Confirmation comes at the 12:35 mark of the press conference highlights. Props to MMAFighting.com for the video.

Leading up to last night’s historic UFC on Fox broadcast, there were rumors that the winner of Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida would be fighting Frankie Edgar in Japan for the UFC lightweight title. As you know, Ben Henderson went on to defeat Clay Guida by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night winning performance. Now, it has been confirmed that Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar will be the main event of the UFC’s return to Japan.

Since losing to Anthony Pettis back at WEC 53, Ben Henderson has gone 3-0 in the UFC. Even though all three victories have come by unanimous decision, Henderson has proven that he is incapable of being involved in a boring fight. Likewise, Frankie Edgar is coming off of a come from behind fourth round TKO over Gray Maynard at UFC 136 in October.

The shorts don’t lie. (Pic: UFC.com)

In the weeks leading up to last night’s Heavyweight Championship bout, Dana White trumpeted that “whether this fight goes 30 seconds or 30 minutes, this is going to be a fight right here.” It was a fight, and it was slightly longer than 30 seconds, but in the post fight analysis Dana appeared frustrated and was searching for a reason that his champion went down so quickly. With all of the buildup and hype, I can’t help but think that first time viewers were equally confused and found the whole affair to be anticlimactic. Were that all the action we got to see last night, we’d probably be disappointed as well, but thank god for Facebook.

With regards to the main event, there’s not a lot to say, really. Junior Dos Santos hits hard. Cain’s game plan has been under attack, but it’s not like he got butchered on his feet for two rounds while doggedly refusing to shoot for a single. Velasquez got nailed with a huge overhand right just 55 seconds into the bout after already trying unsuccessfully for a takedown. Obviously, getting Dos Santos off of his feet quickly would have been Cain’s best option, but for a versatile heavyweight fighting under the brightest lights ever shone on a UFC fighter, shooting in for a Couture-Toney ankle pick with the opening bell still ringing wouldn’t do. Props to Dos Santos for getting it done quickly and violently in the Knock Out of the Night. It wasn’t the most epic fight that the UFC and FOX could have hoped for, but it was a memorable one. That Dos Santos did it with a torn meniscus is all the more impressive.

          When you see it…                                   PicProps: MMAJunkie.com 

Alright Nation, we are on the brink of what is possibly the most important event in human history since ever.  We stress the word “possibly” in that sentence, so no silly hate mail about Steve Guttenberg inventing the bench press, or whatever.  And please, don’t talk to us about the historic impact of the so-called “moon landing”.  Everyone knows that the whole Apollo mission was filmed on a sound stage in Arizona.

This historic event will be broadcast live on a major network to a bajillion people, so it’s not even really a contest.  Two large men will fight for money and everyone and their Nana can watch; if Jesus shows up tonight in a tuxedo t-shirt we wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.  It’s such a huge deal that the UFC is basically giving Fox just the tip to see how it feels, airing just one fight off of a pretty sweet ten-fight lineup.

Come around and hang out with us for all the fights, because you know we’re going to have you covered, Nation.  Fights start at 4:45ET on Facebook and FoxSports.com, the big-deal television show kicks off at 9ET.

Oh, and hit “Refresh” frequently, since everyone seems to tell people to do that.

[RX]

Tomasz Narkun and Saparbek Safarov getting into it at the weigh-ins. GIFS from Emelianenko vs. Malikov after the jump. Props: IronForgesIron.com

As we anxiously await the UFC’s debut on Fox, let’s take the time to celebrate an event that did not go nearly as smoothly as we hope UFC on Fox 1 goes: M-1 Challenge 28. The event was initially set to be headlined by a welterweight championship bout between Shamil Zavurov and Rashid Magomedov, but Shamil was forced off of the card with a last minute injury. In place of the championship bout, M-1 quickly booked Aleksander Emelianenko to fight 3-1 prospect Magomed Malikov. Okay, lackluster main event with a guy we at least know of. It could get worse, right? Don’t worry, it did.

