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Coaches Assigned to Two New Seasons of The Ultimate Fighter

The coaches picked for the upcoming seasons of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF 16 for the states and TUF: The Smashes for AUS & UK) have been announced.

For TUF 16, which will show a return to the pre-taped format, is slated to feature Roy "Big Country" Nelson and Shane Carwin, who will make his return to action at the season finale against Nelson, as coaches of a group of 16 welterweight UFC hopefuls.

For TUF: The Smashes, which will feature [presumably] lightweight and welterweight fighters (tryouts were held for applicants 155-170lbs), will be coached by Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson and George Sotiropoulos.

Thoughts?

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I leave my phone for just a few hours, and this is what happened. Apparently some pretty good fights happened while I was gone? ;D #UFConFUELtv4 (Taken with Instagram)

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I believe I've officially arrived in Vegas #ufc #ufcfanexpo #lasvegas (Taken with Instagram)

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Passenger Side View in New Mexico, en route to Las Vegas. #ufc #ufcfanexpo (Taken with Instagram)

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When Fights Fall Flat: Who's to Blame

In the aftermath of UFC on FX 4's lackluster main event last Friday night the camp at Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting and MMA has come under fire, specifically the game plans that Jackson comes up with for the fighters under his tutelage.

Many blame Jackson's game plans for the unusual performance turned in by Clay "The Carpenter" Guida during his five-round main event bout with Gray "The Bully" Maynard. Guida's "stick & move" transformed into "move & run" as he was increasingly outstruck by Maynard, most notably in the last three rounds.

But is the game plan to blame here? The coach, even? Or should perhaps the fighter alone be held responsible for his actions in the octagon? Certainly there is an exception to every rule but if a fighter fails to deliver we should first look at the fighter, himself, before we aim our scrutinizing eyes at those who gave him a strategy going into the bout.

It is the job of the coach or trainer to give their fighter a game plan, a method with which to play to his own strengths in a way that neutralizes those of his opponent and exploits his weaknesses. That said, it's the duty of every fighter to utilize that game plan; it's their job to take that game plan with them into the octagon, implement it successfully and consistently, and use it as long as it's useful.

The problem on Friday wasn't just that Clay's style was completely unrecognizable from the man we're used to seeing swing for the fences - he also strayed from his game plan, and not in a good way. As the fight progressed he became less and less aggressive; it became less about picking shots and more about getting out of the way of an increasingly frustrated Maynard, who's notorious for hitting "like a Mack Truck". Greg Jackson can lecture all he wants between rounds and yell out instructions every second of the 25 minutes of the fight, but it was up to Guida to listen to his corner, actively engage in the exchanges and try to win the fight a different way than by the judges' scorecards.

After all, point-fighting is risky business: if you want to ensure you win then finish the fight, don't let the judges finish it for you. While "stick and move" and picking your shots is, by no means, the same thing as point fighting, I won't go off on a tangent involving the many differences. But the point is that Guida did a little too much of both and not enough of anything else.

As to why people shouldn't necessarily be blaming Greg Jackson's game plans, here are a few reasons I can think of off the top of my head: Jon Jones, Carlos Condit, Andrei Arlovski, Shane Carwin, Brian Stann, Donald Cerrone, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Diego Sanchez and Georges St. Pierre. These are all fighters trained by Greg Jackson who have, undoubtedly, been handed a game plan or two by the man and used them. Whether they're ground fighters or stand up fighters, that is a list of men who consistently display aggression, actively engage in their fights, and only point fight on the rare occasion that it guarantees them a win (and there's nothing wrong with that as winning is, and should be, any professional fighters #1 priority above all else).

Blame Greg Jackson all you want for the way Clay Guida performed; but the truth of the matter is that it's up to the fighter to excite the fans, not the coach. There are some prime examples of fighters who get game plans from the same man and do a lot more with them. I mean, look at Jon Jones, he seamlessly blends game plan and adaptation to make for a very smooth performance during pretty much every single fight. And if you want to go into the whole "well it's hard to win when your coach gives you a completely different game plan than you're used to" subject then take a look at Carlos Condit, who won the interim welterweight belt (love it or hate it) by simply sticking to the game plan Greg Jackson gave him, even though it was a stylistic 180 from his normal technique and even in the face of the man known for playing with his opponents' minds so much that they abandon their strategies quicker than passengers off sinking ships that have caught on fire in the middle of an oil spill (which is, to say, quickly).

