MMA Universe

Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we take a look at UFC 137 coming from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, Nick Diaz convincingly defeated BJ Penn affirming the need for a showdown with Georges St. Pierre.

Diaz retires Penn; GSP next

So now its obvious why Dana White kept Nick Diaz on the Zuffa roster despite no-showing press conference after press conference. Diaz showed his boxing skills as well as his jiu jitsu proficiency. For Penn, it sounded like he is eyeing retirement. At only 32, it seems like Penn could still make one last run at a title. But, if he were to end his career, he was one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC.

While it appeared Penn acted like it was his last match in the UFC, he may just take some time off and reassess. At 32, he is still fairly young, but his dominant reign in the UFC is over.

Kongo dominates Mitrione

In the “co-main event,” Cheick Kongo defeated Matt Mitrione in a less than exciting match. For as much a personality Mitrione is, he could not handle Kongo. This fight was a main event in name only as a result of GSP’s injury. While it is written that this puts Kongo’s name in the heavyweight title picture, it seems like Kongo may need one or two more fights before he goes up against JDS or Cain.

Nelson defeats Cro-Cop

Nelson’s fat suit at the weigh-ins was pretty funny considering the fact that it initially looked like him. Still Nelson looked sharp. For Cro-Cop, it was his last fight in the UFC ring. He has been on the decline for a while at he gave a very nice post-match interview.

Attendance and Gate

MMA Junkie reports that the attendance of the event was 10,313 for $3.9 million.

Bonuses

MMA Junkie also had the bonuses for UFC. The bonuses were $75K each and were as follows:

Fight of the Night: Diaz and Penn
Submission of the Night: Donald Cerrone
KO of the night: Bart Palaszewski

Cerrone and Palaszewski were featured on the Spike TV Prelims.

Salaries

Salaries were released (via MMA Fighting)

Nick Diaz: $200,000 (no win bonus) def. BJ Penn: $150,000
Cheick Kongo: $70,000 ($70,000 win bonus) def. Matt Mitrione: $10,000
Roy Nelson: $20,000 ($20,000 win bonus) def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic: $75,000
Scott Jorgensen: $16,500 ($16,500 win bonus) def. Jeff Curran: $8,000
Hatsu Hioki: $15,000 ($15,000 win bonus) def. George Roop: $8,000
Donald Cerrone: $27,000 ($27,000 win bonus) def. Dennis Siver: $27,000
Bart Palaszewski: $18,500 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Tyson Griffin: $25,500*
Brandon Vera: $60,000 ($60,000 win bonus) def. Eliot Marshall: $15,000
Ramsey Nijem: $10,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Danny Downes: $4,000
Francis Carmont: $6,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Chris Carmozzi: $8,000
Clifford Starks: $6,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Dustin Jacoby: $6,000

* Griffin was scheduled to earn $34,000 for his fight against Palaszewski; Palaszewski was scheduled to make $10,000. Griffin missed weight, however, and was penalized 25 percent ($8,500) of his show money, which was added to Palaszewski’s show money total.

Diaz’s salary likely would have been the same if he had fought GSP. Also, I’m wondering how much of a locker room bonus BJ Penn received for fighting Diaz instead of Carlos Condit. Its also interesting that Brandon Vera made $120,000 despite having his fight on Facebook (and almost breaking his arm).

I am in favor of how the UFC penalizes those that don’t make weight. In the case of Tyson Griffin, who missed by 3 pounds, he forfeited his scheduled salary and that amount was given to Palaszewski. Also worked out for Palaszewski considering he picked up a KO bonus as well.

Pre-Fight Promotion

Initially a Primetime series was going to follow GSP and Nick Diaz for their showdown. However, with Diaz being reassigned, the Primetime series was scrapped. The UFC Countdown show for 137 was only 30 minutes as opposed to the normal hour edition. Still, I thought it did a good job in telling the Nick Diaz backstory as well as including his hobby of triathlons.

The re-revised promos for UFC 137 featured the infamous “Don’t be scared homie” quote. It’s weird to think that Bill Goldberg was the interviewer in the middle of Diaz and KJ Noons (the recipient of the Diaz trash talk).

Sponsorships

The UFC Octagon did not have any new sponsors with the exception of signage for UFC Undisputed 3 which was in the Octagon and had the checkpoint area.

When it was announced that Nick Diaz would be facing BJ Penn, Metal Mullisha announced its sponsorship deal with Diaz. Diaz has worn the brand in Strikeforce. In addition, Diaz was to have a sponsor for his walkout music.

The UFC announced that the BJ Penn-UFC branded Gym in Hawaii would be taking memberships about a week before 137.

Jaco ran a deal for Brandon Vera fans with a special coupon code on Vera’s fight gear. Vera also was sponsored by Toyo Tires for his Facebook fight.

Matt Mitrione sported new fight shirt company Traumma. Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormier is also sponsored by the company as he wore the shirt on a recent episode of InsideMMA.

Mitrione also wore a Chris Lytle for Senate shirt at weigh-ins. Its the first political shirt of campaign season.

Donald Cerrone wore SafeAuto and Tapout stickers on his cowboy hat during his post-fight interview. Once again, a great use of the hat by the Cowboy.

