MMA Stomping Grounds

UFC's fighters paid a cut above

2010-02-09T16:53:05Z

Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has clearly rewarded its fighters with large purses. This past Saturday, UFC 109's main event fighters -- Randy Couture and Mark Coleman -- both received payouts that doubled that of the Strikeforce main event fighters. Figures released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and reported by mmajunkie.com had Couture making $250,000 (no bonus included) and Coleman receiving $60,000.

One week earlier in Miami, Strikeforce fighters Nick Diaz received $100,000 (no bonus included) and his opponent Marius Zaromskis got $30,000 in their main event fight, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Business and Regulation.

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Strikeforce fighters’ payroll totaled $469,000 compared to the UFC fighters' payroll of 944,000.

Strikeforce fighter Hershel Walker donated his purse to charity while his opponent Greg Nagy took home $5,000.

The full list of official payouts from UFC 109 card:

Randy Couture: $250,000

Mark Coleman: $60,000

Matt Serra: $150,000 ($75,000 win bonus)

Frank Trigg: $30,000

Chael Sonnen: $64,000 ($32,000 win bonus)

Nate Marquardt: $45,000

Demian Maia: $62,000 ($31,000 win bonus)

Dan Miller: $15,000

Mac Danzig: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)

Justin Buchholz: $8,000

Paulo Thiago: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)

Mike Swick: $43,000

Melvin Guillard: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)

Ronys Torres: $4,000

Rob Emerson: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)

Phillipe Nover: $10,000

Phil Davis: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)

Brian Stann: $17,000

Chris Tuchscherer: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)

Tim Hague: $7,000

Joey Beltran: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)

Rolles Gracie: $15,000

The full list of official payouts from Strikeforce card:

Nick Diaz $100,000 (no win bonus)

Marius Zaromskis $30,000

Cris “Cyborg” Santos $35,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus and $5,000 championship bonus)

Marloes Coenen $2,000

Herschel Walker $600 (no win bonus)

Greg Nagy $5,000

Robbie Lawler $100,000 (no win bonus)

Melvin Manhoef $5,000

Bobby Lashley $50,000 (no win bonus)

Wes Sims $25,000

Jay Hieron $65,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus)

Joe Riggs $30,000

Pablo Alfonso $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus)

Marcos DaMotta $2,500

Hadar Hassan $2,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus)

Ryan Keenan $2,000

John Kelly $2,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus)

Sabah Homasi $1,000

Michael Byrnes $2,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus)

David Zitnik $1,500

David Gomez $2,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus)

Craig Oxley $1,500

Joe Ray $1,500 (includes $500 win bonus)

John Clarke $1,000

UFC 109 wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either

2010-02-07T17:22:53Z

Saturday night at UFC 109 Randy Couture once again showed why he is one of the greatest ever in the sport of mixed marital arts. He defeated MMA veteran Mark Coleman in the second round with a rear-naked choke.

Ringside analyst Joe Rogan said before the fight, "Mark Coleman is the grandfather of ground and pound". I think Coleman looked more like a grandfather than a ground-and-pound expert. This wasn’t the Coleman we saw in Pride (or earlier in the UFC) -- he looked old and slow. Couture beat him to the punch throughout the night and Coleman landed only one clean punch in the first round.

Both UFC announcers agreed that we haven't seen the last of Coleman. I think we have seen the last UFC fight for "The Hammer," but maybe not his last MMA fight.

Coleman had an exchange of words with fellow fighter, Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz, who was ringside. Ortiz loves to talk trash and challenge other fighters after a fight.

I would like to see who the UFC matches Couture up with next. Who do you think?

In the co-main event, Nate Marquardt battled Chael Sonnen for three rounds, but Sonnen won every round on the judges' cards. Before the fight, Sonnen said, "I'm going to be on him from bell to bell."

On two different occasions, Marquardt had guillotine chokes on Sonnen, which should have ended the fight. But, Sonnen was able to remain calm and Marquardt eventually relinquished the holds. Sonnen stuffed Marquardt's takedowns and he ground-and-pounded him for the win.

Sonnen told Sherdog.com, "I hope Anderson [Silva] wins" his next fight against Vitor Belfort.

Do you think Sonnen is ready for Silva or should Demian Maia get a shot a Silva?

