If there was one man on this planet best suited to give a thorough and experience driven analysis of the match-up, it would undoubtedly be fellow pioneer of the sport, Pat Miletich.

Aside from taking Matt Hughes under his wing and guiding the Illinois born and raised country boy to a pair of UFC welterweight championships before the pair split ways in 2007, “The Croatian Sensation” has the benefit of having been one of the last opponents for the forty-two year old Gracie to square off with (Miletich wound up on the losing end of a picture perfect guillotine choke at the hands of Renzo during the duo’s 2006 IFL meeting).

That’s why FiveOuncesofPain.com made it a point to catch up with Pat to gather his thoughts on the upcoming tussle between two of the greatest fighters in the modern history of mixed martial arts.

“I think the fight with Renzo can be a dangerous fight for Matt,” explained Miletich. “Renzo is much stronger than he looks. He has very good grip strength. Renzo has a really powerful grip, and of course he has really good submissions.”

Of course Pat knows from experience just how surprisingly lethal Renzo’s submission arsenal can be, but one thing to take note of is the founder of Miletich Fighting Systems’ utmost respect for Gracie in the stand up department.

“He didn’t do it with me very much, but with most of the other guys Renzo is more than willing to stand and trade with you,” said Miletich. “Matt’s not a guy that is the greatest boxer in the world. He does hit hard, but he’s not a super technical striker.”

In no surprise, Miletich seems to be expecting more of a chess match between a pair of “thinking man’s fighters”.

“I think there are some traps that Renzo might lay for him in that fight,” said Pat. “Renzo’s a smart guy and Matt’s a smart guy, so it’s a really cool match-up.”

Of course there’s the one sided beatdown that Hughes put on Royce Gracie not so long ago to consider, but Miletich believes that you shouldn’t read too much into that bout, explaining, “Renzo’s a totally different fighter than Royce. Renzo is, in my mind – no disrespect to Royce – five times the fighter Royce is.

“Quite frankly, Renzo doesn’t give a s*** who he fights. He’ll fight, because he’s a fighter. That’s just the way he is. With Renzo, you throw a name in front of him and he says, ‘Sure. I’ll fight him. No problem’. That’s just the way he is.”

While not going as far to offer up a prediction on the upcoming match-up between two men he has a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for, Miletich came as close as he would to making a pick during the conversation when pointing to one deciding factor that could pose the potential to be the deal sealer in the bout.

“I think Matt just needs to basically out-muscle Renzo and wear him out,” said Miletich in closing. “I know that Matt’s endurance will probably be better than Renzo’s, and that’s where the fight could be won.”

The 26-year-old Major—who moonlights as a fashion designer—boasts a professional record of 6-1, but says that his “actual record is closer to 20-1 when you include all the fights I’ve taken in clubs and in bars and in people’s basements.” He drew big buzz throughout the MMA world with his 2008 win over Carter in a fight that Sherdog.com described by noting that Major “outclassed a man with 14 times as many professional fights” under his belt.

“Matt has a unique and bigger-than-life persona, but below the personality is a 185 pounder who can really fight,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “If Matt focuses on our upcoming tournament, he’s a very dangerous draw for anyone at 185.”

Major says winning the Season 2 tournament and the chance for a title fight against Lombard is his singular goal now that he has signed with Bellator.

“The real question is: ‘Is Hector Lombard ready for Matt Major?’” Major said. “I’ll tell you right now, if Hector Lombard knows I’m in the tournament, I know he’s worried about it. I want to be a world champion more than anything and I don’t care who I have to fight or what I have to do to get there.”

Before that, though, Major will have to get through three fights in Bellator’s eight-man Season 2 middleweight tournament. Other tournament competitors announced thus far include Eric Schambari and Bryan “The Beast” Baker. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155, and 170 lbs. The winners in each division will be declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of champions. All 24 fights in Seasons 2 and 3 will be televised on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo.

Major says he has been “fascinated” by the fight game and martial arts “pretty much since the day I was born.”

“All I ever wanted to do was be the next Jean Claude Van Damme, the next Steven Segal, the next Bruce Lee,” he said. “And now I’m better than all of them. I knew since I was a little kid that I was going to be a great fighter.”

Major was born in Miami, but moved to New Jersey at the age of 8 to live with an aunt after both his mother and father passed away. In high school, he passed up the chance to compete on the school wrestling team, instead opting to take classes in fashion design and merchandising at the local community college. Later, he was accepted at the Art Institute of New York. He studied there and at several other art schools before switching his attention to MMA full-time in his early 20s.

“I’ve trained in every kind of combat you can imagine: I’ve done English boxing, American boxing, Aikido, judo, sword, wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, you name it,” he said. “If the fight ends up on the ground, someone’s gonna get tapped. If it stays standing up, someone’s gonna get hit in the mouth. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Major spent the better part of 2009 training at the famed American Kickboxing Academy is San Jose, Calif. He describes his contract with Bellator as “the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Bellator, I think, is the new face of MMA,” he said. “It’s just a very sophisticated organization and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

All signs are pointing in the right direction for the Team Quest standout; just don’t tell Anderson Siva’s manager Ed Soares that.

In a recent conversation with sportsnet.ca, Soares said this of Sonnen, “We are fine if this is what the UFC wants, but if you look at this logistically, Sonnen should fight Demian Maia first. Demian beat up easily, by submission, so why not make them fight first, to determine who gets a shot at the title?.”

In past interviews, Sonnen, never short on words, referred to himself as “the alpha male” in the middleweight division and said Siva knew who the real “bully” was. He’s also been quoted as saying Silva’s “fifteen minutes of fame” were up, and out of Silva or Belfort, Sonnen would prefer Anderson because it would be “an easier route” to the title.

