MMA Universe

As the sport of mixed martial arts continues to grow at an incredible rate, so too does the talent pool from which the UFC has to choose from when fine tuning its roster. As a result, most fighters get a little nervous about their future after losing back-to-back fights inside the Octagon.

Then again, Randy Couture isn’t like most fighters.

On the heels of his unanimous decision loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 on August 29, the hall-of-famer and five-time champion has confirmed a new UFC contract that will secure his services for up to six fights in the span of 28 months.

The new deal supersedes his contract from September 2008, when “The Natural” returned from a bitter contract dispute to defend his title against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91.

The 11-month legal drama began when Couture faxed in his resignation from a South African movie set in late 2007, citing poor pay, lack of respect and a desire to fight Fedor Emelianenko — a high-profile free agent who the UFC was unable to sign.

He sat on the sidelines for almost a year, hoping that his legal team could find him a way out of his ironclad contract. The Zuffa legal machine proved insurmountable, and Captain America probably got tired of waiting while his biological clock ticked away.

The champ returned and it’s been water under the bridge ever since.

The former division kingpin had one fight remaining after UFC 102 under the old deal, but with these new terms, Couture will finish his career under the Zuffa umbrella, effectively ending any chance of a future fight with Strikeforce attraction Fedor Emelianenko.

From Couture:

“We just signed a new contract, today (August 29). 28 months, six more fights. The opportunity to stay with the organization was my motivation. The way things are going this is the place to be. I intend to finish my career here in the UFC. I’m going to take it one fight at a time as I did 12 years ago when I started this thing. I’ll see where that goes. I’m interested in interesting fights. There’s a lot of guys in both divisions that are interesting to fight.”

The loss to Nogueira pretty much eliminates a rematch with Brock Lesnar — but that doesn’t mean opportunities don’t exist outside of a title fight.

A fight against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is likely to generate some fan interest and Couture has flirted with the idea of dropping back down to 205-pounds to mix it up with some of the division’s elite.

The clock may be ticking, but he has an uncanny ability to rise to the occasion on fight night, leveraging his experience, knowledge and skill to put together (and execute) winning gameplans. Put simply, Randy Couture has proven over time that he can never be counted out.

The terms of his new agreement were not disclosed, but it’s probable that his deal mirrors the recent ink on Lesnar’s long term contract, designed to lock up the pay-per-view draw and prevent a future fight with anyone lurking in San Jose.

Randy is now a permanent fixture inside the Octagon and I think Dana White said it best: “Whatever he wants to do, I’m in.”

Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This week we’ll be taking a look at UFC 102; an event held this past Saturday, August 29th at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The card was headlined by a heavyweight bout featuring Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrgio Nogueira.

UFC 102: The Numbers

Dana White announced during the post-fight press conference that total attendance for the event was 16,088 for a live gate of $1.92 million. It’ll be interesting to see what the comp figures are, because the organization had only sold about 10,000 tickets coming into Thursday.

Fight Bonuses of $60,000 each were awarded as follows:

• Fight of the Night: Antonio Nogueira vs. Randy Couture
• Knockout of the Night: Nate Marquardt
• Submission of the Night: Jake Rosholt

Fighter payouts may or may not be disclosed. MMAPayout.com is in the process of getting the information from the Oregon State Police Gaming Control.

The PPV numbers for UFC 102 won’t be in for another two weeks or so, but most are predicting the fight to do well less than UFC 100 (1720k) and UFC 101 (850k+). However, the baseline comparison for UFC 102 very much appears to be something in the mold of UFC 88 , which did 480,000 buys:

• The event was another first-time show in a new state (Atlanta, Georgia).
• The main event was also a non-title fight featuring an aging UFC legend.
• UFC 88 received similar press coverage and promotional push.
• UFC 88 attendance (~14,000) & gate ($2.6 million) reflect a similar level of event size and interest as UFC 102.

