(Bendo: Prepared for takeoff.)

According to some misguided crazy people, the world is going to end tomorrow. Apparently, May 21st, 2011 is the scheduled date of the Rapture, in which Christians will be shuttled off into the air to meet Christ, while the sinners will be left behind, leading to Armageddon or something. (For more information, consult this Kirk Cameron movie). If the rumors are true, we’re all pretty much fucked. Still, there’s a few MMA fighters who will be getting the sweet end of the deal. For instance…

BEN HENDERSON
The lightweight standout is one of the more vocal supporters of his Lord and Savior in the cage, shouting out Philippians 4:13 after every win. He makes his fight entrances to gospel music, and has never touched alcohol. Whatever bad stuff goes down tomorrow, he won’t be around for it. He’ll be in mid-air, doing that pyramid thing with his hands.

CHAEL SONNEN

Stripped of his real estate and fighting licenses, Sonnen was just sentenced to a year of roaming the earth with no income, trying to “promote goodwill” and show that he’s rehabilitated. A swift, violent end would probably be an upgrade at this point.

A day after news broke that colorful middleweight star Jason “Mayhem” Miller had signed a new contract with the UFC, it has been confirmed that Miller will make his Octagon return at UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2, July 2nd in Las Vegas.

Mayhem will be facing off against Aaron “A-Train” Simpson, who snapped a two-fight losing streak last month when he out-pointed Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24. Simpson’s previous UFC accomplishments include a Fight of the Night bonus for his split-decision victory over Tom Lawlor, and a Knockout of the Night bonus for his TKO win over Tim McKenzie. A two-time All-American wrestler for Arizona State University, Simpson now operates Power MMA & Fitness in Gilbert, Arizona, alongside teammates Ryan Bader and CB Dollaway.

Said Mayhem about the matchup: “He always fights hard and I know that that night will be no different. Cant wait for my FOTN bonus.” And if there’s a Walkout of the Night award, he’ll probably pick that up too.

(Visual proof that Jason Miller once fought Georges St. Pierre in the UFC, and did terribly.)

Former Strikeforce middleweight contender, MTV host, and man-about-town Jason Miller has signed a new multi-fight agreement with the UFC. MMAFighting first confirmed the news this afternoon with Miller’s manager, Ryan Parsons, and Mayhem himself later discussed the development via Twitter: “I now fight for the @UFC. I’d like to thank all the staff there as well as @DanaWhite for this new partnership. I really want to thank all of you for showing your support. Can’t wait to show my skills in the UFC’s octagon.”

Miller has actually competed for the UFC once before, in a welterweight bout against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 52 in April 2005; Mayhem got his ass whupped, lost a unanimous decision, and never competed at 170 pounds again.

(“Don’t be scared, homie.”)

By Matthew Kaplowitz

Honor. Respect. Discipline. These are the keys to being a good sport. Whether your arm is raised in victory or your head is hung low in defeat, a good fighter maintains his decorum in every situation. Unless you’re a jerk.

Every major sport has an athlete with a temporary lapse in judgment that causes them to do something they will regret later, and MMA is no different. In this sport, two people are locked in a cage and expected to beat one another until the other can take no more, so it only makes sense that some of these would spill out into a second fight if not for a hefty security team. That brings us to the top ten post-fight brawls, where the action keeps going after the bell and turns into one giant debacle that ruins the rest of the night! Don’t take your mouthpiece out or unwrap your gloves just yet, we are just getting started!

