined by former UFC lightweight title contender Hermes Franca taking on season five alum of The Ultimate Fighter reality television series, Joe Lauzon.

Additional matchups that have been officially announced include TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer, TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah vs. UFC newcomer Nick Catone, and two-time NCAA All-American Cain Velasquez vs. UFC newcomer Denis “The Menace” Stojnic.

While not formally announced yet by the UFC, FiveOuncesOfPain.com was also the first to officially report on Dec. 1 that a lightweight bout between Rich Clementi and Gleison Tibau is scheduled for the event.

Velasquez, 4-0, is set to face UFC newcomer Denis “The Menace” Stojnic in a bout expected to air during Spike TV’s two-hour telecast of the event.

Velasquez made his Octagon debt at UFC 83 this past April, where he recorded a first round TKO victory over Brad Morris. Then, in his second and most recent UFC bout, Velasquez recorded another first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 14 in July, this time over fellow wrestling standout Jake O’Brien.

A member of the American Kickboxing Academy, Velasquez has also competed for the Strikeforce and BodogFIGHT promotions. All of his four victories have come via first round TKO.

His opponent, Stojnic, hails from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the kickboxing standout has accumulated a 5-1 professional MMA record while competing on the European circuit.

The 28-year old is currently on a two-fight win streak following a unanimous decision loss to standout M-1 Challenge heavyweight Jessie Gibson in November of 2007.

Velasquez made the revelation during a recent video interview with Steve Cofield of ESPN Radio and Yahoo! Sports.

The former Arizona State University wrestler ackowledged that he is aware of the identity of his opponent for the show but that he would rather keep it a secret.

UFN 17 had originally been expected to take place at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas but MMAjunkie.com was the first to report that Tampa is now the most likely destination for the event. Thus far, reported matchups for the event include Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer, Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone, and Hermes Franca vs. Joe Lauzon.

Cofield also asked Velasquez to address last month’s controversy in which the UFC decided to momentarily release Jon Fitch from his contract after the promotion became involved in a dispute with Fitch’s trainers at the American Kickboxing Academy and management at Zinkin Entertainment.

Like Fitch, Velasquez is also represented by Zinkin and trains out of AKA. Despite reports that he could be a victim of the dispute, Velasquez referred the matter to his management.

“I just had my management take care of it,” Velasquez began to tell Cofield. “I’m here to fight. With stuff like that, managers take care of that. I just want to fight and train… I’m here to fight for the UFC.”

Velasquez made his debut for the promotion at UFC 83 this past April, where he recorded a first round TKO victory over Brad Morris. Then, in his second and most recent UFC bout, Velasquez recorded another first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 14 in July. Following the win over opponent Jake O’Brien, Velasquez’s UFC record improved to 2-0 with his overall MMA record improving to 4-0.

MMAjunkie.com was the first to report the news on Thursday.

Franca, 19-7, is coming off a victory last month against Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90 in Rosemont, Illinois. Both Franca and Aurelio went the distance in a battle for former American Top Team teammates with Franca being declared the victor via unanimous decision.

The native Brazilian’s lifetime record in the UFC is 6-4 and includes notable victories over Richard Crunkilton, Caol Uno, Jamie Varner, and Spencer Fisher. The former WEC featherweight champion also holds a career win over season five winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Nate Diaz.

Lauzon is also a TUF 5 alum and holds a career record of 17-3. Inside of the Octagon, he is 4-1 with notable wins over Jens Pulver, Jason Reinhardt, and Brandon Melendez. His most recent victory ocurred at UFC Fight Night 15 in September, where he TKO’d Kyle Bradley at 1:34 of round 2.

In addition to Franca vs. Lauzon, bouts for UFN 17 featuring Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone and Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer have been reported as well.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has also confirmed through a source close to Sadollah speaking on the condition of anonymity that the matchup has indeed been finalized.

Catone and Sadollah had been slated to compete against each other during the main card of UFC 91 earlier this month but the bout was canceled just days before the event due as a result of Sadollah suffering from an infection to his foot.

Both Sadollah and Catone have fighting roots on the East Coast with Sadollah having made a name for himself as an amateur while a part of Team Combat at the Combat Sports Center in Richmond, Virginia.

Meanwhile, Catone has fought for two major regional promotions on the East Coast and currently trains out of UFC middleweight Ricardo Almeida’s gym in New Jersey.

Sadollah had never fought pro before being selected to compete on the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he successfully defeated Gerald Harris, Matt Brown, and C.B. Dollaway (twice) en route to becoming the winner of the show’s middleweight tournament.

According to iGuillotine, the Feb. 7 event will take place at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas. A lightweight matchup between Mac Danzig and Josh Neer has also been reported for the show.