Here are some of the factors that could influence UFC 102’s buyrate:

• + The UFC is riding a very strong wave of momentum this year: UFC 94, UFC 100 weekend, UFC 101, and the video-game have done wonders for their brand and increased their core fan base.
• + Media coverage was probably better than what it was in Atlanta for UFC 88, but not at the levels of UFC 100 or 101.
• – Non-title fight. Historically they’ve done far less in terms of buyrates.
• – Second of two UFC PPV cards in the span of the three weeks (especially relevant in a down economy).
• – Lack of a strong second headline: Jardine vs. Silva is a great fight, but neither men have a following.

The momentum is probably the biggest factor and will likely push UFC 102 beyond its baseline comparison and above the 500,000 mark. Yet, I have a hard time believing that we’re going to see UFC 101 type levels out of this event primarily due to the non-title nature and the fact that it’s the second UFC PPV card in less than three weeks. I’d estimate a range between 450-600k.

Business Storylines:

- Nogueira returns to form of old, still a contender: Nogueira looked far superior to the man we saw face Frank Mir last new year’s – no hint of the staph infection and surgery that might have impeded his previous octagon performance. He demonstrated some excellent boxing skills and remarkable ground positioning in the victory, and with this performance Nogueira must be considered a serious contender. However, White was non-committal during the post-fight as to whether Nogueira would fight the winner of Lesnar-Carwin in November.

- Couture signs new contract, many interesting fights still available: Randy Couture has re-signed with the UFC for a term of 28 months and 6 additional fights. There remain a host of interesting fights for Couture, and not just at heavyweight. The possibility of dropping down to 205 and facing the likes of Anderson Silva, Tito Ortiz, or even Lyoto Machida, at some point, is very interesting.

Couture’s legend is only growing and the UFC cashed in big time tonight, not only with the Nogueira fight, but also in re-signing one of their top draws for another six bouts.

- Prospect watch: The performances of Todd Duffee, Jake Rosholt, and Aaron Simpson have given fans something to really look forward to in the future. Duffee adds some much needed size to the UFC’s heavyweight division, and aside from Carwin is maybe the only other heavyweight out there that can match Lesnar’s power. Rosholt demonstrated a marked improvement in his stand-up and brings a wrestling pedigree that could potentially allow him to become a serious threat to Anderson Silva. Simpson also displayed a great deal of wrestling prowess and raw power at 185.

The emergence of these three really highlights the importance of prospect development for the UFC; something MMAPayout.com revisited last week with “UFC Roster Moves Make Dollars and Sense.”

- Affliction returns: It didn’t take long for Affliction to make an appearance at UFC 102; the first televised event featured Brandon Vera emerging from the locker room dawning familiar black Affliction attire. In the coming weeks we’ll see more from the clothing maker as Paul Daley is set to wear the gear for his debut at 103.

- UFC banner policies loosening?: A small note here. The UFC a while back put into place a new regulatory policy regarding fighter sponsorship banners that required each banner to be of a particular size and colour in addition to placing the venue name and UFC logos in certain places. A few fighters – Demian Maia most notably – had different sized signage and even multiple banners. It will be interesting to see whether this is addressed by the UFC going into UFC 103 in Dallas.

- Event taxation likely makes 102 the last UFC event in the state for a while: The City of Portland and Oregon State Police Gaming Commission will charge a combined 12% gross receipt tax on the event. The UFC raised its ticket prices in order to compensate for the exorbitant tax, but ticket sales suffered as a result (especially in one of the hardest hit economies of the US). Unless something changes it could be a while before we see the UFC back in Oregon; especially with all of the new states and countries coming on board to host an event.

- UFC 102 saw the debut of the organization’s new fighter vlogs: In the absence of Dana White’s popular youtube videos – which he has stopped ostensibly because he was receiving criticism in regards the lavish lifestyle he lives – the UFC has started following around some of its headliners like Randy Couture.

It’s the next best move for the organization in the short term – continuing the viral marketing is key – and in the long term it’s probably the wiser choice. The UFC, as a continually expanding corporation, needs to consider de-emphasizing White as the face of the UFC and replacing him with the actual product: the fighters. Ultimately it’s the action that drives the business, and the more interest the fighters can derive, the better their events will fare.

