TUF 9 , Ep 9- Showing Heart

Throughout the season, Frank Lester has been the type of guy who just wants to fight. Frank came in as an alternate and won his first match with a nasty kimura after Kiel Reid knocked himself unconscious. In his second match, Frank had all his artificial teeth knocked out by James Wilks.

When it came time to find a replacement for injured fighter Jason Pierce, only two fighters who were injured themselves could step in. Frank Lester, with a black eye and teeth gone or Mark Miller with a broken nose. Frank seemed to want it more and was given the opportunity to fight. As he begins to get ready, he puts in his mouthpiece to find a couple teeth still embedded in the mouthpiece.

Dave Faulkner represents Team UK, winning his first match with a knee bar. Faulkner has some mental issues, not being able to keep a mouthpiece in. He ends up going to a hypnotherapist to see if he could get rid of his gag reflex. Unfortunately, the new age tactics didn't work.

During the first round of the fight, Lester and Faulkner traded punches and kicks with a lot of circling and clinch work. The only takedowns Faulkner got were immediately denied when Frank stood back up.

In the second, Faulkner started to lose his steam after attempting numerous takedowns. Frank was able to connect with jabs and straights. His hooks were usually countered well. Dan Henderson continued to shout jab throughout the fight, as Lester owned a 4 inch reach advantage. After the second bell, the judges declared it a draw, meaning there would be one more round.

Unfortunately for Team UK, Faulkner would not answer the bell, saying he was finished. Bisping tried to tell him that he was throwing away a big opportunity, but it was to no avail as ref Steve Mazagatti called the fight. Team USA captured its 4th victory to even the score 4-4. Frank Lester showed tremendous heart in the victory.

In the crowd throughout the fight was Mask, the now deceased originator of the Tapout brand.



Here are the quarterfinalists:

155 US- Jason Dent, Cameron Dollar
170 US- Damarques Johnson, Frank Lester

155 UK- Ross Pearson, Andre Winner
170 UK- Nick Osipczak, James Wilks

UFC 98 Ka-Da-Tay

Karate is officially back in style as Lyoto Machida systematically picked apart Rashad Evans at this weekends UFC 98 to take the Light Heavyweight Crown. Machida is not the first karate practicioner to win the 205 belt, as future UFC Hall of Famer and Kenpo Karate expert Chuck Liddell dominated the 205 pound division before the belt began to change hands.

Lyoto Machida def Rashad Evans via KO (Punches) R2, 3:57- Lyoto Machida dominated this fights as he has in his 15 career victories. Lyoto was able to keep Rashad Evans at a distance, then capitalize when he saw an opening.

In the first, Lyoto was able to score a knockdown off a body kick, back up, then punch the face. Lyoto picked up his pace in the second round, landing kicks and punches before setting up his final push. Lyoto at a couple punches but unloaded a fury with a head kick and several punches before landing an uppercut that sent Rashad into the cage fence seeing stars.

Lyoto will likely face Rampage Jackson in his next bout. Hopefully they are not put in TUF 10 as coaches as it will put both fighter on the shelf for 7 months or more. MMA Blaster's readers were correct in predicting Lyoto Machida would win 66-49.

(Lyoto Machida pictured)

Results:

Frankie Edgar def Sean Sherk via Dec (Unanimous)
Chael Sonnen def Dan Miller via Dec (Unanimous)
Drew McFedries def Xavier Foupa-Pokam via TKO (Punches) R1, 0:37
Matt Hughes def Matt Serra via Dec(Unanimous)
Brock Larson def Mike Pyle via sub (arm-triangle) R1, 3:06
Tim Hague def Pat Barry via sub (guillotine) R1, 1:43
Kyle Bradley def Phillipe Nover via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:03
Krzysztof Soszynski def Andre Gusmao via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:17
Yoshiyuki Yoshida def Brandon Wolff via sub (guillotine) R1, 2:24
George Roop def David Kaplan via split dec

TUF 9 - Pierce Whines, Dent Shines

Apparently the "broken blood vessels" in 170 pound US team member Jason Pierce's foot were a little more serious than initially thought. He revealed in this episode that he got cellulitis and then staph infection. Pierce doesn't seem to want to fight in this episode, and eventually gets booted by Dana White.

