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The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 130: "Rampage vs. Hamill," which took place on Saturday, May 28, 2011, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With several of the bouts ending early (and violently), there were a handful of fighters who were flagged follow-up visits with their doctors.

Chief among them was pay-per-view headliner and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson, who could be riding the bench until November pending a left hand x-ray (or the green light from an orthopedic doctor) following his lopsided win over Matt Hamill.

Also getting a mandatory timeout was co-main event winner Frank Mir, who busted up his ribs en route to a three round unanimous decision win over Roy Nelson. Mir needs the doc's okay before he can return to cage fighting.

But that's not all.

Here is the complete list of UFC 130 injuries and their medical instructions:

Quinton Jackson: Must have left hand x-rayed; if positive then must be cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension, no contest until 06/28/11, no contact until 06/19/11.

Frank Mir: Must have left ribs cleared by doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension, no contest until 06/28/11, no contact until 06/19/11.

Stefan Struve: Suspended until 07/28/11; no contact until 07/13/11 for precautionary reasons.

Brian Stann: Must have right thumb x-rayed; if positive then must be cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension, no contest until 06/28/11, no contact until 06/19/11.

Jorge Santiago: Must clear left orbital fracture with ENT or ophthalmologist or no contest until 11/25/11.

Rafaello Oliveira: Suspended until 07/28/11; no contact until 07/13/11 for precautionary reasons.

Michael McDonald: Must have left shoulder cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 11/25/11; minimum suspension until 07/28/11, no contact until 07/13/11.

Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases.

For complete UFC 130 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale will feature a pair of veteran middleweights squaring off this Saturday night (June 4, 2011) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a long-awaited battle between two men itching to make their Octagon returns for over a year and a half.

Ed Herman was last seen in August of 2009 inside the cage against Aaron Simpson at UFC 102. "Short Fuse" injured his knee badly in both the first and second rounds of the match and literally went down swinging after his knee gave out on a head kick attempt. After re-aggravating the injury and going through multiple stints of surgery and rehabilitation, TUF 3 finalist is finally ready to make his return.

Tim Credeur was in a similar situation.

He injured his foot badly before a scheduled UFC Fight Night 20 match against Mike Massenzio and a brain abnormality in his CT scan before a UFC 113 bout aagainst Tom Lawler kept him from the cage for another full year while he went through a rigorous series of tests. "Crazy" Tim finally got the green light and he'll be stepping into the cage for the first time since September of 2009.

With a combined 41 months away from the Octagon, can both men shake off the rust and put on a show for the fans? Will Herman's knee problems be an issue with his offensive grappling and top control fighting style? How "crazy" will Credeur be inside the cage after surviving a life-altering scare?

Follow me after the jump to find out:

Ed Herman

Record: 21-9 overall, 4-4 in the UFC

Key Wins: Scott Smith (UFC 72), David Loiseau (UFC 97), Nick Thompson (Hand 2 Hand Combat)

Key Losses: Aaron Simpson (UFC 102), Alan Belcher (UFC Fight Night 15), Demian Maia (UFC 83)

How he got here: Ed Herman busted his butt on the local Pacific northwest circuit before back-to-back victories over Nick Thompson and former UFC champion Dave Menne earned him an invite to TUF 3. Herman made it to the finals where he would lose a gritty decision to Kendall Grove in a fight that impressed Dana White so much that he awarded both men a "six figure" UFC contract. 

Since being awarded the contract, "Short Fuse" has been a mid-level middleweight, defeating all the guys he was supposed to beat while losing to the Demian Maias and Alan Belchers of the world. He showed what type of fighter he was against Aaron Simpson at UFC 102. He injured his knee in the first round of the fight and came out for the second round anyway, falling to the canvas on a head kick attempt early in the round. Herman considered retiring after re-aggravating the injury in training but he stayed the course and is finally ready to go after 21 months outside the Octagon.

How he gets it done: There aren't too many surprises when Ed is in the cage. He's going to fight very hard, he's going to shoot for takedowns and he's going to try to beat his opponent up on the ground or submit them.

Despite having 13 of his 21 career victories coming by way of submission, don't expect one from Herman on Saturday night. With Credeur's excellent jiu-jitsu skills, it will most likely be Herman who's using his grappling defensively, warding off attempts while he tries to ground and pound from above.