- UFC 102 high on entertainment value: This event had something for just about everyone and was truly one for the ages. If Nogueira-Couture isn’t among the top ten fights in UFC history it’s certainly close. The stunning knockout power of both Nate Marquardt and Thiago Silva had people jumping out of their seats. The sheer athleticism of Rosholt, Simpson, and Duffee left mouths gaping.

It’s disappointing in one sense simply because it will likely come to light that UFC 102 was viewed by far fewer people than were UFC 100 or 101. Nonetheless, this event probably managed to add even more fans to that ever increasing UFC PPV baseline.

“I had watched tape on him and kind of noticed how he telegraphed when he kicks and I have a lot of counters for kicks and stuff. I hurt my ankle a couple of weeks ago and I was working with my buddy Dwayne and I asked him ‘How do I counter this if I can’t do my normal stuff?’ He told me ‘Just step in and throw an overhand right as he kicks.’ It was crazy how it worked so easily. This was a highlight reel finish and I’m very excited.”

–Surging UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt talks post-fight about finishing jiu-jitsu phenom Demian Maia just 22 seconds into their 185-pound affair at UFC 102 last Saturday night. “The Great” may have pushed himself to the top of a very short list of potential candidates looking to challenge current division deity Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Does Marquardt go right to the top? Or will he be paired up with Dan Henderson for (yet another) middleweight number-one contender bout? Paging Joe Silva…

UFC 102: “Couture vs. Nogueira” from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, has officially wrapped, which means that it’s time for those select fighters who went above and beyond in their respective fights to get a little extra grease for their efforts.

To the tune of $60,000 each.

The promotion dished out its standard post-fight monetary bonuses to four out of the 22 fighters on the card. And it may not come as a shock whose wallets are leaving “The City of Roses” a little heavier.

In addition to their base salaries, the UFC awarded former heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira “Fight of the Night” for their gritty, back-and-forth war.

“Minotauro” proved he still has plenty of horsepower under the hood, dropping “The Natural” on separate occasions and nearly finishing him in the third round en route to winning their “Battle of the Ages.”

Nate Marquardt looked “Great” against Demian Maia. He needed just 22 seconds to land “Knockout of the Night” and cement his place on a very short list of UFC middleweight contenders.

It wasn’t as quick as Marquardt or as technical as Nogueira, but UFC sophomore Jake Rosholt nevertheless got it done against Chris Leben in their middleweight tilt, putting “The Crippler” to sleep at 1:30 of the third round and securing a “Submission of the Night” bonus.

Here are the special fight bonuses for UFC 102:

Fight of the Night — Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Knockout of the Night — Nate Marquardt
Submission of the Night -– Jake Rosholt

Again, each fighter received $60,000 extra for their performances in addition to their respective base salaries, which we will pass along as soon as possible. The highly anticipated event drew 16,088 fans for a $1.92 million gate

For complete UFC 102 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - It wasn't in Manila, but Saturday night at the Rose Garden Arena, mixed martial arts had its "Thrilla", as veteran heavyweight legends Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture turned back the clock like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier did in 1975, reminding fight fans just what greatness is in a three round war won by Nogueira in the main event of UFC 102.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - If Thiago Silva was gun-shy in his first fight since losing for the first time against Lyoto Machida in January, he certainly didn't show it in the UFC 102 co-main event at the Rose Garden Arena, as he blasted Keith Jardine into defeat in just 95 seconds Saturday night."Tonight was my night," said Silva, now 14-1. "I'm back."

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Rising middleweight prospect Aaron Simpson continued to impress at the Rose Garden Arena Saturday night, as he spoiled the homecoming of Ed Herman via second round TKO in UFC 102 preliminary action. It was the second straight stoppage win for the 35-year old former All-American wrestler, who halted Tim McKenzie in April.

Randy “The Natural” Couture put on a performance worthy of his legendary status in the sport on Saturday night, and now he’s been rewarded with a brand new contract that will extend his association with the UFC for another 28 months and 6 fights.

Both Dana White and Couture shared the news with the press following his UFC 102 bout.