In other action, the last 155 match is set with Team USA's Jason Dent v. Team UK's Jeff Lawson. Jeff apparently lost 10 days of training due to a chest infection. He explained that he was initially a little quiet on the show, but had loosened up and showed more personality over time. Next thing we know, a pro-wrestling match ensues between Lawson, Stapleton and Amasinger.

Jason Dent on the other hand is content to not talk to the others and play the outsider. He really seems awkward during the show and Dan Henderson labels him as hard to coach. Dent does show Henderson respect, but he seems to want to do things his way.

The fight was actually pretty good. Lawson was throwing huge kicks off the bat looking for a KO. Dent was fighting relatively cautious. Eventually, Lawson was able to get a takedown, and throw a ton of ground and pound Dent's way. Dent blocked most punches, defended against submissions and got through the first round.

In the second round, Lawson was completely gassed, putting his hands on his knees. Dent took his time, stuffing Lawson's takedown attempts and peppering Lawson in the face with punches. After a couple scrambles and a near kneebar, Dent defended another takedown and sunk in an anaconda choke for the victory. The Dent victory now places three Americans in the semi-finals.


Dana White claimed the victory wasn't impressive. I thought Dent played it safe, not rushing in to get kicked in the face. Obviously, Dana wanted to see Dent pounce on Lawson and finish it quick. Anyone who has seen the Pete Sell v. Scott Smith fight knows that sometimes is a bad idea.

With Pierce gone, it will be either be Mark Miller or Frank Lester(currently 201 pounds) filling in to fight Dave Faulkner. During the episode, Faulkner apparently doesn't like "gumshields" in his mouth. A gumshield apparently is the UK equivalent of a mouthguard. He will be getting a hypnotherapy session in the next episode to stop his gag reflex.

Here are the current semi-final line-up, UK ahead 4-3:

155 US- Jason Dent, Cameron Dollar
170 US- Damarques Johnson

155 UK- Ross Pearson, Andre Winner
170 UK- Nick Osipczak, James Wilks

Last 170 spot- UK's Dave Faulkner v. Mark Miller or Frank Lester

MFC 21 - Hard Knocks Results

MFC put together a pretty slick show on HDNet. The card featured a hand full of UFC veterans and up and coming fighters, John McCarthy as the ref, and Bas Rutten on the mic. UFC cast-off Jason MacDonald was cornering some fighters and has apparently signed a contract to fight in the MFC.

Marvin Eastman def Aron Lofton via TKO (Elbows) R2, :049- After absorbing a big knee directly to the groin, Eastman went to work. After a big slam takedown to close out the first round, Eastman took the fight to the ground again in the second. He then unleased a series of elbows to win the fight.

Ryan Jimmo def Mychal Clark via Dec (Unanimous)- Jimmo won the fight with takedowns and ground and pound. Antonio McKee, in the corner of Clark, yelled instructions throughout the bout, but Clark couldn't follow through. Clark did have one of the better breakdancing routines in his walk out.

John Alessio def Andrew Buckland via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R1, 2:53- Alessio was in a clinch before he worked his way out and unleashed a punch to Buckland's face. With his stunned, Alessio got Buckland's back and latched in the choke. He won the submission of the night bonus for his efforts.

Travis Galbraith def David Heath via Dec (Split)- These two basically stood and traded for three rounds. I thought Heath landed more power shots, and may have won 29-28. It was close, Heath may have wanted to get the fight to the ground at some point.

Bobby Lashley def Mike Cook via Sub (Guillotine Choke) R1, 0:24- Lashley came out and dominated the out-gunned Mike Cook. Lashley used his strength power as he got a front headlock and sprawled on Cook. Utilizing all his weight and strength, he choked Cook unconscious. Pretty crazy.

Trevor Prangley def Emanuel Newton via Dec (Unanimous)- The fight was for the MFC 205 pound championship, and was and entertaining battle. The action was pretty close, but I would score it for Prangley due winning the ground battle in round one and a big time high kick to the face right at the buzzer. Unfortunately, the kick landed more with the foot rather than shin, but still landed clean and knocked Newton to the floor. Prangley laid on the canvas as well, with his foot turning red when he got to his feet.

