Preview of UFC 125 on January 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

Frank "The Answer" Edgar (13-1) vs. Gray "The Bully" Maynard (10-0) - There are few things in MMA that are guarantees and Gray Maynard winning fights by decision would be one of those.   A three time all American in amateur wrestling, Maynard's strong suit is his smothering wrestling which has proved to be seemingly impossible to get away from considering he has never lost in the UFC.   Maynard has grown more and more comfortable with his hands over the years but still wouldn't be considered much of a threat in that category.   Having handed Edgar his only loss, in 2008, and in his first challenge to the UFC's lightweight championship, Gray has quite a bit of pressure on his shoulders in this one.   Edgar has been on a tear since being defeated by Gray, winning five fights in a row including the UFC lightweight championship over BJ Penn and successfully defending it against Penn later in the year.   Edgar is a quick guy who is difficult to catch for someone with a takedown on their agenda and although Gray has done it before, Edgar has improved significantly and should be quicker than their last outing.   This fight is very difficult to call and this column would have been done days ago had I not spent so much time trying to figure this one out but I think Gray should be able to get Edgar to the mat and hold him down there for five rounds and earn himself the victory.   This fight won't be all that exciting if it goes to Gray's world but if Edgar can keep it standing he may be able to capitalize on Gray's gas tank in the later rounds.   It wouldn't be a surprise for either man to get the win here but whoever does, has a waiting Anthony "Showtime" Pettis as the next challenge to their championship.

"The Crippler" Chris Leben (25-6) vs. Brian Stann (9-3)- Stann is being thrown in to lose here but often times these fights never go as planned.   If so, Cro Cop would have defeated Gabriel Gonzaga, Chuck Liddell would have defeated Rashad Evans and GSP would have successfully defended his newly won UFC welterweight championship.   Leben is a tough dude and on a hot streak as of late defeating Jay Silva by unanimous decision and top ten UFC middleweights Yoshiro Akiyama and Aaron Simpson.   Leben is an aggressive fighter that only gets more vicious when receiving a beating at some point throughout his fights.   Stann on the other hand came into the UFC after a successful run in the WEC's Lightheavyweight division, even capturing the title at one point, but has yet to really wow the audiences.   Stann has a 3-2 record in the UFC with victories over Steve Cantwell, Rodney Wallace and Mike Massenzio and losses to Krzystof Soszynski and Phil Davis.   Stann has some good wrestling but if he can't get the fight to the ground, his stand up doesn't compare to Leben.   Leben tends to do well against wrestlers and has a great sprawl which should come into play here. One thing to keep in mind here is that Leben tends to take some fighters lightly and as proven with his fights against Jake Rosholt, Kalib Starnes and Jason MacDonald can be defeated by lower level competitors.    Stan's not going to be easy to finish but I think Leben should be able to take this one decisively after three rounds in what should be an entertaining contest.

Brandon "The Truth" Vera (11-5) vs. Thiago Silva (14-2)- This fight is a great opportunity for either man to get a much needed win under their belt and perhaps even save their UFC career.   Brandon Vera at one point was considered one of the best young prospects in MMA but when he took a year off due to a contract dispute and returned he was never the same.   Vera moved down to the UFC's Lightheavyweight division following two losses at heavyweight but hasn't looked overly impressive in the division.   With losses to Jon Jones, Randy Couture and Keith Jardine, Vera has took on the top stars of the division but a loss is a loss and he finds himself in a must win situation here.   Silva has done well for himself in the UFC having won his first four fights all by tko until he ran into, at the time undefeated Lyoto Machida.   Machida knocked out Silva with one second remaining in the first round in a pretty sweet knockout, handing the Brazilian his first loss.   Following the loss, Silva has gone 1-1 with a victory over Keith Jardine and loss to Rashad Evans.   On paper, Thiago's stand up is significantly better than Vera's but Vera has the edge if the fight hits the mat or if he can find his range with kicks.   Another fight that's very difficult to call and with both men with their back to the wall I think we'll get a spirited contest that has the potential to steal the show.   Silva has been rocked in most of his fights and been able to recover well but there is that whole in his game that Vera may be able to find while Vera is a difficult guy to finish which leads me to believe if Silva wins he gets the W by decision and if Vera does, he finds a way to knock out Silva.   I'm leaning more towards Silva though.

