(Note to Anthony: ‘Super Hulk’ isn’t a real weight-division.)

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has gone from being awesome and stringing together some great knockout wins in the UFC, to washing out because of his inability to make weight. He missed weight three times in the UFC, most epically in his last bout against Vitor Belfort, and now it appears he’s done it again. MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta has the details:

“Another fight, another weight issue for Anthony Johnson. A Friday night bout that will mark his first since his UFC release has been reset at a 195-pound catch weight despite numerous previous announcements it would be contested at 185.

The Titan Fighting 22 bout was originally advertised as a middleweight bout, but on Thursday’s edition of Bloody Elbow Radio, promoter Joe Kelly said that Johnson and opponent Dave Branch had signed catch weight contracts instead. Johnson weighed in at 194.2 while Branch was 189.2.

(Overeem, before adding horse-meat and anti-inflammatory meds to his diet.)

By Josh Hutchinson

Whether it’s Jon Jones wanting to move up to heavyweight, or everyone wanting Frankie Edgar to cut to 145, weight-class-shifting is a hot topic for MMA fans and pundits alike. And while we’ve recently covered the perils and benefits of dropping to a lower weight class, the same can be said for moving up in weight. After jumping to heavier divisions, some fighters’ proverbial stars have shined brighter, some have dimmed, and some have gone God-damn-supernova — and it’s never easy to predict which fighters will have success. Check out some notable examples below, and tell us which other fighters you think would do well with some extra meat on their bones.

The Good

Alistair Overeem

(Same guy as above, same backdrop, and yet something is different…)

All insinuations aside, Overeem is a prime example of success at moving up a weight class. As I previously mentioned, Overeem has gone 12-1-1 since making a full commitment to heavyweight, and while the quality of opponents he faced was often questionable, that is still a hell of a good run. If you take a look back at his time at light-heavyweight, the stats are not nearly as impressive. Overeem’s losses usually came at the hands of the light-heavyweight division’s top guys, like Chuck Liddell, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, and Ricardo Arona. His run at light-heavyweight showed that he couldn’t hang with the elites of the respective weight class, and was vulnerable to being manhandled by stronger opponents.

After doing whatever it is he did to bulk up, he turned his fortunes around and achieved the greatest stardom of his career, becoming the poster child for successful jumps up the weight-class ladder. If it wasn’t for some bad decision-making, he would be fighting for the sport’s highest prize this weekend. Here’s to hoping he gets his shit together soon.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/HDNet)

- 10 Ways to Gain Muscle (Men’s Fitness)

- PEDs in MMA: Amid TRT Controversy, A Hidden Danger (MMA Fighting)

- Ultimate Treadmills Fail Compilation (Worldwide Interweb)

- Infographoc: The Cost of Don Draper’s Life Today (Made Man)

- Indonesian 8-Year-Old Smokes a Pack a Day (Turd Ferguson Blog)

- An Incomplete Guide to Michael Bay’s Ridiculousness (Screen Junkies)

- Nick Offerman’s Amazing Workshop (BREAK)

- Lindsay Lohan’s Lawyer Plagiarized Her Dumb Lawsuit (Film Drunk)

- Who Said It, Don Draper or Tupac Shakur? (Clutch MTV)

- Fedor Likely Headed to Super Fight League Next (Fighters Only)

- Wand: I’m From the Streets and Vitor Lives In Disneyland (Bleacher Report)

- A Cure For Baldness, Man Boobs, And Other Dude Problems (Holy Taco)

- Five Questions Stemming From the Broncos’ Signing of Peyton Manning (Scores Report)

(“Higher or lower than 200? Higher?”)

It looks like Anthony Johnson has found a promotion willing to overlook his chronic habit of coming in overweight for contracted bouts.

