Not to be outdone by the Cris “Cyborg” Santos chokeout video that made the internet rounds last week, Gina Carano has answered back by choking out the dude from the “Sports Science” shows, who acts like a complete pussy about the whole thing.  Look man, going to sleep for a few seconds and waking up nestled upon Gina’s bosom is really not a bad day at the office.  In fact, if you gave us two hours we could probably find someone willing to pay for that privilege, and they’d probably be only marginally creepier than you.  And can we also try not to act so surprised that Carano can break a dummy’s ribs with her punches?  She’s a professional fighter.  That’s how a girl eat.

After the jump, Fight Magazine interviews Diego Sanchez after his victory over Clay Guida and they experience first-hand his disarmingly sincere intensity.  That guy’s one of a kind.

(Photos courtesy of UFC.com.)

The UFC paid out $630,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses for Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, according to figures released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Leading the list are Diego Sanchez — who took home an event-high $115,000 thanks to his Fight of the Night bonus and pack-leading to-show salary — and Joe Stevenson, who came in second place with $95,000. The numbers are below…

– Diego Sanchez: $115,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus and $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
– Joe Stevenson: $95,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus and $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
– Chris Lytle: $61,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus and $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
– Clay Guida: $48,000 (includes $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
– Nate Diaz: $45,000 (includes $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
– Jason Dent: $41,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus and $25,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
– Tomasz Drwal: $40,600 (includes $7,000 win bonus, $25,000 Knockout of the Night bonus, and 20% of Mike Ciesnolevicz’s to-show money [$1,600])
– Kevin Burns: $34,000 (includes $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

(Guida turns taking a shot into an art form. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

After another fun, free MMA weekend we turn once again to the Potato Index to tell us where everyone stands.  Those of you who are confused by what the numbers mean, just think of every fighter starting at his own particular zero coming into the event.  Then we make up a number to reflect how far he’s climbed or fallen after his latest fight.  Kind of like the stock market, but way more fun and only slightly more bullshit.

Diego Sanchez +104
Whatever you think the final scores should have been, Sanchez won that fight.  He was a whirlwind on the feet and even managed to be the aggressor from the bottom when it hit the mat.  But does a decision victory here equal a title shot?  We wouldn’t mind seeing Sanchez vs. Gray Maynard to establish a clear contender.

(Props: MMA Videos)

As we count down to the "Ultimate Fighter" season 9 finale on Spike TV this Saturday night, take a look at some of Diego Sanchez‘s preparations in the gym.  Looks like someone plans on countering Clay Guida‘s wrestling with the old fake kick/side kick combo.  Good times, good energy.  

After the jump, Guida chats with MMACanada.net, whose interviewer simply could not sound more Canadian, and says he isn’t worried about people thinking he’s boring.  Dude’s just living to eat, sleep, drink, and punch Diego Sanchez. 

Diego Sanchez headlines Saturday night’s “Ultimate Fighter” Finale on Spike TV just a little over four years after becoming the show’s very first winner.  Now he takes on Clay “The TUF-Slayer” Guida in a fight that, according to Sanchez, will catapult him into an immediate lightweight title shot.  Does that mean the same title shot is on the line for Guida?  Not so much, says “The Nightmare.”  He also had some interesting things to say about positive thinking, the upcoming B.J. Penn/Kenny Florian title fight, and how he feels about being the UFC’s resident weirdo.  All this and more in our exclusive interview.

CagePotato.com: This is your second fight at lightweight.  Is the weight cut easier for you this time?

The weight cut’s gone great.  It’s been a lot better this time around.  I’ve been able to apply the right supplement and nutrition programs.  I feel right on point.  This week I was at about 171, and that’s right where I want to be.  The last ten pounds or so and the last couple days shouldn’t be too tough.  Then I’m fight ready.

With MMA Madness reporting that Frank Lester vs. Nick Osipczak will be added to the TUF 9 finale, and the Grant/Markham scrap taken off the card, we have a pretty solid idea of what Saturday’s show will look like, barring any last-minute surprises. Here’s the lineup:

MAIN CARD
Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida (LW)
DaMarques Johnson vs. James Wilks (TUF 9 welterweight finals)
Ross Pearson vs. Andre Winner (TUF 9 lightweight finals)
Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz (LW)
Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns (WW)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Melvin Guillard vs. Gleison Tibau (LW)
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Tomasz Drwal (LHW)
Brad Blackburn vs. Edgar Garcia (WW)
Cameron Dollar vs. Jason Dent (LW)
Frank Lester vs. Nick Osipczak (WW)

