(Props: sitthongsai via CP reader Andrew W.)

On Sunday, 46-year-old MMA old-schooler Don Frye competed at a Gladiator Challenge event in Lincoln, California, making his first cage appearance since a one-minute TKO loss to Dave Herman in 2009. This one lasted a little longer, but ended the same way, with Don eating punches until he fell over. Poor Don.

Frye was originally supposed to face Mike Gonzales, but ended up throwing leather with journeyman Ruben “Warpath” Villareal; Frye and Warpath had previously fought to a draw at a King of the Cage event back in 2006. Villareal didn’t leave it to the judges this time, KO’ing Frye about two-and-a-half minutes into the fight. The win snapped a five-fight losing streak for Warpath, and earned him the Gladiator Challenge light-heavyweight title.

(You will be hit with the creepy at the 0:11 mark. Props: HDNetFights via MiddleEasy.)

Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall made a recent appearance on Inside MMA to discuss the UFC’s addition of flyweights, and Jesus Christ, would you look at that guy. It’s like him and her had a baby. The long-haired surfer vibe that Ian used to rock in his WEC days is gone, replaced by a gentleman who looks like he might drive a surprise van in his spare time. Are the UFC’s fans ready for such mustachioed intensity?

(Let’s hope the rematch lasts a little longer.)

During the UFC 142 press conference this morning, the UFC announced that long time rivals Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort have been chosen as opposing coaches for the first international season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will be filmed on location in Brazil and entirely in Portugese, or in Mike Goldberg’s case, Japanese. The debut for TUF Brazil is set for March 25th as of this moment, with the finale being held sometime in June at a location TBD.

(What, me worry?)

Police in Phuket are combing the Thai island looking for Junie Browning after the troubled 26-year-old UFC castoff allegedly started a brawl in a local bar where he assaulted several patrons before attacking the victims again at a hospital later in the night.

(“Gamebred” used to be a moneyweight fighter.)

Heading into Saturday night’s Strikeforce show, not a lot of people are giving lightweight challenger Jorge Masvidal much of a chance against champ Gilbert Melendez for various different reasons.

One is the disparity in fight records between the two. Another is that Melendez has never been finished. And a third is that Gilbert hasn’t lost a fight since 2008.

The one wildcard factor Masvidal has going for him is how much of a beating he can take and still keep coming forward. His granite chin rivals anyone’s in the game, which could make for an interesting brawl come Saturday night.

If you’ve seen his pair of street fights against Kimbo Slice protegee Ray, you know what we’re talking about. If you haven’t, check them out after the jump.

(Props to HDNetFights for the vid. Fight starts at the 4:20 mark.) 

I’m going to come right out and say it; Jim Wallhead may be the pound-for-pound scariest looking dude in mixed martial arts today. Say what you want about Keith Jardine, Tank Abbott, or even Ruben “Nightwolf” Villareal (lolz!), but none of them hold a candle to Wallhead, who looks like the bastard love child of General Vogel and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. All the more terrifying is the fact that Wallhead actually has the skills to back up his grizzled demeanor. Currently 9-1 in his past ten fights, including wins over Frank Trigg, Che Mills, and Ryan Thomas, Wallhead’s career furthers the theory that anyone nicknamed “Judo” is one bad mofo who should not be tested.

(The faces of pure evil?? / Photo via UFC.com)

If you were looking for a reason — any reason at all — to hate on Jon Jones following his submission victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, that post-fight video which showed trainer Greg Jackson yelling for Jon to “go check on Lyoto, get some fans” probably did the trick. It was a candid moment that called into question Jones and Jackson’s reputations for sportsmanship and Bushido-like respect. Was it all just an act to appear likable? Did they have any genuine concern for Machida’s health whatsoever?

Obviously, Greg Jackson is embarrassed by how he came off, and tried to explain his words in an interview with MMAJunkie:

“I shouldn’t have spoken in that way, but that wasn’t my intention. It sounded bad, but moronic [expletive] comes out of my mouth sometimes. What I was saying was, ‘Go check on Lyoto,’ what I meant was to remember that you’re a public figure. There’s always attention on you and what you’re doing all the time, and there’s cage etiquette. There’s things you’re supposed to do, and going and checking on somebody is what you’re supposed to do. And now because I’m in military mode and in shorthand mode, I say, ‘Jon, go check on Lyoto and go get some fans,’ and what I should have said was, ‘You’re a public figure. There’s a way to conduct yourself.’ But instead, I shorthanded it.”

