(Photo:UFC.com)

The weigh-ins took place this afternoon for the UFC Fight Night event that will be featured on SpikeTV tomorrow night.  The weigh-ins were somewhat uneventful with all fighters making their weight requirements and no real aggression beyond the obligatory staredowns for the press and the fans.

Alessio Sakara looked a bit weary in his appearance while there looked to be a bit of tension between Ed Herman and Alan Belcher - great stare-down anyway…

Houston Alexander also attempts to recover his UFC mystique after dropping 2 consecutive fights in the Octagon.  This time he will be playing the role of hometown hero.

The co-main event of Mac Danzig Vs. Clay Guida is sure to be a barn burner and the two fighters looked really pumped up for the fight as well, which is all you can ask for.

The event takes place at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska beginning at 8pm ET / PT on SpikeTV.

Check out the offical results below:

Josh Neer 155 VS Nate Diaz 155
Clay Guida 155 VS Mac Danzig 155
Alan Belcher 185 VS Ed Herman 185
Eric Schafer 205 VS Houston Alexander 205

Joe Vedepo 185 VS Alessio Sakara 185
Wilson Gouveia 185 VS Ryan Jensen 185
Kyle Bradley 155 VS Joe Lauzon 155
Jason Brilz 205 VS Brad Morris 205
Mike Massenzio 185 VS Drew McFedries 185
Dan Miller 185 VS Rob Kimmons 185

Check out Video highlights of the weigh-ins as well as a photo gallery for the bandwidth challenged.

Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald has been living up to his nickname lately by competing in consecutive UFC PPV events and at a higher level, by pulling off three fights in the Octagon in a five month period.   MacDonald is a big Middleweight fighter and he always seems to be in shape and ready to go.  MacDonald has been a highly effective fighter, racking up a record of 5-3 in the UFC and taking losses to only elite fighters such as Rich Franklin, Yushin Okami and most recently the up and coming submission specialist, Demian Maia.

Many fighters could suffer some depression or at least some self doubt following a loss, but J-Mac jumped right back on the horse following his gritty loss to Demian Maia at UFC 87, taking a fight against the very tough Jason Lambert at UFC 88.  Opportunity is everything when you are competing in the biggest MMA organization in the world, and MacDonald makes sure he stays on the radar as a fighter who delivers.  Jason delivers repeatedly in terms of his performance as he has enjoyed fight bonuses for KO of the night over Joe Doerksen at UFC 83 and then Submission of the night at UFC 88.  He delivered by filling in on short notice for Jason Day who was injured in training and unable to make his scheduled bout against Lambert.

Finally, Jason MacDonald always delivers for the fans.  Win or lose, he is a big Middleweight fighter with  adequate standup skills and an exciting submission game .  MacDonald always goes for the win and showed solid “heart” in grinding through a brutal Kimura and then arm-bar attempt by Doerksen as well as escaping multiple submission attempts prior to dropping the Maia fight.

Perhaps the most interesting part is that MacDonald remains a fan of the sport unlike a lot of his peers.  He continues to train from his homebase in Alberta and still rises as a solid competitor amongst others in his division who train with the world’s elite fighters day in and day out in MMA hotbeds like Las Vegas. In a blog that he pens for Sportsnet.ca, MacDonald is always quick to comment on other fighters that he follows and watching all the events and The Ultimate Fighter series.

In his most recent blog entry, Jason commented on where he is in his career right now;

“After my last loss, I did a little soul-searching, and I just found that I do much better when I’m relaxed so I approached this one differently. Last night we were joking around backstage before I went out and it kept me loose. So the bottom line is I just have to be more relaxed. And I used to be that way earlier in my career. I fought a lot better and I enjoyed the whole experience more. And getting back to that, I think it was reflective in my performance. I thought I fought well.  So even at 33, I’m still getting better because I’m still learning, and I’m not just learning new skills and techniques, but learning about myself as a fighter.”

It’s good for a fighter to be in that comfort zone and taking losses as learning lessons instead of getting emotionally rattled by every setback.

After the win over Lambert, MacDonald said, Joe Silva entered the ring and said, “Good fight,” to which I responded, “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon!”

Riding the waves of his career with an appreciation for competing in the big leagues, MacDonald sums it up his recent opportunity nicely… “Obviously all in all it was a good night for me. And at this rate, I don’t have a mark on me, so I feel like I could fight next month if anybody gets hurt. I like it this way.”

The fans like it this way as well.  Any card is improved with the addition of Jason MacDonald and there is no doubt that the UFC brass are becoming aware of that fact as well.

