Anderson Silva Defeats Chael-Sonnen – (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)

UFC 148 took place this Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM grand, and the UFC delivered on what may turn out to be the biggest event in the company’s history. Over 15,000 fans filled the arena for the United States’ largest UFC box office of 7 million dollars and according to President Dana White all metrics point to this being the largest pay per view buy rate in company history.

The main event featured the biggest rematch in UFC history that pitted Champion Anderson Silva against Chael Sonnen.  The first round looked similar to the first four rounds of their first fight, but it was Anderson SIlva who figured out Sonnen’s timing and began landing strikes that rattled and dropped him in the second round. Sonnen was finished seconds later by technical knockout and Silva defended his title for the tenth time and extending his winning streak to fifteen(both UFC records.) Silva was awarded the knockout of the night bonus for the finish as well ($75k.)

In the co-main event it was the rubber match between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. The third fight looked much like their first two fights, but it was Forrest Griffin who was able to squeak out two rounds and get the unanimous decision win. The fight was also awarded the fight of the night honors($75k.) Ortiz made it official, and retired after the fight. Tito had a big day, as he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame earlier in the afternoon.

Main Card
Middleweight Championship Title Bout
Anderson Silva 184 lbs vs. Chael Sonnen 185 lbs
Anderson Silva defeats Chael Sonnen by Technical Knockout at 1:51 of round 2

Light Heavyweight
Forrest Griffin 204 lbs vs. Tito Ortiz 204 lbs
Forrest Griffin defeats Tito Ortiz by Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

Middleweight
Cung Le 185 lbs vs. Patrick Côté 185 lbs
Cung Le defeats Patrick Côté by Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)

Welterweight
Dong Hyun Kim 170 lbs vs. Demian Maia 170 lbs
Demian Maia defeats Dong Hyun Kim by Technical Knockout (Strikes) at :47 of round 1

Featherweight
Chad Mendes 146 lbs vs. Cody McKenzie 145 lbs
Chad Mendes defeats Cody McKenzie by Technical Knockout (Punch to the body) at :31 of round 1

Bantamweight
Ivan Menjivar 136 lbs vs. Mike Easton 135 lbs
Mike Easton defeats Ivan Menjivar by Unanimous Decision (30-27×2, 29-28)

Preliminary Card on FX
Lightweight
Gleison Tibau 155 lbs vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov 155 lbs
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeats Gleison Tibau by Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)

Lightweight
Melvin Guillard 155 lbs vs. Fabrício Camões 156 lbs
Melvin Guillard defeats Fabrício Camões by Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)

Middleweight
Constantinos Philippou 186 lbs vs. Riki Fukuda 185 lbs
Constantinos Philippou defeats Riki Fukuda by Unanimous Decision (30-27×2, 28-28)

Lightweight
John Alessio 156 lbs vs. Shane Roller 155 lbs
Shane Roller defeats John Alessio by Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

Preliminary Card on Facebook
Lightweight
Rafaello Oliveira  156 lbs vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo 156 lbs
Rafaello Oliveira defeats Yoislandy Izquierdo by Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 6: (L-R) Opponents Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen face off during the UFC 148 weigh-in at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 6, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The UFC 148 weigh ins took place today in Las Vegas, Nevada for the biggest UFC pay per view of the year. All fighters made weight for the event, and all bouts will take place as scheduled. The talk is over, the fight has been sold, and the only thing left for the fighters to do is fight. Things got animated in the stare down when Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva bumped into Chael Sonnen, and they were immediately separated. Below are the full weigh in results for UFC 148.

Middleweight Championship Title Bout
Anderson Silva 184 lbs
Chael Sonnen 185 lbs

Light Heavyweight
Forrest Griffin 204 lbs
Tito Ortiz 204 lbs

Middleweight
Cung Le 185 lbs
Patrick Côté 185 lbs

Welterweight
Dong Hyun Kim 170 lbs
Demian Maia 170 lbs

Featherweight
Chad Mendes 146 lbs
Cody McKenzie 145 lbs

Bantamweight
Ivan Menjivar 136 lbs
Mike Easton 135 lbs

Preliminary Card on FX
Lightweight
Gleison Tibau 155  lbs
Khabib Nurmagomedov 155 lbs

Lightweight
Melvin Guillard 155 lbs
Fabrício Camões 156 lbs

Middleweight
Constantinos Philippou 186 lbs
Riki Fukuda 185 lbs

Lightweight
John Alessio 156 lbs
Shane Roller 155 lbs

Preliminary Card on Facebook
Lightweight
Rafaello Oliveira  156 lbs
Yoislandy Izquierdo 156 lbs

While we are approaching the end of March and it seems like it has been forever since an actual UFC event other than The Ultimate Fighter, it is time to recap what has transpired in the first quarter of 2012 with regards to the UFC.