Nate Diaz (13-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (13-0-1)- Diaz has a two fight win streak since moving to the welterweight division over Rory Markham and Marcus Davis.   Kim is definitely a giant step up from those two fighters having won all of his fights in the UFC besides a No Contest which saw him lose a fight to Karo Parisyan only to see Parisyan test positive for a banned substance and have the outcome overturned.   Kim has defeated TJ Grant and Amir Sadollah in his last outings and has some great stand up to go along with a terrific ground game.   Diaz should hold the edge in reach and his Jui Jitsu is nothing to take lightly but Kim should be able to avoid any submission attempts and control Diaz on the ground.   Diaz is not one to be counted out but he's got a tough fight ahead of him here.  

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida (27-11) vs. Takanori Gomi (32-6) - On paper, this fight has Fight of the Night written all over it.   Guida always entertains and is no slouch on the ground although he prefers to strike.   Gomi has some terrific hands and proved it in his last outing, knocking out Tyson Griffin, something thought to be near impossible.   If Gomi can keep Guida from getting him against the cage and taking him down then he should have the edge standing but Guida fights smart and should be able to get Gomi to the mat and pummel him while there.   Tough fight to call but I have to go with Guida here in another entertaining fight on paper.

In Other Fights

Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stevens (18-6) vs. Marcus Davis (17-7)

Dustin Poirier (8-1) vs. Josh "The Fluke" Grispi (14-1)

Antonio McKee (25-3-2) vs. Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann (11-2)

Brad Tavares (6-0) vs. Phil Baroni (13-12)

Diego "The Gun" Nunes (15-1) vs. Mike Thomas Brown (24-6)

Daniel Roberts (11-1) vs. Greg Soto (8-1)

Upcoming Events

UFC Fight Night- January 22^nd, 2011

Melvin Guillard vs. Evan Dunham

Mike "Quick" Swick vs. David "Daudi" Mitchell

Demarques Johnson vs. Michael "The Joker" Guymon

Matt Mitrione vs. Tim "The Thrashing Machine" Hague

Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman vs. Amilcar Alves

Yves Edwards vs. Cody McKenzie

Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran

William "Chiquerim" Freire vs. Waylon Lowe

"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung vs. Rani Yahya

Mark "The Machine" Hominick vs. George Roop

Cole Miller vs. Matt Wiman

UFC 126 from Las Vegas, Nevada- February 5^th, 2011

Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs. Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort

Forrest Griffin vs. Rich "Ace" Franklin

Ryan Bader vs. Jon "Bones" Jones

Carlos Eduardo Rocha vs. Jake Ellenberger

Antonio Banuelos vs. Miguel Torres

Paul Kelly vs. Sam Stout

Ricardo Romero vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Mike Pierce vs. Kyle Robertson

Norifumi Kid Yamamoto vs. Demetrious Mighty Mouse Johnson

Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Gabe Ruediger vs. Paul Taylor

UFC 127 from Sydney, Australia- February 27^th, 2011

Jon Fitch vs. BJ Penn

"The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit vs. Chris "Light's Out" Lytle

George Sotiropoulous vs. Denis Siver

Michael The Count Bisping vs. Jorge El Conquistador Rivera

Spencer The King Fisher vs. Ross Pearson

Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle KO Noke

Gabe Ruediger vs. Paul Taylor

Alexander The Mauler Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna

Curt Warburton vs. Maciej "The Joker" Jewtuszko

Nick Ring vs. Riki Fukuda

Anthony Perosh vs. Tom Blackledge

UFC on Versus 3- March 3^rd, 2011

Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez

Alessio Sakara vs. Maiquel Jose Falcao

CB Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz

Alexandre Ferreira vs. Rousimar Palhares

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera

Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page

UFC 128 from Newark, New Jersey- March 19^th, 2011

Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Rashad Evans

Mike "Quicksand" Pyle vs. Ricardo Almeida

Where are They Now: The Ultimate Fighters Season Three

Mike Stine (3-0) - Stine was the first person to fight on the show as Kalib Starnes chose him to face off in the season's opener.   Starnes made quick work of Stine who hadn't fought in close to two years defeating him by tko in the first round.   Stine hasn't fought since the show and seems to no longer be competing in the sport.