Unless he's drastically improved in his time away from the cage, Herman's stand-up leaves something to be desired. His best chances of winning this fight will be to work his offensive wrestling skills to take Credeur down early and often. Once has has "Crazy" Credeur down, expect some nasty short elbows from above as "Short Fuse" looks to either end the fight by cut, ground and pound stoppage or decision due to positional dominance.

Tim Credeur

Record: 12-3 overall, 3-1 in the UFC

Key Wins: Nick Catone (UFC Fight Night 18), Cale Yarbrough (UFC Fight Night 14)

Key Losses: Nate Quarry (UFC Fight Night 19), Chael Sonnen (Bodog Fight: Costa Rica)

How he got here: Tim Credeur (pronounced "crater") hails from Louisiana where he runs the Gladiator gym. He gained a reputation as a fierce finisher as the first 14 fights of his professional career were all stoppages inside the first two rounds. Tim was one of the favorites of TUF 7 but fell short against Jesse Taylor in the show's semifinals. 

Once in the UFC, he scored three consecutive stoppage victories on UFC Fight Night cards before earning a shot at TUF season one veteran Nate Quarry. His fight with Quarry was legendary, with both men trading knockdowns and scrapping in a sloppy brawl for three straight rounds. It was the first fight of Credeur's career to go to a decision but it earned him a "Fight of the Night" bonus as well as being a contender for "Fight of the Year."

Credeur would injure his foot badly while training with Forrest Griffin in preparation for a UFC Fight Night 20 bout against Mike Massenzio. After recovering from the foot injury, doctors discovered a brain abnormality during a routine CT scan in the lead-up to his UFC 113 fight against Tom Lawler. Credeur would be sidelined for over a year, waiting to get official confirmation on whether the abnormality was a tumor or an aneurysm. After multiple expensive tests and a ton of stress, he was relieved to find out that the abnormality was nothing more than a birth mark, something that's been in his head most likely since he was born and he'd be able to resume his career. He plans on taking out all his frustration on Herman this weekend.

How he gets it done: Credeur, while a fantastic Brazilian jiu-jitsu player, is a bit of a jack of all trades. No matter how he tries to get it done, there's no doubt about it that he'll be shooting for the finish from the time the referee starts the fight until the final horn sounds.

"Crazy" Tim has improving boxing technique and he showed it in his last fight against Nate Quarry, constantly pushing forward and throwing his hands, clipping "The Rock" and nearly finishing the fight in the first round. There's no doubt he's been working on his technique in the time he's been away from the cage so expect Tim to have the advantage standing.

On the ground, Credeur is relentless. He has eight submission victories in his career, most by armbar, but is not afraid of being put on his back at all. He has a dangerous guard and some excellent defense off his back. If Herman takes him down, expect submission after submission to be thrown his way until he either catches "Short Fuse" or the round concludes.

Fight "X-Factor:"  There's no doubt about it, the "X-factor" for this fight has to be how each man spent his time away from the cage during their long layoffs. 

Ed Herman spent much of his time rehabbing his injured knee. He was on his way to recovery before re-injuring it in early 2010. The re-aggravation was so frustrating that Herman even considered walking away from the sport. He's finally healed and ready to go again, but honestly, "Short Fuse" hasn't had a lot of time to work on improving his skills since he's mainly just trying to get back into the groove again.

Unlike Herman, Tim Credeur has been able to train consistently in the time he's been away from the cage. He was running his Gladiator gym in Louisiana as the head trainer during his down-time and he's been constantly improving. The brain abnormality wasn't a physical thing so he hopes to be fresh, improved and deadly once the cage doors close on Saturday night.

Bottom line: With the injury to Jonathan Brookins, this fight was bumped to the televised card and both fighters are going to scrap and claw until someone can no longer continue. These are two men who have put it all on the line in the past and they won't let the fans down. Herman is going to constantly pressure with his wrestling and ground and pound while Credeur tries to defend and punish him with submissions and standing strikes. These guys don't know the definition of cage rust.

Who will come out on top at the Ultimate Finale? Let us know in the comments section below!

Poll After both men's long hiatus, which UFC middleweight will earn a victory at the TUF 13 Finale? Ed Herman Tim Credeur

  1191 votes | Results

Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Michael Bisping will indeed fight after the filming of TUF14 but not, as many originally thought, on a pay-per-view card. The two coaches will meet as the main event of the TUF14 finale which is scheduled to take place on December 3rd at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. [...]

Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Michael Bisping will indeed fight after the filming of TUF14 but not, as many originally thought, on a pay-per-view card. The two coaches will meet as the main event of the TUF14 finale which is scheduled to take place on December 3rd at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. [...]