Titan Fighting Championship announced today that it has signed “Rumble” to an unspecified contract and that the 10-4 former UFC welterweight-turned-light heavyweight will be headlining its May 25 card, which will be broadcast live on HDNet. No opponent has been named for AJ, and it has yet to be determined if the former welterweight, who came in 13 pounds over for his middleweight debut at UFC 142 against Vitor Belfort in his last bout, will be fighting at 185 or at a catchweight. One thing’s for certain: his days at 170 are likely behind him.

“I’m back, and I’m fighting May 25 with Titan Fighting Championship, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to headline this event for all the fans in Kansas City and watching that night live on HDNet,” Johnson confirmed with Ariel Helwani on Monday’s MMA Hour. “I am so pumped to be fighting again, and I’m ready to take on whatever 185-pounder they put in front of me. I received offers from all over the world, and after a lot of consideration, my manager Glenn Robinson and I settled on Titan because it’s a good promotion, but more importantly it’s run by really good people.”

(We know Dan, he watches over us all.) 

It looks like Dan Hardy won’t be getting that fight against Matt Hughes he was angling for. And thank God, because we hear Hughes’ country breakfasts consist of Ovaltine and Total these days (we kind, we kid; they consist of grilled bobcat).  

After going 0-4 through 2010 and 2011, Hardy has been matched up with a perfect opponent to kickstart 2012, when he takes on UFC veteran Duane “Bang” Ludwig at UFC 146. Hardy, who has not fought since falling to a third round guillotine choke in Chris Lytle’s retirement bout in August of 2011, took some time off to refocus, train, and get pestered by drunken fans. Ludwig also saw his last fight end by way of guillotine, only he chose to adhere to the “tapping is for bitches” rule when he was choked out by Josh Neer at UFC on FX. The loss snapped a two fight win streak for Ludwig, his first since 2008, which included wins over Nick Osipczak and Amir Sadollah.

Although this wasn’t the match Hardy wanted, you gotta imagine he’ll be stoked knowing he’s taking on a fellow slugger with a limited ground game. But it will be interesting to see if Hardy follows a more subdued gameplan here. Like we said, the man’s dropped 4 straight, and another loss could mean his Zuffa career. Then again, the only reason that he is still in the UFC is thanks to his consistently exciting performances, so a snoozer against Ludwig seems unlikely. Let’s just sit back and enjoy what is sure to be a war, ladies and gentlemen.

In other UFC 146 news…

(If anyone can explain what is going on in this photo, we’ll give you Carmen Valentina’s digits.) 

After Edson Barboza’s spinning heel kick KO over Terry Etim gave birth to the phrase “falling tree” knockout here on CP, we got to thinking, what other classifications of devastation existed in the MMA highlight-o-sphere? Debates got heated, egos got crushed, and limbs got mangled, but we were eventually able to agree that the next category of KO’s in need of appreciation was that of the “lawn chair.”

What is a “lawn chair” knockout, you ask? Well, it’s that special kind of knockout, perhaps the complete opposite of a “falling tree,” in which the victim’s legs give out from underneath them almost instantaneously after the lethal blow is delivered, often forcing their body to collapse into itself like that of a common lawn chair. And to add insult to injury, the poor son of a bitch often receives an unnecessary strike courtesy of his own knee on the way down. Here are nine of the finest examples, in no particular order.

Chuck Liddell v. Guy Mezger

Ricardo Lamas v. Bendy Casimir

Check out seven more beautiful examples of this phenomena after the jump.

(Jesus Christ Rumble, pull yourself together, will you?) 

If you recall, about a fortnight ago, super middleweight contender Anthony Johnson showed up to the UFC 142 weigh-ins at a Weigh-In Failure Leaderboard Record of 12 pounds heavy for his clash with former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort. Dana White all but fired Johnson on the spot, labeling him “unprofessional,” to which Johnson responded by laughing at all us ignant haters. After a strong start in his fight with “The Phenom,” Johnson quickly gassed and succumbed to a first round rear-naked choke, and was given his walking papers promptly afterward.