(“Who nearly f*cked up our end-of-year show main event? This f*cking guy, that’s who.”)

During a scheduled Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting Monday, NSAC announced that Alistair Overeem failed to undergo a random drug test ahead of his UFC 141 heavyweight bout with Brock Lesnar and as a result he was granted a “conditional license” by the governing body.

According to commission records, Lesnar attended a hospital within one day of being told to do so on November 17, where blood and urine samples were taken and the results came back negative for both drugs of abuse and anabolic agents. Overeem did not comply with its request to submit specimens on that date, but instead had one of the two requested samples taken one week later.

Prior to the agenda item, the announcement was foreshadowed as NSAC representatives spoke candidly about all of the issues that have arisen in the past when it comes to testing out of competition outside of North America for various reasons.

Props to @LayzietheSavage for the UStream feed of the proceedings.

Check out the timeline of what went down the past month after the jump.

(What? Was Zuluzinho not ready for a rematch?) 

Fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Jeff Monson that snapped the only multiple fight losing streak of his career, word has just broke that Fedor Emelianenko will be fighting in Japan for the first time since his armbar victory over Hong Man Choi at Yarennoka – New Years Eve 2007. As luck would have it, “The Last Emperor” will be fighting on New Years Eve once again, this time under the DREAM banner and against 2008 Olympic gold medal winning Judo practitioner Satoshi Ishii.

Not exactly the freak show bout that Japan (and Fedor) have been known to dabble in, but to call it a mismatch would be somewhat of an understatement. After winning the gold medal in Beijing, China over three years ago, Ishii has built up a 4-1-1 MMA record, with wins over the likes of Ikuhisa Minowa and former K1 great Jerome Le Banner, but has not fought since his draw with pill popper and occasional fighter Paulo Filho back in September. Ishii’s lone loss came in his MMA debut at the hands of fellow Judoka gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida.

(Chan Sung Jung strikes Mark Hominick with the ferocity of someone who has just discovered Canadian beef in his bulgogi. / Photo via Cagewriter)

No matter how much Dan Henderson begs, Jon Jones‘s next opponent will be the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis. Other than that, the fates of UFC 140‘s winners and losers are currently floating in limbo. But if we know matchmaking as well as we think we do, you might be seeing a few of these fights announced in the near future…

Frank Mir: His arm-snapping win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was exactly what Frank needed to pull him out of his career holding pattern. Pundits are already chattering about a trilogy match with Brock Lesnar, in case there’s some truth to those ugly rumors about Alistair Overeem getting pulled from UFC 141. Let’s hope that’s not the case. Instead, we’ll set up a hypothetical booking between Mir and former champ Cain Velasquez, whose title reign and undefeated record were abruptly smashed at UFC on FOX 1. There’s always the chance that Mir would get overwhelmed by Velasquez’s power — see Mir vs. Carwin, Mir vs. Lesnar 2 — but his jiu-jitsu prowess and dangerous hands could make Frank vs. Cain a thriller.

Chan Sung Jung: In four fights under the Zuffa banner, Chan Sung Jung has given us a Fight of the Decade candidate and 2011′s greatest submission, and has now tied the (official) record for fastest UFC knockout; I just wanted you to take a moment and appreciate that. Smashing a recent featherweight title contender in Mark Hominick shoots the Korean Zombie way up the 145-pound ladder. He hasn’t earned a title shot yet, but he’s knocking at the door. Give him the loser of the Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes title fight next month in Rio and see if he can turn in another brilliant performance.

With 10 correct entries out of 32 submissions, the odds of winning this Hayabusa-sponsored UFC 140 contest were better than most, but as with most things in life, (except for stupid sports like doubles tennis and two-man bobsled) there can only be one winner.

(If you squint, you can see Simpsons characters in their abs.)

Rory MacDonald will face a fellow up-and-coming welterweight in his adopted hometown of Montreal on March 24 when he takes on British standout Che “Beautiful” Mills at Bell Centre at UFC 145.

Sportsnet’s “Showdown” Joe Ferraro was the first to report the potential bout via Twitter and we have since confirmed the news with a source close to one of the fighters.