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold a media conference call today (May 31, 2011) live at 2 p.m. ET in advance of the UFC 131: "Dos Santos vs. Carwin" pay-per-view event that goes down a week from Saturday (June 11) in Vancouver.

Attending today's call will be top UFC heavyweight contenders Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. These two men will headline the UFC 131 telecast with the winner earning a title shot against the surgically repaired Cain Velasquez.

Dos Santos coached season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against Brock Lesnar. He was originally slated to face the former champion but the ex-WWE superstar was forced to drop out of the fight to have surgery for his relapsing diverticulitis.

In his place will be Shane Carwin, a man who took Lesnar to the gates of hell at UFC 116 in 2010, nearly finishing the fight before losing in the second round via arm triangle choke. This will be his first fight back inside the Octagon since suffering his only career loss.

Live updates from the UFC 131 conference call after the jump.

Brian Hemminger here on standby. Call to begin shortly.

on his injury and surgery that he had earlier this year.

Shane Carwin: My arm was going numb and my muscles were contracting. The surgeon went in and gave my nerve some room so it wasn't pinched. It's a night and day. Just like my lower back surgery in 2009 on a ruptured disk. I had that feeling in my arms and I knew I was going to be better.

Shane Carwin: You get very few opportunities like this in life and I'm making the most of it. When I got the call, I took it.

Junior dos Santos: I really want to be the UFC heavyweight champion. Now I have one more challenge in front of me, Shane Carwin. He's a very big danger but I will give 100% of me to get in line for the title. My last fight was almost 10 months ago and that's too much time without fighting. I'm very excited to be fighting again.

Shane Carwin: We've worked with diet and nutrition and conditioning, a number of things. Every time you leave a fight you try to make yourself a better fight. We push on to this dos Santos fight and hopefully we made the right corrections.

Junior dos Santos: TUF was a great experience for me and I learned a lot there. I have a very good coach team and they are with me the whole time to teach me and help with my training camp. I'm feeling great for this fight and I know it'll be a tough fight but I'm ready for this.

Junior dos Santos: Me and Shane Carwin are good standing fighters. I believe so much in my boxing. My boxing bring me here until now. I feel very comfortable fighting on my feet. I will try to keep this fight standing but I'm ready to fight wherever the fight needs. On the ground or on the feet, it doesn't matter.

Junior dos Santos: I didn't talk to Lew Polley anymore. I don't have contact with him. Somebody told me he's saying some bullshit about me but I don't care about that.

Shane Carwin: Both dos Santos and I got where we are by knocking people out on our feet. I think we're both explosive fighters and I think the fans are going to have a real treat at UFC 131 knowing both guys have real power in their hands.

Shane Carwin: I'm weighing about 255 right now. My diet is mostly organic now, a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything we do is for recovery. Before the Lesnar and Frank fights, I was cutting about 15 pounds to make the 265 pound limit. I feel a lot better right now walking around.

Junior dos Santos: The training didn't change with the opponent change. The strategy will change now though. It was easier to use my boxing against box and now I have a little more to worry about with Carwin, be a little more cautious.

Shane Carwin: (comparing Junior to Brock) They're different threats in different areas. Junior is more of a threat on his feet while Brock is more of a threat on the ground. 

Junior dos Santos: I'm going to have to move around the cage different with Shane than with Brock. 

Shane Carwin: (On what he learned from his Lesnar loss) I learned some things about picking my shots better when having someone hurt. I had to do some things with my nutrition and my cardio. I don't know if it was a cardio issue but we'll see in this fight. The one thing I can say is that I left everything in the Octagon. I was barely able to walk out of there. I put everything I had, every ounce of energy I had in there. 

Junior dos Santos: The first loss was a defining moment in my career. After that I realized losing wasn't a big deal and I really matured and grew as a fighter.

Junior dos Santos: Right now my focus is on beating Shane Carwin to face Cain Valasquez. I'd love to fight on the Rio card but my focus is on Shane.

Shane Carwin: (on whether his wrestling will come into play) We're knockout artists. That's how Junior fights and that's how I fight. I believe in my knockout power and my boxing and so does Junior. We'll find out on June 11th.

Junior dos Santos: I really miss doing what I'm trained to do. I have to keep fighting. You have to always be fighting to keep yourself up to date and I can't wait to finally compete for the title shot.

