The show opened with Dana White and Chuck Liddell discussing Tito Ortiz pulling out of the fight.

Liddell said that he didn’t want to do the show with Ortiz, but that the reward would be the fight with him.

White said that Liddell would still fight at the end of the show.

Ortiz explained his situation with his neck.

Weight-In:

The fighters and coaches gave their view on how the fight would turn out.

At the house:

Yager talked to his roommates about how he ends his fight quickly. He said that he knows Bryant’s game plan and that he is ready for it. Yager said “But when you tap the chin, it’s the off button. You feel me? There’s no cardio in the chin”.

Bryant said “I’m just going to try to take advantage of what I think I’m better at than him”’

Josh Bryant vs. Jamie Yager Fight:

Round One

Both the fighters touched gloves in the center of the octagon.

They don’t waste anytime getting down to the action.

Yager and Bryant trade a shot or two until Bryant rocked him with a heavy right hook. The shot knocked Yager back to the fence where they clinched.

They traded some knees inside the clinch until Yager broke away.

Yager threw some leg shots and tried to keep Bryant at a distance.

Yager landed an illegal leg kick to Bryant’s groin causing a short break in the action.

Yager threw some crazy leg kicks during their next exchange. Then Bryant caught one of Yager’s front kicks but was unable to take him down.

Bryant’s corner shots loudly at the closing seconds of the round to “start swinging”.

Bryant lands another hard shot but this time dropping Yager on his back to finish the round.

Round Two

Yager started the round with some more leg kicks.

Bryant returned the favor and landed a groin shot on Yager.

Yager was doing everything he could to keep Bryant at a distance.

Bryant caught one of Yager’s leg kicks and took him to the ground.

Bryant took side-control and established position but didn’t land any hard shots.

Yager stood it up where Bryant held a front face lock but was taken down but both stood up quickly there after.

Yager started to look winded and attempted some spinning back fist and side kicks.

Bryant got the inside and pushed Yager against the cage.

Yager threw a kick but slipped and fell to the mat.

Bryant took advantage and worked from side-control. Bryant spent the closing seconds and landed some heavy forearms.

Yager appeared to have trouble getting up and getting to his corner.

Dana White announced that the judges have declared a draw and that there would be a third round.

Yager failed to answer the bell.

Winner announced:

Bryant is declared the winner.

Post-Fight:

Ortiz is very upset and walked away. Ortiz said “F***ing p***ed out!” Ortiz claimed that Yager had no heart.

White called Ortiz out of the locker room and told him that he was off the show.

Ortiz was visibly angry and left the training center without talking to his team.

White spoke with Team Ortiz and advised them of Ortiz’s firing.

At the House:

Yager returned to the house and talked to McCray. McCray told Yager that the team was upset with Yager not answering the bell.

Ortiz showed up at the house to talk to his team.

Semi-final Match announcement:

McGee vs. Tavares

Bryant vs. McCray

New Coach:

White introduced Team Ortiz their new coach, Rich Franklin.

White also said that he sought to overcompensate for Ortiz’s departure and said that he has brought in an assistant coach as well.

Next episode preview:

Which former UFC champion did Dana White choose for the assistant coach?

Jamie Yager and Uscola appeared to be involved in a disturbance at the house.

The next show will be a two-hour special.

Jackson has recently been starring in a movie remake of the popular, early-1980s action show, “The A-Team,” and nonetheless remains one of my all-time favorite UFC cagefighters.

Jackson started making a name for himself in other MMA fighting promotions, such as King Of The Cage, and the now defunct Pride Fighting Championships. And Jackson, unlike many others, has somehow managed to transition his early ring success into a lucrative career with the top promotion, UFC.

Jackson started out as a wrestler, but moreover he is the true definition of a fighter with God-given natural abilities.

A hand-to-hand, street-fighting-style slugger, Jackson will not hesitate to paint an opponent onto the canvas if he attempts to grapple with him.

Jaskson, a.k.a Rampage, brings his signature blend of sarcastic smack talk, humor, wit, and theatrics to an otherwise dangerous, violent, and bloody sport.

