(Cain Velasquez really knows how to spoil a good nap. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

Spike TV sent out a press release this morning to announce that they’d be showing a free encore presentation of UFC 110, the event that saw Cain Velasquez hammer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira into a senseless oblivion, and – wouldn’t you know it? – it airs right at the same time as Strikeforce’s event on CBS on April 17.

Obviously, your hardcore fans are not going to miss a free live showing of Dan Henderson "coming for that belt" against Jake Shields just so they can see some fights that they probably already saw. As great as Ryan Bader’s knockout of Keith Jardine was, it’s not worth missing the Gilbert Melendez-Shinya Aoki fight just to see it again.

But just maybe the UFC is hoping to snag a couple of directionless remote control jockeys who feel like watching some fights but don’t realize it until they happen to stumble upon some. If they come across Spike TV first, maybe they’ll be sucked in without ever realizing/caring that they’re missing live action on CBS. Maybe they live their lives in much the same way, marring the first woman who said yes to a date with them and buying the first car they saw when they flipped open a copy of Auto Trader. Maybe this is a sad, yet oddly satisfying existence. Or maybe Spike TV just doesn’t have much else to offer on a Saturday night.

(Props: YouTube.com/BellatorMMA)

Bellator’s long-awaited second season kicks off this Thursday in Hollywood, Florida, featuring Roger Huerta‘s promotional debut against undefeated Cincinnati native Chad Hinton, and Joe Warren‘s debut against Eric Marriott. To promote the tournament series, Bellator has put together preview shows for each of their four weight classes, which originally aired on Fox Sports Network, but have also been made available on YouTube. The lightweight tourney preview covers such participants as Huerta, Toby Imada, Ferrid Kheder, and Mike Ricci, as well as the reigning champion Eddie Alvarez; part one is above, parts two and three are after the jump. To see the featherweight, welterweight, and middleweight episodes, go here.

(Thiago Alves learns the hard way why you should never take NyQuil before a big fight. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

UFC president Dana White confirmed late last night that the rematch between Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves — which was postponed from UFC 111 due to concerns over Alves’s brain — will now take place at UFC 115 (June 12th, Vancouver). The fight will come four years to the month after Fitch and Alves’s first meeting at UFC Fight Night 5, which Fitch won by second round TKO. Though the Vancouver card will feature a host of compelling matchups, a main event still hasn’t been officially announced. I mean, it’s not like Chuck Liddell will be fighting Rich Franklin, after Franklin comes in to replace Tito Ortiz on The Ultimate Fighter 11, right? Pay no attention to the leaked photo of the TUF 11 set after the jump!

If you didn’t stay up until 4 a.m. to watch some K-1 action on Saturday, then you missed the chance to see Alistair Overeem face off against yet another overmatched opponent. Dzevad Poturak turned out to have no real weapons to threaten Overeem with, and after getting dropped with a right hand early on he never got his legs back under him. Watching him sling harmless punches in the general direction of Overeem’s guard and then eat counter-punches for his trouble, you get the sense that this isn’t going to end well for him.

The good news is that Overeem managed to slaughter Poturak without injuring himself, so he plans to be back in the gym on Monday to prepare for that Strikeforce heavyweight title defense in a few weeks. Something tells me Brett Rogers might put up more of a fight.

Props to the UG for turning us on to British bombshell Rhian Sugden, a former Page 3 girl who currently holds ring cards for BAMMA. Hailing from Greater Manchester, the 23-year-old blonde model has been featured on the covers of U.K. men’s magazines like Nuts, Zoo, and Loaded, and is also known for her nude monthly calendars [link NSFW]. You can see more of Rhian at her official site and her MySpace page. More lovely photos after the jump…

(Props: MMA Scraps)

- Alistair Overeem says Brett Rogers "makes himself stupid." (The Rumble)

- Dan Henderson expects to be on his back against Jake Shields. (MMA Fighting)

- UFC Fight Night 21 draws 1.6 million viewers. (MMA Weekly)

- Michael Bisping dishes on Dan Miller fight. (Fighters Only)

- Roy Nelson torn on whether he really wants James Toney next. (Cagewriter)

- The UFC’s top 10 power punchers. (Heavy)