(‘Diaz vs. Daley’ video hype, via ESPN)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- Gegard Mousasi Speaks About Upcoming Fight with Keith Jardine (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- 40 of the Greatest Dana White F-Bombs in the History of the UFC (MiddleEasy)

- From Heavyweight to Bantamweight: Seven Future UFC Champions (LowKick)

- Paul Daley: “I’m Not a Kiss-Ass, I’m Not Really a Company Guy” (5thRound)

- Mayhem Miller Moves Past Nick Diaz Feud, Vows to ‘Beat the Brakes Off’ UFC Middleweights (MMA Fighting)

- The Tragedy of the Murder of Sergio Salcido (MMA Convert)

- Fabricio Werdum Eyeing UFC Title-Shot After Strikeforce Grand Prix (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Georges St. Pierre Pretty Damn Confident He’s Going to Beat Jake Shields (MMA-Scraps)

- ‘TUF’ Talk: How Important is Lesnar’s Stint on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’? (Versus MMA Beat)

- MMA Rankings: Alvarez & Wilcox Stay Put At Lightweight (Fight Magazine)

By CagePotato contributor Jason Moles

Fans have been clamoring for the UFC to announce the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 14 since the featherweight/bantamweight season was announced earlier this month. Many would argue that after Urijah Faber’s dominant performance over Eddie Wineland in his UFC debut, it’s a foregone conclusion that he will face off against arch-rival and current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. Others have suggested recently that it would be a missed opportunity if Zuffa drafts anyone other than newly crowned UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon “Bones” Jones and “Suga” Rashad Evans. Those are both excellent choices, but that’s not what we really want to see, now is it?

The best matchup is one in which the built-in marketing would compel the most casual of fans to tune in to Spike on Wednesday nights. Ever since Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller uttered the fateful words “Where’s my rematch, buddy?” to Cesar Gracie fighter Jake Shields on live television (as Gus Johnson so infamously reminded us), you can’t mention him and not automatically think of Nick Diaz. The Stockton native repping the 209 essentially jumped the Bully Beatdown host in what many consider the largest black mark on our sport. It didn’t stop there either.

Countless interviews and appearances over the past year have prompted the same question: “When are you two going to settle this in the cage and fight?” Add in a few YouTube videos on top of an epic custom t-shirt and you have yourself a nice little beef. Wait, there’s more! I would be remiss if I forgot to remind you of the time Diaz hurled a water bottle at Miller’s head backstage at a Strikeforce event. The aforementioned is all prelude that demands a culmination in the cage.

("That’s the great thing about a Health Savings Account, James. The funds you put in there aren’t subject to federal income tax. It’s a no-brainer … no pun intended." PicProps: WorldStarHipHop.com)

File this under “Stuff We All Know, But Feel Uncomfortable Saying Out Loud.”

Serious, thought-provoking journalist Ben Fowlkes has a new piece out on Thursday in his continuing “The Truth About …” series over at MMA Fighting.com. This time Old Dad turns his steely, deadpan gaze on the long-term physical cost professional fighters must pay in order to live their dreams. The consensus from the athletes interviewed here seems to be, “Yeah, we know we’ll all be crippled or crazy someday, but it’s worth it. Sort of.” While many of the lasting effects of MMA competition may not yet even fully be known (since it’s such a comparatively young sport), credit Fowlkes for also getting comment from high-profile fight doc Johnny Benjamin, who says some interesting things about the risks involved in fighting, the need for comprehensive health coverage and – gasp! – maybe even a fighter’s union.

First though, who better to ask about his own mortality than a fighter you know is going to give it to you straight, or at least pop-off in a fairly entertaining way? So, what do you think about your future, Jason “Mayhem” Miller? 

(I guess you had to be there. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.)

Originally slated to go down this month, the long-awaited (at least by us) rubber match between middleweights Jason Miller and Tim Kennedy is now expected for Strikeforce: Columbus, which takes place March 5th at the Nationwide Arena. It’s great news for Kennedy, who has been ducked by everybody in the universe since his decision loss to Ronaldo Souza in August. Miller has won his last two fights, scoring a first-round TKO over local yokel Tim Stout at Strikeforce: Nashville last April, and choking out creaky legend Kazushi Sakuraba at DREAM.16 in September.

For the second year in a row, the UFC has decided not to hold an event during the annual Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, and Strikeforce is swooping in to take full advantage. Along with Miller/Kennedy, the event is rumored to feature Rafael Cavalcante vs. Dan Henderson in the main event, a 135-pound women’s title fight between Marloes Coenen and Miesha Tate, the possible return of Paul Daley, and maybe (maybe!) even Werdum vs. Overeem. 