Post UFC 137 storylines

GSP-Diaz next. Carlos Condit, meet Anthony Pettis. Although, Dana White stated Condit “stepped aside” for GSP-Diaz. Condit’s manager, Malki Kawa, states otherwise. It would be disappointing if Condit does not get a shot through no fault of his own. But, let’s face it. He will have another fight before his “promised” title shot against the GSP-Diaz winner. If he loses, its almost certain he loses his shot as well. Certainly, GSP-Diaz is the match everyone wants to see. In fact, I think they made it before.

Odds and ends

-Pink gloves by the refs. I understand the intent and the cause, but do we really need it in the octagon. The NFL has jumped on the branding for Breast Cancer Awareness month, but it seems like its overdone.

-Donald Cerrone. I believe “The Cowboy” is one of the best fighters coming out of the WEC merger. I like the personal branding. Wearing jeans, cowboy hat and cowboy boots at the weigh-ins distinguishing him from others. Plus, he’s a pretty good fighter. The Cowboy will be the co-main event on PPV for UFC 141.

-Speaking of personal branding, Ramsey Nijem embracing a Chippendale’s gimmick at weigh-ins with bow-tie and no-shirt. Did we not learn anything from Dennis Hallman?

-Brandon Vera arm was nearly broken by Eliot Marshall but he still won by unanimous decision.

-I really liked Hatsui Haoki’s Dethrone “bird” shirt. FighterxFashion has the rest of the walkout shirts.

-The UFC sent a press release of video of the Penn-Diaz weigh-in which it described as a “scuffle.” Not sure if its done this before or sent to hype the card due to concern about the drawing power.

-Alex Rodriguez was in attendance. Does this help or hurt the UFC’s popularity?

PPV Numbers

The top of this card was hurt first by Diaz’s no-shows, the card reshuffle and GSP’s injury. The UFC first touted UFC 137 as being Champion vs. Champion. Despite the removal of GSP from the main event, the UFC indicated that the show was a sell-out. After GSP’s injury, the card took a big star power hit despite BJ Penn in the main event. The co-main event featured mid-card level talent (Nelson, Mittrione, Kongo and Cro-Cop). Cro-Cop is past his prime while the other 3 are not top of the card caliber. It would be hard to foresee the buys for this card exceeding 350K.

�

Happy Halloween!

Cage hero and Strikeforce 135-pound women's champion Miesha Tate doesn't need that golden lasso to get the truth out of me. And that truth is that "Takedown" is straight-up smoking hot in this Wonder Woman get-up.

So ... any Maniacs heading door-to-door this year to beg for candy?

Trick, treat and when you come down from your sugar highs, feel free to discuss the latest mixed martial arts news or whatever else comes to mind (within reason) in the comments section below.

Pics, gifs, vids -- post them all, too, down below if you've got something festive. We know how good these open threads can get.

Enjoy!

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz," which took place on Sat., Oct. 29, 2011, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

With several bouts ending early (and violently), there were numerous fighters who were flagged follow up visits with their doctors, including Brandon Vera, who nearly had his arm torn off in a unanimous decision win over Eliot Marshall.

"The Truth" is, he'll be riding the pine until an orthopedic doctor clears him to return.

Also getting a mandatory vacation was Bart Palaszewski, who may have busted up his right hand in his knockout victory over Tyson Griffin, who won't see action until after he finishes his Thanksgiving turkey.

But that's not all.

Here is the complete list of UFC 137 injuries and their medical instructions:

Nick Diaz: Suspended until 11/29/11, no contact until 11/20/11 (precautionary reasons)
B.J. Penn: Suspended until 12/29/11, no contact until 12/14/11 (precautionary reasons)
Matt Mitrione: Suspended until 12/14/11, no contact until 11/29/11 (precautionary reasons)
Mirko Filipovic: Suspended until 12/14/11, no contact until 11/29/11 (precautionary reasons)
George Roop: Suspended until 12/14/11, no contact until 11/29/11 (lacerations)
Dennis Siver: Suspended until 12/14/11, no contact until 11/29/11 (precautionary reasons)
Bart Palaszewski: Palaszewski must have right hand X-rayed. If positive, must have orthopedic doctor's clearance. Minimum suspension until 12/14/11, no contact until 11/29/11 (lacerations)
Tyson Griffin: Suspended until 12/14/11, no contact until 11/29/11 (precautionary reasons)
Brandon Vera: Vera must have left elbow injury (torn ligament) cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 4/28/12. Minimum suspension until 12/14/11, no contact until 11/29/11.
Danny Downes: Suspended until 11/29/11, no contact until 11/20/11 (lacerations)

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 137 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here.

"Just watched fight. I know what I did wrong &how 2fix it. Frustrating 2watch it. I c y fans were salty. Learned lesson on big stage ... I'm sorry for my performance. I knew his GP was 2get me on cage. I was too careful of that ... I'll never let a fight like that happen again. Onwards and upwards."

UFC heavyweight prospect Matt Mitrione takes to his official Twitter account following his first official loss inside the Octagon. "Meathead" drops to 5-1 with his uninspired performance against Cheick Kongo at UFC 137 back on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, one he apologizes to the "salty" fans for. The good news is the former NFLer sounds like he's just as frustrated as the fans, vowing to fix what went wrong in last Saturday night's co-main event and come back stronger. So who do you, as a fan, want to see him matched up against next? Fantasy matchmakers, let's hear what you've got.

