Back at the UFC’s home base, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 114 was headlined by a light-heavyweight number one contender bout between Rashad Evans and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.  The fight was originally supposed to take place in 2009 when Jackson decided to place his MMA career on hiatus to play ‘Mr. T’ in a remake of The A Team.  After many bitter words were exchanged between Jackson and UFC president Dana White,  all parties finally came to an agreement, setting the stage for this long-awaited grudge match to finally take place at 114.

The co-main-event was slated to be a bout between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Forrest Griffin – another light heavyweight fight with potential title implications.  However, Griffin was forced to pull out of the fight with a shoulder injury, and his short notice replacement Jason Brilz was not deemed suitable for a featured bout.  And so a lackadaisical middleweight matchup between Michael Bisping and Dan Miller was promoted to the co-main.  The remainder of the undercard was a motley mixture of bouts with very little divisional significance.

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighter circle and fire off strikes from a distance.  Lauzon with head and body kicks, both blocked.  Jabs from Escudero.  Not much contact until Escudero grabs a clinch and lands a series of knees, most of which are blocked by Lauzon.  Escudero lets up and they circle around each other with some sporadic strike exchanges.  A cut opens on Escudero’s eyebrow.  Slow round.  Round 10-9 Escudero

Round 2: A few leg kicks from Escudero, then he rushes in with punches, backing Lauzon against the fence and firing off knees from the clinch.  Lauzon absorbs the knees and remains standing and so Escudero backs off.  Lauzon with a failed takedown attempt.  Lauzon starting to gas.  Escudero continues to work the leg kicks.  Escudero grabs clinch again and lands more knees but still can’t finish.   Escudero pushes Lauzon down but doesn’t follow him to the ground.   Round 10-9 Escudero

Round 3: More leg kicks from Efrain to start the final round.  Lauzon is more aggressive but doesn’t look to have much left in the tank.  Both fighters land a few punches.  Sporadic action, Escudero dances around and switches stances as the crowd boos.  Another clinch attack from Escudero; knees land but Lauzon remains standing and they separate.  A low kick catches Lauzon’s cup and he crumbles.  A point is deducted from Escudero.  They restart and both fighters flurry in the remaining few seconds.  Round 9-9 draw

Efrain Escudero wins the unanimous decision, 29-27 on all scorecards.

Aftermath: This was not an impressive showing for either fighter.  Escudero was successful in rebounding from the first loss of his career but failed to dazzle in his performance.  He should next take on Aaron Riley, who took a unanimous decision over Joe Brammer on the undercard.

Lauzon remains winless in his three UFC bouts, and will likely be gone from the organization on the heels of back-to-back losses and his well publicized conflicts with his brother and training partners.

Ranking Impact: Efrain Escudero rises 35 spots to #103 LW.  Dan Lauzon falls out of the LW Top 250.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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UFC 113 took place in Montreal, Canada and was headlined by a long-awaited rematch between the light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua.  Machida defeated Rua at UFC 104 in a highly controversial decision – most observers, including myself, disagreed with the judges and felt that Shogun deserved the nod in their first fight.  The other featured matchup on the card was a welterweight title shot eliminator bout between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley.

Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote (185 lbs)

Round 1: Belcher comes out throwing leg and body kicks.  Cote responds with punches.  Belcher’s kicks are finding their target until one lands in Cote’s groin.  The fight is paused briefly then they resume trading.  Both fighters land punches in an exchange.  More kicks from Belcher until Cote catches one and trips Alan to the ground.  Cote looks for a kimura, it’s locked in as he passes Belcher’s guard but Belcher is able to sweep and ends up in top guard.  Belcher passes into half guard, attempts an arm triangle then steps over into side control.   Round 10-9 Belcher

Round 2: Belcher once again leads with low kicks.  Referee Mario Yamasaki halts the action – turns out Belcher forgot to put his mouth guard back in between the rounds.  The fight resumes and Cote flurries with punches, landing several solid ones.  Belcher clinches and pushes Cote into the fence.  They separate and trade punches; Cote gets the best of the exchange then follows up with a takedown.  Belcher scrambles to his feet; Cote looks for another takedown but as he is attempting a double-leg, Belcher elevates him in the air and slams Patrick flat on his face!  Cote is stunned and Belcher hops onto his back and locks in a rear naked choke.  Cote submits, tapping on his opponent head.

