UFC 114: Rampage vs Evans

 "Sugar" Rashad Evans defeated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson by unanimous decision in a fight where Rashad kept Rampage on his back for most of the fight.   Rashad came out quick, landing a big right hand to Jackson's head that threw him off balance and Rashad rushed at him but was unsuccessful getting Jackson to the ground until the second round when Jackson became more visibly gassed.   For the most part, Rampage went for knockout punches the majority of the fight while Rashad was shooting in for the takedowns.   Rampage was able to get mount on Rashad in the third round but really couldn't do much when he had him there.   Rampage was able to land some good punches and even leave Rashad light on his feet but couldn't capitalize on it and was eventually taken down and pounded by Rashad later in the third round.   When the fight was finally done, all three judges ruled the fight in favor of Rashad, who stuck to a good game plan and earned himself a title match with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua with the victory.   Both men shook hands following the fight and Rampage did mention that he would like a rematch at some point to which Rashad never really agreed to or refused. What's next for Rashad is obvious but for Jackson, who knows?   Only time will tell if he decides to pursue acting full time or continue fighting, but I'm hoping for the later.  

Michael "The Count" Bisping defeated Dan Miller by unanimous decision in a fight that was pretty much a must win fight for both men.   The two had a terrific stare down that saw both men butt heads before the fight and come out aggressive from the start.   Miller's strong suit was and is his wrestling but he didn't take the fight to the ground until the third round where it was too late.   Bisping spent most of the fight taking Dan apart on the feet and keeping a distance as to avoid the takedowns which was very good game plan that clearly paid off for him.   The fight did start off quick, but slowed down midway through the first round although still keeping a competitive pace.   With the loss, this marks Miller's third in a row and would normally find someone cut from the UFC but in Dan's case, they may make an exception as Miller lost his newborn a year ago due to illness and is currently dealing with a sick infant who is having similar problems.   It's tough to stay focused on training when these things happen and Miller is someone who never avoids a fight and has even taken a couple on short notices which shows the passion he has for doing this.   Dana and the Ferrtita's love guys like this and may give Miller the necessary time to deal with his issues and return when done.   As for Bisping, who is now back to his winning way, a fight with someone like Patrick Cote, Alan Belcher or Brian Stann may be on the horizon.

Mike Russow knocked out Todd Duffee in the third round in easily the biggest comeback in the last couple years.   Todd Duffee is a big, muscular man who almost looks like Brock Lesnar while Mike Russow is an out of shape guy most comparable in looks to Tim Sylvia.   On paper, Duffee was going to own Russow and for almost an entire three rounds, he did.   Duffee was able to stop all of Russow's takedown and made him pay each time he went in for them as Russow took some serious punches to the face.   As the fight went on, Duffee began to slow down and lacked the power behind his punches that he had shown earlier.   Finally, in the third round, Duffee went in to land a couple punches and was met with a vicious punch that rocked him and began knocking him to the floor, only to be met by another in mid air and finally a third while he laid on the floor.   The crowd who had been booing for the previous few minutes became unglued, as did Russow who had a look on his face that could only be described as "What the f*&$ just happened?"   This knockout came out of absolute nowhere and ended up saving the fight.   Russow stuck with the theme of "being a fighter" as the man could have gone down several times from punches and it would have been acceptable but instead the guy stood there with the attitude of "your going to have to knock me out to win this".   Russow is not necessarily known for his standup but after this, he probably will be.   I'm glad I called Russow for the upset last week but I have to say, I felt like an idiot picking him for the first ten minutes of this one and to be honest, if they fought again, I can't confidently say the results would be the same.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira "defeated" Jason Brilz by split decision in one of the biggest robbery's in judging history.   Brilz took this fight on less then a months notice, subbing in for Forrest Griffin who was injured, and boy did he make the right decision.   Brilz came out to the cage with a look of confidence that no one would be able to take away from him no matter how hard his opponent wanted to try.   I don’t know if this is a case of Nog taking Brilz for granted but Brilz came out and pretty much controlled this fight wherever it went.   Brilz was able to get the fight to the ground midway through the first round and control Nog there for the majority of the round, even rocking Nog with a big punch late in the first.   The second round began and for most of the round, Brilz attempted a guillotine choke to which he had some success but not enough to submit him.   The third round began and I guess this is the one round where a case may be able to be made as to Nog winning a round as he was much better on the ground here and even attempted an anaconda choke.   When the fight was over and the judges had awarded the fight to Nog by split decision, the crowd booed heavily, even throughout Nog's speech.   Brilz seemed to be alright with the loss but I truly believe that this fight should have gone to him and that this fight is a great example of why it pays to be a "fighter".   Brilz could have decided against this fight due to only having a few weeks to train but instead he took the chance and made a name for himself regardless of the outcome and with a boring card filled with uneventful fights, also nabbed himself an extra $65 000 for fight of the night.   Something that's very important here is that Brilz pleased his bosses greatly by taking the fight and performing the way he did, which will never hurt.   Dana even called the decision "Bullshit!”   At the post fight press conference, Nog said that he felt he did win the fight and would like to face anyone but most importantly, Forrest Griffin which was the originally scheduled co-main event.