In the end, let's give Guida the benefit of the doubt; after all, he has handed in some stellar performances and we shouldn't just forget about those because he tried something that didn't quite work out this time. Let's see what he does with this new direction. He's still working on his stick and move and he's kind of in the middle of a big transition here with his fighting style. And, in case you were too busy screaming obscenities at your television to notice, his footwork and head movement were aces - I don't know if I've ever seen anything so beautiful. It was completely unorthodox and, thanks to that bottomless gas tank of his, constant throughout the fight. Give the man a little time to put it all together, keep working on how to explode and retract his power and I think we'll eventually see a work of art - a man who can bob and weave like no other just so he can punish his opponents with shots while they're too busy trying to find him.

I say we bitch about this until the end of the week and then put it to rest so we can have the weekend to recharge and gear up for fight week. Silva vs Sonnen II is happening next Saturday and you can bet your sweet ass you're gonna need your beauty sleep for that one because you Will Not. Want. To Blink.

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I hope this is true. That would work out very nicely, given they both heal up and Koch stays healthy & in one piece until then.

Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch is rumored to be headlining UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro.

Vitor Belfort is also rumored to be making his return there.

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Objective Perspective: Silva vs Sonnen II

Going into UFC 148, there are a lot of burning questions in the minds of MMA fans & media alike. Has Silva made the right adjustments in order to properly neutralize Sonnen's wrestling (which saw the champ on his back at the mercy of Chael's ground and pound numerous times)? Will Sonnen once again outstrike the man said to be the greatest striker in the UFC, besting his previous record for the amount of punishment handed to the Brazilian in his career all in a matter of 25 minutes?

For that matter, with adjustments made on the end of both parties, will Sonnen still pose a test to Silva, thus proving that it was Sonnen's own abilities, not the fight or the circumstances surrounding it, that saw him manage to knock the middleweight champ around unlike any other for 4 1/2 rounds two years ago? Or will this go-round prove that their last meet was a fluke, that Silva didnt take Sonnen seriously enough back then but this time, with an acute awareness of Sonnen's skills, he'll be able to tuck away the Oregon native as easily as his previous opponents?

From my perspective, I blasphemously don't care who wins. Would it be cool to see Chael Sonnen take the belt, thus being the first in 6 years to solve the puzzle of Anderson Silva? For sure. Do I also want to see Anderson Silva pull off some crazy beautiful submission move, as he is so apt to effortlessly do? Hell yeah. Regardless of who wins and who loses, I want to see something spectacular. And if any match up this summer is guaranteed to show the spectator's something spectacular regardless of the victor, it's this one.

Sonnen wants that belt, that's undeniable. Not only did he promise his late father that he would win a championship, but this circumstance is gruelingly personal with astronomically high stakes. In their last bout Chael stunned the world as he, to quote commentator Joe Rogan, "beat [Silva] pillar to post for the better part of five rounds" only to be submitted in the last two minutes of the fight with a triangle choke. He feels he won regardless of the miracle sub Silva pulled off, and many fans agree with him; he's set out to prove that he's not only the better fighter, but the better man. This time, walking into this fight, Chael saw Anderson's belt and raised him a career; if Chael wins, Anderson has to leave the UFC middleweight division. If Anderson wins, Chael leaves the Ultimate Fighting Championship forever. At least that's what he claimed after his recent win over Michael Bisping snagged him his contendership position, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he stuck to his word.

Silva wants to prove that he's still a puzzle, a mystery man that no one has ever truly defeated in the UFC. He wants to hurt the man who insulted him, his country, his countrymen, and his family. He doesn't just want to keep his belt, he wants to seek revenge for the one man who has been able to make him fall down and look human in his years with the UFC.