Add on the above tussle from the event’s weigh-ins, and things were spiraling out of control pretty quickly. At least we can still count on Aleksander Emelianenko to crush a hapless can, right? Right?

Right Leg: Yukon Gold. Left Leg: Jersey Royal

Another Saturday afternoon is upon us, which means it’s time for another edition of Ask the Potato. After last week graced us with the presence of a few minor celebrities, we knew what we had to do now that minor celebrities care about what we write. But until Coolio stops ducking us, we’ll just stick to answering your questions. So let’s get started, shall we?

intercept440 Says: what is the best remedy for lower back pain? So far the only thing that seems to work is copious amounts of booze. Come on potato, surely with your vast amounts of knowledge you can help a nation member out.

(Video: YouTube/UFC)

Last night’s weigh-ins went off without a hitch. Every man made weight on the first go, and other than a few fighters finding out for certain if their opponents do indeed have stank breff, there were no real notable exchanges between tonight’s combatants.

A quick question before we get to the scales: when did the CSAC become the weigh-in Nazis? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they made Clay Harvison take off that stupid Mickey Mouse hat, but when Nevada allows Roy Nelson to weigh-in looking like the Michelin Man it seems strange that California freaks out about a bracelet or a ring. And all of that “Stand here! Face forward!” drill sergeant nonsense stopped the second “Cigano” hit the stage; it’s clear that big boy in the blazer prefers bossing around people half his size.

Now, onto the results.

(An artist’s rendition of Tom Watson with his head shaved, dressed in a bear costume. I promise this will make more sense if you watch the video after the jump.)

Our friend Jonathan Shrager has been talking with BAMMA middleweight champion Tom “Kong” Watson, who has established a UK MMA charity account for Children in Need, one of the most high-profile and prestigious annual TV charity events across the pond. Essentially, it’s to raise money on behalf of an umbrella fund labelled “UK MMA,” helping a great cause while enhancing public perceptions of the sport within the UK, and introducing new mainstream audiences to MMA and its personalities.

The Brits are several years behind the U.S. in terms of general perceptions of the sport, so this would certainly go some way to improving that situation. Several prominent figures within the UK MMA community are already committed to backing the bid, including Nate Marquardt, Che Mills, Andre Winner and Alex Reid.

Here is an interview Jonny recently conducted with Tom which elaborates on his noble vision…

(Worst…reporters…ever! Video courtesy of JWPlayer/IronForgesIron)

- Ultimate Fighting dips a toe in the mainstream pool (NYTimes)

- Todd Grisham takes the reins of MMA Live from Jon Anik (ESPN)

- Scientifically proven: the real impact of a good father (AskMen)

- UFC on Fox prelim fighter Aaron Rosa is proud of his Mexican heritage (MexicoToday)

- 25 weird -ass kinds of underwear (HolyTaco)

- BJ Penn talks Diaz fight, retirement, Cesar Gracie’s offer and more (BJPenn)

- Charlize Theron nude and milk-covered in a Snow White promo (ScreenJunkies)

- How to survive social disasters (MadeMan)

- Forrest Griffin apologizes for offensive tweet and explains context of words (KTNV)

- Sixth grader creates awesome anti-Justin Bieber game app (TuVez)

- UFC 141 press conference notes (MMAMania)

- 8 things your tattoo (and where it is) say about you (Guyism)

- 18 sexy Victoria’s Secret models in bizarre outfits (Clutch.MTV)

- USA Today acquires MMAJunkie (MMAJunkie)

Oh, great, vengeful God (or Zorp), please let this happen. If you can allow Razor Ramone to be assisted off his wheelchair, only to be repeatedly kicked and hit with steel chairs in front of an audience of less than 500 people, then surely you can allow this to happen. In a recent interview with MMAfighting.com, none other than Art Jimmerson, the man behind the most embarrassing loss in UFC History, challenged the former Youtube sensation, MoneyTalks star, UFC fighter, and 2-0 boxer Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson to a boxing match, stating:

Jus a friendly reminder that there are a couple things left to help waste the remaining hours of your Friday.