And although his best days may unfortunately be behind him, I think he will go down in UFC history as one of the most, if not the most, entertaining, and best recognized figures in MMA.

The best of luck goes out to Jackson in his upcoming grudge match against Evans; a fighter who I feel will likely run-and-gun during the opening-rounds, but will eventually be caught along the cage, and knocked out by the more powerful slugger Jackson.

However, if Evans can manage “to stay on his bicycle” for the entire three rounds, he could possibly pull off a unanimous judges decision, much like the newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar recently accomplished against former worlds “pound-for-pound” cagefighter, BJ Penn.

Jackson also has one of the most entertaining ring walks, or prefight entrances, ever seen.

It is pure poetry in motion, a spectacle not to be missed, and I feel that only a true poet could correctly describe its flamboyance.

I’m an extremely poor excuse for a poet, but I will leave you with a poem that I attempted to compose in honor of Rampage Jackson, and what it may feel like to walk in his shoes during one of his entrances.

Passing solid concrete walls, the lights they dim, the curtain falls.

A spotlight searches, the crowd goes numb, the distant sounds of guitar and drum.

All eyes are on him, as he shows his face, with cold steel chain, and steady pace.

The women scream, they call his name, the men they shout and show disdain.

Stopping and with head held high, he howls in anger at the sky.

Shuffling feet, heart pounding proud, while men in suits push back the crowd.

The cage is distant but threateningly near;

Music roars, adrenaline, fear.

Faces approach him with confident smiles, yet a knife twists through him, his stomach riles.

Voices of trainers, admire him, and know him, carefully calm him, undress and embrace him.

Alone now, it’s time, it’s the end of the song;

All that remains, is the Octagon.

—Stoker

Kris McCray admitted that he is the underdog in his wild card bout with Uscola.

Tito Ortiz said he is going to watch the fight from the bleachers and let them fight it out like men.

Kyacey Uscola vs. Kris McCray Wild Card Fight:

Round 1

Both fighters touched gloves and started to trade immediately.

Uscola delivered a nice leg kick that caused damage to McCray’s left leg. McCray shows the pain in his face. Uscola went for the kill but ended up on his back after McCray took him down.

Uscola rode the fence up and they clinched.

McCray throws some knees to Uscola’s left thigh during the clinch.

McCray landed an illegal blow to Uscola’s groin which caused the referee to step in.

Uscola walked it off and they re-started the round.

Uscola and McCray are trade until Uscola executes a wizard.

McCray got up right away and returned the favor. McCray picked up Uscola like a little girl and dumped him.

McCray took Uscola’s back and worked for a rear naked choke to no avail as the round ended.

10-9 McCray

Round 2

Uscola went for a right handed bomb but missed.

McCray took down Uscola and worked from side control.

McCray defeated Uscola with a key lock to advance.

Winner by submission: Kris McCray

Coaches’ Meeting:

Dana White had a sit-down with Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell to set up the next round of fights.

Liddell and White talked about Court McGee deserving a third round in his decision lost.

Ortiz suggested that they set up a rematch between Nick Ring and McGee.

White eventually agreed with Ortiz which prompted Liddell to complain.

At the house:

The fighters speculated that there was some big news.

Dana White arrives at the house to make an announcement.

Next Round Fight Announcement:

Nick Ring vs. Court McGee.

Kyle Noke vs. Kris McCray.

Brad Tavares vs. Seth Baczynski

Jamie Yager vs. Josh Bryant

The House:

Forrest Griffin showed up at the house with the new UFC video game.

The fighters had the chance to play the new game.

Doctor’s Office:

The doctor told Nick Ring that he tore his ACL and needed surgery.

Ring talked about the decision to stay and risk further injury or to have the surgery now.

The House:

Dana White showed up at the house and asked to speak with Nick Ring.

White stated that the doctor told him that Ring had a knee had an injury but he could compete if he wanted to.

Ring told White that he cannot continue with the competition.

White advised the cast that a decision would be made soon.

Hammortree ran outside and told White that he wanted the fight with McGee.

White was impressed and immediately decided Hammortree would get the fight.