Aftermath: Alan Belcher, continuing his rise up the middleweight ranks, should next fight Demian Maia.   A #1 contenders match with Vitor Belfort is also a good possibility.   Belcher earns the ‘Submission of the Night’ award for his performance.

Patrick Cote receives a harsh welcome back in his first fight since the loss to Anderson Silva, and should next take on CB Dollaway or Tim Credeur.

Ranking Impact: Alan Belcher rises 3 spots to #11 MW.  Patrick Cote, unranked for inactivity, returns at #52 MW.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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After two weekends of sub-par MMA events, it was left up to the usually exciting WEC to wash out the bad taste left in the fans’ mouths after digesting UFC 112 and last week’s Strikeforce.   The ‘Aldo vs. Faber’ event took place in Sacramento, CA – Urijah Faber’s hometown.  The event was somewhat of an anomaly for WEC: normally the organizations events are broadcast on the Vs network; this one was broadcast on Pay-Per-View, with the preliminary card shown on Spike TV.  Due to some sort of contractual issue between  networks, the WEC brand was nowhere to be seen except for the championship belts.  The event was branded simply as ‘Aldo vs. Faber’, and the usual WEC team of announcers and commentators was replaced by the UFC’s lineup of Joe Rogan, Mike Goldberg, and Bruce Buffer.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle for a bit, then Pettis lands a head kick that rocks Karalexis.   Karalexis attempts a takedown; Pettis defends but it gives Alex a chance to recover.  Pettis throws another kick; Karalexis catches it and tosses Pettis to the ground.  Karalexis lands several punches from the top then Pettis escapes back to the feet.  Pettis lighting up Karalexis with leg and body kicks.  Karalexis goes for a takedown but doesn’t succeed.  Pettis misses with a head kicks.  More leg kicks from Pettis;  Karalexis with another takedown attempt and drags Pettis down just as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Pettis

Round 2: Karalexis comes out swinging, closes the distance and takes Pettis down.  Pettis escapes and lands more solid leg kicks.  Another takedown for Karalexis;  Pettis locks in a triangle from guard, while simultaneously pounding the face of his trapped opponent until Alex taps out.

Ranking Impact: Anthony Pettis rises 12 spots to #77 LW.  Alex Karalexis remains unranked.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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For their second event on broadcast live on CBS, Strikeforce went all out, stacking the fight card with three title bouts.  With the lightweight, middleweight, and light-heavyweight belts all on the line, and a worthy line-up of champions and challengers, this was promising to be an amazing night of MMA.  Unfortunately things don’t always go as planned:

Champion Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal (205 lbs title bout)

Round 1: Mousasi leads with a high kick.  Lawal uses a combination of punches to set up a takedown.  Mousasi sprawls; Lawal eats several shots but completes the takedown.  Mousasi attempts a triangle.  Lawal passes into side control and tries to work his ground-and-pound.  Mousasi regains guard, blocks most punches and counters with up-kicks.  Mousasi back to the feet; he blocks another takedown attempt and punishes Lawal with punches.  Lawal is persistent and scores another takedown but Mousasi gets up quickly.  Round 10-9 Lawal

Round 2: Lawal is blocked on the first takedown attempt.  He succeeds on the second one but Mousasi is active with hammer-fists and up-kicks off his back and Lawal can’t control him from the top.  Mousasi gets up and is taken back down but once again does more damage off his back.  They stand up and Mousasi lands a solid combo backing Lawal up, then jumps on his back and looks for a choke as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Mousasi

Round 3: Lawal looks tired and Mousasi lights him up with kick and punch combinations.   Nevertheless Lawal scores another takedown.  Very little action on the ground;  Lawal is laying on top of Mousasi throwing an occasional punch.  Mousasi is starting to look tired as well, and is not able to get off his back.  Round 10–9 Lawal