Well, it seems that, despite missing weight for 25% of his UFC bouts, “Rumble” still has an outside chance of getting back into the sport’s highest promotion. When questioned about the issue following the UFC on Fox 2 press conference, White stated:

[Johnson] needs to go fight somewhere else, get some wins and come in on weight. He needs to prove to me that he can be a professional, show up on weight and do the things that he needs to do. [If] he gets a few fights under his belt and does that, we’ll talk.

Behold: a shining example of “kick face“. (Photo: UFC.com)

Brazilian fans are credited with being the most raucous audience in the world, and last night’s fighters gave them plenty to cheer about. Six of the nine bouts ended via knock out or submission*, with five of those stoppages coming in the first round.

Chokes, knees, and even a spinning wheel kick punctuated last night’s fights (*as did a controversial referee stoppage). Pop on in for a motion picture tribute to UFC 142.

As always, praise be to Zombie Prophet.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (44) DIGG THIS

“And if you think *I’m* upset, young man, you just WAIT until your father gets home!” (Pic: MMAMania.com)

Sometimes a fighter gets cut under bizarre circumstances that no one saw coming, and sometimes the writing is on the wall.

There was very little Anthony Johnson could have done last night to preserve his job in the UFC, and “losing” wasn’t on the short list. Every facet of Johnson’s battle with gravity has been a spectacle. On Friday night, he missed weight for the third time in his UFC career—that’s a first for the promotion. And when he stepped on the scales, he didn’t miss by a slim margin, either. He was closer to the light heavyweight limit than he was the middleweight. The eleven extra pounds he was sporting? That sets a UFC record as well.

Now we’ve already belabored Johnson’s lack of professionalism over the last two days, and whether it’s through a dinner invitation or a dismissive laugh, “Rumble” has made it clear that he doesn’t care what we the fans think. One person that does matter, however, is his boss. Here’s what Dana White had to say on the issue.

The People’s Champion, showing Chael Sonnen how it’s done. Props: @CopperHeartCT

With the UFC’s quick return to Rio de Janeiro, the promotion had high expectations to live up to. Their last visit saw a nearly perfect performance from one of the sport’s most dominant champions, a local favorite earning a quick finish, and (most) Brazilian fighters outmatching their foreign opponents on their ways to victory. It was going to be difficult to entertain the local fans the same way that UFC 134 did, yet the UFC’s return to Brazil netted nearly identical results.

Heading into his title defense against Chad Mendes last night, critics were starting to say that Jose Aldo was beginning to coast his way through fights. That the fight finisher fans grew to love in the WEC had been replaced by a fighter content to go through the motions en route to a decision victory. In front of his home country, Aldo made an impressive statement by finishing “Money” Mendes in the first round.

Mendes displayed improved striking, but that means little when facing the lethal limbs of Jose Aldo. To win this fight–or even stay competitive–Mendes needed to put the champion on his back, yet time and time again his best efforts were thwarted. Though Aldo blatantly grabbed the fence to prevent one takedown, a follow-up attempt from the same position seconds later barely took his feet off the ground. Had he been deducted one point- or ten- it’s hard to imagine the fight going any other way. The brilliant takedown defense and impeccable timing he showed throughout the bout were on full display in the closing seconds of round one. Aldo’s transition to the fight ending knee was nothing short of perfection, something only a dominant striker of his caliber could dream of pulling off.

“I’m not even kidding you, man! It must have been four feet of linguiça. And ‘Humble’ ate the whole thing, just now backstage!” (Photo: UFC.com)

It’s 1 AM in Rio De Janeiro and and the locals have turned out in droves to cheer on their countrymen and wish death upon foreigners. It may not be very sporting of them, but we’ve pretty much thrown professionalism out the window this weekend.

Is Mendes the right Alpha Male to topple Aldo in his own backyard? Does Belfort have enough power to put away one of the UFC’s top heavyweights? And will Palhares’s overwhelming desire to tear limbs apart overcome his instinct to stop fighting in the middle of a bout?

Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.

