There's a lot of talk from media and fans alike about who's next in line for a title shot in the UFC's stacked light heavyweight division: Rashad Evans, with a win over Phil Davis at UFC 133 in August; Lyoto Machida as perhaps one of the few fighters capable of figuring out the "Bones" puzzle; or Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, could punch his ticket with a win over Matt Hamill at UFC 130 this Saturday.

But few are giving consideration to Rampage's opponent, Matt Hamill.

And while he might be ranked lower (#16 in the consensus rankings) than those other fighters listed above -- even lower than Davis (#9), despite having more experience and facing tougher cumulative competition -- a convincing win over a former champion like Rampage could be just the thing to propel Hamill into the mix of the top contenders jockeying for position.

Ironically, perhaps the biggest obstacle blocking Hamill from a title shot is the fact that he's already faced the champion, back in Dec. 2009, when he was just another casualty in Jones' impressive ascension to claiming the throne of the world's most competitive division in mixed martial arts.

The only thing is ... Hamill technically won that fight, thanks to some illegal elbows thrown by the young Jones.

Critics will say Hamill was manhandled during that fight -- that he had no answer for Jones' 84.5-inch reach or his devastating takedowns -- so what would be any different if a rematch were to happen?

But Hamill is still the one blemish on Jones' otherwise perfect record.

In fact, other than Davis, Hamill has the longest active win streak of any top 20 light heavyweight. After Saturday's fight, he'll have had the experience of squaring off against four former or current UFC champions.

And, as Hamill's trainer and manager, Duff Holmes, told MMAmania.com during a recent conversation, the win over Jones -- whether by disqualification or not -- could be used as leverage to try to market a title shot:

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When Thiago Alves lost his title shot against welterweight deity Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100, many felt it was only a matter of time before the promising 25-year-old would be back in title contention.

But in the last two years, Alves has seen his share of physical setbacks that continually haunted the scheduling of his long-awaited rematch against perennial contender Jon Fitch.

First, there was a knee injury, forcing him from their UFC 107 meeting; then there was the discovery of an arteriovenous malformation in his brain discovered just days before their UFC 111 fight; corrective surgery followed.

When the fight finally did occur at UFC 117 on August 7, 2010, the toll of these setbacks, combined with an unhealthy diet, caught up with Alves, and he came in heavy at 171.5 pounds -- his second missed mark in four fights.

UFC President Dana White threatened to move him up to middleweight if he couldn't make 170, giving him one more shot.

Since then, Alves says he's stuck to his new diet, the Dolce Diet, developed by "The Ultimate Fighter" season 7 alum and self-styled nutritionist, Mike Dolce. Alves credits the diet with making a huge difference in how he feels in the days leading up to a fight, as evidenced in his UFC 124 unanimous decision victory over John Howard in December.

He says before his recommitment to nutrition, the old Thiago wasn't healthy, that he was passing out in the days leading up to the weigh-ins and that he was left debilitated in his fights against Fitch and GSP. By contrast, the Thiago Alves of today is healthy with more energy than ever before. And you'll see it when he takes on Rick Story on Saturday night, May 28, at UFC 130: "Rampage vs. Hamill."

We caught up with Alves to talk about his new outlook on nutrition, how his upcoming opponent is on a roll but has yet to face anyone of the Pitbull's caliber, and how if Story is looking at Alves' performances against St. Pierre and Fitch to find holes in his game, he's going to be in for a long night.

This is a whole new "Pitbull:"

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Get used to hearing the name Rory MacDonald.

At just 21 and one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster, the up-and-coming Canadian has stacked together an impressive record (10-1) and has never gone the distance, posting a strong mix of six submissions and four (technical) knockouts.

And by looking at his most recent opponents -- Greg Jackson-trained Carlos Condit and now Stockton's own Nate Diaz -- MacDonald's clearly not afraid to dive into the deep end to prove he's one of the toughest sharks in the UFC's stacked welterweight division.

MacDonald started his career going undefeated (7-0) as a lightweight and was the King of the Cage (KOTC) Canada lightweight titleholder before moving up to welterweight and being quickly snatched up by the UFC. After winning his UFC debut against fellow KOTC champion Mike Guymon, MacDonald was pitted against former WEC welterweight kingpin Carlos Condit and featured on the main card of UFC 115: "Liddell vs. Franklin."