Henle appeared very upset with the decision and told White he would fight anyone in the house if given another opportunity.

Court McGee 9-1 vs. James Hammortree 5-1 Fight:

Round 1

Both fighters were visibly eager to trade strikes.

McGee went for the takedown but was stuffed.

Hammortree landed a leg kick but McGee caught it and took him down.

McGee took his back but Hammortree got up fairly easily.

Hammortree’s striking didn’t appear as technical and he didn’t listen to Ortiz’s instructions about throwing out the jab.

McGee took Hammortree down where Hammortree escaped quickly.

McGee went for the takedown but was stuffed again.

McGee attempted a spinning back kick but ended up being taken down by Hammortree.

McGee ended the round on top of Hammortree.

McGee 10-9

Round 2

Hammortree shot in for the takedown but got caught in a guillotine choke.

Winner by submission: Court McGee

Post Fight:

Hammortree is upset with getting caught in the submission.

Dana White said that he is impressed with Court McGee.

Preview for the next episode:

Team Ortiz gets shocking news which appears to have something to do with Tito Ortiz’s fight with Chuck Liddell.

A post fight disturbance took place between Ortiz and Liddell.

Tito Ortiz criticized Ring’s movement inside the cage.

Ring told the doctor that he has an issue with his knee.

Fight Announcement:

Ortiz announced the last first round match will be Joe Henle against Seth Baczynski

Team Ortiz Training Session:

Ortiz talked about Baczynski being a hard worker.

Baczynski thanked Ortiz for giving him an opportunity on his team.

At the House:

Joe Henle talked about accidentally falling into the sport with Rich Attonito.

Team Liddell Training Session:

Liddell and Howard Davis commented about Henle’s lack of experience.

Team Ortiz Training Session:

Nick Ring fell down during a sparring session.

Ortiz talked about the possibility of Ring having a torn knee ligament.

Weigh-In:

McGee talked about Baczynski having good hands but thought that Henle could submit him.

Hammortree hyped Seth Baczynski and said he is going for blood.

Team Ortiz Training Session:

Ortiz discussed the opportunity at the wild card spot.

Hammortree said that he deserved the shot at the wild card.

Kyacey Uscola said that he is pretty sure he is going to be in the wild card bout.

Joe Henle 3-0 vs. Seth Baczynski 11-5 Fight:

Round One

Both the fighters touched gloves on top of the Burger King logo.

Henle went straight for the takedown and got it.

Baczynski threw up his legs and got a triangle choke. Henle fought through it and escaped.

Baczynski attempts a guillotine choke where Henle used some heart and escaped.

Henle got north-south position and slides in for a guillotine choke attempt.

Baczynski escaped but Henle ended up taking his back.

Baczynski escaped into Henle’s guard.

Baczynski does some weak ground-n-pound to end the round.

Round Two

Baczynski goes right for a knee to start the round.

They traded some punches and clinched.

Baczynski got the takedown but Henle fell into his half-guard.

Baczynski fought for a kimura without avail.

Henle took his back and struggled for a rear naked choke by the cage.

Baczynski did some fancy cage walking to escape and attempted a weak armbar.

Henle took top position and tried to inflict some damage.

Baczynski tried desperately to stand back up but Henle held him down.

Henle passes Baczynski’s guard and got side control.

Baczynski finally got up and nearly landed a fly knee on Henle.

Henle took Baczynski’s back who then reversed it.

Baczynski took Henle’s back and secured a rear naked choke where he was saved by the bell.

Round Three

Both fighters touched gloves and Baczynski got the take down right way.

Henle held on to a kimura lock but couldn’t pull it off.

Baczynski landed some decent left hands from half guard.

Henle replaced full guard but still took some punishment.

Henle looked exhausted and didn’t look like he had much fight left in him.

Winner Announced:

Seth Baczynski wins a unanimous decision after three rounds.

Joe Henle appeared to have won everyone’s respect with his heart.

Wild Card Fight Announced:

Dana White announced that Kyacey Uscola would fight Kris McCray in the Wild Card bout.

Court McGee took Rich Attonito’s spot.

Preview for the next episode:

Uscola and McCray will be fighting to get into a quarter-final spot.

