If you have a good feeling that Brian Stann is going to upset Chael Sonnen when the pair meet at UFC 136 in October, now is the time to throw some money down.

Stann opened up at BetUS.com at +200, meaning that if “All American” wins, for every $100 you bet on him you will get back $200 plus your original wager. Sonnen, on the other hand opened up on the site at a less favorable -260, meaning that if you place a $260 bet on “The American Gangster,” your total return would be $360 is he wins.

A little over a year ago an improbable but potentially beautiful rivalry was born when Brett Rogers stepped up to the podium at an EliteXC post-fight press conference to inform Kimbo Slice that his performance against James Thompson was “garbage.”  This led to the infamous, ‘Rogers, you a hater!’ melee, and left most of us assuming that EliteXC would match these two big men up against one another they first chance they got in order to capitalize on the heat.

But what we failed to take into account was that EliteXC was run by morons, so that fight didn’t happen.  Now Rogers is getting back into action on April 11, and FiveOuncesofPain reports that his opponent will be Ron Humphries (5-0) who supposedly fought on that “Iron Ring” show on BET that I didn’t watch beyond the first episode.

So all right, not exactly a marquee matchup, but maybe they plan to build Rogers and Kimbo back up again and then throw them in the mix together later on, right?  Maybe, but Kimbo seems to have other ideas.

Stay tuned…

Related: Ipecac Update

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Fowlkes and I spend a lot of time pondering and writing about MMA. Often, we disagree. With that in mind, we’d like to present the first installment of a new feature where we argue about the topics of the day — in this case, all the major themes coming out of Saturday’s UFC 84. This one’s actually a two-parter; come back tomorrow for spirited debate on Wanderlei Silva’s future, the necessity of ring girls, and the intensity of BJ Penn and Sean Sherk’s personal relationship.

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QUESTION: What will be the best fight of UFC 84?

Goldstein: The best fight of a given event generally starts with a large dose of drama and ends with a decisive finish. Penn/Sherk has drama out its ass — these guys hate each other — and Ortiz/Machida has it too, as it’s Ortiz’s last fight, and one that Dana White desperately wants him to lose. But I wouldn’t bank on Ortiz/Machida to be a particularly exciting match. Both fighters are questionable finishers (five of Machida’s last seven matches have gone to a decision, compared to four of Ortiz’s last seven) and before his punking of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Machida was widely thought to be a boring fighter. The UFC set this match up to make Ortiz look less marketable, and it isn’t likely to be a barn-burner.

As for Penn and Sherk — how can this be anything less than legendary? Penn tends to make any fight exciting, and both guys will be looking to finish. Penn has to exploit his striking advantage and avoid being laid on by Sherk; a dull fight is not in Penn’s best interest, strategically speaking. I think Sherk is too tough to get stopped earlier than the third round, and if the fight goes into the championship rounds, his conditioning advantage will kick in. So Penn has this sweet spot of the third round where he’s most likely to win, and as the minutes and rounds tick by, anticipation will amp up the drama even further. If BJ wins, he’ll be the UFC’s undisputed lightweight ruler, and his reaction could be just as memorable as the fight itself.

Fowlkes: While I agree with your preconditions for what makes a great fight, I don’t necessarily think it will be Penn-Sherk that turns in the best performance of the night. Seems to me that you’re forgetting about Wanderlei Silva/Keith Jardine. That has plenty of drama — Silva needs a win badly and Jardine needs something to force the UFC to stop overlooking him — and it features two guys who like to stand and bang, which always yields great potential for a decisive finish.

On top of that, when’s the last time you saw Wanderlei in a boring fight? Tell me. I demand to know. I think Sherk-Penn will be worth the pay-per-view price alone, but Silva-Jardine is going to produce some fireworks either way, my friend.

(Listen, buddy: win first, skanks later.)

As promised yesterday — here are the final picks I’m making for my ipecac bet with Ryan of Fightlinker. Will they be enough for me to avoid vomity humiliation? Well, Ryan has mentioned that he’s predicting Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz will win their bouts, and I don’t see the rest of his choices being any less duhtarded. We’ll be scoring this on the three-point system: one point for calling the winning fighter, and additional points for correctly calling the method of victory (one point) and round (one point). How fun! My picks are below; feel free to debate them in the comments section. — Ben G.

MAIN CARD
B.J. Penn def. Sean Sherk via submission, 3rd round : I went over this in my UFC 84 gambling guide. Fowlkes made some good points yesterday, but I still think Sherk is going out like Joe Stevenson, with a bloody face and an arm around his neck. Just because Sherk’s two losses didn’t come via submission doesn’t mean that he’s unsubmittable, especially against someone as talented as Penn.

Keith Jardine def. Wanderlei Silva via decision: I also went over this in the gambling guide. (By the way, if you want to see a short video version of me making those exact same points, check out this clip from CombatWire.com.) Jardine was able to outsmart Chuck Liddell when they fought, and Wanderlei Silva is basically a dumber version of Chuck. I think the most logical pick is another decision win for Jardine.