Jesse Forbes (15-5) - With only a 2-0 record before being cast on the show, Shamrock made Forbes his first choice.   Forbes was the youngest and most immature on the show and thought he would walk through Noah Inhofer but Inhofer submitted Forbes to an arm bar in the first round sending Forbes off the show.   Forbes returned when Inhofer left the show due to wanting to go see his girlfriend and Forbes was automatically brought into the semi-finals where he took on Josh Haynes who submitted Forbes due to a guillotine choke in the opening seconds of the second round.   Forbes was given a shot at the TUF finale but lost to Matt Hamill in the first round due to punches.   After being dropped from the UFC, Forbes went 10-2 with wins over season seven contestant Jesse Taylor and season 11 competitor Chris Cammozi.   Forbes was given another shot in the UFC but sadly lost those two fights against Nick Catone and Ryan Jensen.   Since those losses in early 2010, Forbes has won his last two fights over lower level competition.   At 26 years old and taking fights the way he does, Forbes should be around MMA for the next several years and may even get himself his first UFC victory at some point.

Ross Pointon (6-10) - With a record of 4-6 prior to getting on the show, it puzzled many as to why Ross was even chosen.   Kendal Grove chose to take on Pointon and exposed his lack of submission defense by defeating the Brit by rear naked choke in the first round.   When Matt Hamill became injured and no Lightheavyweight wanting to fight, Pointon was asked if he'd like to move up to Lightheavyweight and take the fight.   Pointon said yes and faced off against Michael Bisping, someone he had lost to prior to the show.   Bisping made quick work of Pointon but due to having taken the fight, Pointon was given another shot at the TUF finale.   Rory Singer was thought to be someone Pointon could defeat but unfortunately Singer submitted him to a triangle choke in the opening minute of the fight.   Pointon was given one more shot with the UFC and succumbed to a rear naked choke at the hands of Rich Clementi at Fight Night 8.   Since being dropped by the UFC, Pointon went 2-2 with his only notable fight being a loss to Marius Zaromskis.   After winning his final fight in n2008, Pointon has seemingly retired.

Kristian Rotharmel (4-3) - The cigar smoking Rotharmel was chosen by Shamrock and was one of the most well rounded fighters on the show.   However, Rotharmel hadn't fought in over three years and never really materialized into much, getting pummelled and finished due to punches to eventual winner Michael Bisping in the first round.   When Matt Hamill was unable to fight in the semi-finals due to a broken arm, Rotharmel was given another opportunity to compete but turned it down saying he didn't want to lose twice on a television show.   If there was ever a sign of lacking the confidence needed to be a fighter, this was it.   Rotharmel was given a final shot at Fight Night 5 against fellow TUF season two contestants Rob MacDonald but was submitted to an arm bar in the first round.   Following his release from the UFC, Rotharmel seems to have walked away from MMA altogether.

"King" Solomon Hutcherson (11-7) - Hutcherson came into the show with a record of 6-3 and forged a bond with opposing team member Kendal Grove.   The two formed a team called "Team Dagger" and shared information on their team members with the other one.   This paid off when Grove defeated Pointon hearing he had no ground game from Hutcherson.   The King made Rory Singer the victim of some hazing early and the two faced off in the first round.   In a little bit of a shocker, Rory Singer knocked out Solomon following a kick to the head and punches in the second round.   Solomon was given a fight at the TUF 3 finale with Luigi Fioravanti but was knocked out in the opening round.   Since being cut from the UFC, Hutcherson has gone 5-3 and won fights over Nabil Khatib and Marcus Hicks and losses to names like David Loiseau, Jason MacDonald and David Heath.

Noah Inhofer (4-5) - With a record of 1-2 Noah came from a good camp at the Miletich and his two losses were too tough guys in Mike Nickels from the same season and Chris Tuschsherer.   Jesse Forbes targeted Noah and popped Noah's basketball that Tito had lent him.   Forbes and Noah ended up facing off in the first round and Noah submitted the smack talker to an arm bar in the first round.   A few days following the fight, Noah received a letter from his girlfriend, long story short, the girl accused him of cheating and Noah felt he needed to leave the show and get things straight with her.   Dana White was not pleased with Noah's decision and let him no saying he was giving up on something he would regret.   Dana never gave Noah another shot to compete on the show or in the UFC.   Since the show, Noah has gone 3-3 with no notable wins or defeats.   Noah hasn't fought since 2008, a fight in which he was defeated by Canadian Victor Valimaki.