Dana White will mediate a coaches’ summit to decide the quarter-final matches.

Dana White will make an announcement that will give another fighter a second chance.

The Show started with Kyacey Uscola questioning Ortiz’s pre-fight preparation. Uscola blames McCray’s loss to Bryant due to overtraining.

Team Liddell Training Session:

Chuck Liddell congratulated Bryant for winning his fight and giving them match control again.

Liddell hypes Court McGee.

At the House:

Yager and McCray talked about his fight and disagreement with Uscola assessment of Ortiz’s training.

Team Ortiz Training Session:

Hammortree and Nick Ring believed that the training is good and disagreed with Uscola.

Tito Ortiz confronted Uscola about his statements after McCray’s fight.

Ortiz reminded Uscola that he was sucking wind a lot when he first started with him and how much he has improved because of his training.

Coaches Challenge:

Dana White announced that this year’s challenge will be dodge ball. The first team to win three matches wins the challenge. The coach will be rewarded ten thousand and the team members will get one thousand.

Liddell threw rockets at Team Ortiz.

Team Liddell won the first match by last picking off Ortiz.

In the second match, it was down to Liddell and Ortiz. Liddell bombed on Ortiz’s to win the second match.

In the third match, Liddell and Ortiz are the last men standing. Liddell eliminates Ortiz to win the cash.

Liddell did his classic winning pose and screamed like he just won the world championship.

Fight Announcement:

Chuck Liddell announced he has chosen Court McGhee to face TUF favorite, Nick Ring.

Nick Ring faces off with Court McGee and does a stereotypical “sassy” pose not often seen in the environment of fighting.

Team Liddell Training Session:

Court McGhee is preparing for his fight. McGee and Liddell are aware of Nick Ring’s skills.

At the House:

Court McGee revealed his previous addiction to drugs and alcohol. He told the story about how he overdosed and nearly died.

Team Ortiz Training Session:

Hammortree was injured during a take down. He was taken out on a stretcher.

Ortiz talked about Nick Ring being his top pick. Nick Ring said he doesn’t feel any added pressure.

Official Weigh-In:

Both fighters weigh in without a hitch.

Uscola and Hammortree are confident in Nick Ring.

Team Liddell’s Anttonito said that Team Ortiz coined Nick Ring has their top guy but felt that McGee could pull off the upset.

Fight:

Round One

The fighters touched gloves in the center of the cage. McGee hit Ring with a few light jabs and took him down.

Ring took away McGee’s offense from the guard.

Ring landed some strong leg kicks.

Both fighters traded strikes with Ring getting the best of them.

McGee attempted another take down but was stuffed by Ring. Ring goes for his back but ended up in McGee’s half guard.

Ring attempted the pass but McGee replaced full guard.

Ring landed a few shots from the top position but none of them were vicious.

Round Two

Round two started with both fighters trading kicks and light punches.

Nick Ring looked like was hurting McGee with his leg strikes.

Ring appeared to keep trying to reach for the clinch.

They both fight from the inside for a short time with McGee getting the best of those exchanges.

McGee attempted a head kick but missed and was greeted by an inside leg kick from Ring.

Ring landed some soft knees to McGee’s thigh from the clinch.

Winner Announcement:

Yager argued with Liddell about the scoring.

Ortiz criticized Ring for not listening to him.

Liddell believed Ring only layed on him in the first round.

Nick Ring is announced the winner of the bout by majority decision.

Post Fight:

Liddell was visibly upset with the decision.

Liddell told McGee that he won the fight.

Highlights for the next episode:

The final first round match will take place.

The wild card match is announced.

In addition to that, he is also an accomplished martial arts practitioner who holds a black belt in taekwondo and a brown belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu under his mentor Eddie Bravo.

What Rogan is most known for, however, is his role—alongside Mike Goldberg—as one half of the veteran voice of the Octagon’s UFC commentating team.

As I suggested earlier, part of Rogan’s growing popularity is that he is a master wordsmith—honest to a fault, you simply never know what he will say next.

Admirably, Rogan holds tightly to his strong beliefs and passionate opinions regarding certain topics.