What a couple of weeks it has been for the avid Jiu Jitsu fanatic. Diego Brandao scored a brilliant last second submission over Dennis Bermudez to walk away with a UFC contract and a down payment on his momma’s new house, Frank Mir added the most prized arm of all to his collection (a feeling that Mir would later refuse to go into detail about, but we imagine felt something like this), and Jon Jones used his Stretch Armstrong genetics to choke out a Jiu Jitsu black belt in Lyoto Machida with relative ease. And with each beautiful, gruesome, or eye opening technique that graces the octagon, Ryron and Rener are here to make sense of it all.

Today, the Gracie brothers touch on Tony Ferguson’s slick omaplata attempt from his unanimous decision victory over Yves Edwards at the TUF 14 Finale as well as Brandao’s glass plaque-earning effort before breaking down possibly the most shocking submission finish in MMA history, Frank Mir’s come from behind kimura over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria that absolutely destroyed the Brazilian’s arm, a picture of which can be seen after the jump:

All nine stoppages from Saturday’s action-packed “Jones vs. Machida” card, in convenient animated gif form. Props to IronForgesIron and the UG; lots more after the jump.

(I said god *damn*. God damn.)

In news that will probably make you clench your fists in triumph, Playboy has confirmed that beloved UFC ring girl Brittney Palmer will appear in their March issue. A photo of Palmer was included on the “Next Month” page of the nudie mag’s current January/February issue, with the following teaser copy:

“The Canvas suits her. The UFC Octagon has always attracted delicate beauties, but no ring girl paints a prettier picture than pop artist Brittney Palmer. It’s a pictorial worth fighting for.”

Palmer will be the third UFC Octagon Girl to grace the pages of Playboy, following Rachelle Leah in 2008 and Arianny Celeste in 2010. And as long as they don’t airbrush her to death like Lindsay Lohan, this will definitely be one of the highlights of our year.

After the jump, Brittney takes a sultry spin around the Octagon at UFC 140, in a series of candid photos from her Facebook page.

The toughest fighter you’ll see all day. Pic via Daniel James Miller Foundation.

As you know, we’ve been following an unfortunate story regarding UFC middleweight Dan Miller‘s son, Danny Jr., who is suffering from polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and needs a kidney transplant. The transplant itself is going to cost $100,000, not to mention the additional $10,000 per month in medication for at least one year that is only partially covered by his insurance. We’ve been asking for your help with donations, and you have been generous to the cause so far.

The struggle is by no means over, but we’re pleased to learn that Daniel James Miller has a kidney transplant scheduled for late-January, according to MMAJunkie.com. The surgery was made possible by significant donations from UFC co-owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White.

(Props to @JacobPHansen for the tip)

There’s being a great athlete, then there’s being a great sport. Last night we learned that Jones is one of those things.

The champ takes plenty of heat for the way he carries himself. Whether you think he’s overly cocky or rightfully confident, you may not have appreciated the way that he dropped Machida to the ground like a sack of rocks. “Bones” has yet to taste defeat in mixed martial arts, which may be why he doesn’t seem to empathize with his fallen foes very well.

While the PPV microphones were cued in to Goldy and Rogan, the online stream gave access to a number of audio and video feeds. As it turns out, in addition to coaching Jones on takedowns and chokes, Greg Jackson is there to remind Jones on proper in-cage etiquette.

Does it make him any less of an incredible fighter? No. Does it make you dislike him a little more? Probably.

There’s a time for fightin’, and a time for dancin’! Nog breaks out “The Robot“, Mir shows off the “Smooth Criminal“. (Photo: UFC.com)

I’m not sure what sort of pre-fight pep talk was given to the fighters in their locker rooms last night, but I hope somebody recorded it to play at all future events. “Never leave it in the hands of the judges” doesn’t begin to capture the sentiment that most of the fighters carried with them to the Octagon. Last night’s finishes were emphatic and extraordinary. Knocking your opponent out wouldn’t do—it would have to tie for the quickest KO in UFC history. Subbing the previously untapped wasn’t enough—you had to break them or render them unconcious.

We’ve already broken down the Jones-Machida bout, so we’ll just say the champion definitely gave us something to Skype about. Now, onto the rest of the card.