Speaking of Jason Miller, did you know that he once fought a 360-pound man at an Icon Sport event, and held onto a choke for so long that even Babalu Sobral would be disgusted? I just learned that over the weekend, and I’m still confused. Video proof after the jump…

(Props: TheRyanLoco. Things begins to go south at the 2:06 mark.)

Just as UFC color-man Joe Rogan recently landed in hot water over which words he shouldn’t use in public, Strikeforce/MTV star Jason Miller may be getting a costly lesson in who he may and may not put his hands on. Miller was at Kings MMA on Saturday to receive his jiu-jitsu black belt from Rafael Cordeiro, when he spotted our friend (and noted 209 supporter) Michael "Layzie the Savage" Mardones.

Seemingly without provocation — unless you count previous online trash talk — Miller slapped Layzie’s hat off, then rudely shoved him out the door. Later, Miller cooled down enough to allow Layzie back in the building, where he lectured him about Nick Diaz’s bitchassness. The afternoon proceeded as planned, but things didn’t end there. Apparently, Mardones is considering pressing assault charges against Miller due to their physical altercation. As he explained on the UG:

(Hopefully somebody Rangers Up soon.)

According to a report from FiveOuncesofPain.com, Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy is having a hell of a time finding an opponent for his next fight.

The 12-3 retired Army Ranger who last fought and lost by decision to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the Strikeforce middleweight strap four months ago was offered two opponents for last weekend’s Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu event, but both declined the fight, leaving Kennedy in the lurch.

“I said yes to two different names for the December 4th card but both guys turned down the fight,” Kennedy explained. Though the humble 31-year old did not reveal names, he did explain he’s being proactive about the situation – a quality [that] likely serv[ed] him well throughout his decorated military career.

(We should all be that fired up, at least once in our lives. Props: UFC.com)

When BJ Penn knocked out Matt Hughes at UFC 123, one of the greatest rivalries in MMA history finally got its conclusion. And while not every two-fight series needs an immediate tie-breaker — the Internet has already informed Dana White what we think of Lesnar vs. Mir III — there’s something incredibly dramatic and satisfying about a good rubber-match. Off the top of our heads, here’s a few others we’d like to see…

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Kennedy

History: Kennedy def. Miller via decision @ Extreme Challenge 50 (2/23/03), Miller def. Kennedy via decision @ HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon (12/15/07)
Why it needs to happen again: Look, I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for Jason Miller to agree to a catchweight fight with Nick Diaz under 185 pounds. Mayhem hasn’t even fought for Strikeforce since he squashed Tim Stout in April, and Kennedy is still without an opponent himself after dropping a decision to Jacare Souza in August — and he’s already mentioned that he wants another go-round with Mayhem. Strikeforce has two talented, unattached middleweights at their disposal with a storyline already in place. It doesn’t take rocket appliances to figure this out, guys.

(The UFC’s newest Octagon Girl looks very familiar. GSP, as usual, is not impressed. Props: Twitter.com/BrittneyPalmer)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– ‘WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki’ Open Workout Highlights (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Vazquez, Mendes Look to Settle Differences at WEC 52 (Versus MMA Beat)

– Rodriguez, Monson, Trigg, Sokoudjou Score Wins at Israel FC; Shonie Carter Might Retire After Loss (MMA Fighting)

– According to the Rumor Mill, Bellator May Be in Deep, Deep Doo-Doo (MiddleEasy)

– Jose Aldo’s Coach Turned Down Kenny Florian Fight Because It Wasn’t ‘Interesting’ (MMA Convert)

– Scott Carson Lashes Out at the ‘Keyboard Warriors’ Who Are Writing Him Off Against Herschel Walker (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Rashad Evans Explains ‘Conflicting Stories’ Are His Source of Frustration (LowKick)