Tait Fletcher (4-2)- Having trained at Greg Jackson's camp, Tait was 3-1 before getting a chance on the show and questioned Ken Shamrock's approach to training immediately.   Tait was bothered by the lack of hands on training from Ken and he had a point as Shamrock only had two men win their way into the quarter finals.   Tait fought Josh Haynes to a close split decision loss but looked good in the fight.   When Matt Hamill was injured and Kristian Rotharmel turned down the fight with Michael Bisping, Tait was asked if he would like to fight.   Tait wanted nothing to do with the fight since he felt banged up from his fight with Haynes.   Tait never fought in the UFC and only fought twice since the show, going 1-1 and hasn't competed since 2008.

Danny Abbadi (4-6) - With having come from a Tae Kwon Do background, Abbadi was looked at as one of the weaker competitors on the show.   With a 1-0 record, Ortiz wasn't willing to sacrifice one of his better fighters at the risk of Ed Herman, so Abbadi was sent in for the slaughter. Herman submitted Abbadi in the first round to an arm bar and finally got his chance to say he was a UFC fighter, something he's been waiting for his whole life no doubt.   Abbadi was helpful towards Matt Hamill when teammates gave him a hard time and earned Hamill's respect.   Abbadi was given a fight on the TUF finale and lost to Kalib Starnes while in a rear naked choke in the first round.   Abbadi was given one more fight in the UFC where he lost yet again, this time to Jorge Gurgel by unanimous decision.   Since being dropped from the UFC, Abbadi has gone 3-4 with his most high profile fight being a tko loss to Shonie Carter late last year.   Abbadi seems to have gone back to teaching at his Tae Kwon Do school.

Mike Nickels (9-4) - Nickels came into the house with a record of 3-1 and finishes in all those fights.   Shamrock felt confidant with Nickels skills and he took on Matt Hamill in the first round of the show.   Despite hanging in there and even hitting Hamill with some good shots, Nickels was defeated by unanimous decision and broke his nose in the process. When Hamill couldn't continue on the show, Nickels wasn't offered the fight due to the injury.   At the TUF 3 finale, Nickels defeated Wes Combs by rear naked choke in the first round.   Nickels took some time off to recover from a couple of injuries and defeated Carpaccia Owens by knockout before getting another shot in the UFC.   Stephan Bonnar took on Mike Nickels in Nickels return to the UFC but unfortunately for him, Bonnar submitted him to a rear naked choke in the second round.   After being dropped from the UFC, Nickels has gone 4-2 with higher profile losses in Vinny Magalhaes and Dwayne Lewis and a victory over David Heath.  

Kalib Starnes (11-5-1) - From British Columbia and with a record of 6-1, Starnes was one of the favourites of the season.   In the first fight on the show, Starnes made quick work of Mike Stine, advancing to the semi-finals.   Kalib was concerned about training too hard and injuring himself since he had advanced, which led to an argument between he and Ken Shamrock.   Starnes took on Kendal Grove in the semi-final of the show and quit in the opening seconds of the third round when he had hurt his ribs following knees from Kendal.   After the fight, it was revealed that Kalib had dislocated a rib when he visited a doctor.   Starnes was given a fight with Danny Abbadi at the TUF finale and defeated him with a rear naked choke.   Next up, Starnes took on Yushin Okami but was no match for the Lionheart as Okami defeated Starnes by tko in the third round.   In an upset of sorts, Kalib had his hand raised following three rounds with Chris Leben at UFC 71 and faced off with Alan Belcher next.   Alan Belcher was next up for Starnes but unfortunately for Starnes, Belcher was able to cut Starnes open with an elbow, causing a stop to the fight when the doctor wouldn't let it continue.   With the first UFC in Canada, Kalib Starnes and Nate Quarry were billed as one of the main attraction but Kalib did little more than show up, backpedalling and refusing to engage with Nate for three rounds in one of the worst fights in UFC history and only memorable for Quarry making fun of Starnes in the third round for running away.   Dana White cut Kalib immediately following the fight, in which he lost and Starnes was forced to the smaller shows. Since begging booted from the UFC, Kalib has gone 3-2 with losses to top level fighters in Hector Lombard and Falaniko Vitale. If Kalib can get his focus back he could still have a future in the sport as a good level competitor.