(Video courtesy of YouTube.com/UFC)

Dana White’s latest vlog walks us through the behind the scenes drama at yesterday’s weigh-ins. Before the action unfolds we get to tag along with the multimillionaire fight baron as he soars over the slums of Rio in a private helicopter. Poetry.

Things get interesting when Vitor Belfort checks in at the arena. Watching “The Phenom” gnaw away on a towel of crushed ice like a starved animal as he learns that “Rumble” is nowhere in the vicinity of 185lbs makes Johnson’s massive failure all the more unforgivable. Vitor had the option of stopping his cut and fighting at a catchweight, but ultimately chose the path of the professional and made the contracted weight. That 20% of Johnson’s purse probably didn’t hurt his decision.

Join us back here this evening as we kick off our Liveblog with the prelims on FX!

(Video courtesy of YouTube/InsideMMA)

- 245 Tebow Photobombs (WorldWideInterweb)

- 25 Laziest Players in NFL History (Complex)

- Celebrity Death Predictions for 2012 (ScreenJunkies)

- Rob! Bingo Card (TuVez)

- Edita Vilkeviciute is Kind of Awesome (Guyism)

- Why Your Girlfriend Should Be Banished From Your Gym (AskMen)

- Dana White Issues Statement on Johnson Missing Weight *Again* (MMAMania)

- 10 Crappy TV Shows Based On Good Movies (Clutch.MTV)

- More Bang for Your Buck With Compound Lifts (TheRugged)

- CollegeHumor is Making an Actual Movie (FilmDrunk)

- Pacquiao Dodges Mayweather Fight Taiwanese Animation Style (TerezOwens)

- 25 Bizarre Flavored Beers (HolyTaco)

- Dos Santos, Aldo and Belfort On Brazil, Futures and More (FightersOnly)

- Released From BAMMA, Marquardt a Free Agent (BleacherReport)

Totally Looks Like:  Sean Kingston

By now, you’ve probably heard the big news of the day:  Anthony “Hey Yo, Is That My Tummy Rumblin’?” Johnson missed weight today in historic fashion, tipping the scales at 197 pounds.  According to some research that I absolutely did not just do, twelve pounds is the most that anyone has ever blown weight anywhere ever, and you can feel free to correct me in the comments.  Vitor Belfort has agreed to fight a catchweight at 197, but has asked that Johnson weigh-in again tomorrow at no more than 205.

Now, maybe I’m not shocked by this — but damn brotato, how do you miss — how do you go UP a weight class because you have a nightmare cut at 170 and the boss has said you belong at 185, then proceed to bulk up like you got a call from Vince McMahon?  

Serious question: is Anthony Johnson dyslexic with numbers or something?  Just checking.

(UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo pictured with his summer intern, Chad.)

UPDATE: Yes, Anthony Johnson came in at 197 pounds. Gory details after the jump.

Weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes event are scheduled to begin today at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT in Rio. You can watch the action right here on CagePotato.com, in either of the video players after the jump. We’ll also be posting the full weigh-in results after all 20 fighters have hit the scale. Will there be any disrespectful hat-smacking this time? How terrifying will Anthony Johnson look as a middleweight light-heavyweight? And will the huge broad on the right be replacing Chandella permanently? Stay tuned…

UFC 142 goes down this Saturday from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and though it doesn’t feature quite as epic a lineup as the UFC’s return to Brazil at UFC 134, the fact that the card has still maintained its two marquee match-ups is something to brag about, if only due to how cursed a card this has been. So if you, like Siyar Bahadurzada, Paulo Thiago, Stanislav Nedkov, and Fabio Maldanado, find yourself watching the action from the sidelines on Saturday night and suddenly in need of some extra dough, then we are here to help. Check out the betting lines below, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for some sound betting advice.