Two highly entertaining strikers will meet this Saturday night (November 5, 2011) as knockout artist Anthony Njokuani takes on "Relentless" Paul Taylor in the opening bout of the UFC 138 main card in Birmingham, England.

Njokuani is on the heels of his first UFC victory, a tremendous one-sided beatdown of Andre Winner earlier this summer at UFC 132 that saw "The Assassin" throw everything but the kitchen sink at the hard-headed Brit. He's looking to continue his momentum by knocking off another UK fighter.

Paul Taylor had a tough go of it in the UFC welterweight division, but since dropping to lightweight in 2010, he's had a modicum of success, losing a very controversial split decision to Sam Stout and obliterating Gabe Ruediger with a head kick at UFC 126. He'll be wanting to win one in front of his hometown UK supporters.�

Can Njokuani keep up the momentum he built with his last dominating victory? Will the support of his native countrymen in the crowd give Taylor the fuel he needs? What is each man's path to victory on Saturday night for this free UFC show?

Let's find out:

Anthony Njokuani

Record: 14-5 (1 No Contest) overall, 1-1 in the UFC

Key Wins: Bart Palaszewski (WEC 40), Chris Horodecki (WEC 45), Andre Winner (UFC 132)

Key Losses: Edson Barboza (UFC 128), Shane Roller (WEC 48), Ben Henderson (WEC 38)

How he got here: Anthony Njokuani got off to a hot start in his MMA career, going 9-1 on the local circuit with his lone loss being to current top UFC contender Donald Cerrone. He made his WEC debut in January of 2009 but would unfortunately get choked out by another top UFC lightweight contender in Ben Henderson.

The fighter originally hailing from Nigeria would bounce back, however, with a tremendous run of three consecutive "Knockout of the Night" performances which included tremendous finishes of IFL standouts Bart Palaszewski and Chris Horodecki. The talented striker would come up short against Shane Roller during the WEC 48 pay-per-view, getting taken down by the elite grappler and submitted in the first round.

Njokuani would go 1-1 in the rest of his WEC bouts and would draw Edson Barboza in his UFC debut after the promotions merged. The bout would be filled with highlight reel strikes but he would come up short, although he took home a nice "Fight of the Night" bonus as compensation. The Muay Thai fighter would take out his frustration on Andre Winner in his next fight at UFC 132, absolutely obliterating the Brit over the course of three rounds with one of the most one-sided beatdowns you will ever see. He accepted a bout against another UK fighter in Paul Taylor after his victory.

How he gets it done: Njokuani is all about finding the perfect range. Paul Taylor is not much of a ground fighter so the "Assassin" needs to create a little separation and go to work. Njokuani should have a significant power advantage over Taylor so if he can either stay on the outside and work his kicks or get inside and work his tremendous Muay Thai, either would be acceptable tactics.�

Footwork will be key here as well. Njokuani showcased in his last fight that he can be absolutely brutal if he can trap his opponent against the fence and lay into them with strikes. If he can maneuver Taylor towards the cage in a similar fashion, it could be another one-sided beatdown from the talented knockout artist.

Paul Taylor

Record: 11-6-1 (1 No Contest) overall, 4-5 in the UFC

Key Wins: Gabe Ruediger (UFC 126), Peter Sobotta (UFC 99)

Key Losses: John Hathaway (UFC 105), Chris Lytle (UFC 89), Paul Kelly (UFC 80)

How he got here: Paul Taylor originally got his start in kickboxing but switched to MMA after becoming a sparring partner for a friend who participated in the sport. He was successful fighting in the UK, going 7-1-1 to start out his career and he earned a UFC invite after sending the promotion a DVD of his highlight reel.

Taylor won his UFC debut in 2007, but has had a rough go of it ever since. After going 2-4 over his next six fights at welterweight (although collecting "Fight of the Night" honors in three of those losses), he decided to drop to lightweight. His first cut was not successful, as he wasn't medically cleared to fight at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.

After making lightweight successful at UFC 121, he would lose a controversial split decision to Sam Stout on the undercard. The promotion would give him one last shot at UFC 126 and he would make the most of it, destroying Gabe Ruediger with a head kick and follow up punches to earn his first stoppage victory since his UFC debut nearly four years prior. He gladly accepted a bout against the dangerous striker Njokuani in his home country for UFC 138.

How he gets it done: Paul Taylor is primarily a kickboxer, but I don't think he can beat Njokuani in a battle of technique. If he wants to win this fight, he's going to have to turn it into a brawl. Taylor can take a punch very well, and has only ever been finished once in the UFC by incredible submission from Marcus Davis so if he can turn this into a slugfest, it could be to his benefit.

Njokuani has been knocked out before against Masiej Jewtuszko, so if Taylor can get in his face and try to get him to trade strikes blow for blow, he could not only potentially swing the odds into his favor, he could also be guaranteeing a "Fight of the Night" bonus in the worst case scenario.�

Taylor did do a terrific job in his last bout against Ruediger once he had him backed into the fence, so if he can somehow do the same thing, that could be to his benefit as well.�

Fight "X-Factor:"�The X-Factor for this bout is Paul Taylor's level of competition. After over nine years of professional MMA competition, he's still waiting for his first significant victory. None of the fighters he's beaten are still in the UFC and even three of the men who've beaten him are no longer with the promotion. Njokuani has defeated several top fighters on his way up, and his losses have nearly all been to current top UFC caliber opponents. Strength of schedule could be a big player in this match-up.