– Thales Leites Back On The Winning Track At Superior Challenge 6 (FightMagazine)

– Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller Beats the Crap Out of MTV Bully (MMA Scraps)

– Urijah Faber Looking To Make a Statement at WEC 52 vs. Takeya Mizugaki (SBNation.com/MMA)

As Jason "Mayhem" Miller so loudly reminded us last week, the third season of MTV’s Bully Beatdown premieres November 4th. That’s tonight, guys. And they’re bringing out the big guns early — for the first time in the series, Miller will actually be fighting one of the bullies himself. (No, it’s not Nick Diaz.) As he told MMAGospel: "November 4 is the episode I fight. This wasn’t the plan originally but it came out so good that MTV decided to have it as the premiere episode. It’s on at 11pm EST. [Fans are] gonna see the biggest douche ever get beat the hell up by the coolest fighter ever."

Wait…so is Mayhem the "coolest fighter" or the "biggest douche"? I guess we’ll have to tune in and find out! As for the rest of the season, guest fighters include Eddie Alvarez, Tyron Woodley, Jeremy Horn, Nick "Afrozilla" Gaston, and Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson. You can catch glimpses of them in the video trailer above. We can’t wait for the season finale, in which a chubby male nurse enlists the help of Georges St. Pierre to get revenge on the dye-jobbed asshole who’s been harassing him at work. It gets better, Brad!

Ruben Vera catches up with Jason Mayhem Miller – Watch more Funny Videos

CagePotato’s West Coast Correspondent Ruben Vera recently got some time with Strikeforce/DREAM star Jason Miller, and if there’s one thing you should take away from this interview, it’s that BULLY BEATDOWN RETURNS NOVEMBER 4TH!!! Okay, now that the shameless plug is out of the way, we can get down to business. Mayhem is rather upset that Nick Diaz has the gall to talk shit and throw water bottles at him backstage after Strikeforce events, but won’t step up to fight him in front of a paying audience. He also runs down his DREAM.16 fight against Kazushi Sakuraba, his recent trip to Brazil, bringing MMA to a new audience with Bully Beatdown, and UFC 121‘s marquee matchups. Some highlights…

On Nick Diaz: "Man, this guy’s a paper champion, get out of here with this. What the hell? So he beat up a 155-pound KJ Noons, and ‘ohhh, you gotta come down to 170, bro.’ Get out of here! Like, okay, what exactly does that mean? The only fight anyone wants to see is me and Nick Diaz. Outside of the UFC, that’s the only fight that people are talking about, here in America. I’m sorry, that’s how it is. You broke it off, you jumped me. You did it, you asked for it, you talked about, for years, guys with painted hair who bark at themselves. Who are you talking about? You didn’t call out names. I’m calling out names! Nick Diaz is a bitch…he wants it, but he doesn’t. ‘Oh, come to my gym and fight me.’ Come to your gym and fight you? Really? That’s what you’re saying now? Get out of here, man. Step in the cage and fight me, you know? It’s ridiculous."

(Props: CompuStrike via BloodyElbow. Click for larger version.)

Just because there were no major screw-ups during Saturday’s Strikeforce show, doesn’t mean they didn’t get a couple of minor details wrong. Case in point: the CompuStrike numbers that came back after the Diaz vs. Noons main event. Was anybody else shocked to learn that KJ Noons actually outstruck Nick Diaz 310-194, and landed a full 51% of his strikes? It seemed to us that Diaz was controlling the standup exchanges pretty clearly. As it turns out, CompuStrike incorrectly reported the strike totals from the fight, due to a "glitch" in their system; the real totals are above. There, now you can rest easily knowing that the decision was fair and your eyes did not deceive you.

Now, moving onto judging errors…

(Video courtesy YouTube/DREAM)

If you’re a diehard MMA fan or you get home from the bars tonight and are looking for something to watch, remember that DREAM 16 is on HDNet at 2:00 am ET tomorrow morning. 

