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

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.

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.

In a recent post on the Underground forum at MixedMartialArts.com, Franca revealed that he will be unable to fight Joe Lauzon during the night’s main event as scheduled due to a serious knee injury.

“To all my fans: unfortunately, I am not (going to) be able to fight UFC 17 in Tampa Florida,” Franca wrote. “I just tore my ACL on my right knee last Saturday. I think you  guys deserve to hear that from me.”

The UFC has yet to confirm Franca’s announcement to withdraw from the card and a replacement has yet to be named to fight Lauzon. In addition to Franca, FiveOuncesOfPain.com reported last week that middleweight Amir Sadollah was forced to pull out of his scheduled televised bout at UFN 17 against Nick Catone due to injury.

UFN 17 will be televised on Spike TV starting at 9 p.m. ET and will emanate from USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. As of now, the complete lineup is as follows:

Televised Main Card -

• Joe Lauzon vs. TBA
• 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

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the news from Johnson’s agent, Ken Pavia, early Saturday afternoon with the story first being reported by MMAjunkie.com. Five Ounces of Pain has since confirmed with Fioravanti that he has in fact agreed to the bout as well.

Johnson’s win over Burns last month not only improved his record to 6-2, but it avenged a controversial defeat to Burns last July in which Johnson was declared the loser via TKO in spite of an illegal eye poke.

Fioravanti, a former Marine, also fought in December, defeating Brodie Farber via unanimous decision during “UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fight for the Troops” in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The win improved Fioravanti’s overall record to 14-4 and his lifetime UFC record to 4-4.

UFN 17 will emanate from the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida 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 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.

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 confirmed the news on Tuesday morning after contacting a source close to the event who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

As of now, few details are known about the planned Spike TV special as a venue has yet to even be finalized.

The next UFC Fight Night, “UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fights for the Troops,” is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The event is being held to help raise contributions for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which is a charity dedicated to providing aid to veterans of the United States Armed Forces who are recovering from brain injuries.

UFN 16 will be a three-hour telecast and will feature Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet, and Matt Wiman vs. Frankie Edgar.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com will be on location to provide extensive coverage of the event.

Photo courtesy of Sherdog.com and photog Dave Mandel.

This is a post-fight ear picture, after Kimbo Slice punched in head-on and busted it wide open.  Don’t forget to vote in our Poll (left column of the site) regarding your opinion on James “Colossus” Thompson’s ghastly ear!

Originally the bouts were only scheduled to appear on ProElite.com but now it appears that both ProElite.com and CBSSports.com will be streaming the fights live at 7 p.m. ET.

The undercard bouts are as follows, starting at 7 p.m. ET on CBSSports.com and ProElite.com:

• Chris Liguori vs. Jim Bova
• Carlton Haselrig vs. Carlos Moreno
• Nick Serra vs. Matt Makowski
• Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins
• James “Binky” Jones vs. Calvin Kattar

A source first informed FiveOuncesOfPain.com of the news on Wednesday and we were able to confirm the news with Jones himself on Thursday evening.

Jones’ involvement with the show was first reported by the website FightTicker.com several weeks ago, however, his opponent wasn’t finalized until earlier this week.

Jones, a resident of the Baltimore area, has a substantial following in the Mid-Atlantic region and is a part of Team Ground Control and Team Rawdogg. Trained by John Rallo, Jones is 6-6 according to Sherdog.com’s fight finder. He’s currently on a two fight win streak and looked dominant in recent wins over Mark Getto during ShoXC’s Jan. 25 event and Al Buck during Ring of Combat 18 on March 7.

Both of Jones’ wins took place in Atlantic City and both ended by first round submissions via Kimura.

In addition to have fought for ShoXC and Ring of Combat, Jones has also competed for BodogFIGHT and was a draft finalist for the IFL during its tryouts in New York this past October.

Kattar, is 3-0 as a pro with all fights having been decided in the first round. The New Hampshire resident has a reputation for being a strong wrestler and a good brawler.

The current card for EliteXC “Primetime” on CBS is as follows:

Main Card:

• Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson
• Robbie Lalwer vs. Scott Smith for the EliteXC middleweight title
• Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young
• Phil Baroni vs. Joe Villasenor
• Jon Murphy vs. Brett Rogers (swing bout, time permitting)

Undercard:

• Nick Serra vs. Matt Makowski
• Carlton Haselrig vs. TBA
• Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins
• James “Binky” Jones vs. Calvin Kattar
• Chris Liguori vs. Jim Bova
• Zach Makovsky vs. Andre Soares
• Mike Groves vs. Joe Sampieri

The Fight Factory, started by head trainer Stephen Haigh, features both DREAM lightweight Grand Prix competitor Eddie Alvarez and female MMA champion Tara LaRosa. Two of the camp’s up and coming fighters, Zach Makovsky, a former Division I wrestler, and Mike Groves, an aggressive boxer and wrestler, will both be appearing on the undercard in separate fights.

Makovsky has signed on to fight against Andre “Giugeto” Soares of American Top Team in a 140 pound encounter. Soares is 5-1 according to Sherdog.com’s fight finder and is on a four fight win streak. He most recently fought on April 18 for Battle Cage Xtreme in Atlantic City, submitting Josh Spearman with a guillotine choke at 0:19 of round 1.

Prior to the win over Spearman, Soares last fought in September of 2006, submitting Matt McCabe with an armbar at 1:09 of round 1 while competing for the Combat in the Cage promotion.

Makovsky made his professional MMA debut just over a year ago, recording a split decision victory over Leandro Escobar at Extreme Challenge 75 on March 23. He then returned to action this past October on a Combat in the Cage show, where he recorded a unanimous decision victory over Emerson Souza.

Fighting five pounds above his normal competitive weight, Makovsky suffered his first career loss to Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Wilson Reis in a 140 pound catchweight encounter while making his ShoXC debut this past January in Atlantic City. In spite of the loss, he is still regarded as one of the top bantamweight prospects in the country.

Prior to MMA, Makovsky wrestled for four years at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he graduated 18th on the all-time win list with 72 collegiate victories. Makovsky has maintained his ties to Drexel, as he currently serves as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the wrestling team.

Groves, who has a strong local following in Philadelphia, made his pro debut this past October at a Combat in the Cage show, suffering a second round TKO at the hands of Pat McGreal.

He has signed on to fight lightweight fighter Joe Sampieri, the Muay Thai coach for Renzo Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York City. Despite his strong striking background, Sampieri is 0-2 in his MMA career according to both Sherdog.com’s Fight Finder and Full Contact Fighter’s database. Both losses took place in the IFL, with Sampieri suffering a unanimous decision loss last April to the promotion’s current lightweight champion, Ryan Schultz. He returned to the IFL ring in August, submitting to a rear naked choke by Jason Palacios at 3:21 of round 1.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was the first news outlet to report the additions of Matt Makowski vs. Nick Serra and Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins to EliteXC’s undercard for May 31. Both of those fights along with the Groves vs. Sampieri and Makovsky vs. Soares matchups will be broadcast free of charge on ProElite.com. Seven undercard fights in all are scheduled to be streamed.

Two other fighters expected to appear on the undercard in separate matchups include former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro offensive tackle Carlton Haselrig and Team Ground Control fighter James “Binky” Jones.

Photo courtesy of Zack Lynch of MMA Photography.