"The Waterboy" took Condit to task for the first two rounds with multiple takedowns and effective striking, before Condit was able to turn the tables and earn a buzzer-beating stoppage via technical knockout. Their effort was enough for both fighters to be rewarded the $85,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus -- not an insignificant return for a young fighter making $8,000 "to show."

MacDonald now looks to bounce back from his first loss. He's switched his camp, leaving Toshido MMA in Kelowna, British Columbia -- where he had trained since he was 14 years old under the tutelage of David Lea -- in favor of the big city.

He now calls Tristar Gym in Montreal, Quebec, home, alongside UFC welterweight deity Georges St. Pierre.

He'll get his first opportunity to test out his new skills at UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields," the UFC mega-event hosting 55,000 screaming Canadians at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The April 30^th event is already promised to shatter both MMA attendance and gate records ($11 million) for North America.

MacDonald's opponent will be The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 5 winner, Nate Diaz (13-6), who is now 2-1 in his latest run at welterweight, himself coming off a loss to Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim at UFC 125 last January. MacDonald vs. Diaz airs as part of the SpikeTV UFC 129 "Prelims" broadcast.

We recently caught up with MacDonald to discuss his recent transition as a fighter and upcoming fight with Diaz. Let's get to it.

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"Which Koscheck is going to show up, the stubborn Koscheck that wants to prove a point or the smart Koscheck that knows how to play strategies and beat people to get the win? It depends. You don’t know what’s going on in his head sometimes. Like when he fought Thiago, it was his goal to stand and trade with him. But I think we’ve seen the clear path to beating Paul Daley, when Jake Shields fought and beat him. (Daley) probably is the most dynamic striker in the weight class. He is the most technical and probably the most explosive and powerful. So there’s not too many guys who would do well in a stand up fight with him. It all depends on what Josh decides to do the night of the fight. I think the grappling aspect would fare fairly well."

-- Perennial welterweight contender Jon Fitch weighs in on his American Kickboxing Academy teammate’s chances at UFC 113: "Machida vs. Shogun II" against surging slugger Paul Daley. In an MMAmania.com exclusive March interview (which was never published, since the next day Fitch’s would-be opponent, Thiago Alves, the focus of the interview, was forced to pull out of the fight because of a brain irregularity), Fitch addressed the question, "If a potential title shot is on the line for the winner of the fight, should Koscheck take Daley down and grind it out, and do you think he will actually stick with that game plan?" Although it wasn’t known at the time of the interview, MMAmania.com confirmed yesterday that the Koscheck vs. Daley co-main event will, in fact, be for a shot against UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. So, Maniacs, which Kos do you think shows up against "Semtex," the one who plays it smart, or the one out to prove a point?

After playing spoiler to Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson's TUF aspirations, The Ultimate Fighter: "Heavyweights" winner, Roy Nelson, is wasting little time to get right in the mix of things in the suddenly stacked UFC's heavyweight division.

As the co-headliner opposite Stefan Struve (19-3) at tomorrow night's UFC Fight Night 21: "Florian vs. Gomi," "Big Country" (14-4) looks to take on a rising 22-year-old talent who towers over the former IFL champion by eleven inches.

Both are gifted submission fighters with solid striking - Struve a kickboxer, Nelson more straight boxing. Thought the Renzo Gracie black belt will also have around 15 pounds on the "The Skyscraper."

We recently caught up with "Big Country" to ask him about his recent statements that reigning heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was "ducking" now-interim champion Shane Carwin; if he thinks he was asked to participate in TUF as insurance for UFC president Dana White that "Kimbo" wouldn't win it all; and about the lanky Dutchman who will be standing opposite him Wednesday night on Spike TV.

Let's get after it.

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During today’s UFC media conference call, former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell talked about his return to fighting and his experience coaching opposite Tito Ortiz on "The Ultimate Fighter (TUF)." The 11th Season 11 premieres Wednesday, March 31 on Spike TV at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Liddell won the UFC light heavyweight world title on his second of three fights against Randy Çouture and would go on to defend the title four consecutive times, including once against Ortiz. All of his title victories came by way of vicious (T)KO.

But having gone 1-4 since his reign of terror — albeit it to a "who’s who" of top 10 world-ranked light heavyweights — Liddell was urged into retirement by UFC president Dana White, who saw his close friend succumb to three brutal knockouts in those five fights.

Liddell admits he needed time off to rest from so many knockouts, saying, "I thought I was getting hurt by shots that shouldn’t hurt me."