Round 4: Mousasi lands leg kicks to start the fourth round and is taken down again.  Not much happens on the ground and the referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy calls for a standup.  It doesn’t last long as Lawal takes Gegard right back down.  Very little action on the ground; both fighters are tired and the fans boo.   Round 10-9 Lawal

Round 5: Lawal’s face shows signs of damage.  Mousasi needs a knockout or a sub at this point.  Mousasi swings for the fences but is taken down again.  Mousasi lands an up-kick as one of Lawal’s knees is on the ground; referee catches the foul and deducts a point from Gegard.  They restart in the same position.  Mousasi escapes and is looking to strike but Lawal slams him down again.   Up and back down, not much action but Lawal has controlled almost every round for an easy win.  Round 10–8 Lawal

‘King Mo’ Lawal defeats Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision (49-46 on all scorecards).  Lawal is the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.

Aftermath: Muhammed Lawal passes his first big test and wins a title.  Unfortunately there is very little competition available for him at this weight outside of the UFC.  Should he remain in Strikeforce, the only obviously available options for King Mo’s first title defense would be Renato Sobral or Dan Henderson.

Many fans have doubted Gegard Mousasi’s ability to defend against a strong wrestler, and he showed that the concerns were valid.  Having recently signed a contract extension with Strikeforce, Mousasi is now facing the same problem as Lawal: lack of available competition at his chosen weight class.

Rankings Impact: Muhammed Lawal makes his debut at #4 LHW (he was previously ranked at #16 HW).  Gegard Mousasi falls 6 spots to #10 LHW.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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UFC 112 marked the entry of UFC into yet another foreign territory: this time the event took place in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).  Unlike some of the European cards, 112 was stacked with two title bouts:  BJ Penn defending the lightweight title against Frank Edgar, and the middleweight champion Anderson Silva taking on Demian Maia (stepping in for Vitor Belfort, who was forced to give up his title shot due to a shoulder injury).  The featured matchups were rounded out by a battle between two legends: former welterweight champion Matt Hughes taking on Renzo Gracie in Renzo’s UFC debut.

Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz (185 lbs)

Round 1: Grove wants to strike but Munoz scores a takedown quickly.  Grove right back to his feet, eating a couple of punches as he gets up.  Munoz goes for another takedown but is rocked with a big uppercut coming in.  Munoz is on his knees, holding on to Grove’s leg as Kendall pounds away at Mark’s head.  Munoz looks almost out but somehow keeps trying to secure a takedown.  Grove is warned about holding the fence.  Eventually the referee breaks up the fighters.  Munoz goes for another takedown and gets it but Grove counters with a guillotine attempt.  Munoz escapes and Grove gets up; Munoz takes him down again and is caught in another tight guillotine.  Munoz survives and is free of the choke as the round ends. Round 10-8 Grove

Round 2: Both fighters come out swinging.  Munoz lands a hook that knocks Grove’s mouthpiece out, but Grove seems unfazed and responds with a knee that drops Munoz.  Grove takes Mark’s back and looks for a choke, then an armbar.  Munoz escapes and ends up in Grove’s guard.  Munoz punches from the top.  Grove keeps him away with leg kicks.  Munoz lands a big punch that stuns Grove, then follows up with a series of punches until Grove rolls over and covers up, causing the referee to stop the bout.

Aftermath: Mark Munoz has now won three straight since dropping down to middleweight after his loss to Matt Hamill.  He should next take on Jorge Rivera or Yushin Okami.    Kendall Grove proves to be an inconsistent and chinny fighter as usual, and next on his plate should be Nate Quarry or a rematch with Ed Herman.

Ranking Impact: Mark Munoz moves up 32 spots to #28 MW.  Kendall Grove falls 20 spots to #50 MW.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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Ultimate Fight Night 21 took place in Charlotte, NC and was headlined by the long-awaited UFC debut of the last Pride FC lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi, taking on one of UFC’s top lightweight contenders Ken Florian. Serving as a lead-in for the premiere of the eleventh season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ series, UFN 21 also featured past ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winners Roy Nelson and Ross Pearson trying to make a mark in their respective divisions.  A middleweight bout between veterans Nate Quarry and Jorge Rivera rounded out the televised card, while the preliminaries featured mostly lightweight matchups.

Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver (155 lbs)

Round 1: Pearson has a reach advantage over Siver, and is a bit quicker on the feet, outlanding Siver for most of the round in what is mostly kickboxing action.  Siver throws unorthodox front kicks but doesn’t land anything significant.  A small cut is open under Siver’s eye.  Pearson gets a takedown from a clinch and gets Siver’s back, then mounts Dennis.  Siver pushes Pearson off and pops up, landing a flurry of hooks to finish the round.  Round 10-9 Pearson

Round 2: Once again Pearson is scoring with punches and kicks on Siver.  Siver hangs in there and shoots for a takedown but is stuffed.  More striking exchanges and Siver gets the takedown and briefly takes Pearson’s back but can’t control the position.  Siver with his patented spin kick attempt, which falls just short of the target. Round 10-9 Pearson

Round 3: Both fighters look a bit tired but are still exchanging at a decent pace.  Pearson still outlanding Siver.  Siver gets a takedown and briefly works from guard but Pearson escapes. Pearson scores a takedown of his own.  Back to the feet and another takedown from Siver and quick escape by Pearson.  Round 10-9 Pearson

Ross Pearson wins a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all scorecards.

Aftermath: Ross Pearson continues to improve as a fighter and shows a lot of potential.  As an ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winner and one of the more promising British fighters in the UFC, he will likely be brought along slowly and kept away from the many strong wrestlers of the division who could derail his progress.  He should face Sam Stout next for another exciting display of stand-up fighting.

Denis Siver, who is usually a mainstay of the UFC’s European events, has had decidedly mixed results in the Octagon.  Siver has been the recepient of multiple ‘Knockout of the Night’ awards in the past, and with Siver and Pearson earning the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for this bout, Siver’s place in the lower tier of the lightweight division is safe for now.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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UFC is having a very busy month – UFC 111 came less than a week after the inaugural ‘UFC on Versus’ event, and only a few days before Fight Night 21 and the debut of 11th season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.  Sandwiched between the two smaller events, 111 held it’s own in the fight line-up, with welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre defending his belt against Dan Hardy, and heavyweights Frank Mir and Shane Carwin meeting for the interim title.   Welterweights Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves were supposed to have a rematch in the third featured bout, however a pre-fight CAT scan revealed an abnormality in Thiago’s brain, which prevented him from being licensed for the fight and resulted in Ben Saunders stepping in to face Fitch.  Saunders’ originally scheduled opponent Jake Ellenberger was scratched for the card (receiving both ‘show’ and ‘win’ money for his troubles).  Here’s how it all went down:

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown (170 lbs)

Round 1: Brown throws a high kick and gets taken down.  He gets up but Almeida plants him back down again.  Brown uses the cage to escape to his feet.  They clinch and it’s a stalemate.  Referee breaks up the clinch but Almeida is not having any part of Brown’s stand up and goes right back to clinching against the cage looking for takedowns.  Very little action, with Almeida landing a couple of good elbows.  Almeida edges out a very boring round to the loud boo’s of the crowd.  Round 10-9 Almeida

Round 2: Brown again starts the round with a kick, leading to an instant takedown.  Brown up and back down.  Brown up again and back to clinch against the fence.  A repeat of the first round.  Almeida lands an elbow combination that cuts Brown, then takes him down and quickly passes his guard.  Brown rolls; Almeida locks in a body triangle and transitions to Matt’s back, locks in a rear naked choke and Brown is forced to tap.

Aftermath: Ricardo Almeida’s welterweight debut was a successful one, despite boring the fans out of their minds for the first and much of the second round.   He needs to be matched up with another elite grappler – preferably Matt Serra or Matt Hughes.