Besides the Sakuraba-Miller fight that is advertised above as if it were a Japanese game show, only with worse music, there are some solid match-ups that haven’t gotten a lot of media attention, including Mousasi-Mizuno, Hansen-Tokoro, Miyata-Inoue and Takaya-Beebe.

(Sakuraba vs. Mayhem at DREAM.16: A fight so amazing, it can only be described as ‘Fantasista’. Props: YouTube.com/DREAM)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Todd Duffee Released By The UFC; Manager Calls Him an "Ass" (MMA Convert)

– Ariel Helwani goes backstage with MMA broadcast icon Mauro Ranallo. (MMA Fighting)

– Want a pair of tickets to UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop? All you need is a name and an e-mail address… (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Kendall Grove confirms fight with Demian Maia at TUF 12 Finale in December (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Ring Girls Round-Up: Shark Fights Angels (LowKick)

– After Defeating James Toney, Does Randy Couture Have One Last Title Run Left? (Versus MMA Beat)

– Brock Lesnar’s Most Unintentionally Hilarious TV Spots (Watch Kalib Run)

– Exclusive Bellator 27 Photo Gallery (Fight! Magazine)

– After escaping from a mental institution last month, MMA cult hero Viacheslav Datsik is still at large, and preparing for his comeback. (MiddleEasy)

– 10 MMA Photos That Will Scare Your Children and Make You Cry Yourself to Sleep (MMA Scraps)

 
(I think the message was quite clear. I specifically told Nick NOT to be scared.)

It looks like Strikeforce has missed the marketing train once again as the promotion has passed on a self-selling grudge match between Jason "Mayhem Miller" and Nick Diaz and will instead once again pair the latter up with KJ Noons in a rematch of their 2007 EliteXC title bout. In that fight, Noons emerged victorious due to doctor stoppage resulting from a cut sustained by Diaz. More memorable than their bout was the in-cage melee between Team Cesar Gracie and Noons’ father a year later after Noons’ fight with Yves Edwards in Hawaii during which Nick’s immortal "Don’t be scared, homie," line was born. EliteXC brass orchestrated a rematch-hyping staredown between KJ and Nick, but as we have learned, whenever a Diaz is involved, anything can, and usually will happen.

This time around Diaz’s welterweight strap will be up for grabs, which makes perfect sense according to Strikeforce calculus. Anywhere else Noons may have to…I don’t know…win a fight at 170 perhaps before getting a shot for the belt. But this is Strikeforce, where logic is overrated and matchmaking is easy if you have a magic eight ball.

(Video courtesy YouTube/Drinkthewine)

I was pretty disappointed yesterday when this video was pulled down before I could post it as a companion to Nick Diaz’s rant about Jason "Mayhem" Miller, but thankfully someone had the presence of mind to save a copy to their computer and re-upload it or we wouldn’t have this little gem to watch today.

In  the clip shot by Diaz while on a toke break during a biking excursion with his buddies and brother Nate, Nick recalls a story from a few years ago when he got into a fight with two burly brothers who took issue with him blocking traffic with his bike.

(Video Courtesy YouTube/JoeRogan.net)

Match-ups between four Strikeforce stand-out fighters are being discussed for a potential October CBS-broadcasted event according to various industry sources.

MMAFighting reports that although he is noncommital whether one of the bouts — a light heavyweight tilt between Dan Henderson and Renato "Bablu" Sobral will happen on the card,  if indeed at all, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the fight could take place on the rumored October CBS show.

(Jason "Mayhem" Miller, shown here with two of the countless enemies he’s made over the years.)

Losing your middleweight champ to the UFC after his contract runs out? Disaster. But Strikeforce plans to turn their lemons into lemonade with an upcoming eight-man tournament that will crown a new champion in their deepest division. Here’s what King Coker had to say about the MWGP he’ll put together if Jake Shields splits the scene:

A two-event tournament means that the semi-finals and finals could potentially be held on the same night, Japan-style. And looking at that lineup, we see a lot of potential for sick matchups and serious grudge-settling. Think about it…

Video courtesy ShootMedia)

It’s amazing how perception works.

