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What should be Anthony Pettis' next move now that Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will meet for a third time? RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST Now this is easy. Pettis shouldn't enter the octagon until the conclusion of the Edgar-Maynard rematch, where he can shake Frankie Edgar's hand, point at the belt, and say, "Mine." Don't believe me? Think he should fight again? Just ask Josh Grispi how that worked out for him? Look, it doesn't matter if Pettis is 23, or 42. There is no damn guarantee that he will ever get another title shot. If you're offered a title shot, you sell your fucking soul to the devil before you give up that shot, capisce? FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR Depending on when Edgar vs. Maynard 3 takes place, he should do nothing but train. He fought a few weeks ago so it's not like he's been in limbo for months. If the UFC can get the Edgar vs. Maynard rematch setup and done quickly, Pettis won't have been sitting out too long. I wouldn't question Pettis if he decides to take a fight in between his title shot, but that would be taking a major chance. The lightweight division in the UFC is one of the deepest divisions in MMA so whoever he would fight would be a tough opponent. It's really up to him to make the final decision. I think he should wait, though. ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH SPECIALIST Anthony Pettis is in a no win situation. If he fights and loses, he will not deserve his title shot. I believe his talent level is maybe in the top 15 of the UFC. He is an excellent fighter, but has not seen the level of competition currently in the UFC. I do think he will fight before his title shot, but this is a BIG mistake. If I was on his management team I would let him not fight until the Edgar-Maynard rematch was over and his title shot was signed. This is the only scenario I can see that makes any sense in him keeping his title shot. Who should he fight in the top ten that he has a realistic shot at beating? Kenny Florian? Clay Guida? Jim Miller? None of these fights, in my opinion, end well for Pettis. This is really a bad spot for him to be in. ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR Anthony Pettis should aim to stay busy while not risking his title opportunity. To this end, he should fight someone like Clay Guida. Having a match before his bout with Gray Maynard or Frankie Edgar would not only help Pettis to stay sharp, but also allow him to get any "first time in the Octagon" jitters out of the way. If a Guida-type defeats him, it suggests Pettis wouldn't have much of shot against Maynard or Edgar anyway. JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I'm all for Pettis taking a fight while Edgar and Maynard face off again. I would have been very excited to see him fight either to unify the title had there been a definitive result, but the fact of the matter is he was going to leapfrog a number of contenders with much more worthy resumes for a title shot. Having him take a fight in the UFC, to not only step into the Octagon for the first time, but to take on someone that could make him a clear contender for the Lightweight Championship. If he can get a win in the UFC under his belt, then he can take the next shot at the title. And if he loses, well, then he shouldn't have been fighting for the title in the first place. His WEC Title means as much to the UFC's lightweight division as Carlos Condit's WEC Welterweight Title did when he came over to the UFC in 2009, so it's not as if there isn't a precedent for making him earn his shot. He very well be able to capture the title, but I wouldn't mind seeing him earn his opportunity in the Octagon. Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_8076.shtml Cheick Kongo Roy Nelson Rich Franklin By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief The injury to "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung has opened up an opportunity for former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown to erase the memory of his UFC return. According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, Brown has stepped up on short notice to take on Rani Yahya at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 on January 22, just three weeks after his loss to Diego Nunes at UFC 125. After defending the WEC Featherweight Title twice in 2009, Brown lost the belt to Jose Aldo. Since that fight, he's posted a 2-2 record, with stoppages of Anthony Morris and Cole Province intercut with a knockout loss to Manvel Gamburyan and last Saturday's split decision loss to Nunes. Yahya is looking to stop a two fight skid with a move up to the featherweight division from bantamweight. The former WEC title challenger's most recent fights saw him get choked out by Joseph Benavidez and drop a decision to Takeya Mizugaki. UFC Fight for the Troops 2 will take place from Fort Hood in Texas, airing live on Spike TV, headlined by a lightweight bout between Melvin Guillard and Evan Dunham. Link to Original Source Article Penick's Analysis: This is a great last minute replacement, and it's good to see that Brown is going to get another chance to turn things around after a disappointing return to the UFC. He hasn't seemed the same since the Aldo fight, but he'll have a last chance to turn things around. As for Yahya, a win over Brown would be huge, especially seeing as he's moving up in weight. This is a really good fight considering how late it was put together, but the loser is probably on their way out. Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8089.shtml Chael Sonnen Vitor Belfort Nate Marquardt Michael Bisping By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief The UFC's third event on Versus is now officially set, as the organization has announced the March 3 event for the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. The event will mark the UFC's debut in Kentucky. The card is headlined by a welterweight bout between Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann, and the night's main card will air live on the network. "Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann are two fighters who always go for broke, so this should be a great fight," UFC President Dana White stated. "Both of these guys feel they belong at the top of the welterweight division, and they'll have a chance to prove it on March 3. The same goes for Munoz and Dolloway. They push the pace and look to finish fights and both want to fight the best middleweights out there. We're really excited to bring a card like this to Louisville." Tickets for the event go on sale next week. The card as it stands is below: * Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez * C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz * Alexandre Ferreira vs. Rousimar Palhares * Maiquel Falcao vs. Alessio Sakara * Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page * Cyrille Diabate vs. Steve Cantwell * Matt Brown vs. Mark Scanlon * Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8071.shtml Jon Fitch Thiago Alves Jake Shields Josh Koscheck By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Undefeated lightweight John Makdessi will not be meeting Ultimate Fighter season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins afterall, as MMAJunkie.com reports that Makdessi instead will meet season 12 semifinalist Kyle Watson at UFC 129 in Toronto. The originally reported fight between Makdessi and Brookins fell through for reasons unknown at this point. Makdessi, and 8-0 lightweight, made his UFC debut at UFC 124 in Montreal, earning a unanimous decision victory over Pat Audinwood. The 25-year-old has fought all of his professional fights on Canadian soil, and will do so again at this event in April. Watson lost to Brookins in the semi-finals of the season 12 lightweight tournament, but returned on the season's finale event to secure a win over Sako Chivitchian. The 31-year-old vet is on a five fight win streak. UFC 129 takes place from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 30, headlined by a Welterweight Championship bout between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields. Link to Original Source Article Penick's Analysis: I would have liked to have seen Makdessi-Brookins, but this isn't a bad replacement with that fight following through. Watson's got a good game and should be a test for Makdessi on the ground. It should make for a good preliminary card fight on this Toronto debut for the UFC. Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8127.shtml Forrest Griffin Kendall Grove Chris Leben Dan Hardy By Alvin Benjamin Carter III, MMA Torch Specialist #9 ? Lyoto Machida is officially dethroned by Shogun It was great to see Mauricio "Shogun" Rua one-up his previous performance against Lyoto Machida and win the Light Heavyweight title at UFC 113. Many people thought Shogun won in the first battle, and this fight turned Shogun from the people's champ into the LHW champ. #8 ? We Confirmed That Chael Sonnen is Crazy There is really not a lot to say. Correction, there is too much to say about this. Chael Sonnen displayed fluctuating levels of sanity that could cause you to question your own. His "thoughts" that he did or did not share about Lance Armstrong are a bit comical after Sonnen himself tested positive for performance enhancing drugs after insufficiently disclosing his use of them. Now he is in even more trouble as the new year starts and he has some money laundering issues to take on. I hope he does not make my list for 2011 for the same reasons. #7 ? Jon Jones should get Brandon Vera?s Nickname Jon "Bones" Jones is one of the brightest prospects in the UFC?s LHW division. He literally smashed Brandon Vera as he