“There’s not much to say about that,” stated Soares. “It’s funny, but really, who actually listens to what Chael Sonnen has to say? The only time people listen is when he talks about Anderson. Who is he, really? If you walk down the street and you mention his name, does anyone really know who this guy is? Likely not, but if you mention Anderson Silva, people know the name.”

Soares went on to say, “We’ve spoken with Chael on many occasions and have the utmost respect for him. He’s never really come across in this manner, and it’s obvious he’s just drumming up hype in hopes to get a bout with Anderson.”

Laughing, the Brazilian manager continued, “Chael’s also said a few things about Anderson’s choice of clothes and that he wears earrings, didn’t he? Sounds to us like he may have a crush on Anderson.”

As of now, only one thing is certain, Anderson Silva has to get by Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, before he starts thinking about Sonnen. The bout is scheduled for UFC 112 in April. The event will take place in Abu Dhabi and marks the first venture for the UFC in the Middle East.

American Kickboxing Academy’s Swick, who was submitted via D’Arce Choke in the second round of his bout against Paulo Thiago, must have his left elbow cleared by an orthopedic specialist in order to compete before August 6th with a minimum suspension from action running until March 24th. He is also prohibited from contact until March 9th.

Thiago’s Brazilian countryman, Maia, also found himself victorious on Saturday night although the win came courtesy of a unanimous decision over Dan Miller. However, during the contest he apparently suffered a cut to his left eyelid and must have the laceration treated by an ophthalmologist or ocular-plastics doctor if he has any desire to fight again during the next six months.

The complete list of suspensions is as follows:

Rolles Gracie – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Melvin Guillard – Needs a follow up ophthalmologic exam in one or two months; must be done before 03/26/10 and he must take a copy of his January 2010 examination.
Mac Danzig – Must have orthopedic clearance on possible left knee sprain or no contest until 8/6/10
Justin Buchholz – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Frank Trigg – Suspended until 3/24/10 (no contact until 3/9/10)
Demian Maia – Must have left vertical upper eyelid laceration cleared by an ophthalmologist or an ocular-plastics doctor or no contest until 08/06/10.
Dan Miller – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Mike Swick – Swick must have left elbow x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic Dr. or no contest until 8/6/10, minimum suspension no contest until 03/24/10 (no contact until 3/9/10)
Nate Marquardt – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Chael Sonnen – Suspended until 3/24/10 (no contact until 3/9/10 – lacerations on forehead and nasal bridge)
Mark Coleman – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)

UFC light heavyweight contender and hall of famer Randy “The Natural” Couture lead the pack, taking home a $250K check from the UFC. Couture submitted fellow UFC hall of famer Mark Coleman in the night’s main event bout.

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt “The Terror” Serra followed closely behind with a $210K disclosed payout. Serra’s payout includes a $75K win bonus as well as a 60K “Knockout of the Night” bonus from a swift knockout of Frank Trigg.

Below is a full list of payouts from UFC 109 according to MMAJunkie.com.

Randy Couture: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Mark Coleman: $60,000

Chael Sonnen: $124,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus and $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $105,000 (includes $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus)

Paulo Thiago: $90,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus and $60,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus)
def. Mike Swick: $43,000

Demian Maia: $62,000 ($31,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Miller: $15,000

Matt Serra: $210,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus and $60,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus)
def. Frank Trigg: $30,000

Mac Danzig: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
def. Justin Buchholz: $8,000

Melvin Guillard: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Ronys Torres: $4,000

Rob Emerson: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
def. Phillipe Nover: $10,000

Phil Davis: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Brian Stann: $17,000

Chris Tuchscherer: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Tim Hague: $7000

Joey Beltran: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
def. Rolles Gracie: $15,000

Two consecutive wins over worthy opponents that had themselves been coming off of victories have separated Randy from the pack of an extremely talent filled weight division with no clear cut number one contender. Brandon Vera had two wins at the weight class going into his loss suffered at the hands of Couture, and of course Coleman was fighting on the heels of his one sided victory over Stephan Bonnar.

The recent ups and downs of the 205 pound division have created a scenario where “Captain America” – whether you like it or not – has established himself as a clear challenger to the title.

It is a commonly accepted fact hat the UFC’s 205 pound weight class is among the most ferociously stacked in the sport, and this may be a large part of the reason that many have trouble accepting the forty-six year old legend of the game as a legitimate challenger to the throne. But let me tell you, that’s exactly what he is.

So if not Randy; Who then? Let’s take a look at the others that could be considered worthy of championship contender recognition:

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: As it stands right now it has been just shy of a full year since Rampage last saw action and the performance the former champion turned in against Keith (2-4 in his last 6) Jardine was far from impressive. Let’s not forget that the bout between Jackson and Jardine was hardly considered to be a blowout in Quinton’s favor. Based on Jackson’s inactivity and lack of a notable victory in his last three bouts I find it hard to get excited about an immediate title shot for the movie star if – and that’s a strong if – he can get past Rashad Evans at UFC 114 in May.

Rashad Evans: Evans showed nothing in his previous bout with Thiago Silva that made me believe the outcome in a rematch with Lyoto Machida would be any different. The only way I see Rashad being justified to bypass Randy for a title shot here is if the “Sugar” manages to carve through Rampage like a knife through butter during their anticipated UFC 114 match-up; And if Mauricio “Shogun” Rua walks away with the championship in his rematch with Machida which is expected for UFC 113. If Machida pulls out the victory in that bout I’d much rather see some fresh blood face off with “The Dragon”, at least until Evans makes a believer out of me through his performances in the Octagon.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: I feel like I may be grasping at straws here even throwing Nogueira’s name in the mix. It’s not that he’s not a worthy contender – he absolutely is – but more that he’s only fought once with the UFC at this point. However, UFC 114 should be a big event as far as determining the next challenger for the 205 pound crown is concerned being that Rashad and Rampage are expected to clash at the event, while Rogerio and Forrest Griffin also duke it out in a bout that carries just as much weight and relevance in the division as the previously mentioned match-up.