Check out more of Jason MacDonald’s blog entries at Sportsnet.ca.

 (Image: SpikeTV)

SpikeTV’sMMA reality hit, The Ultimate Fighter returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 16th for an 8th season.  This season features former champ Frank Mir and current interim Heavyweight Champ Antonio Nogueira as the coaches for their respective teams and the two will face off after the season ends as per the usual model for the show.

That fight will be a semil final of sorts, as the winner will face the winner of the pending Randy Couture Vs. Brock Lesnar match in a unification fight. 

This season will focus on 16 fighters - 8 Heavyweight and 8 Light Heavyweight’s  that will be living together in the TUF house, but like last season, the cast will start with 32 men as each have to earn a spot in the house in a trial by fire fight.  The initial sudden death fight to make it into the house was a nice touch last season and it adds to the MMA value of the show.

Check out a sneak preview of the TUF 8 premier scheduled to air tomorrow night, courtesy of SpikeTV.com

As if that wasn’t good enough…. 

TUF 8 will be preceded by a”free” UFC Fight Night event that will air at 8pm EDT.  That Ultimate Fight Night 15 card is pretty good as well…

• Nate Diaz headlines the card, looking for a 5th straight UFC win over a very game and ultra experienced Josh Neer. 
• Clay Guida meets Mac Danzig in another very interesting Lightweight match-up that could be fight of the night.
• Houston Alexander looks to recover his UFC mystique in what could be a loser leaves match against Eric Schafer.
• Alan Belcher faces Ed Herman as he looks to recover from a lopsided loss to Jason Day at UFC 83. 
• Alessio Sakara, Wilson Gouveia, Drew McFedries and Joe Lauzon round out the card as well.    

(Image: UFC.com)

The weigh-ins for tomorrow nights UFC 88 PPV in Atlanta, GA were held this afternoon and all fighters made weight. As usual, fans like to see some great stare-downs at the weigh-ins and I think the best mean face awards go to Ryo Chonan and Roan Carneiro. Everyone else was almost too pleasant to believe these guys will be fighting in about 24 hours from now. With all the weight cutting in MMA, the fighters came in looking pretty ripped. Jason MacDonald looked a lot bigger than Jason Lambert who makes his first UFC appearance at 185lbs. Lambert looks to have cut his weight well and didn’t look too drawn. Rich Franklin also looked great as he moves back up to 205lbs in this match against Matt Hamill.

The bigger news was the fact that the Karo Parisyan Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida match was taken off the card due to Parisyan suffering a back injury. There was no indication of an injury in this video of the press conference held earlier.

More on that as details are released.

Here are the official weigh-in results:

Main Event
Rashad Evans (205) vs Chuck Liddell (204)

Main Card

Matt Hamill (205) vs Rich Franklin (204.5)
Dan Henderson (185) vs Rousimar Palhares (184.5)
Nate Marquardt (185) vs Martin Kampmann (184.5)
Matt Brown (170) vs Dong Hyun Kim (170)

Under-Card
Thiago Tavares (155) vs Kurt Pellegrino (156)
Tim Boetsch (205.25) vs Michael Patt (205.25)
Jason Lambert (185) vs Jason MacDonald (185)
Ryo Chonan (170) vs Roan Carneiro (170)

Check out pictures of the event or  to watch the full weigh-in video from UFC.com

With UFC 88 just a few days away, it’s time to get some picks out there.  The cards are so big these days compared to a few years ago that it is really time consuming to put together detailed breakdowns to back up personal picks.  The answer of course is to do less work - so let’s give the quick approach a try…

Main Event

Chuck Liddell Vs Rashad Evans- Chuck is a former champion and ultra experienced. Rashad Evans has an unblemished UFC record and has risen as one of the true talents to emerge from the TUF franchise. 

Best Guess: Expect Rashad to trade strikes until he realises that it’s The Iceman he’s trading shots with.  Rashad will then try to work his wrestling advantage only to be frustrated by Chuck’s take-down defense and defensive striking. Rashad will be out of his comfort zone and he will get caught with some big shots and eventually KO’d. If this fight goes more than 7 1/2 minutes, I will be very surprised.  Pick: Chuck by KO

Main Card

Rich Franklin Vs. Matt Hamill- Like Liddell, Rich is a former champion and super experienced in the Octagon.  Franklin brings great striking and overall skill with him as he moves up a weight-class from 185lbs to 205 for this fight.  Matt Hamill made a strong impression on The Ultimate Fighter and is one of the most experienced wrestlers in the organization. It’s the classic striker vs wrestler match.

