For a man who made his reputation by striking fear into the hearts of his opponents, few people on Earth can express pure joy as well as Wanderlei Silva. Whether it’s the result of a well-earned victory, time spent with his loving family, a room full of bikini models, or a simple clove of garlic, Silva has found plenty of reasons to smile during his enviable life and career. So, in honor of his fight against Brian Stann tomorrow in the main event of UFC on FUEL 8, we decided to round up 21 photos of the Axe Murderer just being a happy-go-lucky son-of-a-gun. All of his violent curb-stompings are nice and all, but this is the way we’d really like to remember him.

(Click for full-size image. Props: Triumph United)

We shared this on our Facebook page on Thursday, but it’s worth a re-post for those of you who weren’t glued to your computers and mobile devices during the holiday. The photo above shows Chael Sonnen predictably going for a leg while Jon Jones — a menacing figure even without a sharp object — puts on his best bad-guy face and straight up dwarfs the gangster from West Linn. We’d like to congratulate the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board for their bravery in sanctioning this one.

In the pro wrestling world, this sort of thing is called “breaking kayfabe,” a moment where the fictional storylines and personas are temporarily discarded, revealing that the whole thing is fake. Yeah, I know Jones has been warming up to Sonnen, who is “pretty decent and pretty classy” all of a sudden. But damn, it sure didn’t take long to go from calling each other cowards, cheaters, mental midgets, and selfish, entitled brats, to “bro, are you bringing the cranberries or do I have to run out to Whole Foods again?”

So how do these two really feel about each other — and how much of their interaction on the next season of TUF will be staged for our amusement?

(For pure intimidation factor, nothing tops Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher as Bicycle Clown. / Full gallery is after the jump.)

Halloween is just eight days away, and you and your girlfriend are probably going to do the plug-and-socket thing again. Ugh, you guys — so lame. Take some inspiration from these MMA fighters who added some creepiness and humor to their entrances, and tell us about your own Halloween costume plans in the comments section.

(Oh! So topical!)

From Rousimar Failhares to Scumbag Dana, we at CagePotato love a good MMA-themed image meme. And the jokers on the UG have been working on a great one this week: “Good Guy Junior Dos Santos,” a kind-hearted and honest heavyweight who is always there to help, and never gets nasty taint-sweat on your training tires. We’ve compiled a bunch of our favorites from that Underground thread, which continue after the jump. Enjoy!

(Let’s just say that GSP’s tastes are…specific.)

Last week, we sent out a call for your most memorable MMA fighter run-in stories, and they’ve been steadily pouring in since then. Some of those stories were not entertaining on any level. But a bunch of them are really, really good, and we can’t wait to share them with you in this Friday’s CagePotato Roundtable column. Just yesterday, a dude named Tony sent in an epic tale of Bas Rutten savagely cock-blocking him with a beautiful Persian chick, and I don’t think it’ll be topped. But you can always try, so please continue to send your stories (with photographic proof, if possible) to tips@cagepotato.com by Wednesday at midnight ET. Thanks!

(No, really Clay. Make yourself comfortable. Props: @JoeLauzon)

The UFC’s annual Fighter Summit — in which every fighter under the Zuffa roster is forcibly brought together for a series of lectures meant to educate and inspire — went down earlier this week in Las Vegas, and judging from this epic Sherdog thread, it was a nightmarish endurance test of boring presentations and insane guest speakers.

Browsing through the photos, you can just feel how uncomfortably warm the room was, how early the start-times were, how soul-crushingly dull some of those presentations turned out to be. (Anybody who’s suffered through an 8 a.m. Intro to Philosophy course in college can certainly relate.) The fighters coped as best as they could — mostly by napping and doodling. We’ve hand-picked some of our favorite photos that were tweeted out during the ordeal, and put them in the gallery below. Enjoy.

(I repeat…not a winner. / Props: w9 and MiddleEasy)

Chael Sonnen has a rather unique relationship with the people of Brazil. He brutally mocks them for being uncivilized savages, and they get so angry that they just want to make his sweet little ass pay, you know? This bizarre dynamic reared its ugly head again at UFC 147 on Saturday night, as a local fan unrolled a photoshopped poster that seemed to imply that…well, I don’t think this really needs any further description. Thank God for that UFC belt, or Shane Diesel would be suing for trademark infringement right now.

As Joe Rogan explained on the UG, “Someone from the crew looked up at that one, and said ‘Did you see that poster? Anderson is holding Sonnen like a baby!’ I looked up at it, and I was like, ‘What the fuck do you do with babies that makes you think that’s a baby?’”