Prangley admitted in the post fight interview that he hurt his foot in the second round. He hated to take Newton's belt with a close decision and said he would welcome a rematch. I had it 48-46 for Prangley, would have been 48-47 if not for the Newton point deduction for a low blow.

George Belanger def Nolan Clark via TKO (Punches) R1, 3:40
Dwayne Lewis def Jay Whitford via TKO (Punches) R1, 0:29
Jason Heit def Jeremy Combrink via Sub (Punches) R1, 4:17
William Richey def Ryan Fortin via Dec(Split)

Video of the Day - Rutten v. Warpath

Here is the video from Bas Rutten's last professional fight from WFA's King of the Streets show which took place on 7/22/06. Bas was was originally slated to face Kimo Leopoldo who was injured. Luckily Warpath stepped in on two days notice. Beware of the Rutten leg kick, it hits like a baseball bat.

TUF 9, Ep 7 - USA Downward Spiral

Team USA did not look good in this episode, despite coach Dan Henderson destroying Michael Bisping in a tennis match and pocketing $10,000. The $1,500 for each guy on Team USA would not be enough to lift everyone's spirits.

At the house, Jason Pierce comes off like this season's Captain Miserable, aka Charles McCarthy from Season 4. Pierce trains on his own and doesn't like taking direction, disenfects the house after Whitson gets Impatago, and complains about his hurt foot. When Jason Dent realizes some guys are talking trash in the downstairs room it adds to his frustration.

After the fight announcement of Ross Pearson v. Richie Whitson, they cut to Richie celebrating his birthday. On that night, it appears Cameron Dollar is having yet another meltdown. He misses his family and friends and is homesick. Dan Henderson lets Dollar know that it is ok to feel that way, but wants him to relax and eat a piece of cake.

During the fight of Whitson v. Pearson, Whitson does not look like the fighter who won his first fight. He looks slower, taking wilder punches, and getting into bad situations. After missed kicks, Pearson nearly gets Whitson's back. Whitson is able to get back up on most occasions, but the last one results in an arm-bar. Team UK is now dominating with a 4-2 lead and only 2 fights to go.

Next week we will see Jason Pierce v. David Faulkner or Jason Dent v. Jeff Lawson. Due to extreme foreshadowing seen on the show, there is a possibility Jason Pierce won't fight. If that is the case, expect Mark Miller to take his spot. Faulkner injued his leg in this episode during a sledgehammer drill but should be fine. Andre Winner put the sledge through the mats during this episode.

Team USA Second Round- LW- Cameron Dollar, WW- Damarques Johnson
Team UK Second Round- LW's- Andre Winner, Ross Pearson WW's- Nick Osipczak, James Wilks

Strikeforce Saturday!

Strikeforce's big time debut on Showtime will be this Saturday night featuring a headliner bout of WW Champ Jake Shields v. MW Champ Robbie Lawler. The main card fights look very solid, while the undercard has three big names in Cavalcante, Kyle and Woodley. Here is the line-up:

Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields- This match will feature two very contrasting styles. 170 pound BJJ blackbelt Jake Shields is an accomplished grappler that will look to get the fight to the ground as soon as possible. Lawler will try KO Shields on his feet while defending the takedown.

Elite XC WW champ Jake Shields (22-4) has been on a serious roll with an 11 fight win streak. Jake has victories over Yushin Okami, Paul Daley, Nick Thompson, Carlos Condit and Dave Menne in his career.

(Jake Shields pictured)

Elite XC's MW Champ Robbie Lawler (16-4) will be looking for a KO while standing and when Shields attempts taking him down. Lawler has serious knockout power, as 13 of his victories have come via KO/TKO. Lawler has victories over Scott Smith, Joey Villasenor, Frank Trigg and Ninja Rua.