Nick Diaz is convinced that he and his Team Cesar Gracie teammates were attacked by Jason "Mayhem" Miller and his Team Quest teammates following Jake Shields’ win over Dan Henderson at Strikeforce’s Nashville show in April and he says that by "fighting back" they were merely defending themselves.

"I’m the last person who wants to take a punch from somebody and I don’t know who out there wants to hit me. All I know is this guy…Gilbert pushes him back and he runs at us and we’re fighting now. You want me to be the victim here and just let my boy get punched, or me? We’re on one team." 

(Dana "Do as I say, not as I do" White.)

In an interview with Yahoo! Sports this week, UFC president Dana White said that he doesn’t get along with Josh Koscheck, but regardless of his feelings towards the oft loathed welterweight, what Paul Daley did to him following their UFC 113 bout is inexcusable. 

“I’m no Josh Koscheck fan. Personally, I think he’s [expletive]. We actually don’t get along very well. I like Paul Daley a lot, but what he did was inexcusable. He walked over to Koscheck and Koscheck could have thought he was coming over to shake hands or congratulate him and he took a cheap shot at him like that. If you throw a sucker punch like that after a fight in the UFC, I don’t care who you are, you’re done. He’ll never fight for us again.”

(Props: TSGIGOR)

You see, guys? You see how easy it is to not turn a friendly interview-interruption into a goddamned Royal Rumble? More alternate realities here…

(The scene after the riot. Mauro looks pretty close to throwing down himself. Photo courtesy of WatchKalibRun.)

After his poorly-timed challenge of Jake Shields backfired in violent fashion, Jason "Mayhem" Miller sent out a one-word reaction via Twitter: "Whoops." Since "Whoops" is a tremendous understatement that doesn’t really capture the seriousness of the moment, Miller posted a longer mea culpa on his website last night:

"I would like to formally apologize to CBS, Strikeforce, and all fans of mixed martial arts for my role in the events following the Strikeforce: Nashville event. In retrospect, my timing could not have been worse to ask for my rematch with Jake Sheilds [sic], and I take full responsibility for entering the cage and setting off a chain of events that cast a dark shadow on the sport. I’ve been a fighter and a fan of MMA for over 12 years, and would never do anything to intentionally tarnish the sport I’ve given my life to. In the excitement of the moment I let my emotions run high and made a bad choice that resulted in a debacle, for that, I sincerely apologize."

So here it is — the moment that might have sunk Strikeforce’s chances at getting on network television ever again. (As if the monotonous fights didn’t do enough damage to their stock.) When the video cuts away at the 0:15 mark, you miss two things: Jake Shields shoving Jason Miller for getting too close, and Gilbert Melendez shoving Miller immediately afterwards when it looks like Mayhem might retaliate. And then it’s time for the shit to have its blind date with the fan. At this point, Scott Coker’s only hope is that the post-event brawl creates enough heat that CBS wants to give them another chance, selling Strikeforce as the fight club where Anything Can Happen! More likely, CBS will simply want to cut ties with a volatile sport where anything that can go wrong often does.

So how much of the blame for the incident should lie with Miller, and how much should be put on the Scrap Pack? Should Melendez and the Diaz brothers et al. be charged with assault as some are suggesting? After the jump: Nick Diaz, Jason Miller, and Jake Shields give their sides of the story.

LayzieTheSavage with Jason Mayhem Miller – Watch more Funny Videos

When news came out yesterday that Jason "Mayhem" Miller was booked to fight a local banger named Tim Stout at Strikeforce: Nashville on less than two weeks notice, we wondered how the outspoken middleweight felt about it. So, we sent our video editor friend LayzieTheSavage out to Reign Training Center in Orange County to ask him a few questions. In this exclusive video interview, Miller gives his thoughts on his "country boy" opponent, and why he’ll enjoy smashing Stout in the dude’s hometown. He also discusses the challenge of being on the same card as Muhammed Lawal, and what it’ll take to outdo King Mo’s ring entrance. Plus, he tells us a little about the upcoming third season of Bully Beatdown, which he describes as "the most long-lasting show on MTV." So we’re not even going to pretend that The Real World exists anymore, huh?