All that is enthralling, but here's why I don't care who wins. Simply put, I don't have a favorite. I respect Sonnen as a fighter because he's not a pussy. He doesn't quit, through pain, injury, and struggle he'll keep on trucking. He's got the biggest mouth in the UFC but he backs up everything he says, word-for-word, with his work in the octagon. He's got incredible heart and he's inarguably one of the most entertaining personalities in the game. That said, there are things that I don't like about Chael Sonnen. His style of trash talk is not always my favorite. I feel he's a bit full of himself sometimes.

That being said, there are things I don't like about Anderson Silva. His win over Demian Maia was an embarassment to the sport, to the UFC, and to himself. It showed that he was full of himself, arrogant, and had little respect for the fans or the sport. If it was so easy to fight Maia that he was could so confidently dance around the octagon, he should've finished his opponent instead. He should've delivered to the fans, fans who paid for tickets or paid for the PPV, another beautiful finish, rather than doing the goddamn tango all the way to a decision.

Unlike Rich Franklin's prediction for the fight, I think this time around will be another bout filled to the brim with fire, excitement, and heart. For goodness sake; Anderson Silva participated in trash talk for the first time in God knows how long because Chael Sonnen gets under his skin that much. How could this not be a fantastic fight?

No matter who wins, I expect a spectacular fight. If it's a 30-second finish or five rounds of insane back-and-forth action, I'll be a happy camper. $125 nose bleed seats? I doubt I'll regret that purchase as long as I live.

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I personally never clicked with the whole Overeem craze. I never got excited during his fights and I just overall didn't care for him. He got off way to easy.

Yeah, by the time the craze really started I'd already known who he was for a little bit and started to realize there was some crazy stuff going on with his body changes, especially considering he was a grown ass man before his body blew the hell up.

His slap on the wrist is laughable and has only served to make the punishment handed out to Diaz look even that much more harsh. Overeem's license was denied and he can't reapply for 9 months for a substance that is absolutely undeniably banned for use in or out of competition without specific approval by the NSAC. Diaz was suspended for nearly a year and fined him well over $60,000 - for an infraction that they have no definitive proof he even committed.

There's something to be said for consistency but apparently NSAC, its commissioners, its judges, and its refs have not heard it.

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Why Alistair Overeem is Pretty Much Dead to Me

Since The Reem tested positive for testosterone, every victory he's picked up in the last few years has been brought in to question.

To think that March was an isolated incident is naive. Looking at his body transformation and the change in his performance in recent years, it's hard not to think that he'd just been lucky not to get caught up until March of this year. And don't get me started on the implications of the whole nonsense between him and NSAC that went on before he faced Brock Lesnar at UFC 141.

I never really cared much about Alistair Overeem; he was never one of those fighters whom I really clicked with or felt the motivation to keep an eye on. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. But then he tests positive for testosterone and receives what is arguably the most laughable slap on the wrist from any athletic commission in recent memory, thus cementing his name on my 'shit list'.

The short and sweet of it is that I question all of his accomplishments over the past few years and I don't think he actually deserves to be where he is today. I'm not saying they should lower his ranking or put him back at the bottom of the ladder for a title shot, as there is no concrete proof that he's used tesosterone or other PED's in the past, but I think his victories are now quite hollow and meaningless. Any success he's achieved through his performances in recent bouts is now kind of a joke and I feel for the fighters who've faced him in these past few years and whom now have to wonder if that tarnish on their record came at the hands of a man using performance enhancing drugs (not to mention the nagging question of, if he was using PEDs, would they have won had he really been clean).

The bright side of it is that all the controversy surrounding Alistair's case has sort of forced the UFC to take a second and actually consider climbing up the mountain of independent testing. So thanks for that, I guess, Overeem. 

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In Case You Blinked

Written by LuLuMMA The UFC is a fast-paced organization; if you so much as blink then you’ve missed a plethora of exciting developments. And that's what gathers us here today; I’m here to catch you up on all the things you may have missed.