(Robbie Lawler pictured)

Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers- Former UFC HW champ Arlovski will have his hands full against rising undefeated up and comer Rogers. Rogers is a massive 6'5" 265 pounds and have at least 30 pounds on Arlovski. Arlovski will need to utilize his quickness and precision boxing against Rogers brawling.

Andrei Arlovski (15-6) was on a five fight win streak, winning 3 in the UFC, and two over IFL stars Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson before he met the best in the world. Arlovski defeated Tim Sylvia for the UFC HW title and defended twice over Paul Buentello and Justin Eilers. Arlovski also has wins over Ian Freeman, Vladimir Matyushenko and Marcio Cruz.

(Andrei Arlovski pictured)

Brett Rogers (9-0) had his biggest test on an April Strikeforce card against Ron Humphrey (5-0 at the time), TKO'ing him with knees in the second round. All of Rogers other fights were ended in the first round, including KO's over Bully Beatdown's Jon Murphy and Prive vet James Thompson. Rogers will have to use his heavy hands to KO Arlovski.

(Brett Rogers pictured)

Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith
Phil Baroni vs. Joe Riggs
Kevin Randleman vs. Mike Whitehead

PRELIMINARY CARD

Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Mike Kyle- swing bout
Josh Bumgarner vs. Jesse Finney
Tyron Woodley vs. Sal Woods- Woodley All-American wrestler
Lucas Lopes vs. Scott Ventimiglia
Pat Benson vs. Dave Cochran
Booker DeRousse vs. James Wade

WEC 41 Preview

This Sunday will feature and awesome WEC card with Urijah Faber facing Mike Thomas Brown in a rematch. In the previous fight, Urijah Faber attempting a spinning back elbow, only to be punched in the jaw by Brown. With Urijah stunned, it was all Brown from that point.

The line-up looks like this:

MAIN CARD

Mike Thomas Brown vs. Urijah Faber- This is a five round fight for the featherweight title. After defeating Faber for the title, Brown (21-4, 3-0 WEC) went on to destroy Leonard Garcia. In Brown's other WEC fight, he won a decision over Jeff Curran. Brown will look to use his size and strength advantage over Faber, utilizing his reach and neutralizing Faber's takedowns.

(Mike Brown pictured)

Urijah Faber is the previous WEC featherweight champ, winning the belt over Cole Escovedo, and defending five times. Urijah is an explosive grappler, with good striking and a never ending gas tank. He has career victories over Jeff Curran, Jens Pulver, Chance Farrar and Bibiano Fernandes.

(Urijah Faber pictured)

Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson
Donald Cerrone vs. James Krause
Josh Grispi vs. Jens Pulver

PRELIMINARY CARD

John Franchi vs. Manny Gamburyan
Kyle Dietz vs. Charlie Valencia
Mike Campbell vs. Anthony Pettis
Antonio Banuelos vs. Scott Jorgensen
Frank Gomez vs. Noah Thomas
Seth Dikun vs. Rolando Perez

Video of the Day - Noah Thomas

Here is Noah Thomas v. Robert Densley from WFC which took place on 9/2/06. Noah Thomas had a rough run on TUF 5 under coach BJ Penn. He was eliminated off the bat by Manny Gamburyan, got roughed up by coach Tony DeSouza, then kicked off the show for fighting Marlon Sims in the backyard.

Since TUF wrapped, Noah has won 3 straight, 7 overall, and dropped from 155 to 135 pounds. The decision has suited him well, as he is slated to make his WEC debut next month.

Video of the Day - Awad v. Garijo

Here is an awesome fight between Saad Awad and Diego Garijo in the Bellator Fighting Championships.

Mark Hunt vs. Semmy Schilt K1

Here is an epic K1 Kickboxing clash between two of the biggest fighters around. The 6'11" Schilt is one of K1 best fighters of all-time sporting a kickboxing record around (28-3). Semmy's kickboxing titles include the 2007 K-1 World GP Champion, 2007 K-1 Super Heavyweight Champion, 2006 K-1 World GP Champion, 2005 K-1 World GP Champion.

In mma, Semmy sports a (25-14) record with his highlight being the 9th King of Pancrase with a victory over Yuki Kondo, then defending against Yoshiki Takahashi and Osami Shibuya. Schilt has also fought twice for the UFC defeating Pete Williams and losing to Josh Barnett.