Good question. So can any of you make an even more insulting photoshopped poster for UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2? If so, send it to contest@cagepotato.com and God help us, we might post the best ones next week.

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell could have been inducted into the UFC hall of fame simply for his post-fight (and pre-fight and everything in between) partying prowess. So we’re not that surprised that Liddell recently partied at an Los Angeles night club with members of the NHL champion LA Kings, Sir Stanley’s cup itself, and several little people dressed up as Oompa Loompas.

All in the night of a UFC ambassador, we suppose. In addition to a couple photos of that night courtesy of Pulitzer-winning TMZ, we’re including a collection of some of our favorite Chuck Liddell partying photos from over the years. As you’ll see, Chuck has gotten down with classy pairs of ladies, celebrities, more classy ladies, former opponents, douchebags, and piles of yet more comely finishing-school drop outs.

Here’s to you, Chuck — the world’s hardest hitting and hardest partying accountant. Cheers. Video and enviable photos await you after the jump…

(Look, he killed that thing fair and square, and whatever he decides to do with it is his business. / Props: The UG)

- UFC 146 Heavyweights Predict Strikeforce Grand Prix Final (Fightline)

- Bob Sapp Continues to Find New Ways to Embarrass Himself (BleacherReport/MMA)

- Three Guys Fighting MMA Inside a Pit Makes No Sense, But We Still Have Video of It (MiddleEasy)

- Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, and the Video Game Showdown That Wasn’t (MMAFighting)

- ‘Inside the Cage’ Unscripted #2: Casey and Cyrus Interview Pro Wrestling Legend Ricky Morton (MMAInsideTheCageTV)

- A Weird and Nasty Shin Break During a Muay Thai Fight (BloodyElbow)

- Fighter Babe Lauren Sugihara Returns to the Ring Tomorrow (Babes of MMA)

- The All-New “F*ck You” Pizza From Pizza Hut (WorldWideInterweb)

- Huey Lewis Is Not “Punk,” You Idiots (HolyTaco)

- The 7 Most Comfortable Cars to Have Sex In (MadeMan)

- Sugar Makes You Stupid (MensFitness)

- Diablo 3′s Botched Launch: 3 Reasons Gamers Should Care (GameFront)

(Hey, a win’s a win. / Image via Brett Rogers’s wiki page.)

For chaos-loving MMA fans, getting one over on Wikipedia is a mark of honor. This UG thread reminded us of the hilarious tradition of Wikipedia-page vandalism, so we decided to scour the Internet for some of our favorite MMA-related examples; thanks to all the anonymous men and women who quickly screen-capped these gems before they were fixed. Check out our full gallery of MMA wiki edits after the jump, and if we’ve left out any good ones, shoot us some links in the comments section.

(“These voices, these voices, I hear them, and when they talk I follow, I follow, I follow…”)

Nothing like a good caption contest to remind us what a funny bunch of sons-of-bitches y’all are. After sifting through nearly 200 submissions, we’ve selected the two winners who will be receiving copies of Chael Sonnen‘s new life-manual, The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment a month before it goes on sale to the general public. But first, some runners-up…

LOKI: Chael struggled to hold back the guilt in his face; he never realized that wishing cancer on Ed Soares would actually work.

tdpwent: Chael and random guy #2 show what a certain brazilian BJJ expert will be doing every night after his failed pick-up attempt.

mcw89138: Chael and Ronda drove 2,000 miles to an undisclosed Starbucks to see for themselves the Internet freak and phenomenon known as “perfect circle head” guy.

BigBalluh: The new season of Two and a Half Men is gonna suck.

Kid Clam Curtains: Not pictured: The knee-high rubber boots they’re wearing for all the bullshit.

(Don’t play that shit around Senator Harry Reid. This is the man who *invented* invisible lat syndrome.)

As the editor of an MMA website, I’m constantly bombarded with images of tattooed skinheads engaged in gay foreplay. And yet, there are times when I’m faced with an image that even makes me uncomfortable. Check out 25 of the most chillingly awkward MMA photos in the gallery after the jump, laugh nervously, then avert your eyes in shame…

(Props: Amazon.com, via CP reader “joe sons balls,” who claims that he randomly came upon one of Phil Baroni‘s old fetish-modeling gigs while searching for XTC t-shirts. Sure, buddy. Your secret’s safe with us.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…

- Sean Sherk Planning UFC Return in 2012, But Won’t Fight ‘Some Chump Who Needs Some Fame’ (MMA Mania)