- The best fighter entrance songs from UFC 111. (WKR)

- Five fights to make or break Gomi in the UFC. (Bleacher Report)

- Denard Span hits own mom with foul ball. (Total Pro Sports)

- Lakers sign Kobe Bryant to three-year extension. (Scores Report)

- Who’s the baddest pop culture babe ever? (Asylum)

- What to expect from Tiger Woods at the Masters. (Ask Men)

- One guy hits four amazing trick shots. (Break)

- 25 funny crucifixes. (Holy Taco)

- Movie review: "Clash of the Titans." (Screen Junkies)

- How to fight a bull. (Made Man)

- NASCAR fans vote Republican. (All Left Turns)

- Dirtbiker smashes face. (Nothing Toxic)

(Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly.)

By CagePotato contributor Elias Cepeda

Kenny Florian‘s domination of PRIDE legend Takanori Gomi at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 21 made a couple things perfectly clear: First, that Gomi can no longer hang with the division’s elite fighters. Also, that the constantly improving Florian is undoubtedly one of the very best 155-pounders in the world. In this exclusive interview, Ken-Flo takes us through his fight with the Fireball Kid, and discusses life in the UFC’s lightweight division, where the championship belt continues to lie maddeningly out of reach…

*****

CAGEPOTATO.COM: Very early on in your fight against Gomi, you began to get the better of him standing up. Soon you began dancing around, leaning over, dropping your hands. Was that just one of those things where you got so comfortable that you got a bit cocky, or were you trying to goad him into doing something in particular?
FLORIAN: No, it’s part of a rhythm. It’s a calculated part of a boxing rhythm you try to get yourself into to make sure that I keep my head moving and I stay loose. It’s a swagger you need to have. It’s my way of making sure that there is no catching me when I’m moving, when I’m punching, and it has really helped me, not only in my training, but I think in the fight to have that looseness and relaxation. I’ve just been working on my boxing technique a lot and I’m glad I was able to show that.

In the third round, Gomi landed what appeared to be his cleanest punch of the fight. A few seconds later you took him down, and about a minute later you finished him by choke. Was your plan to basically stand with Gomi until he showed you something, then put him on his back to make things easier for yourself?
Well I knew that he would start to get fatigued. He was losing the first two rounds and I knew he’d start to get desperate and he’d start to get upright. That was going to allow me the space and ability to get to his legs. And that’s what happened. I had planned to take him down in the third round, I knew that was going to happen, I knew he was going to get tired and he’d be easier to finish. By that time I think he was worn out, mentally, physically, and just didn’t have an answer, was frustrated. And I saw a perfect opportunity to go for his legs. I took him down and tried to capitalize.

So it didn’t have to do with him finally landing a good shot?
Not at all. He was landing shots before that, you know. He was able to sting me in the second round. In the third round there was nothing that hurt me. Watching the video tape it looked like that was the cleanest shot but that wasn’t the one that hurt. In the second round, that hurt.

(Poturak vs. Melvin Manhoef, 2/13/05.)

Alistair Overeem continues his large-gloved pursuits tonight when he takes on Dževad Poturak in the opening round of the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix (watch a surprisingly depressing promo here) in Yokohama, Japan. Poturak is coming off two straight decision losses and he’s currently a 5-1 underdog in the fight. Basically, he’s supposed to be a side of beef for Overeem to beat on. Hopefully our massive Dutch friend can do that without getting himself hurt. There is that whole Strikeforce heavyweight title defense thing looming on the calendar, and if Overeem puts it off yet again, well, there’s no guarantee that Scott Coker won’t just totally snap and go on a killing spree in downtown San Jose. It’s always the quiet ones.

The fights air live on HDNet at 4 am ET Saturday morning, which means that you can stumble home and microwave some fish sticks just in time to watch Michael Schiavello freak out over some K-1 action. Trust us, you’ll still be hearing his voice in your nightmares long after you’ve passed out.

("Inside MMA" video courtesy of HDNet Fights.)