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No one needs to tell welterweight challenger Dan Hardy he's the underdog. He seems to relish the role.

"I'm good at upsetting people, I guess," he recently told me.

And although he was clearly talking about his knack for getting under his opponents' skin, the same goes for his ability to pull an upset. This was supposed to be Mike Swick's moment to shine, after all.

But as the +450 to welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre's -700, even these are long odds for Dan Hardy. The Team Rough Hough product will nonetheless look to do the impossible - what no one other than Matt Hughes and Matt Serra have ever been able to do (and both of those losses were later avenged).

Hardy (23-6 with 1 NC) will look to take the welterweight world title from St. Pierre (19-2). It goes down this Saturday night, March 27 at the Prudential Center as the headliner for UFC 111: "St. Pierre vs. Hardy."

We recently caught up with Hardy to ask him about the role that music plays when he's preparing for a fight, how his Matt Serra training sessions came about, and why everybody loves an underdog story.

He also has some strong words for Josh Koscheck regarding his upcoming UFC 113 fight against Paul "Semtex" Daley.

Let's kick it.

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When UFC 111: "St. Pierre vs. Hardy" comes to Newark, New Jersey, there's one hometown hero you can bet would be on the card. Ricardo Almeida (11-3) - who's called the Bon Jovi state home for 13 years - looks to make his welterweight debut after a successful 3-1 run at middleweight since his 2008 return to MMA.

The third-degree blackbelt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie gets a tough opponent for his debut party in the Team Gurgel product, Matt Brown (11-7). "The Immortal" has posted an impressive 4-1 record since his days in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 7 house.

Almeida will look to steal that momentum when the two meet up at the Prudential Center on Saturday, March 27. While the main card airs on pay-per-view (PPV), the Almeida vs. Brown match-up kicks off the Spike TV televised preliminary portion of the card, which also features a welterweight fight between Nate Diaz and Rory Markham.

We recently chatted it up with "Big Dog" and he shed some light on his move to 170 lbs, his thoughts on going toe-to-toe with Brown, and his unanimous decision win over Kendall Grove, which nearly ended with Almeida seeing stars.

He also comments on teammate Frankie Edgar's new sparring partner, Eddie Alvarez, who is helping prepare him for his upcoming lightweight title fight opposite BJ Penn.

Let's get to it.

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Jens Pulver and Shogun Rua are featured in an all new episode of "The Best of PRIDE," tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Spike TV. For more programming details click here.

You don’t need to remind Jens Pulver that the odds are stacked against him. He’s quite used to it by now.

Having overcome terrible physical and psychological abuse at the hands of an alcoholic father, Pulver turned to wrestling as a youth, eventually earning two Washington state championships for Tahoma High School and becoming an NJCAA All-American while at Highline Community College.

When an injury forced him from continuing his wrestling career at Boise State University, Pulver earned his degree anyway while readjusting his focus to the emerging combat sport of mixed martial arts.

He would become champion — the UFC’s first-ever lightweight world title holder.

In the decade following, Pulver would travel the globe, squaring off against some of the very best fighters in the world — B.J. Penn, Takanori Gomi, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Caol Uno, Urijah Faber. He’d win some, he’d lose some, but he was always in the fight.

Throughout it all, one singular purpose continually manifested itself in Pulver’s life and career: He was driven to compete. Through thick and thin, through wins and losses, Pulver never got tired of competing; he never soured on fighting.

So it’s no surprise that his current losing streak isn’t having its intended effect. Yes, he’s lost four in row. Yes, he’s lost six of his last seven fights, and eight of his last 12. What do you want, him to just roll over and go away?

This is Jens ‘Little Evil’ Pulver we’re talking about. He’s made a career — no, a lifetime — of overcoming odds most of us would balk at. And although he’s got the scars to prove it, although he might be battered, he’s not beaten, and he’s not ready to give up quite yet.

Pulver, now 22-12-1, makes his return to the cage this Saturday, March 6, at WEC 47: "Bowles vs. Cruz," live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Welcoming Pulver back from a nine-month layoff is Javier Vazquez (13-4), a talented grappler on a two-fight skid who’s still looking for his first win inside the WEC.

Both are desperate for a win.

We recently caught up with Pulver, who shared his thoughts on opening up his new gym, battling back from the brink of retirement, and continuing to serve as a pioneer for the sport of mixed martial arts. And of course we talked about the upcoming documentary film, "Driven," that’s documenting his return to fighting.