John Hathaway defeated Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez by unanimous decision in what many would call an upset.   This was Diego's first fight back at welterweight and his opponent had a significant reach and height advantage, as well as an undefeated record.   Both men looked ready to go from the beginning but from the start Hathaway showed everyone why he was here.   Hathaway landed a huge knee to Diego's jaw in the first round and after that it was all Hathaway.   John was able to find his range on the feet and avoid the takedown attempts from Diego and take the fight decisively when it came down to the judges.   Joe Rogan questioned why Diego moved back up to welterweight throughout the fight and I have to agree with him.   Diego is not all that large of a guy and he is young, if he's going to fight at a lighter weight then now is the time.   Hopefully this fight makes him rethink his decision.   What’s next for Hathaway is unclear but the guy showed that he may eventually be a contender to the welterweight title and hopefully gets another big fight in the next few months.

"The Stungun" Dong Hyun Kim dominated Amir Sadollah by unanimous decision in a very one sided fight.   Kim had few problems in this fight, outside of being unable to finish Amir and continuously controlled the pace.   At one point in the fight, Kim grabbed Amir's arm and held it behind Amir's head as he reigned down elbows and punches in what could only be described as a very embarrassing move for Amir.   Kim has looked good in his previous fights but this one has to be his best as Kim had some incredible single leg takedown and really kept Amir out of the fight the entire 15 minutes.   Just the same as John Hathaway, Kim has a very bright future in the welterweight division and could also be a contender sometime soon.   Amir is still evolving as a fighter but his takedown defense really needs a lot of work and keeping him away from upper echelon fighters such as Kim may be a good idea in developing Amir until he's ready.

Cyrille Diabate knocked out Luis Arthur Cane at 2:13 of the first round in a back and forth scrap between two strikers.   Both men were rocked by one another due to punches early on in the fight and soon Cane tried to take the fight to the ground but Cyrille is a very tall guy and the takedown was unsuccessful.   The standup battle continued until Cane got tagged after getting in too close on Cyrille and the referee had no choice but to step in and stop this one.

Efrain Escudero defeated Dan "The Upgrade" Lauzon by unanimous decision .   Not a bad fight here but nothing spectacular either. Lauzon had been abandoned by his brother Joe and his trainers before this fight as they all claimed that Dan was not putting in the necessary time to become a top fighter and if Saturday night is any indication, they were good for doing it.   Dan seemed hesitant to throw anything at Efrain and not all that interested in taking it to the ground where I’m sure he would have been most successful.   Efrain was able to use some good head movement to avoid anything that would put him in trouble and landed enough punches on Dan to be considered the aggressor.   Efrain raised his hands a few times throughout the fight trying to get the crowd into it, to little success.   With about 15 seconds left, Efrain landed a kick to Lauzon's "Jewels" and Lauzon was given a minute to recover.   When Lauzon came out there was more aggression in him then the previous 14 minutes and Dan let loose with some punches with bad intentions, even cutting Efrain's head in the process.   The last few seconds got the crowd back into this one but had it been like that for the entire fight then this one could have been a classic.