- Report: UFC Beginning to Target Consumers in Online Piracy War (MMA Convert)

- Pat Curran Talks Title Win Over Joe Warren at Bellator 60 (The Fight Nerd)

- Trouble Already Brewing on Set of TUF 15 (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Nick Diaz Might Be Retired From MMA, But His Career as a Ninja Has Just Begun (MiddleEasy)

- Jon Jones Wants Anderson Silva as a “Mentor,” Not an Opponent (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

- Odds Stacked Against Frank Mir at UFC 146 (5th Round)

- Cesar Gracie Wants Penn or Pettis for Gilbert Melendez’s Next Fight (FightLine)

- Tim Sylvia Deserves Another Shot in the UFC (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- UFC Threatens Lawsuit Against Oklahoma (MMA Payout)

- Testosterone Capitulation: The UFC, Rampage, & Fighters Only (Fight Opinion)

(What do you mean marrow is not a flavor?!!) 

We have all heard the legend of Rousimar Palhares. Born in a radioactive swamp deep in the Brazilian jungle, “Toquinho” was raised in captivity, locked in a dark, damp cellar that only received 15 minutes of sunlight a day. It was a cruel, traumatizing upbringing, but the townspeople agreed that it was the only way to maintain the utopia they had built. Living off bread crumbs and rage for the first 20 years of his life, Palhares vowed to seek revenge on those who had enslaved him. Unfortunately for the world, he could only see the ankles of his overlords through a crack beneath the bolted steel door that held him, so his curse did not have the luxury of extending to only those who entered Camp Crystal Lake, or she who read from the Necronomicon. If you were born with a pair of ankles, then Palhares is coming for you.

Thankfully, “Toquinho” celebrated his 32nd birthday last Sunday, so the appendages of mankind have been granted a reprieve for a couple more days. Why, you ask? Well as it turns out, this past Sunday went down as a particularly special birthday for the middleweight mangling machine, as it was the first one in which he was given a cake. Unfortunately, his friends and family decided to throw a surprise party for this glorious celebration. There were no survivors.

Check out Rousimar’s reaction to the surprise after the jump.

When you see it, you’ll shit poi. Props: Reddit MMA.

Related:
- Couture and Cozad: True Players
- God Made Two of ‘Em

(Anderson Silva: Like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and America’s Best Dance Crew, all rolled into one. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. Check out the full gallery after the jump.)

As we enter the last week of 2011, join us in celebrating the year’s most memorable images — from tense face-offs to action shots, ring girl pin-ups to gnarly post-fight injuries, and other assorted insanity. If we’ve left out any of your favorite MMA photos from the past year, drop us a link in the comments section. Enjoy…

(Judging by this uncanny drawing, I guess it’s safe to say Luke Cummo hasn’t made much of a life for himself outside the Octagon)

While browsing through the morning newspaper a couple of weeks ago, I came across a story about a man who attacked a disabled woman in a park in Tacoma and the composite sketch looked strikingly like someone I’d seen before. I just couldn’t place the face.

After a few moments, it dawned on me: It was Ben Fowlkes. I’d recognize that dead stare anywhere.

(Leonard Garcia goes full zombie before his rematch with Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night 24. Props: PlatformNation)

Man, it would have been awesome if we thought of this idea before Halloween. Ah well. Check out the gallery after the jump for 15 classic examples of MMA fighters playing dress-up before hitting the scale. Enjoy.

(You can make fun of your opponent’s voice, and you can trash his fighting style. But mock a man’s sideburns, and you’re asking for the worst beating of your life.)

Start sharpening your razors, folks: We’re just eight days away from the official start of Movember! To help get you in the moustache-growing spirit, we’ve put together a photo gallery of our favorite facial hair arrangements in MMA history, which you can check out after the jump.

All credit goes to this UG thread. All respect goes to the Most Interesting Man in the World.

Lots more after the jump. Stay thirsty, my friends.

(From today’s press conference. Above: Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson. Below: Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve. Props to MMAMania)

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Pat Barry will spend all fight looking up nostrils when they take on tall-for-his-weight-class Dominick Cruz and tall-for-humanity Stefan Struve (respectively) this Saturday. Don’t forget to come back to CagePotato.com for round-by-round results from the Versus main card broadcast of UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson, starting at 9 p.m. ET. In case you’re curious, there’s a photo of Stefan Struve and Demetrious Johnson standing next to each other after the jump. Not for the faint of heart.

(Gross. They’re like a pack of feral cats. Props: FightersOnly via MMAConvert)

Guy-on-the-left clearly comes from the Wanderlei Silva school of intimidation. But seriously, go to a clinic and get yourself tested, buddy. Any Brazilians in the house want to give us a rough translation of “Cagão”?