After Couture’s win over Coleman, the UFC announcers were giving the “Submission of the Night” honor to Randy Couture. But clearly that honor had to go to Brazilian Paulo Thiago for his D'arce choke on American Mike Swick. Thiago landed a right behind the ear of Swick and followed with a left to the jaw that put him down. Thiago applied the choke and Swick was out cold.
]]> In the middleweight class, Brazilian ju-jitsu black belt Demian Maia won a unanimous decision over American Dan Miller. Maia said after the fight, "I came to show off my standup." So for the first two rounds, I thought it was a boxing match. And in the third round, Maia took it to the ground and got the win.

Former UFC champion Matt "The Terror" Serra’s win over Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg was a total surprise to me, because Trigg loves to take his opponents down. But for some strange reason, he wanted to stand toe-to-toe with Serra. And he got knocked out by an overhand right to the jaw in the first round. Trigg should have learned from Serra’s win over Georges St. Pierre, in which Serra won the belt because GSP tried to stand toe-to-toe. Serra made his way out to the ring to the music from "Rocky," an appropriate choice. Serra won “Knockout of the Night”.

In the Melvin Guillard-Ronys Torres bout, you heard Guillard’s new trainer Greg Jackson say, "this is the best I have seen you in the cage." In the past, Melvin would swing for the fences, trying to get the spectacular knockout. In his battle with the Brazilian Torres, he remained in control during the match and took a unanimous decision.

Justin Buchholz and Mac Danzig had an unofficial loser leave town match. Danzig was the aggressor and he tried to finish the fight on several occasions. The fight went the distance, and Danzig won with a majority decision.

Newcomer Phil Davis beat Brian Stann throughout during their bout. Davis, a wrestler, took Stann down whenever he wanted to and surprisingly dominated every round. If trainer Lloyd Irving can help Davis with his standup, we may be looking at the next champion in two years.

I wish the UFC had shown the Tim Hague-Chris Tuchscherer fight and not Rolles Gracie vs. Joey Beltran. Gracie was clearly out of shape and not prepared to fight beyond the first round. He won his three previous bouts, all ended in the first round. Beltran defeated Gracie by TKO in the second round.

After the Hague-Tuchscherer fight, the crowd booed as Tuchscherer won a majority decision over Hague.

Phillipe Nover won a decision over Robert Emerson in a contest that wasn't televised.

This was an average fight card: I'll give it a C-

What grade would you give it?

-Kevin Richardson

Shogun Fights ready for Round 2

2010-02-05T23:59:20Z

After a very successful first fight card in October, Baltimore is taking another swing at mixed martial arts March 27 at 1st Mariner Arena. Some familiar fighters from the first MMA event will be on the card. The event is once again being promoted by Shogun Fights, which is based here in Baltimore. They are calling this card Shogun Fights 2; I guess they're carrying on the UFC tradition of numbering each MMA card.

One of the main battles of the evening with be Baltimore native and MMA veteran James "Binky" Jones taking on undefeated Pennsylvania fighter Jim Hettes in the 145 pound featherweight division. Hettes last fought in the first Baltimore event in October and is part of the main event this time.

When you look at the fighting records of Jones (8-8) and Hettes (3-0), it looks like a mismatch. But as some of you know, the amount of bouts a fighter has been through doesn't always give them an advantage in the cage. An example of this was UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar, who had only fought three times (two wins, one loss) when he defeated then-champion Randy Couture (16 wins, seven losses).

Also on the card is super heavyweight Ryan McGowan, who is making his MMA debut and going against Mike Williams. Fans always enjoy the big guys in the cage for the first three minutes. If the fight goes beyond that, it's usually a hugfest.
]]> During the last event, it was great to see more than 5,000 area MMA fans come out an support the sport. Shogun Fights promoter John Rallo said, "Trainers that have trained people in UFC and Pride, are saying that [Shogun Fights 1] was one of the most professional shows they have been to."

And I have to agree with him, it was a KO event.