The usually exciting Matt Brown has his game shut out by a much superior grappler; his clinching and takedown defense clearly need some work.  In the meanwhile, a fight with Brian Foster should make for some fireworks.

Fight Grade: 2.5/5

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UFC’s first event televised on the Versus network took place in Broomfield, Colorado – the home state of the first UFC event held back in 1993.  Zuffa – UFC’s parent company – has been frequently using the Versus network to broadcast WEC events.  For a period of time, a dispute between DirecTV and Comcast (the owners of Versus) kept the network off the screens of DirecTV subscribers.  The dispute was resolved just in time for this event, allowing the first UFC on Versus to be broadcast to a wider audience.

Besides the network change, the other notable theme of this event was a reunion of the previous class of UFC’s heavyweights:  Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheik Kongo, and the presently light-heavyweight Brandon Vera.  All three fighters began their UFC careers within a year of each other, and all have received a varying degree of hype early in their careers, but consistently underachieved.  All three had a pivotal matchup lined up for them on this card.

Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin (185 lbs)

Round 1: Sakara is the aggressor early on, interchanging punch combinations with leg kicks.  Irvin is tentative, defending and firing off an occasional leg kick.  Sakara trips and falls while throwing a leg kick but gets up before Irvin has a chance to capitalize.  Sakara lands a left hook and Irvin collapses, clutching his eye.  Referee Josh Rosenthal pulls Sakara off before any more damage is done.  Irvin complains about an eye poke but replay shows it was a clean punch that landed to the eye.  After some hesitation, Rosenthal declares the bout a TKO victory for Sakara – the right call.

Aftermath: Alessio Sakara earns three consecutive wins for the first time in his UFC career.  He should next take on the winner of the upcoming bout between Patrick Cote and Alan Belcher, or Vitor Belfort if he returns to action soon.

James Irvin looked completely flat in his first fight after a long layoff.  Whether the cause was ring rust, a difficult cut for his first fight at 185 lbs, being gun-shy after his destruction at the hands of Anderson Silva, or a combination of all these factors, Irvin’s UFC career may be in jeopardy.  Post-fight, the UFC President Dana White mentioned that if Irvin gets another chance, it will not be in the middleweight division.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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WEC 47 ‘Bowles vs. Cruz’ was the organization’s debut in Columbus, Ohio, and featured several important matchups in the bantamweight division: Champion Brian Bowles was set to defend his title against Dominick Cruz, former champion Miguel Torres took on Joseph Benavidez in a #1 contender bout, and a rising prospect Scott Jorgensen looked to break into the title picture.  As usual, the card was rounded out by a smattering of lightweight and featherweight bouts.

Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle each other tentatively.  Karen lands the first significant punch.  Bart answers with leg kicks.  Karen advances with a flurry, backing Bart into the cage, then goes for a takedown.  Palaszewski grabs on to a guillotine but gets slammed as Darabedyan breaks free and lands elbows to the head.  Bart tries for an omoplata and uses it to regain guard.  Bart attempts and armbar and a triangle but Karen evades danger and finds openings for elbows and punches.  Karen stands over Bart and eats an upkick then dives back into Palaszewski’s guard.  Palaszewski keeps looking for an armbar and finally secures one, straightening out Karen’s arm.  Darabedyan tries to roll out of it but he is trapped and forced to tap out.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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In the UFC’s continued quest for world dominance, UFC 110 took place in Sydney, Australia – another new location for the promotion.   The unofficial theme of the night was a reunion of some of Pride FC’s biggest stars – Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, Wanderlei Silva, and Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, all three fighting to maintain relevancy in the twighlight of their careers.