While no future opponent has been named, Couture has been open about the possibility at returning to light heavyweight in search of “interesting fights.”

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) just put a ribbon on its first-ever trip to Portland, Ore., tonight (Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009) from the Rose Garden Arena.

The UFC 102 main event between “legendary” participants Randy “The Natural” Couture and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira was billed as a “battle for the ages.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself — what an epic battle!

Couture, 46-years-young, survived an early knockdown and submission scare to throw leather with his Brazilian counterpart for basically three straight minutes. It was a thrilling exchange.

And it was more of the same to start the second, but Couture short-circuited the action with a takedown, followed up by ground and pound.

Nogueira, however, switched things up fast with a quick reversal into full mount. From that point on it appeared that “Big Nog” began to takeover … much to the chagrin of Couture’s hometown crowd.

In the third round, Nogueira scored an early knockdown and appeared to be on his way toward victory by dominating “The Natural” with strikes. The referee in charge of the action had to be itching to stop the bout.

But then then “Captain America” pulled another trick out of his timeless playbook and reversed Nogueira, giving everyone hope that he would once again claim victory from the clutches of defeat.

Not this time.

Nogueira went on to win a unanimous decision; however, it was one hell of an exciting fight. It certainly made the case once again for five-round non-title fights. One for the ages, indeed.

Two more rounds would have made this an instant classic … if it isn’t already.

Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva hooked ‘em up in a 205-pound slugfest that bother fighters promised would not last long.

They kept that promise.

“The Dean of Mean” came out swinging, landing a heavy leg kick in the opening seconds of the first frame. He appeared to be the aggressor and set a powerful pace.

But Silva stayed calm and waiting for an opening. He found it with a left hook as he retreated, which put Jardine on his butt. Silva followed it up with a serious of strikes from the top that eventually had Jardine twitching on the canvas.

It was a mirror image of the knockout loss to another Silva, Wanderlei.

Jardine awoke from his early slumber shortly thereafter; however, not before Silva had claimed brutal victory — trademark throat slash and all.

Silva is on his way back toward re-establishing himself as a top contender in the division. Meanwhile, Jardine has to somehow figure out a way to win … and keep winning.

Heavy-handed Chris Leben returned from a nine-month suspension to take on world-class collegiate wrestling sensation Jake Rosholt in a middleweight affair. “The Crippler” expressed his disdain for “lay and pray” fighter, preferring instead to keep things upright and bang it out.

So it came as quite a surprise when Leben scored the first takedown of the night.

The trend did not continue for the rest of the fight — it was up and down up all the way to the third round. Rosholt — who has demonstrated terrible stand up in the past — was able to hold his own in all facets of the game, including submission defense, until that time.

Losing on the unofficial MMAmania scorecard, he needed to a strong performance in the final frame to register his first win inside the Octagon. And he did just that, locking-in a surprising arm triangle choke that put Leben to sleep … literally.

Leben wanted to tap, but appeared to have second thoughts midway through his journey out and instead took a nap. It was typical Leben and atypical Rosholt.

Solid fight with a nice twist.

In a middleweight match up that had potential number one contender implications on the line, Nate Marquardt left little room for controversy when he flattened undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist Demian Maia with a fight-ending punch square on button just 22 seconds into the first round.

It was clear before the fight even started that Marquardt wanted to keep the fight standing and Maia didn’t. He made sure it never got that far.

Marquardt — who already has a loss on his record to reigning champion Anderson Silva on his record — certainly made a statement tonight that he’s on his way back for another bite at the Brazilian apple.

However, with Dan Henderson waiting in the wings, he’ll either have to fight another eliminator match against him or keep busy while “Hollywood” gets a crack at Silva first.

We’ll see soon enough.

In the meantime, Maia might want to think about testing the waters at welterweight — he’s a small 185-pound fighter. If tonight is any indication, perhaps too small.

Krzysztof “Kimura” Soszynski stepped up on short notice to take a very dangerous fight against former heavyweight Brandon Vera in a light heavyweight attraction in the opening fight of the main card.