In Other Fights

Aaron Riley defeated Joe Brammer by unanimous decision

Ryan Jensen defeated Jesse Forbes by submission to a guillotine choke at 1:06 of the first round.

Breakdown of UFC 115

On Saturday, June 12th, 2010, the UFC makes their long awaited debut to the west side of Canada as Vancouver's General Motor's Place will host UFC 115 with the return of Chuck Liddell, a couple heavyweight fights that will surely entertain and one of the stronger undercards of recent memory.   Let’s have a look at some of the fights.

Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell vs Rich "Ace" Franklin -   If this fight wasn't in Canada, where they know they will sell out regardless of what they put on in the main event, this fight would never be given top billing.   Neither man has been all that great lately and it's safe to say that both are past their primes.   Rich Franklin has lost two of his last three fights and been 5-4 in his last nine while Chuck has lost four of his last five.   I can honestly say that this is a taught fight to call and I wish this fight would have taken place 3-5 years ago, when the two were dominating everyone.   I guess the term "better late then never" could be used here.   Franklin is a well rounded fighter who usually comes out with a smart game plan while Chuck is primarily a striker with great takedown defense.   Both men's jaw's have been questioned a lot lately and the safe bet for both would be trying to find their opponents button before the other does.   There are a couple possible scenarios to look at here.   I could see Rich keeping a good distance and waiting for counter punches to put damage on Chuck for an entire three rounds or take him down at will when Chuck over commits to punches.  Ways of Chuck winning that I see would obviously be by knockout and that pretty much it.   Originally this fight was to be Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz and with Tito's neck injury, Rich stepped in as a replacement.   This is fairly important as Chuck has been training for Tito who he has a great deal of hatred toward and with the fact that he's been retired for over a year, I doubt his motivation has been low here and I think we may see the rebirth of the Iceman.

Prediction: Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell by TKO

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs Pat Barry - The future of vicious leg kickers against the past!   Both men have some of the strongest leg kicks ever produced in MMA and neither is all that comfortable on the ground, so if you are looking for a knockout or back and forth striking fight then this is the one.   Pat Barry has looked pretty darn good so far in the UFC with a record of 2-1 and two TKO’s caused by leg kicks.   Barry's only loss came at the hands of Tim Hague who was able to submit Barry rather easily, seconds after the fight getting to the ground.   Cro Cop has been up and down in the UFC since his debut but after defeating Anthony Perosh, he is coming off a high period that he may be able to continue with.   Both men are going to chop the hell out of one another with leg kicks and punches but I think the main factor here is experience.   It's doubtful Barry is going to get in there and show Cro Cop anything he hasn't already seen before and with about six times the amount of fights as Barry, Cro Cop should be able to push the pace and may even hold a significant advantage on the ground.   This fight has fireworks written all over it and will most likely be either Fight of the Night or Knockout of the Night.

Prediction:   Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic by TKO

Tyson Griffin vs Evan Dunham - Two friends stepping in the cage to see who's better.   Give both of these men credit, they have trained with one another at Team Couture and have no problems getting in there and going at it.   Months ago there was a breakup between two of the trainers at Team Couture, Randy Couture and Sean Tompkins with Griffin and Dunham siding with opposite coaches.   Since this happened, both respectfully agreed to this contest which should definitely be one of the better fights of the evening.   Griffin has been in the UFC for almost four years now, having amassed a record of 14-2 and 8-2 in the promotion.   When Griffin fights he is usually the Fight of the Night and although he has gone to a decision in most of his appearances, they are always entertaining and the lightweight knows how to mix it up wherever the fight goes and throws some big leg kicks to keep his opponents guessing.   With wins over Clay Guida, Hermes Franca, Tiago Tavares, Raphael Dos Anjos and losses to only Sean Sherk and Lightweight champion, Frank Edgar, it's tough to argue with this man's success. Evan Dunham is still in the early stages of his UFC career, having won all three of his appearances over the likes of Per Eklund, Marcus Aurelio and Efrain Escudero and boasts a record of 10-0.   This is another close, competitive fight and I don’t think Dunham is all that worthy of the underdog title he's been given here but that being said, I think Tyson is a big step up in competition for young Dunham as Tyson will most likely push the pace and avoid all submission attempts from Evan.   Regardless of the outcome, this should be a great scrap and the winner will most likely see themselves one more win away from a future lightweight championship fight.