Mark Hunt is another K1 star sporting a (29-12) kickboxing record. His kickboxing career was highlighted with a 2001 K1 World Grand Prix championship. Hunt is known for his granite chin and extra girth. While Hunt is only (5-4) in mma, he has fought only top tier opponents, beating Wanderlei Silva, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

Video of the Day - Wanderlei Silva

Here is Wanderlei Silva v. Sean Bormet from IVC 2: A Question of Pride which took place on 9/15/97.

Video of the Day - Roy Jones Jr.

Boxing superstar Roy Jones Jr. (58-5 boxing) has caused quite a stir in entertaining potential future boxing bouts with MMA stars Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz. Now, he is going even further, supposedly challenging them to mixed martial arts contests.

The 5'11" Jones Jr. has won titles in various weight classes, first at super middleweight, then light heavyweight and even heavyweight. His big boxing wins have come over James Toney, Bernard Hopkins, John Ruiz and Felix Trinidad. He won his first match against Antonio Tarver, but dropped the next two. In his last bout he KO'd Omar Sheika for the vacant NABO lightweight belt.

TUF 9 Episode 6 - Dollar Bills Y'all

This episode featured two fights, the first between lightweights Cameron Dollar and Martin Stapleton and the second between welterweights Frank Lester and James Wilks. The episode featured some surprises and irony.

The episode begins with Bisping explains his absence during the Dean Amisinger v. Damarques Johnson fight. Apparently, Bisping has been dealing with jet lag and overslept. My question is why an alarm wasn't set or a coach banging on his hotel door. Bisping really let down Dean in that fight.

Before the fight with Stapleton, Dollar was again portrayed as an arrogant young guy, telling Dean how to escape from a triangle after his loss. Dollar then shows a more humble side, as he is very scared and nervous about fighting. His stand-up game is also suspect in training, as he routinely misses targets held by striking coach Cyrille Diabate.

Stapleton is portrayed as a battle hardened UK Marine with tremendous cardio. Bisping hypes him up, as does the team. Lester tells Dollar that while Stapes is a tough guy, tough guys have been beaten up before.

As the fight begins, the fighers circle and measure each other. As Stapleton comes forward and exchanges, Dollar nails him in the side of the head with a hook. From there, Stapleton was fazed and looked for a takedown. Dollar was able to get his back, took his time with strikes, then eventually got a rear naked choke. Dollar was humble in his victory, and with a good grappling game, may be a force in the tournament.

Before the second fight, shadow boxer Frank Lester is profiled. Frank is slightly crazy and liked by most of the team. Coach Dan Henderson attempts to clam him down, but Frank can't seem to contain his sudden hatred for Wilks. Wilks meanwhile is pretty calm, boasting a BJJ game and decent stand-up skills. Before the fight a $100 bounty is offered by Team USA for a Wilk's tooth.

The first round was an absolute war, with each fighter landing big shots. Frank is winding up his punches though, and eating too many knees and punches. As they clinch during the end of the round, Wilks nails Frank in the face with a knee. That knee knocked out the front fake teeth of Lester, which he lost as a young kid.

During the break, Henderson tries to pry the teach out of Lester's mouthguard but they don't come easy. After Bisping complains, Lester gets his mouthguard and is a totally different fighter. He drops his hands and has no energy left. Maybe too much shadow-boxing. Wilks takes advantage and brutalizes Lester before getting an armbar. Team UK now has a 3-2 on Team US.

(Cameron Dollar pictured)

Team USA Second Round- LW- Cameron Dollar, WW- Damarques Johnson
Team UK Second Round- LW- Andre Winner, WW's- Nick Osipczak, James Wilks

Sengoku 8 Results!!

The 8th Sengoku show did not disappoint, delivering nasty knockouts and a couple slick submissions. The production values were on point in clear high definition.