Forrest Griffin: Forrest is coming off of a big win over UFC legend Tito Ortiz, but let’s not forget that the man is 1-2 in his last three, and that’s the bottom line. With that being said, a win over Nogueira at UFC 114 combined with all of the star power that makes the case for Randy such an easy one to make, could tip the scales heavily in Griffin’s favor. I don’t think a bout with Machida would be a good look for Griffin… at all. But on the other side of that coin, if Shogun comes out on top a rematch between the two would make perfect sense.

Jon Jones: It’s going to happen sooner or later. This kid is talented beyond belief, and with a 3-1 record that should be 4-0, a decisive win over Brandon Vera during the first UFC on Versus would definitely propel “Bones” in the right direction. Is he ready to challenge for the title? Sure. But I feel like Jones needs to be built up just a little more with the masses at this point, and headlining status on a free event on a major cable television network should go a long way in doing just that.

Perhaps the one decisive difference between Randy and the previously mentioned challengers to the light heavyweight championship in the UFC that stands out the most is that all of those other guys will have other opportunities to get a crack at the belt at some point. Most likely all of them will if they keep winning. But honestly, at a soon to be forty-seven years young, how much longer should we have this living legend prove that he’s worthy to challenge for the title one last time? Should we wait until he suffers a defeat and expect for him to work his way back up? That’s not going to happen. The time is now.

In my opinion Randy Couture has earned his shot at the title one last time, not only due to his recent back-to-back victories over more than worthy opposition, but through a lifetime of sacrifice and dedication to insuring this amazing sport we have all come to love would flourish for years to come when we needed him the most.

So why wait? I say make Couture’s next bout a championship bout. The man’s not getting any younger, and how cool would it be if the legend could pull it off one last time? Stranger things have happened.

Unlike teams sports like football and basketball, the fans live—and—die with an individual, rather than an entire team. While the casual American Football fan might be a Peyton Manning fan, ask any Indianapolis Colts fans and they will say that they will support the team, not the player. MMA fans live—and—die on whether or not a fighter is on a three fight losing streak or a five fight winning streak. There are those bandwagon fans that only become a fan when a fighter is doing well and will then quickly jump off when the fighter suffers a sudden defeat.

A fans will is truly tested when the sport comes under scrutiny by the media in stories that clearly goes for the “Human Cockfighting” angle rather than seeing the sport from the perspective of sports that is a human chess match. You’ll be surprised to see what happens when the e—mail of said sports writer probably gets filled with e-mails with counter-argument’s tearing the writer’s story down to the ground. I remember a story on a local website around the time Anthony Pettis made his debut in the WEC, and his debut was drawing interest from the local media. The writer “supposedly” saw the event where there was no referee, no gloves, and the ref ignored a fighter submitting to some “weird” arm—lock. He then went into the whole “Boxing is better” and that “The sport should be banned” drivel that most writers use. Shortly after the article went up, fans immediately attack the writer on his points, exposing his article as nothing more than a cheap attempt to gain views, and he promptly put up an apology for what he wrote.

There is a downside to being an MMA fan though, and those are the fans that care more about what a promotion is doing rather than and in the eternal MMA pissing war that started once the UFC started to pick up steam. While each side has good points, the idea of people aligning themselves with a company and not fighters show’s what fans true intentions are. I can only compare it to back in the 1990’s when pro—wrestling fans in Philadelphia supported the name ECW by buying up all the t—shirts with the ECW logo showing a disregard for the wrestlers who worked for the promotion. The death of PRIDE did little to help this as most hardcore—PRIDE fans began to support companies like EliteXC and Affliction just to see them beat the UFC. This leads to the companies going head—to—head against an opponent they are ready to face. Then when the company dies, they latch onto another company and so on and so forth. While this group doesn’t represent MMA fans, it is a growing concern that’s led to the rallying cry of “SUPPORT FIGHTERS, NOT PROMOTIONS!” on MMA message boards.

The reality with MMA fans is that we’ve been through the rise of the sport in the early 90’s, a dramatic downfall in the late 90’s, and an epic reincarnation in the last decade. This has made the fan base become a tightly knit group of fans, essentially a fraternity of fans who are going to argue whether Fedor could beat Godzilla one moment then come together in unison when they’ve just seen a classic. It interesting to see if fans of baseball would stick with the sport if there was another lockout….I’m guessing not.

The 25-year-old Reis is a back belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, in 2008, took home the first-ever EliteXC bantamweight championship belt with his win over “The Silent Assassin,” Abel Cullum. Despite entering Bellator Season 1 as the No 1 tournament favorite and the No. 7 ranked featherweight in the world, Reis fell in the semi-final round to the upstart Soto. It was considered by many as the upset of the tournament and was the first and only loss of Reis’ career.

“Wilson’s a very talented fighter at 145 and was just one judge’s decision away from advancing to the featherweight championship fight last season,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The Soto-Reis fight was one of the best fights in a season of great fights and the chance to potentially see a rematch between these two would be awesome. But first. Wilson has to get through a gauntlet of great fighters at 145. Plain and simple with Wilson’s addition, our featherweight tournament is stacked.”

Reis is the sixth confirmed competitor in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 2 featherweight tournament, joining Joe Warren, Patricio Pitbull, Georgi Karakhanyan, William Romero and Bao Quach. Combined, the six fighters boast a remarkable career record of 57-12-2.

Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. during Season 2, which begins April 8th on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. The winners in each division will be declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of champions.

Reis was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, known worldwide as a breeding ground for young Jiu-Jitsu fighters.

He trained under the famed Jiu-Jitsu coach Roberto Godoi and first made a name for himself while still a teenager, winning the 2004 Jiu-Jitsu World Championships. Later that same year, he came to the United States to continue his Jiu-Jitsu training at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United gym in Jenkintown, Penn., working construction during the day to make ends meet.