1. So. Many. Injuries. More matchups have been added to the growing list of those affected by injured fighters. We recently learned that Vitor Belfort broke his hand during training and is forced out of his UFC 147 bout against Wanderlei Silva.  Update: The UFC has brought in former middleweight champion Rich Franklin to replace the injured Belfort, in what will be a rematch between "Ace" and "The Axe Murderer". Cung Le, Franklin's opponent before being pulled to fight Silva, will now face Patrick Côté at the UFC 148 event. Within 48 hours of each other, the two Thiagos in the UFC 149 card pulled out of their bouts due to injuries. Thiago Silva pulled out of his match with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua due to a recurring back injury that will require surgery. Thiago Alves pulled out of his match against Siyar Bahadurzada, who was initially the replacement for an injured Yoshihiro Akiyama.  Update: Shogun Rua will now face Brandon Vera in the headlining bout at UFC on FOX 4: Shogun vs Vera. Bahadurzada is slated to meet Chris Clements, the fight still to take place at UFC 149. On Thursday, two major events were effected by injuries. Both Michael Bisping, set to face Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, and Brian Stann, slated to welcome newcomer Hector Lombard at UFC on FOX 4, sustained injuries and were forced out of their respective bouts.  Update:Hector Lombard will now meet Tim Boetsch at UFC 149.

2. Ronda Rousey vs Sarah Kaufman Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey's first title defense is slated for August 18 in San Diego, California against number one contender Sarah Kaufman.

3. The Prodigy Returns BJ Penn has officially come out of retirement, accepting the challenge of rising welterweight star Rory MacDonald. No official word yet from the UFC brass on when and where the fight will take place, but the general concensus is that it will take place at UFC 152 in Toronto.

That's all for now. Keep an Eye out for more In Case You Blinked as news and developments emerge.

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Friday's TUF Live Finale Highlights MMA's Referee Problem

During the finale of The Ultimate Fighter Live, which took place last Friday, there were no less than three, count 'em - three - controversial calls made by referees.

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The first was by far the most offensive, committed by female referee Kim Winslow during the fight between Erik Perez and John Albert. After some exciting transitions, Perez winds up with Albert's arm in a face-down arm bar and, while it seemed Albert was in trouble, he didn't show significant signs of distress and appeared to simply be attempting to free his arm. A few moments later Winslow stepped in and tapped Perez on the back, signaling that the fight was over. She claimed that a "Verbal Tap-Out" had occured, but there is virtually zero evidence to support this claim. Firstly, Albert immediately began to question her call and argue vehemently with the decision. Secondly, the cameras were straight on Albert's face when the fight was called and it's clear that his lips didn't move at all, ruling out him informing the ref that he quit. So was it a grunt or yell that caused Winslow to interpret a "Verbal Tap-Out"? One would hope not; in a fight, you're going to grunt and you're going to yell but that doesn't mean you want to stop. A fighter has every right to let his arm be broken in an armbar without tapping out if he so chooses. (See Nogueira vs Mir II and how Herb Dean doesn't stop the fight until the moment Big Nog officially taps) The referee has the sole authority to stop a fight; but that doesn't mean they have the right to stop it whenever things get a little ugly. Thankfully the UFC awarded both men with their win bonuses, as Dana White saw it unfit to have a man train, prepare, & sacrifice for a fight only to lose because a referee decided to do their job so incorrectly. In the end, though, this is a permanent red mark on Albert's career that will never go away. For me, instances like this call in to question how referees like Kim Winslow can sleep at night.

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The second questionable call came from none other than Steve Mazzagatti (because if you write an article about referee mistakes without mentioning "The Fight Killer" Mazzagatti, you're just an idiot speaking gibberish) during the match between Chris Tickle and Daron Cruickshank. In the first round Tickle lands an upkick on Cruickshank, who is kneeling in Tickle's closed guard. Mazzagatti stopped the clock to allow Cruickshank to recover and gave Tickle a warning about keeping his feet in check before letting the fight continue. Oh wait, that's not what happened at all; without giving Tickle a warning, Mazzagatti deducted a point from him before allowing the fight to continue. Not only is it unacceptable (in almost any case) to deduct a point from a fighter in a three round fight without first giving him warning, but it can easily be argued that the upkick was an accident (for reasons other than that it was the first offense). As the upkick occurs, Tickle switches his hips in a clear attempt to either sweep or get back standing up; this would mean that when the kick happened Tickle was really just trying to swing his feet, which were coincidentally on either side of Cruickshanks head, in order to gain leverage to move his hips. Supporting this case is the fact that both Tickle's feet were moving and how they were moving when foot met face. Luckily for Mazzagatti this point deduction wasn't the make or break factor of the fight, which Tickle lost unanimously by two points. However this was yet another questionable call that needs to be made note of, if for no other reason than to help build the case that Mazzagatti has no business being anywhere near a fight even as a spectator, but much less as an official overseeing an event that affects the careers, health, and possibly even survival of two other human beings.