Rory Singer (11-9) - With a record of 8-5 and training with season one winner Forrest Griffin, Singer had faced off with some tough dudes before even getting on the show.   With losses to Dennis Halman and Daijiro Matsui and a victory over Wilson Gouveia, Singer was a better fighter than one would think given his profession of a male nurse.   Singer originally became friendly with Ed Herman, sharing a room with him despite the fact that they were on opposing teams.   Eventually Herman tired of Singer when Rory's fart jokes became too much for Herman.   After arguing with Solomon Hutcherson over something related to food, it was obvious one of the two had to go.   Singer ended up knocking out Hutcherson and advancing himself to the semi-finals.   Singer eventually got angry when his sparring gear was hidden all over the training gym and blamed Ed Herman when it wasn't Herman who did it.   Herman eventually pissed on Singers head gear and the two squared off in the semis.   Herman submitted Singer to a rear naked choke to end Singers push to win the show.   AT the TUF 3 finales, Singer took on Ross Pointon and exposed of their Brit's lack of submission skills, submitting him in 44 seconds with a rear naked choke.   Singer next took out TUF 3 runner up Josh Haynes and bloodied Haynes badly with elbows in a unanimous decision victory. A step up in competition was needed and Singer took on Yushin Okami at UFC 66 in a fight that saw Okami finish Singer with punches in the third round.   Following the loss, Singer was cut from the UFC and returned to the smaller shows where he got himself a win and another shot in the UFC.   At UFC 72, Jason MacDonald defeated Singer by tko to punches in the second round continuing his streak of victories over TUF contestants.   After being cut, again by the UFC, Singer lost his last two fights and hasn't fought in close to two years.

Ed Herman (21-9)- Having trained at Team Quest with Randy Couture, Chris Leben and Nate Quarry, Herman was a favourite to win the show when the cast was announced.   With a record of 17-4 before getting into the house, Herman had already been in the cage with tough guys, defeating Dave Menne, Nick Thompson, Glover Teixeira and Brian Ebersole and losses to the likes of Kazuo Misaki and Joe Doerksen.   Herman was disappointed when he wasn't chosen to be on Tito's team and Tito regretted it as Ed was one of only two men to advance to the next round from Shamrock's team.   Danny Abbadi was Herman's first opponent on the show and was submitted to an arm bar in the first round advancing Herman to the next round where he took on Rory Singer, someone he had built up somewhat of a rivalry with on the show.   Herman disposed of Singer in the second round of their semi-final meeting following a rear naked choke in the second round and found himself in the finals, facing off against Kendal Grove.   At the TUF 3 finale, Herman was defeated by Grove in one of the better TUF finale main events and in the loss earned himself a UFC contract for the fight he put on in a real crowd pleaser.   Herman was given a fight with debuting Jason MacDonald but unfortunately for Herman, he was submitted rather quickly in the first round due to a triangle choke.   Needing a win, Herman took on Chris Price at Fight Night 8 and submitted Price to an arm bar.   TUF 4 competitor Scott Smith was next up for Herman at UFC 72 and was submitted to a rear naked choke in the second round.   Next up was a rematch with Joe Doerksen from earlier in their careers and this time Ed knocked out the Canadian at the beginning of the third round.   With three victories in a row, Herman was given a step up in competition for his next fight when he took on Jui Jitsu ace Demian Maia.   Maia submitted Herman to a triangle choke in the second round at UFC 83 and again Herman was in need of a win.   At Fight Night 15 Herman lost a split decision with Alan Belcher.   With a record of 3-4 in the UFC, normally a competitor would be released at this point but Herman always gave his all in his fight and had a natural charisma not seen too often.   Herman was given one more chance in the UFC and defeated the returning David Loiseau by unanimous decision at UFC 97 in a fight Loiseau got dominated in.   At UFC 102, Aaron Simpson defeated Ed Herman when Herman blew out his knee at the beginning of the second round in a fight he was getting dominated in.   Nursing his blown ACL, Herman hasn't stepped back into the cage since August of 2009 and will most likely make a return to the octagon for at least one more fight in 2011.