Prediction:   Griffin by unanimous decision

Paulo Thiago vs Martin "Hitman" Kampmann- Flip a coin here cause I have no clue on this one.   Paulo is 3-1 in the UFC with wins over Josh Koscheck, Jacob Volkmann and Mike Swick and has only one defeat, at the hands of Jon Fitch.   Kampmann showed a lot of promise a couple years ago but seems to have slipped up a little in his most recent performances.   As much as Kampmann is a kick boxer, I feel Thiago's striking is better, as is his ground game and no matter where this fight takes place; Thiago will find a way to win.

Prediction:   Thiago by unanimous decision

Carlos Condit vs Rory MacDonald - Rory is considered to be one of the best young prospects in MMA today while a few years ago, Condit was considered to be.   Condit came in to the UFC with a lot of hype but only holds a record of 1-1 with a decision loss to Martin Kampmann and a split decision victory over Jake Ellenberger that probably should have gone the other way.   Condit is a very entertaining performer who finishes most fights but now that he is no longer a big fish in a small pond, this fight should show us where he belongs in the welterweight division.   Rory MacDonald is undefeated and 1-0 in the UFC, with a submission victory over Michael "Joker" Guymon in his previous fight in the octagon.   MacDonald seemed well composed in his last fight and will certainly bring the fight to Condit.   This is a toss up as well since either of these men could finish this one wherever the fight goes but I have to go with Condit who should be looking to make up for his previous performance s with more aggressive style then he has shown in his most recent fights.

Prediction:   Condit by unanimous decision

Ben Rothwell vs Gilbert "The Hurricane" Yvel - Classic "striker vs wrestler who likes striking" matchup here.   Ben Rothwell has some good striking but his main strength comes in his wrestling.   Rothwell's ground and pound is some of the better in MMA while Yvel tends to have problems getting off his back when there.   Rothwell should be able to get Yvel to the ground in a perfect world but unfortunately for Ben, he'll need to get close to get him there and I don’t think he's going to be all that fond of this idea once he gets clipped a couple times.   I can see Yvel coming out, guns blazing and taking this fight to Ben which may give Ben the chance to wait for Yvel to screw up and put a hurt on him if he gets him to the ground.   If Ben takes this, I’m sure he wins by decision and if Yvel takes it I’m sure it'll be by TKO but who to choose?

Prediction:   Yvel by TKO

Mac Danzig vs Matt Wiman - Must win here for both guys who seem to only win when it's a must.   Danzig won season six of TUF and has been, for the most part, a disappointment since then.   Danzig is 3-3 in the UFC, winning his first two, and then losing three in a row only to win a close fight over Justin Bucholz in his most recent outing.   Danzig has only looked good in his first fight with Tommy Speer, who he finished in the first two minutes of the fight due to a rear naked choke.   Danzig's next fight was against Mark Bocek who he also defeated with a rear naked choke, although he was beaten down before pulling off the submission.   Matt Wiman is 5-3 in the UFC with victories over Shane Nelson, Thiago Tavares and others.   Wiman has had success with the more one dimensional competitors in the UFC but when facing those who have a well rounded game, he tends to crumble.   If Danzig can control where this fight goes, he should be able to take this in all areas but if he's too aggressive he may find himself in trouble as Wiman's not one to take for granted.   Should be a good little scrap with both men fighting for their jobs.

Prediction:   Mac Danzig by unanimous decision

In Other Fights

James Wilks vs Peter Sobotta- Prediction: Wilks by unanimous decision

Jesse Lennox vs Mike "Quicksand" Pyle- Prediction: Jesse Lennox by unanimous decision

Mario Miranda vs David "The Crow" Loiseau- Prediction: Mario Miranda by TKO

Claude Patrick vs Ricardo Funch- Prediction: Claude Patrick by TKO

Quick Dream 14 Results

Nick Diaz submitted Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at 3:54 of the first round due to an armbar.