Watching Josh Barnett’s response to Tom Atencio’s attempt to blame him for the collapse of the mighty Affliction fight promotion empire, what I see is two men who are missing the point. Is Atencio right when he says that Barnett’s positive steroid test was the catalyst for the cancellation of Affliction’s third show? Yes. Is Barnett right when he says that MMA promotions have been through worse and survived, as long as they didn’t make a bunch of terrible business decisions along the way? Absolutely. Does that make either of them less culpable for their own role in all of this? No way.

(Props: ATTMain)

When we first came across this clip, we immediately got bad flashbacks to Miguel Torres‘s reconstructive forehead surgery video, expecting basically the same thing but with exposed brain. Don’t worry, you’re not going to see the actual procedure here. It’s just Thiago Alves heading to the hospital on Wednesday, clearly a little nervous, and waking up later completely lucid and with no obvious signs that his skull was removed while the doctors fixed whatever was wrong with him. Actually, this Sherdog report informs us that the procedure was done to mend a malformation in the left hemisphere of his brain, and they basically went in through his groin. [Ed. note: *barfs*] Said ATT coach Ricardo Liborio: "He is really excited to get back to training and I think it is going to be hard to keep him from trying to get back too fast."

(Chuck hates paparazzi as much as he loves huffing paint thinner. Photo courtesy of Zimbio.)

Though the UFC’s planned show in Vancouver nearly fell apart due to creative differences, it is finally official, according to a new announcement on UFC.com:

No mention of the reportedly-off fight between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz — make of that what you will. But even without the TUF 11 coaches battle, UFC 115′s supporting card is very compelling. Expected fights include Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry, Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel, Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann, Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald, Tyson Griffin vs. Evan Dunham, and Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman. 

You know that show "NCIS: Los Angeles," right? No, it’s not the one where David Caruso takes off his sunglasses over and over. That’s "CSI: Miami." And it’s not the one with Lt. Dan from “Forrest Gump.” That’s "CSI: NY." And it definitely isn’t the one with Scott Baio and the chick from "Baywatch." That was "Charles in Charge" and sadly it’s been gone for some time now. No, "NCIS" is the one with LL Cool J and a bunch of cameos from Strikeforce fighters who mostly mill around in the background. At least, that’s what this promo would have me believe.

CBS’s latest genius idea (let’s not forget this work of art) to promote the upcoming Strikeforce event in Nashville on April 17 is to take a bunch of fighters and stick them in a show that’s normally about, I don’t know, solving crimes or something. But hey, if "News Radio" could work in an MMA storyline, any show can.

After a short week of pickin’ for UFC Fight Night 21: Florian vs. Gomi, it’s time to stretch out a bit. The pools for next Saturday’s UFC 112 card are now open on MMA FightPicker and two things are worth noting: 1) You have a full nine days to enter pools and make your selections, and 2) Up for grabs in the prize pool this time around is a 32-inch television. Seriously. And it’s a nice one, too. A 3,800-chip buy-in gains you access to the 25-person-limit prize pool, in which the first-place winner will score a Sony BRAVIA 32" 1080p LCD HDTV, valued at $549.99.

Yes, 3,800 Potato Chips is about 3,750 more than you have at this point; we realize that. So why not buy some chips? Put it this way: If you need a 32" flat-screen and you think you have a good handle on how UFC 112 will play out, you could pick up a brand-new television at a very deep discount. The prize pool requires a minimum of 16 players, and it includes a tie-breaker question that you’ll need to answer. Any of you sissies have the guts to play? Anybody feel like taking a look at the questions before making such a rash decision?

UPDATE: Okay, listen up crybabies. We realize it’s not fair to con you into buying chips when the prize pool could shut down for not hitting the minimum number of players. So we’re going to lift the minimum player requirement for this one. Thanks for all your feedback, and please check back later…

(Well, well, well, fuckers. Image courtesy of Time.com.)

This morning, Time launched its 2010 TIME 100 Poll, in which online readers vote on the world’s most influential people of the year. It’s impressive enough that UFC president Dana White was chosen to be among the 201 politicians, entertainers, and assorted cultural leaders that are up for voting. It’s downright bizarre that as of a few minutes ago when I took the above screen-cap, Dana White was sitting on top of the freaking list, three spots above Barack Obama, 18 spots above Stephen Colbert, and 34 spots above Bill Gates. His only real competition at this point is Robert Pattinson, the poof from those vampire movies.