Let’s get to it:

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Krzysztof Soszynski is looking for a fight. Specifically, "The Polish Experiment" is "hoping for a stand-up war" against his upcoming opponent, Stephan Bonnar - a type of fight Soszynski feels he's never had before in nearly 30 fights.

At 18-9-1, Soszynski is coming off his first loss in the UFC - to former heavyweight Brandon Vera - after stringing together three Octagon wins in a row, two of which earned him "Submission of the Night" honors. And while he took the fight with Vera on short notice - something he now admits was probably "not a smart idea" - he feels much more prepared for his upcoming scrap with "The American Psycho."

Since returning to action from a devastating knee injury that forced him to the sidelines for more than a year, Bonnar (11-6) is in desperate need of a win, having lost two in a row. Granted, those losses include unanimous decisions to rising sensation Jon Jones and to UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, who put Bonnar on his back early and often and rode him to victory.

And by what Soszynski has said, it doesn't appear that his fight against Bonnar will be anything like the Coleman fight. He's hoping to keep this fight on the feet.

It all takes place this Saturday, February 21, 2010 at UFC 110: "Nogueira vs. Velasquez" from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. The main event features a heavyweight throw-down between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez, and in the co-main event, Wanderlei Silva makes his long-awaited middleweight debut against outspoken British slugger Michael Bisping.

Although the main card is loaded with action, it's actually a surprise the Soszynski vs. Bonnar fight didn't make the main card.

Soszynski caught up with us from his hotel room down under to give us insight into how he sees himself bouncing back from the close loss to Vera, what he expects to see from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 1 runner-up, and how he's enjoying his stay in New South Wales.

Here we go.

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Just two fights ago, Matt Serra (9-6) was UFC welterweight champion of the world. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie had scored big by winning the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "The Comeback," then surprising most by TKOing Georges St. Pierre in the first round of the young champion's first-ever title defense.

But that was a long time ago.

Now 35 years old and coming off back-to-back losses, "The Terror" is fully content with taking his career one fight at a time.

He'll look to get back to his winning ways at UFC 109: "Relentless" this Saturday, February 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

Standing in the opposite corner will be another veteran coming off a tough loss. Frank Trigg (19-7), himself a former two-time challenger for the title, is 37 years old and admits this is, in all likelihood, his last run at glory. A second degree black belt in Judo, "Twinkle Toes" was welcomed back to the Octagon, after four years fighting in outside promotions, by Josh Koscheck at UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort."

And it wasn't the welcome he'd wanted. It's never nice being on someone else's knockout highlight reel.

Trigg has his eyes set on Saturday night as perhaps the last "make or break" fight of his career, if things don't go his way, admitting he'll likely be cut from the UFC if he loses back-to-back fights, and that means retirement soon after.

Although he doesn't put himself in the same boat, Serra understands the importance of winning this fight if he ever wants a rematch against arch rival Matt Hughes, who came out on the winning end of their close unanimous decision at UFC 98: "Evans vs. Machida."

We recently caught up with the New Yorker to ask what he makes of his opponent's trash talking, gauge how important a rematch against Hughes is, and get his opinion on if Hughes is dodging AKA welterweights, Koscheck, Jon Fitch and Mike Swick, all of whom have called out the future Hall of Famer.

And surprising to everyone - including himself - Serra sticks up for Hughes.

Let's get after it.

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The last man to hold the International Fight League (IFL) middleweight strap, Dan Miller (11-2, 1 No Contest), has something to prove when he steps into the Octagon this Saturday night at UFC 109: "Relentless."

For just the second time in his career, Miller will be coming off a loss — this one to noted wrestler Chael Sonnen. And for the first time in his career, Miller will be entering the cage a newly anointed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, under Renzo Gracie black belt Jamie Cruz.

Miller has his eyes set on victory come Saturday, which is made an even bigger challenge by the respect he has for his opponent, one of the most dangerous BJJ black belts in the game today, Demian Maia (11-1).

Miller — who holds UFC wins over Jake Rosholt, Matt Horwich and Rob Kimmons — admits that he’s never faced a jiu-jitsu practitioner quite as talented as Maia, who’s own submission wins over UFC veterans Sonnen, Nate Quarry, Jason MacDonald, Ed Herman and Ryan Jensen earned him four "Submission of the Night" honors.