Hatsu Hioki def Ronnie Mann via sub (triangle choke) R1, 3:09- Hioki stock continues to rise as he won again via first round submission. Istead of utilizing his reach advantage, Hioki brought the fight to the ground. Once the fight went to the ground, Mann was in serious trouble as Hioki attempted an anaconda then ended up in mount. Hioki transitioned to a triangle, then punched Mann in the head with the triangle in place until he eventually tapped.

(Hatsu Hioki pictured)

Michihiro Omigawa def Nam Phan via TKO (punches) R1, 4:52- Omigawa got his second straight upset win in this high paced fight. After Phan attempted a knee bar, Omigawa laid down a beating, getting clean punches and knees to a grouned Phan. After Phan eventually got to his feet Omigawa threw as many punches as possible until the bout was stopped.

Kazunori Yokota def Leonardo Santos via split dec- Santos was not able to utilize his reach advantage in this fight as Yokota was able to close the distance and inflict damage in the clinch. Much of the fight was spent on the ground, where Santos attempted submissions and Yokota escaped. Near the end, a couple head stomps by Yokota may have earned him the split decision.

Alexandre Ribeiro def Keiichiro Yamamiya via KO (punches) R3, 2:20- Ribeiro almost got an armbar as the round closed in the first round. After a second round may gone to Yamamiya, Ribeiro gained some confidence. Ribiero came out in the third firing, and eventually landed a clean right hand, followed up ly by a couple punches to get the KO.

Masanori Kanehara def Chan Sung Jung via unanimous dec- This has probably been the fight of the year so far as the action never stopped. Submissions, striking combinations, and everthing in between was thrown. I think I saw a kitchen sink fly in.

Marlon Sandro def Nick Denis via knockout (punches) R1, 0:19- Sandro wasted little time landing a nasty uppercut to drop Denis in 19 seconds.

Makoto Takimoto def Michael Costa via sub(heel hook) R1, 3:31- Both fighters ended up going for leglocks after Costa failed at a guillotine. Takimoto got to the right lock first and ended the fight.

Stanislav Nedkov def Travis Wiuff via TKO (punches) R3, 0:42- After eating 4 or 5 knees to the ground and being way up on the scorecards, Wiuff ate a punch in the third and got KO'd.

Akihiko Mori def Maximo Blanco via DQ (Ill. Kick) R1, 4:20- Blanco dominated in this fight, but threw a soccer kick to a downed Mori.

Shigeki Osawa def Kota Ishibashi via unanimous dec
Hirotoshi Saite def Yoshitaka Abe via sub(arm bar) R1, 2:52

Video of the Day - Hioki v. Kim

Here is Hatsu Hioki v. Byon Sho Kim from Shooto GIG Central which took place on 11/26/06.

Hioki has excellent kicks as displayed in the fight below, using the push kick to utilize his reach. He has advanced to the third round of Sengoku's Featherweight tournament after submitting Chris Manual and Ronnie Mann via triangle choke.

Video of the Day - Bellator 5

Bellator Fighting Championships has been flying pretty low under the radar during its first season. This past weekend, Eddie Alvarez won his second straight match, this time over Eric Reynolds to make the finals of the 8 man 155 pound tournament.

Another favorite in the 155 pound division, Jorge Masvidal, clashed with submission fighter Tony Imada. Unfortuantely, Bellator won't get the Masvidal v. Alvarez finale they probably wanted, but they got this awesome submission clip.

UFC 98 Preview

UFC 98 takes place this Saturday, May 23rd, in the MGM Grand Garden Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card includes a main event of undefeated young stars Rashad Evans against karate ace Lyoto Machida. In the co-main event, arch rivals and former UFC Welterweight champs Matt Hughes and Matt Serra will square off.

MAIN CARD

Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida- This fight is for the light heavyweight championship. Current 205 pound champ Rashad Evans won the belt over Forrest Griffin by pounding out Forrest for a third round TKO. Rashad, a former Michigan State wrestler will likely try to close the distance with Lyoto to utilize his wrestling base. On the other hand, "Sugar" Rashad may try to slug it out with Machida.