So if you participated in round 1 of our pick-off contest and you still want the Lyoto Machida "Karate for Mixed Martial Arts" DVD set, read on…

(Props: MMA Worldwide via MMA Fanhouse)

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is a passionate, passionate woman. In fact, she’s so passionate that when the interviewer in the above video asks an innocent question about how long it would take her to choke out Gina Carano (skip to the 4:13 mark), Cyborg sinks in a rear-naked and squeezes until her male training partners have to drag her off. The interviewer eventually comes to, and when he sort of figures out what happened ("I was sleeping?"), he’s so terrified that he goes on record saying that Santos will beat Carano on August 15th. This is what Cris Cyborg does to non-biased journalists — she fucking ruins them.

After the jump: If Diego Sanchez thinks Clay Guida is just going to lay on him this Saturday, he’s "terribly confused"; Dana White says Brock Lesnar "could possibly be the best heavyweight in UFC history"; and our friend Joanne of the MMA Girls takes us through the heel hook.

(‘Did you say lisp?  Sounded like you did, homey, and I’m just curious whose lisp you might have been talking about, ’cause I don’t see Richard Simmons around here anywhere.  Just me.’)

Looks like two more fighters are taking the step backwards from the numbered UFC events to small potatoes shows on Spike, as MMA Madness reports that Nate Diaz will take on Joe Stevenson at the finale of “The Ultimate Fighter” season nine on June 20 in a battle of lightweights who are in need of a win.

This is the same event expected to feature Diego Sanchez (who last beat Stevenson) taking on Clay Guida (who last beat Diaz) as its headlining bout.  So at least the four of them can all get together again, maybe have an awkward dinner at Chili’s.  Kind of like hanging out with your new girlfriend and your ex-girlfriend, who is now dating your new girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.  Just weird enough to be interesting.

MMATraining.com also reports that later in the summer, at an as of yet unannounced Fight Night event on August 5, Kurt Pellegrino will face Josh Neer, who recently saved his behind with a victory over Mac Danzig.  The fight’s expected to be the main event, though it’s also the only fight we’ve heard of for this thing and with it being so far in the future, who knows.  Best to keep Neer out of the bars between now and then.

("I’th my birfday." Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.)

According to Sherdog, Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida have agreed to face each other in the headlining bout of the Ultimate Fighter: Team U.S. vs. Team U.K. finale (June 20th, Las Vegas). In his lightweight debut at UFC 95 last month, Sanchez used his boxing to dominate Joe Stevenson en route to a unanimous decision victory; the Nightmare had previously compiled an 8-2 record as a welterweight. As for Guida, the Chicago-based fighter has been on a tear lately, with three consecutive victories over Samy Schiavo, Mac Danzig, and Nate Diaz.

While Guida’s wrestling prowess and endless gas tank have been a curse for former Ultimate Fighter winners, Sanchez won’t be vulnerable in the same way that Danzig and Diaz were. Sanchez is just as skilled at takedowns and positional control as the Carpenter, and he has his own reputation for vast cardio. If striking decides this fight, Sanchez will likely have the edge. But a win would mean the same thing for either fighter — a big step towards establishing themselves as the next top lightweight contender after Kenny Florian.

Props to MMA Weekly, UFC.com, The Sun, and the “UFC 95: The Aftermath” set on Combat Lifestyle.                       

(Photo courtesy of SI.com)

Another UFC event is in the books, which means it’s time again to see who’s up and who’s down according to the Potato Index’s arbitrary numerical rankings system.  It’s kind of like Bob Reilly’s poll, only we admit it’s total bullshit.  And at least this particular brand of bullshit is more fun.

Diego Sanchez +123

“The Nightmare” proved he can cut almost forty pounds and still go three rounds at a steady pace.  That could be bad news for some other lightweight contenders, though it would still be interesting to see how he stacks up against one of the better wrestlers in the division.  Sean Sherk’s not too busy, is he?

Joe Stevenson -88

Another disappointing performance for Stevenson leaves us wondering where he can possibly go from here.  He just doesn’t seem to have enough in his toolbox to hang with the top fighters, and secluding himself in Victorville, which is not known for its elite training facilities, certainly isn’t helping.

Demian Maia +204

If you’re going to do only one thing, you’d better do it extremely well, and Maia does.  He forces another quality opponent to fight on his terms and puts him away with impressive ease.  Is there any middleweight not named Anderson Silva who can pose a significant threat to him at this point?