About two years later, he began to take up an interest in MMA and started expanding his training to include boxing, grappling and Muay Thai, moving to the Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia. He took his first professional MMA fight in July 2007.

“After that first fight, I knew MMA was going to be my sport,” Reis said. “I knew I could be very successful.”

Since then, he has amassed an impressive 9-1 overall record with his lone defeat coming at the hands of the aforementioned Soto.

“More than anything, I want to get my rematch against Joe Soto,” Reis said. “I’m a lot more mature now as a fighter and an athlete … a lot more prepared than I was before.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

Those that appear to run the highest risk of being released from the organization following UFC 109:

Frank Trigg – It’s not that losing back to back fights to welterweights like Josh Koscheck and former champion Matt Serra is an unforgivable offense as far as his future with the UFC was concerned, but it’s the fashion of the way Trigg has gone out in the previously mentioned bouts. It hasn’t been pretty.

Phillipe Nover – It was a victory for Nover to come back and complete this bout in the UFC following the syncopal spell that forced his last minute removal from an anticipated UFC Fight Night 19 showdown with Sam Stout, but three consecutive defeats in the Octagon at the hands of guys like Efrain Escudero, Kyle Bradley and Rob Emerson make it hard for the UFC to justify Nover’s place with the promotion.

Justin Buchholz – Much like Nover, the fact that we are even discussing a possible vacation from the UFC for Justin is an absolute testament to the promotion’s increasingly stacked and talent filled 155 pound weight class. However, with that being said, back-to-back… to back defeats at the hands of Terry Etim, Jeremy Stephens and Mac Danzig are going to make the case for Buchholz to stay in the UFC a hard one to make.

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Raw Talent. “Mr. Wonderful” making it look easy. Finally, Phil Davis has arrived. I’ve been telling anyone that would listen for the last year about this ridiculously talented former NCAA Champion wrestler out of Penn State that was poised to have a tremendous impact on the future of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, and Davis’ performance at UFC 109 solidified my belief that the undefeated twenty-five year old has all of the tools necessary to go as far as he chooses to in the sport in due time. Davis is one of the few wrestlers with the unique ability to convert a series of takedowns combined with technical top control throughout the course of a bout into of the most fascinating aspects of the game to watch. Top notch wrestling at it’s finest combined with what appears to be an unlimited level of raw fighting talent for the still developing Davis have officially merged to put the ENTIRE light heavyweight division on notice.

Smile Now, Cry Later. Mike Swick looked way too happy going into the beating he caught from Paulo Thiago, even going as far as to exclaim that he was “back” during his trip to the Octagon. It was almost as if Swick was trying to convince himself that he was “back”. It appeared obvious that “Quick” meant to stay as relaxed and upbeat as possible going into his match-up with the dangerous Brazilian, and it also appeared obvious that Thiago meant to stay clear headed and…. well , a little bit pissed to be honest. Kind of the way Swick normally has looked prior to running through his opponents in the past.

Unnecessary Weight Loss. I have felt, and still absolutely feel that Mike Swick should move back up to what appears to be a healthier and more natural 185 pound weight class. It seems like the former light heavyweight from The Ultimate Fighter loses quite a bit from his level of explosiveness and power from the drop. So much attention is centered around cutting down to the lowest weight possible in this sport but one could look directly at a fighter such as Fedor Emelianenko to understand that every athlete should approach their specific situation on an individual level.

The Real Deal. Paulo Thiago just keeps getting better and better. Of course there’s that nasty decision loss at the hands of the constant grinder Jon Fitch on his resume, but Thiago has shown the type of promise in his first four bouts in the UFC with victories over the likes of Josh Koscheck, Jacob Volkmann, and now Mike Swick, that future champions are made of.

Back To The Drawing Board. So now that Chael Sonnen has pulled the rabbit out of his hat in the form of a three round pummeling of “The Great” , where does this loss leave Nate Marquardt? I still feel like Marquardt is without a doubt one of the most dangerous middleweights in the world, but the defeat suffered at the hands of Chael Sonnen during UFC 109 highlighted two previously unnoticed chinks in the Greg Jackson trained fighter’s armor. The first being his inability to deal with the type of top level wrestling that an opponent such as Sonnen will offer up. The second being any type of answer off his back in the form of a submission. Sonnen was staying extremely busy on top, but he was enabled to stay busy through a lack of a serious submission threat from the opponent beneath him. A loss in this fashion is exactly the type of loss can make a fighter reconsider some of the training methods that had gotten him there; Much like Yushin Okami before him.

Unlikely Challenger. Could Chael Sonnen be the guy to beat Anderson Silva? I’m just saying… it’s definitely a question that deserves to be asked at this point. I would have slapped myself right in the face if I had caught myself even considering the possibility at any point before last night, but now… well I’m not going to slap myself; I’ll put it that way. I have no doubt that Chael possesses the type of wrestling pedigree that it would take to deposit “The Spider” directly on his bottom, but how long can he keep him there without being submitted. If it was a three round fight I could actually see a situation where Sonnen could manage to come out with a victory, but a potential bout with Anderson would most likely be of the five round variety. Based on what I saw at the end of the bout between Sonnen and Marquardt last night I would have to believe that Silva would catch him in the fourth or fifth rounds if he doesn’t catch him in the first three; But who knows, crazier things have happened.

Not main event worthy? Is anyone complaining about having Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman as a main event now? I think as fans of the sport that sometimes we can get a little too caught up in the lack of a major championship match-up in every UFC that we can lose track of the big picture. The bottom line is that Randy Couture earned his position as a headlining draw a long time ago for exactly the same reasons that he showcased at UFC 109. The saying goes that you’re only as good as your last performance and unfortunately it is an expression widely embraced by a huge majority of the casual fans today. Couture vs. Vera was not an exciting fight; I’m not going to argue that for one moment; But go ahead and tell me the last time “Captain America” took part in anything less than a memorable battle…… go ahead, I’ll give you time to search it. The fact of the matter is that you would have to go all the way back to 2001 to fight a bout that could even be argued as being lackluster on the part of Couture. Couture delivered on Saturday night just as he has throughout his decorated career, and just as he will when he faces off with the winner of Machida vs. Rua II.