One topic is concerning the current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and the wealth of potential future matchups for the behemoth ex-wrestler that, depending on cross-promotional issues, may or may not come to fruition.

The UFC front man now has a new show called The Voice vs. Rogan, which premiers Fridays at 10 p.m. on HDNet.

Here is a recent HDNet-released YouTube promo video showing an hour-long, sit-down discussion given by Aussie interviewer Michael Schiavello, where he and Rogan debate one of combat sports’ most popular topics, Lesnar vs. Fedor.

Please enjoy it; I did. Thanks.

World Extreme Cage-fighting featherweight champion Jose Aldo retained his WEC title tonight over top contender Urijah Faber with a masterful performance; which included precision kicks, solid ground skills, and cage fighting mastery.

The UFC owned fight promotion was making its premier foray into the lucrative waters of the pay-per-view business, and tonight’s performance from Aldo was a distinct example of an elite cage fighters domination over a former, now fading champion.

Although Aldo’s leg kicks on Faber were nothing short of spectacular, and excruciatingly painful to watch, the heart, guts, and sheer courage, from the former champion Faber was also however, something to behold.

The California native Faber, before a packed crowd of his hometown fans, gutted out round after round of bone numbing leg kicks, and was able to remain steadfast while mounted in the jujitsu crucifix position for almost two solid minutes.

If you haven’t heard of, or had the pleasure of seeing, the WEC 145-pound champion Aldo in action yet, please do, as it is now almost a certainty that he (Aldo) is among the elite, and possibly near the top of the world’s pound-for-pound best.

Before tonight’s matchup, Aldo a Brazilian native, was on an explosive path of destruction, winning nine straight matches that culminated in his demolition performance in Las Vegas—at WEC 44 last November—over Mike Brown to win the WEC featherweight championship.

Many experts agreed before tonights title match that—in this match—Faber could at last possibly regain his WEC title, and effectively “weather” the upcoming “Brazilian storm;” however, once the two began exchanging punches, and specifically kicks; it soon became evident to everyone that—for Faber, as was also the case for Brown, this would be anything but smooth sailing.

As in the previous fight with Brown, this former champion was also about to have his hands full with “Hurricane Aldo, and once again Aldo would almost immediately begin to dictate the fight.

The speed of Aldo also proved to be an overlooked factor in the fight, which many felt would favor Faber, unfortunately it didn’t.

Aldo’s kicks in the  early rounds were the story of this championship contest, and the elite Brazilian champion remained the WEC undisputed featherweight “king of the world,” by a unanimous five round decision victory.

At the House:

Jamie Yager talks about his friendship with Brad Tavares, Kyle Noke, and Kris McCray. Yager has named the group “The Minority Report”. Bro-mance is in the air.

Nick Ring, Hammortree, Blanchard and Kyacey Uscola are talking about Yager’s recent behavior.

Kyacey Uscola said that he would root against Jamie Yager. He calls Yager a piece of dung.

Fight Announcement:

Chuck Liddell chooses Rich Attonito from Team Liddell to face Team Ortiz’s Kyacey Uscola.

At the Training Center:

Uscola is training for the fight. Tito Ortiz said he is happy with the pairing.

Team Liddell’s John Hackleman states that Rich Attonito is probably the best fighter on the show.

At the house:

The drama starts to get thick. Uscola confronts Yager about stealing his sweatshirt. Yager starts acting gangster and Uscola mocks him.

In the locker room:

Uscola and Yager continue to bicker in front of Tito Ortiz.

The First Fight:

Round One

They touch gloves and start to trade some strikes. Looks like Attonito is getting the better of the exchange.

Attonito drops Uscola and starts hammering down a flurry of punches. Uscola looks like a fish out of water on his back. It’s time to jiu-jitsu classes.

Attonito picked up Uscola and dropped him like yesterday’s trash on his head. It was vicious and made everyone cringe.

Attonito continues the assault and out of nowhere, Uscola grabs for a kimura and sweeps Attonito.

Uscola starts to drop elbows and Attonito goes to stand. Uscola throws two knees and the referee stops it for the illegal strikes.