(Props: Juggo)

It’s anybody’s guess what the spirits in Diego’s head were saying to him, but he obviously agreed 100%.

(Props: MMA Scraps)

Diego Sanchez engages in a kickboxing bout, while Joe Stevenson fights a boxing match.  When that happens, you can usually guess who’s going to win.  A strong debut at lightweight for Sanchez.  As for Stevenson, instead of considering your own drop in weight, as you may be tempted to, how about getting with a good camp and learning some new tricks?

More videos, including Maia-Sonnen, Koscheck-Thiago, and more are after the jump.

("Look, I’m not saying you have to touch your foreheads together like some of the other guys, but you have to understand how retarded this looks right now." Photo courtesy of Combat Lifestyle.)

Like the light from a distant star that died out millions of years before it can be seen from Earth, here we are about to watch the transmission of a UFC event that already happened, hours away and across an ocean. If you were able to avoid spoilers up until this point, pat yourself on the back. And I’d just like to take this opportunity to warn you that if you want to keep this experience totally pure, maybe stay away from the comments section for a while, because there’s always gonna be some sad loser who takes perverted joy in ruining things for the rest of us, when they’re not masturbating in their own feces. (No offense to "COOL!" or the guy currently pretending to be "Kadumel." You seem like a couple of interesting dudes and I’d love to get a beer and a burger with you sometime. Please get in touch with me here.)

Live Tape-delayed results and commentary for UFC 95 are after the jump. Refresh the page every few minutes to see all the latest…

(Yeah, I’m looking forward to this fight.  Thanks Combat Lifestyle, again.)

- Bob Reilly conducts local poll to prove people hate MMA in NY.  (CBS)

- Chuck Liddell now dating annoyingly vapid porn star?  (Cage Writer)

- UFC 97 sold out.  (UFC.com)

- Joe Stevenson advises Diego Sanchez not to piss off B.J. Penn.  (Setanta)

- Dana White talks UFC 100 plans.  (MMA Junkie)

- Spike TV says no to Full Tilt Poker as UFC sponsor.  (MMA Payout)

- How the UFC 97 compromise went down.  (Sportsnet.ca)

- Capoeira would be awesome if this happened every time.  (Break)

- Top 10 submission moves.  (Ask Men)

- Brian Vickers fires another shot.  (All Left Turns)

- Top 32 NFL draft prospects.  (Scores Report)

- 9 truthful celebrity autobiographies.  (Holy Taco)

- Oscar categories we’d like to see.  (Screen Junkies)

- Bar maid beats robber with his own crowbar.  (Nothing Toxic)

(Props: Bloody Elbow)

UFC 2009 Undisputed gives us another sneak peak with this look at UFC 95′s headliners. Poor Kenny Florian takes a heap of abuse, and he’s not even fighting tomorrow. How is that fair? Below: Iman Achhal is a CrossFit trainer and amateur fighter who makes her pro MMA debut tomorrow night against kickboxer/Fight Girl Felice Herrig. In this NBCWashington clip, she tells the story of what led her to MMA competition, which involves ditching an arranged marriage in Morocco and taking a savage beating from her own mother.

(Props: Cage Writer)

After the jump: You thought XARM was bad? MMA has hit a new low…

(Diego will try anything to get to 155.  Anything.)

With UFC 95 (which we’ll be liveblogging) just a day away, we took some time to berate one another regarding some of the more pressing issues surrounding the UFC’s trip to London.  Okay, so there’s essentially no main event here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have some fun with a night of free fights on Spike.  Plus, there are Chael Sonnen’s ridiculous claims to discuss, and so much more…

What are Diego Sanchez‘s chances as a lightweight contender? Who has the skills to beat him?

BG: His chances are freakin’ excellent. Sanchez was already the fifth best welterweight in the UFC by my count (after GSP, Alves, Fitch, and Koscheck), and he’s looked incredibly dangerous in his last two wins over David Bielkheden and Luigi Fioravanti. I was particularly surprised to hear that he was dropping to lightweight because it seemed like he was gathering steam for a title shot at welterweight. Think about it: Fitch and Kos have already been dominated by St. Pierre, and if Alves can’t beat the champ this summer, who else is ready?

Watch Cage Fashion Show at Mix with Randy Couture on RawVegas.tv

RawVegas.tv sent Arianny Celeste to some weirdo MMA fashion show (I’m sorry, was that one dude wearing no shirt and a backpack?  How is that MMA related?) where she talked to Randy Couture about rumors that he may face Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at UFC 99 in Germany.  Despite Fighters Only reporting that Couture flat out isn’t interested, he tells Arianny it’s a “possibility” if he gets done shooting “The Expendables” in time to get a full camp in.  Now that’s…disappointing.  As awesomely clichéd an action movie as that promises to be, isn’t Couture still a fighter?  And as such, shouldn’t fighting be his priority now that time is running out on his career?