Shane Carwin: I miss being able to compete. I love to step into the Octagon with all the crazy UFC fans and show off my skills. I love competition and sport and that's what I miss the most (being sidelined for nearly a year).

Junior dos Santos: If I could go back, I'd still to TUF. I made some good friends and I enjoyed meeting the guys on my team. It's important to be visible in the US.

Shane Carwin: (on his recovery from surgery and it if affected him) It's pretty much business as usual now but the rehab process, there was muscle that was torn and separated. The doc did a great job. The main thing was doing the rehab and making sure all the scar tissue was pushed out as much as possible. I feel great.

Junior dos Santos: I always look for the knockout in my fights and this won't be different. Shane Carwin can walk through some punches but I'm still going to work for the knockout. I don't think he's ever faced someone with my power before. 

That concludes the call today. Did anything stand out to you Maniacs?

Former "King of Queens" and avid mixed martial arts fan, Kevin James, has permission to use the UFC brand in his upcoming MMA comedy titled "Here Comes the Boom." Deadline.com describes the flick as "a science teacher (James) whose school faces drastic cutbacks. In an attempt to save his best friend's job and the music program his students love, he moonlights inside the Octagon as a mixed martial arts fighter, ultimately leading to brawling in the UFC." What fighter cameos should we expect in the 2012 release?

Props: MMA Weekly

UFC 130 is in the books and the Nevada State Athletic Commission today revealed the details of the disclosed payroll for the event that totalled $921,000. The biggest earners on the card were Quinton Jackson and Frank Mir who both netted a cool $250,000 for their victories against Matt Hamill and Roy Nelson respectively. Nelson [...]

UFC 130 fighter payouts for those who competed at the "Rampage vs. Hamill" event this past Saturday night (May 28, 2011) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas were released earlier today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson split the top earnings spot with ex-heavyweight champ Frank Mir, as both fighters took home an event-leading $250,000 for their winning performances in "Sin City."

"Rampage" bested Matt Hamill ($32,000) while Mir outpointed Roy Nelson ($15,000).

Preliminary card fighter Gleison Tibau was next in line with a $50,000 payday for choking out Rafaello Oliveira ($10,000), just a few thousand more than surging middleweight contender Brian Stann, who pocketed $46,000 for beating the brakes off Jorge Santiago ($36,000).

But that's not all.

Here is the complete list of UFC 130 payouts:

Quinton Jackson: $250,000 (no win bonus)
Matt Hamill: $32,000

Frank Mir: $250,000 ($125,000 to show, $125,000 to win)
Roy Nelson: $15,000

Travis Browne: $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Stefan Struve: $21,000

Rick Story: $34,000 ($17,000 to show, $17,000 to win)
Thiago Alves: $ 33,000

Brian Stann: $46,000 ($23,000 to show, $23,000 to win)
Jorge Santiago: $36,000

Demetrious Johnson: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Miguel Torres: $30,000

Tim Boetsch: $36,000 ($18,000 to show, $18,000 to win)
Kendall Grove: $28,000

Gleison Tibau: $50,000 ($25,000 to show, $25,000 to win)
Rafaello Oliveira: $10,000

Michael McDonald: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Chris Cariaso: $4,000

Renan Barao: $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Cole Escovedo: $6,000

The total disclosed payroll for the UFC 130 was $931,000.

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

For example, the UFC often hands out extra cash for "Fight of the Night," "Knockout of the Night" and "Submission of the Night." To check out these figures for "Rampage vs. Hamill" go here.

For complete UFC 130 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here.

Tim “Superhuman” Newman (11-2) may not be a household name but with an ever increasing resume of wins, including a submission victory over TUF12′s Aaron Wilkinson, it won’t be long before more people are talking about the Welsh wizard. The hard hitting lightweight was in action this past weekend at Cage Warriors Fighting Championships 42 [...]

Tim “Superhuman” Newman (11-2) may not be a household name but with an ever increasing resume of wins, including a submission victory over TUF12′s Aaron Wilkinson, it won’t be long before more people are talking about the Welsh wizard. The hard hitting lightweight was in action this past weekend at Cage Warriors Fighting Championships 42 [...]

That's a common misconception according to the UFC Octagon Girl (via MadeMan):

"The biggest misconception is that we’re all dumb bimbos. In reality, we’re all smart. I’m very smart. I’ve managed to get other gigs and make a nice living out of this platform of being a UFC girl."

Is Arianny getting overlooked for her brains because of her assets? Or is it her line of work?