Announcement comes at roughly the 6:25 mark. Props: MMAFighting.com

We can end the speculation. After last night’s UFC 140, Dana White announced that flyweight MMA will debut in the UFC on March 3, 2012. The event is going to be broadcast on FX and take place in the land where people ride around in their kangaroos all day, Australia. Details, such as a specific venue and fights possible for the card, have yet to be officially released, though we’re willing to bet it’ll be at Sydney’s Acer Arena (just a wild guess).

The UFC is unveiling their newest roster editions with a bang. A four man flyweight tournament is set to begin on March 3, presumably in order to crown the inaugural flyweight champion, and will feature Ian McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani. Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez should both be fresh in your mind, as they have had successful runs in the UFC at bantamweight yet are better suited for flyweight competition. As for McCall and Urushitani, we’ve got them profiled after the jump.

Not elusive enough. (Photo: Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)

There’s nothing new in Jon Jones facing his ‘toughest test to date’; his recent fights have put him through a gauntlet of UFC champions. Searching for a style that stifles him is old hat as well; in his very short career he’s faced top level wrestlers, strikers, and even a one-of-a-kind karate specialist. And doubting the light-heavyweight champ? That officially became passé last night too.

While all of the smart money was being plunked down on Jon Jones, most acknowledged that Machida’s unique style would pose an interesting challenge to the young champion. Finding Machida with the end of your fist is a tough enough chore when you’re not spinning and twisting through the air, and Jones found that out in the first round. His flashy kicks and punches came close to finishing the Dragon’s shadow, but the intended target was long out of range by the time the twirling had ended. A pair of solid body kicks and a few stalking combinations gave Lyoto the round and momentum headed into the second frame against a suddenly more-human Jones.

“Bones” found himself on the losing end of the exchanges early in round two as well. Machida, who has made a career of the unorthodox, seemed able to predict what Jones would throw before he’d even thought of it. And that’s when it finally happened: Jones got hit. It wasn’t a jaw-dropping widow-maker, mind you, but finally we had contact, significant contact. Though Jones staggered backward at bit, he quickly regained his composure and did what champions do—he took over. A takedown followed by a brutal elbow to the forehead drew blood. Lots of it. Momentum had shifted, and Jones was certain the fight was his.

(“What you lookin’ at piss breath?”)

Well, here we are at the UFC’s second Toronto card of 2011 and I’m stuck at home an hour-and-a-half away live-blogging on my couch with my wife and my dog.

I got a call from a buddy a few hours ago telling me he had a free ticket for me, but I told him I had to keep you guys abreast of the action, so I took a raincheck. Don’t say I never do anything for you.

The prelims are already in the books. Check out the results after the jump and let’s get this thing going.

You know, Potato Nation, Coleman just really likes potatoes. I mean, I know that’s not profound or nothin’. Heck! We all do…but for him, it goes much more beyond that.

So how many of you all came here last weekend only to be disappointed by the lack of answers to your seemingly endless questions? Maybe we’re getting too far ahead of ourselves, so let’s start over: How many of you noticed that we didn’t run a new edition of Ask the Potato last week? We just saw at least three hands go up, so we’re going to assume that the rest of you are just too shy to respond. We’re keeping it short and sweet and to the point this week, much unlike this sentence, so let’s get down to business.

KarmaAteMyCat asks: What’s the most vicious injury you have ever seen in MMA to date?

Zavurov vs Enomoto, part one. All videos props to IronForgesIron.com

When we last checked in on M-1 Global, Jeff Monson was busy being the anti-Bones before his loss to Fedor, Aleksander Emelianenko got flattened by Magomed Malikov and Maxim Grishin was caught rubbing his legs down with Bengay before a losing effort in his interim heavyweight championship bout with Kenny Garner. So basically, M-1 Global has been delivering plenty of insanity is what we’re getting at. Those of you who watched last night’s M-1 Challenge 30 in Costa Mesa, California expecting a freak show were likely disappointed, but those of you who expected a night of good fights got exactly that.

The evening’s main event saw welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov, who was forced out of a title defense against Rashid Magomedov at M-1 Challenge 28 by a last minute injury, defend his title against Swiss prospect Yasubey Enomoto. Earlier this year, Zavurov took home a unanimous decision over Enomoto after Yasubey Enomoto took the fight on eight days notice. This time around, Shamil Zavurov would not be so lucky.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/FightersOnlyMagazine)

Heads up: last week’s Fighters Only World MMA Awards will air tomorrow night at 8pm (ET) on FSN. Judging by their selection of Chael Sonnen as this year’s host, the show’s producers are hoping to add a little heat to their event much like the Golden Globes did courtesy of host Ricky Gervais.