The fighter formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver stopped by Steve Cofield’s radio show to discuss his legal troubles, and insists that these instances of assault were all misunderstandings.  You see, he’s actually the victim.  Wouldn’t be no trouble if people would stop forcing him to hurt them.  Interesting explanations.  Now what about those MySpace posts?

After the jump, “MMA Live” previews UFC 95.

(Two best middleweights, or just Demian Maia and some dude in a track suit?  Photo courtesy of Combat Lifestyle’s UFC 95 presser gallery.)

As UFC 95 approaches you may find yourself itching to do some prognosticating, but whither the pick –em contest?  Have no fear, Potato Nation.  Thanks to user Contraband, bragging rights are on the line in the (Un)Official Cage Potato UFC 95 Pick-em Contest, now jumping off in the forums.

Why not head over there and prove to the rest of us newbs how much you know about MMA by slamming down your picks for Saturday night’s event?  While you’re there, might as well comment on your favorite and least favorite MMA techniques, and take a look at Edith’s ass.  I mean, it’s right there.

If you’re curious as to how we see UFC 95 going down, our picks are after the jump.  And don’t forget about the liveblog on Saturday night.  Seriously, just don’t.

(You call that a mean face?  Shiiieeeet.)

Betting odds are out for this Saturday’s UFC event on Spike TV, which we’ll be liveblogging as usual.  If you’ve still got the disposable cash and the devil-may-care attitude necessary for online gambling in this bleak economic climate, allow us to steer you in the right direction for this one.  

The juiciest lines on the internets come to us courtesy of BestFightOdds.com:

Joe Stevenson (+281) vs. Diego Sanchez (-295)
Dan Hardy (even) vs. Rory Markham (-108)
Nate Marquardt (-258) vs. Wilson Gouveia (+250)
Demian Maia (-256) vs. Chael Sonnen (+236)
Josh Koscheck (-450) vs. Paulo Thiago (+450)
Terry Etim (-220) vs. Brian Cobb (+205)
Junior Dos Santos (-260) vs. Stefan Struve (+240)
Mike Ciesnolevicz (-115) vs. Neil Grove (-105)
Per Eklund (-160) vs. Evan Dunham (+140)
Paul Kelly (-290) vs. Troy Mandaloniz (+290)

Thoughts…

There are so many things wrong with this music video — “Nightmare,” by Illfluent (get it, like affluent, only ill’er?) — that all you can do is hope it’s a bad joke.  It’s just guys who look like the poor man’s Kevin Federline rapping about their vague fighting prowess while on the other half of a split screen we see the same footage of Diego Sanchez over and over again.  

It also includes classic lines like: “All glory to God when I go in to war/Even if I lose the battle I’ll be back for more,” and “I’m the best of the best/You don’t mess with the king/You want your face cut open with championship rings?”

Championship rings?  Either these guys did absolutely no research before writing this rhyme (and for the last time, you gotta research your raps, people), or they’re referring to Fedor’s WAMMA ring, which means they did entirely too much research.  Either way, it’s official.  Worst MMA-related music video ever.  Somehow it’s only 4:15 long, though it feels so, so much longer.  Take notice fighters: this is what happens when your theme song is composed by someone other than Jimmy Hart.

After the jump, some actual interview footage with Sanchez and Stevenson from last night’s “Countdown” show, via ESPN.

To help hype you up for this Saturday’s UFC 95 in London — which will air via tape delay on Spike TV starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT — Spike is airing its usual countdown show focusing on the headlining fighters. The special debuts tonight at 11 p.m. ET/PT, with replays on Wednesday at 11 p.m., late Thursday night at 2 a.m., and Saturday at 6 p.m. Here’s the full lineup for #95:

MAIN CARD
Joe Stevenson vs. Diego Sanchez 
Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham
Nate Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia
Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen
Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago

UNDERCARD
Terry Etim vs. Brian Cobb
Junior dos Santos vs. Stefan Struve
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Neil Grove
Per Eklund vs. Evan Dunham
Paul Kelly vs. Troy Mandaloniz

After the jump: Diego Sanchez gives us a look at his Lake Tahoe training camp with jiu-jitsu coach Xande Ribeiro, and discusses his drop to lightweight.