successfully rebounded from his first lost, which was a DQ against Matt Hamill. Many do not count the loss against Jones as he was destroying Hamill until the illegal elbows lead to the lost. Jones took it to Vera in such aggressive fashion that he handed Vera a broken orbital. The very next fight for Vera saw his nose get smashed by Thiago Silva on New Years day 2011 at UFC 125. It is safe to say that Jon Jones is "The Truth," and I think it would be great to see Jones fight Thiago Silva in the New Year. #6 ? Chuck Liddell is KO?ed Into Retirement A broken Rich Franklin at UFC 115 put down the "Iceman" Chuck Liddell. It is no surprise that Liddell has since retired and taken a corporate post in the Zuffa/UFC fold. While Liddell has been on the decline for a couple of years, it was still disappointing as a fan to see an era officially end. On the other hand, I am glad to see the UFC take care of someone who helped MMA and the UFC become one of the largest, if not the largest, combat sports in the world. Having a star like Liddell working on the business side of things could prove to be a plus in certain business situations. It was an awesome fight career, and at least he made it long enough to get on the cover of UFC Magazine and secure second career. #5 ? Strikeforce Cannot Control Smaller Entities In Co-Promotion I know the brawl in Nashville was a big deal, but I think it is just a symptom of something that often plagues the number two promotion. Strikeforce lacks true control. The problem is bigger than an ignorant altercation between athletes who know better. (That can, and does, happen in any sport). The problem is how negotiations with M-1 Global were nothing but an aggravating roller coaster. Getting Fedor in the cage seemed as difficult as passing the health care bill. (Sorry Mr. Volkmann). After every star was lined up and all of the "t's" were crossed and eyes rolled, Fedor stepped into the cage to suffer his first legitimate defeat at the hands of Fabricio Werdum. (See #2) There also was the Eddie Alvarez vs. Gilbert Melendez back and forth that did not show Strikeforce to have a strong hand either. #4 ? Frankie Edgar Arrives... and gets a belt I was lucky enough to attend my first ever UFC event in 2010. At UFC 118 I was able to see Frankie Edgar confirm his legitimacy as the 155-pound king. He was the answer to "who is better than B.J. Penn at 155 right now?" He actually answered that question twice last year. After Edgar's draw against Gray Maynard at UFC 125, I look forward to the rubber match and to see who gets Anthony Pettis, providing Pettis is still the number one contender at that time. #3 ? UFC - WEC Merger The UFC merging with sister company WEC was a spectacular move for Zuffa. They are now the most complete MMA promotion in the world as far as competitive weight classes are concerned. While I applaud the move, there still are some downsides. There are some awesome match-ups that might be put on unaired preliminary cards, for one. The merger also makes every fight more important as fighters are being cut for less and less each day. Every fighter it seems is only one or two fights away from calling Scott Coker or entering a Bellator tournament (not saying that it is a bad thing). The trick is for these released fighters to take bouts with promotions that will have doctors present and pay them. ("Stay away from the fights on islands" is something we also learned this year). #2 ? Fedor is Human (But I Still Cannot Tell If He Is Smiling or Frowning?) As mentioned in number 5, Fedor Emelianenko finally got in the cage in 2010 in June, and he lost. Fedor had so much hype behind him it was unreal, and the key word is unreal. I am still a huge fan of Fedor, but I think the MMA world put too much stock in an unbeaten streak and took too much joy in his loss. Holding Fedor's entire reputation to an unrealistic rubric is a bit much. One loss in ten years does not mean Mr. Emelianenko cannot fight anymore. The fact of the matter is Fedor is still a great fighter. Hopefully this loss adjusts M-1?s bargaining options so Fedor fights twice this year. #1 ? The UFC?s 10 Year Expansion Plan - Aggressive International Expansion The UFC has dominated the MMA world in quality and production for a while now, but that is not enough. UFC President Dana White said that by 2020 the UFC would be the biggest sport in the world. Well, this past year showed their aggressive expansion to international markets, and it was nothing short of impressive. The UFC, for the first time under Zuffa, allowed for partners other than White and Fertitta brothers. It was announced only two weeks into 2010 that UAE based Flash Entertainment became a ten percent shareholder of the promotion and assisted with the UFC 112 event in Abu Dhabi. The UFC also made moves in China by launching a Chinese version of the UFC website and opening an office in the nation. Closer to home, the UFC opened an office in Toronto, Canada. It was a great year for Canadian fans as UFC 113 and UFC 124 saw changes in champions at the Bell Center in Montreal, and fans in Vancouver saw Chuck Liddell?s last fight. Overall this is an exciting time for the sport and I see 2010 as a pivotal building year for the promotion. While some promotions seem to plateau at a certain point of success, the UFC finds a new ring to grasp. --- Follow Me on Twitter: @Awwwsnap Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/specialists/article_8104.shtml Quinton Jackson Lyoto Machida Forrest Griffin Ryan Bader 