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The third and final riot-inciting call, which could actually be argued to be split into three seperate bad calls of their own, also came from Steve Mazzagatti. In the main event, which saw welterweights Jake Ellenberger face off against Martin Kampmann for a the next rung up the ladder towards title contention, some exciting action took place. Well...sort of. The two fighters opened the first round with some explosive exchanges and Ellenberger caught Kampmann with a hit that had him crumpled on the ground and at the mercy of a barrage of punches from "The Juggernaut". Many were calling for the fight to be stopped on the grounds of a TKO, as Kampmann had clearly been knocked out and, even having come to after hitting the mat, was not intelligently defending himself for long enough that almost any other ref would have waved his arms and ended the fight. However, Kampmann managed to shake himself awake just enough to put Ellenberger in a guillotine choke hold that wasn't tight enough to stop him but was tight enough to keep him there, as Mazzagatti allowed "The Hitman" to sit against the cage, hold his opponent close enough to whisper sweet nothings into his ear, and recover for the last four and a half minutes of the round. So, to recap, Mazzagatti didn't call the TKO when there was a clear case for it and he didn't stand the men up when there was no action going on for the better part of a round. When round two began, the explosive exchanges resumed, with each fighter getting rocked but recovering quickly until the two got into the clinch. After three knees in the clinch, Ellenberger went down just like Kampmann did. But now, instead of giving the downed man, this time Ellenberger, a chance to recover or defend himself, Mazzagatti steps in and stops the fight. Also allow me to add that Jake had his legs wrapped tightly around one of Kampmann's, showing that he was plenty awake to at least lock his feet together and start forming a foundation for whatever his next move may be. So both Kampmann and Ellenberger are knocked out and wake up once they hit the mat but Mazzagatti, either realizing his mistake from the first round and wanting to redeem himself or perhaps just having put money on Kampmann, decides not to let Ellenberger recover for even a miniscule fraction of the time he allowed his opponent in the first round. For Christ's sake, he nearly stopped the fight before Ellenberger even hit the mat; how can you justify a call like that? If the reason for this case of repulsively inconsistent judgement is that Steve realized his initial mistake and didn't want to make it again then, while his intentions weren't bad, he obviously still wasn't thinking things through. If you make the mistake of letting the fight go a little farther than it should and, in turn, you give one fighter an advantage then it's more offensive to deny the other fighter such a chance than it is to perhaps let the fight go a little too long while he's on the receiving end of some punches. Argue all you want about whether it's better to stop a fight too early or too late (though we all prefer to see it stopped at the right time), I stand by my words. Show me a fighter who says he'd rather have a fight stopped when he still has some fight left in him than take one extra punch and I'll show you a fighter who's never been on the receiving end of a ref's bad judgement.

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In closing, Friday night's blatant offenses are just another page in another chapter in the tome that is the history of wreckless judgement on the part of athletic commission officials everywhere.

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On a Side Note: If you're looking to regain a little faith in the referees whose decisions have so much power over our beloved sport, check out Herb Dean's commendable stoppage during the match between Justin Lawrence and John Cofer on the same night.

I recommend we, the fans, dub him Herb "Perfect Timing" Dean. Or maybe Herb "Dana White Doesn't Even Question Me" Dean. Or something to that effect, I'll be honest - I'm not terribly clever. Suggestions?

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Just realized I forgot to predict Procter vs. Larsen.

...I'm such a boob.