He was riding high on a six-fight win streak. It all came to an end tonight.

“The Truth” — a Muay Thai and kickboxing specialist — kept the action just where he wanted it (standing) for most of the bout. In fact, despite Soszynski’s intermittent efforts, it was Vera who registered the only real takedown during the 15-minute bout.

Vera kept his distance and, for the most part, picked Soszynski apart, switching stances and avoiding the looping punches of the “Polish Experiment.” He appeared to be the superior fighter and the judges agreed, awarding him with a unanimous decision win.

Perhaps it was just too much too soon for Soszynski — it was his third fight in five months. Or, he was simply outclassed by a much more talented Vera. Regardless, Vera continues his rise up the 205-pound ladder and Soszynski heads back to the drawing board.

Only time will tell how long he stays there.

That’s enough from us — now it’s your turn to discuss “Couture vs. Nogueira” in the comments section below. Sound off, Maniacs. Let’s hear what you have to say.

For complete UFC 102 results and detailed blow-by-blow commentary of the televised main card fights click here.

Now available on ITunes, the Ultimate Fighting Championship application will bring fight fans closer to the action than ever before through the IPhone. Featuring news, videos, fighter profiles, the app also allows fans to order UFC pay-per-view events and watch them live on the IPhone via WiFi or 3G. To download the application, search "Ultimate Fighting Championship" on ITunes.

Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 102: “Couture vs. Nogueira.”

Quick results of the preliminary fights will begin to flow around 8:30 p.m. ET and round-by-round coverage of the main card pay-per-view (PPV) action is set for 10 p.m. ET!

If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main UFC 102 results post and not this one.

Enjoy the show, Maniacs!

Check out episode five of Couture’s UFC 102 video blog after the jump.

… if the pair ever fought and if the special heavyweight match up hit the floor, according to Sherdog.com:

“It would be a pleasure [to fight Anderson Silva]. I look at it as a huge honor. I think he feels that out of all the heavyweights, I’d be the least likely to shoot on him before anybody else. Stylistically, it’s to his advantage. If he’s going to fight a heavyweight, standing up and trying to pick him apart is probably his best avenue for victory. Which heavyweight is less likely to take him down? I probably have one of the weaker shots in the heavyweight division…. But why would I want to take him down right off the bat?… I’m curious. I want to see what it feels like. I want to test myself against them…. Why wouldn’t I want it? It’s not like you’re asking me to fight Miguel Torres. If [Silva] shows up at 220 pounds, I’m between 245 and 255 pounds. That’s not an outrageous size difference…. Me and him, we can move around and play a cat and mouse game. I’d be looking to land the heavier, more powerful shots, and he’d be looking to pick me apart, looking for angles. I think it makes for a very exciting, interesting match-up. [If it hit the ground] I’d rip his shoulder out of his socket. I roll with jiu-jitsu guys who are better technically than me in jiu-jitsu, but if I catch something, there’s no getting it back.”

Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir accepts middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s recent challenge to one day get busy inside the Octagon. “The Spider” — a 185-pound champion — has recently gone up in weight to test himself against light heavyweight competition after cleaning out the middleweight division. A move up to heavyweight would be unprecedented, but more than likely wouldn’t happen anytime soon — company president Dana White, naturally, isn’t to keen on the idea. But, we can still chat about the possibility, right? Let’s hear it in the comments section below.

Props: Gina Carano.YardBarker.com

Quoteworthy:

“I wanted to take time to collect my thoughts and speak from the heart rather than spew out some cliché anecdote about a tough loss. I know I am a better fighter than the way I performed that night and was heartbroken to not give more to those who have been inspired. However, I find some relief in knowing that this has never been only about me, and now more than ever I feel freedom to learn and grow at my own pace. I make it a point to constantly remind myself throughout this journey who I am, what I am doing, and why. Life is the most amazing gift and I want to live it for the right reasons. To my family, coaches, management… thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in me, loving and encouraging me. Also a special thanks to the fans who support me from their computers at home, watch me on television and scream for me in the stadiums. Because of you, barriers have been broken down and you have inspired me to believe in a larger dream. Congratulations to Cris Cyborg and the women of MMA who have a great platform to shine. I am more excited than ever for female fighters and this amazing sport which has transformed my life. God Bless.”