From January 1st through March 31 the UFC held seven events. The first of which took place on January 14th and the span ended on March 3rd. That was seven events in seven weeks. No wonder the UFC decided to take some time off as the next event scheduled isn’t until April 14th.

Looking back at the events, there were several memorable moments. From fights to knockouts to submissions, the first quarter did not disappoint in the least. Let’s take a look at some of the best of the best through out this quarter.

Submissions
During the quarter there were a total of seventeen submissions. Some were obviously more memorable than others. But there was something special about our top five submissions. It could be because a fighter stuck to his bread and butter, it could have been a submission that hasn’t been seen before, or it could have been just from the sheer fact that the fighter got the submission. In all cases, just mentioning the fight and the submission it is likely to bring images of people tapping to the forefront of your brain.

5. Jim Miller defeated Melvin Guillard by rear naked choke at UFC on FX: Guillard vs Miller
4. Dustin Poirier defeated Max Holloway by mounted triangle armbar at UFC 143
3. Martin Kampmann defeated Thiago Alves by guillotine choke at UFC on FX: Alves vs Kampmann
2. Rousimar Palhares defeated Mike Massenzio by heel hook at UFC 142
1. Charles Oliveira defeated Eric Wisely by calf slicer at UFC on Fox: Evans vs Davis

Knockouts
Nothing gets the crowd going more than a crazy knockout. Sometimes a ref is merciful and is able to stop the barrage of attacks and other times, a single shot sends a foe to the canvas stiff as a board. No matter how the knockout happened, fans will always place the fighter that delivered the finishing strike on a new pedestal wanting him to take on a step up in competition.

5a. Stephen Thompson defeated Dan Stittgen by head kick at UFC 143
5b. Anthony Pettis defeated Joe Lauzon by head kick at UFC 144
4. Tim Boetsch defeated Yushin Okami by TKO at UFC 144
3. Lavar Johnson defeated Joey Beltran by uppercuts at UFC on Fox: Evans vs Davis
2. Jose Aldo defeated Chad Mendes by knee at UFC 142
1. Edson Barboza defeated Terry Etim by spinning heel kick at UFC 142

Fights
While there were several memorable fights across all the cards, there is just something extra about the fights that received fight of the night honors from the UFC. Some fights were quick, others were one sided beatings, and others were great back and forth battles. With that said, here’s the top 5 fights from the first quarter.

5. Evan Dunham vs Nik Lentz at UFC on Fox: Evans vs Davis
4. Diego Sanchez vs Jake Ellenberger at UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs Ellenberger
3. Roy Nelson vs Fabricio Werdum at UFC 143
2. Demetrious Johnson vs Ian McCall at UFC on FX: Alves vs Kampmann
1. Frankie Edgar vs Ben Henderson at UFC 144

Overall Card
Pay per views always tend to have a higher ranking as far as star power is concerned, and justifiably so; they require someone to purchase the event instead of watch it for free. But sometimes the free cards can out perform their pay per view counter parts on the fact that the fighters want to be on the main card of a pay per view instead of televised card. It was a difficult decision to rank the cards, but here’s the top 5.

5. UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs Ellenberger
4. UFC on FX: Guillard vs Miller
3. UFC on FX: Alves vs Kampmann
2. UFC 142: Aldo vs Mendes
1. UFC 144: Edgar vs Henderson

Jim Miller Chokes Melvin Guillard – Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The headlining UFC on FX bout delieverd in quick and exciting fashion as Jim Miller bested a dangerous Melvin Guillard via submission. The event took place in Nashville, Tenesse and is the first of a long line of UFC events on FX. The win moves Miller back into the mix at the top of the lightweight division, possibly two or three fights away from a shot at the title.

Melvin Guillard versus Jim Miller – from Iron Forges Iron

The fight was an exiting battle that showcased high level striking and Jiu-Jitsu all within a round. Guillard dropped Miller with a big left hook within the first minute, attacking with knees and trying to break away from a clinching Miller immediately after. With 2:30 to go, Miller caught Guillard’s flying knee and took him to the ground. Miller tried to pass, Guillard scrambled to his feet, and Millers grappling instinct kicked in as he transitioned to Guillards back. A few seconds was all it took to sink in a rear-naked-choke and finish the night with a first round submission.