But don’t think for a second that that’s going to keep Miller from taking the fight to Maia. When we recently caught up with the AMA Fight Club phenom, he said he’s fully prepared to try and force Maia to fight his fight. Whether that’s on the ground or on the feet, Miller’s just not sure yet, stating that it depends on how he feels when he’s inside the cage with the Brazilian.

One thing’s for sure, though, don’t expect this fight to go all three rounds. Someone’s going night night. Let’s hear what Miller has to say about it:

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Strikeforce founder Scott Coker better hope his fighters are more engaging inside the cage than they are outside it.

During the media conference call for the upcoming Strikeforce: "Miami" card, main event fighter Nick Diaz made little effort to engage in any media questions whatsoever.

And when two of your four featured fighters don’t speak English, that’s not exactly the type of support a promotion putting on its 27th event should come to expect ... especially from someone fighting for a world title.

With two title fights on the card, Strikeforce’s Florida debut features a main event to decide the promotion’s first-ever welterweight champion, pitting bad boy Nick Diaz (20-7, 1 NC) against DREAM’s 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix winner and welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis (13-3).

The co-main event features Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos’ (8-1) first title defense of her Strikeforce women’s lightweight belt against Dutch submission grappler Marloes Coenen (17-3).

It takes place Saturday, January 30, 2010 from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., and airs at 10:00 p.m. ET on Showtime.

All talent aside, it’s a wonder Diaz has been featured in as many title fights as he has (five, for various promotions), given his penchant for avoiding straight answers — or any answers at all — with the media. During the call, he continually brushed off reporters’ questions, while deliberately providing as few details as possible in his one- or two-word responses.

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Tito Ortiz is no stranger to criticism.

He’s used to fans either loving him or hating him — in fact, he’s built his career on it. Since his return to the UFC from an 18-month exile, his critics still point to the fact that he hasn’t won in four fights (including a draw to Rashad Evans).

In fact, he hasn’t won since October 2006, when he knocked out a geriatric Ken Shamrock for (hopefully) the last time. But his legions of fans will remind you that he still holds wins over former champions in Forrest Griffin (1-1 career), Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.

He’s still the only man to successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight world title five consecutive times — one more than Chuck Liddell and Frank Shamrock — which ties reigning middleweight demigod Anderson Silva and former welterweight champion Matt Hughes for consecutive UFC title defenses.

And "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" still commands one hell of a draw, having headlined some of the most-watched mixed martial arts fights in history. And now, Tito Ortiz (15-7-1) has the opportunity to not only avenge his two losses to Chuck Liddell (21-7), but he can potentially retire the aging former champion in the process. And he’ll do it while attempting to prop up the 11th run of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), the promotion’s franchise series.

TUF has seen its ups and downs in ratings over the last few seasons, with last season’s infusion featuring ratings crusher Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. But despite more viewers, the action just wasn’t there.

Some thought that if the UFC planned to go after #11, they were going to have to cough up yet another ace in their sleeve. Ortiz and Liddell are banking that their third trip to the center of the Octagon — and their second respective tenures serving as TUF coaches — is just that ace.

And they might be right.

Featuring middleweights, TUF 11 debuts on March 31 on Spike TV. It will run for 12 episodes, culminating in The Ultimate Fighter Finale on June 19. In a switch from previous seasons, the TUF 11 coaches, Ortiz and Liddell, are reportedly facing off the week before the Finale, at UFC 115 in Vancouver, although it hasn’t been officially announced.

We caught up with Ortiz recently and asked him who came up with the idea for the newest TUF installment, whether or not he thinks Chuck’s lost a step, and if he sees himself alongside Liddell in the UFC’s Hall of Fame one day.

Check it out.

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Anyone with the means to help contribute is encouraged to do so via The Clinton Foundation by clicking here. In addition, a $10 Donation (charged to your cell phone bill) can be sent to the American Red Cross by texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999.

MMAWarehouse is also pledging a dollar for dollar match up to the first $5,000 donated on its Web site and additionally will donate a portion of its sales now through Thursday, Jan. 21.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson can breathe a little bit easier today, after an Orange County judge struck down his felony conviction of evading police for the high-speed hijinks that ensued back in July 2008 in Newport Beach.

He’ll do his time via three years probation for misdemeanor reckless driving, instead.

In an interview with the Orange County Register, Jackson said, "I will never see that judge in a courtroom again. … I don’t see myself doing anything crazy again. … I want to be a positive role model."