First off, the UFC will be holding a press conference to announce UFC 141 featuring a main event number one heavyweight contender match-up between former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem and former UFC champ Brock Lesnar.

We’ll finally get a first hand look at Lesnar’s physique so we can see just how big of a toll his latest bout of diverticulitis took on his body. We’ll also likely get some vague quotes from “The Demolition Man” about his current lawsuit against his former management team and why he chose Xtreme Couture for this camp.

Also on tap are the weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s UFC on Fox extravaganza. It should be interesting to see if the event has a FOX spin on it and if we’ll see any FOX personalities like Gus Johnson sashaying around in the background will full make-up.

Check out the stream after the jump.

(Four more pics are after the jump.)

BabesofMMA just alerted us to a new photo shoot from Louisiana model/ring girl Laura Moro, and there isn’t much to say outside of hnnnnng.

Props to Trick Productions for the lovely pics. More new photos of Laura are in the gallery below. See more of Ms. Moro on Facebook and Twitter.

By Jonathan Shrager

Unless you’ve been locked in a closet for the last week with no internet reception, you’re probably aware that the UFC’s inaugural event on network television transpires this weekend, headlined by a gargantuan heavyweight showdown between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.

A convincing argument could be made for JDS boasting the single most remarkable contender streak in UFC history. If you’ve failed to be impressed by Junior’s seven consecutive triumphs since entering the UFC back in October 2008 — and the level of competition they came against — then you’re evidently not a very excitable person. In fact, it’s likely that you possess the same stoicism characterised by “Cigano’s” adversary this weekend, Señor Velasquez.

You see, unbeaten runs aren’t common in the UFC. This isn’t the world of boxing, where fighters are fed 20 journeymen before they get thrown to the lions. And that’s precisely why the MMA community purrs over such immaculate resumes. So which UFC fighters built up the most impressive win streaks en route to their first title shot? These five come to mind…

The Marines, enjoying someone fighting for them for a change. (Photo: MMAOnTap.com)

There is no shortage of military metaphors in the world of MMA. “War Diaz.” “War Penn.” Our athletes don’t just compete, they go to battle. Even that shirt you claim not to own is ‘an expression of combat known worldwide’.

But these are mere words. For a select few of the sport’s elite, the challenges they encounter inside of the cage are nothing compared to the trials they signed up for by enlisting in the armed forces. It turns out the reasons MMA fighters serve their country, and their experiences in the military, are as varied as anyone else’s. As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, check out a quick glimpse of their lives in uniform.

Thanks to the folks at Ranger Up for making their crew available.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/HaywireMovie)

Relativity Media released a second slick new trailer for Gina Carano’s upcoming action flick “Haywire” today, and although it doesn’t really contain any new footage of note other than a not so surprising clip of Antonio Banderas saying he’s never done a woman before, it still makes us want to see the film that much more.

The jury is still out about whether or not we agree with their blatant alteration of Gina’s voice in the movie that makes her sound like a 46-year-old chain-smoking switchboard operator from a taxi company, but we’ll wait and see if it affects the overall quality of the film.

It’s been a long road, ladies and gentlemen, but it seems the time of network television MMA not involving Kimbo Slice and a screaming Gus Johnson is finally upon us. UFC on Fox kicks off at 9 o’clock tomorrow night, and for those of you who are looking to get some last minute gambling in, well, allow us to help you scratch that itch. Check out the betting lines, courtesy of BestFightOdds, along with our Morgan Freeman-eqsue advice on what to do below.