Wilson Gouveia def. Goran Reljic via KO/TKO, 2nd round: I don’t like to pick against guys with undefeated records, but that rule shouldn’t apply when a fighter has less than eight pro fights, and Reljic (7-0) has beaten absolutely nobody you’ve ever heard of. I wouldn’t assume that Gouveia’s ground skills are necessarily better than Reljic’s, but I can see him catching the Croatian with a heavy shot, Lambert-style. Also, betting against the American Top Team is generally a bad move.

Lyoto Machida def. Tito Ortiz via decision: Machida isn’t a fight-finisher, and unless he’s in the cage with Ken Shamrock, Tito really isn’t either. But Machida is far more well-rounded, and his tendency to take his opponents out of their rhythm is well-documented. I’m very confident that Machida will win, and he could easily do it via TKO or submission, but given the recent fight histories of these two, a decision feels likely.

Thiago Silva def. Antonio Mendes via KO/TKO, 2nd round: Undefeated record + UFC experience + ATT = a total lock. Eight of Thiago Silva’s 12 wins have come via first-round stoppage; ten come via KO/TKO. The only advantage that Brazilian UFC newcomer Antonio Mendes has is that he’s 3-0 against guys named Silva. He is a hard-ass, though, and I don’t foresee a steamrolling. I say Mendes gets through round one, shaken but not quite out.

As for the undercard…

Three weeks ago, I entered a devil’s wager with Fightlinker.com, in which Ryan Harkness and I would go head-to-head in predicting the results of this Saturday’s UFC 84, with the loser having to do something awful. After reviewing the reader suggestions on CP and FL — which ran the gamut from permanently scarring to financially unfeasible (good effort anyway, guys!) — we both decided on something simple. The loser will have to put up a video of themselves drinking ipecac. To illustrate ipecac’s gruesome effects, Fightlinker posted this video. Wa-wa-wee-wa. Needless to say, I really don’t want to lose. So if you have any inside info/messages from God regarding Saturday’s fights, hollatchaboy in the comments section. I’ll post my official picks tomorrow.

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Also: FL found some amusing CBS Saturday Night Fights promos starring Kevin Ferguson himself. You simply must watch them after the jump.

(Shaun Parker vs Tyler Bryan @ LFC 25. You can’t make this stuff up. Props to MMAScraps)

(From The Iron Ring: Some dude tries to secure an armbar and gets his head dribbled.)

As mentioned on Saturday, I’ve agreed to put my dignity where my mouth is and accept Ryan Harkness of Fightlinker‘s challenge to a UFC 84 pick-off. Whoever predicts “Ill Will” more accurately wins; the loser will have to do something unpleasant, of the winner’s choice.

Here’s the fun part: I need your help to determine the punishment that Ryan will endure in the very likely event that I win. Something practical perhaps, that helps promote CagePotato.com in the Great White North? Something that demonstrates the superiority of my beloved New York City to Mudville Montreal? The usual naked donkey riding? Shoot us your ideas in the comments section. Just remember, these guys have no shame, so you’ll have to be creative. If we use your suggestion, we’ll make it worth your while. All proceeds go to charity. (Just kidding!)

By the way, Ryan and I will be keeping score not just based on which fighter wins each matchup, but how and in what round those victories are achieved. So if God talks to you some time in the next couple weeks and mentions anything about UFC 84, let us know, m’kay?

UPDATE: Or, you could go here to toss in suggestions on what I would have to do in the event of a loss. Please be gentle.

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(Has anyone seen my bro?)

It’s late on a Tuesday and there’s a few things going on out there, so here’s a novel-like round-up from the day to keep you busy. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll say WTF?!

— Butterbean is fighting in the YAMMA debut on April 11th against Gary Goodridge. Exciting, no? But what inquiring minds want to know is what are the Round Mound’s plans after that? Answer: he wants to fight Kimbo! I’m not joking. He said it in an interview with FightHype that posted today. But according to the Bean, Kimbo’s people want no piece of his brand of ferociousness:

“They don’t want to fight me, I hit too hard! Kimbo doesn’t want to fight anybody that can knock him out and I’m the man that can do it. Kimbo doesn’t want to fight anybody that can hit and I can definitely hit.”

Butterbean also says he can take Kimbo’s punches. Sadly, this is a fight that could actually happen and no one — real MMAers, at least — wants to see it. Place your bets now: does Butterbean last longer than Tank Abbott did?

— Speaking of YAMMA, 5oz ‘o Pain is saying that Ricco Rodriguez and Alexey Oleinik will be stepping in as replacements in the 8-dude heavyweight tourney for the outfit’s debut event.