Mirko Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh (HW)

Round 1: Mirko leads with a punch and misses with a head kick.  Perosh shoots for a takedown and Mirko sprawls, punching the side of Anthony’s head.  This sets the pace for the entire round, with Perosh’s takedown attempts repeatedly stuffed.  Mirko punishes Perosh on the feet with uppercuts and straight punches.  Perosh is persistent but unsuccessful with his shots, bleeding from the nose by the end of the round.  Round 10-9 Filipovic

Round 2: Perosh throws hands briefly, eats an uppercut and shoots for another takedown.  Mirko sprawls.  Perosh is still not having any success with his takedowns.  Mirko hurts Perosh with a body kick.  Perosh throws a couple of leg kicks and shoots again; Mirko stuffs the shot and punches the head of Perosh.  Perosh pulls guard and Mirko blasts him with an elbow from the top.  The elbow opens a huge, gushing cut on Anthony’s forehead.  The fight is stopped to check the cut and somehow allowed to continue.  Perosh attempts a few more failed takedowns and absorbs more punishment until the round finally ends.

The fight is stopped between rounds because of the severity of the cut, giving Mirko Filipovic the TKO victory.

Aftermath: This was a major mismatch, with the local fighter Perosh stepping in as a last-minute replacement for the ill Ben Rothwell who was originally scheduled to fight Filipovic.  Perosh never stood a chance in this matchup, and remains winless in the UFC.  Despite his willingness to fight on short notice, it’s unlikely he will get another UFC bout, unless perhaps they hold another event in Australia soon.

‘Cro Cop’ gets a much needed win, looking workmanlike against a outmatched opponent.  It looks like he will still take on Rothwell next – this should be a better indicator of just how far the mighty Cop has fallen.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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In the recent years, it has become a tradition for the UFC to put on a major event the night before Superbowl.  This year, UFC is still reeling from the string of illnesses and injuries suffered by key fighters in the past few months, and so the Superbowl event had a rather underwhelming card.  Headlined by the “seniors’ tour” matchup of Mark Coleman vs. Randy Couture, 109 piled on the nostalgia with Matt Serra taking on Frank Trigg on the undercard.  The rest of the event was mostly filled with matchups with little divisional significance, with the notable exception of Nate Marquardt taking on Chael Sonnen for the shot at the middleweight title.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres (155 lbs)

Round 1: Torres ducks under a punch and takes Guillard down.  Torres passes into half-guard and works for a kimura.  Guillard escapes and stands up.  Torres leads in with a punch then takes Guillard down again but Guillard reverses and ends up on top, then stands up and backs away.  Guillard lands a couple of kicks.  Torres misses with a flying knee.  Guillard attempts a spinning back fist but misses as well.  Torres shoots for another takedown, eats a knee on the way in but completes the takedown.  Ground and pound from Torres but Guillard is able to stand up and blasts Torres with two hooks as the round ends.   Round 10-9 Torres

Round 2: An ice bag breaks up in Torres’ corner between the rounds, extending the break to several minutes.  Both fighters come out swinging and missing.  Torres attempts to slam Guillard, lifting him up high against the cage; Guillard prevents the slam and they trade punches.  Torres shoots in – right into a knee again, then eats another knee after Guillard breaks free.  Guillard defends another takedown attempt but Torres takes his back standing and Guillard rolls, ending up in Ronnys’ guard.  Torres looks for a kimura but Guillard escapes and lands a big punch.  Round 10-9 Guillard

Round 3: Guillard is throwing haymakers, looking for a finish.  Guillard defends a takedown attempt and punishes Torres with big punches.  Torres fires back then earns a takedown.  Torres passes into side control and once again works a kimura.  Guillard escapes to his feet.  Guillard rocks Torres with a punch but gets taken down again.  Torres picks up Guillard and attempts a slam but lands on his back, mounted by Guillard.  Guillard tees off from the top as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Torres

Melvin Guillard wins a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all scorecards.

Aftermath: Melvin Guillard gets back on the winning track, somewhat controversially.  He should be faced with the winner of the upcoming bout between Spencer Fisher and Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig.

Ronnys Torres’ long awaited UFC debut has been delayed by a series of injuries, and he performed fairly well coming off a lengthy layoff.  Still, the loss places him near the bottom of the UFC’s lightweight division and he should prove his mettle by taking on either Mac Danzig or the fellow struggling Brazilian prospect Thiago Tavares.