Main Card/Event:
Cain Velasquez (-175) vs. Junior Dos Santos (+155)

Preliminary Card
Benson Henderson (-260) vs. Clay Guida (+220)
Dustin Poirier (-300) vs. Pablo Garza (+250)
Aaron Rosa (-140) vs. Matt Lucas (+120)
Mike Pierce (-340) vs. Paul Bradley (+280)
Mackens Sermizer (-115) vs. Robert Peralta (-105)
DaMarques Johnson (-270) vs. Clay Harvison (+230)
Norifumi Yamamoto (-360) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (+300)
Ricardo Lamas (-145) vs. Cub Swanson (+125)
Cole Escovedo (-260) vs. Alex Caceres (+220)

(Video courtesy of MTV UK)

More exposure for mixed martial arts is always a good thing, so when we saw this awesome mini MMA documentary “3″ that MTV UK is promoting, we figured we’d pass it along so The Potato Nation could check it out and help spread the word.

We spoke with the director of the project, Demetrio Marquez about the film yesterday and the independent British filmmaker described the self-funded project as a labor of love of a massive mixed martial arts fan.

(Rumble poses next to a normal-sized human being. Photo via KnoxxGear.)

By Ryan Ventura

For a long time, many fans have felt that Anthony Johnson was too big to be playing around in the welterweight jungle. But now they get their wish and he is making the jump to the middleweight division to face ‘The Phenom’ Vitor Belfort at UFC 142, January 14th in Rio. “I still want to fight at 170,” said Johnson “but I’m excited about making the jump to 185 and we’ll see what happens after this fight is over.”

In a way, this opportunity to fight the legendary Vitor Belfort is coming full circle for Anthony Johnson. The two first met after Anthony’s very first professional Mixed Martial Arts bout back in 2006. “I knocked out my opponent in one minute and nine seconds. Vitor happened to be in the crowd, Shogun Rua was too. After the fight, Vitor gave me props and shook my hand. I never thought I’d be fighting a man who I shook hands with many years ago. I’m a fan of Vitor Belfort and always will be. It’s going to be fun fighting him.”

Continue reading this interview on Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com

(Props: MMAFighting)

MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani took to the streets of Los Angeles to find out what the general public thought of the UFC’s network television debut on Saturday — or if they were even aware of it. But since it’s L.A., the “general public” includes a lot of fictional characters and crazy people. Here’s what we learn:

- Every Cookie Monster or Spiderman you see walking around Los Angeles is just a guy with a funny accent trying to make a living.

- You can trace Mr. Muscles’s MMA lineage all the way back to the famous UFC fighter who went to Russia and got the belts. (It wasn’t Niko. It was his partner.)

(Fun fact: Clay Guida has never owned a single piece of silverware.)

According to a new report from MMA Junkie, the UFC plans to give the winner of tomorrow night’s UFC on FOX bout between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson a title shot against lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Sources indicate that the fight would likely take place at UFC 144 (February 26; Saitama, Japan).

Unfortunately, Guida vs. Henderson won’t be part of the “Velasquez vs. Dos Santos” TV broadcast — which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on FOX — but viewers can watch it as part of the undercard stream on Facebook and FOXSports.com. Currently, Henderson (-250) is a strong favorite over Guida (+236).

By Mike Russell

(Marine Corps Captain Brian Stann receiving his Silver Star in March 2006 for bravery and leadership in battle)

Today marks the 236th birthday of the United States Marines, and as such, I thought it would be fitting to print an outtake quote from an interview I did with Brian Stann earlier this month for a recent Fighters Only Magazine story.

When talk turned to the growing contingent of MMA fans who have publicly blasted “All American” for memorializing his fallen military brothers and sisters, Stann, a decorated retired  Marine said that he makes no apologies for paying them tribute whenever he has a public forum to do so.

Read Brian’s take on the subject after the jump.

(Beast-Mode: He invented it.)