Josh "Bring the Pain" Haynes (15-11)- The former heavyweight with a frame more fitting for a welterweight decided to compete at Lightheavyweight for the show and did fairly well for himself despite his lack of size.   With a record of 10-5 and teaming at Team Quest with Ed Herman and other, Haynes had a good amount of experience fighting but was looked at as an underdog, getting chosen last for Tito's team.   Haynes had a child that almost died at birth but never succumbed and that motivated Haynes as he claimed he would never be able to quit on anything in his life because his son never did.   Haynes took on Tait Fletcher in his first contest on the show, picking up the victory by split decision in a close fight with Tait Fletcher.   When Matt Hamill was unable to fight due to being injured, Jesse Forbes was brought back to fill in for Hamill against Haynes but was no match for Haynes as he was submitted to a guillotine choke in the second round.   Even though he made it to the finals, Haynes was considered far too small to be a serious threat to favourite Michael Bisping and at the TUF 3 Finale, Haynes was defeated due to a tko by Bisping in the second round.   With some convincing, Josh moved down to the middleweight division and was given another opportunity in the UFC, taking on Rory Singer in an absolute bloodbath that saw Haynes bleed buckets.   Singer walked away with the unanimous decision victory at UFC Fight Night: Shamrock vs. Ortiz 3 but with Haynes bleeding so much and continuously pressing, he was given one last shot in the UFC in a must win fight against season 2 runner up Luke Cummo.   Cummo was able to land a knockout punch in the second round to end Haynes night and send him out of the UFC.   Haynes has gone 5-3 since getting released from the UFC with his biggest victory coming against Sean Salmon and biggest loss to Season 8 competitor Eliot Marshall earlier this year.   Haynes has a tremendous amount of heart and although he may not be a world beater he certainly should find himself a few more paydays before retiring.

Matt Hamill (10-2)- Hamill stepped into the house as a three time NCAA Division III National champion at Rochester Institute of Technology.   Being deaf, Hamill placed second in Greco Roman wrestling in the 2001 Summer Deaflympics before being chosen for the show.   Hamill had problems getting along with teammates on Team Ortiz due to some feeling her was overconfident and at times throughout training he would often times continue sparring following the whistle which resulted to his teammates being hit late although Matt was unable to hear the bell.   Tito brought in a coach to help out Matt who went over well with Hamill as he was able to sign for him, making it easier to understand the things being explained to him.   Matt defeated Mike Nickels by unanimous decision in the first round but unfortunately suffered a broken arm and was unable to advance to the next round.   Matt was crushed and so were fans as the Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill fight never took place on the show, something we all thought we'd see.   At the TUF 3 finale, a recovered Matt took on Jesse Forbes and defeated him to punches in the first round.   With only two MMA fights to his record, Hamill took on TUF 2 semi-finalists Seth Petrruzelli in a fight Hamill also one, this time due to a decision.   Rex Holman was up next for Matt and was stopped due to punches in the first round.   At UFC 75, the world finally had the opportunity to see who would emerge the winner in a fight between Hamill and TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping.   Bisping walked away the winner by split decision in one of the most controversial decision of that time but the majority of fans felt Hamill was the real winner.   Hamill finished Tim Boetsch due to punches in his next fight and took on friend Rich Franklin at UFC 88.   Franklin was able to get the better of Hamill and finished him following a good body kick and punches on the ground.   Hamill went 2-0 in his next two fights, a tko victory over Reese Andy and highlight reel head kick knockout of Mark Munoz.   With a new era of fighters needing to see if they could hang with other top level light heavyweights, Hamill took on Jon "Bones" Jones.   Jones massacred Hamill, taking him down and landing vicious elbows until the referee stepped in to warn Jones that the elbows he was throwing were illegal.   Hamill was unable to continue but mostly due to having broken his shoulder earlier in the fight and not due to elbows.   Eventually Hamill walked away with the victory when Jones was disqualified in a strange ending to a fight.   Hamill defeated "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine at the TUF 11 finale due to a majority decision and next up was a fight with former trainer Tito Ortiz.   Despite Tito's smack talking, he was unable to do anything to Matt as Hamill walked away the winner by unanimous decision.  The victory was more or less a passing of the torch as student defeated teacher.   Hamill still has a lot of potential and should remain near the top of the division for years to come.

Kendal Grove (12-8) - The lanky, loud mouthed Grove was looked at as a favourite entering the show due to his submission skills and strange frame.   At 6'6 and having fought nine times already in his career with guys the likes of Savant Young, Hector Ramirez and Joe Riggs, Grove was considered to be a tough test for any opponent.   Grove was chosen to be a member of Team Ortiz and soon formed a friendship with Solomon Hutcherson, a member of the other team.   Solomon mentioned that one of his teammates was limited in an area that Grove knew well and so Grove took the information and got himself a fight with Ross Pointon who Grove submitted in the first round due to a rear naked choke.   Grove won himself his next fight over Kalib Starnes when Starnes was unable to compete following a dislocated rib.   Grove had advanced all the way to the TUF finals and defeated Ed Herman to capture the TUF 3 crown in a unanimous decision fight that was good enough to earn both men jobs.   Grove would go on to win two more fight in a row, both by submission over the likes of Chris Price and Alan Belcher but soon found himself defeated by tko to punches by Patrick Cote.   Needing a win to get back on track, Grove took on Jorge Rivera although that fight didn't go much differently than the last as Grove was knocked out quickly by the hands of Rivera.   Grove won his next two fights over Evan Tanner and Jason Day but was little match for Ricardo Almeida who defeated Grove by decision.   Grove has gone 2-2 in his last four fights with losses to Mark Munoz and Demian Maia and victories over Jake Rosholt and Goran Reljic.   Grove is a tough match for anybody in the division but his consistency is far from good having more losses then wins in the UFC.   Grove should be able to hang around in the division for another couple years as he never shy's away from a fight making him popular in the eyes of Dana White and Joe Silva.