(Diego Sanchez experiences a moment of Zen.)

Diego Sanchez swears making lightweight to fight Joe Stevenson at UFC 95 won’t be a problem for him, although it sounds like it won’t be terribly easy either.  Sanchez was late to today’s media conference call and explained it by saying he was trying to cut a few extra pounds in the sauna.  The former welterweight said he weighed 193 pounds on Christmas Eve, and is now struggling to get those lost few pounds off in order to make 155 next Saturday.

“I don’t see myself staying at lightweight forever,” Sanchez explained, saying he wanted to challenge himself and thought he’d better hurry up and do it while he was still in his twenties and could lose weight fairly easily.

“I never really cut much weight for 170.  Fighting guys like Jon Fitch, who put on seventeen, eighteen pounds after the weigh-in, I was a little outsized.”

At lightweight, Sanchez said he hopes to eventually face B.J. Penn.  Then he proceeded to bash “The Prodigy” for showing up to face Georges St. Pierre without getting himself in good enough shape.

(Joe Stevenson: Ready as he’ll ever be.)

The UFC has confirmed the televised lineup for UFC 95 (February 21st, London), which will be broadcast for free via tape-delay on Spike TV. Here’s what the card looks like at this point:

Main Card
Joe Stevenson vs. Diego Sanchez (LW)
Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham (WW)
Nate Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia (MW)
Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen (MW)
Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago (WW)

Undercard
Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz (LW)
Junior dos Santos vs. Stefan Struve (HW)
Per Eklund vs. David Baron (LW)
Paul Kelly vs. Troy “Rude Boy” Mandaloniz (WW)

Though it’s not yet listed on the UFC’s website, heavyweight Cage Rage standout Neil Grove will reportedly make his UFC debut on the undercard, against Justin McCully, and John Hathaway may be included on the card as well.

Not an awesome lineup, but free is free. Still, I’d rather see heavyweight prospect Junior dos Santos on the main card welcoming 6’8" submission specialist Stefan Struve into the Octagon, rather than the Dan Hardy/Rory Markham bout — which somehow has the #2 spot. But as long as Josh Koscheck scores another brutal knockout, Demian Maia produces another Submission of the Night, and the Sanchez/Stevenson fight delivers, it’ll be worth everyone’s time.

(Why have I never heard about this magazine before? It’s like it was made just for me!)

Diego Sanchez, who recently announced his intention to drop to lightweight, will reportedly take on Joe Stevenson in his first 155-pound match, according to Sherdog. Sanchez has verbally agreed to the fight, which would take place at UFC 95 (February 21st, London), though bout agreements have yet to be signed.

It’s somewhat strange that the TUF 1 middleweight winner is dropping in weight after two impressive victories (over David Bielkheden and Luigi Fioravanti), and somewhat unfortunate that Stevenson may be heading for his third loss in four fights. "Daddy" could probably use a tune-up match after being choked out by Kenny Florian last month. But with BJ Penn chasing a welterweight belt, now might be the best time for Sanchez to get all up in the lightweight mix. For the record, Florian would welcome a rematch with Sanchez, who beat him at the TUF 1 finale. In other UFC news…

CagePotato reader Brian W. just turned us on to the hard-hitting investigative journalism of Chicago-based sports website Mouthpiece Sports, which works in some solid MMA coverage between the Bears/Bulls/Cubs/Sox/B’hawks stories. Here’s a sampling of their work; Diego Sanchez, Miguel Torres, and Dana White talk fighter groupies in the video above, Tyler Bryan discusses his web-legendary double-knockout with Shaun Parker in the video below, and we get a look at some of the knuckleheads we might be seeing on TUF 9 after the jump. “Plubicity” FTW.

(Luis Cane’s pimp-slap, straight left combo. No one ever expects it. Props, UG.)

- Apparently the hip new trend for youngsters on the internet is to film themselves making UFC predictions and then throw it up on YouTube. Fightlinker spotted the very enthusiastic WishKid12 doing her thing, and decided to see how her picks matched up against those made by professionals like us. We’re proud to report that both Bens (weirdly, we made the exact same picks) soundly defeated this precocious prognosticator. While she went 2-3 on the night, we went 4-1 (curse you Cane, and your bitch-slapping awesomeness). The only one in this impromptu contest to beat us was Fightlinker, with a perfect 5-0. So basically we’re smarter than a twelve-year-old girl but dumber than drunk Canadians. That’s still better than either of our families ever expected.