So, here's the card:

Shogun Fights 2

Rick Desper vs. Steven Baker at 135 lbs.
Joe Stripling vs. Elder Ramos at 195 lbs.
Joey Kirwan vs. Elijah Harshbarger at 175 lbs.
Ryan Mackin vs. Bret Thomas at 140 lbs.
Mike Paschall vs. Glen Hoffman at 165 lbs.
Jacob Kirwan vs. Steve DeAngelis at 145 lbs.
Diego Brandao vs. George Sheppard at 155 lbs.
Dave Daniecki vs. Germiyale Adkins at 185 lbs.
Binky Jones vs. Jim Hettes at 145 lbs.
Ryan McGowan vs. Mike Williams at super heavyweight

-Kevin Richardson

The future of women's MMA

2010-01-29T06:50:56Z

The only relevant female mixed martial arts fighter that’s currently active, Cris “Cyborg” Santos, fights this weekend. Did you know that? I did, only because it’s my job to know. If I was a casual fan though, I wouldn’t have noticed. I would’ve seen all the news about Herschel Walker and I would’ve realized Nick Diaz and Bobby Lashley are also on the card, but Cyborg? It would’ve been a coin flip at best.

Obviously, they can’t promote her fight as heavily as they did when she was facing Gina Carano. At the same time, Strikeforce is the biggest promotion showcasing women’s MMA. And while it’s not there yet, a decision on the future of women's MMA is likely coming soon. Is women’s MMA going to be the next women’s tennis or the next WNBA?

People care about women’s tennis, and sometimes not just because the competitors are hot, while the WNBA plods along in oblivion. Now, without its biggest star, what’s going to happen to women's MMA?

I’m still on the fence, I don’t know if women’s MMA can be as entertaining as the real version. But, maybe there is a future beyond Carano. Perhaps it can go the route of the LPGA. There could be mild interest and basic recognition of extraordinary talent (Annika Sorenstam) and the occasional intriguing freak show (Michelle Wie).

In fact, that may be the best hope for women’s MMA. Not quite women’s tennis, but not as awful as the WNBA either.

Does Liddell have another title run in him?

2010-01-26T07:17:14Z

An interesting feature from MMAjunkie.com on Chuck Liddell as he gets ready for his upcoming coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter.

Liddell claims he has one more run at the title left. He compared his situation to when Randy Couture came back to win the heavyweight title.

"He came back, and he's still fighting. He won the heavyweight title. I just needed some time off,” Liddell told MMAjunkie.com.

So, does anyone buy that Liddell can recapture the light heavyweight championship? I love the guy and hope he wins a few fights, but a title is out of his reach.

The big difference with Couture’s return and championship win is that it came at a time when the UFC’s heavyweight division was at its weakest. The UFC’s light heavyweight division is stacked, which would make things much, much harder on Liddell.

I definitely don’t agree with Dana White that he’s too old to fight effectively. If White is going to let a guy like Mark Coleman fight, then Liddell should be able to fight until he’s done.

But, at the same time, let’s not kid ourselves. While it would make for a great story, Liddell’s days of being a UFC champ are behind him.

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, Inc.)

Is Herschel Walker good for MMA?

2010-01-22T08:39:02Z

We’re still a week away from Herschel Walker’s MMA debut but I can’t escape the biggest question that surrounds that card: Is Walker good for MMA?

His debut is certainly getting plenty of exposure, which is always good for the sport. He’s been in front of just about every camera and talking with anyone holding a notebook, whether they are a reporter or not. It seems like he's appeared on every show ESPN has and, just as important, he’s been saying the right things all along.

He’s not treating this as a joke, he’s bringing new eyes to the sport and he’s been a good spokesman for the sport. Common sports fans respect Walker and when he says this new thing (MMA) is legit, people will believe him. And he’s not another Kimbo Slice, as Slice was a circus act even before his MMA debut. Walker is a world-class athlete.

At the same time, it is still sort of a circus act. Age 47 is not when you make your debut in something as serious as MMA. If you want to pick up a set of golf clubs at 47, fine. But to start fighting at age 47 and fight in one of the top organizations in the U.S.? Not a great idea.
I’m not entirely sure what needs to happen in that fight for the sport to look good. If Walker wins, the casual fan will see this as a sport that any athlete well past his prime can pick up and have success right off the bat. If he loses (a likely possibility, if he follows the pattern set by other past players trying to break into the sport), it keeps MMA relegated as a sideshow.

I don’t think the sport needs fights like this, not anymore. I think it’s starting to gain acceptance among sports fans and there are a small handful of fighters who are making names for themselves for the right reasons. I can tolerate a Brock Lesnar, who is a big name from another profession but who is also young enough to compete at the highest level in the sport. Walker isn’t exactly going to be gearing up for a title run anytime soon.

I’m clearly going into this card as a skeptic. Plenty of athletes excel late in their 40s, but most don’t do it picking up a completely new sport. That being said, I’m willing to give Walker a shot.

I just hope it doesn’t set a precedent. I don’t want to see Strikeforce promoting a fight with Shaquille O’Neal in three years or trying to ride the coattails of another athlete past his prime. Walker sounds serious about his fight and he better be, because if he isn’t, all the extra eyeballs he brings to the sport will just make it look foolish.

Lesnar is back

2010-01-20T18:44:25Z

Brock Lesnar announced his return on ESPN this morning, confirming he's healthy and will be fighting this summer against the winner of the Frank Mir v. Shane Carwin fight this March. Say what you will about Lesnar, I don't think any fight fan wanted to see his career ended. UFC 100 (and his antics) are not how we wanted to remember Lesnar.

While I always thought the career-ending rumors were overblown, it's nice to have this behind us now so we can go back to prognosticating about Lesnar's ceiling as a mixed martial artist and we can see him actually fight again.

First to lose: B.J. Penn, Georges St. Pierre or Anderson Silva?

2010-01-14T18:02:34Z

The three most dominant fighters the UFC has (I’m leaving Brock Lesnar out of this due to his injury, but he’s going to be tough to beat whenever he’s healthy) are Penn, St. Pierre and Silva. They have dominated the lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions for awhile now and seem to be on a completely different level than all their challengers.

So, my question for you is, which one of the three loses first? Now that it’s confirmed Frank Edgar has the next title shot against B.J. Penn (Dana White said Maynard didn’t do enough Monday to earn it) and Dan Hardy is next in line for St. Pierre, is it crazy to think Anderson Silva will lose first?

For the past two years, Silva has been the most dominant UFC champ, handling every opponent thrown his way with ease. Even when questions began to arise with Silva, he silenced his critics by manhandling Forrest Griffin. And of the three divisions, the middleweight division is the weakest. If you asked me this a year ago, I would’ve thought Thiago Alves had a good chance to take down GSP and that either Kenny Florian or Diego Sanchez could have a shot with Penn. Penn and St. Pierre utterly destroyed the trio.

Still, St. Pierre and Penn have upcoming opponents that they will be expected to win. Silva has a bit of an unknown in Vitor Belfort. Belfort handled Rich Franklin, which is something only Silva has done.

Even if he survives Belfort (which he probably will), with the way he’s been flirting with the light heavyweight division, he might get another big-time fight right away. And with Silva’s contract winding down, I don’t know that we’ll get anymore Thales Leites-level fights for Silva.

Now, if a B.J. Penn-GSP rematch is made, perhaps it could be Penn that loses first. Otherwise, I think Silva will be the next elite champion to fall in the UFC.

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, Inc.)

The UFC's newest partner

2010-01-14T17:44:52Z

The UFC sold a minority stake in the company to Flash Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of the government of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It “will permit the UFC to do things unimaginable even five years ago,” according to Yahoo Sports.

This is a big deal, even if it won’t make a splash for the common fan. Dana White has always said the UFC wouldn’t rule out adding partners, but that they wouldn’t sell just for a cash grab. This certainly lives up that, as Abu Dhabi can be a very valuable ally when it comes to expanding the UFC brand and opening up new markets to the UFC. Even if you aren’t a UFC fan, you have to admit that a move like this is good for MMA. This news is definitely impressive, to say the least.

UFC Fight Night 20 recap: Maynard next for Penn?

2010-01-12T07:28:29Z

Another solid Fight Night by the UFC and although Gray Maynard (pictured) prevailed over Nate Diaz, I’m not entirely sure it was enough to earn a shot at B.J. Penn. Diaz is tough, no question, but is a split-decision win over Diaz enough to earn a title shot? It wasn’t for Joe Stevenson, the last guy to defeat Diaz, but Maynard is a different beast because he’s undefeated.

Either way, does it really matter? B.J. Penn is at the absolute top of his game in the lightweight division and I haven’t seen anything from Gray Maynard that makes me think he can hang in there with Penn.

This is two straight split-decision wins in a row for Maynard and while he certainly will be a player in the lightweight division for a long time, he’s not ready for Penn. I’d like to see him fight Kenny Florian or Diego Sanchez next. However, with Penn needing an opponent in the spring, Maynard has a good chance at earning the shot.

The rumor has been that Frankie Edgar may get it, but the undefeated thing for Maynard makes him an easier sell, in my opinion, and Maynard has a decisive win over Edgar as well. Neither guy has much of a chance taking down Penn though.

As far as the other fights go, I was also impressed with Amir Sadollah. It was cool watching him fight in front of the hometown fans, and he handled Brad Blackburn. I was on the Blackburn bandwagon too, but Sadollah made me a believer tonight.

Aaron Simpson and Tom Lawlor got Fight of the Night honors and they put on a great show. It was disappointing that it went to the judges because that fight was so close.

In other news, it sounds like Brock Lesnar is out of the woods. His wrestling coach and Randy Couture both seem to think he will be back this spring/summer. That’s probably too early, but I hope we get to see a healthy Brock sometime in the next 8-10 months.

Here’s the story from MMAweekly.com.

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, Inc.)

MMA odds and ends

2010-01-07T19:45:06Z

* While the future of Brock Lesnar is still up in the air, a host of other injured UFC stars will be finding their way back to action over the next several months. Frank Mir fights Shane Carwin, Anderson Silva faces Vitor Belfort, Georges St. Pierre takes on Dan Hardy, B.J Penn defends his lightweight title, Matt Hughes will battle Renzo Gracie and Jon Fitch will go up against Thiago Alves. We may even get Rashad vs. Rampage before the summer. Those are just some of the fights we’ll be treated to in the next four months (I’m sure I’m leaving out others). We’ve had a few cards recently that were light on big names, but we’re due for some big shows in the near future.

*A nice story from MMAweekly.com on Rich Franklin entering the twilight of his career. You have to respect a guy like Franklin who cares first and foremost about putting on fights the fans want to see. He’s jumped weight classes and fought several bouts at a catch weight, with few complaints. I hope he goes out on top, but even if he doesn’t, I’m looking forward to the last 4-5 fights we’ll get from him.

*The UFC is suing a bar in Massachusetts for $640,000 for illegally showing UFC 104. This will be an interesting case to watch as the UFC has been on a campaign to crack down on illegal pirating of PPV shows. To me, this is one of the biggest problems the UFC has: PPV. If Dana White wants to get bigger than (or at least on the same playing field) the other sports in this country, the fans should be able to watch the big events for free. Football fans aren’t shelling out $50 to watch an NFL game, even the Super Bowl. Luke Thomas, from Bloodyelbow.com, thinks the solution is an MMA version of iTunes.

UFC 108 and beyond

2010-01-04T04:32:30Z

UFC 108 was a solid show, all in all. A good night of fights, even without a title fight or major fight on the card. Given what that card had to deal with, it has to be considered a major victory that the UFC was able to put together a fairly entertaining show. I didn’t feel ripped off at all for shelling out the cash for that show. A lot of the post-fight buzz has been about whether or not the UFC has succeeded in always putting out quality shows, regardless of what potential matches fall apart. I don’t know that I’d go that far, but what do you think? Is there anyone out there that will pay for every card, regardless of what fights are on it?

While I find myself paying for most, I still take it on a card-by-card basis (those that I don’t buy I still watch, just at a sports bar or a similar establishment). Either way, UFC 108 was a decent show.

With the win, it looks like Rashad Evans will be taking on Rampage, which is the same fight we should’ve had a few months ago. Regardless, the hype will be there for whenever these two finally step into the Octagon. It will be interesting to see if Rampage really goes back to making movies, like he’s threatening.

Paul Daley was the big surprise of the night to me. I really thought Dustin Hazelett would give him a better fight. I think Daley needs to get someone from AKA next before getting in line for a title shot. Give him a Jon Fitch and see how he fares before we talk about him moving to the front of the line. Or even a bout with Thiago Alves. Daley was impressive, but that win shouldn’t make him a No. 1 contender just yet.

Previewing the UFC 108 card

2009-12-29T18:04:07Z

No better way to come back from an extended holiday than with another UFC pay-per-view event.

Of course, the UFC 108 card is on its fourth main event and has been perhaps the most plagued show of the recent problems the UFC has faced.

Nevertheless, Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva is a big fight for the light-heavyweight division. Both guys are in the mix for a title shot, although I still want to see the Evans vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson matchup, which we probably won’t get for awhile if Evans wins.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Paul Daley is a battle between rising stars in the welterweight division. Hazelett’s jiu-jitsu is so strong that it would be enjoyable to watch him against anyone, but Daley should be a good test for him.

There is a pair of interesting lightweight fights but I think the Junior dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel fight could be one of the sleepers on this card. Hopefully there are some fireworks in that one because if that main event doesn’t deliver, this card is going to need a lot of sleepers to take the stage.

On a side note, I did want to draw some attention to the story on Corey Hill by Yahoo’s Kevin Iole.

I was there the night Hill’s leg snapped -- and it was brutal -- so it was nice to see this story about his comeback. I hope things turn out for the guy.

Strong showing for Strikeforce

2009-12-21T23:22:29Z

What was the opinion of the masses on the great weekend of MMA?

I think Strikeforce has to take the nod as they put together one of their best shows. The Scott Smith v. Cung Le fight was incredible. I wrote Smith off at least three times (like most people) and the fact that he was able to catch Le at the end was amazing.

I know a lot of people are pointing to the officiating in that fight as being a prime example of how it's done, since lesser officials would've ended that fight prematurely.

I can definitely see that argument, especially with some of the poor calls we've seen in the UFC lately.

The Smith-Le fight wasn't the best of the night though, as the Gilbert Melendez v. Josh Thomson fight was even better. Easily one of the best fights of the year.

I do think it's funny to hear them calling out all the other top lightweights in the world after that bout. They are talented guys but need to slow down just a bit. I don't think either takes down a Diego Sanchez or Kenny Florian.

Strikeforce doesn't have the depth of the UFC but they have some guys who can put on entertaining fights and Strikeforce didn't even have to roll out all their top guns for that show. MMA is better with a productive Strikeforce and I'm glad to see their expansion hasn't ruined them (yet). It's good for the sport.

Mixed martial arts odds and ends

2009-12-18T05:39:03Z

Some odds and ends on a Friday:

* Strikeforce won the big Dan Henderson sweepstakes, as shocking as it seems to many. And by sweepstakes, I mean they overpaid for a guy Dana White undervalues. Henderson, in my opinion, is the second-best fighter not under the UFC’s umbrella. Fedor Emelianenko is obviously the other, which is why it’s puzzling White would let him go. Maybe he was asking for big money but Henderson has a few miles left in his tank and he still had some interesting fights left in the UFC. I’ll defer to White’s business sense, but letting Henderson fall to the competition is puzzling.

That being said, there are a few fights I want to see now that he’s in Strikeforce. Gegard Mousasi is one -- that would be a fight I’d pay a considerable amount of money to see. Henderson vs. Fedor (which is somewhat feasible, considering Fedor isn’t a HUGE heavyweight) is another that could be good. After that, what’s left? Jake Shields has talked about moving up to middleweight, so he could take on Henderson at that weight class but that might be a bit of a stretch.

* The UFC cut ring girls Logan and Natasha loose. I have prepared my response with the help of a 14-year-old girl: OMG, UFC ... WTF?

* The UFC had Lorenzo Fertitta in D.C. on Wednesday to testify in front of a House Judiciary Commitee about the proliferation of illegal Web streams that steal pay-per-views. He said at least 140,000 people viewed UFC 106 illegally and for free. Translation? Fertitta hates poor people and doesn’t think they should be allowed to enjoy the UFC just because some people have fallen on hard times in this poor economy.

Because 51 percent of the people in this country don’t understand sarcasm, the above translation was a joke. People shouldn’t steal UFC events. They can always do what I used to do in college: go to the home of your future in-laws and make them buy the PPVs. Sure, I feel obligated to repay them down the line with a grandkid or two but it definitely saved me money in the meantime.

* Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is coming back to the UFC. Of course he is. Did anyone think this wouldn’t happen?

* It looks like Frank Mir and Shane Carwin will face off for the UFC’s interim heavyweight championship. I like the pairing, which could make for a really interesting fight. Would much rather see Carwin-Brock Lesnar, but with Lesnar still on the shelf, this will do.

* Strikeforce has a great show this Saturday. I can't wait for the Gilbert Melendez-Josh Thomson fight and the Scott Smith-Cung Le bout. Looks like it will be a great night of fights all around.

*The WEC also has a strong show this Saturday, with Donald Cerrone taking on Ed Ratliff in the main event. Some tough decisions to be made this weekend.