Rashad (16-0-1, 8-0-1 UFC) was the Ultimate Fighter season 2 Heavyweight champion. Rashad needed to win four times for the TUF 2 title, defeating Tom Murphy, Mike Whitehead and Keith Jardine before beating Brad Imes in a slugfest. In UFC competition, Rashad owns KO wins over Chuck Liddell, Jason Lambert and Sean Salmon. Rashad has decision victories over Micheal Bisping and Sam Hoger.

(Rashad Evans pictured above)

Lyoto Machida (14-0, 6-0 UFC) is a karate based fighter that has also excelled in sumo and Brazilian jiu jitsu. He reportedly earned his Shotokan Karate black belt at age 13 and recently got a back belt in BJJ. The elusive fighter is able to keep distance and counter punch very effectively. He will look to counter Rashad's takedowns and get Rashad moving forward. Before entering the UFC, Machida defeated Rich Franklin, Michael McDonald and BJ Penn. In the UFC he has defeated Thiago Silva,Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Tito Ortiz.

(Lyoto Machida pictured above)

Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra- This fight pits TUF 6 coaches and rivals Matt Hughes against Matt Serra. Matt Hughes is widely regarded as one of the best 170 pounders of all time, defeating some of the best in the game. Matt Serra is more known for his grappling credentials, but his defining moment was a knock out of Georges St. Pierre. Both fighters have real distain for one another, that built during TUF 4 and continued to TUF 6.

Matt Hughes (42-7, 15-5 UFC) used his wrestling base from Eastern Illinois University to transfer to mixed martial arts. He began his career fighting in small shows in Iowa before being asked to fight at UFC 22. After a decision victory against Valeri Ignatov, Hughes continued to hone his craft in smaller shows running up big winning streaks. Hughes has career victories over Joe Doerkson, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk, Dave Menne, Akhiro Gono, Frank Trigg and Royce Gracie. He also has a split with BJ Penn and won once over Georges St. Pierre.

(Matt Hughes pictured)

Matt Serra (9-5, 6-5 UFC) is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie. He used his talents to place second in the ADCC and 1st in the 1999 Pan Am Games. Getting in the UFC, he notched early victories over Yves Edwards, Jeff Curran and Ivan Menjivar. After losing to Karo Parisyan, Serra took a spot on TUF 4 Comeback. Serra was able to beat Pete Spratt and avenge a loss to Shonie Carter before defeating Chris Lytle in the finals. From there, Serra would defeat Georges St. Pierre in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Since then, he lost a rematch to St. Pierre and dealt with injuries.

(Matt Serra pictured)

Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Drew McFedries- This slugfest will likely end before the end of the first round. The loser will likely be cut from the UFC. Professor X (20-10, 0-1 UFC) will have to use his kickboxing skills to maintain distance on McFedries and pick him apart. McFedries (7-5, 3-4 UFC) will have to close the distance, get in the clinch and land power shots.

Dan Miller vs. Chael Sonnen- Former 185 pound IFL champ Dan Miller (11-1, 3-0 UFC) will take on pseudo 185 pound WEC champ Chael Sonnen (21-10, 1-3 UFC). Both fighters are excellent wrestlers, but the edge in the submission game goes to Miller. Look for Sonnen to get the fight to the ground, and Miller to look for a submission. Miller has UFC victories against Jake Rosholt, Rob Kimmons and Matt Horwich.

Frank Edgar vs. Sean Sherk- This fight puts two excellent wrestlers against each other. However, the edge in the strength game probably goes to Sean Sherk (33-3, 7-3 UFC), who is notorious for crazy workouts. Sherk is a one time 155 pound champ in the UFC, holding victories against Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Hermes Franca and Benji Radach. Frank Edgar (9-1, 4-1 UFC) is a non-stop energy fighter who holds victories over Tyson Griffin, Spencer Fisher and Hermes Franca.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson
Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague
Kyle Bradley vs. Phillipe Nover
Andre Gusmao vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Brandon Wolff vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
David Kaplan vs. George Roop

Video of the Day - Newton v. Paulson

Here is Carlos Newton v. Eric Paulson from Japan Vale Tudo which took place on 11/29/97. Newton recently won his comeback fight over Nabil Khatib via TKO at Warrior MMA: Inception on 3/28/09.