Phil Baroni's been around MMA for a long time. His brawling, attacking style was effective back 2002, but it just doesn't cut it anymore. Baroni dropped to .500 for his career as he lost to Brad Tavares, an "Ultimate Fighter" alum. Tavares took Baroni's biggest shots and scored a TKO finish at 4:20 of the first round in the opening fight of the UFC 125 telecast on ION television. "I knew going in there against a veteran like Baroni I could come and show what I can do, and show the rest of the UFC that I'm here as a contender," Tavares told UFC.com. "Winning it over Baroni is good, and finishing him like that is just icing on the cake." Baroni (13-13, 3-7 UFC) usually comes out like gangbusters, but exhibited self-control early in this one. Trying to manage his stamina, he slowly stalked the much younger Tavares. Just over a minute into the fight, Baroni, 34, showed off that massive power when he caught Tavares with a left hook. The punch buckled Tavares' legs and he hit the ground near the cage. Baroni probably made a mistake by jumping on top of Tavares to ry and finish the fight. The Hawaiian survived and got his wits about him as the fight got back to the feet. The two minutes were highlighted by clinch work along the cage. With 1:10 left in the round, Baroni drilled Tavares with a knee that landed low. After a short break, the fight was restarted in the middle of the cage. Baroni had a little trouble getting the engine revved up again.  Tavares followed a combination with a left high kick that stopped Baroni in his tracks. The "New York Bad Ass" backed up towards the cage and ate a huge right hook. That was followed by a knee and three more punches that dropped Baroni. Tavares held his head down with his left hand and blasted away with rights. Eight unanswered shots forced referee Josh Rosenthal to stop the fight.
Baroni rose to his feet with blood splattered on his nose and a small cut under his right eye. Tavares (7-0, 2-0 UFC) reached the semifinals on TUF 11, where he lost a close decision to the eventual champ Court McGee. He turned 23 just 10 days ago and may be the brightest prospect from that season. UFC 125 undercard (Courtesy MMAjunkie): Jacob Volkmann def. Antonio McKee via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Daniel Roberts def. Greg Soto via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:45.
Diego Nunes def. Mike Brown via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Young-Tavares-too-much-for-old-school-Baroni-at-?urn=mma-302358 Lyoto Machida Forrest Griffin Ryan Bader Jon Jones By: Chris Park, MMATorch UK Specialist Throughout this week, we'll present a number of articles from MMATorch writers detailing their top ten stories of 2010. Check back during the week for a different perspective on the year that was MMA in 2010. Paul Daley sucker punches Josh Koscheck, gets exiled from UFC On May 8 2010 British welterweight star Paul "Semtex" Daley woke up in Canadian city Montreal knowing he was on the verge of what could be a career defining moment. Putting the final thoughts into his bout with Josh Koscheck, Daley knew he was one win away from - not only from claiming a coaching spot on The Ultimate Fighter - but to also challenge Georges St. Pierre for the 170 lb crown. Less than 24 hours later, Paul Daley found himself on the first flight out of Canada a defeated man for the first time in his UFC career. He would not be coaching against St. Pierre, nor would he be challenging for the welterweight title. Instead, Daley was left pondering his now uncertain future after being banished from the UFC by organisation President Dana White. A lot of trash talking was involved in the lead up to this fight, and when Josh Koscheck returned to his wrestling roots he dominated the Brit for the majority of the fight, even taunting him while controlling the action on the mat. As the horn sounded to end the fight Daley worked his way back to his feet and threw an illegal left hook at Koscheck which saw stunned referee Dan Miragliotta drag Daley up against the cage. It wasn't so much the illegal punch that sealed Daley's fate, but the response he displayed when asked by Dana White if he valued a career in the UFC. Daley simply shrugged his shoulders, infuriating White, and the rest - as they say - is history. Dan Hardy becomes