Thanks to everybody who submitted questions to Dan Severn last week! Today’s installment of Dan’s no-holds-barred Q&A column is loaded with classic stories and grown-man wisdom, so get comfortable and read on. You can support the MMA living legend by visiting DanSevern.com and Dan’s Facebook page, and you can support us by kicking in a few bucks to CagePotato’s Movember Team Page. Keep growing them mo’s, and post your latest moustache photos on our Facebook wall…

skeletor asks: Did you ever feel bad during the no holds barred/no weight classes days destroying guys that were so much smaller then you?

Dan Severn: I never felt bad because of size difference but I did sort of feel bad in general because it was not in my nature to be violent. For example, when I had Oleg Taktarov in the cage and was dropping knees on him, and he couldn’t defend himself. The match wasn’t being halted and he didn’t have the rational mindset to tap out. Even my first loss against Royce Gracie, I was staring right into a man’s soul realizing what crude submissions that I knew weren’t working and recognizing that I was going to have to strike this guy. So I struggled more with my conscience then I ever did with an opponent. I think I am cut from a different cloth than a lot of different fighters who came from checkered pasts and were used to getting into fights. I wasn’t used to that. For instance, if you look at the fight between me and Ken Shamrock, he was adopted and grew up on the mean streets fighting. My upbringing was completely different. I don’t really understand that mentality.

When I was inside Royce’s guard, from my perspective I was in the dominant position because as a wrestler, I was used to being on top. As I am fighting I can see Royce looking over to his father in his corner, and I could see exactly what was going through his mind. His mind was saying, “Hey dad, I’m hanging in here but if you want to throw in the towel, I wouldn’t hold it against you.” Helio actually had the towel in his hand and lifted his arm up a little bit and then shook his head no. I remember thinking, you old bastard…you would sacrifice your kid for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/LuckieBoot)

A new Australian documentary was released this week and it looks pretty damn good.

Fighting Fear focuses on the lives of two best friends who happen to be professional sportsmen and how their relationship with each other helped the them through the low points of their lives.

The film gives a glimpse into the lives of childhood friends, pro surfer Mark Mathews and MMA fighter Richie “Vas” Vaculik and examines how each had to deal with their fears to do what they do for a living.

Narrated by Warrior actor Joel Edgerton, the movie follows the two adrenaline junkies through their real-life struggles as they strive to make it in their respective ultra-competitive sports.

(Maguire poses for the cameras following his unanimous decision victory over Justin Edwards at UFC 138. Photo via David Lethaby.) 

By CagePotato contributor Ben Cartlidge

UFC 138 marked the organization’s first trip to the UK in 2011 and delivered a card not packed with stars but instead with explosive potential.

The gap between the UK and the rest of the world in terms of wrestling is obvious to see but, that night in Birmingham, the fighter who scored the most takedowns wasn’t an NCAA champion with a decorated collegiate career.

Cambridge’s John “The One” Maguire outscored his opponent Justin Edwards 6-0 in the takedown stakes en route to a unanimous decision victory and quickly attracted the attention of the fighting community with his spirited performance.

I caught up with Maguire as he recollected on the single biggest fight of his career.

CAGEPOTATO.COM: Congratulations on your first win in the UFC and what surely must have been the biggest win in your career. Looking back it all now for a second; what are your recollections about that fight and the UFC experience in general?

JOHN MAGUIRE:

(Gina during her Madonna phase. Pic props: BullettMagazine)

Gina Carano did an interview recently with Bullett Magazine in which the former face of women’s MMA who is set to make her big screen debut when “Haywire” is released in January made an interesting analogy comparing her opponents to past lovers.

“When you fight someone, you share the experience with that one person, and you’re never going to have that experience with someone else—even in another fight. I always have this weird connection with them. It really is like we had sex. I’ll always know how many people I fought.”

Does that mean she doesn’t know how many dudes who have rear-naked-choked her or are we reading too much into the quote?