Main Card
Erick Silva (-525) vs. Carlo Prater (+415)
Edson Barboza (-270) vs. Terry Etim (+230)
Rousimar Palhares (-525) vs. Mike Massenzio (+415)
Anthony Johnson (-110) vs. Vitor Belfort (-110)
Jose Aldo (-240) vs. Chad Mendes (+200)

Preliminary Card
Antonio Carvalho (-225) vs. Felipe Arantes (+175)
Mike Pyle (-460) vs. Ricardo Funch (+340)
Yuri Alcantara (-195) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (+160)
Sam Stout (EV) vs. Thiago Tavares (-140)
Gabriel Gonzaga (-120) vs. Edinaldo Oliveira (-110)

(Man, Rampage is looking ROUGH these days.) 

A fighter’s lifestyle is all about two things: discipline and sacrifice, especially when it comes to the food one eats. Those cookies ‘n cream Oreo fudge brownies your grandma used to make? Now a distant memory. That chili cheese Frito pie you used to eat right out of the bag? A thing of the past. And don’t even get us started on that fast food lasagna you and your buddies got drunk and made last weekend. But fret not, Potato Nation, for newly re-signed UFC bantamweight Miguel Torres is here to show you how to make a meal that will satisfy your inner beast without making you look like Paul Daley at the weigh-ins.

Today’s dish, “Pork Spare Ribs with Tomatillo Chile Sauce.”

We gotta say, if Miguel feels the need to quote Workaholics again in the near future,  he could easily grab a spot on the next season of Celebrity Cook Off. Join us after the jump to learn how to make Vitor Belfort and Mike Dolce’s infamous “East Coast Breakfast Toast.”

(Alistair Overeem vs. Junior Dos Santos fan-made trailer via TheAzyunyh4)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…

- Anthony Johnson Finds New Life at New Weight, Thanks in Part to ‘Blackzilians’ (MMA Fighting)

- Strikeforce Champ Luke Rockhold Suffers Broken Hand in Win Over Keith Jardine (MMA Mania)

- 50 Random MMA Facts You Never Knew (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Ronda Rousey on Cyborg: ‘I Always Knew She Was a Cheater’ (FightLine)

- Review: ‘Haywire’, Starring Gina Carano (MMA Convert)

- Atlanta to Host UFC 146 on April 21st (5th Round)

- A Running Journal of MTV’s ‘Caged’ (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Chael Sonnen: My MMA Career Will Be a Colossal Failure Without That 12 Pounds of Gold (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

- Here’s Video of Keith Jardine’s Mom Confronting Luke Rockhold’s Brother After Strikeforce (MiddleEasy)

- Rampage and King Mo Still Want to Fight Each Other — Can the UFC Make It Happen? (The Fight Nerd)

- Is the Pro-Wrestling Influence in UFC Unattractive to Female Sports Fans? (Fight Opinion)

- Update on Zuffa vs. New York: NY Files Motion (MMA Payout)

(Video courtesy of Sapo/IFI)

If you missed the premiere of the UFC 142 countdown show yesterday, not to worry brohams. We got you covered.

In perhaps the most interesting segment on the show, we get to know undefeated Team Alpha Male featherweight Chad Mendes, who is set to challenge Jose Aldo on Saturday. “Money” has a decent shot at taking the belt from Aldo. Mendes’ doppelganger Urijah Faber has nothing but good things to say about his teammate and points out that he can roll with anybody and submit BJJ black belts and that “no one can match his wrestling.”

(Anthony Johnson vs. Charlie Brenneman)

With knockout power in all four limbs, Anthony Johnson is one of the most athletic and explosive fighters in the UFC. (He said it, so it’s okay for us to say it too.) Now testing his fate at middleweight — arguably a much more natural weight class for him — Rumble will face Vitor Belfort in the co-main event of UFC 142 this Saturday. Will his power be even scarier at 185? Check out some animated highlights from his UFC career, which continue after the jump, and let us know what you think.