Another factor is the injury that Taylor is recovering from. He dropped out of his August 4 fight with a broken foot. That was only three months ago, so if he is still a little tender on that foot or if he doesn't fully trust it to plant or throw kicks with, that could swing the tide of the fight towards Njokuani as well.

Bottom Line: Even if this fight doesn't have tremendous implications in the division, it's a thrilling match-up between two very exciting strikers. Like Nam Phan versus Leonard Garcia II, it's a fight that will likely have fans buzzing afterwards as both of these fighters have been fight night bonus hogs throughout their careers. The stage has been set for a highly entertaining stand-up war, now it's our turn to sit back and enjoy the show.

Who do you think will come out on top at UFC 138? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!

Poll Which lightweight will secure a victory on the UFC 138 main card? Anthony Njokuani Paul Taylor

� 80 votes | Results

UFC 137 fighter payouts for those who competed at the "Penn vs. Diaz" pay-per-view event this past Saturday night (Oct. 29) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, were released earlier today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

Former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz was the top earner of the night, pocketing $200,000 for his main event win over Hawaiian "Prodigy" B.J. Penn, who collects $150,000 in defeat.

Second place went to heavyweight slugger Cheick Kongo. The Parisian wasn't exactly money in his win over Matt Mitrione, but he sure got paid like it, banking a staggering $140,000 for fifteen minutes of work.

"Meathead" leaves "Sin City" with just $10,000, which is $110,000 less than Brandon Vera got to defeat Eliot Marshall in the Facebook Prelims.

Here is the complete list of UFC 137 salaries and payouts:

Nick Diaz: $200,000 (no win bonus)
B.J. Penn: $150,000
Diaz def. Penn via unanimous decision

Cheick Kongo: $140,000 ($70,000 to show, $70,000 to win)
Matt Mitrione: $10,000
Kongo def. Mitrione via unanimous decision

Roy Nelson: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Mirko Filipovic: $75,000
Nelson def. Filipovic via technical knockout

Scott Jorgensen: $33,000 ($16,500 to show, $16,500 to win)
Jeff Curran: $8,000
Jorgensen def. Curran via unanimous decision

Hatsu Hioki: $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
George Roop: $8,000
Hioki def. Roop via split decision

Donald Cerrone: $54,000 ($27,000 to show, $27,000 to win)
Dennis Siver: $27,000
Cerrone def. Siver via submission

Bart Palaszewski: $28,500 ($18,500 to show, $10,000 to win)
Tyson Griffin: $25,500
Palaszewski def. Griffin via knockout

Brandon Vera: $120,000 ($60,000 to show, $60,000 to win)
Eliot Marshall: $15,000
Vera def. Marshall via unanimous decision

Ramsey Nijem: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Danny Downes: $5,000
Nijem def. Downes via unanimous decision

Francis Carmont: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Chris Camozzi: $8,000
Carmont def. Camozzi via unanimous decision

Clifford Starks: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Dustin Jacoby: $6,000
Starks def. Jacoby via unanimous decision

The total disclosed payroll for the UFC 137 was $1,026,000.

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 UFC 137 go here.

For complete UFC 137 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here.

Former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko, currently mired in an 0-3 slump, will try to get back into the win column against Jeff Monson on Nov. 20 under the M-1 banner at the Olimpiskiy Sports Complex in Moscow, Russia.

In preparation for "The Snowman's" grappling attack, "The Last Emperor" drills escapes with brother Aleksander and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi.

Anyone like what they see? Or did you stop caring back in July?

For more on "Fedor vs. Monson" click here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is heading across the pond for UFC 138 on Saturday night (Nov. 5, 2011) featuring a middleweight mash-up between surging division contenders Chris Leben and Mark Munoz, who will throw hands in the five-round main event on Spike TV when the promotion invades the LG Arena at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.

UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz" will air stateside via same-day tape delay at 8 p.m. ET on the cable television network.

Leben was pounded out by Brian Stann at UFC 125 earlier this year to bring a halt to his three-fight win streak, one that included impressive stoppages over Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama back in 2010.

"The Crippler" rebounded by dimming the lights for Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132 earlier this month with a vicious first round knockout, one that could easily propel him to the front of the 185-pound pack if he's able to replicate that performance on Nov. 5.

The oddsmakers aren't giving him much of a chance, however, pegging him as the +175 underdog.

"The Philippine Wrecking Machine" continued to inch closer to a middleweight title shot after overcoming the improved striking of Demian Maia, who took Munoz to the scorecards before losing a close unanimous decision back on June 11.

The former collegiate wrestling standout has just one loss as a 185-pounder, a razor-thin split decision to Yushin Okami at UFC on Versus 2 last August.

He's the odds-on favorite to win at -225.

Anyone think Munoz is getting too much respect? Or Leben not enough?

To see all the odds and betting lines for the UFC 138 event check out Odds Shark by clicking here.

Feel bad that Carlos Condit lost his title shot to Georges St. Pierre? Don't. It wasn't his to keep in the first place. MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden explains why right here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to pay-per-view last Saturday night (Oct. 29, 2011) with UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz," featuring former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz staking his claim to the title shot that was always his by beating up B.J. Penn for 15-minutes strong.

But that's not all.

Cheick Kongo maintained his status as the gatekeeper of the heavyweight division by outperforming Matt Mitrione in the co-main event of the evening.