Guillard lost in his classic fashion; he choked. When he fights Jiu-Jitsu practitioners who can make it a grappling match, he has shown time and time again that he gives up his neck. His submission defense was likely in it’s prime form, training at Jacksons for his past few fights he had been training with a couple of the best ground fighters in his division. To climb the ladder again Guillard will have to make a big step up in pure Jiu-Jitsu and learn from his training partners. It is clear that his striking and wrestling are competitive with every lightweight fighter on the UFC’s roster, but with a clear hole in his game he may never reach the top.

Jim Miller submits Melvin Guillard – from Iron forges Iron

For Miller, he showcased his phenomenal combination of wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu once again. A loss to Ben Henderson cost him a title shot, but this win puts him right back into the mix at the top of the division. He sets a good pace out of the gate and capitalizes on any mistake his opponents make. If Miller can piece together a similar win streak to the one he had before the Henderson fight, he will be fighting for the title within a years time

On Friday, January 20th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, the UFC made their UFC on FX debut with a card headlined by Melvin Guillard taking on Jim Miller. A total of ten fights were shown between the four main-card fights on FX and the three-hour six-fight preliminary action on FUEL TV. Eighty percent of the fights had a finish last night and the other two delivered high paced action.

image from Iron Forges Iron

The first fight of the night between Nick Denis and Joseph Sandoval got the ball rolling in the fast finishes and made distinct calling for the Knockout of the Night award. Denis needed just 22 seconds to finish off his opponent. The two clinched in the center of the octagon and Denis unloaded five standing elbows to the side of Sandoval’s head sending him unconscious and to the canvas.

The last fight of the preliminary card between Jorge Rivera and Eric Schafer had a lot riding on it. Rivera had stated that win or lose he was going to retire after this fight. The first round Schafer controlled the action scoring takedown after takedown. He nearly finished the fight with an omoplata but time was running out. In the second Schafer went for a single leg takedown, this Rivera was ready. While trying to escape from the takedown attempt, he opted to turn around and unloaded a barrage of strikes to Schafer. Schafer tried to defend, but Rivera was relentless in his attack forcing Herb Dean to stop the action.

from Iron Forges Iron

Pat Barry returned to his winning ways and looked to throw his name into the hat for Knockout of the Night against Christian Morecraft. Early on Morecraft looked to submit Barry and nearly did with an armbar. But Barry escaped and returned to his feet. A short while later Barry landed a massive left hook that put Morecraft on bambi-legs. Barry followed the attack up and seven heavy punches later Morecraft was out cold.

It was a tough decision but Denis’s standing elbow strikes earned him a cool $45,000 bonus for knockout of the night.

from Iron Forges Iron

Submissions came fast and they came frequent with five fights ending with a submission. Daniel Pineda quickly took Pat Schilling down and got the mount. He nearly finished the fight with punches, but Schilling gave up his back and worked to stand up. Pineda held on and locked in a rear naked choke to end the fight in just over a minute.

Fabricio Camoes took on Tommy Hayden next and both fighters wanted to take the other to the canvas. It looked like Hayden was going to be the better of the two after putting Camoes on his back and worked from side control. But Camoes used the opportunity to grab an armbar that was very deep. Hayden escaped the submission, but had lost his position and this time Camoes got to work from the top position. A swarm of attacks and Camoes took Hayden’s back and adjusted till he got the tap from a rear naked choke.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was dominating the striking against Kamal Shalorus through out the first two rounds. In the third he worked for a takedown and was threatened by a guillotine choke by Shalorus. Once he escaped, he used punches and hammerfists to pass to mount. Shalorus gave up his back and that was all Nurmagomedov needed to finish the fight with a rear naked choke.

from Iron Forges Iron

In our prediction of Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Josh Neer, we thought it was going to be an action packed stand-up battle with Neer winning a unanimous decision. That was hardly the case. Ludwig was landing shot after shot, but Neer was determined to continue to move forward and fight a close game. Neer held onto one of Ludwig’s legs and then swept the other leg out from under him to get the fight to the ground. A short scramble and Neer locked in a very tight guillotine. Ludwig tried to tap, but fell unconscious before he could.

from Iron Forges Iron

Our own Kyle Conroy predicted that Jim Miller would win his fight against Melvin Guillard by rear naked choke in the second round. He was close. Miller won it in the first round. Guillard looked to land knees and punches, but Miller caught a knee and used it to score the takedown. Miller quickly passed to mount and while Guillard was escaping took Guillard’s back. Miller worked for a rear naked choke, at first it wasn’t under GUillard’s chin, but it eventually found its way there and also Guillard tapping.