Ralek Gracie defeated Kazushi Sakuraba by unanimous decision

Hiroyuki Takaya knocked out Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen at 4:27 of the first round

Norifumi Yamamoto knocked out Frederico Lopez at 1:41 of the first round

Akiyo Nishiura TKO’d Hideo Tokoro at 2:51 of the first round

Kazuyuki Miyata won a split decision over Takafumi Otsuka

Kenji Osawa won a split decision over Yoshiro Maeda

Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa submitted Imani Lee at 4:16 of the first round

Upcoming Fights

Strikeforce: Los Angeles from Nokia Theater- June 16th, 2010

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler

Marius Zaromskis vs Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos

Shane Del Rosario vs Lolohea Mahe

Tim Kennedy vs Trevor Prangley

Conor Heun vs KJ Noons

TUF 11 Finale from Las Vegas, Nevada- June 19th, 2010

"The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine vs Matt "The Hammer" Hammill

Aaron Simpson vs "Crippler" Chris Leben

James McSweeney vs Travis Browne

Spencer "The King" Fisher vs Dennis Siver

John Gunderson vs Mark "Boots" Holst

Kris McCray vs Court McGee

Chris Camozzi vs James Hamortree

Brad Tavares vs Seth Baczynski

Jamie Yager vs Rich Attenio

WEC 49 from Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada- June 20th, 2010

Jamie "The Worm" Varner vs Kamal Shalorus

Josh Grispi vs LC Davis

Chris Horodecki vs Ed Ratcliff

Mark "The Machine" Hominick vs Yves Jabouin

Will Capuzano vs Eddie Wineland

Wagnney Fabiano vs Frank Gomez

Karen Darabedyan vs Will Kerr

Diego Nunes vs Rafael Assuncao

Strikeforce and M-1 from HP Pavillion in San Jose, California- June 26th, 2010

Fedor Emelianenko vs Fabricio Werdum

Cung Le vs Scott Smith

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs Jan "Cuddles" Finney

Josh "The Punk" Thomson vs Patrick "Bamm Bamm" Healy

Joe Warren vs Patricio "Pitbull" Friere

Bryan Baker vs Alexander Shlemenko

UFC 116 from MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada- July 3rd, 2010

UFC Heavyweight Title Fight- Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin

Wanderlei Silva vs Yoshiro "Sexyama" Akiyama

Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski

Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino vs George Sotiropoulous

Chris "Lights Out" Lytle vs "The Immortal" Matt Brown

Goran Reljic vs Kendall "Da Spyda" Grove

Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer

Karlos "The Terminator" Vemola vs Jon Madsen

Seth Petruzelli vs Ricardo Romero

Daniel Roberts vs Julio Paulino

Dave Branch vs Gerald Harris

Dream 15 from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan- July 10th, 2010

Shinya Aoki vs Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri

UFC on Versus 2 from Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah- August 1st, 2010

Jon Jones vs Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs Takanori Gomi

Jim Miller vs Gleison Tibau

Jake Ellenberger vs John "Doomsday" Howard

Yushin Okami vs Mark Munoz

Matt Riddle vs Damarques Johnson

James Irvin vs Igor Pokrajac

Brian Stann vs Mike Massenzio

Rob Kimmons vs Steve "The Hooligan" Steinbeiss

Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann vs Paul Kelly

Darren Elkins vs Charles Oliveira

Thiago Tavares vs Williamy "Chiquerim" Freire

UFC 117 from Oracle Arena in Oakland, California- August 7th, 2010

UFC Middleweight Title Fight- Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Chael Sonnen