(Tim Stout vs. Brandon Melendez, 5/16/08.) 

As first reported by MMA Junkie, a fight between colorful MTV host/middleweight contender Jason "Mayhem" Miller and some guy named Tim Stout (12-8) has been added to the preliminary card of Strikeforce: Nashville on April 17th. Stout, who has primarily competed as a welterweight in various southern regional promotions, is a Tennessee native who trains with Team Oxendine in Johnson City. He last competed in February, scoring a unanimous decision over Phillip Wyman at a Bangkok Fight Night event in Georgia, and his most notable victory was a first-round TKO over TUF 5 vet Brandon Melendez in May 2008.

You may be asking yourself how the hell one of Strikeforce’s biggest stars finds himself fighting a virtually-unknown 170-pounder on the dark portion of a CBS card on less than two weeks’ notice. Good question. Here’s what happened…

(Arianny Celeste self-shot bikini pics: The reason why Twitter was invented. Photo courtesy of twitpic.com/photos/ariannyceleste.)

There was a time when you had to be a well-connected MMA journalist to keep tabs on where fighters were training and who their next opponents would be. Now you can do what we do — stay in bed with your laptop all day and follow them on Twitter. We call that progress. In case you’re not as tweet-obsessed as us, or if you’re simply too old to understand what the social-networking site is — ‘sup, dad — here’s what to do: Start an account, follow twitter.com/cagepotatomma, then start adding the pages below, which represent the 25 most informative and entertaining MMA-related Twitter feeds currently in operation. Your life will change in ways you never expected. And so, in alphabetical order…

twitter.com/allelbows
Bio: "mma shooter"
Known for her artfully crafted action shots and revealing portraiture, Esther Lin might be the greatest MMA photographer working today. Lately she’s been juggling gigs for MMAFighting, Strikeforce and Showtime, and the best of her work can always be found on her website, allelbows.com. Follow Esther’s tweets for photo updates and observations from her life behind the lens.
Sample tweet: "Fighters Are Dirty: the toilet in my hotel photoshoot room has pee all over it! Guys! Lift up the seat or aim better!"

twitter.com/amirmma
Bio: "Winner of The Ultimate Fighter 7"
It turns out that Amir Sadollah‘s awkward brand of ultra-dry humor is perfectly suited to short bursts of 140 characters or less. Like most UFC fighters, he spends a lot of time tweeting about publicity appearances and food. Unlike most UFC fighters, he somehow manages to make it all genuinely entertaining.
Sample tweet: "Yes Macs are expensive. But you can’t get a virus with them so I save money on condoms."

twitter.com/AriannyCeleste
Bio: "im not that cool. lover not a fighter."
Thanks to Twitter, stalking hot chicks has never been easier! UFC ring-girl goddess Arianny Celeste takes the guesswork out of our unhealthy obsession with her by generously sharing details about where she is, who she’s with, and what she’s doing, pretty much at all times. Also: Bikini pics and bikini pics and bikini pics. Why go anywhere else?
Sample tweet: "http://twitpic.com/112o0r – On my way 2 see an agency. Hope they like me, if not I’ll kick them in the groin area n give em stank eye."

(Photo courtesy of Kamipro.)

…or at least record it on your DVR. It looks like MMA wildman Jason Miller will be joining Michael Schiavello and Guy Mezger for the HDNet broadcast late tonight. Though Miller wishes he was fighting, he’ll have to be content with trading insane one-liners with Schiavello, while Mezger patiently waits for his turn to say something. Speaking of "The Voice," Schiavello recently hosted a 90-minute preview of the Dynamite!! event on HDNet, taking viewers through all the notable matchups. If you’re interested, click here.