If you needed further evidence that somebody’s going to get all butthurt tomorrow, the above video featuring UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and light-heavyweight contender Phil Davis doesn’t pull any punches. As they climb through a storage unit, the duo take shots at Arianny Celeste, Jon Jones, Cecil Peoples, Wanderlei Silva, and more. It’s definitely worth a couple of minutes of your time.

Yesterday’s skit probably reminded you that a good chin doesn’t always equate to strong acting chops. Then again, there’s only so much you can do with the script you’re handed. Speaking of which, the comedic stylings of Frank Mir await you after the jump.

“I got three of Richie’s guys breathing through their foreheads ova he-ya, so allow me be brief…”

Behind the scenes information and rampant speculation in the lead-up to a fight is the MMA equivalent of chicks gossiping in a powder room. It’s, like, totally fun, but when you start to base your investment portfolio around it or develop an eating disorder you know you’ve crossed the line. At least, that’s usually the case. The scoop we’re about to share with you is as solid as they come, so take advantage of this opportunity to change your fight picks and spray a bottle of Cool Whip directly into your throat.

Earlier this week, Light-Heavyweight challenger Lyoto Machida revealed that he had not been in communication with Black House’s not-so-secret weapon, Steven Seagal, during his training camp. Considering that his devastating knock out victory over Randy Couture was directly attributable (cough) to the action film star, it seemed odd that he wouldn’t turn to him for guidance while training for the fight of his life.

Have no fear, Dragon fans. As it turns out, Jon Jones‘ weaknesses are so glaring that they can be pointed out and easily exploited after a brief, last-minute teleconference. Who knew? Oh yeah, Seagal did.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/FightersOnly)

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(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

The weigh-ins for UFC 140 took place in Toronto this afternoon. Unfortunately, we forgot to set our watches to Canadian time, so you’ll have to settle for watching the video after the fact.

Only one fighter didn’t make weight, and since our headline spoils the surprise, you’ve probably figured out it was Dennis Hallman, who was 3.5 lbs over the 155-pound lightweight limit. He decided not to make a second attempt, which is unusual considering how close he was and will instead pay opponent John Makdessi 20 percentof his purse. By our estimation, this is “Superman’s” second strike, so if he doesn’t beat Makdessi, we may him get Miguel Torres’ed tomorrow night.

For those of you who can’t watch the vid at work, the full results are after the jump.

(Props: MTV via MMA Mania)

“I think like if you knock someone out on top of that Dave & Buster’s logo, you get like free cheese sticks or something.”

Previously: ‘TUF 10? Episode 2 Recap: Too Pooped to Party

(Photo via @ufc)

The fighters for tomorrow night’s UFC 140 event just finished weighing in at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, with 23 of the 24 competitors coming in at or below their contracted limits. The sole fuck-up was Dennis Hallman, who was scheduled to make his lightweight debut against John Makdessi. Instead, he crushed the scales at 158.5, and was granted some extra time to get down to 156. And he’d better make it happen, considering that he’s already on the UFC’s bad side due to his unfortunate wardrobe choice in his last fight. Update: Hallman has been fined 20 percent of his purse for failing to make weight.

The other item worth noting is that Frank Mir weighed in 21 pounds heavier than Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for their heavyweight rematch. Three years ago, their size difference was only five pounds. The full list of “Jones vs. Machida” weigh-in results is after the jump. Come back to CagePotato.com tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the pay-per-view main card, and catch up on our previous UFC 140 coverage on the Main Event page.

(Dude, we know. We know.)

Now that Strikeforce’s future is looking brighter, the promotion has gone ahead and officially announced their January 7th card in Las Vegas, which will be headlined by Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine, fighting for the middleweight title. Two more Strikeforce stars have been added to the lineup, against opponents with significantly less name value.

First up, former light-heavyweight champion Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal will face off against undefeated up-and-comer Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin, whose 12-0 record includes three wins at Strikeforce Challengers events. Mo last competed in September, when he scored a first-round knockout against Roger Gracie. The winner of this fight could very well earn a shot at TBA for Strikeforce’s vacant 205-pound strap.