the first UK fighter to challenge for a UFC title At UFC 111 in Newark New Jersey Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy made MMA history by becoming the first ? and is still the only ? British fighter to compete for a UFC title. Hardy took on the superb Georges St. Pierre, knowing the vast majority of MMA fans didn't give him a shout. While Hardy lost a fairly one sided affair, he walked out of the Octagon without a scratch on his face and knowing he had put on one of the greatest displays of heart that a fighter has ever shown. On at least two occasions Hardy was caught in situations when his arm looked on the verge of being broken; and while many men would and have tapped in such situations, Hardy resisted, fought through apparently excruciating pain and escaped the Canadian's clutches. St. Pierre himself was in disbelief that his British opponent had not tapped, even asking him after the fight how he managed to stay in the game. When you consider the manner in which St. Pierre dismantled the likes of Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, B.J. Penn and Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy deserves a lot of credit for the display he put on in Newark - taking one of the most dominant champions in MMA history the distance. While Hardy didn't leave the Octagon with the UFC title, he took with him a ton of respect and a whole world of new fans. Michael Bisping's successful 2010 Michael "The Count" Bisping enjoyed a successful 2010. Starting the year by losing a closely contested battle with PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva, Bisping bounced back to put on a dominating display against Dan Miller. Bisping returned to the London O2 Arena in October for the first time since UFC 85 to take on the always exciting Yoshihiro Akiyama. Many felt Bisping could fall into trouble against the hard hitting Akiyama, and barely thirty seconds into the fight Akiyama landed a solid right to Bisping's jaw that left the Brit rocked and in retreat mode. Bisping recovered, regained his composure, won the round and then went on to dominate the entire fight. It was truly a spectacular performance to watch. Bisping fought the identical fight to his previous bout, only this time defeating one of the top fighters in the division. The victory left Bisping looking for one more win, which he stated should be enough to earn him that shot at the middleweight title. When MMATorch suggested he face the loser of the Yushin Okami vs. Nate Marquardt bout the Brit hit back - ?I wouldn't mind fighting the winner, I don't wanna fight losers.? The victory takes Bisping to 3-1 since his horrific loss to Dan Henderson last summer and all four bouts have been highly impressive. A victory over Jorge Rivera on the card for the return to Oz could see Bisping awarded the title shot he has craved for so long. The roller coaster year for Paul Daley Paul Daley endured one of the most incident packed years an MMA fighter will ever live through, as 2010 contained both highs and lows for the Brit. Competing five times, for four different organisations, in three different countries - it was a bitter sweet 2010 for "Semtex." Opening the year at UFC 108 with a superb knockout victory over Dustin Hazelett, Daley then saw his UFC career in tatters following his post-fight attack on Josh Koscheck in Montreal. Daley kept busy, scoring decision victories in Australia for Impact FC and returning to America to compete for Texas based promotion Shark Fights. Daley then committed his future to the biggest MMA organisation in America not called the UFC, when he put pen-to-paper on a lucrative deal with Strikeforce. His organisational debut couldn?t have gone any better, as he scored what will have to go down as a career-best finish as he handed Scott Smith a devastating loss. He caught the American with a counter left hook that saw Smith face-plant, going out cold before his head even touched the mat. The victory sets up Daley for what could be another explosive year, starting with a bout against either K.J. Noons, Tyron Woodley or possibly even Gilbert Melendez next. Should Daley win his next encounter then a shot at Nick Diaz for all of the marbles could be one of the showpieces for the summer of 2011. Dan Hardy's return snuffed by "The Natural Born Killer" Looking to bounce straight back from his loss to Georges St. Pierre, Dan Hardy returned home to face Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit at UFC 120 in London. Known individually for their stand up wars of the past, the fans were eager to see what was widely touted as the likely "Fight Of The Night" for the UK return. With around thirty seconds remaining of the very first round, Condit and Hardy ? both standing and trading in the pocket ? threw simultaneous left hooks. Condit threw his with immense force and, landing his a split second earlier, caught Dan Hardy on the