With so many great submissions to pick from, one wondered which one would earn the Submission of the Night bonus. In the end, UFC officials opted to go with Jim Miller’s rear naked choke as the one worthy of an extra $45,000.

While Charlie Brenneman versus Daniel Robert and Mike Easton vs Jared Papazian were exciting fights that went the distance, it was Pat Barry’s first round knockout over Christian Morecraft that earned the fight of the night and both fighters an extra $45,000.

Jim Miller – via UFC.com

The first official UFC fight card under the new Fox broadcast deal arrives this Friday night at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. These fights will be on one of network’s most popular affiliate stations, FX.

For the UFC’s maiden voyage, they have provided a four fight main card over the two-hour time slot. Headlining is a lightweight bout between Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller. This is an interesting choice because they both work towards the finish and therefore are very entertaining to watch, but both are coming off losing performances in their last fights.

Jim Miller is coming off of a good performance against Ben Henderson last August. However, Miller dropped a unanimous decision to Henderson after providing back and forth action throughout. Melvin Guillard is also coming off of a losing performance but of a different nature. Guillard was knocked down and submitted by Joe Lauzon in less than fifty seconds in the first round last October. Both fighters are looking to get back into title contention with an impressive victory on Friday night. Before their receptive losses, both men were riding an impressive multiple fight win streak. A five-fight win streak for Guillard and a seven-fight win streak for Miller. This is very impressive due to the amount of talent within the UFC’s lightweight division. I anticipate both fighters will look to end their opponent’s night very quickly and decisively.

Ways to Win…
For Miller to win he will have to eventually take the striker off of his feet. The longer the fight stays in the standard striking position the more of an advantage Guillard will have. Miller could win by ground and pound as well submission; he has the means to do both. However he decides to end the fight, it will most likely be from the ground. He will have to be cautious about Guillards’ body punches; they have been known to finish fights alone.

For Guillard to win he will need to avoid the takedowns and the pressure from against the cage. As we have seen in the past, Guillard only needs one or two clean shots to the head or body to turn the fight into his favor. Guillard spoke with UFC.com in a recent interview and said that he learned a new strategy to avoid Miller’s takedown attempts from the Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo at UFC 142 this past weekend. It will be interesting to see if he can implement a new strategy this late in the camp.

Prediction…
I believe that Miller will come away with the victory via a rear naked choke in the late minutes of the second round. Miller will use his striking to set up takedowns, but he will need to make several attempts to finally crack through. Guillard has good takedown defense and striking of his own. However, Miller is the better wrestler for MMA and I think he will eventually find a way to bring his opponent down.

There will be approximately six hours of UFC programming spanning on several Fox affiliate stations surrounding the start time of the FX card. Check your local listings on FX and FUEL TV for the prelim fights, pre-fight and post-fight coverage. Do not forget that this card is on Friday, January 20.

Nate Quarry

Nate Quarry was the top earner at “Ultimate Fight Night: Diaz vs Guillard” earning $60,000 for his fight against Tim Credeur.  Nate Diaz and Carlos Condit were the next top earners with $48,000.

The total disclosed payouts for the event totaled $476,000 and does not include any of the bonuses that were given out.

The full payouts for the event include:

Nate Diaz: $48,000 ($24,000 to show, $24,000 win bonus)
def. Melvin Guillard: $14,000

Gray Maynard: $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus)
def. Roger Huerta: $21,000

Carlos Condit: $48,000 ($24,000 to show, $24,000 win bonus)
def. Jake Ellenberger: $10,000

Nate Quarry: $60,000 ($15,000 to show, $30,000 win bonus)
def. Tim Credeur: $10,000

Brian Stann: $22,000 ($11,000 to show, $11,000 win bonus)
def. Steve Cantwell: $10,000

Mike Pyle: $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 win bonus)
def. Chris Wilson: $17,000

C.B. Dollaway: $28,000 ($14,000 to show, $14,000 win bonus)
def. Jay Silva: $6,000

Phillipe Nover: $20,000 (did not fight due to seizure, fighter still paid)
vs. Sam Stout: $24,000 (did not fight due to seizure, fighter still paid)

Jeremy Stephens: $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus)
def. Justin Buchholz: $8,000

Mike Pierce: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 win bonus)
def. Brock Larson: $26,000

Ryan Jensen: $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 win bonus)
def. Steve Steinbeiss: $6,000

Now, the usual disclaimer: The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial portion of a fighter’s income. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special bonuses the UFC oftentimes pays.