And what else is there to say about the final fight in the career of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic?

In cased you missed any or all of it -- or just want to keep the discussion alive -- below are links to all the major storylines borne from Saturday night's event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In we go.

UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz "

Results and live blow-by-blow

Recap and discussion

Post-fight press conference video

Bonuses and awards

Event photo gallery

B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz video highlights

Facebook "Prelims" results and recap

Fight recap: Nick Diaz overwhelms B.J. Penn in decision win

Fight recap: Cheick Kongo takes a decision from Matt Mitrione

Fight recap: Roy Nelson finishes Mirko Cro Cop

Fight recap: Scott Jorgensen gets it done against Jeff Curran

Fight recap: Hatsu Hioki wins a split decision over George Roop

Fight recap: Donald Cerrone chokes out Dennis Siver

Fight recap: Bart Palaszewski knocks out Tyson Griffin

Fight review and analysis: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran

Fight review and analysis: Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Cro Cop

Fight review and analysis: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione

Fight review and analysis: B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz

UFC 137 post-fight fallout

Big winners and lowly losers

B.J. Penn retires from MMA

B.J. Penn's coach says "The Prodigy" will be back

The Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn fight metric report shows a straight Stockton style beatdown

Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre re-booked for Feb. 4, 2012, in Las Vegas

Cesar Gracie says Diaz vs. St. Pierre will be the biggest fight in UFC history

Nick Diaz thinks Georges St. Pierre is scared, homie

Georges St. Pierre calls Nick Diaz the most disrespectful human being he's ever met

Carlos Condit didn't step aside, GSP just really wants to smash Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz flips the bird to all the doubters by smashing B.J. Penn

B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz hug it out after duking it out

Saying goodbye to B.J. Penn, just in case he really leaves

Saying goodbye to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, who really is leaving

Mirko Cro Cop announces his retirement

Roy Nelson was happy to win but sad to see Cro Cop go

George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki fight metric report is rather interesting

At lightweight or not, Donald Cerrone just wants to fight

Donald Cerrone gets his wish to remain active, booked to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 141 on Dec. 30

That my friends, should be enough to keep you talking -- at least for the time being. What gets your vote for the biggest story coming out of UFC 137?

Sound off, Maniacs.

Event: Bellator 56 Where: Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas When: Saturday 29th October

MMAmania.com's own Brian Hemminger with the play-by-play:

Prindle takes the center but Sparks chases him away with a huge looping right hand. Prindle lands a nice leg kick and Sparks responds with a thudding kick of his own. Sparks throws a big left hook and it blasts Sparks on the chin as he throws a leg kick! Sparks faceplants and he's out cold! Prindle dives onto Sparks and gets tackled off by the referee. Awesome finish inside a minute!

While most of the mixed martial arts world was busy with UFC 137 last Saturday night (Oct. 29), Bellator 56 went down at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, as did heavyweight hopeful Ron Sparks. "The Monster" bounced his kisser right off the canvas and right out of the 265-pound tournament thanks to Prindle power.

And someone please tell the referee that knees to a downed opponent are still illegal.

Full Bellator 56 results here.

Pro MMA Radio returns TONIGHT (Oct. 31, 2011) at 9 p.m. ET right here on MMAmania.com featuring UFC middleweight contender Mark Munoz, who battles Chris Leben this Saturday night (Nov. 5) at UFC 138 from the LG Arena at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.

"The Philippine Wrecking Machine" will break down his gameplan for "The Crippler," where he thinks a win puts him in the stacked 185-pound division, fighting in the first-ever five round non-title fight and much more.

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 through our exclusive live feed.

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

Click the banner below or right here to listen to Pro MMA Radio.

For more on UFC 138 click here.

Oh what sweet violence this should bring.

Fresh on the heels of his utter and complete destruction of Dennis Siver at UFC 137 on Oct. 29, Donald Cerrone's wish to remain active has been granted. The former WEC wrecking machine has been booked to get busy against Nate Diaz at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Heavy.com brought word of the pending match-up late last night.

Cerrone was a member of the class of WEC lightweights that fans and pundits alike wrote off as easy pickins' once they were dumped in the admittedly deeper shark tank in the UFC.

Except he's been eating his competition alive, having won all four of his bouts inside the hallowed Octagon. He even brought home three separate bonus awards during that time.

There's no reason he can't make it five (and four) in this one.

Nate Diaz just recently returned to the land of the lightweights following an uneven run at 170-pounds that concluded with consecutive losses to Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald, respectively.

It was the wrestling that gave him trouble, as it usually seems to. That's why it's so refreshing that he's been matched up against a fellow fight monger.

Solid boxing? Check. Even better jiu-jitsu? Check. Would rather "fight" in lieu of wrestle? Mate.

Let's do this.

UFC 141 will take place on a Friday, on Dec. 30, 2011, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be headlined by a mega-fight pitting former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar taking on former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

Jon Fitch is also scheduled to return from shoulder surgery against budding welterweight contender Johny Hendricks.

For more on UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" click here.

It's all over!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) just wrapped another successful weekend campaign as UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" came, saw and conquered the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This event seemed doomed�from the start, as it was plagued by injuries, disappearing acts and enough fight card changes to make mixed martial arts (MMA) fans' heads spin.

Luckily, the details were eventually worked out and the pieces fell into place.

The show must go on.�And what a show it was. Though things started slow and even seemed stagnant at points, the main event made it all worthwhile.