button, laying him out in front of his home crowd. A couple of follow up shots put the lights out on Hardy and silenced the London O2 Arena. The loss was the first stoppage of Hardy's career, and left the Brit reflecting on a year he will be glad to leave behind. Looking to rebuild in 2011, a rumoured bout with the dangerous Anthony "Rumble" Johnson with be a tough test for the Brit but, at the same time, has all the hallmarks of a classic. Brad Pickett ends 2010 on a high note to enter the UFC The UFC/WEC merge will finally see East-London's Brad "One Punch" Pickett grace the UFC Octagon in 2011 as the bantamweight contender continued to entertain through 2010. Always expressing his desire for the UFC to put their arm around the "lighter guys," no-one will be happier than Pickett that the UFC finally opened their gates to the very best bantamweights and featherweights in the world. With three highly impressive performances against Demetrious Johnson, Scott Jorgensen and Ivan Menjivar in 2010, Pickett will take a lot of momentum with him when he finally makes his UFC debut in 2011. Nick Osipczak first Brit of 2010 cut from the UFC While 2010 saw the first British fighter to ever compete for a UFC title, there was an unwanted first last year as well. After three consecutive losses in 2010 the UFC made Nick Osipczak the first Brit to be cut from the roster. Osipczak dropped decisions to Rick Story and Greg Soto before he faced Duane "Bang" Ludwig at UFC 122 in Germany. Osipczak took the first round and almost finished matters, and he also appeared to get the better of the second. Round three saw the Brit completely run out of gas and, despite showing a granite chin, was well and truly beaten in round three. Ludwig got the nod from the judges, and may count himself lucky to have done so, but the third round left a lasting impression with the powers that be, with Osipczak receiving his walking papers a few weeks later. A naturally talented and well-rounded fighter; Osipczak is young enough to learn from his experiences and one day return to the UFC a much more experienced and improved fighter. Andre Winner takes part in "Worst Fight of the Year" candidate Andre Winner was at the centre of an MMA rule debate after he dropped a decision to Nik Lentz at UFC 118 in Boston. As the considered leader of Team Rough House, Dan Hardy took it upon himself to hit out at Lentz, claiming he "clung to Winner like a sailor to mast during a storm," bringing the sport into disrepute with his lack of "fighting" during the encounter. Lentz made no attempt to finish Winner at any point during what will be regarded as the least entertaining "Prelims Live" bout to hit screens. Winner was a figure of frustration as he walked away, barely breaking a sweat although still having to accept the loss on his record. TUF winner Ross Pearson suffers first loss in the UFC Ross Pearson took on top submission fighter Cole Miller in September with one of two outcomes being an obvious prediction for the observing fan. It would be a fair assumption to predict that Pearson could claim a (T)KO victory over Miller, while Miller himself would be expected to finish things with any one of the submissions he has in his arsenal. The fight did result in a rear-naked choke for Miller, but it was the build up to the finish that was the most shocking. With only three KO/TKO victories in his 21-fight career, no-one would expect Miller to have much success in the stand up. Miller, however, performed well, using his superior reach to good effect, rocking Pearson before dropping him hard to the canvass. As Pearson hit the mat, Miller made no attempt to score the TKO and instead instantly went for the submission and found success by finishing matters late in the second round. The Renegade works back to title contention Former TUF contestant Dean "The Renegade" Amasinger ended 2010 the same way he began it, with a domestic title shot immanent. Amasinger broke his arm during his February title challenge against Alberto Mina, but managed to battle on until the third round despite conceding the break during round one. After a long rehab under the supervision of Leicester Tigers' Ollie Richardson, Amasinger came back to win a three-round war against Jermain Facey in October. While Amasinger was far from satisfied with his performance, he dug deep to grit out the win against the active Facey, despite the fact he had been sidelined for over eight months. The win will now see Dean Amasinger challenge reigning champion John McGuire for the UCMMA welterweight title in February. ==== Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/ukscene/article_8061.shtml Forrest Griffin Kendall Grove Chris Leben Dan Hardy By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief The UFC's first main event of 2011 set the bar high for "Fight of the Year" consideration, as Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard battled it out in a classic war that ended in a split draw. But this fight was nearly over before it began, as Maynard nearly finished the fight in the first round. He landed a right early that knocked Edgar down and sent him somersaulting backwards, but the resilient Champion tried to regain his bearings. Maynard, however, continued the assault, knocking Edgar down multiple times with hooks and straight punches, and landing shots on the ground as Edgar tried to grab a leg to recover. By the end of the round, Edgar had recovered enough to land a few punches, but the fact that he survived at all was the lasting impression. According to the FightMetric stats for the fight, Maynard landed 47 punches in the first round as he attempted to put Edgar away. His failure to do so allowed the Champion to get back in the fight, and in a show of true heart and ability, Edgar did just that. Edgar came out in the second round out-struck Maynard 21-6, but that wasn't the most surprising part of the round. Stuffing two of Maynard's takedowns during the round, Edgar actually managed to pick up the bigger, stronger Maynard and slam him to the ground. This was one of the key differences between the two fights these two have had. In their first meeting, Maynard was able to control the fight with his wrestling. In this fight, Edgar stuffed almost every takedown attempt from Maynard, and in the process out-worked him on the feet as well. Not only that, but Edgar took Maynard down three times in the fight himself. It was an incredible performance that saw Edgar win the second, fourth and fifth rounds on two of the judges scorecards, while one of those judges also gave Edgar the third. The third judge gave Maynard the third and the fifth, which led to scores of 47-47 and 48-46 for each fighter. The third round featured Maynard's most successful takedown near the end of the round, but Edgar countered with submission attempts, including a guillotine choke that was locked in as the horn sounded. At any rate, the Champion retained his belt after surviving a vicious onslaught from the challenger in the first round. It was one of the more remarkable comebacks the sport has seen, and would have only been made greater had Edgar pulled out the victory at the end of the night. But the absolute classic battle will have fans clamoring for more, and it will lead to a much bigger rematch down the line. Penick's Analysis: With so many people looking down on this matchup because of how the first fight went down, this one blew expectations away. It was incredible how Edgar was able to survive that beating from Maynard in the first round, only to come back and, in my opinion, win every round the rest of the way. The third round was really close, but I thought Edgar out-struck Maynard, and his submission attempts nullified the fact that he was taken down. For Maynard, he's going to have to deal with the missed opportunity of not being able to finish that fight in the first round with the beating he delivered. For Edgar, he put together a comeback for the ages and kept the belt around his waist. Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8006.shtml Joe Silva Chuck Lidell Tito Ortiz Frankie Edgar 
*If the judges couldn't decide, why should Cagewriter? Even with the unsatisfying ending, UFC 125 delivered with knockouts, submissions and the derailment of a hype train. Who were the best? No. 1 star(s) -- Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar: From Maynard's overwhelming first round to Edgar's comeback, both fighters came to their bout in the best shape of their lives, and left it all in the cage. There aren't enough sports cliches to sum up each of their performances, and how unsatisfying -- if correct -- the draw was. They'll both get another shot at each other, but with how evenly they were matched on Saturday, will it matter? No. 2 star -- Brian Stann: The "All-American" has found his home at middleweight, much to Leben's dismay. Stann earned his first-round TKO by staying calm and composed as he used an array of strikes to knock Leben out. No. 3 star -- Dustin Poirier: Heading into this bout, Josh Grispi was on a hot streak. He hadn't lost since 2006, was undefeated in the WEC and had earned a title shot against Jose Aldo. Poirier was supposed to be a place holder. Apparently, no one told Poirier that, because he dominated the stand-up game on the way to a unanimous decision win. He'll need to work on his ground game, but Poirier is clearly one to watch. Honorable mention -- Greg Jackson: The well-respected coach was recently criticized by UFC president Dana White for teaching his fighters a boring style. How did his fighters on UFC 125 respond? Stann won by TKO, and Clay Guida won with a submission. Jackson's strategy for Guida took his two biggest strengths -- wrestling and cardio endurance -- and married them for a style that confused and frustrated Takanori Gomi.
