Props to MMA Weekly, UFC.com, The Sun, Martin McNeil, 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.

(You’d be smiling too if you sold $2 million worth of tickets.)

Just a few hours after tickets for UFC 90 at Chicago’s All-State Arena went on sale, roughly 80% of them were snatched up. This means that by the time the UFC’s press conference for the event on Monday was over they’d already pulled in around $2 million in live gate money. All this for an October 25 event featuring Anderson Silva against Patrick Cote (rest his soul) and Diego Sanchez taking on Thiago Alves. It’s safe to say the UFC will be returning to Chicago frequently from now on.

Even with such early success Dana White went ahead and poured on the hyperbole at Monday’s press conference:

”This is a bold statement in a town with the White Sox and Cubs and the Bears, but I guarantee you this will be the most exciting live sporting event you have ever seen,” White said. ”I can’t explain it to you. You have to experience it.

”The closest thing that comes to it is when Mike Tyson was in his heyday. There was so much excitement about someone getting knocked out.”

After that last remark we imagine that White looked over at Cote, shrugged, and silently mouthed “Sorry!” before continuing on.

White also vowed that UFC 90 would be the highest-grossing event in the arena’s history, edging out Wrestlemania for that honor. Then they moved on to discuss Thiago Alves’ problems making weight, which we’ve all been assured won’t be a problem this time around, even though he’s currently about thirty pounds over.

In a final bit of UFC 90 news, Mike Swick is expected to be added to the card, though an opponent has not yet been named.

(This picture is just another part of TapouT’s attempt to make you constantly feel like you are on mushrooms. That, and the paint and wigs and stuff.)

As much as we like to give the guys from TapouT a hard time about their TV show and their plans to make children’s furniture, we have to admit that they know what they’re doing with their off-the-wall personas and recognizable brand. And in an interview with USA Today’s MMA blogger, Sergio Non, they open up about their business (they expect to do “upwards of $100 million this year”), their history, and most interestingly, their role in Diego Sanchez’s victory on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter”:

There could be a fighter, like in (TUF season-one winner) Diego Sanchez’s case — he was already primed and ready, but there was just that nobody that knew about him. Whereas we knew about him because we’re scouring all those up-and-coming, lower shows.

So when Dana White came to me and was like, “Hey, this is who we’ve got going on there, is there anybody we missed…” I was like, “There’s this kid, Diego Sanchez out of New Mexico, he’s crazy and he’s insane.” And actually, this story is a true story, he ended up bumping one guy off The Ultimate Fighter that was slated to go on there, plugged Diego Sanchez in, Diego ends up winning it at the 185-pound mark, further cementing us as talent scouts.

Wow. I guess that guy who was bumped knows who to be pissed off at now. Also in this interview we learn (two of) their real names — Charles Lewis Jr. (Mask) and Dan Caldwell (Punkass), while Skyskrape is apparently a mystery man who hails from parts unknown, much like The Ultimate Warrior — and they also comment on the nature of their relationship with the UFC.

(The Nightmare returns; photo courtesy of MMA Junkie.)

A couple of important fight bookings to pass along this morning…

First, MMA Weekly reports that a welterweight bout between Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves will take place at UFC 90 (October 25th, Chicago); the UFC hasn’t officially announced any of the fights on the card yet. Originally, Sanchez/Alves was rumored to take place at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England, but with that lineup filling out it looks like the Nightmare vs. the Pitbull will be used to anchor the UFC’s first show in Chi-town.

Meanwhile, Leonard Garcia has reportedly agreed to face Jens Pulver in a featherweight match at WEC 36 (September 10th; Hollywood, Florida). WEC 36 is also slated to feature title fights between Urijah Faber and Mike Brown, and Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen. Garcia hasn’t fought since a TKO victory over Hiroyuki Takaya at WEC 32 in February, after which he was caught up in a minor misunderstanding over drug smuggling. Pulver had to undergo elbow surgery after his unanimous decision loss to Urijah Faber last month, but according to Lil’ Evil, “everything is good.”

(Kos, rockin’ the “Skullburst Burnout.”)

Josh Koscheck has been one of the UFC’s most prominent figures since the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he beat Chris Leben but was defeated by the show’s eventual middleweight winner, Diego Sanchez. After leaving the show, he became a mainstay in the UFC’s welterweight division, using his background as a Division I college wrestling champion to knock off guys like Dave Menne, Jonathan Goulet, and Sanchez in a hotly anticipated rematch. Though he seemed like an imminent contender for the 170-pound belt, a frustrating decision loss against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 74 sent him to the back of the line. On Saturday he continues his quest for re-ascension, taking on TUF 4 finalist Chris Lytle. We caught up to Josh after one of his final training sessions in preparation for UFC 86, and shot the shit about fighter pay, “The Nightmare,” and his secret life as a t-shirt mogul.

***

CagePotato.com: Not to take anything away from Chris Lytle, but he has a losing record in the UFC. Do you feel like you should be fighting a higher-ranked welterweight at this point?
Josh Koscheck: No. After my loss to Georges St. Pierre I have to work my way back up through the ranks. In order to be the #1 contender you have to beat whoever they put in front of you, and that’s my plan.

What part of Lytle’s game are you most concerned about?
I don’t really know too much about him, I just know he’s pretty good on his feet and he’s got pretty good jiu-jitsu. My concerns are myself — coming in prepared, which I definitely am, and taking the opportunity to get the job done.