Fight Grade: 3/5

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From Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA, WEC 46 was highlighted by the long-awaited return of the injured lightweight champion Jamie Varner, set to unify the belts with the interim lightweight champ Benson Henderson in the main events.  In other featured bouts, two former featherweight champions Urijah Faber and Mike Brown set their sights on the comeback trail, with Faber taking on Rafael Assuncao and Brown facing an unheralded WEC newcomer Anthony Morrison.

Mackens Semerzier vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (145 lbs)

Round 1:  After a brief exchange, Taurosevicius closes distance and takes Semerzier down.  Semerzier locks in a guillotine but Taurosevicius slams his way out of it.  Taurosevicius stands over Semerzier and eats a slapping up-kick.  Taurosevicius passes into side control and throws elbows.  Semerzier regains guard and gets back to his feet but is quickly taken down again.  Semerzier with another guillotine attempt and Taurosevicius responds with a big slam.  The action slows down on the ground and referee stands them up.  Taurosevicius shoots another takedown as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Taurosevicius

Round 2: Semerzier leads off with a series of kicks.  He stops Taurosevicius’ first takedown attempt but gets dragged down from clinch. Semerzier escapes but is quickly taken down again, then slammed on his next attempt to get up.  Semerzier looks for a triangle but Taurosevicius defends well.  Taurosevicius works from Semerzier’s guard; Mackens looks for submissions from the bottom and nothing comes close.  Semerzier attempts a leg lock near the end of the round; Taurosevicius powers out of it. Round 10-9 Taurosevicius

Round 3: An uneventful exchange starts the final round.  Taurosevicius catches a kick but Semerzier stays on his feet.  Taurosevicius shoots for a takedown and Semerzier attempts a d’arce choke, then switches to a kimura.  Taurosevicius is in danger but rolls out of the hold, giving up the top position.  Semerzier stands over Taurosevicius, landing body and head strikes.  Taurosevicius is bleeding.  Semerzier passes guard and works from side control.  Taurosevicius scrambles out and gets caught in a guillotine, but escapes as the round ends. Round 10-9 Semerzier

Deividas Taurosevicius wins by unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three scorecards

Fight Grade: 3/5

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During the rigorous training that leads up to an MMA bout, fighters often get injured and are forced to pull out of a scheduled fight, leading to late substitutions and/or fight cancellations.  Injuries can always be expected, but UFC 108 broke all records with the number of fighters who were once scheduled to be on the card but had to pull out with an illness or an injury.  A string of bad luck leading up to UFC 108 left the card without a solid main event, which we’ve come to expect from UFC’s year-end events.  In fact Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva and Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout were the only originally scheduled main card bouts that made it intact to the actual event.  All other main card bouts and several of the prelims fell apart due to injuries, forcing UFC to scramble to come up with suitable substitutions.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller (155 lbs)

Round 1: Miller moves forward and lands a combination.  Lauzon fires back, dropping Miller with a left hook.  Miller recovers and jumps up, eating a knee as he does.  Miller clinches and throws a knee.  Lauzon takes Miller’s back standing, but Miller reverses and ends up on Lauzon’s back with Dan on his knees.  Miller locks his legs around one of Lauzon’s arms and looks for a kimura on the other arm.  Lauzon defends until Miller rolls over, and Dan is forced to tap out.

Aftermath: Dan Lauzon was at 18 years old the youngest fighter to compete in the UFC when he lost his debut to Spencer Fisher back at UFC 64.  After going on an eight-fight win streak in various promotions, his UFC return was spoiled, dropping him to 0-2 in the organization.  He would be better off making a switch to the WEC’s lightweight division.