However the replay looked like the knee strikes didn’t land on Attonito’s head. He drops to the ground and acts like he was run over by a semi-truck.

The winner is declared:

The referee calls for the disqualification due to Attonito being unable to continue as a result of illegal knee strikes to a downed opponent.

Post-Fight:

Tito Ortiz takes out his frustration on the door.

Attonito has his hand on ice and believes it’s broken. It might be the end of the show for Attonito.

Fight Announcement:

Chuch Liddell chooses Charles Blanchard from his team to face “Crab Man” Jamie Yager from Team Ortiz.

Mid-commercial spot:

Attonito is showing off an impressive Governor Arnold impression.

At the Training Center:

Blanchard and Yager are shown training for the fight.

Tito Ortiz talks about Yager coming from nothing and that he understand it because he was in the situation.

Weigh-in:

Attonito obviously isn’t a fan of Yager like most of the others in the house. “Side Show Bob” makes weight and faces off with Blanchard.

Mid-commercial spot:

Jamie Yager talking about his superior striking compared to Blanchard.

The Second Fight:

Round One

Both meet in the center and touch gloves. Yager gives Blanchard an awkward pat on the shoulder.

Blanchard shoots for the take down but doesn’t get it. Yager sprawls and gets it standing. Jamie Yager hits Blanchard who falls and curls up. Yager lays down some rights for the TKO.

The winner announced:

Jamie Yager gets his hand raised to give Team Ortiz control of the match choices.

Preview of the next episode:

Ortiz gets to make the matches.

A Team Ortiz fighter is injured.

The premier of The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 had a completely different feel from the last few seasons. This season marks the return of the preliminary fights. I believe these fights gives creditability to the cast.

Coaches

This season’s coaches, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell are TUF veteran. Their rivalry will add a lot of interest in the latest installment of the series.

Tito Ortiz’s coaching ability is excellent. He showcased his cage side skills on TUF season 3. Both winners, Kendall Grove and Michael Bisping, were Team Ortiz fighters.

Chuck Liddell was a coach on the first TUF against Randy Couture. Like Ortiz, Team Liddell’s Diego Sanchez and Forrest Griffin walked away with contracts.

Fights

The show kicked off with some impressive preliminary fights.

Chris Camozzi and Victor O’Donnell had a war that left O’Donnell with a broken orbital socket. Later we would learn that Camozzi suffered a fractured jaw that resulted with him leaving the house.

Clayton McKinney knocked out Charley Lynch after a brutal battle and leaves Lynch with the worst broken nose I’ve ever seen.

A perfect example of why these preliminaries are need is the Paraisy and Hammortree fight. Norman Paraisy actually quit in between rounds without any known injury. Paraisy has obviously failed in disproving the stereotype that the French are soft.

Team Liddell’s top pick, Kyle Noke won his preliminary match via decision. But in the second episode, Noke redeemed himself with triangle choke over Clayton McKinney proving he can finish.

The third episode showcased Brad Tavares against James Hammortree. It was a good back and forth bout with Tavares getting the judges decision.

I am in befuddlement that Tavares got his hand raised. In the third round, Hammortree had a take down with mount and forced the action. I agree with Ortiz in disagreement with the outcome.

The Fighter Cast:

Nick Ring 10-0

Tito Ortiz sees some potential in Nick Ring choosing him as the first overall pick. He made it apparent that he is an advocate for “Fighters against name calling” after the incident with Jamie Yager. The BJJ brown belt and former Canadian national Muay Thai champion is a favorite to win the show.

Kyle Noke 16-4-1

The Australian has taken the first step to the finals after easily defeating McKinney. Kyle Noke has a nice record of 16-4-1. The former body guard for “The Crocodile Hunter” is likely to make to the finals.

Jamie Yager 2-1

Jamie Yager is this season’s Junie Browning. His misconduct has earned him quite a bit of television time. Yager is the least experienced fighter in the house. His 2-1 record isn’t anything to get excited about. It should be noted that Yager’s only lost is a result of a disqualification.