Fight journals are an interesting batch of film. More often than not, they are a simple collection of offhand moments in a fighter’s life, usually preempting/hyping an upcoming fight. They are of varying interest levels, but usually reside somewhere between “been there, done that” and “would rather watch new Meisha Tate interview.” However, every now again, we are treated to a stylized, slickly edited piece of film that, regardless of it’s content, is able to pique our interest. We’ve seen it before with the fantastic web series The Reem, and today we’ve managed to stumble over another exceptional fight journal, that of Anthony Johnson, who maybe be looking at a future title shot if he gets past Vitor Belfort at UFC 142, which goes down in less than a week in Rio De Janerio, Brazil.

(Video via YouTube.com/UFC)

Just five months after their last visit to the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the UFC returns with another card headlined by native heroes. In UFC 142‘s main event, featherweight champion Jose Aldo — who has now won ten straight fights in the WEC/UFC — looks to make another belt defense against undefeated Team Alpha Male wrestling specialist Chad “Money” Mendes, who will be hoping to put Aldo on his back as much as possible and score some revenge for Urijah Faber’s leg.

In the co-main event, middleweight contender Vitor Belfort returns from his latest injury layoff to welcome Anthony Johnson to the middleweight division, in a matchup that contains too much explosive athleticism for its own damn good.

All 11 fights on the “Aldo vs. Mendes” card feature at least one Brazilian, with Rousimar Palhares, Edson Barboza, and Gabriel Gonzaga making return appearances. The full UFC 142 lineup is after the jump…

Perhaps you guys remember a time…oh, let’s say around 9 months ago, when former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy had just dropped his third straight match to Anthony Johnson. In desperate need of a win, Hardy decided that he should call out a fighter by the name of Chris Lytle. You see, Lytle was on the tail end of his career, and plus, Hardy knew that “Lights Out’s” style would play perfectly into his strengths. Hardy claimed however, that he chose Lytle out of the need for “an old school shootout with a guy that wants to throw down.” We saw through the bullshit.

But then, after getting his wish and finding himself on the wrong end of a good old fashioned Lytle ass-whooping, Hardy dove in for a takedown at the end of the third round, and was promptly submitted. He claimed he needed some time off to think about his future, even though he knew it was safe in the UFC.

Well, it seems that Hardy has spent a good deal of time thinking about a solid, game opponent for which he should begin his comeback. A young, feisty up and comer by the name of…Matt Hughes? Hardy told ESPN:

(Corissa Furr drinks Blue Moon? I drink Blue Moon! OMFG, #soulmates.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…

- More Details Emerge on Mystery MMA Fighter Who Thwarted Chicago Carjacking (MMA Mania)

- BJ Penn Column: The Never-Ending Evolution of Mixed Martial Arts (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Jon Jones: Less Like Jordan, More Like Tebow (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Alistair Overeem Leaves Xtreme Couture (5th Round)

- Tito Ortiz Wants His Last Fight To Be A Rubber Match With Forrest Griffin (FightLine)

- The Top Ten Train Fights in Train Fight History (MiddleEasy)

- Bellator Moving To Friday Nights On MTV2 In 2012 (MMA Convert)

- On Second Thought: Michael Bisping’s Wise U-Turn on Fighting Anderson Silva (Fight Opinion)

- Jon Jones Thinks Rashad Evans Has a Suspect Chin (MMAFighting)

- Check Out This Original UFC 1 Ad From 1993! (The Fight Nerd)

- Anthony Johnson on Vitor Belfort Fight: Somebody’s Getting Carried Out on a Stretcher (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

- WWE Network Set For April 1 Launch (MMA Payout)

(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

(Yeah, this is probably for the best.)

It’s been a long time coming. The UFC confirmed today that disturbingly large welterweight contender Anthony Johnson will make the jump to 185 pounds and meet Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 (January 14th, somewhere in Brazil), in support of the Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes featherweight title match.

Johnson is riding a two-fight win streak, including a unanimous decision victory over Dan Hardy and a first-round TKO of Charlie Brenneman last month. Due to his habit of packing on mass outside of training camps — which resulted in him blowing weight by six pounds before his 2009 fight against Yoshiyuki Yoshida — speculation about Rumble’s size has hounded him for most of his UFC career. Competing at a more natural weight could be the best thing for his career. Just ask Alistair Overeem, if he ever gets a break between killing people.