Randy Couture earned it. Saturday night’s performance absolutely justified Randy Couture as the next challenger to the light heavyweight title following the inevitable 205 pound championship rematch between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Sure, “The Natural” looked as good as he could have in dismantling Coleman in Las Vegas, and I completely understand that beating “The Hammer” doesn’t exactly justify an immediate title shot, but this is a business. A business that’s in the business of making money, and Randy Couture looking to become a UFC champion for the sixth time at what will be forty-seven years of age is an extremely good look for the promotion in the sense that dollars always seem to make sense.

UFC President Dana White announced earlier this week that the winner of the match-up between Sonnen and Marquardt that took place at UFC 109 would be guaranteed a crack at the middleweight crown.

Sonnen stepped his trash talking game up to an entirely different level leading into Saturday evening’s showdown, and the Team Quest trained former NCAA All American wrestler backed it up with an incredible display of superior takedowns and top control in the bout with Marquardt to solidify his right to fight for all the marbles at 185 pounds in the near future with the unanimous decision victory.

Sonnen will face off with the winner of the middleweight title fight between current champion Anderson Silva and challenger Vitor Belfort set for UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi on April 10.

Chael is currently on a three fight wins streak in the UFC with impressive previous victories over the likes of Dan Miller and Yushin Okami following a disappointing submission defeat at the hands of Demian Maia.

Also taking home an unexpected amount of cash were fellow main card participants Matt Serra and Paulo Thiago. Serra was awarded “Knockout of the Night” after flattening Frank Trigg a few minutes into their bout, while Thiago’s second-round D’Arce Choke of American Kickboxing Academy’s Mike Swick was designated “Submission of the Night”.

The above bonus information was announced at the post-event press conference and originally reported by Sherdog.

UFC 109 is taking place this evening from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, with the main portion of the card airing live on pay-per-view and a portion of the preliminary broadcast airing on Spike TV.

Randy Couture will be facing of with Mark Coleman in the main event of the evening, while Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen will be going at it in tonight’s co-headliner.

A full set of results from the card are listed below:

Joey Beltran def. Rolles Gracie via TKO – Round 2

Chris Tuchscherer def. Tim Hague via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

Phil Davis def. Brian Stann via unanimous decision

Rob Emerson def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision

Melvin Guillard def. Ronys Torres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Mac Danzig def. Justin Buchholz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Matt Serra def. Frank Trigg via knockout – round 1

Demian Maia def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Paulo Thiago def Mike Swick via Submission (darce choke) Round 2.

NATE MARQUARDT VS. CHAEL SONNEN

MARK COLEMAN VS. RANDY COUTURE

The event featured UFC veteran Josh “The Dentist” Neer going up against Anselmo Martinez in the main event for the Shark Fight interim welterweight title.

Don Frye was also on hand commentating the event for ESPN 1440 Radio.

A full list of results from the event are listed below:

Josh Neer Def Anselmo Martinez Via Submission ( Rear Naked Choke) Rd.1 3:05

Kyle Bracey Def Eric Davila Via Submission (Guillotine Choke) Rd 1. 1:39

Luis Luna Def Clayton Hantz Via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Rd 1. 4:50

Jessica Miramontes Def Yadira Anzaldua Via TKO (Strikes) Rd 1. 2:11

John King Def Skylar Duncan Via TKO (Stoppage) Rd 1. 0:28

Doug Frey def Jared Lopez Via Submission (Guillotine Choke) Rd 1. 4:57

Cody Pfister def Jerry Hinojosa Via KO Rd1. 0:49

Mitchel Hale Def Devin Nichols Via Decision (Unanimous)

The bill states that fighters must have adequate health insurance, pre and post fight exams, regular physicals, and drug testing. Promoters are now required to be licensed which has led to some promoters coming out against the regulation.

UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Mark Ratner was in attendance to see the bill and has stated that the UFC will start holding events in Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay starting at the end of the year.

Ben Rothwell, Patrick Barry, Eric Schafer, and Alan Belcher all train in Wisconsin at Roufusport, one of the state’s top MMA teams.

Credit: WI Combat Sports

The weigh-in will take place live at 4pm ET and will be replayed, as well as access to other UFC 109 preview videos. You can make your selection in the player below.

Stay tuned to FiveOuncesofPain.com for continuing coverage of UFC 109 including Live Post fight Press Conference coverage.

Rear Naked Radio returns this evening as FiveOuncesofPain.com Managing Editor and RNR co-host Cory Brady joins Richard Hunter and Pugs Moran to welcome baseball legend/MMA fighter Jose Canseco and the UFC’s Mike Goldberg to the show.

Make sure to check out the show on 1360 AM, or you can catch it right here on the web at RearNakedRadio.

The show is set to kick off on Friday evening, January 21, beginning at 7 pm ET (6 pm CT, 4 pm PT), lasting until 9 pm ET (8 pm CT, 6 pm PT) .

And it’s a good thing he did, as the forty-five year old former NCAA champion wrestler recently gave millions of “Over the Hill” fathers everywhere something to believe in with a convincing unanimous decision victory over the much younger Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100.

“I don’t get up on the Internet very often, but when I do there are a lot of haters, a lot of bashers, and a lot of people that say I should have retired ten years ago,” said Coleman during a recent conversation with Rear Naked Radio. “If I would have listened to all the people out there, I would have retired. They told me I was washed up back in 2000.”

With that being said, Coleman had already determined in his heart of hearts that a loss in his most recent bout with “The American Psycho” would undoubtedly spell the end of the legend.