After the jump,�MMAmania.com�examines the highlights of UFC 137 -- the good, the bad and the ugly:

In the main event, we saw Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn put on a fireworks-filled, bloody match up between two welterweights who desperately wanted a crack at Georges St. Pierre and his 170-pound belt.

Prior to the fight, Diaz admitted he was battling nerves because of the fact that "The Prodigy" has always been one of his heroes. The first round revealed some of Diaz's nerves and, for a few minutes, it looked like the Hawaiian was going to make quick work of the man who once had his poster up on his wall.

Not so fast.

In the second round, Diaz came out like a man on a mission, using precision striking to bludgeon the face of a fighter we've rarely even seen cut in previous fights.

Read a full recap of the B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz fight at UFC�here.�

When it was all said and done, Penn, battered and bruised, told Joe Rogan that he had entered the Octagon as a fighter for the very last time.

Diaz got on the microphone and called out the champion, St. Pierre, going as far as to accuse him of faking an injury to avoid having to fight.

As a result of Diaz's strong performance (and possibly his strong words),�UFC president Dana White went back on his original plan�to have "GSP" defend his belt against Carlos Condit and have the champion fight Diaz instead.�The bout is rumored to be going down on Super Bowl weekend.

Watch video highlights from B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz UFC 137 fight right�here.

Penn wasn't the only fighter to hang up the gloves after his fight.�After losing badly�to fellow heavyweight Roy Nelson, renowned head kick specialist Mirko Filipovic announced that we had seen the last of "Cro Cop."

Matt Mitrione was unable to get past the heavyweight divisional gatekeeper as Cheick Kongo�proved to be too seasoned and experienced for "Meathead" to overcome.

Donald Cerrone catapulted himself right into the lightweight division title mix by violently stopping Dennis Siver in a bout that left the German kickboxing specialist asking for the license plate of the truck that hit him.

Hatsu Hioki made a triumphant UFC debut with a very controversial decision win over George Roop. Afterward, he proclaimed that Japanese MMA is not dead. (Apparently, it was just taking a little nap.)

Enough from us. What was your favorite UFC 137 highlight, Maniacs?

For complete UFC 137 results and a detailed recap of all the action click�here. To check out a recap of the UFC 137�fights that were streamed online via Facebook click�here. Want to know what happened on the UFC 137�"Prelims" portion of the card? To read a full recap click�here�and�here.

And just in case you want to get up to speed on the entire UFC 137 fight card from top to bottom click�here.

Don't be scared, Georgie. (GIF) Nick Diaz calls out Georges St. Pierre in his post-fight interview after dominating B.J. Penn at UFC 137 last night (Oct. 29, 2011) in Las Vegas, Nevada. It worked, too. UFC President Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference that these two will fight over the Super Bowl weekend early next year because St. Pierre wants to give Diaz the worst beating of his life, mainly because of what you see above. Are you ready to accept Nick Diaz are your (potential) welterweight champion?

The biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world is finally coming to San Jose, California, as UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" will invade the HP Pavilion on Nov. 19, 2011. The pay-per-view event will be headlined by a light heavyweight throwdown that could very well determine the next number one number contender to the 205-pound title, as Mauricio Rua welcomes Dan Henderson back to the Octagon. In other action, Wanderlei Silva will give it one more go against the debuting former Strikeforce champion Cung Le. The complete UFC 139 fight card is after the jump.

Main event:

205 lbs.: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua

Main card (pay-per-view):

185 lbs.: Cung Le vs. Wanderlei Silva
135 lbs.: Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles
205 lbs.: Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury
170 lbs.: Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann

Spike TV Prelims:

205 lbs.: Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz
185 lbs.: Tom Lawlor vs. Chris Weidman

Preliminary card (may not be broadcast):

155 lbs.: Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
135 lbs.: Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace
135 lbs.: Johnny Eduardo vs. Michael McDonald
170 lbs.: Matt Brown vs. Seth Baczynski
155 lbs.: Danny Castillo vs. Shamar Bailey

For all the latest news and notes on UFC 139 be sure to hit up our event archive right here.

The fights are done. The dust has settled. The drama has been resolved inside the Octagon.

Like so many times before, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) successfully rolled through Las Vegas, Nevada, last night (Oct. 29, 2011) and put on a very exciting event (for the most part) and then called it a day, leaving many new storylines in its wake.

If you're interested in merely knowing who the winners and losers of record were for each fight on the UFC 137 line up, that's simple -- just click�HERE�and read the "Quick Results."

However, "a win is a win" is not always an accurate statement. Some wins are massive, catapulting men into "hero" status. Likewise, not all losses have the same effect on a fighter's career.

Sometimes the wins and losses don't even happen inside the cage.

Take a look at UFC 137's biggest winners and lowliest losers were, after the jump:�

BIG WINNERS

Nick Diaz�-- Love or hate him, this guy wins big fights and wins them convincingly. He went from fighting Georges St. Pierre for the championship belt in the main event to fighting B.J. Penn in the co-main event to still fighting Penn in the actual main event. Granted, he did it to himself with some silly antics, but not a lot of fighters would be able to ride that roller coaster all the way in, while staying focused enough to put on the kind of display that he did on Saturday night. It wasn't B.J. Penn in his prime. No one is saying it was. Either way, Diaz took the best shot from one of the best mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters of all time, weathered the storm, recovered and then beat him violently. It looks as though he will now get his title shot against "GSP" on Super Bowl Weekend. If he can just stay out of trouble until then.