Gina Carano, the previously undefeated face of female mixed martial arts, issues her first public remarks after suffering a first round technical knockout at the hands of Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in the Strikeforce main event on Aug. 15. It was a high-profile match with the first-ever female 145-pound title up for grabs. Carano, however, could not handle the early blitzkrieg from the Brazilian and eventually succumbed to strikes with literally one second remaining in the opening frame. So where does Carano go from here — immediate rematch or does she build up her record, and confidence, in a handful of other match ups before getting a rematch?

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Lightweights Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian (11-4) and Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (25-10) are in talks to square off at UFC 106 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Nov. 21, adding more pop to an already powerful-looking fight card.

Michael David Smith was the first to float the possible 155-pound match up, and MMAmania.com has since been able to confirm that it is indeed under consideration. Bout agreements, however, have not been signed at this time.

“Ken Flo” recenly took lightweight champion BJ Penn into the championship rounds earlier this month in the main event of UFC 101: “Declaration” before getting submitted for the first time in his career by the jiu-jitsu “master” late in the fourth round.

However, during that fight, Florian continued to demonstrate the reason he is — and has been — one of the most improved 155-pound fighters in the world over the last three years. He hung right there with the champ — who is the top lightweight fighters in the sport today — for much of the contest.

The 33-year old previously fought for the UFC title one other time, falling to Sean Sherk by unanimous decision in a battle for the vacant strap back at UFC 64: “Unstoppable” in late 2006.

Between those two title fight appearances, the Boston-area native put together an impressive six-fight win streak over many of the toughest fighters in the division, including Joe Lauzon, Din Thomas, Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson.

Earlier this week, the finalist from the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter” had this to say to the Boston Herald following the loss to Penn:

“I’m still at the top of the division and in one or two fights I think I can put myself back into contention to fight for the belt again. In order to do that, I’m going to have to face some tough guys.”

Ask and you shall receive — they don’t come much tougher than Clay Guida.

“The Carpenter” has only compiled a record of (5-4) since joining the UFC at the beginning of 2007, but that includes four action-packed split decisions and an opponent list with names like Tyson Griffin (split decision loss), Roger Huerta (late round technical knockout after being ahead on the scorecards), Marcus Aurelio (split decision win), Mac Danzig (unanimous decision win), Nate Diaz (split decision win), Diego Sanchez (split decision loss) and Din Thomas (controversial unanimous decision loss).

Basically, he’s fought and performed well against a good number of the division’s best competition, including current number one contender Diego Sanchez at TUF 9 Finale, which is certainly a candidate for “Fight of the Year” in 2009

Like Florian, Guida seems to get better with every fight. And he never backs down from an opponent. Both guys coming off big time losses, so there’s going to be a lot on the line when these two face off in late November.

It, too, has all the makings for another “Fight of the Year” candidate.

UFC 106 will feature a main event heavyweight title bout between two absolute monsters as champion Brock Lesnar will look to defend his gold for the second time against his newest challenger, Shane Carwin. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz is also set to make his return to the Octagon against UFC Hall of Famer, Mark Coleman, after spending nearly a year and a half on the sidelines.

For more on the developing UFC fight card and rumors click here.

We’ve covered most of this already, but this is your chance to hear it straight from the source:

WEC 43: “Cerrone vs. Henderson” has been rescheduled for the The AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 10.

The promotion recently made the move official with a statement on its official Web site.

“Cerrone vs. Henderson” was originally booked for the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio, on Sept. 2. Four former world champion fighters (Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, Frank Mir, Jens “Little Evil” Pulver, and Urijah “The California Kid” Faber) were expected to be on hand for the festivities during fight week to promote the promotion’s first-ever trip to the “Buckeye State.”

However, all that fell through because of what the promotion referred to as a “minor injury” to main event fighter, Ben “Smooth” Henderson, less than two weeks out from the original fight night.