(Video courtesy of TheScore)

Strikeforce play-by-play commentator and MMA reporter Mauro Ranallo caught up with Dana White following yesterday’s UFC on FOX 1 press conference in Los Angeles and as usual, the always outspoken UFC president had a lot to say.

Check out the brass tacks of the interview after the jump.

(Oh Brittney, how we’ve missed you.)

In what is easily the greatest decision the UFC has ever made, our 2011 Hottest Woman in MMA winner, Brittney Palmer, has been brought back to the UFC. How you ask? Well, as we all know, Ms. Palmer stepped out of the limelight last year to pursue an art career, and had already completed a summer semester at an anonymous California based art school. And though her work was pretty damn impressive, Brittney clearly came to revelation that you don’t need to produce art, when you are art. And I would like to take this moment to speak on behalf of the general population and thank her for said revalation.

All kidding aside, it turns out the reason for her return began when just a few hours ago, Dana White sent out the following tweet:

Last Wednesday marked the official debut of Heart, a comic-book miniseries by writer Blair Butler and artist Kevin Mellon that follows an aimless office drone’s quest to discover his life’s purpose through MMA. I read the first issue last weekend and thought it was a great story, and another positive representation of the sport in entertainment culture. (See also: Warrior, Tiki Ghosn’s appearance on Blind Date.) So pick it up on your next trip to the comic shop, okay?

The four-issue series will be released monthly through February — and we can hook one of you up with the whole thing. To get it, you’ll have to accurately predict the results of UFC on FOX‘s featured fight this Saturday (heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez vs. #1 contender Junior Dos Santos), as well as the lightweight clash between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson that will be closing out the Facebook prelims. Submit your predictions for these two fights in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage, if any. Your entry should be in this format:

(It’s funny until you realize that his little dog is in that backpack. And then it’s absolutely hilarious. GIF via IronForgesIron)

We’re heading into the home stretch of TUF 14: Team Asshole vs. Team Goofball, and the bloom is definitely off the rose. At this point, I just want to see the coaches settle their beef at the finale show next month. I’d also like to see Diego Brandao whip some more ass. Other than that, I’m only watching/writing this out of habit. How many dumb pranks can grown men can play on each other? Even when they involve Mariachi bands, it’s just…I don’t know. There are more important things happening in our country right now.

The TUF house has reached a Heathers-level of cliquey-ness. You got the Bible thumpers, the card players, and the dudes with anger issues/crazy hair/dark skin. And hey, you know who Akira Corassani doesn’t like? That bitch-ass Bryan Caraway. “He’s like a little girl,” Akira says. “He wakes up in the morning, he takes like 25 minutes to make his hair.”

So, Akira sneaks into Bryan’s bedroom in the middle of the night and shaves off a piece of his hair. Caraway chases him to an upstairs balcony, where Akira is giggling with his bros. Instead of brawling with the whole gang, Bryan threatens non-specific vengeance sometime in the future. “Y’know, what we do in life echoes in eternity, and this right here I’m going to laugh about my whole life,” Akira says, COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT OF GLADIATOR. Look, spoiler alert, Akira gets choked out at the end of this episode and it’s awesome. Sorry guys, I had to.

(Cor Hemmers and Bas Boon minutes before they eyeballed their share of Alistair’s bag of K-1 purse money, you know, back when he still got it.)

TMZ is reporting that Alistair Overeem filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court today against Golden Glory — the management team he recently split from that handled his business affairs, not the fight team they are affiliated with.

(A twist to the story is that they are actually brothers who used to be siamese twins.)

The UFC and FOX held a conference call today with UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC President Dana White, FOX Sports Media Group Chairman David Hill, FOX Sports Co-President Eric Shanks and FUELTV General Manager George Greenberg for members of the media who were unable to attend today’s UFC on Fox 1 pre-fight press conference in Los Angeles. Besides the big announcement that prelim fights will soon be moving over to FuelTV from Facebook, there were a few other interesting nuggets that came out of the call.

Check out the quick quotes after the jump.