In case you missed all the "Rampage" hubbub this past weekend, Karyn Bryant is here to keep you abreast of the situation.

The female mixed martial arts reporter, who conducted this now famous video interview with Quinton Jackson following his three round unanimous decision win over Matt Hamill at UFC 130 back on May 28, "wasn't offended" by the former light heavyweight champion's desire to motor her boats.

From her Twitter:

Since every1's asking: if it wasn't already obv, I wasn't offended by @Rampage4real at all. We were clowning around. I thought it was funny!

The MMA community has been largely divided over "Boob Gate." Jackson fans attribute his "clowning around" to "typical Rampage" silliness while others find it demeaning and offensive.

Take another look and judge for yourself.

Do you think "Rampage" was out of line? And do you believe Bryant was sincere in her remarks?

Where do you stand on this debate?

"I have some good training partners, so, so far, the training is going really well ... I’ll be pretty close to a title shot if I beat him, so I should be doing really well after this win. He’s one of the biggest names I’ve ever fought, and he’s big on out league category. I think he has pretty good wrestling for MMA, but I guess I’m a little bit of a better wrestler, but he’s good in mixing the strikes in wrestling, so it’s not bad. But I think I’m better ... It’s good because Jon Jones has only been winning fights, so, you know, he wins and it’s good because he’ll say: ‘This guy has won all of his fights too,' so he’s doing that comparison now. It’s good."

Surging UFC light heavyweight contender Phil Davis gives Tatame.com a "Wonderful" assessment of his Octagon skills as he heads into a UFC 133 main event opposite former 205-pound champion Rashad Evans on Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. The undefeated wrestler out of Penn State could potentially earn a title shot in early 2012 if he can prove he is indeed sweeter than "Suga" in the "City of Brotherly Love." Anyone think Davis gets the big win in Philly? Or will Evans crack him like the Liberty bell? Predictions for this upcoming headliner?

Have Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans seen the last of Kurt Pellegrino?

The longtime mixed martial arts veteran today announced he was "stepping away from the sport" following his decision not to renew his UFC contract.

Quite simply, "Batman" is tired of fighting crime.

Pellegrino (16-6), who opened his career with a unanimous decision win over Mac Danzig at WEC 4 way back in August 2002, wants to "regroup, refocus, and rethink" what it is he wants to do going forward.

That includes participating in future grappling tournaments and if the stars align, maybe even a pro boxing fight. But most importantly, he wants to spend more time with his wife and four-year-old daughter.

Pellegrino "lets everyone know where he stands" after the jump.

"I am writing to let everyone know where I stand as far my fighting career goes. At this time I am choosing to take some time off and step away from the sport as a fighter. Over my most recent fights I have come to the realization that at this point I no longer can, nor want to make fighting my first priority. Never in my career have I lost two fights in a row and my last fight's decision in particular was especially hard for me to swallow to be honest. Even last year when I was on a three fight win streak I still was questioning myself. This has made me reconsider what my next step will be competitively. I have spoken at length with Joe Silva about my decision and have decided not to renew my contract with the UFC. I want to take the time to regroup, refocus, and rethink what it is that I want to do going forward. I want to do things that I enjoy right now and refresh my mind. I want to concentrate on my BJJ game and improve it. I want to work on my boxing game and improve that also. I'd like to compete in some grappling tournaments again like the old days and maybe even try my hand at a pro boxing fight. I want to have fun training again, bottom line. Most importantly I want to spend more time with my family. My daughter is four years old and I can't tell you how much of her life I've missed dedicating my life to training for fights."

After stringing together four consecutive wins, including an emphatic submission victory over Fabricio Camoes at UFC 111 in his home state of New Jersey, Pellegrino was perhaps one fight away from becoming one of the lightweight division's top title contenders.

George Sotiropoulos had other plans.

Despite a late flurry that almost stole the fight, "Batman" was outpointed by the Aussie at UFC 116 in July 2010. He tried to rebound against Gleison Tibau back in "The Garden State" at UFC 128 earlier this year, but again was unable to convince the judges he was the better man on fight night.

Now he must convince himself he still has the desire to compete. In the meantime, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will be keeping himself busy as a husband, father and coach.

What's your reaction to his decision to walk away? And does anyone out there in MMA land think we've seen the last of Pellegrino as a pro fighter?

With UFC 130: "Rampage vs. Hamill" officially in the books, co-main event winner and former heavyweight champion Frank Mir stops by Pro MMA Radio TONIGHT (May 31) at 9 p.m. ET right here on MMAmania.com.