"Big Country" Roy Nelson vs Junior Dos Santos

Jon Fitch vs Thiago "Pitbull" Alves

Ricardo Almeida vs Matt Hughes

Thiago Silva vs Tim Boetsch

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida vs Raphael Dos Anjos

"Killa B" Ben Saunders vs Dennis "Superman" Hallman

Rick Story vs Dustin Hazelett

Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman vs Johny Hendricks

Stefan Struve vs Christian Morecraft

WEC 50 from Las Vegas, Nevada- August 18th, 2010

Dominic Cruz vs Joe Benavidez

Anthony Pettis vs Shane Roller

UFC 118 from Boston, Mass. - August 28th, 2010

UFC Lightweight Title Fight- Frank "The Answer" Edgar vs BJ Penn

Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian vs Gray Maynard

James Toney vs "The Natural" Randy Couture

Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Roussimar Palhares

Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon vs Terry Etim

Marcus Davis vs Nate Diaz

Alessio Sakara vs Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera

Amilcar Alves vs Mike Pierce

Andre Winner vs Nick "The Carnie" Lentz

Greg Soto vs Nick Osipczak

Phil "New York Badass" Baroni vs John Salter

Rodney Wallace vs Stanislav Nedkov

Fight Night- September 15th, 2010

Gleison Tibau vs Jim Miller

Alan "The Talent" Belcher vs Demian Maia

Cole Miller vs Ross Pearson

UFC 119- From Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana- September 25th, 2010

Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stevens vs Melvin Guillard

Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran vs Matt Mittrione

UFC 115: News and Notes

UFC 114 bonuses are in and taking home an additional $65 000 with them are Lil Nog/Jason Brilz who took fight of the night, Ryan Jensen for submission of the night and Mike Russow for knockout of the night.

During the post fight press conference, many things were mentioned by Dana White and some of the fighters.   When asked what’s next for him, Michael Bisping said he would love a rematch with Wanderlei Silva.   Dana said he didn't know why Diego decided to fight at welterweight again and that he should go back to lightweight.   Dana also put over John Hathaway saying that the kids got a lot of potential and at only 22 will have a lot of big fights ahead of him.   The UFC Fan Expo that was held this year had in the range of 125 000 attendees.   Plans are in the works for the same thing in Boston and the UK.

Its being reported that UFC 114 had a pay per view buy rate of 925 000.   If this is true then it almost doubled UFC 113's buy rate.

Payouts for UFC 114 are as follows:

Rashad Evans: $435,000 (includes $185,000 win bonus)
def. Quinton Jackson: $250,000
Michael Bisping: $190,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Miller: $15,000
Mike Russow: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
def. Todd Duffee: $8,000
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $120,000 ($40,000 win bonus)
def. Jason Brilz: $11,000
John Hathaway: $22,000 ($11,000 win bonus)
def. Diego Sanchez: $50,000
Dong Hyun Kim: $64,000 ($32,000 win bonus)
def. Amir Sadollah: $15,000
Efrain Escudero: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Lauzon: $15,000
Melvin Guillard: $38,000 ($19,000 win bonus)
def. Waylon Lowe: $6,000
Cyrille Diabate: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
def. Luiz Cane: $19,000
Aaron Riley: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Joe Brammer: $5,000
Ryan Jensen: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Jesse Forbes: $6,000

The UFC has opened an office in Toronto, Canada recently.   Dana has been hinting at a season of TUF involving Canadians, and rumor is spreading that White is looking for Toronto to host the GSP vs Koscheck fight at the end of the year.   Seems like the ball has begun rolling, however MMA is still not legal in Ontario and I doubt it will be by the time this event needs to be booked whether they have a home base in Canada or not.   Pittsburgh will most likely get the event instead as it's Koscheck's hometown however it's probably not much a stretch in saying that he will still be playing the heel.

UFC competitor, Lee Murray has been given a ten year jail sentence for being what fellow gang members are saying, the mastermind behind a bank robbery where $53 million pounds were stolen.   Murray is best known for knocking out Tito Ortiz (depending on where you hear this story) in an altercation at a bar.   Murray had a record of 8-2-1 with his only losses being to Joe Doerksen and Anderson Silva and has defeated Jorge Rivera by armbar in his only fight in the UFC.

Rumor is circulating that Anderson Silva will be moving up to Lightheavyweight following his UFC 117 meeting with Chael Sonnen.

Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon has officially been released by the UFC following his loss to Efrain Escudero at UFC 114.

That's all for this week as I'll be back next week with a recap of UFC 115 and Breakdown of The TUF Finale as well as Strikeforce: Babalu vs Lawler.   Take care everyone.