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The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale Predictions

[Note: If I feel a match-up is too close to predict, I'll give a prediction for how each fighter would win, should they be victorious]

•Michael Chiesa vs Al Iaquinta >Iaquinta via KO in the 2nd or Sub in the 3rd >Chiesa via TKO in the 2nd or 3rd This really is either man's fight. Iaquinta has serious power in his hands and a relentless work ethic and, while he's known for his stand-up, he does have a couple of submissions on his record so when, not if, Chiesa takes the fight to the ground Iaquinta will have options to keep the scrap going long enough to either submit or sweep to avoid Chiesa's notorious ground and pound. As for Chiesa, anyone who's followed the show knows he's dealt with some serious inner turmoil but, rather than letting the death of his father break him, he's used his circumstances to fuel himself through one upset win after another. He may not have the caliber of stand-up game that Iaquinta does, but he's an exceptional grappler who knows how to trap his opponents and force them to curl up while he unleashes a relentless stream of punches, forcing the ref to stop the fight whether his opponent has gone lights out or not. Fueled by the desire to honor his father's memory and make worthwhile his absence from his family at this difficult time, Chiesa is a man possessed and he's proven time and time again that this is just another reason that makes him a force to be reckoned with. Do not underestimate Michael Chiesa's will to win.

•Justin Lawrence vs John Cofer >Lawrence via KO in the 2nd Not to underestimate John Cofer but, having not really seen his true colors in the octagon yet, I've got to go with Lawrence on this one; he's got one-punch knock out power, aggression, and more experience than just the three fights on his record prior to this TUF Live stint. (He's been kickboxing since he was a kid and has a fairly fundamental knowledge of wrestling that serves him quite well.) For that matter, he's got an impressive fight IQ for someone with only a handful of amateur and pro fights under his belt. He's a young guy with a very long and undoubtedly successful career ahead of him.

>•Daron Cruickshank vs Chris Tickle >Cruickshank via KO/TKO in the 1st >Tickle via KO/TKO in the 2nd This one's hard to call. Cruickshank has the extremely impressive amount of experience on his side, having been raised by two martial artists and growing up in this environment. Admittedly, his KO loss against James Vick could be seen as an accident but the only person who'll ever really know is Vick. That loss stopped us from really seeing Cruickshank showcase his skills outside of his qualifying fight to get into the house. Chris Tickle, whom showed real promise in his qualifying fight to get into the house by KOing Austin Lyons, slid downhill in the first weeks of the show. His work ethic was inexplicably lackadaisical and he seemed too content and too comfortable, which is why it was no surprise when Joe Proctor submitted him almost effortlessly in their first fight since getting into the house. Tickle didn't listen to his corner, apparently thinking he knew better, and he payed for it in the end. That said, he has done a complete 180 turn since that loss to Proctor. Coach Dominick Cruz, the first to call Tickle out on this bullshit, confirmed on the show that the kickboxing and wrestling specialist is more determined and focused than ever before. Even if this turn around is a little too late, Tickle is obviously set on proving to Cruz and the world that he has heart and that he deserves a shot at the UFC. With his talent and his newfound fire to show the world what he's made of, Tickle has as good a chance as anyone to win this fight. Overall prediction: This fight is going to be a war, no doubt.

•Myles Jury vs Chris Saunders >Saunders via KO or Sub in the 2nd or Unanimous Decision >Jury via TKO or Sub in the 1st Making the case for Saunders: The man is more well rounded than his opponent, Jury. With kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing, and standup specialties to Jury's wrestling, expect Saunders' fight IQ to be far more developed than Jury's. Making the case for Jury: He may not be as well rounded as Saunders, but their experience in competition is almost equal. Additionally, while Saunders' victories have mostly come by way of decision, Jury's wins have come mostly by submission and KO/TKO in the first round. None of Jury's fights had gone past the 1st round before he stepped into the TUF gym on the very first episode to fight for his spot in the house, where he defeated Akbarh Arreola by decision then later lost via decision to Al Iaquinta in a two-round war that was so even that it called for a sudden victory 3rd round. Look for Jury to try to put Saunders away in the 1st round, but expect Saunders to use his multi-faceted game to neutralize Jury and draw it into the 2nd and 3rd rounds where he can use his experiences in long bouts to stay sharp against a tiring Jury and draw out a decision or a late submission. However, if Jury can do what he does best and finish the bout by submission or KO in under a minute into the fight, expect a slow-burning Saunders to be neatly put away by this firecracker, flash-bang Michigan native.