In other words, the above salary figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.

Again, a card that appeared to look like an “eh” night of fights without having a true star to headline the event, turned out to be far from so-so as the UFC delivered once again as Ultimate Fight Night 19 proved that you don’t need a star-studded lineup to put on a great show. Despite only showing four fights on TV, mixed martial arts fans were able to see plenty of quality fights.

The televised portion of the card started off with a slugfest between Nate “Rock” Quarry (12-3) and Tim “Crazy” Credeur (12-3). Both fighters definitely lived up to their nicknames as Quarry took several big shots to the face and didn’t crumble. The first round unquestionably went to Credeur as he surprised Quarry with his standup game as he rocked him in the round in which we saw Quarry’s knees buckle and have his face bloodied up. Round two and three opened up the same way, with Credeur unloading flurries to Quarry’s face. But, the “Rock” bounced back in both rounds, catching Credeur with crushing blows and almost finishing the fight a couple times. The entire bout was a slugfest, with Quarry edging out Credeur in an extremely action-packed matchup. The official scores were 29-28, 29-28, and 29-27 in favor of Nate Quarry.

Everyone expected Carlos Condit (23-5) to run through Jake Ellenberger (21-5), considering Ellenberger was taking the fight on short notice and the average fan had never heard of him before. This was certainly not the case. Ellenberger came out firing in the opening round as he dropped Condit with punches twice and went for a brabo choke submission as well. It seemed as if Condit was going to be finished in the first round, but he hung on. Round two and three had just as much action as the first, as both fighters were trading crushing blows back and forth. Ellenberger seemed to slow down a bit and Condit edged out the final two rounds. Condit gets his first UFC victory by split decision. The official scores were 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29.

Gray Maynard (8-0) came ready to bang with Roger Huerta (20-3-1). Throughout the fight it was clear that Maynard was the more refined striker. He was the aggressor throughout most of the fight and mixed in his superior wrestling skills when the time was right. In the third round Maynard secured a kimura that seemed as if it was going to take Huerta’s shoulder right out. Amazingly, and to his credit, Huerta was able to persevere and escape. The bout was competitive, but Maynard notched each round. Not sure what judge Chris Lee was watching, as he scored the bout in favor of Huerta, but Gray ended up winning a split decision. The official scores were 30-27, 30-27, and 28-29.

The main event featured two of the biggest trash talkers in the octagon. Unfortunately for Guillard, only one of them could raise supreme. Melvin Guillard (22-8) opened up the round with a powerful right hand that dropped Nate Diaz (11-4), but he did not pounce on his opponent out of respect for his ground game. The rest of the round included a few takedowns from Diaz, but Melvin got up pretty quickly. Diaz was the aggressor and Guillard seemed a bit hesitant, but he did enough to take the round. Guillard looked strong to start the second again as he was getting the better end of the exchanges on the feet. Guillard tries to bait Diaz into thinking he was hurt from a punch, as he backed into the cage pretending to be injured. Diaz has none of it, and I don’t think anyone with a pair of eyes did either. Guillard tries to surprise Diaz by shooting for a single leg and Diaz traps him in a guillotine. After a few seconds Guillard taps and Diaz wins by submission

Official Results:

• Nate Diaz def. Melvin Guillard via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:13
• Gray Maynard def. Roger Huerta via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
• Carlos Condit def. Jake Ellenberger via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Nate Quarry def. Tim Credeur via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
• Brian Stann def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Mike Pyle def. Chris Wilson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 2:15
• C.B. Dollaway def. Jay Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jeremy Stephens def. Justin Buchholz via TKO (doctor’s stoppage, cut) – Round 1, 3:23
• Mike Pierce def. Brock Larson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ryan Jensen def. Steve Steinbeiss via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:56

UFN 19 Poster

Guillard vs. Diaz

The UFC Fight Night 19 card is headlined by Melvin Guillard (22-7-2) and Nate Diaz (10-4), mainly because the UFC did not want to showcase Roger Huerta since it seems he will pursue dreams of becoming an actor.  Diaz and Guillard will both look to capitalize on Huerta’s loss.