Brad Tavares 5-1

Brad Tavares already has a win under his belt with his controversial decision victory. Tavares looked good with his takedown defense and has no issues with conditioning.

Rich Attonito 7-3

Team Liddell’s Rich Attonito was Chuck’s second pick. Attonito wasn’t very entertaining when he took a decision victory over Steffans. The Hofstra University wrestler might put us all to sleep with his hold down strategy.

Kyacey Uscola 18-15

The All-American college wrestler won twelve of his eighteen victories via KO or TKO. He is a training partner of WEC stand out Urijah Faber. I believe Uscola is a dark horse to win it all.

Seth Baczynski 11-5

Seth Bacznski lost his preliminary fight to McGee by decision. His heart however impressed Ortiz enough to replace Camozzi. The former IFL veteran has won eight of his fights by submission with last being by guillotine. He trains with TUF alumni Efrain Escudero.

Charles Blanchard 7-2

The American Top Team prospect has been on a four fight winning streak. He is a BJJ brown belt and looks to have decent striking.

Court McGee 9-1

McGee didn’t have a fight in 2009 so there may be rust even after a preliminary fight victory. McGee has a win over TUF alumni DaMarques Johnson. The Utah based fighter will grab some attention this season with his near death experience when he suffered from a heroin overdose.

Joe Henle 3-0

Joe Henle appeared to be beaten until he pulled off a last minute armbar in the prelims. The tae kwon do black belt is a former college football player. “Leonidas” will have a lot to prove this season.

Josh Bryant 10-0

Bryant has a perfect record and won his prelim via decision. He started out with six consecutive knockout or technical knock out victories but has since been unable to finish any of his fights.

James Hammortree and Kris McCray

James Hammortree and Kris McCray have been eliminated as of episode three.

James Hammortree may have already earned that wild card spot with his performance against Tavares.

Silva, during the match, did everything but the Muhammad Ali “shuffle” and the Roy Jones “bolo” punch, yet he somehow finished the job at hand, retaining his 185-pound UFC middleweight championship title.

“The Spider” also set a new UFC record for six title defenses in the process.

UFC president Dana White, however, is obviously not a fan of Ali, Jones, or the show-boating style of many historic boxers, and, at the post-fight press conference, he wasted no time voicing his displeasure over Silva’s somewhat ludicrous performance.

On ESPN’s Jim Rome is Burning today, White once again reiterated his disapproval; first, though, he announced that Silva’s next opponent will be 33-year-old, Greco-Roman wrestler Chael Sonnen.

White then added the kicker—if Silva, who is the consensus greatest prizefighter pound-for-pound on the planet, continues this abnormal behavior in his next scheduled matchup, he will be cut from the UFC roster. In other words, it’s “shape up or ship out” for the precarious Spider Silva.

Now Sonnen (24-10, 7 by KO) is next on Silva’s hit list. Sonnen is a fighter who has suffered losses to mid-level opponents early in his career, but as of late he has only lost once in his last five fights while seeming to have totally reinvented himself.

Sonnen’s last time out, at UFC 109 last February, saw him face top 185-pound contender Nate Marquardt, who himself was on a rebound winning streak of sorts. After losing to Silva in July of ‘07, Marquardt, with a win against Sonnen, may have been within grasp of a well-earned rematch title shot at Silva.

Sonnen came up big, though. He gave us one hell of an entertaining fight against Marquardt, showing tremendous heart after being cut badly and bleeding profusely in the early rounds. The Oregon fighter weathered the storm and, against all odds, came up with a hard-earned victory.

Since then, Sonnen has been off due to medical suspension, but that has not stopped his ability to keep up with his “smack talk,” continuing to try and hype his position to possibly award himself a future title shot at the champion.

It looks as though he has succeeded in getting his wish.

There is a wise old proverb, however, which states that actions speak much louder than words, so, if I were Sonnen, I’d keep this in mind.

Talk is cheap, and so yes—foul words and derogatory comments directed at Silva may have gotten him into the Octagon with the UFC champion, but the buck stops there. After that, the smack-talking ends and the time for action begins.

Let’s hope Sonnen can perform in the fight against Silva as well as he can hype.

Good luck to both fighters.