Best Guess:Expect Hammill to continue to impress with his striking improvement while still being edged out on the feet by Franklin. Risking getting picked apart standing, Hammill will take Franklin down with little trouble, but will be unable to capitalize.  Expect Hamill to be contained by Franklin while on the ground and eventually catch Hammill with a clean punch or a submission from his back. It will likely take all 3 rounds to show that Rich can make waves at 205 even if he can’t get by Anderson Silva @ 185lbs.  Pick: Rich Franklin by late round stoppage (strikes or submission)

Yoshiyuki Yoshida Vs Karo Parisyan- This one is billed as a battle of Judo practitioners and that could make it interesting.  Karo will be looking to do some damage after dropping his last fight to Thiago Alves when it looked like Parisyan was on the cusp of an elusive Welterweight title shot. Karo is known for his Judo skills but is underrated for his striking, possessing very quick hands and presenting an elusive and frustrating target.  Yoshida made quick work of Jon Koppenhaver but Karo is in another league.  Even assuming that the Judo contest ends in a draw, Parisyan’s experience level and striking should help him edge this one out.  Pick: Karo Parisyan by anything but a decision for a change.  

Dan Henderson Vs Rousimar Palhares- Dan Henderson is an MMA legend who is coming off 2 tough losses in the UFC in title matches against Rampage Jackson and Anderson Silva.  Palhares is a relative unknown, riding a high following a slick and quick armbar victory over veteran fighter Ivan Salaverry at UFC 84.  Palhares looked sharp against a twilighting Salaverry, but will be outmatched against a gritty and hungry Dan Henderson. Look for Palhares to fall victim to Henderson’s size advantage (6′1″ vs 5′8″)  and get rocked on his feet and finished. Pick - Henderson by TKO

Martin Kampmann Vs Nate Marquardt- Marquardt is a big 185 with a well rounded game. He tends to do well against ground fighters and has an intelligent fighting style but is not exactly a “finisher”.  Kampmann is heading into his second fight in 3 months, coming back from a long injury/surgery layoff and getting a solid test in Marquardt. Kampmann is known for his solid striking and power but is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC with no 3 wins by submission, so he is well rounded too.  Kampmann also showed a great chin against Drew McFedries, who as devastating KO power. 

Pick:Kampmann by whatever it takes. This is the toughest fight on the card for me to pick but I favour Kampmann’s ability to finish fights.  

Undercard

Thiago Tavares Vs Kurt Pellegrino- Pellegrino is tough as nails and one of the grittiest Lightweight fighters in the UFC.  he has a solid wrestling base and showed enough BJJ skills to hang with Joe Stevenson, but fell short in his most recent match against the lanky Nate Diaz.  Tavares isn’t lanky, but like Diaz, he is a very dangerous submission fighter.  Pellegrino is very hungry for the win and may make a mistake in looking to put in a n impressive performance against Tavares. Pick:Tavares by submission.

Tim Boetsch Vs Michael Pratt- Look for Boetsch to bully his way through Pratt ho will be looking for the submission victory.  Pick:Tim Boetsch by TKO (round 1)  

Dong Hyun Kim Vs. Matt Brown- Kim made elbowed his way to victory against Jason Tan in May and is back to prove he has skill against Matt Brown, the tough competitor from TUF 7.  Kim looked very well rounded in his last outing and will have an opportunity to show consistency against Matt Brown, who, with a 10-6 pro record has been an example of hit and miss success.  Pick:Dong Hyun Kim by TKO.

 Jason Lambert Vs Jason MacDonald - Two of my favorite fighters to watch.  Both show a lot of heart in the Octagon and are coming off losses as they enter this match.  MacDonald will have a big advantage in his submission game while Lambert traditionally likes the ground and pound approach.  The intangible for this fight is the weight cut for Lambert as he makes a drop from 205 to 185.  Pick: Jason MacDonald by submission. 

Roan Carneiro Vs Ryo Chonan- Chonan is a battle tested warrior how has been through big league competition in the past. Chonan has shown endless heart and an aggressive fighting style that has him either win or lose in exciting fashion.  Carneiro is primarily a ground fighter who favors submissions. Both men have shown a lack of consistency in the past. 

 Pick:This one os a bit of a crap shoot, but going with Chonan as he has been able to frustrate and edge out elite fighters in the past.

 Well that’s it for the picks. There are some really interesting fights on this card and when it’s all said and done on September 6th in Atlanta, UFC 88 should be a source of great fan entertainment, even without a title match on the fight card.