Mir will break down his three round unanimous decision win over Roy Nelson and talk about his place in the division following last Saturday night's big win.

In addition, surging welterweight contender Rick Story checks in to dish on his upset win over Thiago Alves during the UFC 130 pay-per-view broadcast and who he hopes to face in his next fight.

Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names right here on MMAmania.com every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET through our exclusive live feed.

Live feed begins tonight at 9 p.m. ET after the jump.

Pro MMA Radio will begin playing automatically. Press (||) to turn it off.

Tell us how you really feel!

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will defend his division title against 185-pound number one contender Yushin Okami at the upcoming UFC 134: "Rio" pay-per-view event from the HSBC Arena on Aug. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"The Spider," widely-considered one of the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artists on the planet, looked practically invincible during his incredible championship run inside the Octagon -- until Chael Sonnen almost knocked him from his perch at UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" back in 2010.

Almost.

The trash-talking ex-Realtor dished out four rounds of punishment and was minutes away from a monstrous upset in the fifth and final frame before a careless guard attack left him strangled inside a triangle choke.

Nevertheless, Sonnen got a lot closer to the Brazilian's gold than anyone else in his division, prompting Okami to align himself with the currently-suspended fighter in hopes of gaining a competitive edge come August.

And Silva tells O Globo, Brazil’s second largest newspaper (via Sherdog.com), it was a bad choice:

"You have to find the best people to train with, and I think [Okami] chose wrong. I’d never align myself with a loser, a loser in every sense. He didn’t win the fight [between us] and got caught doping. You want to be a champion? Get with good people, with winners. Moreover, Sonnen wasn’t a tough opponent for me. I was injured with cracked ribs and fought five rounds. If I hadn’t been injured, the fight would have been different."

Silva and Okami first met inside a cage back in 2006, with "Thunder" scoring a controversial win over "The Spider" via disqualification (illegal upkick). Silva has not lost since, winning an astonishing 14 straight fights and cementing himself as among (if not the) best mixed martial artists in the world along the way.

This will mark a record ninth time (and counting) Silva will defend his middleweight title inside the Octagon.

Okami, meanwhile, has built an impressive UFC resume of his own, winning 10 of his 12 fights with the promotion, the most recent of which, over Nate Marquardt in Germany, earned him a long-awaited shot at the middleweight crown.

The Japanese import now finally gets his chance to become the first man to defeat the Brazilian within the not-so-friendly confines of the eight-sided playground ... in hostile territory no less.

Can he get it done? And will Sonnen's insight help his friend on fight night?

Opinions, please.

"Big Country" is looking to downsize.

But can the husky heavyweight make it all the way to down to 185-pounds? Sounds like a lofty goal -- until you consider that UFC veteran Joe Riggs, who was tipping the scales at well over 14 stone -- now competes at a "Diesel" 170-pounds.

Famed "Dolce Diet" creator Mike Dolce is looking to get Roy Nelson to lose the fat, not the fight.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Champion could be on the Zuffa chopping block after his performance in the UFC 130 co-main event last Saturday night (May 28), one that saw a tired and sluggish Nelson get beat up from pillar to post like a rented mule by a svelte Frank Mir.

UFC President Dana White was not impressed.

Roy Nelson's cardio at that weight was still impressive when you consider his physique. He kept getting up even late in the fight which may indicate this weight type of weight cut won't be as hard as many may presume. He may just need to embrace it because he knows that it may be the one major factor holding the heavy-handed mullet warrior from being ranked among the sport's elite.

Mike Dolce explains (via MMA Weekly):

"In my honest and humble opinion, I believe I could help Roy Nelson unlock his full potential as an athlete, as a fighter, but also in health potential as a human being. I used to be 280 pounds, so at five-foot-nine I walked around 20 pounds heavier than Roy weighed in at the UFC, and now I’m 188 pounds this morning at six percent body fat. I can get him down easily if he wants to be a chiseled heavyweight. I can certainly do that. If he wants to be a light heavyweight I can do that. I could probably get him down to middleweight depending on what his goals are. I could do it the most healthy way possible, extend his life, extend his vitality, all of those things. But in the short term take every possible advantage to get the utmost of his ability."

If you think that a cut to middleweight is impossible than look no further then UFC/Strikeforce/Bellator (and every pit stop promotion in between) veteran Joe Riggs, who cut from heavyweight to welterweight.