“I had kind of determined that if I lost to [Stephan] Bonnar that it would be my last fight in the UFC, so I knew it was win or go home,” revealed Coleman.

But Coleman won, and instead of going home, “The Hammer” recently made the trip out to Las Vegas to prepare for what is likely to be a shot at the championship when he faces off with Randy “The Natural” Couture this Saturday evening during UFC 109.

It’s no secret as to what Coleman’s bread and butter in the Octagon happens to be; He didn’t earn the nickname “The Godfather of Ground and Pound” by dazzling fans with somersault crescent shin kicks to the chin. No, Mark is known for depositing his victims on the canvas and proceeding to clobber away at their face and carcass with reckless abandon. And while it should come as no surprise if this bout with Couture ends up on the ground, Coleman feels confident he will be forced out of his strong point for some portion of time tomorrow evening.

“I’ve always wanted to stand and trade but my instincts have always overtaken my game plan.,” admitted the former Olympian. “I’ve always wanted to stand and trade with other guys, but it seems like when I get out there my instincts are just too powerful and I just can’t help but to go for the takedown. I have been working my stand up game and I’ve done very well in practice over the years.

“I just can’t resist the temptation to shoot in on the leg. It’s just in my genes; It’s in my blood. My coaches are pretty confident in my stand up ability as well; I just need to go out there and pull the trigger. I never go out there and pull the trigger. The legs always seem like they’re right there in front of me, and to go ahead and grab them, but I don’t think that will be the case this time.

“I do anticipate [Randy] being able to stop my takedowns, and I do anticipate that there will be some stand up action out there.”

With both men’s strong points lying largely in the same areas, Coleman has no doubt that this bout will come down to two very primal points in what promises to be the most significant bout in his illustrious fighting career: Nuts and guts.

“It’s going to come down to who wants it more, who trained the hardest, who’s prepared properly, who’s got the nuts, who’s got the heart, and who wants to win it the most,” said Coleman. “I look at this fight like it’s going to be a war. I’m going to have to suck it up, stay mentally tough, and I’m going to have to take the win from [Randy]. You don’t want to leave it in the judges hands, but if I do leave it in the judges hands, I want to make sure that I’m way ahead on the scorecards.

“I’m sure we both want this fight really bad, but it’s about who’s going to suck it up. Who’s going to suck it up out there; Who’s got the nuts, who’s got the guts, and who’s going to pull out the victory. I say we both want it just as bad. It means a lot to me. [A win] would definitely change my financial situation around, but it doesn’t matter. Wit Randy Couture, sure the money helps, but he just wants to be a champion still. That’s what I admire about the guy. He’s not in it just for the money, he wants to be a winner, he wants to be a champion, and he wants to go out on top. I feel the same way. I’m still looking for respect. I’m still looking to prove things to the fans, fighters and reporters.”

White confirmed the bout during the UFC 109 presser held yesterday afternoon.

UFC 113 is set for May 8, 2010 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Kimbo will be looking to make it an official 2-0 with the UFC, coming off of the heels of a unanimous decision victory over Houston Alexander during the TUF 10 Finale, while Mitrione is in the same boat with an impressive knockout debut over Marcus Jones at the same event.

Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!

Welcome back to GWI, as we’re once again serving up insight and opinion like “peanut butter” and “jelly” in helping glue together the proverbial sandwich created by back-to-back weekends featuring major MMA events! However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column…

List your most favorite and least favorite aspect of “Strikeforce – Miami”?

Adam Tool: My favorite aspect of the show had to be the Robbie Lawler/Melvin Manhoef fight. I had expected to see fireworks early and often so when they started off slowly it only increased my anticipation for the eventual slugfest. I pushed closer to the edge of my seat during each exchange, and I couldn’t help but feel some sympathy pain for the massive damage being delivered to Lawler’s leg. Then the end came, and without Scott Smith being involved, I don’t know if you could come up with a better ending to the fight. It may not have been the most technically proficient display of striking but for pure awesomeness it rates off the charts.

My least favorite aspect of the show is tougher to pick. I still have issues with the production on these Strikeforce events, as I certainly can’t imagine the UFC running a show where two fights end in the first round and none of the pre-lim bouts are shown. What irritated me most though were the three men in the booth. Mauro Ranallo pulled out some incredibly stupid lines during his play-by-play (the nail polish crack in the Cyborg/Coenen fight being the worst), while Shamrock had little to add from an analyst stand-point. Also I think it’s fair to say that Stephen Quadros may be the worst post-fight interviewer ever (we can never forget the days of Bill Goldberg in EliteXC though). I was also dismayed at the shameless way they verbally fellated Herschel Walker during his fight, acting as though his passable performance against an unknown opponent was somehow truly impressive.

Conlan: I’m on board with you in regards to the mini-war waged between Lawler and Manhoef being my favorite part of the broadcast. It was everything a fan could have hoped for going into the bout and even a little more in terms of the “comeback” nature of the eventual highlight reel knockout. Also, Tool’s clever reference to Scott Smith did more than make me chuckle – it made me realize how much I want to see him throw down with Manhoef.

I wasn’t irked by the production, as I’ve come fairly accustomed to the obvious gap between Zuffa and non-Zuffa shows, and I actually appreciated the fact Strikeforce seems to have done away with the ridiculous grappling CGI-skeletons previously used to demonstrate techniques. I also can’t be overly critical of the announcing crew because the simple fact is there are very few sports commentators in general who are articulate, objective, entertaining, and truly understand what is happening in front of them. Rogan and Goldberg may be more bearable than Quadros, Ranallo, and Shamrock but even THEY leave a lot to be desired. As far as the lack of preliminary bouts, I can think of more than one UFC PPV I paid $44.95 for that ended 10-20 minutes early without showing undercard match-ups, so I’ll let Showtime go on that one.