•Cristiano Marcello vs Sam Sicilia >Marcello via Sub in the 1st >Sicilia via KO in the 1st The short and sweet of it is that this bout pits the BJJ equivalent of a sharpshooter against the heavy-handed fighter who earned what is possibly the fastest KO in The Ultimate Fighter history at 8 seconds. While Sicilia, who has 4 submission victories alongside his 5 KO victories (all pre-TUF stint), may be able to survive on the ground with Marcello that's not a risk he should take in this fight. Marcello is a BJJ machine and going to the ground with him would be an unwise idea even for fighters with more ground experience than Sicilia. Likewise, Marcello doesn't want to stand & bang with Sicilia, as we've already seen what happens when he does that with somebody possessing one-punch knockouts (see Marcello vs Lawrence preliminary bout). Expect to see both guys try to impose their will on the other as always happens in striker vs grappler events but, rather than two styles neutralizing each other, expect fireworks; heavy handed jabs and hooks, elaborate BJJ maneuvers, sweeps, passes, and great footwork.

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In Case You Blinked

Written by LuceileMMA

The UFC is a fast-paced organization; if you so much as blink then you've missed a plethora of exciting developments. That's what this article is for; I'm here to catch you up on all the things you may have missed. (Though for future reference, a dab of Vaseline on the eyes will keep those puppies open all day long. Never miss a damn thing (though your face will scare the bejesus out of everyone in the meantime))

UFC 146 FX Preliminaries •Dan Hardy returned in spectacular fashion with a KO victory over Duane Ludwig at 3:51 of the 1st round. While he didn't get to showcase how well-rounded he's become, The Outlaw, as always still delivered an exciting fight. The finish began with Hardy's notorious left hook, which floored Ludwig, and ended with punches and elbows that put "Bang" Ludwig to sleep. Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy is back, ladies and gents, and he's a force to be reckoned with from here on out. •C.B. Dollaway handily defeated Jason "Mayhem" Miller, pulling out a unanimous decision win that not even the most diehard Mayhem Monkey can debate. While Miller edged out Dollaway in the 1st round, sending him stumbling backwards with significant strikes on more than one occasion, he gassed out early into the 2nd round, in true "Mayhem" form, and fell prey to the dominant ground game of "The Doberman", which included a touch of lay and pray but ultimately saw more than a fair share of ground & pound until the final horn. Dollaway effectively handed Miller his cue to exit but, before he could officially announce his voluntary bow out of the UFC, Miller was cut from the promotion, as reported by Dana White at the post-fight presser, due to "some crazy shit backstage" which the UFC Pres chose not to elaborate upon. For Miller's side of the story, check out his interview on Monday's episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani on iTunes. •Jamie Varner defeated Edson Barboza in an enormous upset by TKO at 3:23 of the 1st round. I'm among the group of spectators who find referee Josh Rosenthal's stoppage to have come just a bit early, as Barboza was still going for a knee bar when Rosenthal stepped in, but there's no denying that Barboza was close to being down for the count and simply wasn't defending himself the way the refs like to see. •Darren Elkins def. Diego Brandao by unanimous decision. But worry not, there was plenty of action in this bout which saw both men straight up refuse to slow down.