Michael Bisping (20-3) - With a record of 10-0, Bisping was a heavy favourite to win the show when entering the house.   As one of Tito's first picks, Bisping's striking was considered the best on the show.   Bisping defeats Kris Rotharmel in the first round of the show and when an injured Matt Hamill was unable to finish the show to an injury, Bisping took on fellow Brit, Ross Pointon, someone he had defeated before the show and grown friendly with throughout the taping.   Pointon was no match for Bisping who submitted him in the first round to earn his way to the finals.   Bisping defeated an overmatched and undersized Josh Haynes at the TUF 3 finale due to a tko in the second round.   Bisping would win three fights in a row over the likes of Eric Schafer, Elvis Sinosic and Matt Hamill following the TUF 3 victory but at UFC 78, Bisping took on TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans in a fight where the loser would most likely be dropping down to middleweight.   Rashad walked away the winner following a split decision in an underwhelming main event.   Bisping picked up three wins in a row at middleweight over Charles McCarthy, Jason Day and Chris Leben.   With his rise in popularity and fan friendly fight, Bisping was given a coaching job on TUF opposing Dan Henderson as the Brit's took on USA.   Bisping proved to be a good coach as both winners of the show came from his team but at UFC 100, Bisping was knocked out in the best knockout of 2009.   Bisping has gone 3-1 since that fight, having defeated Denis Kang. Dan Miller and Yoshiro "Sexyama" Akiyama and losing to Wanderlei Silva.   Bisping should remain near the top of the middleweight division for a few more years and there are still a lot of marketable fights left for the Brit in the UFC.

Ken Shamrock (28-15-2) - Ken Shamrock is one of the most well-known UFC fighters in the history of MMA.   Having competed all over the world and the early UFC shows, Shamrock often submitted fighters with heel hooks.   Ken took on Royce Gracie at UFC 1 in the semi-finals but was submitted to Gracie following a rear naked choke.   Jumping between Pancrase and the UFC, Shamrock defeated men such as Matt Hume and Bas Rutten.   Returning to the UFC for UFC 3, Shamrock defeated Christophe Leninger and Felix Mitchell to make it to the finals for a highly anticipated rematch with Royce Gracie.   However, Gracie was unable to make it to the fight following a beating he suffered against Kimo in a fight he won.   Shamrock decided he would rather the rematch than fight anyone else and opted out of competing in the finals following two fights earlier in the night and an opponent who was fresh.   Shamrock continued to compete in Pancrase where he went 7-0 and returned to the UFC for UFC 5.   Shamrock was given the rematch he always wanted and fought to a draw with Royce Gracie.   Shamrock went 8-4-1 in his next 13 fights with wins over Dan Severn and Kimo and losses to Don Frye, Dan Severn and Alexander Otsuka.  