Dishonorable mention -- Thiago Silva: His antics during his win over Brandon Vera caught the eye of another UFC light heavyweight. "Wow that slapping was so disrespectful.. I'd love to give him a slap in the face," Jon Jones tweeted. Currently, Jones is training for a February fight with Ryan Bader, but if he really wants a chance to slap Silva, then it should be given to him. Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-125-s-Three-Stars-Maynard-Edgar-Stann-an?urn=mma-302602 Forrest Griffin Ryan Bader Jon Jones Antonio Rogerio Nogueira By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Bellator's welterweight tournament for season four is official, and it has its first participant. The organization announced on Monday that season four, which will begin on MTV2 in March, will feature another tournament in the 170 lb. weight class, with the winner getting a shot at Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren. Only one participant was confirmed for the tournament, and that is season two runner up Dan Hornbuckle, who lost to Askren in the finals of that season's tournament. "The fact that Ben Askren is going to be there waiting for me after I win this tournament keeps me motivated," said Hornbuckle in today's release. "It keeps me waking up every morning hungry. There's never a loss that is taken easily, so I definitely want to get back in there, win this tournament, and avenge that loss. My sights are definitely still set on obtaining that Bellator gold, but the way that this tournament is shaping up, I can't look past my next fight for a second. This is going to be the toughest welterweight tournament that you will ever see in MMA." Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney is expecting their strongest field of the three welterweight tournaments they will have conducted. "While our first two welterweight tournaments have been great, based on the lineup, this tournament is stacked from #1 through 8 and should be our strongest to date,? said Rebney. ?Dan's a significant talent and I know how motivated he is to earn his way to a rematch with Ben, it's great to have him back in." Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator/article_8028.shtml Kendall Grove Chris Leben Dan Hardy Dana White By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Chael Sonnen getting himself caught in a lie is nothing new these days. Starting with denying the Lance Armstrong comments he made last summer in an interview with ESPN's Jim Rome, despite Rome having the audio of him making those comments, Sonnen has continued to prove himself to be a habitual liar. One of the bigger lies he's attempted to perpetuate since his hearing with the California State Athletic Commission is that he had gotten approval for Testosterone Replacement Therapy from Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer. Kizer immediately stated to multiple outlets that not only was that not true, but that he had never had a conversation with Sonnen about anything. Despite this, Sonnen again tried to deflect the issue with the NSAC on last week's episode of ESPN2's MMA Live. Sonnen stated that Kizer was simply abiding by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in not revealing anything about Sonnen's protected medical information. However, Kizer has rebutted Sonnen yet again, in an email response to David Bixenspan at CagesideSeats.com. "HIPPA [sic] does not apply to the NSAC as we are not a medical provider," wrote Kizer. "I have never spoken with Mr. Sonnen on any matter. He has informed me that he wants to fly to Las Vegas and explain to me why he thought he had the OK to use TRT in Nevada. Senior Deputy Attorney General David Newton and I are awaiting him proposing a date for such a meeting." With that said, this is not likely to be cleared up until after Sonnen returns with his contract being "frozen" this week by the UFC. Still, there are still hurdles Sonnen will need to overcome in regards to his testosterone use before he's seen in the Octagon again. Link to Original Source Article Penick's Analysis: Sonnen's a pathological liar. It's just clear that the man has an issue with the truth, and it seems he'll build lies upon lies at this point, and it's now continuing to bite him in a big way. This road is far from over for Sonnen, and if he's going to fight again, while continuing to need testosterone treatment, he'll need to go through all channels to get it cleared. But that still may not help him when he's consistently spewed mis-truths about one of the heads of a state athletic commission. Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8059.shtml Mauricio Rua Rashad Evans Quinton Jackson Lyoto Machida |
minant unanimous decision that left Vera with blood streaming down his face, a badly broken and disfigured nose, and questions about whether he has a future in the UFC.
All five fights on Strikeforce's February 12 World Grand Prix kickoff event main card will feature heavyweights.
ous striking display against 
Mark Hominick