PPV Main Card •Stefan Struve submitted Lavar Johnson with an armbar at 1:05 of the 1st round. As we saw in his recent fight with Pat Barry, Johnson moved forward with strikes to back Struve up against the cage but, having expected this, "Skyscraper" pulled guard on "Big" and transitioned beautifully into the armbar as his opponent attempted to stand back up. •Stipe Miocic finished Shane del Rosario by TKO (elbows) at 3:14 of the 2nd round, maintaining his undefeated record while putting the first red mark on del Rosario's. •Roy Nelson took only 51 seconds of the 1st round to KO Dave Herman with just a few significant strikes. In stunning fashion, "Big Country" reminded all of us why we never say those fat jokes to his face. •Cain Velasquez finished Antonio Silva by TKO at 3:36 in the 1st round of what quickly became possibly the bloodiest fight. After Silva made the mistake of putting his leg out on the line with an early outside leg kick, Velasquez capitalized by grabbing hold of the leg and taking Silva to the mat where the former UFC Heavyweight Champion utilized ground & pound that cut open a sizable gash on the forehead of the Brazilian, quickly transforming the fight into a bloodbath. The cut & the blood, which flowed in what can only be described as a fountain from Silva's forehead, isn't what stopped the fight though. It took a good two minutes before Silva looked like he as truly doomed and, after about 30 seconds of everyone in the building or watching on TV screaming "Stop the fight!" then "Holy shit! He's out! He's out! Goddamnit! He's out!" Josh Rosenthal finally stepped in and put a stop to the brutal beating. In this bout, Cain Velasquez effectively showed the world that he wants his belt back and he'll beat the hemoglobin out of anyone in order to get it.

Main Event •Junior dos Santos fulfilled his own prophecy when he KO'd Frank Mir in the 2nd round, a result that he foresaw going into the fight. The champ landed upwards of 50 significant strikes on the head and body of the winningest heavyweight in the division's history, handing him his 6th career loss and snapping his 3 fight win streak. Mir went for the early takedown in the 1st round but JDS utilized his inexplicably underrated takedown defense (which is 88% by the way. Record setting, just sayin') and stepped right out of the grips of the heavyweight submission artist. From that point, Mir let the fight stay standing and was left no choice but to play dos Santos' game.

2. UFC 147 Update It was reported this weekend that Vitor Belfort has broken his hand and received surgery for it on Saturday. He will be forced out of his fight with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147. No replacement has been announced as of this writing.

3. The Campaign for Bonnar-Griffin as TUF Live 2 Coaches Dana White has officially shot down the idea of Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin appearing as coaches on TUF Live 2 on the grounds that coaches are typically champions and a contender or two contenders vying for a title shot.

4. The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale Information Weigh-ins for TUF Live 1 Final are slated for Thursday, May 31. The first fighter will be on the scale at 7/4p ET/PT.

Main Card (FX): Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann Michael Chiesa vs. Al Iaquinta Justin Lawrence vs John Cofer Max Holloway vs. Pat Schilling Brookins vs. Charles Oliveira

Preliminary Card (FUELtv): Myles Jury vs. Chris Saunders Daron Cruickshank vs. Chris Tickle Cristiano Marcello vs. Sam Sicilia John Albert vs. Erik Perez Jeremy Larsen vs. Joe Proctor

TUF Live Fighters Not Appearing: James Vick [Medical Suspension] Mike Rio [Injury (broken rib)] Andy Ogle [Medical Suspension] Vince Pichel [No available opponent]

That's all for now. Keep an eye out for more In Case You Blinked as news and developments emerge.

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Finally, someone else who appreciates Cruz's insanely fast-paced and intelligent style of fighting.

Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson

Since we won’t get Cruz vs. Faber, here is Cruz’ last fight.

A lot of people don’t like Cruz’ style of fighting. I, on the other hand, love it.

As for Mighty Mouse, he’ll be fighting Uncle Creepy June 8th in a highly anticipated rematch.

[strikemma-blog]

On MMAJunkie.com; starts in about 10 minutes. 12 noon ET/9am PT/11am CT.

Chael Sonnen and Nick Diaz are the 27th and 28th items on the 28-item agenda.

[strikemma-blog]

Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber Officially Announced for UFC 148

It's official. On tonight's episode of The Ultimate Fighter Live, Dana White announced than Renan Barao will replace Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz against Urijah Faber at UFC 148. The two will fight for the interim bantamweight title and the shot at the Bantamweight Championship once Cruz is all healed up from his recent ACL tear.

I am so, so crushed that Dominick Cruz is injured; he's my favorite fighter. I'm even more crushed that he won't be able to fight at UFC 148 because of this injury.

However, I think that Faber vs. Barao is the perfect fight to set up for an interim title and I'm looking forward to it almost as much as I was looking forward to the rubber match between Faber and Cruz.

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