In a battle of two of the biggest mouths in the UFC’s lightweight division, one guy will have his jaw closed (momentarily). Diaz, who challenged the UFC to give him top level competition, got what he asked for; he is 0-2 since. The Cesar Gracie student got his wish and could not capitalize when he fought Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson. He needs to avoid a 3 fight losing streak to stay relevant in the 155 pound picture.

Guillard, also known for talking a big game, comes into the fight on a 3 bout winning streak, his latest a very controversial win over Gleison Tibau. Guillard hit very hard, and is always a threat to knockout his opponent.

Diaz has a big ego, and if he lets that get the best of him, he will wake up after the fight is over and not remember what happened. If Diaz fights the smart fight, he will look to take Melvin down and submit him. I believe Diaz is smart enough to put his ego to the side and intelligently pick apart Guillard’s weaknesses. Diaz submits Guillard midway through the second round after some scary moments on the feet early on.

Maynard vs. Huerta

A match that should be headlining the card pits Gray “The Bully” Maynard (7-0) against former UFC poster boy, Roger Huerta (20-2-1). This is another fight that shows how stacked the lightweight division actually is. Gray is a very strong wrestler, and proved that he is also a solid boxer when he outclassed Jim Miller in his last octagon appearance. Gray will look to smother Huerta and use his strength and athletic ability to force the referee to rescue Huerta.

Huerta’s best chance to win this fight will be to fight exactly like Kenny Florian did when the two of them hooked up. Huerta must pick and choose his shots and then quickly get out of the way. I do not see Huerta being able to control this fight. Maynard will bully Huerta right out of the UFC as he dominates him for a three round decision.

Condit vs. Ellenberger

Carlos Condit (22-5) will look to get back to doing what he does best…winning. This is a matchup served to Condit to get the W. Jake Ellenberger (21-4) is coming in on late notice and is facing a fighter who is superior in every way to his skill level.  The only thing Ellenberger has going for him is that he has nothing to lose in this fight. Nobody expects him to win, and that could make for a very exciting slugfest. With that said, Condit knows this is a must win for him and he will finish Ellenberger with strikes to raise his hype within the UFC once again.

Quarry vs. Credeur

Both fighters are not the cleanest of strikers, but they definitely like to bang. Nate Quarry (11-3), always known as a knockout artist will look to add Tim Credeur (12-2) to his list. Credeur is better on the ground than he is standing, but he will throw bombs with bad intentions that will make the bout interesting.

Brent Todd, founder of mmarecap, was at the weigh-ins and reported that Quarry looked very drained from the weight cut, which should frighten his fans. This leads me to believe Quarry will be looking to end this one quickly before he gases out due to a bad weight cut. Credeur is a smart fighter, and I am sure he noticed his opponent’s position. I still will be picking Quarry to hand Credeur his first UFC loss, but my confidence in this pick has dropped drastically.

Quick Picks

Adam Dicker: Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Carlos Condit, Nate Quarry

Brent Todd: Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Carlos Condit, Tim Credeur

UFN 19 Poster

MMARecap.com was at the weigh-ins for “Ultimate Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard” at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, OK earlier today.  Nate Diaz was the only fighter to not make weight on the first try.  However, Diaz easily made weight shortly after the live weigh-ins.

While Diaz was the only fighter to miss weight on the first attempt, several fighters looked very tired and dehydrated from the weight cut.  Apparently, many of the “24 hour” gyms in town were in fact not 24 hours and the fighters were forced to use the gym located inside the hotel.

“Ultimate Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard” will take place live tomorrow night on SpikeTV and will serve as the lead in to season ten of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

The full results include:

MAIN CARD
•    Nate Diaz (156)* vs. Melvin Guillard (155)
•    Roger Huerta (156) vs. Gray Maynard (155.5)
•    Carlos Condit (171) vs. Jake Ellenberger (170.5)
•    Tim Credeur (186) vs. Nate Quarry (184)

PRELIMINARY CARD
•    Steve Cantwell (206) vs. Brian Stann (205.5)
•    Mike Pyle (170) vs. Chris Wilson (171)
•    C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Jay Silva (185)
•    Phillipe Nover (155.5) vs. Sam Stout (156)
•    Justin Buchholz (155.5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155.5)
•    Brock Larson (171) vs. Mike Pierce (169.5)
•    Ryan Jensen (186) vs. Steven Steinbeiss (185.5)