  With the UFC not really having any legit money making rivalries to make TUF 3 interesting, the UFC brought back past his prime, Ken Shamrock for a rematch against hated rival Tito Ortiz.   Both men welcomed the fight and spent an entire season smack talking one another in preparation for the fight.   Shamrock had lost to Tito in their previous fight when a battered Ken was unable to continue.   Since that fight Ken had gone 1-2 and was in need of a win. Having been a trainer at one of the most well-known gyms at the Lion's Den, it was thought that Ken would make a good coach.   Ken ended up going 2-6 with his fighter and two more were able to get a second chance in the semi-finals when injuries or leaving the show opened up a couple spots.   Shamrock never wanted to step in the cage and spar with any of his team, something Tito did regularly and eventually the team rebelled against Ken's lack of training and the structure to his practices.   The concerns were fair as only Ed Herman advance to the finals from the team.   At UFC 61 Ken finally stepped into the cage to face off with Tito and was again overwhelmed and the fight was stopped almost as soon as it started when Ken was unable to defend himself following five unanswered elbows.   The stoppage may or may not have been justified but the fans who had spent several months looking forward to this felt robbed.   Three months later a rematch went down on a Fight Night and the third outing had the same result of the previous two, ending when Tito reigned down punches while on top and the referee stopped the fight.  Following the fight Tito and Ken made up and shook hands ending one of the biggest rivalries in UFC history.   Shamrock has gone 2-3 following the loss to Ortiz and is currently in a legal battle with the UFC over something to do with his contract in the company.   Shamrock is far past his prime and a loss recently due to an injury may indeed spell the end of a once great career.   Despite being a Hall of Famer and legitimate pioneer of the sport, Shamrock continues to hurt his legacy when taking a gamble in fights over lesser known talent that he frequently loses to.

Tito Ortiz (15-8-1) One of the best talkers in the sport, Tito Ortiz was a college wrestler when he began competing in the UFC.   Ortiz started his UFC career at UFC 13 defeating Wes Albritton due to punches.   In his next fight later in the evening, Ortiz was submitted to Lion`s Den fighter Guy Mezger.   With the UFC format being different at the time with one night tournaments and very little structure, Ortiz took a year and a half to finish school and develop his striking.   Winning a fight in a lower level league in 16 second due to knees, Tito returned to the UFC at UFC 18 where he defeated Lion's Den member Jerry Bohlander.   Tito was disrespectful following the fight and Ken Shamrock lost it, getting in Tito`s face resulting in a legitimate feud between Tito and the Lion`s Den.   Tito next took on Guy Mezger in a rematch but Tito was a much better fighter this time around then the first time they met.   Tito defeated Guy due to punches and then put on a shirt which read `Gay Mezger is My Bitch` which pissed off the Lion`s Den even more.   Frank Shamrock was next up to defend the honour of Lion's Den and was able to weather Tito`s early storm and submit Tito due to punches in one of the better fights of the era.   Following the loss Tito won six fights in a row including the UFC Lightheavyweight championship against Wanderlei Silva, Yuki Kondo, Evan Tanner, Elvis Sinosic, Vladimir Mayushenko and Ken Shamrock.   Tito finally stepped into a road block when Randy Couture defeated him at UFC 44 and took the championship from Tito.   Tito`s next fight wasn`t going to be easy either as he was defeated due to punches by former training partner Chuck Liddell.   Tito was able to rattle off three wins in a row over Patrick Cote, Vitor Belfort and a close split decision against Forrest Griffin.  

Needing a pairing to draw interest in a third season of TUF, Tito took on Ken Shamrock in coaching fighters and made the most of the opportunity, helping to develop Michael Bisping, Kendal Grove, Matt Hamill and countless others.   Tito won the show hands down when both his guys won each division and eventually squared off with Ken at UFC 61.   Tito defeated Ken due to elbows when the referee stepped in to call the fight.   Shamrock felt the fight was stopped to soon and protested enough for a rematch which Tito won as convincingly.   With five wins in a row, Tito rematched Chuck Liddell in a match with a lot of build but not too competitive.   Chuck walked away the winner due to a stoppage to punches and Tito began a war of words between UFC owner Dana White.   Tito and Dana began openly bad mouthing one another and Dana was just looking for a reason to let Tito out of his contract.   At UFC 73, Tito took on Rashad Evans in a fight he would have won convincingly had he not gotten deducted points due to having grabbed the cage.   The fight went to a draw and Tito continued to move down the cards.   At UFC 84, Tito took on undefeated Lyoto Machida and outside of a triangle choke attempt late in the fight, Tito was beaten convincingly.   Dana White let Tito go following the fight and Ortiz teased signing with Strikeforce but eventually had a change of heart with Dana White when the two made up and Tito returned to the organization.   Ortiz took on Forrest Griffin in a rematch at UFC 106 but was defeated by a split decision.   Tito`s last fight was against Matt Hamill and was defeated to the younger Hamill by unanimous decision.   In a must win fight, Tito is scheduled to take on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a must win fight for Tito in 2011.   It seems like Tito has very little still left in the gas tank but 2011 will tell us for sure.

That's all for this week, I`ll be back in a few with a review of UFC 125 and preview for the next Fight Night.   Happy New Year Everyone!