Jackson, who appeared in court sporting his B.A. Baracus mohawk for his role in the upcoming "A-Team" movie, has completed more than 200 hours of community service for the stunt, including conducting seminars with young people and U.S. Marines.

In fact, the judge praised Jackson’s efforts, which he noted were more than the minimum requirements for community service.

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For a card that's seen more dance partners than the captain of your high school cheerleading squad, UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" might as well be called "The Return." That's because of the number of fighters - many of which are serving as replacements for previously scheduled, now injured, opponents - set to make their long-awaited return to action.

The Jan. 2 fight card will see the return-from-injury of UFC lightweight fighter Joe Lauzon and welterweight Dustin Hazelett, as well as the promotional returns of Dan Lauzon (Joe's brother) and Duane "Bang" Ludwig, in addition to the promotional debut of heavyweight badboy Gilbert Yvel.

It's sort of sad to think what UFC 108 might have once looked like, with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Gabriel Gonzaga, Carlos Condit, Rory Markham, Steve Cantwell, Tyson Griffin and Sean Sherk all once scheduled to appear on the card.

In fact, the latter two - Griffin and Sherk - were both once named as opponents for rising lightweight talent Jim Miller. Now 4-1 in the UFC and 17-2 overall, Miller has made a name for himself for taking fights on short notice and earning hard-fought victories over such fighters as Matt Wiman and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 6 winner, Mac Danzig, among others.

The only chinks in Miller's armor have come at the hands of top contender Gray Maynard in March 2009 and to that other top contender, Frankie Edgar - who now trains with Miller - way back in November 2006 at Reality Fighting 14. Miller now looks to spoil the promotional return of Duane "Bang" Ludwig (19-9).

What toll do all these changes in opponents take on the mental or physical aspects of training for an upcoming fight? Excellent question, which is why I asked it, when I got the chance to catch up with Miller this week. See what he had to say about "Bang", where a victory places him in the crowded lightweight division, and even a potential rematch against friend-and-training-partner Frankie Edgar after the jump.

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Kazuyuki Fujita's near-death experience at the knees of Alistair Overeem...

Masato retires on top (with a little help from Any Souwer) after the jump.

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UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" is right around the corner, taking place this weekend (Sat., Jan. 2, 2010) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.

In addition to the pay-per-view (PPV) fight card, those fans fortunate enough to be in "Sin City" this weekend can take advantage of a bevvy of event-related activities outside the Octagon, including the weigh in hoopla and a star-studded autograph session.

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, as well as former champions Rich Franklin and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, as well as The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 winner, Roy Nelson, will be at the MGM Grand Garden Arena concourse, signing their signatures for fans who show up between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. ET (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT local time) on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010.

Wanderlei Silva was supposed to be included in the pre-fight activities; however, his duties as guest of the UFC Fight Club Q&A on that same day forced him out of the session. "The Axe Murderer’s" Q&A kicks off at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT), followed by the UFC 108 official weigh-in event.

Both the autograph session and weigh-ins are free and open to the public, but you must be a member of the UFC Fight Club to attend the Silva Q&A. For more information on how to become a member click here.

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"To be honest I’m really f’nnnn pist off I hate losing and am more hungry for victory than ever ... All I can think about is working my way back to earn another shot at Bj Penn. My dream has changed it is no longer just become ufc champion it is to fight Bj Penn again. I will put my heart and soul into this!!! Im on a mission now. All you doubters shut up and watch me!"

-- Former UFC number one lightweight contender Diego Sanchez tweeted yesterday on TwitLonger.com that his dream of becoming a UFC champion might not be burning as brightly inside his heart as his desire to rematch B.J. Penn. Lucky for Sanchez, he can kill two birds with one stone by earning another title shot. After all, based on Penn’s destruction of "Nightmare" at UFC 107, does anyone really think there’s another lightweight out there capable of dethroning "The Prodigy"? While it’s too soon to tell what road Sanchez will need to take to work his way back into title contention, this writer would like to point toward the obvious: Isn’t it time we saw Sanchez vs. Florian 2?

During today’s media conference call, UFC president Dana White confirmed that the two UFC events to be aired on the Versus network in 2010 will be UFC Fight Nights similar to the events normally broadcast on Spike TV.

White addressed the press along with Versus executive Marc Fein to discuss the network deal announced earlier this week between UFC-owned Zuffa and the Versus network. The deal puts two live UFC events on Versus during 2010, along with seven events from the UFC’s sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

Which events are still left to be determined, but White promises that they will not be watered-down shows.