Donald Cerrone�-- "Cowboy" has now won six fights in a row. He's not beating stiffs, either. Each win has been against formidable opposition. Coming into UFC 137, not many were giving Cerrone a lot of credit or much of a chance to beat Dennis Siver, for that matter. You may not appreciate his smack talk, but listen, he backs it up. Every word of it. Cerrone took this fight as somewhat of a short notice replacement, but Siver ended up looking like the fighter who hadn't had a proper opportunity to prepare. In any other division, Cerrone would be getting a title shot. Unfortunately for Cerrone, he happens to be fighting in possibly the toughest combat division in the entire world. For now, he'll have to bide his time, keep training hard and partying with equal intensity until he gets the call from the bosses.

B.J. Penn and Mirko Filipovic -- I know, I know. Both of these fighters lost and lost badly. That's a given. However, two careers came to a close. Two careers that deserve to be celebrated. B.J. Penn and Mirko Filipovic have served the MMA community well and thrilled fans for more than a decade. It would have been nice to see them both go out with a win, but the losses shouldn't tarnish the legacies they are leaving behind. Two classy guys. Two great fighters who always brought it.

Ramsey Nijem -- This guy just looks better every time we see him. He's gone from the "class clown" on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 13 to being a very well-rounded fighter that UFC lightweights should get to know. It would have been nice if he could have gotten the finish against Danny Downes, but that's one tough kid. Anyone else probably would have tapped. Nijem has a tremendous upside and it will be exciting to see how he continues to mature.�

LOWLY LOSERS

Carlos Condit -- What's that you say? Condit didn't even fight on this card? I know. That may be where he began to lose. Look, I'm not gonna hate on the guy. He gets punched in the face for the living. I'm just a keyboard warrior. I admit that freely. That aside, by sitting out, "The Natural Born Killer" may very well have cost himself a title shot. Maybe he's better than Diaz. Maybe he deserves it more. Hard to say. Fans saw Diaz put on a fantastic show on Saturday at Mandalay Bay. History has proven that waiting for your title shot hasn't worked out. Just ask Rashad Evans. Condit is a very good fighter. He'll get his name back in the mix, but fighters don't get to perform their trade forever. Bodies breakdown. Windows of opportunities close. Here's to hoping that he'll get another shot at the belt eventually.

Cesar Gracie -- We all make mistakes. We all say stupid things. In the heat of the moment, sometimes we just see red and respond to adrenaline. You can make that argument for Nick Diaz. He had just spent 15 minutes in an absolute war with his MMA hero. He used some language, called out a champion and flipped off some people in the crowd. Pretty standard for Diaz, really. But Cesar Gracie should know better. He's supposed to be the steadying force in the life of a guy who, let's face it, is generally anything but steady. Instead, he gets in Diaz's ear the first chance he gets and starts yelling, "Find that mother f---- St. Pierre! Call that mother f----- out!" Really? After everything Diaz had to overcome (mostly self-imposed) to get to that point, Gracie would choose to try and instigate and push the buttons of a guy who could go off and destroy his own career, on a whim? It just looks "bush league." Let the fighters do the trash talking. You keep teaching them how to throw up armbars and make sure they get to press conferences. Cool?

Tyson Griffin�-- You gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Griffin is 27 years old, but he could pass for a man much older these days. After losing three fights in a row in the lightweight division, Griffin made the strategic move to 145 pounds, hoping to avoid being cut from the Zuffa roster. He was re-inventing himself. It was a whole new Tyson Griffin. Only, it wasn't. In his first fight at featherweight, Griffin won a very uninspired (and almost unwatchable) decision victory over Manvel Gamburyan. It certainly wasn't the jump start his career sorely needed. Saturday night, Griffin came in overweight, out of shape and was completely outclassed by Bart Palaszewski. It may be time to take a break. Maybe do some traveling. Fight a few fights on some smaller regional shows. Do a gut check. After his performance at UFC 137, the decision may no longer be up to him.

So that's it. What did we miss? Fill up the comment section with your suggestions, arguments and words of fond flattery! To check out complete UFC 137 results and detailed blow-by-blow coverage click�here.

�

After the 15-minute beating B.J. Penn took from Nick Diaz last night (Oct. 29, 2011) at UFC 137, the bloodied and battered Hawaiian shocked the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by announcing his retirement.

Many believed it was a premature proclamation said in the heat of the moment. And rightfully so -- the disheartened former two-division champion had never been manhandled and bruised up in such a manner in his entire career.

However, all Penn fans can perhaps breathe a deep sigh of relief if one is to believe Allan Goes, Penn's Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach.

Last night, after taking several pictures of Penn in his locker room, which Goes later posted to his Facebook page, he relayed the message that Penn's words to him were, "I'll be back." Goes didn't elaborate on what that means, exactly, but it could be good news to all fans who hope Penn's retirement announcement will be short lived.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com further details on Penn's retirement and possible return to the Octagon. For more on Penn's surprise announcement last night at UFC 137 click�here.

If scientists were somehow able to mate a Brazilian Muay Thai expert with an M60 battle tank, the Frankenstein-like creation would surely resemble Thiago Alves.