Two unnamed fighters originally slated for YAMMA’s eight-man single-night heavyweight tournament have been scratched from the card for unspecified reasons. However, when contacted by ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com), Nick Lembo, the legal counsel for the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, indicated that YAMMA has submitted the names of two potential replacements.

Addict Ricco and Red Devil Club member Oleinik have been reportedly submitted as the fill-ins.

— The ratings for “Iron Ring” are — wait for it — pretty damn solid. Once again, I’m not joking. MMAPayout has the numbers:

Iron Ring was the fourth highest rated series premiere in BET history. Despite an 11:00PM post prime time slot, the program posted a 20% increase in viewers over its lead-in. As a result, BET has moved the series to 10:30PM starting with tonight’s episode. The series will now follow BET’s highest rated series, College Hill.

Who knew the ratings would be this good? Only one way to push it through the roof would be to throw Tyler Perry and his deal with the devil into the mix. Next on tap, there will be three fights in tonight’s installment. No rap war is scheduled. (Props: BloodyElbow)

(Misinterpret “rap battle” much?)

Nah, just playin’. The show could actually have potential, though it’s hard to make a final judgment based on last night’s episodes, which were focused on the teams and the fighter selection process. There were a couple surprises: Krazy Horse Bennett has apparently never trained for a fight and has only been in a gym twice, and Wes Sims somehow snuck onto the show, despite being a seasoned MMA veteran and caucasian. But to hold our attention for an entire season, we’d suggest two changes:

— The celebrity “team owners” should actually have to learn about and train for the sport; in particular, Juelz Santana could stand to benefit from some kettlebell work. Ludacris seemed to be the only one who showed any interest in getting in the gym with his guys. At the very least, MMA training would give T.I. something to shout at his fighters besides “kill the head and the body will follow!”

— Do not, edit, the fights. The second episode featured the show’s first match, but it was hacked down to just the “ooh!” moments. If there’s anything we’ve learned from IFL Battleground, it’s that fight fans want to see the whole thing.

Did anybody else catch the show? Thoughts?

(Bennett’s bringin’ the Krazy to BET tomorrow night.)

It’s tomorrow night, Ladies and Gents. I’m referring, of course, to BET’s “Iron Ring” which kicks off its debut show at 11 p.m. (ET). MMAPayout has a solid rundown of the show, being described as a mix of TUF and the IFL with a twist. The twist being hip hop celebrity types owning the teams. The show is thirty minutes, but the debut will be two back-to-back joints.

Here’s what MP is saying:

The one hour premier episode (two thirty minute episodes combined) focuses largely on the celebrity owners and their coaches. The show has a gritty feel provided by low key production and locations as well as a strong hip hop influence. The opening scenes looks more like the rawness of fight club than the spectacle of major MMA. Whether this will be the case once the actual competition begins remains to be seen, but the product definitely has a distinctive feel, unlike any other MMA production. Street Certified may be a more appropriate title for the series than it was for EliteXC’s previous offering.

There are six teams with fighters reppin’ lightweight – 170 lbs by “Iron Ring” terms – middleweight, and the heavies. Jamie Foxx’s pal, Rashon Kahn, will be the token speech-maker. Chuck “Krazy Horse” Bennett and Shonie Carter are two of the coaches and the other four are Roberto Traven, Abdul Mutakabbir, Jermaine Andre, and Novell G. Bell. WTF? you might be asking, so we have the scoop on those dudes after the jump.

(He raps, he acts…why not MMA management?)

Some days have themes and today’s is MMA reality shows. Remember that show “Iron Ring Fighting” from BET? Yeah, most of us don’t. It started strong out of the gates with its announcement last summer, but then crapped out shortly thereafter. Well, the show has been chuggin’ along and will tape the season finale on Monday February 18th in New Orleans.

The finale will star all of the show’s competitors, who are set to debut on Black Entertainment Television in March. The show features six teams who are, um, managed by some of the brightest dudes in MMA. We’re talkin’ Floyd Mayweather, St. Louis rap-star Nelly, actor/rapper Ludacris, actor/rapper T.I., professional screamer Lil Jon, Dipset, as well as some other sports/entertainment types. But before you write this show off as being devoid of any true MMA talent, there are coaches assigned to each team – guys including Shonie Carter, Roberto Traven, Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, trainer Abdul Mutakabbir, instructor Jermaine Andre, and trainer Novell Bell.

Maybe that’s why “Krazy Horse” was dropped from the EliteXC: Street Certified show – he’s got fighters to usher into greatness. The finale will reportedly be taped in front of a live audience just two days after the EliteXC event and tickets are available from $45 to $350.

If you’re worried about the broadcast team, Frank Trigg has confirmed he will be part of it as the color commentator. The show will air six episodes on BET. Because all this makes so much sense, CMT is now putting together their own MMA reality show. Managers include Willie Nelson, Junior Brown, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash’s third cousin. Should be a foot stompin’ good time.