This is the first fight on your new UFC contract extension. Would you say you’re getting paid what you deserve now?
I don’t know that answer; that’s up to my managers. My job is to train and fight. My managers got me the contract so I guess that’s what I deserve right now. Obviously, it’s human nature to want more money. You probably want more money to interview me today. But it’s just a matter of time. Yeah, UFC fighters deserve a lot more money, and it’s coming. The sport’s growing, and as the UFC brand grows, the fighters will make more money.

Do you have any interest in fighting Diego Sanchez again? Your last fight with him was called into question because he was supposedly suffering from a staph infection at the time. Do you feel the need to prove it was a legitimate win?

In this clip from Fighters Club TV, BJ Penn announces his intention to move back to 170 to fight the winner of Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch, possibly around New Year’s Eve. The Prodigy says he’d love to reclaim the welterweight title, will take future matches at lightweight “if it makes sense,” and moving to middleweight is a future aspiration. Hopefully, a title defense against Roger Huerta or Kenny Florian still makes sense to Penn, but the lure of eating more cheeseburgers building a legacy can be strong sometimes. (Props to Steve Cofield for the find.)

Another notable bit of UFC news emerging this morning is that UFC 89 (October 18th; Birmingham, England) will be televised for free on Spike TV, and another pay-per-view event will likely be held one week later. UFC 89 will be headlined by Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben, and will reportedly feature a bout between Thiago Alves and Diego Sanchez.

(‘Actually Marvin Eastman, your breath is delightful. I am at a loss.’)

Pro MMA conducted an interview with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s father recently, and it really helps put some of his personality traits into perspective. Most notably, Jackson’s penchant for making jokes about how bad other people’s breath smells:

You know Quinton is always telling bad breath jokes. Well I was the first to start it with him. We were in McDonald’s one day, Quinton was deciding on what to order. He said, “I don’t know what I want.” I replied “You know what you need to order?” he said, “What?” I said, ” You need to order a great big Tic Tac.” It was funny. Everybody was laughing. From then on, we would always joke on each other’s breath.

Just think, if his dad had told a knock-knock joke at that crucial moment in Jackson’s development, things might have turned out very differently. And by differently I mean, you know, totally lame.

Is it sad that this is what passes for interesting news in the lead up to this title fight? Kind of.

But in other UFC news, Thiago Alves is said to be facing Diego Sanchez at UFC 89 in England, according to MMA Weekly. If it seems a little odd for Alves to go from dismantling Matt Hughes to facing someone who is probably lower on the welterweight totem pole, well, that’s because it is. Still should make for an interesting fight. Who knows, Alves might even make weight this time. Maybe.

(Dustin Hazelett earning his bonus money. Photo courtesy of UFC.com.)

The list of official salaries from the Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale has been released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The numbers are below; each winning fighter’s payout represents a doubling of his base salary.

Diego Sanchez: $70,000
Dustin Hazelett: $64,000 (includes $20,000 Submission of the Night bonus and $20,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Drew McFedries: $46,000 (includes $20,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
Spencer Fisher: $36,000
Kendall Grove: $32,000
Josh Burkman: $30,000 (includes $20,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Dean Lister: $28,000
Jeremy Horn: $25,000
Evan Tanner: $25,000
Amir Sadollah: $16,000
Matthew Riddle: $16,000
Jeremy Stephens: $16,000
Matt Brown: $16,000
Luigi Fioravanti: $10,000
Marvin Eastman: $9,000
C.B. Dollaway: $8,000
Dante Rivera: $8,000
Matt Arroyo: $8,000
Tim Credeur: $8,000*
Cale Yarbrough: $8,000*
Rob Kimmons: $6,000
Rob Yundt: $5,000

* Credeur and Yarbrough both reportedly received their to-show salaries, even though their match was canceled the night of the fight due to Credeur testing positive for Adderall.

CagePotato.com Interviews Evan Tanner – Watch more free videos

CagePotato.com got a chance to catch up with both “Ultimate Fighter” season one winner Diego Sanchez and former UFC middleweight champ Evan Tanner as they prepare for their respective bouts on the “Ultimate Fighter Finale” this Saturday night. Check out the above clip to hear Evan Tanner discuss his hiatus from MMA, the pretty boys in the sport, and what will become of that awesome beard of his.

Diego Sanchez is after the jump.

(Tyson Griffin could potentially settle his grudge with Nate Diaz in July. Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly.)

— Ultimate Fighter 6 semi-standouts Ben Saunders and Jared Rollins will meet at UFC 86 (July 5th, Las Vegas). Saunders, who has been working out with the death squad at American Top Team, most recently defeated Dan Barrera via unanimous decision at the TUF6 finale last December, while Rollins suffered a third-round TKO loss during his “Fight of the Night” against Jon Koppenhaver on the same card.

— Tyson Griffin will likely be fighting at UFC 86 as well, against a yet-unnamed opponent that could be Nate Diaz. Diaz recently called out Griffin after his star-making triangle-choke of Kurt Pellegrino at UFN 13, and the UFC might give the baby his bottle, so to speak.

— The TUF 7 finale card on June 21st is turning into a full-fledged Fight Night, with three fights booked (so far) that don’t involve the show’s castmembers. Besides the previously mentioned main event between Diego Sanchez and Luigi Fioravanti, Josh Burkman will take on Dustin Hazelett, and Marvin Eastman claims that he’s fighting fellow middling middleweight Drew McFedries; the match will be the last one on the Beastman’s UFC contract. Burkman vows to retire if his fight against Hazelett goes to a decision.