- Patrick Cote tells MMA Mania that the UFC did not have him sign a contract extension prior to his title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 90 this Saturday night. That’s notable since he’s at or near the end of his current contract, and typically the UFC makes sure they have a guy locked up before they take a chance on him becoming a belt-holder. At least, that’s what they do when they think the challenger has a chance in hell of winning.

- In case you were wondering, Dana White says he will reward Josh Koscheck with a shot at the welterweight title if he beats Thiago Alves this weekend. We all know how much White loves guys who are willing to step in on short notice, and Koscheck has a chance to turn Diego Sanchez’s misfortune into a big break for himself. Not that anyone’s really clamoring for GSP-Koscheck II at this point.

- MMA Payout takes issue with the UFC’s insinuation that Brandon Vera voluntarily sat out a year and then returned a different fighter. They point out that Vera was an early victim of the “Zuffa Freeze Out” and that by running around comparing the old Vera to the new one, Dana White may be unwittingly calling the wrong kind of attention to his own negotiation practices. Damn revisionist history.

(At first he claimed to have other plans that night, but no one was buying that.)

The fates of Diego Sanchez and Josh Koscheck are indeed intertwined in mysterious ways. The UFC sent out a release today announcing that Diego Sanchez has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 90 bout with Thiago Alves due to torn rib cartilage. Stepping in to face Alves on short notice will be Sanchez’s TUF 1 buddy, Josh Koscheck.

From the official release:

“There is nothing worse than having a great fight and then having one of the fighters drop out at the last second,” said UFC President Dana White. “But the one thing the UFC has proven time and time again is our ability to replace fights with ones as good as or better than the original fight, and we’ve done it again with the highly-ranked Josh Koscheck stepping up to replace Diego Sanchez against welterweight wrecking machine Thiago Alves. Hats off to Josh and Thiago, as not many fighters would agree to a matchup this tough on such short notice.”

[...]

“Josh Koscheck is a great fighter and I think he’s an even better matchup for me,” said Alves. “I’m looking forward to fighting him, and I’m gonna knock him out.”

[...]

“I think he’s a tough opponent,” said Koscheck. “He’s on a tear right now in the UFC and for me to step up and fight him, I think it’s gonna be an exciting fight. I’ve been in training since Chris Lytle, I haven’t taken any time off, and he’s a tough guy, so I’ve got to come in and fight him at my ‘A’ game.”

Alves is a tough opponent to step in against on short notice, but how could Koscheck resist such a golden opportunity to grind salt in Sanchez’s torn rib cartilage? The only thing worse than having to pull out of a big fight is having a rival swoop in and take it.

As late replacements go, Koscheck probably makes the most possible sense. Instead of throwing Alves against someone far lower on the welterweight totem pole, he gets someone at right about the same level. This bout, in terms of both quality of competition and future ramifications on the division, has simply made a lateral move. How many times have we been able to say that?

From Spike.com: Chris Leben says his loopy, wide-open style knocks people out. He also refuses to lose, check the news and read the interviews. Damn…dude is like the white Shonie Carter. Skip to the -5:14 mark for the ridiculous ending to his fight against Terry Martin; there’s your warning to not get cocky, Count. Later in this video, we look at the matchup between the Dean of the Mean and the Truth, also at UFC 89.

From CBS.com, for some reason: A preview of the UFC 90 welterweight feature between Thiago Alves and Diego Sanchez. “You are going to see the strongest Sanchez you have ever seen before,” Sanchez says. “The result is gonna be a dominating submission victory.”

(Props: “Card” on the UG)

In this interview done after Rashad Evans’s knockout of Chuck Liddell at UFC 88, trainer/strategist Greg Jackson discusses what he told Evans between rounds 1 and 2, Mike Winklejohn and Kieth Jardine’s contributions to the gameplan, and Nate Marquardt’s victory over Martin Kampmann. Props to Sherdog via Fans of Team Jackson’s.

Courtesy of MMAMania and MAR Clothing, here’s a video of Josh Koscheck interviewing Diego Sanchez and Chris Leben in a car while in Las Vegas for the taping of the Ultimate Fighter 1 reunion — which will air in segments during Saturday’s TUF 1 marathon on SpikeTV, beginning at 9 a.m. ET. The guys discuss their upcoming fights, a possible rubber match between Diego and Josh, Thiago Alves’s mysterious growth spurt, and how Chris Leben wants a rematch with Anderson Silva more than anything.

After the jump: Must-see interview footage of Evan Tanner explaining why he fights and his humanist worldview, from Potent: The Movie, via Bloody Elbow.