"This will be a Fight Night," White said. "It will be like a Fight Night card … We have some big plans, but the first card we put on Versus, it’s going to be a good one."

Whether or not that rules out UFC events that are held overseas — including UFC 110 in Sydney Australia on February 21 — and then aired in the States via tape-delay remains to be seen. Versus executive Marc Fein pointed toward the new year for a timeline on when more decisions will be made, including which day of the week the UFC events would air.

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According to this post on The Underground Forum, Jon Jones’ management team intends to protest its client’s loss to Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale this past Saturday.

It's their belief that they have grounds to overturn the loss to a "No Contest" (NC):

"Let’s be clear, Jon is not 'unhappy' he feels as all things happen for a reason. We are protesting the L because we felt that Jon’s opponent could not effectively communicate why he could not continue. The rules state that an intentional foul and that the fighter cannot continue based on injury sustained from the foul. Hamill could not continue due to a broken shoulder. Jon should have been deducted a point for the accidental illegal blow. Matt should have been treated like we treat the Brazilians and given 5 minutes to regroup and offered a translator so the ref could make the right call and understand Matt could not continue due to his shoulder injury not the blow. This should be a NC for both fighters but not a loss. Hamill continued with an injured Shoulder and only complained once the action was stopped (warrior) but the fight was stopped based on the shoulder injury in our opinion."

Jones absolutely destroyed Hamill in quick fashion during the fight; however, in the process "Bones" rained down illegal elbows (so-called 12-6 elbows, named for their vertical position) from the mount, which led to referee Steve Mazzagatti briefly halting the fight to deduct one point from Jones.

However, when Mazzagatti attempted to restart the action, Hamill was unable to continue.

After consulting instant replay — the first time in MMA history officials used replay to render a decision, based on the new policy recently passed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) — the result was ultimately declared a disqualification loss for Jones (his first).

Jones’ management team claims the reason Hamill couldn’t continue had nothing to do with the 12-6 elbows. Instead, they point to Hamill’s left shoulder injury as the reason he couldn’t continue fighting, and the fact that Mazzagatti was unable to fully understand Hamill because he is deaf.

Indeed, event physicians set Hamill’s shoulder following the fight (an MRI will determine if he requires surgery). But whether this is enough for the NSAC to overturn its decision — especially when it could call into question the effectiveness of their newest toy in instant replay — has yet to be determined.

What do you Maniacs think?

The long-awaited Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut of YouTube sensation-turned-mixed martial artist, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, became official tonight at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 10: "Heavyweights" Finale, airing on SpikeTV.

And despite perhaps the entire viewing audience anticipating the fight lasting a mere seconds, Slice and his opponent, Houston Alexander, battled three rounds before all three judges scored the bout a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in favor of Slice.

Now an American Top Team (ATT) product, Slice showed improvement both in his ground game and in transitions, although Alexander is not exactly the biggest test in either area. Fighting at a catchweight of 215 lbs., which reportedly was a difficult cut for the heavyweight, Slice appeared the much larger fighter and out-powered Alexander throughout the fight.

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Since his promotional debut at UFC 67 nearly three years ago, Frankie Edgar has climbed his way to the front of the lightweight division with wins over Tyson Griffin, Spencer Fisher, Hermes Franca and, most recently, former division champion Sean Sherk.

Although he suffered his first career loss along the way in April 2008 — a unanimous decision to surging wrestler Gray Maynard — Edgar bounced back stronger than ever, demonstrating improved standup skills in his bout against Sherk and refusing to let the "Muscle Shark" take the action to the canvas.

Even company president Dana White was shocked by the outcome, as he told Mike Straka of Fox News Fight Game, "My feeling was there’s no way possible for Frankie Edgar to win this fight. He came in with the most incredible game plan I’ve ever seen, and fought literally the perfect fight."

Now at 10-1 overall and 5-1 in the UFC, the New Jersey native is getting mentions of title consideration, should he stay on course. And while Edgar was initially slated to face nine-fight UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino in a co-main event at this Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Heavyweights" Finale, an injury forced "Batman" off the card.

Edgar was given a new opponent in Matt Veach (11-0), a largely unknown member of Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad whose lone appearance in the UFC resulted in a first-round technical knockout victory over four-time high school Oklahoma State wrestling champion, Matt Grice.