After weeks of height-related gags, Struve still wasn’t done rubbing his length advantage in Barry’s face. (Photo: Tracy Lee via Yahoo Sports!)

Sandwiched between two marquee UFC cards, last night’s UFC Live flew under the promotional radar. It’s understandable that Zuffa would focus more on two stacked pay per view cards than a Versus broadcast, but in a time when fights are hyped for months only to fall short when the bell rings, it’s rare to see a card that delivers so much action from Facebook to the main event. Add to the mix that there was gold on the line and the lack of promotion for this event is borderline criminal. Only two fights on the card were decided by the judges—though just as many were decided by the referees—and either of them could have earned FOTN honors. We’ve got a lot to cover, so hunker down.

First off, I’d like to welcome back an old friend. Elbows, we’d nearly forgotten about you, but last night you were ushered back into society like the queen of a violent debutant ball. Bored with simply working on teeth, “The Dentist” performed a full-facial extraction via elbow on Keith Wisniewski during the Facebook broadcast. Cut stoppages aren’t my favorite, but these ‘bows we’re seeing from the clinch are brutal, damage inflicting blows that you’ve got to stop before they stop you, and I like them. Speaking of which…

(Props to MMAWeekly.com) 

Before you even ask, yes, Anthony Johnson did make weight, and he seemed about as excited to do so as any fighter I’ve ever seen. Joe Rogan informed us that the Struve/Barry fight is “the biggest height discrepancy for a UFC fight ever.” If there was a category for stare-down of the year, I’m pretty sure theirs would be the front runner.

All fighters made weight except for Byron Bloodworth, who weighed in at 138 lbs. and was originally given 2 hours to drop the necessary 2 pounds for his bout with Mike Easton. The decision was quickly reversed and Byron was allowed to keep the additional weight without penalty for coming in as such a late replacement. Check out the full weigh in results after the jump.

-Danga 

As the dust settles from UFC 135, some of us out there must be itching to bet on fights that will not make us look like fools if we are wrong. Lucky for us, redemption lies around the corner, because this Saturday UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson goes down, and the odds are a hell of a lot closer than what we’re used to. Check out the fight odds below, then see if you can stomach our suggestions.

Main Card (courtesy of Best Fight Odds)
Dominick Cruz (-440) vs. Demetrious Johnson (+350)
Anthony Johnson (-180) vs. Charlie Brenneman (+158)
Matt Wiman (-210) vs. Mac Danzig (+175)
Pat Barry (-185) vs. Stefan Struve (+160)

Undercard (Courtesy of MMAValor)
Yves Edwards (-120) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (-120)
Michael Johnson (-240) vs. Paul Sass (+180)
Mike Easton (-130) vs. Jeff Hougland (even)
Shane Roller (-130) vs. T.J. Grant (even)
Josh Neer (-120) vs. Keith Wisniewski (-120)
Joseph Sandoval (-150) vs. Walel Watson (+120)

Not content with merely adding fights to their roster this weekend, the UFC has added an entire event to its lineup. Welterweights Charlie Brenneman and Anthony Johnson have signed to duke it out on October 1st. Joining them on the card will be the very necessary rematch between Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig.

Brenneman was the only real winner of the sordid Marquardt TRT saga last month. “The Spaniard” snuck onto the UFC Live 4 card the day before the event, when Marquardt was pulled from his match with Rick Story due to unacceptably elevated testosterone levels. Brenneman had been toiling away on the undercard prior to scoring the upset victory over Story. Anthony Johnson was originally slated to take on Marquardt in that bout, but he was sidelined by rotator cuff injury. After a long injury lay-off, Rumble returned to action last March with a win over Dan Hardy.

A bit about Wiman-Danzig, and more details of the event, are after the jump.