If this is an April Fool’s joke from Time.com, it’s an incredibly subtle and brilliant one. More likely, it’s just another sign that UFC fans are a group that’s both large and quickly mobilized on the Internet, and that Dana White has more nuthuggers that the president of our country. So let’s enjoy this odd little victory while we have it, because once Team Coco and the Colbert Nation get wind of this, it’s going to be a dogfight. To vote for Dana White as the most influential person in the world (!?), click here.

(Rich isn’t looking at you, tough guy. He’s looking through you.)

American Top Team fighter and New Jersey boy Rich Attonito is the latest “Ultimate Fighter” guest blogger for Cage Potato, following in a rich history that features former contestants such as Gerald Harris, Santino Defranco, and season eight winner Efrain Escudero. He’ll be giving us his thoughts and reaction to each episode, so make him feel welcome and remember to check back every Thursday for his inside take on things. To learn more about Rich, and to hear his pretty solid Schwarzenegger/Jersey Shore impressions, watch this short video.  If you missed his elimination fight last night, watch this.

It was 6.00 a.m. when I arrived curbside at the airport in Ft. Lauderdale. The sun was starting to rise and it was the start of another typically beautiful day in South Florida. However, I was about to embark upon an extraordinary journey far from typical. I hugged and kissed my wife goodbye, knowing I was not going to see her for six weeks if everything worked to plan.

Before I knew it the plane had taken off and I was watching the palm trees and beaches shrinking beneath me until they were out of sight. I arrived hours later in Las Vegas, where the sky was covered in dark clouds and rainy weather. I could see snow and cloud cover on the peaks of all the surrounding mountains. The continuous rain seemed to only get worse, creating small floods and soaking everything in sight. This is not the Las Vegas you see on the postcards. It reminded me of the weather I got used to for so many years growing up in New Jersey. I thought to myself that this was great fight weather; it put me in the mood to kick someone’s ass.

(Dutch punch-faces are the best, aren’t they? Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

Kenny Florian (Submission of the Night), Roy Nelson (KO of the Night) and the duo of Ross Pearson/Dennis Siver (Fight of the Night) pocketed $30,000 bonuses for their work on last night’s UFC Fight Night 21 event, but what’s money compared to the numbers of the Potato Index? Sure, maybe the Index’s arbitrary numerical rankings system can’t be exchanged for goods and services, but on the flip side, no one has ever accused the Index of being the root of all evil. Not yet, anyway.

Let’s see who’s up and who’s down on this fine Thursday morning.

Kenny Florian +74
Beating Gomi doesn’t mean quite as much as it once did, but Florian looked sharp, patient, and smart in victory. He probably still wouldn’t beat B.J. Penn, which makes him the second-best lightweight in the UFC. Guess it’s better than being the third-best.

The eleventh season of TUF began like many others: With a bunch of tatted-up aspiring fighters checking out the gym, comparing their wild hairstyles, waiting for Dana. But there’s a twist, and it’s a big one. A sudden explosion by the Airdyne bikes interrupts the small-talk, and a banner rolls down the wall. It does not say The Ultimate Fighter. It says Tool Academy. Most of the guys understand what that means, and they’re pissed.

"I’m not a fucking tool, bro," says Nick Ring. "I’m a fighter. I have so much extra testosterone that I have to hole-out bar-skanks at least twice a week. I’m actually doing it for Tammy’s benefit, because if she was the only outlet for my passion, she would literally die, bro." We learn that Tammy is the mother of Ring’s twin daughters.

"When I find my girlfriend, I’m going to strangle that bitch," says Brad Tavares. "Uh, I mean I’m going to do whatever I can to rebuild the trust in our relationship."

Okay, so the real twist isn’t that shocking. Basically, instead of 32 fighters battling for 16 spots, it’s 28 fighting for 14; two eliminated fighters will be chosen by the coaches to fight for a final spot in the quarterfinals, after the round-of-14 is completed. DW shows up and implores the fighters to not leave their fights in the hands of the shitheaded judges. He’s pissed off just talking about it. "Don’t be that fuckin’ guy tomorrow." And then it’s just fights and fights and Chuck screwing with Tito and more fights.