He made his UFC debut in late 2005 but it wasn't until a year later that he really began to gain steam in the welterweight division. En route to a title shot against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100, the Braziian rattled off seven straight wins, five of them coming within the distance and in quick, brutal fashion.

One such win was against Hall of Famer and former long-time 170-pound kingpin Matt Hughes. It was a fight that signified a changing of guards from the early modern era of mixed martial arts (MMA) that Hughes represented to today's fighters who train full-time with excellent partners at world class facilities.

Once seen as the future of the welterweight division, "The Pitbull" has fallen on hard times as of late, losing three of his last four. At UFC 138, he aims to get back on track towards a second title shot when he takes on Octagon debutee Papy Abedi.

Before he does, we'll take a look at one of the biggest wins of his career, the UFC 85 headliner against Hughes. Alves rocketed himself to the upper echelon on the 170-pound division with that knockout, a position he eagerly hopes to return to.

Without further adieu...

After losing his first two professional fights in his native Brazil, Alves went on a tear, losing only once in his next nine bouts. It was enough to catch the UFC's eye and at Ultimate Fight Night 2, he -- along with opponent Spencer Fisher -- made his debut inside the Octagon.

Fisher would emerge victorious that night but it wasn't long before "The Pitbull" found himself back in the win column. Two quick stoppages at UFC 56 and 59 thrilled fans and added an element of stand-up intrigue in a division that had long been dominated by wrestlers.

The Brazilian then ran into a brick wall in the shape of Jon Fitch,�earning himself the distinction of being the only fighter the American Kickboxing Academy product has finished inside the Octagon by strikes.�Having split his first four UFC bouts, "The Pitbull" knew these kind of performances wouldn't get him any closer to the top of the mountain.�

Beginning at the impromptu Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 event, the Brazilian made it clear that no fighter would stand in his way. In the next 18 months, five fighters -- including Chris Lytle and Karo Parisyan -- would fall victim to Alves' newfound focus.

The streak put him on the right track towards a title shot. Unexpectedly, a litany of injuries and fight cancellations for UFC 85 led the Dana White and company to ask Matt Hughes and Alves to step in one short notice to headline the overseas card. Both agreed knowing that a win could propel either one of them into contention.�

Full speed ahead.

Alves takes the center of the Octagon with Hughes circling the perimeter. The former champion shoots in half a minute in but is stuffed by the Brazilian. A second takedown is also stuffed and Alves is able to throw a knee to the chest as they clinch.

Hughes keeps his opponent close and muscles him to the cage but "The Pitbull" is able to drop the American onto his back, landing some nice ground and pound before getting back to his feet. The strikes have already opened Hughes up.

The Brazilian slips a hook and nearly cracks his opponent across the jaw with a counter. He does, however, connect with a another devastating knee to the body before Hughes wraps up the leg and drops Alves to the mat. Stuck in his opponent's half-guard, Hughes elbows the ribs and thighs in an effort to pass to side mount.

Alves struggles to get his velcro-like opponent off of him but this isn't the former champ's first rodeo. On top of his opponent, landing elbows and punches has long been the country boy's bread and butter. But with half a minute remaining, the Brazilian is able to get back to his feet albeit being pressed up against the cage.

Attached to his opponent's right leg, Hughes swings Alves around for a takedown but the young welterweight is able to keep his balance and use the momentum to escape the attempt. Hughes dives back in for a double but in an impressive showing of strength, Alves whips his opponent over and onto his back.�In the closing seconds of the opening round, "The Pitbull" is able to land a handful of good punches while in his opponent's guard.

The second round starts and almost immediately Hughes throws the same looping hook that Alves was able to slip in the first. And once again, the Brazilian counters forcing the former champion to shoot in. In the blink of an eye, "The Pitbull" rockets a knee towards his opponent's skull that not only rocks him but busts him open as well.

The American abandons the takedown attempt and falls onto his back and it seems like Alves can sense the end is nigh. He dives in, throwing punch after punch, bloodying up his opponent even more. Hughes is able to scramble and gets back to his knees, trying to reverse position on "The Pitbull."

Alves is having none of that and squirms his legs out of the attempt and then sidesteps a second, more desperate, attempt. The Brazilian backs up, allowing Hughes to get back to his feet. Once he does, the Muay Thai tank soars through the air and connects with flying knee flush on the Hall of Famer's chin.

The blow forces the American to the mat and the weight of Alves dropping down on him torques his knee in a completely unnatural fashion. A follow-up punch forces the referee to stop the bout.

Alves all but got on his knees for a title shot -- although he probably should have since it had worked in the past for "GSP" -- following the win and asked UFC head honcho Dana White for a bout against "Rush."

A combination of Alves' failure to make weight and the eagerness to pull the trigger on a St. Pierre/B.J. Penn superfight led to "The Pitbull" being booked opposite Diego Sanchez at UFC 90. "The Nightmare" dropped out due to injury and fellow The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum Josh Koscheck took his place.

Alves made weight and beat "Kos," all but securing an opportunity to vie for the title. He came up short against the French-Canadian at UFC's centennial event and hasn't been able to find his rhythm since.

He once again missed weight at UFC 117 and subsequently lost his rematch with Fitch. He bounced back against Jon Howard four months later only to be bested by Rick Story this past May at UFC 130.

Does "The Pitbull" have it in him to claw back towards the top of the welterweight ladder?�Or has his time in sun passed?

What do you think, Maniacs?