Cole Miller gets back on the winning track, earning himself a Submission of the Night bonus in process.  He should fight Jeremy Stephens next.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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Returning to Las Vegas, WEC 45 had a lackluster lineup by the usual WEC standards: no title matches or clear #1 contender bouts – just a series of bouts in the bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight divisions, headlined by Donald ‘The Cowboy’ Cerrone taking on Ed ‘9mm’ Ratcliff.  Here’s how it went down:

Scott Jorgensen  vs. Takeya Mizugaki (135 lbs)

Round 1: Mizugaki leads off with punches and Jorgensen counters with a right hook, dropping Mizugaki.  Jorgensen follows to the ground and looks for a guillotine.  Mizugaki defends and works back to his feet.  Mizugaki lands a combination to the body.  They clinch and Mizugaki throws knees; Jorgensen catches one and throws Mizugaki down.  Takeya instantly gets back up and goes back to trading punches until Jorgensen knocks him down for the second time.  Jorgensen jumps into Takeya’s guard and throws punches from the top but Mizugaki scrambles, gives up his back then escapes.   Round 10-9 Jorgensen

Round 2: Mizugaki comes out swinging again.  Jorgensen shoots and gets a takedown.  Jorgensen passes guard but Mizugaki escapes and stands up.  They trade punches then clinch against the cage.  Action slows down and referee breaks them up.  Mizugaki flurries and gets taken down again though quickly makes his way back to the feet.  Another exchange and another takedown for Jorgensen, this time Mizugaki pops up even more quickly. Round 10-9 Jorgensen

Round 3: They exchange for the first half of the round with both fighters landing.  Jorgensen scores another takedown and Mizugaki is right back up again, then responds with a trip takedown of his own.   Mizugaki passes into side control, briefly gets a crucifix but Jorgensen rolls and escapes.  Mizugaki takes him down again and punches from the top as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Mizugaki

Scott Jorgensen wins a unanimous decision with the scores of 29-28 from all judges.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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UFC 107 took place in Memphis, TN – the home of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, who was supposed to take on Rashad Evans in the main or co-main event.  As it were, ‘Rampage’ decided to take some time off from fighting and we ended up with the lightweight champion BJ Penn defending his title against Diego Sanchez in the main event, with a clash of heavyweights Frank Mir and Cheik Kongo getting the second billing.

Stefan Struve vs. Paul Buentello (HW)

Round 1: Struve leads with a high kick that misses.  Buentello responds with a combination.  Buentello catches a mid kick and Struve pulls guard, but Buentello backs out of it.  Struve stands up and lands a huge uppercut then trips Paul down and lands into mount.  Buentello gives up his back and Struve locks in a body triangle.  Struve lands a few punches from the back then patiently works for a choke.  Buentello defends well.  Buentello eventually escapes and ends up on top guard, and they trade elbows as the round ends. Round 10-9 Struve

Round 2: Struve kicks, misses, and falls.  Buentello lets him stand up.  Struve pushes Buentello up against the fence.  Buentello lands punches to the body and head.  Struve dives down for a leg lock but Buentello evades.  Struve is back up and launches a flying knee but gets swatted out of mid-air by Buentello’s counter.  Struve is dazed but Buentello wants no part of ground game and lets him back up again.   Struve clinches then unloads a flurry on Buentello against the cage.  Buentello responds in kind and the last minute of the round is an absolute slugfest with both fighters trading punches with no regard for defense.  Round 10-9 Buentello

Round 3: Struve continues with the leg kicks and knees to the body.  Buentello responds with jabs and punch combinations but is getting picked apart by leg kicks.  Buentello looks unsteady on his legs as Struve finds a rhythm, alternating leg kicks with occasional punches and knees.   With less that a minute left, Buentello drops an off-balance Struve with a punch but lets him up again.  Struve looks tired and Buentello unloads with a flurry to finish out the round.  Round 10-10 draw

Stefan Struve wins a majority decision with the scores of 29-28, 29-28,28-28

Aftermath: This turned out to be an unexpectedly exciting fight.  Stefan Struve earns the third consecutive win after losing his UFC debut to Junior dos Santos.  The 6’11” Struve is certain to be a force in the years to come, but for now should get another couple of tune-up fights before jumping into title contention.  Michael Russow would be a good next fight for Struve.

Paul Buentello comfortably returns to the gatekeeper position in the heavyweight division, after being absent from the UFC for a couple of years.  I’d like to see him take on ‘TUF’ Season 10 winner Roy Nelson next.

Fight Grade: 4.5/5

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