Cristiane Cyborg vs. Ronda Rousey is the fight that won’t go away. The biggest WMMA fight that the UFC could make has taken on a life of its own. While fans were always led to believe that weight kept these two apart a new report claims that the real issue was the money.

Mike Chiapetta at MMAFighting.com breaks down the timeline of events that led to the monster grudge fight slipping through the UFC’s fingers. For months we were always told that Cyborg couldn’t get down to 135 and Rousey would not move up five pounds. However at the end of the day it appears that money once again is the root of the problem.

Chiapetta talked to one of the sparring partners from Cyborg’s management team, George Prajin. Prajin told Chiapetta , “They were compensating Ronda like she was the only attraction of the fight.” The money and promotion Rousey would have received was much bigger than Santos and while weight was always an issue, there was a belief that for the right price Cyborg would make 135.

Chiapetta also reports that Cyborg’s contract was the other issue. Santos already had a contract with Zuffa, specifically fights remaining on her Strikeforce deal. The story reports that Cyborg made $66,000 on her last fight. Both sides were willing to renegotiate but the UFC wanted an eight-fight deal while Cyborg’s camp did not want her committed to the UFC at 135 pounds for more than three fights.

“Basically, her fighting at 135 is handicapping her,” said Prajin. “We were willing to do that, and cut down and go work with Mike and get to 135 to do the fight because Cris wanted to fight Ronda. However, when they said we had to do it for eight fights? She doesn’t want to do the cut eight times when all she wants to do is fight Ronda and beat Ronda. After Ronda, there is really nothing left for her.”

What is good news here in the story is that this fight is a long way away from dead. According to the story, Cyborg’s deal with Invicta gives her an out-clause after her second fight. The idea behind this was to open up negotiations with the UFC at this point, should Cyborg remain undefeated. The other interesting nugget here was that according to the story, Cyborg’s deal with Invicta is paying her more than the UFC deal.

That could answer the question as to why she went there in the first place. The UFC and Invicta had an arrangement on the table wherein the company would farm Cyborg out to Invicta while she was under a UFC contract. Most wondered at the time why she would not remain with UFC and fight in Invicta as opposed to leaving the UFC altogether to get to the same place. If this is true, that would make sense.

It is hard to say who has the leverage here. The UFC did better than expected numbers for Rousey’s debut against Liz Carmouche and Rousey has been a media darling ever since. Rousey will get a ton of exposure off of the next The Ultimate Fighter but as UFC 159 showed, a great season of TUF doesn’t necessarily mean a blockbuster buyrate.

What is interesting to me about all of this is that the UFC were ready to go with this fight for Rousey’s debut. The UFC has a ton of stock invested into Rousey and that could have taken a nose dive if Cyborg won or even worse destroyed her. In a sense, this is almost playing out like a Rocky vs. Clubber Lang story. At some point if these two women stay undefeated you’d think that this fight just has to be made.

It is becoming clear that the UFC has a lot of trouble closing the deal on super fights. The fighters know that they have the leverage and most demand outrageous money for these fights. I can’t imagine that Cyborg was making any outrageous demands but the fact that the UFC would let five fights on a contract stop this fight from being made is just ridiculous, and to be fair I am sure there was more involved. Yet at the end of the day this is just another super fight hanging out there that the UFC can’t close and that is really all anyone cares about.

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It may not have gone down exactly the way that the UFC had hoped it would. Heavily hyped TUF Wrecking Machine Uriah Hall laid a pretty big egg in his TUF finale bout against Kelvin Gastelum, and dropped a Split Decision to the last overall pick on the show. In the main event Urijah Faber proved that he’s probably going to destroy every Bantamweight fighter that isn’t currently holding a championship belt in that division. Despite some mishaps, the card will probably still be considered a success for the UFC.

Despite the loss to Gastelum, it will likely mean very little to the UFC career of Hall. The UFC will likely feed him some fighters willing to stand and trade which will help accelerate his highlight reel some more and will put him right back into the giant UFC hype machine. The UFC also created a new star in Gastelum, the little engine that could who defied all the odds. The UFC also continued to develop the Women’s MMA brand as Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano engaged in a Fight of the Night winning brawl that earned Zingano the chance to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter against Women’s Bantamweight Champ Ronda Rousey.

Middleweight Bout: Bubba McDaniel defeated Gilbert Smith via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:49 of Round Three

McDaniel was the crowd favorite throughout basically this entire bout. He controlled the first two rounds of the bout with relative ease, controlling the action on the ground both from top control and at times from the bottom. In the third round Smith took advantage of an opening during a scramble on the ground and latched onto a tight triangle choke-armbar combination. That was all she wrote for Smith in this one.

What’s next for McDaniel: He looked impressive during the bout, but didn’t look overly great during his time on the show. He’s earned another shot in the UFC and the number of potential opponents is pretty high, with a number of other winners from the show looking for their next fight. Any one of the winners from earlier in the night Josh Samman, Luke Barnatt, Dylan Andrews or Clint Hester would be fine.

What’s next for Smith: More than likely unemployment. He didn’t look overly impressive and he wasn’t really hyped up on or after the show. If he does get another shot in the fight, he’s going to fight a low level Middleweight. Possibly another TUF 17 loser, if not somewhere else in someone else’s cage.

Heavyweight Bout: Travis Browne defeated Gabriel Gonzaga via KO (Elbows) at 1:11 of Round One

Controversy surrounded the finish of this bout. After some light action on the feet Gonzaga shot for a takedown and continued to pursue the takedown all the way against the cage. Browne landed a number of big elbows to the side of Gonzaga’s head, but it appeared as though the last few may have illegally caught the Brazilian in the back of the head. After the bout Gonzaga said his camp planned to protest the decision, but for the moment, Browne is still the winner.

What’s next for Browne? Two upper-level Heavyweights will fight at UFC 159 as Roy Nelson battles Cheick Kongo. He should fight the winner of that bout. Although he has already faced Kongo, the fight ended in a somewhat controversial draw, because Kongo was deducted a point. The fight wasn’t amazing back then, but Browne has improved considerably since then and the Hawaiian has more to win this time around.

What’s next for Gonzaga? He’s proven that he has some skills and he’s a former UFC Heavyweight title challenger, in addition minus Frank Mir, he’s the UFC’s most tenured Heavyweight fighter. It seems like he’ll never be much more than a gatekeeper in the division, but as the division grows in size and talent that role becomes much more important. He was originally scheduled to fight Geronimo dos Santos in Brazil a year ago, that fight still makes sense on an upcoming Brazilian card, of which the UFC have multiple scheduled.

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Cat Zingano defeated Miesha Tate via TKO (Knees & Elbows) at 2:55 of Round Three

This fight won Fight of the Night honors and it definitely deserved it, as these two women put on another exciting scrap that certainly must have the UFC wondering why they didn’t put Women’s MMA inside the octagon sooner. Tate used her excellent wrestling skills to win the opening two rounds, although Zingano was dangerous every time the two ladies exchanged in the pocket. In the third round Zingano got her hands on Tate and landed a vicious flurry of knees and elbows that eventually forced Tate to crash to the mat and halted the bout. Tate protested the stoppage and many others have as well, but either way Zingano rallied for an impressive TKO victory.

What’s next for Zingano? This one is easy. She’s scheduled to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter; the first to include female fighters, opposite Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey. A title fight against Rousey is scheduled to follow the filming of the show.

What’s next for Tate? The division is still a bit thin with only 12 fighters on the UFC roster. A bout against Liz Carmouche would make sense. Tate could also welcome a newcomer from Invicta into the UFC in her next bout. Really the possibilities are pretty wide open with such a small division, but Tate is an attractive woman who can scrap like hell, so I doubt the UFC will do much to let her fall further down the ranks.

Middleweight Bout: Kelvin Gastelum defeated Uriah Hall via Split Decision at 5:00 of Round Three

Hall was the heavily hyped wrecking machine from the show that knocked out everybody he fought and forced opposing fighters into panic attacks inside the cage. Apparently no one remembered to give Gastelum the memo as he used a ground based attack to slowly plug away at Hall. Hall has been criticized for his performance, as well as for constantly showboating and keeping his hands down a la Anderson Silva. It didn’t work out well for him, but with “octagon jitters” out of the way, the UFC will surely try to build him back up.

What’s next for Gastelum? If I had to guess, the Welterweight division. He’s fairly short and stocky for Middleweight and his frame would be much better suited to the 170-pound weight class, especially given a full training camp to prepare and cut weight. If he does make the cut to 170 pounds there are a number of intriguing bouts for him. Fellow TUF alums Mike Ricci or Neil Magny would be good match-ups.

What’s next for Hall? The UFC put a lot of hype and a lot of marketing into this guy, don’t expect him to just fade away. Expect him to get some favorable match ups against fighters who will strike with him in an attempt to grow his highlight reel. The loser of the upcoming bout between Lorenz Larkin and Francis Carmont would be good stylistically, as would a bout against Chris Leben.

Bantamweight Bout: Urijah Faber defeated Scott Jorgensen via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:16 of Round Four

Urijah Faber proved that he’s one of the top fighters under 155-pounds currently fighting for the UFC. He dominated a lot of this fight against Jorgensen. Faber looked like the more polished striker and took advantage of a lot of openings during the scrambles on the mat. Jorgensen had his moments, including an impressive showing in the third round that had some people thinking a comeback might be in the cards. Faber crushed that with a dominant performance in the fourth and stopped Jorgensen with a Rear Naked Choke.

What’s next for Faber? He’s in the awkward position of losing his last five title fights, but winning every other fight they give him. He still warrants a top contender, but it’s going to be tough if he keeps knocking those contenders off. There are only two fighters that really make sense for Faber, Michael McDonald and Brad Pickett. Given his young age, McDonald is probably not the right fighter to take on Faber, so that leaves only Pickett.

What’s next for Jorgensen? Jorgensen is still a top 10 fighter in the Bantamweight bout. Ivan Menjivar makes sense, as he’s the last fighter to lose to Faber. The loser of the upcoming bout between Vaughan Lee and Raphael Assuncao could also be an interesting test for Jorgensen.

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The next season of The Ultimate Fighter will get a much needed facelift. The UFC reality competition will get a lot of firsts including two head coaches who are women MMA fighters and a mixed house of male and female fighters.

UFC president Dana White made the official announcement during the UFC 158 weekend. UFC 135 pound women’s champion Ronda Rousey will serve as head coach opposite the winner of Cat Zingano vs. Meisha Tate fight. The two will coach both women and men fighters who will live together throughout the season.

“I’m going to announce tonight the coaches of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ for the next season,” White said. “It will be Ronda Rousey vs. the winner of Tate and Zingano, who are fighting in the TUF Finale on April 13. For the first time ever, two women coaches, and we will have 135-pound men and 135-pound women living and training in the house together.”

I have mixed feelings on it. For one let me be frank and admit that I have barely watched The Ultimate Fighter in several seasons, let alone watched one episode from this season. The format is dull and uninteresting to me at this point. Will this bring me back? Absolutely not. I’ll admit that it is different but I still have no interest in watching amateur fighting every Tuesday night.

I do think that this is a great use of Rousey. Rousey gets a lot of media attention. It is one thing to expect someone to pay $60 to check her out, yet it is another thing altogether when they can do it on free television. I think there are plenty of viewers to be gained when she goes on talk shows and does media to promote the show. I think it’s a smart way to use her.

On the other hand, the mixing of sexes in the house is just asking for trouble. There is a lot that can go wrong there. All it takes is one bad incident between a male and a female to put a big black eye onm MMA and play into the stereotype. This could be a recipe for disaster.

Additionally, from what I read in the social media and in forums, most people are bored with the lame practical jokes and soap operas in the house. I can see this format being a big turn off to the core audience. This show could turn into the Real World real quickly and I have to think there is very little crossover audience between both shows.

The TUF commitment will also keep Rousey out of action until December.

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Ronda Rousey’s UFC debut couldn’t have gone any better. As a matter of a fact, it may have gone to good. A new report says that Rousey could be following in the path of Gina Carano and head to Hollywood, leaving the UFC with a big hole to fill.

I will be the first to admit that I was dead wrong about Ronda Rousey’s impact on UFC 157. I thought she’d bomb and she did anything but. Early reports are that the show did somewhere in the 400-450,000 buyrate range which is phenomenal all things considered. Unfortunately for the UFC some of those 450,000 eyes came from Hollywood and they are already knocking on Rousey’s door.

Dave Meltzer reported on his F4Wonline.com podcast that Rousey has been offered a role in the third installment of the Hunger Games movie franchise. Rousey’s manager was recently asked about her flirtation with Hollywood and he is expecting to see more offers like the Hunger Games come his clien’ts way.

“We’ve gone to some pitch meetings for major motion pictures,” Rousey’s manager, Darin Harvey, said. “There are a lot of big Hollywood producers and directors that are very interested in Ronda. They’re paying very close attention to her. They see the star potential. When Steven Seagal came on the scene, one of the things that made him successful, besides having this cool persona, was how well his style of Aikido worked on camera. It looked different than anything we had seen in the movies before. Ronda’s judo—the throws can be spectacular. It can translate on to film very, very well.”

This is a problem. A real big problem for the UFC. The UFC just spent more money and time promoting her than any other fighter in recent memory. The promotion paid off and now you have fans expecting to see more. How much more they will see could be stifled by Rousey’s outside projects if filming movies takes her out of the fight game for most of the year.

UFC president Dana White is confident that his new superstar isn’t going anywhere. White said what may go down as one of the his dumbest all-time quotes on the UFC Tonight earlier this week regarding the possibility that Rousey could leave the UFC for a career in film.

“You know how I feel about the movie stuff. When Rampage did the movie, it was his dream to be a part of the A-Team. I don’t want to take away any opportunities from Ronda, but at the same time, her window of opportunity as a professional athlete is really narrow. She could make a zillion movies when she retires. Where she’s really going to get the money is here fighting. I don’t care if she’s the lead role in ‘The Hunger Games 2,’ she would not make anywhere near – I mean, not even in the universe – to the money she makes fighting.”

Brock Lesnar made more money than anyone in MMA and even he wasn’t making more fighting than his old rival The Rock was making in Hollywood. That is just an asinine comment. For Rousey to make more money fighting for the UFC over taking a lead in a major motion picture would be a miracle. WMMA just isn’t there yet and for Dana to say otherwise is just foolish.

Let’s just say for a second that Rousey would continue fighting while acting in movies. The UFC would be lucky to get her for one fight per year and that is barring any kind of injury during training. How can the UFC build an entire division around someone that isn’t even around? The upside is that less could be more and Rousey could become even bigger by fighting less. The downside is that you really couldn’t plan anything full-time with that kind of schedule.

So enjoy the Ronda Rousey ride while you can. It looks like this train could be pulling out of town for Hollywood before you can say Cyborg.

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Do Women really deserve a place in the UFC? Can Ronda Rousey really deliver the goods and headline a major UFC Pay Per View event? The PPV numbers aren’t in yet, but the overwhelming answers to those first questions are emphatic yeses. UFC 157 took place last night from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and early gate figures are showing that Rousey and women’s MMA pulled over 15,500 people into the Honda Center and created a live gate of $1.4 million.

In the main event of the evening Rousey overcame a slight stumble early on in the fight and escaped the most dangerous moment of her fighting career to notch yet another first round victory via submission. In the co-main event of the evening Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida defeated Dan Henderson in a somewhat lackluster affair to claim another crack at the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Let’s recap what happened on the main card and what’s next for the fighters.

Welterweight Bout: Robbie Lawler defeated Josh Koscheck via TKO (Punches) at 3:57 of Round One

Koscheck’s goal was to take this fight to the ground and given his wrestling prowess and Lawler’s previous struggles against wrestlers it seemed like it was probably the winning strategy. Apparently Lawler learned how to sprawl and brawl as he put on an excellent display of fending off Koscheck’s takedown attempts during this fight. Lawler landed a couple of big punches to a crawling Koscheck and stunned his opponent. Koscheck turtled instead of fighting back and the referee stopped the fight. Some complained that the stoppage was early, but nonetheless Lawler pulled off a big upset.

What’s next for Lawler? Despite beating a former top contender in Koscheck, it’s most likely that the UFC decides to bring Lawler along somewhat slowly. A striker at heart, it’s probably most intriguing if the UFC matches him up with another striker for the most entertainment value. A bout against fellow main card fighter Court McGee could make sense, or a bout between the winner of the upcoming bout between Nate Marquardt and Jake Ellenberger.

What’s next for Koscheck? After his former AKA teammate Jon Fitch got cut last weekend, it’s hard to imagine that Koscheck is going to be able to survive this loss. Like Fitch he is expensive, in fact he makes more per fight than Fitch did and he’s fallen even further down the rankings. If he does somehow survive the next round of cuts then a bout with Erick Silva would make some sense as both men try to rebuild themselves.

Welterweight Bout: Court McGee defeated Josh Neer via Unanimous Decision after Three Rounds

Court McGee looked mighty impressive in his Welterweight debut. Neer is a talented grinder, but McGee outworked him everywhere that the fight went. McGee out struck Neer all over the fight and dominated him on the ground, coming close to sinking in a couple of submissions but ultimately taking a clear-cut unanimous decision.

What’s next for McGee? He looked mighty impressive in his Welterweight debut. As I mentioned earlier he could be a good match for Robbie Lawler. British wrestler John Hathaway could also be an interesting match up to see how McGee handles another grinding wrestler.

What’s next for Neer? Likely unemployment. Neer has been bounced from the UFC before, but he always seems to make his way back due to his willingness to fight on short notice against almost anyone. I imagine his next fight comes outside the UFC.

Bantamweight Bout: Urijah Faber defeated Ivan Menjivar via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:34 of Round One

Urijah Faber dominated this fight the whole way. Faber is excellent with his takedowns and transitions, and his ability to gain dominant positions from scrambles. Faber’s transition to the back in this fight was very slick and he continues to prove that he can bounce back even after tough losses.

What’s next for Faber? He really needs to fight a top contender, but it’s getting annoying how poorly he’s doing against the champions but continues to knock the top contender’s off their perch and eliminating new title challengers. He’s got to fight another top contender though and give him a chance to knock someone else out of contention. Eddie Wineland is the only one that makes a whole lot of sense right now.

What’s next for Menjivar? A bout with Brian Bowles might make the most sense as they’re the two most recent fighters to lose to Faber. Should Brad Pickett lose to Mike Easton in their upcoming bout at UFC on Fuel TV, then that bout could also be highly entertaining.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Lyoto Machida defeated Dan Henderson via Split Decision after Three Rounds

This fight was light on action, but Machida did what he does best. He stuck and moved and avoided most of Henderson’s power shots while delivering several of his own. Although the crowd disliked a lot of this fight, it’s hard to discount the technical striking game that Machida brings to the table and his ability to avoid taking damage. Unfortunately for Machida, despite being promised a title shot, it could be up for grabs due to the nature of his unimpressive performance.

What’s next for Machida? Likely the winner between Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones. However the split decision nature of this win could leave the door open for someone else to steal that title shot, namely Alexander Gustafsson who has an upcoming bout with Gegard Mousasi and was also promised a title shot with an impressive victory. Either way, Machida will remain close to title contention.

What’s next for Henderson? He already said he wasn’t retiring, so that’s out the window. A potential bout with Rashad Evans could prove to be entertaining but Evans wants a different opponent (Shogun) so the UFC could be going with that. A fan favorite bout between Henderson and Forrest Griffin could deliver an epic knockout.

Women’s Bantamweight Championship Bout: Ronda Rousey defeated Liz Carmouche via Submission (Armbar) at 4:49 of Round One

Rousey had a lot to lose in this bout, as did the UFC, but luckily for them despite a scary moment at the beginning of the fight the fight went exactly as expected. Rousey overcame the most difficult test of her career so far and still snagged another first round armbar. Rousey set herself up for trouble by focusing too much on getting the armbar and not enough on winning the fight, it’s probably something she’ll have to work on going forward.

What’s next for Rousey? Cyborg Santos isn’t happening right now, so as much as Eric wishes it to happen, it’s probably not on the docket. The winner of the upcoming bout between Cat Zingano and Miesha Tate is the most likely candidate.

What’s next for Carmouche? Sara McMann is a former American wrestler who was scheduled to fight Liz Carmouche in Strikeforce in the past before the event was cancelled. With McMann recently signed to the UFC and without a first opponent, this bout still makes a lot of sense.

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The UFC has never invested more in a fighter than they have in Ronda Rousey and with good reason. Rousey has gotten the company more publicity in a shorter time than any fighter in UFC history. However, will it be all for nothing if Liz Carmouche can pull off the upset at UFC 157?

I will be the first one to admit that I don’t get the fascination with Rousey whatsoever. It isn’t as if Rousey is either the best or prettiest fighter to come along in WMMA. Yet for whatever reason the media have swarmed to Rousey and turned into the biggest star in the UFC. This is all great if Rousey lives up to the billing but what happens if this all comes crashing down quicker than you can say Cyborg?

A desperate fighter is a dangerous fighter and Liz Carmouche is a desperate fighter. Carmouche still holds down a part time job and doesn’t have the financial security that Rousey has. This is truly a Rocky story and if Carmouche can pull off the upset, her life would greatly change. But can she do it? You better believe she can.

What has Rousey proven? Rousey’s biggest win came over Miesha Tate and an impressive win it was. But we aren’t talking about an unstoppable machine are we? We are talking about a woman who thus far has proven to be a one-trick pony. I am not saying she doesn’t have more tricks up her sleeve, but thus far I have only seen one. One thing MMA history has shown me over the last two decades is that you can only get so far on one trick. Is UFC 157 the finale?

I believe the key to beating Rousey is to bring the attack to her. She has dominated offensively with her impressive judo skills and throws but what would happen if Carmouche turns it into a slugfest? Carmouche has only gone to two decisions in her entire MMA career. Five of her wins have come from TKO or KO. This is not a woman you want to underestimate. She is just as capable of landing a lucky punch as Emmanuel Newton.

I have also read a lot of people mock Carmouche’s record. “Who has she beaten?” Who in the world has Ronda Rousey beaten? Miesha Tate and Sarah Kaufman aren’t slouches, but it isn’t as if she went in there and beat Anderson Silva. Sure she has fought and won against better competition, but we are talking about a woman who has only fought top competition twice. I don’t think that makes her unbeatable.

So what if after all of this publicity Rousey loses to a fighter she is heavily favored to beat? Unfortunately the problem with Rousey is she has been shoved down the UFC fans’ throats so hard that there are plenty of people waiting for her to lose. In that case a loss could be a good thing. It makes her human. On the other hand you could have the backfire of Rousey being considered all hype and no substance which is something that is very hard to fight back from.

One problem is the yellow elephant in the room and that Cyborg. Nobody in the UFC would ever say it but the big payoff with Rousey is the eventual Cyborg vs. Rousey fight. That fight loses a lot of appeal if either one of the two loses before it happens. Quite honestly I don’t even know if it happens if one if them loses before then. Every UFC superstar needs a rivalry and this is one that will put more money in UFC’s pockets than any WMMA fight possible. A loss to Carmouche could greatly impact that fight from ever even happening.

The biggest problem I have here is that the UFC has put all of their eggs into one basket. Without Rousey there would be no WMMA in the UFC. If she is tarnished, what happens to the rest of the fighters? Would the UFC ever get this kind of media attention ever again for a WMMA fight? Would Dana White just completely give up on it altogether? These are all questions that nobody can answer.

As a sports fan I can tell you that there is more money in the rematch when it comes to upsets. Those fans that were turned off by the overexposure of Rousey may now find her a sympathetic character and get behind her as a challenger. She certainly loses her mystique but that is something she could get back with a convincing win, showing WMMA fans that the loss was merely an upset.

Or it can all blow up in everyone’s faces.

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The UFC delivered another successful free card last weekend on Fuel TV but it’s time for the UFC to head for the record books. The UFC returns to the land of Pay Per View this weekend with UFC 157 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. History will be made in the main event as the event is headlined by the first Women’s MMA bout in UFC history as UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey takes on the UFC’s first openly gay fighter in Liz Carmouche.

The co-main event of the evening features what could certainly be one of the most entertaining Light Heavyweight bouts of the year as Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida takes on Dan Henderson in a bout that could certainly determine the next contender for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Former WEC poster boy Urijah Faber takes on Ivan Menjivar in Bantamweight action on the main card. Two Welterweight bouts will open the main card as Robbie Lawler returns to the UFC to take on Josh Koscheck in the opening bout. The other bout features Court McGee making his Welterweight debut against the always-tough Josh Neer.

Preliminary Card (Facebook): Welterweight Bout: Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Yuri Villefort

Nah-Shon “The Rock-n-Rolla” Burrell is a 23-year-old fighter who is making his UFC debut after a career in Strikeforce. He trains out of the Fight Firm Gym in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He holds a career record of 8-2. Yuri Villefort is a 21-year-old fighter coming over from Strikeforce. Villefort is a member of the Blackzillians, training at the Jaco Hybrid Training Center in Boca Raton, Florida. Villefort holds a career record of 6-1.

Quick Pick: Nah-Shon Burrell via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (Facebook): Welterweight Bout: Jon Manley vs. Neil Magny

Jon Manley is a 26-year-old fighter from Adams, Massachusetts. Manley is a former cast member from the sixteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. He now trains with Team Link in Ludlow, Massachusetts and holds a career record of 7-1. Neil Magny is a 25-year-old fighter from Brooklyn, New York. Like his opponent he fought on the sixteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. He is a member of the Torres MMA Gym in Chicago, Illinois training under Miguel Torres. He holds a professional record of 7-1.

Quick Pick: Neil Magny via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (Facebook): Welterweight Bout: Kenny Robertson vs. Brock Jardine

Kenny Robertson is a 29-year-old fighter from East Peoria, Illinois. He trains with the Central Illinois Combat Club in Spring Bay, Illinois. Robertson holds a career record of 11-2. Brock “The Machine” Jardine is a 27-year-old fighter from Fergus, Ontario, Canada. Jardine now resides and trains at the Pit Elevated Fight Team in Orem, Utah. He holds a professional record of 9-2.

Quick Pick: Brock Jardine via TKO in Round Two

Preliminary Card (FX): Featherweight Bout: Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice

Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez is a 26-year-old from Saugerties, New York. He is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler who was a cast member on the fourteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter where he was the runner up. He holds a career record of 9-3. Matt “The Real One” Grice is a 31-year-old fighter from Harrah, Oklahoma. Like his opponent he is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler. Grice trains with the Titan Martial Arts Gym in Oklahoma. He holds a career record of 15-4.

Quick Pick: Dennis Bermudez via Submission in Round Three

Preliminary Card (FX): Lightweight Bout: Sam Stout vs. Caros Fodor

Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout is a 28-year-old fighter from London, Ontario, Canada. A UFC veteran and former professional kick boxer, he trains with the Team Tompkins Gym in his hometown. Stout holds a professional MMA record of 18-8-1. Caros “The Future” Fodor is a 29-year-old fighter from Kirkland, Washington. Fodor is a member of the AMC Pankration Gym in Washington training with UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. He holds a career record of 7-2 and is making his UFC debut after an extended Strikeforce career.

Quick Pick: Sam Stout via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (FX): Lightweight Bout: Michael Chiesa vs. Anton Kuivanen

Michael “Maverick” Chiesa is a 25-year-old fighter from Aurora, Colorado. He is best known for his stint on the live season of The Ultimate Fighter where he was the eventual winner of the reality show. He now trains with the Sikjitsu Gym in Spokane, Washington. He holds a perfect professional record of 8-0. Anton Kuivanen is a 28-year-old fighter from Helsinki, Finland. He is a member of Team MMA Finland, but also trains in the USA with American Top Team. He holds a professional record of 17-5.

Quick Pick: Michael Chiesa via Unanimous Decision

Preliminary Card (FX): Heavyweight Bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson

Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub is a 29-year-old fighter from Aurora, Colorado. He was the runner-up on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter featuring only Heavyweights. He is a former NFL linebacker and now trains with the Grudge Training Center in Colorado. He holds a professional MMA record of 8-3. Lavar “Big” Johnson is a 35-year-old fighter from Madera, California. A former Strikeforce fighter he came to the UFC in 2012 and quickly racked up two impressive knockout victories. He is a member of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. He holds a professional MMA record of 17-6.

Quick Pick: Lavar Johnson via TKO in Round One

Main Card (Pay Per View): Welterweight Bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler

Josh “Kos” Koscheck is a 35-year-old fighter from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. He is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Koscheck was a cast member on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and is a former UFC Welterweight title challenger. Koscheck now trains with the Dethrone Base Camp in Fresno, California. Koscheck’s wrestling is his bread and butter game but his striking has improved over his career. He holds a career record of 17-6.

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“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler is a 30-year-old fighter from Davenport, Iowa. Despite being only 30 he has a long and decorated history in the sport of MMA competing as a pro since 2001. He has fought for a number of major MMA promotions including the UFC, Strikeforce, Icon Sport, Pride, Elite XC and the IFL. Lawler is a striker with big power, who has spent the majority of his career at Middleweight, but is dropping to 170-pounds for his return to the UFC. He is a member of the H.I.T. Squad in Granite City, Illinois. He holds a professional record of 19-9 with 1 No Contest.

Analysis and Prediction: Koscheck doesn’t have the greatest chin or the greatest striking defense, as he’s been chin-checked in the past by lesser strikers than Lawler. With that said, Lawler has slowed significantly recently and is likely in the twilight of his career. Lawler is a decent wrestler, but he’s poor at fighting from his back, which is where Koscheck is most likely to put him. Koscheck will likely test his striking against Lawler, but I expect that if he struggles at all he’s going to shoot for a takedown. From there ground and pound will likely set up a submission. Josh Koscheck via Submission in Round One

Main Card (Pay Per View): Welterweight Bout: Court McGee vs. Josh Neer

Court “The Crusher” McGee is a 28-year-old fighter from Layton, Utah. He is best known as the eventual winner of the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. McGee is a true grinder and is well rounded mixing his striking and takedowns. McGee holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He trains with The Pit Elevated Fight Team in Orem, Utah. He is making his Welterweight debut after a two fight losing streak in the UFC’s Middleweight division. McGee holds a professional record of 13-3.

Josh “The Dentist” Neer is a 29-year-old fighter from Des Moines, Iowa. He formerly trained under Pat Miletich but now trains with the Cesar Gracie Fight Team in California. Neer holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is a tough, well-rounded fighter with strong takedowns and excellent top control. Despite not yet being 30 years old Neer has been fighting as a pro since 2003 and has over 45 career bouts. Neer holds a career record of 33-12-1, with 29 stoppage victories.

Analysis and Prediction: Both of these fighters are grinders, so this one is likely going to come down to who can impose their will on the other one. Neer has decent cardio, but he has slowed down in the third rounds of fights before, if the other fighter makes him work. Provided McGee doesn’t lose a ton of his cardio with the weight cut, he should be able to push the pace on Neer and wear him down. McGee uses takedowns and top control to take a decision. Court McGee via Unanimous Decision

Main Card (Pay Per View): Bantamweight Bout: Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar

Urijah “The California Kid” Faber is a 33-year-old fighter from Isla Vista, California. Faber is a former WEC Featherweight Champion, a title that he held for over two years in the WEC. Faber is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler from the University of California at Davis. He holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has continually improved his striking throughout his career. Faber is a member of and one of the founders of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. Faber holds a career record of 26-6.

Ivan “The Pride of El Salvador” Menjivar is a 30-year-old fighter from La Paz, El Salvador. He holds the distinction of being Georges St. Pierre’s first career opponent. Menjivar holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and now trains at the Tristar Gym in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Menjivar is an aggressive grappler who continually seeks submissions on the ground and has 10 career submission victories. Still, as aggressive as his guard is, Menjivar does his best work from top control. Menjivar is a veteran fighter with this being his 35^th career bout, he holds a professional record of 25-9.

Analysis and Prediction: This is actually a rematch from Canadian promotion TKO in 2006, which ended in controversy after Menjivar was DQ’ed for landing an illegal kick. Things have changed since then, and Menjivar is probably going to struggle mightily in this bout. There’s not really an area where Menjivar holds the edge over Faber. Faber struggled against Renan Barao in his last bout and was beaten to the punch multiple times, but he’s still technically sound enough to get the better of Menjivar and still packs decent power in his punches. On the ground Menjivar isn’t going to be able to confuse and outwork Faber, who excels in quick scrambles for position and is a smothering wrestler from the top. Faber batters Menjivar, but the El Salvadorian survives to drop a decision. Urijah Faber via Unanimous Decision

Main Card (Pay Per View): Light Heavyweight Bout: Lyoto Machida vs. Dan Henderson

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida is a 34-year-old Brazilian fighter from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Machida is one of the top fighters in the Light Heavyweight division and is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Machida is an excellent striker whose unorthodox style confuses and frustrates many of his opponents. Machida is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and also holds a 3^rd dan black belt in Shotokan Karate. Machida is a member of the Black House Gym in Brazil training with longtime friends Anderson Silva and the Nogeuira brothers. He holds a professional record of 18-3.

Dan “Hollywood/Hendo” Henderson is a 42-year-old fighter from Downey, California. Henderson was the final Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and is a former Welterweight and Middleweight Champion in Pride Fighting Championships and is the only fighter to ever hold two titles in two different weight classes at the same time. Henderson is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler who represented the USA in Greco-Roman Wrestling at the Olympics. Henderson is a head coach and one of the founding members of the Team Quest Gym. Henderson is best known for his wrestling prowess, his powerful right hand and his iron chin, having never been knocked out in 37 career fights. Henderson holds a career record of 29-8.

Analysis and Prediction: This is probably the most intriguing fight of the night and has the potential to be either a Fight of the Night contender or a snoozer, depending on how things play out. Machida is usually cautious and willing to wait for opportunities in the striking department, but Henderson is a patient striker himself. Henderson has also never been knocked out in his career, so he’s usually willing to take a few punches to look for an opening for the H-Bomb. Machida’s speed advantage is going to be extremely important if he wants to be successful.

One of the other big stories of this fight will be Machida’s willingness to engage. In his bout against Rampage he landed more punches and landed more accurately but he allowed Rampage to be the aggressor and it ended up costing him a decision. With Henderson’s strong Greco-Roman background a similar strategy could be disastrous if Henderson is able to get hold of him and pressure him against the cage. Machida will need to keep himself separated from Henderson and stay away from the power punch.

The likely outcome for this fight is that Machida uses his elusive style to slip and move and stays on his bicycle long enough to stay away from Henderson. The smart money says that Machida takes a decision. But I’ve never hidden my man-crush on Henderson, so I’m taking him via knockout via H-Bomb. WAR HENDO! Dan Henderson via KO in Round Three

Main Card (Pay Per View): Women’s Bantamweight Championship Bout: Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche

“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey is a 26-year-old fighter from Riverside County, California. She is quickly becoming one of the sports most recognizable and popular fighters. She was the final Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion and is the reigning and defending UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Rousey is a talented grappler with a 4^th dan black belt in Judo. She is one of the most accomplished Judo practitioners in US history winning a bronze medal in Judo at the 2008 Olympic games. Rousey is a talented grappler who now trains with the Cesar Gracie Fight Team in Santa Monica, California. Rousey holds a perfect professional record of 6-0, with all 6 of her victories coming via first round submissions from arm bars.

Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche is a 29-year-old fighter from Lafayette, Louisiana. Carmouche is a yellow belt in Kenpo Karate and holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Carmouche is a former member of the United States Marine Corps and served time overseas. Carmouche is notable for being the UFC’s first openly gay fighter, although that should definitely not overshadow her in-ring accomplishments. Carmouche is a talented grappler who does his best work from top control, but also has been improving her striking. She holds a career record of 8-2.

Analysis and Prediction: Hopefully Carmouche has been doing a whole lot of arm bar defense during his training camp. That’s one of the dangerous things about fighting Rousey right now, while you’re busy making sure she doesn’t arm bar you, she’s training and getting better in every area of the fight game. Carmouche is a decent fighter, but I think she’s likely going to be a step behind no matter where this fight goes. If she’s tentative Rousey will become the aggressor and stalk her down. If Carmouche tries to be the aggressor she risks running into Rousey’s vaunted Judo game and being tossed to the mat where she enters the grappling domain of Rousey and opens her up for the arm bar.

No matter where this fight goes, I don’t think Carmouche stands too much of a chance. Rousey, first round, arm bar. Ronda Rousey via Submission in Round One

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