(Tito Ortiz tells The Voice where to stick it.)

I’ve seen all kinds of crazy stuff go down at my local dive bar, and yet I’ve never had a beautiful woman proposition me by giving me the finger. (Oh, but what a magical world that would be.) In honor of Wild Turkey‘s “Give ‘em the Bird” campaign — which is definitely intended for people who live dangerously — we decided to round up the greatest obscene gestures in MMA history. Enjoy these unquestionably rude photos, which continue after the jump, and shoot us some links in the comments section if we’ve left out any good ones.

(Felice Herrig puts it all out there.)

(Cuddly New York Jets coach Rex Ryan shares his opinion on Strikeforce matchmaking.)

(You don’t *have* to cover your face when you wear this shirt in public — but it couldn’t hurt. Props: Punch Buddies)

After Tuesday’s pep-talk, I’m happy to report that you guys got your acts together and started to produce quality work. So after sifting through the most recent wave of submissions for our Punch Buddies photoshop contest, we’ve chosen five runners-up, as well as two winners who will score “Young Assassin” t-shirts. Check out the Melvin Gulllard-themed brilliance after the jump.

As expected, one little picture of Arianny Celeste kissing a genital/fruit statue really seemed to fire your imaginations. And yet, there were zero Mark Coleman references. Hmm. We’ve decided to award CagePotato t-shirts to the three best captions this photo produced. But first, some honorable mentions:

gpop727: I’m sure her father is so proud of his daughter and her healthy food choices

RWilsonR: This picture goes against all stereotypes I’ve heard about yellow penises.

OneMorePunchFujita: Brock Lesnar’s original tattoo choice.

Bob Reilly: That’s Lexington Peele right there.

Bob Reilly (again): Orange you glad she didn’t fuck banana?

And now the winners…

(Never let your chick go on vacation by herself. Am I right, Tiki? Props: Twitter.com/AriannyCeleste)

And here we have UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste on a beach in Saint-Tropez, giving a peck to the kind of surrealist phallic symbol that passes for public art in France. AVERT YOUR EYES, CHILDREN! There’s so much wrong with this picture — which is why it’s so perfect for a caption contest on a slow news day. Do your worst in the comments section; we’ll pick out some winners later this week and award some CagePotato t-shirts. Good luck…

(MMA fans are no different than anyone else in that they sure love “exremely” terrible tattoos.)

I was walking down the street the other day when I saw a guy with a poorly-drawn UFC Octagon tattoo begging for spare change and I turned to my wife and said, “There’s proof that MMA has gone mainstream. Even street people know the culture.”

The sad reality is, that homeless people aren’t the only ones with bad judgment. Even people who should know better are getting terrible tattoos inspired by their favorite fighters, tattoos that their favorite fighters sport and tattoos of their favorite fighters in the sport. It’s becoming an epidemic.

Yep, this is really happening. Mad props to Steampunk for putting this together…

Update: By the way, another source says Machida is not taking the fight, so, you know, whatever.

(Unfortunately, Ellenberger was fined 10% of his purse for drawing a bunch of dicks on Sean Pierson’s face after he was passed out. Photo courtesy of ESPN)

According to a new report from MMAFighting, UFC welterweight contenders Jake Shields and Jake Ellenberger have agreed to face each other this fall (event TBA). Shields is coming off his unsuccessful title bid against Georges St. Pierre in April — which snapped a 15-fight win streak — while the surging Ellenberger has scored wins in his last four Octagon appearances, including knockouts of Mike Pyle, John Howard, and Sean Pierson.

As you may recall, Ellenberger has been openly campaigning for this matchup ever since Shields’s underwhelming UFC debut against Martin Kampmann last October. Following that fight, Ellenberger harnessed his inner Chael Sonnen, tweeting “Jake Shields, you’re as exciting as watching a bowl of mash potatoes get cold…Your days are numbered…Jake Shields’ cardio won’t be a factor if he fights me next. I won’t keep him around long enough to get tired.”

Props to TheGarv for digging up these ’70s/’80s-era photos of UFC president Dana White. Obviously the money shot is that pic in the top right, in which a young DW does his best to smile through the pain of a Prince Valiant haircut and some obvious facial trauma. “Damn you, hair,” we imagine Young Dana saying. “I wish you would disappear…forever!” And now you know the rest of the story.

Previously: Even as a Baby, Brock Lesnar Would Swallow You Without Chewing