Riggs started his young fight career in the heavyweight ranks and fought veterans Travis Fulton, Wesley "Cabbage" Correria and even his future referee Herb Dean.

The very pudgy and T-rex-armed Riggs was an impressive 13-3 as a heavyweight before he decided he needed to factor in diet to his mixed martial arts equation. He made his debut at light heavyweight against Alex Stiebling at WEC 9: "Cold Blood" where he would lose. "Diesel" would go an impressive 3-1 as a 205'er but wanted to face guys more his size.

Welcome to middleweight, Mr. Riggs.

His career at 185-pounds proved to be his best move as he notched a stellar record of 6-1 with big wins over eventual Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 3 winner Kendall Grove, UFC veteran Joe Doerksen and he even won the WEC middleweight championship over Ron Kimmons.

Welcome to welterweight, Mr.Riggs.

Riggs took a giant leap in competition when he entered the ultra-tough 170-pound division. His first fight was a very impressive win over MMA veteran Chris Lytle. The win would earn him his first and only UFC title shot against arguably the greatest welterweight of all time, Matt Hughes.

Riggs and his weight cost him the title shot as he tipped the scales heavy and his fight at UFC 56 became a non-title affair. The much wiser and experienced Hughes dominated the younger Riggs as Hughes made him submit to a Kimura in the first round.

The humiliation of the weight not being met coupled with the loss, Riggs would never see the bright lights of a UFC main event ever again. He would venture between middleweight and welterweight but never found that niche weight class that he could dominate in.

Roy Nelson could use this tale of Riggs to not repeat the mistakes of jumping between extreme differences in weight. He can just pinpoint how to become lighter and stronger within his own weight class because he has a lot of useless weight on him and could at least get down to 205 -- if he can nail the weight cuts.

Nelson clearly takes this pivotal point in his career as serious as anyone because he contacted Dolce, arguably the best in the business at weight cutting.

Fighters from all weight classes and physiques have used the Dolce Diet including Quinton Jackson, Michael Bisping, Jake Ellenberg, Thiago Alves, Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Mike Pyle and Duane Ludwig.

Nelson would be his first publicly known heavyweight to use the diet. Some of the clients listed above have also fought in two or more weight classes at one point or another.

Mike Dolce, a fighter himself and author of the book "The Dolce Diet: Three weeks to Shredded," has blown up amongst UFC fighters. The response has been amazing and it seems the fighters like that an ex-fighter created a simple yet highly effective diet.

The simplicity of the diet is what helps fighters keep their eyes on the prize.

It promotes healthy eating and less supplementation and is basically establishing a reverse to a farmer's diet. It tries to get you to gain each gram of protein through natural livestock and vegetation without greens plus any essential vitamins that are not in a bottle.

I think Nelson will enjoy this because he has been a trooper. If he can take numerous shots to the gut without flinching then why would anyone doubt him being able to lose some of that famed belly?

Regardless of his physique he is a professional athlete.

His cardio at such a weight is remarkable and could only get better. His main thing that I have noticed is his strength levels. I have not seen him bully someone by strength but by technique like when he laid upon Kimbo Slice in the TUF exhibitions.

Nelson has all the technical aspects to be hanging in the top five of his division but with Strikeforce heavyweights eventually getting merged into the UFC ranks the window of being among the elite is closing -- FAST.

Will Mike Dolce make him a smaller "Country" and raise a UFC heavyweight title for the "Country Club?" Or will Dolce simply make Nelson a healthier athlete?

Poll How will the "Dolce Diet" affect Roy Nelson's future performances? It'll be his best choice It'll hurt his marketing It won't change a thing Joe Riggs was a heavyweight?

  877 votes | Results

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"Mayhem?" We don't need no stinkin' "Mayhem."

Jason Miller's recent removal from the UFC 132 fight card to coach opposite Michael Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 has left Aaron Simpson out in the cold for the Fourth of July weekend.

That is until now, as Brad Tavares will bring some Hawaiian heat to the "Cruz vs. Faber 2" show going down July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The promotion brought word of the news just last night.

Simpson is less than a month removed from his March 26, 2011, unanimous decision beatdown of Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24: "Nogueira vs. Davis."

Good thing, too, considering he had dropped consecutive fights to Chris Leben and Mark Munoz, respectively. "A-Train" is just 8-2 in his professional career that dates back to 2007 but the NCAA Division I wrestler, 36, is no push over.

Opposing him is  TUF 11 contestant Brad Tavares.