It’s a dangerous change in opponents — fighting someone who might not have the name recognition but still brings the fight — and it no longer has the "co-main event" status. But that sort of thing never stopped "The Answer" from wanting to leave it all in the cage.

We caught up with Edgar while he was watching Wednesday’s two-hour finale of the TUF regular season to ask him if there was any hesitation in agreeing to fight Veach, see how he sizes up his new opponent, and talk about his journey up the ranks of the UFC’s lightweight division.

Here we go:

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Saturday’s UFC 106: "Ortiz vs. Griffin 2" took in a gate of more than $3 million at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to official figures from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) released today.

The final tally came in at $3,003,250 and 6,631 tickets sold. These figures do not include a whopping 3,898 comped tickets — worth a hefty $2,331,250 — for a total attendance of 10,529 fans. There were 223 unsold tickets.

UFC 106 featured a main event rematch between former UFC light heavyweight champions Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin, which ended in a split decision in favor of Griffin. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season one winner mentioned in his post-fight remarks that he’s willing to face Ortiz in a rubber match at a later date in the future.

Other main card fights included Josh Koscheck picking up $140,000 in bonus checks for "Fight of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" in his win over welterweight slugger Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, while Antonio Rogerio Nogueira earned "Knockout of the Night" in his promotional debut for his first-round win over Luis Cane.

The UFC 106 preliminary card aired on Spike TV as a lead-in to the main card presentation on pay-per-view (PPV). The total base fighter payroll for the event was $1,021,000, along with $280,000 in bonus cash.

Of course none of these figures account for PPV buys, merchandise sales and other event-related profits; nor does it include production costs, employee salaries and the like.

For complete UFC 106 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

Marcus Davis is getting back to basics.

Once often referred to as "the most improved TUF cast member" while he was riding an 11-fight win streak, "The Irish Hand Grenade" feels confident in just how far his wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills have come since his early days on The Ultimate Fighter Season 2.

Now he’s going back to his bread and butter, the sweet science — he went 17-1-2 as a professional boxer on the New England circuit. And it’s there he’s hoping to recapture the speed and agility that helped the southpaw earn a reputation as a knockout artist.

Only he hope’s to do it inside the Octagon, not the square circle.

Never mind that half of his victories in mixed martial arts have come via submission. Davis has his sights set on clipping chins and stealing wins. And he has the very large target in 6’3" Ben Saunders set firmly in his crosshairs.

At (7-1-2), "Killa B" is one of the larger welterweights under the UFC banner. Since transitioning over from The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, Saunders earned three impressive victories before succumbing to a second round TKO loss to Mike Swick at UFC 99: "The Comeback."

With both Saunders and Davis (16-5) coming off losses, expect everything thrown to be laced with bad intentions. It all goes down tomorrow night at UFC 106: "Ortiz vs. Griffin 2" from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Davis vs. Saunders bout will headline Spike TV’s live telecast of some of the preliminary bouts before the UFC 106 main card goes to pay-per-view (PPV).

This is a fight you won’t want to miss.

We recently caught up with Davis while he was running on the treadmill in preparation for the UFC 106 weigh-ins. He talked about what it means to be fighting on Spike, the revamped, new-look "Hand Grenade" we can expect to see on Saturday, and of course ... Dan Hardy.

Let’s get after it.

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The hits just keep on coming.

Karo Parisyan, who was slated to welcome fellow welterweight Dustin Hazelett back into the mix at UFC 106 this weekend (Nov. 21), is the latest UFC fighter to be pulled from the card.

And this time, it might be a permanent loss.

As UFC president Dana White reported on his Twitter page:

"Karo Parisyan has fucked over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!"

Then, a few minutes later, White added:

"Pulled out of the fight the day before weigh ins again with a laundry list of excuses!!! Let the press ask karo why! Let him explain."

This is just the latest blow to the embattled Parisyan (18-5, with 1 NC), who hasn’t fought since a January win over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94 was overturned after "The Heat" tested positive for multiple prescription-strength painkillers in post-fight drug testing, including hydrocodone, hydromorphone and oxymorphone.

This is not the first time Parisyan has pulled out of a fight at the last minute.

He was scheduled to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" in September 2008, but backed out of the fight right before weigh-ins, citing a recurring back and hamstring injury.

While a replacement opponent for Hazelett has yet to be named, if one can even be found on such short notice, White followed up his Twitter post with a third message:

"Dustin will be paid his full purse to show and win. Its not his fault."

For more on UFC 106, go here.