My least favorite aspect to the show was Herschel Walker’s presence in general. By all accounts he is an outstanding individual, a world class athlete, and was been both humble and sponge-like inside the walls of American Kickboxing Academy. However, none of those qualities take away from his age or lack of experience, and to have promoted him as a draw over true Mixed Martial Artists like Joe Riggs and Jay Hieron took away from my overall enjoyment of the show before the curtain even dropped.

Has Nick Diaz ever looked better than he did against Marius Zaromskis?

Tool: I don’t think so. It wasn’t even his most impressive knockout (that came at UFC 47 against Robbie Lawler), and I wouldn’t necessarily say that his boxing looked any better than it has in recent fights with Smith and Shamrock. We should also point out that Zaromskis, despite having a good chunk of hype behind him, was not an elite opponent.

I still point to the Gomi fight as the best Nick Diaz I’ve ever seen. Obviously the ensuing drug test and overturning of the result changes the way we look back at it, but the fact remains that it was the last time Diaz faced an opponent that was ranked in his weight class. Diaz gave as good as he got, came back from adversity, and got the slick submission win. I’d love to see him make it back to the UFC so we can really gauge his growth as a fighter against the best welterweights in the world.

Conlan: While Scott Smith may not be perceived as being on Zaromskis’ level I’d argue he has done at least as much in his career and beaten tougher opponents than “The Whitemare”. In reality, as Tool stated, the Polish striker was riding the momentum of three consecutive high-kick knockouts and was only 10-3 before running through the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix. Those things being said, I thought Diaz looked better against Smith than in capturing the Strikeforce 170-pound title. He took less damage over a longer period of time and dished out a fair share of his own, even setting a Compustrike record with 125-landed punches in the second round.

Other than Jake Shields I’m not sure Strikeforce has any welterweights who offer much of a threat to Diaz and it’s highly unlikely he’ll fight his “Scrap Pack” teammate. He definitely appears to be coming into his prime, and if the Stockton native can get his act together professionally outside of the cage it won’t be long before he’ll be considered among the top welterweights – maybe even pound-for-pound fighters – in MMA.

True/False – The UFC will release the loser of Serra vs. Trigg.

Tool: True for Trigg, False for Serra. Matt Serra has been with the company a long time and has built up plenty of goodwill with the top brass. He’s got one of those polarizing personalities that make fans love him or hate him (with no middle ground) but as long as the fans know who he is that’s what really matters. There’s still some allure to the fact that he’s the last man to beat GSP, and of course he’s a former welterweight champion. Even though a loss to Trigg would make three in a low he’s dropped, he’s likely to be in the UFC until he decides to retire.

Trigg, on the other hand, has already been shown the door by the UFC once before. While he was out of the company the outspoken Trigg wasn’t always complimentary to his former bosses. The quick loss to Koscheck proves that he can’t hang with top levels of competition in the welterweight division, and he doesn’t have the same amount of name value as Serra (or his arch-enemy Matt Hughes). The man known as “Twinkle Toes” was already hinting at retirement following the Koscheck fight, so if he announces that he’s hanging up the gloves after a loss to Serra I don’t think any us will be too surprised.

If that wasn’t enough, just before I sent these answers off to Brendhan the news broke that Trigg will be added to the EA Sports MMA roster. Dana White’s personal war against the game and the fighters who appear in it has already been well documented, so I’d say the odds have increased for Saturday night to be Trigg’s final appearance in the Octagon.

Conlan: Agreed. Trigg is the only one in jeopardy of receiving a pink slip without coming away with a victory this weekend. I hadn’t heard he would be part of the EA Sports roster, and though that’s not necessarily a kiss of death (see: Randy Couture), it doesn’t bode well for his future in the UFC. Even in defeat Serra retains the cashe of being both an Ultimate Fighter Season Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion while Trigg would drop to 2-5 inside the Octagon.

The one part of Tool’s assessment I differ with is the notion of Trigg’s retirement barring some sort of devastating knockout that has “Twinkle Toes” seeing twinkling stars. He’d had his hand raised in six of his last seven before jumping back to the UFC, including wins over notable opponents Niko Vitale, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, and Kazuo Misaki. He’s got the talent to be a solid addition to any promotion – even the UFC. As long as he is still driven by the feeling of competition and has an interest in collecting a good deal of cash he shouldn’t walk away from MMA regardless of how tings go on Saturday night.

Which would you rather see: Robbie Lawler face the winner of Shields vs. Henderson or Robbie Lawler jumping back to the UFC?

Conlan: Given the options I’d prefer to see Lawler return to the Octagon, as I don’t envision him either out-striking Henderson or fending off Shields’ submissions skills any better than he did in their prior bout. There are definitely a number of interesting match-ups laced with the potential to provide firework-laden finishes waiting for “Ruthless” Robbie in the UFC’s 185-pound division – fighters like Michael Bisping, Alan Belcher, and Wanderlei Silva for example. I also enjoy the dynamic created when Mixed Martial Artists who made a name for themselves in the UFC return to the promotion after a few years of competing elsewhere, and Lawler certainly qualifies as such given his seven previous appearances inside the company’s trademark eight-sided cage.

However, that’s not to say I want to see the hard-hitting Midwesterner to jump ship just yet. Shields and Henderson are only two of the numerous options for Lawler and have their own score to settle in the coming months. Rather than facing either, I’d be content seeing him face a few of the other notable middleweights under Strikeforce’s umbrella before either receiving a title shot or drawing a Zuffa paycheck. I’m particularly intrigued by the possibility of seeing Lawler’s stand-up paired with Cung Le’s, as well as attempts to avenge earlier career losses to Nick Diaz and Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Tool: I’m pretty much in agreement with everything Brendhan said. I wouldn’t pick Lawler to win over Shields or Henderson, although I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to seeing either match-up. There are a few more worthy opponents that can be pulled from Strikeforce and DREAM, but the best opponents still call the UFC their home.