The Team Tompkins product was bounced from the semifinals of the Spike TV reality show by eventual winner Court McGee. Tavares got another crack at UFC stardom at the live finale in June 2010, winning a unanimous decision against Seth Baczynski in a rematch from their controversial quarterfinal fight during the show.

The heavy-handed Hawaiian headhunter then went and did in "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni's UFC career by knocking him out of the organization back in January.

Tavares now stands at an impressive 7-0  in his budding career.

UFC 132 features a main event between bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and his 135-pound arch enemy, Urijah Faber. Middleweight rivals Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben are also expected to throw hands over the fourth of July weekend.

For the current UFC 132 fight card and rumors click here.

Dream "Fight for Japan", which aired from the Saitama Super Arena Hall in Saitama, Japan yesterday (May 29, 2011), is officially in the books. The event was initially mistakenly announced as Dream 17, but that event won't take place until July. The event was not televised live in North America but will be available this Friday (June 3, 2011) on HDNet.

Consensus top 10 lightweight Shinya Aoki, after potential match-ups with Jamie Varner, Antonio McKee and Shane Nelsen fell through, settled for UFC veteran Rich Clementi in the main event of the charity show.

This was a motivated Aoki intent on showcasing some ground and pound skills. The Japanese submission master took "No Love" down and attempted to beat his face in from mount for much of the first round. Clementi weathered the assault from Aoki and avoided enough damage to survive the round.

That wasn't the case in the second as Aoki swiftly took the Louisiana native down, passed to back mount. After more ground and pound failed to force the stoppage, the jiu-jitsu ace latched on a face crank to force the tap at the midway point of the round.

There were several other exciting finishes on the card as well as some controversy.

The night opened with the first round of the Dream bantamweight tournament, with four quarterfinal fights. Masakazu Imanari, Kenji Osawa and Yusaku Nakamura advanced with no problems but the bout between Yoshiro Maeda and Hideo Tokoro had a rather unfortunate conclusion. 

Maeda started the second round with an apparent injury and Tokoro just piled it on by misfiring on a body punch that hit him square in the groin right after the opening bell. Maeda writhed in pain for the full alloted five minutes and tried to show his warrior spirit by limping to his feet and continuing the match. His corner threw in the towel after a takedown attempt from Tokoro made Maeda cry out in pain.

The main card, which served as an intermission between the quarterfinals and semifinals of the bantamweight tournament, opened with a hotly contested match between Joachim Hansen and Mitsuhiro Ishida. Both men traded submission attempts, suplexes and strikes all the way to the final bell. Hansen was a little more aggressive with his attempts to finish the fight and he was awarded a split decision victory by the ringside judges.

Hansen continues to rebound after a rough three fight losing streak that stretched from late 2009 to 2010. He's now won three fights in a row and he's tentatively slated to take on WEC veteran Jameel Massouh later this year.

Katsunori Kikuno and Caol Uno both used superior wrestling and jiu-jitsu to score unanimous decisions over Daisuke Nakamura and Akiyo Nishiura respectively. Uno and Kikuno both aggressively worked for takedowns in their matches and dominated the fight with positional top control and ground and pound.

Lastly on the main card, Takeshi Inoue defeated a slightly over-matched Koichiro Matsumoto via strikes. Matsumoto absorbed a ton of punishment including big knees from the clinch as well as some nasty leg kicks that slightly staggered him. The finishing touch in the first round was a huge straight right hand from Inoue that dropped his Japanese counterpart and set up a ground and pound finish.

The night closed with the semifinals of the bantamweight tournament. Atsushi Yamamoto took on Hideo Tokoro in a hotly contested match. Neither man showed much of a sense of urgency in a very close first round but the second had all the action. Tokoro shot in and flattened his opponent with a big takedown and both men traded sweeps and dominant positions all the way until the final bell. When it was all said and done, Tokoro was awarded a split decision victory. 

The final match of the night's tournament was a stylistic match-up between Kenji Osawa's striking and Masakazu Imanari's submissions. Imanari repeatedly took the fight to the ground, even if it meant working off of his back while Osawa defended and tried to mix in punches and kicks. Osawa held his own in the first round but Imanari finally trapped him in his clutches with a dangerous heel hook that forced a quick tap in the beginning of the second round.

Hideo Tokoro and Masakazu Imanari will both face each other in the tournament finale later this year.

In case the memo was missed, the event will finally air on HDNet this Friday (June 3, 2011).