With Henderson and Greg Jackson pupil Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone set to square off for the WEC interim lightweight title (current champion Jamie Varner is on the sidelines with a hand injury), the promotion certainly didn’t want to scrap the fight all together, opting instead to postpone the event until Oct. 10.

Perhaps there were problems re-booking the Covelli Center, or maybe there was another reason, but either way, the show has been relocated to San Antonio.

In addition to the showdown between Cerrone and Henderson, former lightweight number one contender Rich “Cleat” Crunkilton — who will make his first appearance in the WEC cage in more than a year and a half because of various injuries — will take on undefeated Midwest prospect Dave Jansen.

For more on WEC 43 and the “Cerrone vs. Henderson” fight card click here.

M-1: “Breakthrough” from the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., is officially in the book.

Fedor Emelianenko — the man widely regarded as the best heavyweight mixed martial artist on the planet — was on hand for the festivities, participating in a special “sparring exhibition” with his Red Devil teammate, new Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and last year’s DREAM middleweight grand prix winner, Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi.

It turned out to be a lot of fun for the fans in attendance and the viewers at home.

The two world class athletes danced around and lightly traded strikes for a while with “The Last Emporer” showing off his Judo and Sambo background by mixing in numerous throws and takedowns.

Mousasi showed his impressive talent level, too, scoring a few takedowns and attempting a submission or two for good measure. Of course, those attempts got him nowhere with Emelianenko, and the Russian brought an end to the fun by securing a trademark armbar submission of his own rather easily.

The two joked around afterward and both sides were all smiles leaving the ring.

The main event of the evening featured a heavyweight contest between undefeated fan favorite Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and former Pride FC and UFC standout Mark “The Smashing Machine” Kerr - a late replacement for MMA legend Don “The Master” Frye.

Kerr came into the bout out-weighing Lawal by a ridiculous 44 pounds. But that didn’t stop the former Oklahoma State University division I All-American wrestler from improving his record to 5-0 … in devastating fashion.

Lawal immediately shot for a single-leg takedown, slamming the big man to the mat, rolling him over and proceeding to pound away until the referee was forced to intervene. It took just 25 seconds.

It was certainly a lot more impressive and a lot more “King Mo”-like than his last performance. Hopefully, there’s more of that in store for Lawal in the future … just against much better competition.

Also on the card was the man Wanderlei Silva once referred to as the “future of mixed martial arts” — Karl “Psycho” Amoussou. He pulled off a slick reversal to overcome an early takedown by “The Iron Bull” John Doyle, and from there it didn’t take him long to pull off a first round rear naked choke finish.

Here’s the full results from M-1: “Breakthrough:”

265 lbs.: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal defeated Mark “The Smashing Machine” Kerr via knockout (strikes) at 0:25 of round one
185 lbs.: Karl “Psycho” Amoussou defeated “The Iron Bull” John Doyle via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:15 of round one
185 lbs.: Lucio “The Spartan” Linhares defeated Mikhail Zayats via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:00 of round one
265 lbs.: Jessie Gibbs defeated Rob Broughton via unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Michael Kita defeated Lloyd “Kadillac” Marshbanks via submission (strikes) at 1:50 of round one
159 lbs.: Daisuke Nakamura defeated Ferrid “The Hurricane” Kheder via unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Rogent Lloret and Alexey Oleinik fought to a draw
155 lbs.: Eric Marriott defeated Tim Bazer via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Sean “P-Town” Wilson defeated Josh Arocho via knockout at 3:05 of round one
170 lbs.: Rudy Bears defeated Brendan Seguin via technical knockout (strikes) at 1:01 of round two
155 lbs.: Mollie Ahlers-Estes defeated Andria Caplan via technical knockout (doctor stoppage) at 3:00 of round one

That’s a wrap from Kansas City.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com in the days and weeks ahead as we’ll keep you updated on the status of free agent Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, as well as continue to get you ready for Fedor Emelianenko’s debut in the Strikeforce cage this Fall when he’ll go toe to toe with undefeated knockout machine Brett “The Grim” Rogers.