UFC Featherweight Main Event
“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung SUB RD 4 (D’Arce Choke) Dustin Poirier
Time of Submission: 1:07 RD 4

Holy crap!  Is there a fight in which the “Korean Zombie” doesn’t deliver an intense, action-packed fight?  Against Poirier, who was favored going into the contest, Jung showed tremendous evolution in his fighting style.  No longer a limited brawler, Jung displayed a full arsenal of tricks in turning back the aggression of Poirier.  Sure, Poirier had a number of moments in the contest and in round three it appeared that the “Zombie” may have been gassed but credit to Jung for rallying back to submit the submission wiz Poirier.  This was by far Jung’s most impressive performance in the Octagon and should he continue to be able to make the weight cut, the “Zombie” could be in the hunt for a title shot.

UFC Welterweight Fight
Amir Sadollah (7-3) SD Jorge Lopez (11-3)
Scores: 29-28, 29-28, 28-29

In understand why the UFC made it a point to feature Sadollah on this card.  After all, the TUF winner hails from Virginia but the decision to put him in the evening’s co-main event slot against the unproven Jorge Lopez left many scratching their heads. Fact of the matter, Sadollah does not seem ready for such a high-profile assignment and his fight with Lopez was filled with far too many stretches on inactivity that even Sadollah’s hometown fans were booing in hope of some action.  Unfortunately, no action would be had as Sadollah escapes with a split decision that saw cheers from the crowd due mostly because the horrible fight was over.  Both Sadollah and Lopez need more seasoning in the realm of the prelim before they should be entrusted with a main card slot.

UFC Lightweight Fight
Donald Cerrone (18-4, 1 NC) UD Jeremy Stephens (20-8)
Scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Following some high profile losses, Cerrone needed to make a resounding return to the MMA fan’s radar and it is a safe bet that he accomplished just that in light of his dominant performance over Jeremy Stephens.  Despite Stephens power-packed fists, Cerrone’s footwork and debilitating leg kicks left Stephens with little ability to mount much of an attack.  Cerrone systematically bullied and beat down Stephens over three one-sided rounds that left Stephens a swollen mess and Cerrone’s name back in the mix at 155 lbs.

UFC Bantamweight Fight
Yves Jabouin (18-8) UD Jeff Hougland (10-5)
Scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26

Yves Jabouin has to be one of the most dynamic strikers in the entire sport.  The dude is a non-stop bouncing ball of kinetic fury that wrecks his opponents with a dizzying array of spinning kicks and punches.  He’s like a video game character with the attacks he pulls of in the cage.  Of course, the plodding Hougland proved to be the perfect foil for Jabouin as his lack of speed highlighted the talents of the Canadian.  In fact, the fight nearly ended in the opening round when Jabouin landed a spinning back kick that crumpled Hougland to the canvas.  Unfortunately, Jabouin failed to fully capitalize on his injured opponent which allowed Hougland to recover.  Inevitably, this simply allowed Hougland to sustain an ass-whopping over the course of the fight when a more prudent ref would have stopped it early in the second round to save Hougland further damage.

UFC Light Heavyweight Fight
Igor Pokrajac (25-8) UD Fabio Maldonado (18-5)
Scores:  29-28, 30-27, 29-28

During the opening minutes of the opening round the boos from the crowd as Pokrajac was working from the half guard of Maldonado suggested that we were in for a lackluster ground chess match.  Funny how wrong were all were.  Behind Maldonado’s boxing skill and Pokrajac’s unrelenting aggression a beautiful slugfest took place over the course of three rounds.  After Maldonado was able to survive off his back and got the fight back standing his boxing acumen and Pokrajac’s iron chin and will resulted in long period of heated exchanges while both fighters winged punches and knees to the head and body of each other.  It was a close fight, one that some would argue belonged to Maldonado, but Pokrajac was game throughout and on occasion seemed to beat Maldonado at his own game.  Solid win for Pokrajac and an excellent fight for MMA fans.

UFC Middleweight Fight
Tom Lawler (8-4, 1 NC) KO RD 1 Jason MacDonald (26-16)
Time of Knockout: 0:50 RD 1

Tom Lawler gets the sweetest of birthday presents with a first round knockout over the veteran MacDonald.  After stuffing a takedown attempt by MacDonald, Lawler connected with an accurate straight left hand that put MacDonald on wobbly knees where a follow up right hook spelled the end to the night.  Lawler needed a definitive victory to move up the top-heavy middleweight division.  I’m not saying that his first round KO of MacDonald will do much for his ranking, but damn it looked good.

The past week saw a ton of news hit the MMA news cycle.  There were huge signings, upsets in the cage, and Nick Diaz being Nick Diaz.  Let’s take a look back at the best and the worst of the week that was.

PROPS

Bellator Signs King Mo

Say what you will about the man known as King Mo Lawal but few fights have masted the art of self-promotion quite like the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.  While many critics point out that Lawal’s mouth is usually more entertaining than his fights, King Mo has beaten some decent competition in his brief career.  But, in light of his recent PED positive test and subsequent release from Strikeforce following his public spat with the UFC brass Lawal seems to have bounced back better than ever.  Last week, Bellator and Spike TV, there soon to be broadcast partner, announced a landmark deal in which the loquacious light heavyweight will sign on to fight for Bellator and be ink a deal to join Spike-based pro wrestling organization TNA.

It’s uncertain on how each commitment will affect the other but you have to give King Mo credit for fostering a creative career path despite burning some very big bridges.

Daniel Straus Wins Bellator Featherweight Tournament

Speaking of Bellator, Friday night saw Bellator’s Daniel Straus best Marlon Sandro to capture the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Title and a phat $100,000 payday.  Straus doesn’t do anything specatular in the cage but he has heart and cardio for days and that was more than enough for him to beat the talented competition in route to winning the tournament.  Straus is limited in his ability but he has the spirit of a warrior and sometimes that is more than enough.

James Vick and Michael Chiesa Advance to TUF Semifinals

If you had polled people prior to the start of this season’s The Ultimate Fighter Live few, I’m guessing, would have foresaw the continued tournament advancement for James Vick, or Michael Chiesa.  Both fighters were relatively green in their professional MMA careers and both seemed to still be adding dimensions to their respective games.  Of course, this is the fight game and logic does not often play a prominent role in what goes down in the cage.  In their respective quarterfinal fights both Vick and Chiesa showed tremendous heart in beating the opponents.  For Vick, it was an upset of sorts in the Texan scoring a unanimous decision victory over Joe Proctor, while Chisea shocked the world by gutting out TKO victory (in sudden death) over the highly-touted Justin Lawrence.  Solid wins over sentimental favorites on the show.

 FLOPS

Nick Diaz No-Show at World BJJ Expo

Where Nick Diaz goes drama is sure to follow, even in the case of this past weekend’s debacle at the World Jiu-Jtisu Expo where the former Strikeforce champion pulled a no-show for his grappling Super Fight with Braulio Estima.  The highly anticipated grappling match was to have been streamed live on the internet with Diaz pledging his purse to charity.  But, somewhere between the Friday afternoon weigh-ins and Saturday morning, Diaz and his camp complained of Estima not making the contracted 180 lbs weight limit.  This information would be unfounded and the truth turned out that Estima made the weight limit Saturday morning.  This apparently was relayed to Diaz’s team but the Stockton fighter still decided to not show up with no communication to the event’s organizers.  It’s a pretty shitty move to play and Diaz has been rightfully chastised for his actions.  While you can’t help but be disappointed in such behavior, with Diaz this has quickly become the norm.

 Bob Sapp’s Sad Tour of Pitifulness

Look, Bob Sapp was never what you would consider to be a legitimate fighter.  The cartoonish hulk of a man was may more enthralled in the entertainment aspect of the fight game than actually being a champion.  While that may seem like an indictment of Sapp, the fact of the matter is that Sapp has made a very lucrative living off of being a larger than life personality who just so happens to get in the ring and scrap.  Unfortunately, at this stage of his career Sapp has become little more than a joke among fight fans.  Taking fights on international cards rigged to put him in against a local attractions Sapp has simply shown an apathetic effort inside the cage.  His latest loss comes at the hand of strongman-turned-fighter Mariusz Pudzianowski.  While together, Sapp and Pudzianowski may have resembled He-Man action figures fighting in the ring the action result was Sapp laying down and pulling a non-effort in losing by TKO seconds into the contest.  It’s sad to see Sapp lose his pride and his six fight losing streak speaks of a man who is simply showing up to collect a pay check.  Do the world a favor Sapp, quite while you can.

When news broke earlier this week that UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz had torn his ACL putting his much anticipated title defense against nemesis Urijah Faber in jeopardy you could almost hear the string of “F-bombs” radiating out of Dana White’s office.  Though, it would be hard not to see why the UFC brass would be considerably down on the news.  After all, a tremendous amount of money and hype have gone into the buildup of Cruz-Faber III which was slated for the co-main event at UFC 148 in Las Vegas on July 7.  The UFC had gone to great lengths in building up the fight between Cruz and Faber, who it seems legitimately do not like each other one bit, by casting them as opposing coaches on this season’s The Ultimate Fighter.  This was huge given that this season TUF is airing live (well at least the fights are) on the show’s new home, cable channel FX. 

But, such are the breaks of the fight game and while TUF finales have fizzled before, a few seasons back saw Brock Lesnar bow out of his anticipated fight with Junior dos Santos due to a flair up of diverticulitis, this setback is a bitter pill to swallow for the UFC.  OF course, the MMA juggernaut is well prepared to handle such unforeseen circumstances.  That is what, arguably, sets the UFC apart from the other top MMA promotions.  No other promotion has the financial resources or roster of fighters to make quick contingency plans. 

This was made evident last night on UFC Live as Dana White announced that Faber will now fight for the interim bantamweight title at UFC 148.

“He is going to fight on the same card. Now I’m looking for the right opponent who will fight Faber,” said White. 

To date there have been no official confirmations as to who will step in to face Faber for the belt.  Most speculate that Brazilian Renan Barao will be the luck fighter to draw the bout which would appease most fight fans.  Barao is a legitimate top-tier fighter with as diverse and dynamic style as one will see in the cage.  A Faber-Barao fight would be suitable substitutions given the potential for an all-out war should these two face each other. 

As for Cruz, White has assured fans that he reigning champion will stay on as a coach through this season’s TUF. 

Conventional wisdom dictated that reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones would emerge from his UFC 145 title defense against Rashad Evans with his belt still firmly tied around his waist.  Not that Evans is/was some sort of tomato can unworthy of a title shot.  In fact, the exact opposite is true.  Evans is a former champion in his own right and had laid waste to his own list of superstar names as he rose from polarizing TUF contestant to respected champion.  But, this was Jon “Freaking” Jones who inarguably will go down in the history books as one of the most dominant fighters in the history of MMA. 

Yeah, I just went there.

Again, it wasn’t so much that Jones beat Evans.  After all, we all sort of suspected that such would be the case.  But, it was the manner in which Jones toyed with Evans, keeping a fighter he clearly was better than at bay like a cat toys with a mouse before consuming it.  Unfortunately for those fans looking for such punctuation to a fight that carried a deafening buzz no stoppage or submission would be had by Jones.  Such is the fickle nature of fight fans.  Being great is simply not enough, in order for a fighter to avoid the slings and arrows of armchair trainers a complete and utter domination of their opponite is a must. 

It seems Jon Jones is feeling that cruel double standard these days.  Yeah, he dominated Evans but committed the cardinal sin of failing to stop the former UFC champion.  Is that an indictment of Jones’ abilities as champ?  Hell no, it’s just that Evans made Jones play safe because of his considerable skill sets and tide-turning KO power.  It’s just a shame that more fans don’t view the performance as evidence of Jones greatness. 

In dominating Thiago Silva over three rounds in route to victory Saturday night in Stockholm, Sweden, Alexander Gustafsson gave his hometown fans reason to cheer.  After all, their beloved hometown hero had just established himself as not only viable light heavyweight contender, but also a legitimate star in the eyes of the small but passionate MMA Swedish fan base.  But while there are many who came away overly impressed with the performance of Gustafsson, count me among the ones that were left moderately impressed. 

I appreciate the tools Gustafsson has, and I was encouraged by the way he battled Siva intelligently, but am I rushing to coronate him as the next heir to the 205 pound throne.  He’s still green in the game and while he certainly has the tools at his disposal to be an absolute beast in the light heavyweight division, there is something missing from his repertoire that needs to be rectified. 

I’m talking about a killer instinct.

The innate ability to seize the moment and finish your foe separates the good fighters from the transcendent ones.  Gustafsson had Silva hurt and on the proverbial ropes in the opening round and seemed overly cautious in going in for the kill.  Granted, Silva has the power to separate ones head from their shoulders so it’s understandable that Gustafsson didn’t go running in with all guns blazing.  After all, a crushing defeat in front of your fellow countrymen and women in the nation’s inaugural UFC card would be something I doubt he would want to live with.  So yeah, I get that he had to be smart in his war with Silva.  But, there were ample times when Gustafsson could arguably have finished Silva off in the later rounds but instead he opted to purposely go for the decision. 

Maybe his intensive training in San Diego with Dominick Cruz and company rubbed off in more ways than one but prizing fighting is all about going for the glory and basking in the spoils that go along with being an exciting fighter.  Fighters like Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva enjoy cult followings for their unrelenting aggression not their savvy footwork or cage intelligence. 

I’m not here to try and rain of Gustafsson’s parade.  Not, at all.  In fact I’m a big fan of the young fighter but that is why fighting in the manner that he did against Silva on Saturday frustrates me.  I know he’s better than what he showed this weekend.  Sure, he’s still learning all the nuances of this fight game but there is something about Gustafsson that makes you a believer in his ability.  Is he on Jon Jones level?  Hell no, but it can be argued that no other fighter in the division is either.  Still, while Gustaffson may have walked through the door to stardom Saturday night you get the impression he could have kicked down the door in dramatic fashion. 

The issue of cheating in sports goes as far back as the beginning of man.  To the victor go the spoils so man’s desire to do whatever it sees as necessary to get an upper hand have justified many an unethical endeavor.  However, in the realm of combative sports (boxing/MMA) cheating carries with it the prospect of something far more serious than an underserved win.  When fighters willingly look to provide shortcuts that make them bigger, stronger, and faster than their counterparts there is a very real threat of serious harm being absorbed by an opponent who entered the ring or cage with the idea of a fair fight in mind. 

Arguably, the reason for MMA and boxing’s popularity over the course of history is the idea it exemplifies.  Life is often a singular struggle and there is a sense of poetry in the notion of duking it out with someone as a means of measuring one’s status.  Sanctioned fighting is one of the purest forms of competition.  After all, it is one person pitted against another person with the intent to see who the better person is on that given night.  This is a concept that is lost when you speak of the team orientated “stick and ball” sports where an individual’s greatness can ultimately have little impact on the outcome of the game.  However, in a fight it is critical to the very loves of the combatants that they are on as equal a playing field as genetically possible. 

This is why the recent epidemic of high profile fighters testing positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) is so alarming.  While the win at all cost mentality may be as inherent in a fight as breathing, using artificial means to gain an advantage destroys any purity in one-on-one combative sport.  In recent months we have seen fighters such as Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal, Chael Sonnen, “Cyborg” Santos, and most recently, Alistair Overeem test positive for a PED of some sort.  It’s an alarming trend that seems to be incredibly difficult to corral given the nature of MMA and the lack of funding from states to allow their athletic commissions to do a more thorough job of monitoring fighters. 

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Victor Conte, whom many consider to have been the key developer of the PEDs that ran rampant in Major League Baseball, stated that promoters like the UFC need to throw some of their profits into prevention of PED usage. 

That’s why Conte suggested that the UFC go through an independent agency, like the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA), which is chaired by former NSAC doctor Margaret Goodman. According to Conte, VADA could randomly test Zuffa’s entire roster of nearly 400 professional fighters twice a year for somewhere between $1-1.5 million.

"The Nevada commission’s testing is weak, okay? It is not effective," said Conte. "VADA is a much better option. USADA, I think, is too expensive for what they do. ...The point I’m trying to make is there are some steps that can be taken, that are cost-effective, that would significantly reduce the use of PEDs in the UFC. I would like to see Dana White take those steps."

But Conte’s proposal brings up an interesting quagmire.  Is it the UFCs responsibility to implement testing of its athletes when such a responsibility should be regulated by an independent athletic commission?  It’s a difficult question as why should the UFC pay a substantial amount of money to conduct a regulatory function that should be performed at the state level?  And what of the number of local and mid-tier promoters who do not have near the level of money the UFC has?  How are they to pay to ensure fighters on their cards are given the most stringent of PED testing?   In addition, you have to question just how fair it would be to make the UFC foot the bill for high level doping tests simply because they have the money to do so. 

However, in this same breath it would make business sense for the UFC to take an extremely proactive step in tightening up PED testing in MMA.  As the UFC has continued its push toward mainstream acceptance, inking a historic deal to have live fights aired on the FOX broadcast network, the need to change the perception of MMA is critical for the UFC to be accepted by soccer moms and the overly conservative type.  If Dana White is serious about challenging the NBA, NFL, and MLB he needs to set the precedent that cheating via the use of PEDs will not be tolerated in the UFC.  Throwing your hands up and admitting that regulating fighter’s activities outside of the Octagon is not an option.  No, in order for the UFC, and all of MMA to the extent, to be taken serious as a legitimate sport it has to dispel any notion of shadiness in its industry. 

For a company with the ambition of the UFC, it would serve White and company well to not just be the torch barer in terms of MMA saturation, but to also be mavericks in the cleaning up of MMA. 

The whispers and rumors of the secret to former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem’s Hulk-like physique were given credence this week when the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Overeem had tested positive for elevated testosterone.  Overeem was tested this week following a press conference for his UFC heavyweight title fight against champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 146.

According the MMA Junkie:

Overeem's "A" sample was flagged for an elevated T/E ratio that exceeded 10-to-1, well over the 6-to-1 limit. [NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer] said the heavyweight has the right to request the test's "B" sample, which, if negative, would make him eligible to receive a fight license.

Overeem’s transformation from skinny light heavyweight to superhero muscled heavyweight has long been a subject of heated debate between MMA fans.  While Overeem claims that his increase in mass was a direct result of intense weight training and a diet rich in horse meat, his detractors openly scoff at the notion claiming that no amount of Seabiscuit steaks can promote such muscle growth.  Of course, it should be noted that Overeem tested clean following his destruction of Brock Lesnar this past December. 

So far there has been no word from UFC President Dana White as to what, if anything, the UFC is going to do to Overeem in terms of punishment.  The UFC has a long history of subjectively varying the punishments of fighters who test positive for performance enhancing drugs.  Chael Sonnen tests positive and spins the fact he is taking testosterone for hormone deficiency and sits out a couple of months while fighters like Nate Marquardt and Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal are summarily cut from their respective contracts for testing positive for the same thing. 

It’s unclear what the UFC will do, if anything.  Overeem is a huge star to the die-hard fans but the more casual, “UFC-only” fight fans may not fully be sold on the European fighter.  As of right now Overeem is still a go for his headlining title shot at UFC 146 in May.  One would think that the UFC would want to steer clear of any controversy surrounding their all-heavyweight main card.  But, then again, MMA fans are the forgiving type and as in all things in life money talks.  UFC 146 will be a much more profitable show with Overeem in the mix. 

Still, the UFC should do what’s right and provided that Overeem doesn’t contest the findings he should face some sort of punishment.  The UFC needs to have a standard guideline for fighters caught trying to cheat the system and a fighter’s star power should not be an influence on the severity of the punishment. 

Photo © Andrew Hemingway

The first actual episode of TUF kicked off tonight.

The sixteen fighters move into the new house and the typical, “Oh shit!” reactions abound.  I wish they would focus more on the interactions between the fighters but given that this is the first episode I’m not going to expect much drama.

Now it’s time for the fighter selection and with the coin toss Urijah Faber wins the toss but defers the first pick for the choose of the first fight.  Justin Lawrence is the first pick for Team Dominick Cruz.  It’s a good pick up for Cruz as Lawrence is a beast.

Urijah Faber is shown coaching his team and his laid back persona and success with his fighting team, Team Alpha Male, should make one of his fighters the early frontrunner to win the show.

Or course, Cruz has Phil Davis as his wrestling coach so I expect his fighters to be well conditioned in their fight.  While some fighters, like Chris Tickle, wanted to be on Faber’s team it appears that after working with Cruz the attitudes toward the UFC champion have changed for the better.

Tension between the two coaches begins to boil as Faber takes exception to an interview Cruz did that may have insinuated that Faber had the help of his parents when he opened his gym.  As far as arguments go, it was pretty lame but kudos to Cruz for defusing the situation.

James Vick vs. Daron Cruisckshank is the first fight of the live series

Michael Chiesa gets the news during the show that his father has passed away due to cancer.  You have to feel for the guy as he breaks down into tears over the news.  It’s a genuine moment and one of the few reasons why reality TV is so popular.

Dana White lets Michael Ciseia fly back home to be with this family for a day.  To be honest, i thought they would have thrown the hardline stance of if you leave, you’re gone.  Of course, that would be the ultimate dick move so it’s good to see the UFC be flexible.

I know James Vick on a personal level.  He’s probably one of the most down to earth people you will ever know.  He literally came from nothing to a fighter on the verge of a UFC contract so to say that I’m viewing this fight without bias I would be lying.

Of course, that was the reason I was jumping on my couch as Vick put Cruickshank to sleep with a perfectly timed knee to the face at 2:16 in the opening round.  It seems that everyone on the show was sleeping on Vick, but having covered his fights on the local scene, and knowing his coaches, you can’t count the dude out of any fight.  Cruickshank was winning the fight but all it takes is one mistake.

Bellator Middleweight Quarterfinal Round Fight
Maiquel Falcao (29-4) Norman Paraisy (10-2)
Scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

There are certain fighters who just fight angry.  Maiquel Falcao is one such fighter and Friday night he put that anger on display of violence against Frenchmen Norman Paraisy.  Pairaisy looked as if he initially wanted to trade leather with Falcao but after tasting some hard punches and brutal leg kicks that plan seemed to have been thrown out.  Unfortunately, Falcao refused to take his foot off the gas and proceeded to simply beat up Paraisy over the course of three rounds.  It was a solid performance for the BRazilian and he very well may be the early favorite to win this season’s tournament.

Bellator Middleweight Quarterfinal Round Fight
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (16-1) Victor O’Donnell (11-4)
Scores: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 

You have to give credit to Victor O’Donnell.  The guy has the heart of a lion and a chin of iron but “Slava” Vasilevsky was simply too much Friday night.  Making his US debut, Vasilevsky brought the fight to O’Donnell throughout the fight.  O’Donnell had a good first round, using slick head movement and some sneaky takedowns to keep Vasilevsky off balance. However, around the second round Vasilevsky began to establish a rhythm which quickly spelled doom for O’Donnell.  Throwing everything but the kitchen sink Vasilevsky battered and bloodied O’Donnell over the course of the final two rounds.  By the end of the night, O’Donnell’s face looked like it was tenderized with a baseball bat.  While you have to admire the fighting spirit of O’Donnell, Vasilevsky was simply too good.

Bellator Middleweight Quarterfinal Round Fight
Bruno Santos (13-0) UD Giva Santana (17-2)
Scores: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 

Following the fireworks presented by the Rogers-Vianna fight, Bruno Santos and Giva Santana put on a far less exciting display of fighting.  Much like Ronda Rousey, Santana is considered a one-trick pony with his desire to arm bar the hell out of his opponents.  Against Santos, Santana again went to his bread and butter which is his jiu-jitsu but Santos fought off any attempt at a takedown.  The end result was a fight that was filled with clinching and takedown attempts which won’t exactly set the world ablaze.  Still, all things considered Santos was the more aggressive fighter and in the end that is what gave him the decision.

Bellator Middleweight Quarterfinal Round Fight
Brian Rogers (9-3) KO RD 1 (Flying Knee) Vitor Vianna (13-3-1)
Time of KO: 4:14

If Brian Rodgers wanted to make a statement to the other fighters in the season 6 Bellator middleweight tournament, well, mission accomplished.  Few fights have ended in as spectacular fashion as Rogers flying knee knockout of two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Vitor Vianna.  While Vianna desperately wanted the fight to go to the ground, Rogers smartly kept the fight standing.  A crisp straight right hand put Vianna on wobbly legs and Rogers finished him off with a poster-perfect flying knee that put Vianna out cold.

I admit that it was hard for me to adequately take notes from this past Friday’s debut of The Ultimate Fighter on FX.  For one thing, I was drinking pretty heavily at a watering hole in Fort Worth.  Another reason was that I was at this bar that was filled to capacity with friends and family of participant James Vick.  So while trying to analyze and breakdown the new season of the show it was hard to stay focused and take notes when tequila shots and Shiner Bock beer were in plentiful abundance.

Still, I somehow managed to solider on and while I’m extremely late with this post, the fact remains that the new season of TUF is going to shape up to be a truly unique experience.

This year we go live on TUF and the concept is intriguing to say the least.  As has been the case in the past couple of years 32 fighters are forced to square off against each other at the very beginning with the winner of each bout getting into the house.  This go around things were a bit odd given that the live fights were conducted in front of the sparsely populated UFC Training Center.  While viewers have grown accustomed to watching TUF matches played out with the nothing more than whispers in the background but suffering through over two hours of this was odd.  In fact, I would liken it to dropping in on some high level sparring at your local gym rather than an actual professional MMA bout.

Of course this brings us to the fighters.  This season seems to have some truly decent lightweight talent with a number of notable faces in the cage.  While the introductory fights were only one five-minute bouts you could see some glimmer of promise in the crop.  Though, on the flip side, there are some fighters who truly don’t appear ready to seize this opportunity.

Needless to say, the first actual episode of this season’s TUF may truly be must-see TV for the sheer novelty of the new format.

Full Results from the Night

1. Joe Proctor (8-1), Pembroke, Mass., submitted Jordan Rinaldi (5-1), Matthews, N.C., by guillotine choke at 2:08

2. Cristiano Marcello (13-3), Curitiba,Brazil, submitted Jared Carlsten (3-1), Los Angeles, Calif., at 2:42

3. Sam Sicilia (11-0), Spokane Valley, Wash., knocked out Erin Beach (3-2), San Diego, Calif., at 0:08

4. Chris Tickle (8-4), Bloomington, Ill., knocked out Austin Lyons (9-2), Cordova, Tenn., at 0:44

5. Andy Ogle (9-1), Tynemouth, England,defeated Brendan Weafer (6-4), New York, N.Y., by unanimous decision

6. Vinc Pichel (8-0), Sherman Oaks, Calif., submitted Cody Pfister (7-4), Amarillo, Texas, at 3:39

7. John Cofer (8-1), Hull, Ga., defeated Mark Glover (5-2-1), Liverpool, England, by unanimous decision

8. Chris Saunders (10-2), Long Beach, Calif; defeated Chase Hackett (4-2), Littleton, Colo., by unanimous decision

9. James Vick (5-0), Fort Worth, Texas, defeated Dakota Cochrane (11-3), Omaha, Neb., by split decision

10. Michael Chiesa (8-0), Spokane Valley, Wash., sumitted Johnavan Vistante (4-2), Pearl City, Hawaii, at 2:05

11. Mike Rio (9-1), Miami, Fla., submitted Ali Maclean (9-6-1), Belfast, Northern Ireland, at 3:32

12. Justin Lawrence (4-0), Villa Ridge,Mo., Knockedout James Krause (14-5), Blue Springs, Mo., at 1:25

13. Daron Cruickshank (10-2), Wayne, Mich.; defeated Drew Dober (8-3), Omaha, Neb., by unanimous decision

14. Jeremy Larsen (9-2), Phoenix, Ariz., defeated Jeff Smith (9-2), Mechanicsburg, Penn., by unanimous decision

15. Al Iaquinta (6-1-1), Wantagh, N.Y., defeated Jon Tuck (6-1), Hagtna, Guam, by unanimous decision

16. Myles Jury (10-0), San Diego, Calif. defeated Akbarh Arreloa (19-7-1), Chula Vista, Calif., by unanimous decision