 (Photos:UFC.com) 

Chris Leben is one of the most colorful characters to come out of “The Ultimate Fighter” franchise. While some fighters have enjoyed immediate success following their stint on the show, Leben has been developing into a more mature and well rounded fighter in front of the world and with a respectable 7-3 record since his season on Spike TV.  A brawler at heart, Leben has made a real effort to round out his game while at the same time bringing stability to his personal life.  “The Crippler” relocated to Hawaii to train and coach full time and the benefits of the new lifestyle have been evident in his physique and his fighting style ever since.

As much as a man can change and develop though, when you have KO power like Leben, it’s hard not to fall back on it and hey… why not?  It works and the fans love a Knock-out!

With a fight against TUF 3 Light Heavyweight winner Michael Bisping in the works for UFC 89 on Oct 19th, in Birmingham, England - Leben will have another chance to showcase his power against a fighter who isn’t afraid to stand up and bang.  Bisping is hardly one dimensional, but his willingness to stand up with “The Crippler” should give a big advantage to Leben and his one punch, fight finishing left hand.  Jorge Rivera, Terry Martin and Alessio Sakara all found out the hard way that standing and trading shots with Leben is a recipe for disaster.

Leben acknowledged the challenges of the fight with Bisping on a recent Myspace blog entry;

I was kinda making a joke the other day when asked about my impression of the fight. I said, “He’ll probably hit me about 20 times, and then I’ll hit him once.” That might be how that fight goes.

In other words, he’s got great foot movement, his hands … he’s definitely faster than I am — I’ll go ahead and say it. He’s faster than I am; he’s got good foot movement, good head movement. But I don’t think he’s got the big guns like I do. I don’t think he’s got that huge knockout power.

Bottom line is, everybody’s hit me a lot of times in every fight I’ve ever been in. I think this fight against Michael Bisping, I’d be lying to you if I thought it was going to be any different. I’m going to go out there, he’s going to land some shots, I’m sure, and then I’m going to land a big shot that’s just going to crumble him.”

It may not be the most precise game-plan, but it certainly plays to Leben’s strengths.  You have to think that Bisping will look for the take-down and a submission victory at any opportunity, regardless of comments regarding his willingness to stand and strike.  As for the ground scenario, Leben has a similar approach in mind;

“Well if it goes to the ground and he’s on top, I’m going to work to stand back up. He likes to be standing and punching and working to pass, which is a great skill, a great way to pass guard I think in MMA. He was doing that well in his last fight, so I think I’ll work to stand back up.

If I take him down and I’m on top, I’ll look to pass guard, beat on him, and if he gives me a submission, I’ll take it; otherwise, I’ll just continue to punch him in the face.”

Despite the plan to power punch a victory in this fight, Chris is still looking to fight a smarter fight each time out.  It’s a fine line though and Leben always seems to err on the side of fan entertainment.  It is a fight after all and with Leben in the headline match against a home town hero, it could be a career defining match at that.

This is one that I am definitely looking forward to seeing… Check out the rest of Chris’s blog entries here.

 (Photo:UFC.com)

The UFC issued a press release this afternoon, confirming widespread rumors that Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture will be returning to the Octagon this year.  It appears that Zuffa and Randy Couture have come to a mutual agreement that will see the Heavyweight Champion back in action at UFC 91, on November 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.  That first match back will be a Heavyweight title defense against the new kid in town, Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar, fresh of his win over Heath Herring will get a bit of a bogus shot at the title given a 1-1 record in the UFC. The reality is that this is probably the biggest drawing match that the UFC could set up in the Heavyweight division, without getting Fedor Emelianenko in the Octagon.  Lesnar has been a big draw for the organization since transitioning from his pro wrestling gig with the WWE and has no doubt brought legions of wrestling fans with him.  It’s a no lose opportunity for Lesnar, who will come out looking great if he can hang with the Couture and will be a bonafide star if he can manage to get the win.  Boosting that chance at victory will be a significant size/weight advantage for Lesnar as well as the fact that Couture has been out of action for a year.

The winner of that title fight will have to face off against the winner of the pending match between current interim title holder, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria and former champion, Frank Mir.  It boils down to lots of action in the UFC’s Heavyweight division, which is a great news considering the core of Heavyweight fighters that have so far legitimized Affliction’s fight promotion.  Personally, I have never enjoyed the Heavyweight fights as much as the other weight classes, but I am as much a sucker for the phenomenon that is Randy Couture as the next guy. With Brock Lesnar and his recent post fight antics setting the stage to make him a perfect arch nemesis for the champion, I will be anxiously awaiting the return of “Captain America” on November 15th…