Lawler still has some name recognition amongst the UFC faithful, so much so that he could be used in featured bouts right away. I don’t think he’ll be headlining PPVs anytime soon, but with the right opponent there’s no reason why he couldn’t get top billing on a Fight Night event. There’s the three fighters my colleague already named, and I for one wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Lawler square off with guys like Patrick Cote, Nate Quarry, or Chris Leben.

My argument can also be simplified down to this: if the UFC was willing to re-sign Phil Baroni, they have no reason not to re-sign Robbie Lawler.

It has been reported that Nate Marquardt will get a middleweight title shot with a win over Chael Sonnen, but should Chael get the same consideration if he pulls off the upset?

Conlan: Yes, because let’s be real – the 185-pound pickings are pretty slim if considering in-ring consistency over mainstream marketability. The fact Vitor Belfort is fighting Anderson Silva for his championship without a single win in the UFC at middleweight says volumes about the division being spread thin as Vaseline on a fighter’s forehead. The winner of the upcoming brawl between Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 is undoubtedly a more attractive contender in terms of PPV dollars than Sonnen, but it doesn’t discount the fact the victor of their scrap will still only be a single fight removed from a losing performance. A win over Marquardt would be Sonnen’s third in a row against a respected middleweight and should make him the front runner for the likely honor of tasting Anderson Silva’s gloves and kneecaps.

Tool: I really hope not, because the idea of Chael Sonnen headlining against Anderson Silva the winner of Silva/Belfort doesn’t appeal to me in the least. Sonnen has been talking smack about the champion whenever he can, so clearly he’s already trying to sell people on the idea of himself as a contender. As Brendhan said the Belfort title shot is pretty fishy but at least the company can market him as a former champion.

If Sonnen beats Marquardt (which he won’t) then he’ll have gotten his third win in the UFC. Thales Leites and Patrick Cote each had to win five fights before they got a title shot, and Sonnen would be even more of a lame-duck challenger than those two. Desperate times call for desperate measures but surely we can do better than this, can’t we?

Out of the eleven fights scheduled for UFC 109, which one are you anticipating the most?

Conlan: In terms of the fight’s relevance to the title scene and the overall level of ability possessed by each man competing in it I’d have to say I’m most excited about seeing Mike Swick and Paulo Thiago determine who will win two out of three between the Brazilian commando and American Kickboxing Academy’s trio of top welterweights. Each is a high-level grappler with speed, precision, and knockout power so it’s hard to say how the fight will actually unfold but I’m quite certain it will be fast, furious, and damn entertaining!

I should also mention another part of me is greatly interested in seeing how Phillipe Nover fares against Rob Emerson. Nover appeared to be a blue chip prospect at lightweight after exhibiting both talent and charisma en route to being an Ultimate Fighter Season 8 finalist. However, since that TUF Championship loss to Efrain Escudero, the New York nurse has endured a number of hardships including a knockout one minute into his follow-up bout and a frightening moment this past September when experiencing a seizure backstage at Fight Night 19. Nover or Emerson may not be a stone’s throw from BJ Penn’s lightweight title but MMA, like all sports, is as much about the human element involved as it is the gold hoisted up by world champions.

Tool: I’d like to put an asterisk next to Brendhan’s assertion that Paulo Thiago has knockout power, as the record should state that Koscheck got the assist on that KO by way of head-butting Thiago’s fist.

For me the fight to watch will be the middleweight showdown between Demian Maia and Dan Miller. This fight may not have the same sort of real title implications, but I am a big fan of both fighters and as such I want to see how it plays out. Maia proved that striking isn’t his strong suit in the Marquardt fight, but he’s still head-and-shoulders above most everyone else in BJJ. Miller has some strong grappling of his own and he may look to test those skills against the world class abilities of Maia, meaning we could be in for a jiu-jitsu showcase in the middle of our mixed-martial arts event.

If I had to pick one fighter I want to see the most, that would probably be Rolles Gracie. The 3-0 heavyweight will be making his debut in the company his family helped to create, and I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that he’s extremely well-decorated in the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. However it’s clear that Rolles doesn’t plan to simply rely on what worked for Royce back in the day. Check out this quote from UFC Magazine:”I’m not going to walk into this holding on to the things that happened two decades ago. If I had that line of thinking, I’d get crushed…With the training I do, I can show it all. That includes the striking, the footwork, and the wrestling. People can have their doubts, but believe me, they’re in for a big surprise.”

The 6-foot, 3-inch-tall Baker will be familiar to many Bellator fans thanks to his dominating victory during a special feature fight at Bellator VIII last June. He also boasts wins over UFC veteran Rory Singer (first round KO), TUF’s Jesse Forbes (first round TKO) and a host of WEC veterans.

“The Beast is a dangerous addition to our middleweight tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He caught my eye back at Bellator VIII and I knew then and there that he would make a big impact on our 185-pound challenger tournament.”

Baker is the second confirmed competitor in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 2 middleweight tournament, joining Eric Schambari, who also boasts a near-flawless 11-1 professional record, with his sole loss coming against The Beast. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155, 170 lbs. during Season 2, which begins April 8th. The winners in each division will be declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of champions.

The 24-year-old Baker was born and raised in the High Desert of California, where he was a standout high school wrestler. He later earned a black belt in judo and now trains in vale tudo at the Team Wildman gym in Denver.

“I’m a fighter pure and simple … I never really wanted to do anything else,” Baker said. “From my first meal until the time I go to sleep, it’s all about fighting, all about my career.”

Baker says his singular goal is to advance through Bellator’s Season 2 tournament to earn the chance to take on reigning World Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard.

“I put so much effort into my training that it gives me 100 percent confidence that I’m going to win every time,” Baker said. “Lombard has the belt and I’m coming for his belt. I’d say that he better stay on top of his training or else he’s in for a big surprise.”

Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in prime time on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @B