I know Wanderlei Silva has been hit in the head a lot over the last 20 years but this may be one of the strangest fighter-to-fighter threats I have ever heard. The Axe Murderer has a taste for Chael Sonnen’s blood and he wants to savor it.

As a pro wrestling fan I love a great war of words in the UFC. It doesn’t happen enough for my tastes. That is why I have come to enjoy Chael Sonnen’s verbal assaults over the last few years. Chael is a wrestling fan and he gets it. Sometimes what is even better is when Chael’s opponent plays along and it appears that he and Wanderlei are ready to do some serious business.

Just days after being obliterated at the end of the first round and ironically seconds away from winning the UFC light heavyweight title (Jones’ toe would have stopped the fight between rounds), Chael was back at it again and starting to lay the ground work for his next fight. Sonnen not only put the 205 pound division on notice but he singled out one longtime foe, Wanderlei Silva. Sonnen laid out the challenge to Silva who until now remained quiet. The Axe Murderer has finally broken his silence.

Silva officially responded to Sonnen’s challenge on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight via an interview with Ariel Helwani. Silva not only wants the fight, but he also wants to take a little piece of Chael home with him.

“Wanderlei said that no one’s offered him a fight. But he did want to say that ‘Jon Jones and Anderson Silva have been too nice to Chael. I want to suck his blood. I want to smell it. Not just fight – I want to hurt him. Chael is a joke, man. He’s going to be second forever. He’s never going to be first.’”

Wow! Even better is Sonnen’s response to Wanderlei’s desire to suck Chael’s blood.

“I think the real breaking news there is that Wanderlei Silva put together a coherent sentence that somebody understood. But I can assure you, Wanderlei, I will not be signing a contract for you to suck on any part of me. I suggest you go to a bath and find yourself.”

This is going to be a fun buildup! The heat between these two guys seems pretty real as they have been talking trash on each other now since UFC 117. As a matter of a fact there was a real interesting video that made its way on YouTube a couple of years ago that had Wanderlei and Chael traveling together in the same car to an event. Wanderlei started chastising Chael for the things he said about Brazil in the buildup to his first Anderson Silva fight. Chael looked a little taken back but it was an interesting video as Chael just sat in the backseat and listened to Wanderlei preach to Chael about Brazil and the negative things that were said by Sonnen.

I am ready for this fight! No contract has been signed but this has potential to be one of the biggest fights of the year. I can’t imagine the UFC headlining a pay per view event on this fight. My hunch is that this winds up headlining a television event, maybe the first UFC on FS1 show? I have to think that the UFC won’t waste much time capitalizing on this and signing the fight. I expect some kind of announcement in the next week.

The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

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Early estimates for the UFC 159 Jones vs. Sonnen buyrate are in and whether it is a success or not depends on your criteria. The good news is that the pay per view was the second biggest of the year. The bad news is that it should have done more.

Dave Meltzer at MMAFighting.com did his usual investigative work and reported on early estimates for the event. Dave’s numbers are not official, yet he is generally considered an authority on the subject. According to Meltzer, the pay per view is coming in at between 500-520,000 buys for the Jones vs. Sonnen event.

Those numbers put the event in line behind UFC 158 Diaz vs. GSP as the second highest buyrate of the year thus far for the UFC. The number blows the show past Ronda Rousey’s debut and will probably hold up as one of the top 3-5 events of 2013 looking at the tentative schedule.

The pay per view is a bit of a rebound for Jones who is coming off 410,000 buys for his previous fight against Vitor Belfort. Meltzer reports that Jones averages just below 500,000 buys so this would certainly be a win for Jones in the eyes of many.

It isn’t all good news if you ask me. The number is a bit of a disappointment if you take a look at the big picture. By all accounts this fight should have done 750,000 buys. Consider all of the resources that went into this fight and the personalities involved and I think 500-520 k is a disappointment.

The UFC spent an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter to build up this fight. The season averaged 1.2 million people from week to week to listen to Jones and Sonnen build up their show. Those are a lot of eyes watching this build up week to week and a lot of those people didn’t think it was worthwhile to buy. The sacrifice here was keeping Jones on the shelf until April when he probably could have fought sooner. In the long run that could have cost them one more fight in 2013 with one of their biggest stars.

Then there is the star power here that I don’t think necessarily delivered. Jones is arguably the best fighter in the UFC, top three at minimum. A guy like Jon Jones should be a superstar but superstars deliver better buys than Jones. The fact that Jones is not drawing on par with Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre has to be cause for concern, especially since he is the face of the future once those guys retire.

Chael Sonnen did his best but even his promos and gimmicked quotes couldn’t pull in the casual fans that generally get caught up in Chael’s hype. Chael is coming off a monster buyrate against Anderson Silva and while the circumstances are different, he is still one of the top draws in the company. The top drawing heel against the superstar champion should have done better. It’s just that simple.

Why did it only do 520 k which again isn’t bad, but not great? This was supposed to be an easy sell, so much that a lot of sacrifices were made. The timing was just awful. Nobody bought Chael as a serious challenger. For whatever reason the casual masses still aren’t connecting to Jon Jones. A guy like him should be bringing in more casual fans and he’s not.

Most importantly I think that Sonnen and Jones blew it. They had something when the fight was first made. However, the two slowly did everything they could to convince fans that there was no beef between them and that they actually liked each other. That Thanksgiving picture probably cost them a few hundred thousand buys alone. I don’t know what the motivation was between these two guys but they certainly exposed the “wolf ticket” theory that Nick Diaz exposed leading into his fight with GSP.

If I were the UFC I’d probably be disappointed today. If these two couldn’t do more than 500k with a successful season of TUF and the personalities involved, they have big problems moving ahead. The number was nice and it certainly wasn’t a failure, but it should have been much bigger.

The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

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Chael Sonnen is winding down his UFC career and most expect that he will transition full time to broadcasting when he retires. Not so fast! Chael has bigger plans and they involve the WWE. Not only does he want to go to the WWE, he wants to buy it!

The UFC light heavyweight made TMZ.com headlines over the weekend when he told the gossip website that he has aspirations to buy the WWE after he finishes his fighting career. Sonnen can’t do it himself but he hopes to assemble a team of investors and make Vince McMahon a deal he can’t refuse.

“It is 100% Chael’s intent to buy the WWE.” In fact, the rep says Chael is already meeting with bigwig friends in the investment world to enact his takeover.”

TMZ.com was quick to squash Chael’s investment plans. A rep from the WWE told the website that the company is not for sale. As a publicly traded company the rep told TMZ that Chael is free to purchase shares just like anyone else.

Quite honestly I am really surprised at how big of a story this became over the weekend. The first thing I thought of when I saw this story was that it was pure nonsense and Chael was just screwing around with the media. If it came from anyone else maybe, but the media should know who they are dealing with when he makes an outlandish statement like that.

That said, Chael is a big pro wrestling fan. In the buildup to his last fight against Jon Jones Chael quoted former professional wrestler Len Denton in his promos. Chael has credited The Grappler, Roddy Piper, and Steve Austin for inspiration. As a matter of a fact Chael recently revealed on Steve Austin’s podcast that he went to Steve on advice on how to cut a promo on Brian Stann. Not only that, Chael even once tried out for WCW.

Could he really buy the WWE? I would not be surprised if Chael is on the top ten list of top earners in UFC history. His two fights with Anderson Silva did monster business and early projects are very good on his fight with Jon Jones. Anything is possible but even with those big payoffs, he’d need a lot more help to purchase a company that some have valued at over $600,000,000!

The WWE is a family owned business and I couldn’t ever envision a time where the McMahon family sold the company. I am sure they have been approached numerous times but I just don’t ever see it happening. I am a believer that where there is smoke there is fire…except when that smoke is coming from Chael Sonnen. Generally it’s nothing but hot air.

The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

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The future of Chael Sonnen in the UFC has been in doubt since he was stopped in the first round against Jon Jones at UFC 159. Sonnen didn’t take long to put those retirement rumors to rest and even has an opponent in mind.

Not even a brutal beating can humble the mouth of Chael Sonnen. A few days after being embarrassed on pay per view Sonnen is already running his mouth. Sonnen is back at war again with the Brazilian fighters and has his eyes set on a fighting legend to break his 0-2 losing streak.

Sonnen wants Wanderlei Silva. Sonnen and Silva have had a beef on Twitter going back to when Sonnen was cutting promos on Brazilians in the UFC 117 build up. According to Sonnen, “I’m not going anywhere until me and Wanderlei straighten this thing out once and for all.”

“Wanderlei called me out before, but the fight never made sense. Now it does. I’m not going anywhere until me and Wanderlei straighten this thing out once and for all. Wanderlei pulled a dirt bag move on me one time. He said something to me that I couldn’t hear, and then put it on YouTube with subtitles because he knew I couldn’t understand it and called me out. If you’re a fighter, that doesn’t fly. You must respond to him, and I’m ready to respond to you Wanderlei.”

The other big question was whether Sonnen would stay at 205 or move back down to middleweight. I thought in the brief time Sonnen was in the octagon against Jones he looked great at 205. Sonnen has put the division on notice as he isn’t going anywhere.

“I will definitely continue, and at 205 pounds,” Sonnen told UFC Tonight co-host Kenny Florian. “Unless they come up with a catchweight…I have a lot of goals I want to achieve still, and retirement won’t help me get them done.”

As badly as Sonnen got beat at UFC 159 the twisted reality of the situation is that Sonnen was under a minute away from being winning the UFC light heavyweight title and shocking the world. Hypothetically if the fight went to the second round there are many that feel that the fight would have been stopped due to Jones’ toe and Sonnen would have been given the title.

“Diplomatically you don’t ever want to win that way. The ones that hurt are the ones you’re supposed to win and then you blow it. But if it was given to me, I would have grabbed that belt, I would have held it up, grabbed the mic and told the crowd the golden rule is ‘he with the gold rules,’ and I would have walked out of the place and never looked back”

I can’t say that I am not surprised in the least that Sonnen is sticking around. Sonnen is in the midst of his prime earning years as a UFC fighter. Since UFC 117, Sonnen has now cashed in on three big pay days if early estimates on UFC 159 buyrates are correct. Sonnen was stopped in round one but I never got the feeling that Sonnen was too old or shot as a fighter.

I don’t know what you do with Sonnen at this point. He is probably out of title shots for a long time, although you never know. Strange things happen, injuries occur, and it wouldn’t shock me at all to see Sonnen step up and fill in for a last minute scratch in a title fight. Sonnen is one of a very few UFC fighters who get it and understand the art of promoting. The second those buyrates start dropping is the second I’ll believe that Chael is truly done.

Even then I don’t know if I’ll necessarily ever believe he is truly done.

Anderson Silva: Like Water

Anderson Silva – MMA Instruction Manual: The Muay Thai Clinch, Takedowns, Takedown Defense, and Ground Fighting

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The fight has come and gone, and at the end of the day it appears as though the Light Heavyweight title fight between Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones was indeed the mismatch that so many people thought it would be. The rest of the card was a mixed bag, including some highly entertaining bouts, some thoroughly lackluster bouts and a few controversial stoppages mixed with borderline terrible officiating in some cases. Let’s take a look back at the card that was UFC 159 and see what’s next for the main card fighters involved.

Lightweight Bout: Pat Healy defeated Jim Miller via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:02 of Round Three

The opening round of this bout went almost exactly as most people (including the bookies) expected it to. Miller dominated much of the action both standing and on the ground, in fact he came close to stopping the fight at one point. Then in the second round, the tide began to turn. Healy continued to grind against Miller, not abandoning his wrestling for a second, using takedowns and top control to steal back a round and make it even heading into the third. In the final round, Healy continued to keep up the pressure while Miller began to fade slightly. Healy took advantage on the ground of a Miller mistake and was able to sink in a Rear Naked Choke and coax a tap with less than a minute remaining in the fight.

What’s next for Healy? He knocked off a top-ranked contender and the Strikeforce Lightweights are proving that they are every bit as talented as their UFC counterparts. There are a couple of big Lightweight contest coming up most notably Evan Dunham taking on Rafael dos Anjos, the winner of that fight would be a logical match up. As would recent Strikeforce import Josh Thomson who recently knocked off top Lightweight Nate Diaz.

What’s next for Miller? He’s doing nothing to shake his status as Lightweight gatekeeper. He’s a tough, well-rounded fighter but he struggled against Healy who seemed to dwarf him come fight time. This has some people speculating that a drop to Featherweight could be in Miller’s future. For now, we’ll assume he’s staying at Lightweight. He should take a fair step down in competition now that he’s lost 2 of his last 3. Brazilian Thiago Tavares could be a good match up for Miller when he’s done his suspension, or possibly former TUF winner Tony Ferguson.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Phil Davis defeated Vinny Magalhaes via Unanimous Decision after Three Rounds

Phil Davis continued to win in mostly unimpressive fashion this weekend. Despite the trash talk leading up to this fight, Davis never let it bother him and never showed a lot of emotion during the fight. In some ways, that has to be considered a good sign, but in other ways, one really wonders why Davis was so uninspired to go after a finish. Despite dominating the first two rounds and well on his way in the third, Davis never looked to get overly aggressive or search out a finish, instead he was content to cruise the final minutes of the fight and lock up a decision. While it is another win for Davis, many fans are left complaining about Davis and his fights, which isn’t going to earn him a shot against Jon Jones any faster.

What’s next for Davis? Even though he didn’t show us any killer instinct or finishing ability, he still showed that he’s a dominant wrestler who can absolutely smother anyone underneath him. He has one career loss and that was to top contender Rashad Evans, so Davis should be working his way back to the top of the Light Heavyweight pecking order. Ryan Bader is a wrestling standout with big power and has a top ten ranking, he’s the fighter that probably makes the most sense for Davis right now.

What’s next for Magalhaes? Back to the unaired preliminary card is my guess. He did his best to sell and hype this fight on social media by engaging in a war of words with Davis, but he wasn’t able to do much inside the octagon where it counts. If Ilir Latifi is getting another fight in the UFC for doing them a solid in Sweden, match him against Magalhaes and get rid of the loser. Put that fight in Europe or Brazil and it seems like a fine fit to me.

Heavyweight Bout: Roy Nelson defeated Cheick Kongo via KO (Punch) at 2:03 of Round One

Cheick Kongo had a massive reach advantage heading into this fight and that was what some people believed would be the difference. Instead, Nelson did what he does best. Relied on his iron chin to close the distance and crowd Kongo up on the inside. He landed a couple of big right hands on a referee break from against the cage and Kongo was down for the count.

What’s next for Nelson? He’s fought a lot of the top names in the Heavyweight division and seems to be quite good at separating the upper-tier fighters from the lower-level fighters. At the post-fight press conference Dana said he’d like to match Nelson up with Strikeforce import Daniel Cormier should he stay at Heavyweight. That fight makes a whole lot of sense. The other potential fighter for Nelson is Travis Browne.

What’s next for Kongo? Kongo showed low fight IQ and despite his past as a professional kick boxer he often chooses to wrestle instead of striking, which makes for sometimes boring fights. I think the UFC could match him up with Stefan Struve. They’re both European, so a spot on the next International show makes sense and the match up will prove which one of them deserves to stay in the UFC and which the UFC could part with.

Middleweight Bout: Michael Bisping defeated Alan Belcher via Unanimous Technical Decision at 4:29 of Round Three

This bout was marred by a bit of an ugly ending as an accidental eye-poke from Bisping cut open Belcher’s eye lid and caused a stream of blood to come from the eye in the third round. Since it was ruled an accidental foul the bout went to the scorecards and Bisping won a Technical decision. With all of the trash talking these two men did leading up to their fight, many thought that they would come out guns blazing, but instead the opposite was true as neither man wanted to make a mistake in the opening minutes which led to an action light striking battle in the first round. In the second, Bisping became more aggressive and the Brit was landing in combinations. Belcher returned fire on several occasions, but often missed as Bisping did an excellent job of getting his shots off before shuffling away from the counter punches of Belcher. The third round featured more of the same, for the four minutes that it lasted as Bisping continued to land better combinations and get the better of Belcher in the striking.

What’s next for Bisping? Well, he’s still a top contender at Middleweight and seems incredibly popular with the fans, (who either despise him or really love him.) The UFC would love to have him work his way to a title shot, but he always seems to falter on the way. If the UFC wants to get him to a Middleweight title shot, they need to give him a couple of match ups that benefit him while gaining name recognition on his resume. The winner of the upcoming bout between Mark Munoz and Tim Boetsch would be a good candidate. Some fans are calling for a bout against Yushin Okami, but I think that’s a bad match up for Bisping and one the UFC will likely avoid, despite it making a lot of sense.

What’s next for Belcher? With his history of eye injuries (he was nearly blinded by a detached retina from an eye poke in a previous bout) one has to hope that this injury won’t be too damaging to his career. Still he proved that he’s at best a mid-tier fighter that can’t hang with the top fighters of the Middleweight division. Still he has exciting fights when they pair him against strikers so possible match ups include Nick Ring or Brian Stann.

Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Jon Jones defeated Chael Sonnen via TKO (Elbows and Punches) at 4:33 of Round One

Jon Jones shocked several fans when he went right after Chael Sonnen. Many people predicted that he would use his huge reach and kick boxing ability to fight at a distance and pick Sonnen apart from relative safety. Nonsense said coach Greg Jackson and Jon Jones who likely surprised Sonnen when he rushed him from the opening bell. He clinched with Sonnen and battled in close quarters for most part of the opening round. It was close for the first minute or so, but Jones used his size and strength advantage and began to overpower Sonnen. From there he got a takedown and swarmed with ground and pound. Delivering some big elbows that opened a cut on Sonnen’s face and then following it up with more punches and elbows until the referee stopped the fight. Although some people felt the stoppage was a bit premature it was unlikely that Sonnen would survive another 30 seconds and despite looking initially upset with the referee, when interviewed by Joe Rogan, Chael said that he had no problem with the stoppage. After the fight it was revealed that Jones had suffered a nasty toe injury, a likely dislocation at some point and needed doctor’s assistance as he completed his post-fight interview with Rogan.

What’s next for Jones? Likely some time off after that toe injury. It’s hard to pin point where the injury occurred, but it’s scary to think that if he didn’t finish Sonnen in the first, he likely would have lost the belt in between rounds, since no referee would let him fight with that gruesome toe. So people who hated the match to begin with, must certainly be happy that they’re not getting a rematch with Sonnen as champion right away. After the fight Jones called for Alexander Gustafsson which makes sense since the Swede is at the top of the division. Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva is apparently also a possible contender as is former Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida.

What’s next for Sonnen? He seemed to tease retirement after the bout, but didn’t say much. If he does decide to hang it up, no one can blame him. He’s made a ton of money in his last few fights and surely has a job as a commentator on Fox for the foreseeable future. But if he does decide to fight and stay at Light Heavyweight, he should fight anyone who is Brazilian. Especially Wanderlei Silva or Lyoto Machida.

Georges St-Pierre: The Way of the Fight Book

Anderson Silva: Like Water

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I don’t think you will find two better talkers than Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chael Sonnen. The worlds of WWE and UFC recently crossed when Austin had Chael on his podcast. According to Sonnen, their paths may have crossed sooner.

Before I go on let me say this. This interview Austin conducted with Sonnen is absolutely phenomenal. Austin asks every question I’d ever want to ask if I was interviewing Austin. The sad fact here is that Austin who is not a journalist conducted a better interview than the paid MMA reporters who have interviewed him.

The interview touches on a variety of topics over the course of an hour. One of the more fascinating parts of the interview is when Austin has Chael take him through his routine from training to a fight, fight day, what he is thinking about as he walks to the octagon, and after the fight. It is great stuff!

From a pro wrestling fan’s perspective I thought the most interesting piece was when Chael told Austin about his attempt to get into professional wrestling. According to Sonnen, he may have been talking trash and throwing elbows on Monday Nitro as opposed to the UFC if World Championship Wrestling remained in business.

“I went down to the WCW Power Plant in 1998, Sarge was running it. “We had a tryout.” (Austin laughs and asks Chael if he knows Sarge) Yeah I knew him for three days, he tortured us, I mean he absolutely abused us absolutely abused us. It was a tryout, it was real simple, it was a lot like the Navy SEALs. Here’s what we’re going to do and as soon as you’ve had enough say “I quit.” That was it. Once you quit you get your stuff and go home. It was two and a half days, I showed up in very good shape, I just came out of a wrestling season, I was an All-American, it took every bit of grit that I had. They turned a bucket upside down and you had to do a squat. You had to throw your hands up, come up on your tip toes, your squat was down when your butt hit the bucket. That was it. Squat, squat, squat. But we just kept squatting. We squatted so much that there’s a little lining on the bottom of the bucket and that thing dug in to the back of my legs. I went down so many times. Once I was done you drop down, you do your pushups, you jump up, you squat, down, you do. All day long! I cant remember how many guys we had but we had some monsters in there, we had some big dudes in there. On the second day there was only two guys left, me and a guy from Jamaica. On the third day it was still just the two of us, and that was it. Both of us made it, both of us got invited back, I went and finished college and by the time I had, the WCW was gone.”

Wow! There are a lot of takeaways from that quote. One, this goes back to all of the stories I have heard about those Power Plant tryouts. Maybe WCW would have done a better job of creating more stars if they weren’t more concerned with bullying guys and breaking them down physically in training. I understand the mental game but what if Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, or The Undertaker walked into the Power Plant. It’s doubtful any of those guys would have survived those kinds of workouts. It’s just ridiculous and talk about the money wasted on the Power Plant on top of all of the other wasted WCW money.

Austin then asked Chael if he had any desire to ever dabble in pro wrestling once his UFC career is over. Chael was non-committal but it didn’t sound like he was going anywhere.

“I appreciate that and I’ve talked with those guys and they do have big offers and it’s enticing but I’m a loyalty guy, I’m a Dana White guy, and the only way it would happen is if Dana said “this is what I want you to go do.”

The other part of the interview that people are talking about is the things that Sonnen said about his contract with the UFC. Chael told Austin that he didn’t have a contract to fight Anderson Silva and he still doesn’t have one going into the Jon Jones fight.

“I never, to this day I don’t have a contract to fight Anderson Silva,” Sonnen stated in the interview. “I never signed an agreement that said I would fight him, we never picked a dollar amount, we never picked a weight class. Nothing. I told those guys I would show up and I did.”

“They never had a contract with me, they said what they would do and they did. My UFC contract expired about four months ago, I don’t know if they just haven’t realized it because they’re so busy, or if they just know they don’t need one with me. But, I got a world title fight coming up, we’ve got a sold out venue — I don’t have a piece of paper with my name on it or Jon Jones’ or anything else, but I don’t need one either.”

Take away from that what you will. According to a story in BloodyElbow.com that is just not possible due to the rules of the NSAC. Speaking of Anderson Silva, Sonnen’s comments about his fights with Silva were also very interesting, especially when he talked about Silva’s comeback in their first fight.

Why Steve Austin is doing this podcast on Podcastone.com and not WWE.com is probably the biggest mystery of all. Check out the entire podcast here.

The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time

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It’s been an exciting couple of weeks with loads of free fights for fans to sink their teeth into. But all of those free shows come with the knowledge that eventually it’s back to the land of Pay Per View where the UFC saves the really big marquee matches. Things are no different this week as the UFC returns to the PPV airwaves with UFC 159 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. After spending a season coaching opposite one another on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, supposed rivals, but sometimes frenemies Chael Sonnen and Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will battle for the title in the main event.

The co-main event of the evening is a Middleweight slugfest between two fighters who really don’t like each other. There have been a number of proposed car and tattoo bets between Alan Belcher and Michael Bisping, as well as several hilarious videos on YouTube leading up to this fight. In Heavyweight action Roy Nelson battles Cheick Kongo. A Light Heavyweight fight between wrestling standout Phil Davis and grappling specialist Vinny Magalhaes is on the main card. Opening the main card is a Lightweight tilt between top Strikeforce Lightweight contender Pat Healy and one of the top UFC Lightweights over the past two years Jim Miller.

Preliminary Card (Facebook): Featherweight Bout: Steven Siler vs. Kurt Holobaugh

“Super” Steven Siler is a 26-year-old fighter from Anaheim, California. He is a former The Ultimate Fighter cast member from the final season on Spike TV. He trains with the Pit Elevated Team in Orem, Utah. Siler holds a career record of 21-10. Kurt Holobaugh is a 26-year-old fighter from Independence, Louisiana. He is an import from Strikeforce who will be making his UFC debut. He trains with the Gracie Barra Northshore Gym in Louisiana and holds a professional MMA record of 9-1.

Quick Pick: Kurt Holobaugh via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (Facebook): Welterweight Bout: Nick Catone vs. James Head

Nick “The Jersey Devil” Catone is a 31-year-old fighter from Brick Township, New Jersey. He is a former Middleweight fighter, who has recently made the drop to 170 pounds. Catone is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler for Rutgers University. He trains at his own gym, the Nick Catone MMA Academy in New Jersey. His professional record stands at 9-4. James Head is a 29-year-old fighter from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Head is a grappler who trains at Lovaito’s School of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Oklahoma City. He holds a professional MMA record of 9-3.

Quick Pick: James Head via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (Facebook): Featherweight Bout: Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie

Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia is a 33-year-old fighter from Plainview, Texas. Best known for being a wild brawler with a strong chin, he has become a fan favorite for his style, more so than his Win-Loss record. He trains with Greg Jackson’s camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico and holds a pro MMA record of 15-10. Cody “The AK Kid” McKenzie is a 25-year-old fighter from Cordova, Alaska. He is a former cast member of the twelfth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Best known for his string of wins with his ‘McKenzietine’ Choke, he trains at the Glendale Fighting Club in Spokane, Washington. He holds a professional record of 13-3.

Quick Pick: Leonard Garcia via TKO in Round Three
Preliminary Card (FX): Bantamweight Bout: Bryan Caraway vs. Johnny Bedford

Bryan “Kid Lightning” Caraway is a 28-year-old fighter from Yakima, Washington. He was a cast member on the final season of The Ultimate Fighter to air on Spike TV but has also fought for a number of MMA promotions including Strikeforce, Elite XC and the WEC. He is a member of the Team Alpha Male Gym in Sacramento, California holding a professional record of 17-6. “Brutal” Johnny Bedford is a 30-year-old fighter from Woodville, Ohio. Bedford was a cast member of the same season of The Ultimate Fighter as his opponent Caraway. He trains with the Fitness Fight Factory Gym in Fort Worth Texas and is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler. He holds a pro record of 19-9-1.

Quick Pick: Bryan Caraway via Submission in Round Three
Preliminary Card (FX): Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Sara McMann vs. Sheila Gaff

Sara McMann is a 32-year-old fighter from Takoma Park, Maryland. She is a former Olympic Wrestler and was the first American woman to win a Silver medal in Olympic Wrestling. McMann trains at the Revolution MMA Gym in Gaffney, South Carolina. McMann holds a perfect professional MMA record of 6-0. Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff is a 23-year-old fighter from Eschwege, Germany. She trains with the Energy Gym Fight Team in her hometown. This fight will be Gaff’s UFC debut but will also be her first fight in the USA. She holds a professional record of 10-4-1.

Quick Pick: Sara McMann via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (FX): Light Heavyweight Bout: Gian Villante vs. Ovince St. Preux

Gian Villante is a 27-year-old fighter from Wantagh, New York. Villante is a former NCAA football player and was once considered a top defensive prospect before leaving football to pursue MMA. Villante trains at the Bellmore Kickboxing Academy in Bellmore, New York but also spends time at Long Island MMA. He holds a professional record of 10-3. Ovince St. Preux is a 30-year-old fighter from Miami, Florida who is of Haitian descent. St. Preux was also a standout football player at the University of Tennessee but made the switch to MMA after failing to make the NFL. He trains with the Knoxville MMA Gym in Knoxville, Tennessee. He holds a professional record of 12-5.

Quick Pick: Gian Villante via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (FX): Lightweight Bout: Rustam Khabilov vs. Yancy Medeiros

Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov is a 26-year-old Russian fighter from Makhachkala, Russia. Khabilov is a former Combat Sambo world champion and is an International Master of Sports in Sambo. Before making his UFC debut in his last fight he made the switch to Greg Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He holds record of 15-1, with the lone loss coming in the form of a controversial split decision. Yancy “Frisson” Medeiros is a 25-year-old fighter from Wai’Anae, Hawaii. He is a former state champion wrestler from Hawaii who will be making his UFC debut. Medeiros is a member of the Team Hakuilua Gym and has a perfect professional record currently standing at 9-0.

Quick Pick: Rustam Khabilov via Submission in Round Three

Main Card (Pay Per View): Lightweight Bout: Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy

Jim Miller is a 29-year-old fighter from Sparta Township, New Jersey. He is the younger brother of UFC Welterweight fighter, Dan Miller. Miller is one of the most talented grinders in the Lightweight division, with decent striking skills and a smothering top control game. Miller trains at the AMA Fight Club under head trainer Mike Constantino. Miller is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler from Virginia Tech and he also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Miller is quite possibly the very definition of Lightweight gatekeeper as every fighter that has ever defeated him has gone on to challenge for or hold the UFC Lightweight title. Miller’s professional record is 22-4, and he’s coming off of a Fight of the Year victory over Joe Lauzon at UFC 155 in December.

Pat “Bam Bam” Healy is a 29-year-old fighter from Salem, Oregon. Healy was one of the top Lightweight contenders in Strikeforce and will be making his return to the UFC after a 7 year absence in this bout. Before joining Strikeforce, he was the MFC Welterweight Champion, one of the top MMA titles in Canada. Healy trains with the Sports Lab in St. Louis, Missouri. Healy will be returning to the UFC on the strength of a six-fight winning streak in Strikeforce, leading up to a Lightweight title shot that he was never able to cash in on. Healy fights a very similar style to that of Miller, so it will be interesting to see how his wrestling and close range striking match up against a similarly talented grinder. Healy holds a professional MMA record of 29-16.

Analysis and Prediction: Healy had a successful run in Strikeforce, but that’s not gaining him any favors from the UFC. To put it bluntly this is a pretty bad stylistic match up for Healy. Both of these guys fight similar styles, but Miller is a bit better at everything. He’s a more accomplished amateur wrestler, his striking is more technical and solid than that of Healy and he’s got a BJJ black belt and is more adept at finding submissions and sweeps from bad positions or during scrambles. Healy is tough as hell and Miller isn’t exactly known as a finisher, but I expect this one could be somewhat one-sided. Miller busts up Healy on the feet across three rounds, sprinkled with some late takedowns and top control to seal a decision victory. Jim Miller via Unanimous Decision

Main Card (Pay Per View): Light Heavyweight Bout: Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes

Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis is a 28-year-old fighter from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Davis is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler from Penn State University where he won an NCAA title in 2008. Davis trains as a member of Alliance MMA in San Diego, California. Davis has an excellent top control and is a tall and lanky fighter, although he is still developing his striking from a distance. He has however added a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin and has shown a strong awareness of potential submission opportunities during his fights. Davis holds a nearly perfect professional record of 10-1 with 1 No Contest, and the lone loss coming against Rashad Evans in a title eliminator bout.

Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes is a 28-year-old fighter from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Magalhaes was a cast member and the runner up on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Magalhaes started his career in the UFC poorly and was subsequently released, which allowed him to reset his career and he has experienced a resurgence by winning the M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Championship. Magalhaes is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and one of the top Light Heavyweight grapplers in MMA. He is a member of the Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas and also works as a BKJJ coach with Team Quest. Magalhaes has competed in and medalled in a number of major grappling and Jiu Jitsu competitions including the Abu Dhabi Combat Club and World Jiu Jitsu Championships. His professional MMA record is 10-5 with 1 No Contest.

Analysis and Prediction: Magalhaes asked for this fight by calling out Davis, so he must see something that he can take advantage of. With that said, if there is one thing we’ve learned in the modern era of mixed martial arts, it’s that the wrestler usually beats the Jiu Jitsu guy. I think that trend continues here. Neither man is an extremely talented striker, in fact they’re probably both subpar for their division, but Davis should be able to control the action on the ground. He’ll usually be the one on top, since his wrestling should be strong enough to fend off any of the Brazilian’s takedowns. If he’s smart, he should be avoiding the ground at all costs, since that’s the one area where Magalhaes can capitalize on his mistake. He should use a strong jab and work from range to bust Magalhaes up on the feet over three rounds. Phil Davis via TKO in Round Three

Main Card (Pay Per View): Heavyweight Bout: Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo

Roy “Big Country” Nelson is a 36-year-old fighter from Las Vegas, Nevada. Nelson was a contestant on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter that featured only Heavyweights and was the eventual winner of the show. Nelson is also notable as being the final International Fight League Heavyweight Champion. Nelson holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, training under Renzo Gracie. Nelson trains with the Country Club Gym in Las Vegas. In addition to his strong grappling credentials Nelson is also known for his iron chin, his ability to absorb punishment, big time knockout power and one of the least impressive physiques in MMA. Nelson holds a professional record of 18-7, including 16 wins via stoppage.

Cheick Kongo is a 37-year-old fighter from Paris, France. Kongo is a member of the Wolfslair MMA Academy in England. Kongo is a former professional Savate Kick boxer and has also competed in Muay Thai in the past, all before making the switch to MMA. In addition to his technical stand up skills, Kongo has recently been improving his grappling skills. His takedowns and top control are much improved, so much so that he often resorts to taking his opponents down and using ground and pound to control them on the mat, rather than risk brawls on the feet. Kongo holds a professional record of 18-7 with 2 Draws.

Analysis and Prediction: Despite being a professional kick boxer in the past, Kongo has been blitzed by a number of strikers in the Heavyweight division. This is probably the reason for the improvement in his wrestling skills. Still, Nelson is a very talented grappler and is not easily taken down. Nelson is also relentlessly moving forward, even when he’s taking a beating, because of his iron chin. Kongo doesn’t do well against heavy handed strikers who crowd him up if he can’t take them down. Kongo should be using a lot of kicks and a strong jab to keep Nelson at bay, but I think Nelson will simply walk right through those shots and land a big overhand right of his own. Kongo’s chin can’t handle the fire power than Nelson has in his hands, and I expect a knockout for Big Country. Roy Nelson via KO in Round Two

Main Card (Pay Per View): Middleweight Bout: Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher

Michael “The Count” Bisping is a 34-year-old fighter from Manchester, England although he was originally born on a British military base in Cyprus. Bisping was a cast member and the eventual winner of the Light Heavyweight portion of The Ultimate Fighter 3. Bisping is also a former Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion, one of the top titles in the UK. Bisping is a member of the HB Ultimate Training Center in Manchester, England. Bisping is a solid technical boxer with strong takedown defense. Bisping has solid footwork, which he usually uses to his advantage (the lone exception being his knockout loss to Dan Henderson where he continuously circled into the overhand right.) Although not known as a knockout artist, Bisping has respectable power having won 14 bouts via KO or TKO during his career. He holds a professional record of 23-5.

Alan “The Talent” Belcher is a 28-year-old fighter from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Belcher is a tough, well-rounded fighter who holds black belts in a number of martial arts disciplines, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tae Kwan Do and Judo. Belcher is a member of the Roufusport Gym in Biloxi, Mississippi training under famed kick boxer and MMA coach Duke Roufus. Belcher is a talented Muay Thai kick boxer with underrated grappling abilities. Belcher is going to be facing one of the best technical strikers that he’s ever faced so using leg kicks and body kicks to establish range is going to be extremely important for him in this bout. One of Belcher’s biggest weaknesses is his Fight IQ, which often leads to mistakes, especially in his last bout against Yushin Okami where he constantly put himself into bad positions, searching for a Guillotine Choke that was never really there. Belcher holds a professional record of 18-7.

Analysis and Prediction: Belcher has the ability to hang with Bisping, but he’s going to need to fight a perfect fight for him to win, and given his low Fight IQ and propensity to brawl, I just don’t think he has it in him. He’d be best off trying to emulate Vitor Belfort’s win over Bisping, but I doubt he’ll go that route. I expect Belcher to get out-boxed in the pocket, but he might be able to score effectively with kicks from the outside. Bisping’s wrestling is also somewhat underrated and I expect he might shoot for a takedown if things get hairy on the feet, or simply to steal a close round. The ability to steal those close rounds might be important, as this one is headed for the scorecards I think. Michael Bisping via Unanimous Decision

Main Card (Pay Per View): UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen

Jon “Bones” Jones is a 25-year-old fighter from Rochester, New York. He is the reigning and defending UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and is one of the most dominant fighters of all time. At 6’4” and with an 84.5 inch reach, he is one of the most physically and athletically gifted fighters in the UFC. Jones is a member of Greg Jackson’s camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is definitely Coach Jackson and Coach Winkeljohn’s prized pupil. Jones is the youngest fighter to ever win and to ever defend a UFC title. Jones is a former JUCO national champion wrestler from Iowa Central Community College and uses his wrestling well during his bouts. Jones also holds the distinction of being the first fighter to be marketed globally by major clothing brand Nike. Jones holds a nearly perfect pro record of 16-1, with the lone loss coming via DQ for illegal elbows in a fight that he was well on his way to winning anyways.

Chael “The American Gangster” Sonnen is a 36-year-old fighter from Milwaukie, Oregon. Sonnen is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler from the University of Oregon where he earned All-American honors. Sonnen has also served as an Alternate to the US Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling team. Sonnen is one of the UFC’s most controversial fighters but is also one of the best at promoting fights, which is likely why he earned this bout, despite coming off of two losses at the Middleweight division to champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen knows what he is good at and isn’t ashamed to use his wrestling to smother opponents, it’s definitely his best asset. His willingness to blanket fighters nearly earned him a win over Anderson Silva in their first contest. Sonnen holds a professional record of 27-12-1.

Analysis and Prediction: Despite the number of complaints and criticisms this fight has endured, it could prove to be an entertaining and intriguing bout. Or it could also turn out to be the complete mismatch that everyone expects it to be. Sonnen really has only one chance to win this and it’s to smother Jon Jones for five rounds or at least three of five rounds and survive the other two. This is going to be tough for him for a number of reasons. Jones is a huge fighter, very lanky, very hard to get close to and is very athletic, I’m sure Jones is drilling takedown defense. The other issue is, Jones is a fairly capable grappler and Sonnen’s weakness is definitely submission defense.

For Jones the path to victory seems relatively simple. Pick Sonnen apart from the outside, use that ridiculously long reach to smash him up with jabs and leg kicks. Basically, avoid being taken down by Sonnen at all costs. Jackson is a smart coach and he’ll have Jones well prepared to fend off takedowns. I expect to see a measured pace from the champion, looking to time a big counter shot or knee as Sonnen rushes in for a takedown. The other possibility I could see is forcing a clinch with Sonnen and trying to earn a takedown himself. From there he should easily be able to ground and pound his way either to a stoppage or at least enough to create an opportunity to latch onto a submission.

We’ll probably be able to tell if this fight will be exciting or lopsided within the first minute. If Sonnen comes out and spams takedowns relentlessly he’s got a shot. If he tries to box, or goes for some spinning back fist like he did against Anderson he’s going to get pummeled. In fact, he might even get beat up anyways. I just hope that he makes it exciting either way and calls out Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez next, because hey why not take another title shot? Jon Jones via Submission in Round Two

Georges St-Pierre: The Way of the Fight Book

Anderson Silva: Like Water

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