If you were able to sit through Cris Cyborg vs. Jan Finney this weekend without barfing, you probably have an appreciation for over-the-top violence. And if that’s true, you might be interested in the fact that The Crazies is being released on DVD and Blu-Ray tomorrow. Hit us with the synopsis, IMDb:

As a toxin begins to turn the residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa into violent psychopaths, sheriff David Dutton tries to make sense of the situation while he, his wife, and two other unaffected townspeople band together in a fight for survival.

Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has hooked us up with five copies of the gritty horror flick, which we’d like to pass on to you, our beloved readers. To claim one, you must come up with a clever caption to the photo after the jump. Please submit your entries to the comments section of this post by Thursday at midnight PT; we’ll choose five winners on Friday, who will all receive the movie in the format of their choice. Sound fair? Then let’s get to work…

("For years, Forrest Griffin has been waiting anxiously to find himself in a post-apocalyptic future. Why’s he so excited about the near-extinction of mankind? Think about it: with grooming and personal hygiene no longer a prerequisite to social acceptance, you can let your mutton chops grow and live out your secret fantasy of becoming Wolverine. You could kill squirrels with your bare hands, practice throwing knives all day, and never have to say ‘excuse me’ after farting." Props: Amazon.com)

Some must-see highlights from our friends around the Internet. Show your support. Tip your waitress.

– Chael Sonnen Pulls Out of Oregon State Senate Race (FightMagazine)

– Punch Drunk Preview: Strikeforce Los Angeles (Heavy.com/MMA)

- New EA Sports MMA Trailer from E3 (MMA Scraps)

– Scott Coker Thinks Nick Diaz vs. Mayhem Miller Will Happen Within Year (MMAFighting)

– This UFC Board Game Will Have You Addicted (MiddleEasy)

– Battlefield Medicine: Rich Franklin’s Broken Arm (WatchKalibRun)

– The Fight After the Fight: BAMMA Stiffs Petruzelli, War Machine, Horwich (Five Ounces of Pain)

(Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com’s UFC 115 Fight Night Photos gallery.)

Chuck Liddell may have lost his ability to take a punch, but he still had enough offensive firepower at UFC 115 to break Rich Franklin’s arm with the first body kick he threw. Following their meeting on Saturday night, Ace confirmed that he broke his left ulna during the fight, and would be in a cast for at least eight weeks. As the former UFC middleweight champ told reporters at the post-fight press conference:

"I definitely wasn’t going to quit — I’ve broken bones before and continued fighting — but there was part of me that was wondering what kind of strategy I was going to use to win the fight with a broken left arm in the second and third rounds." 

…proving once again that knocking your opponent out early is always the best gameplan. (Are you listening, Pat?) Liddell woke up from his knockout with a horribly split lip and a gash over his left eye, but that didn’t stop him from making an appearance at his afterparty. A photographic timeline of Chuck’s night continues after the jump.

(VidProps: MMA Fighting)

Regardless of how you think of Chuck Liddell on a personal level, it was hard not to feel bad for the guy last night. Liddell seemed just seconds away from heading back to his corner up 1-0 during his UFC 115 main event fight against Rich Franklin, after showing off a surprisingly diverse striking attack and even a takedown during the opening stanza. Then Franklin clipped him with a short right square on the jaw and as soon as Liddell’s rigid body hit the canvas, you could almost hear the entire MMA world sigh and say: Well, that’s the end of that.

And it was. Hopefully for good this time. In the above video with Ariel Helwani, UFC President Dana White guaran-damn-tees that we’ve really, absolutely seen the end of “The Iceman” in the Octagon. Liddell was taken to the hospital immediately following the fight, so he and White had not yet spoken at the time of filming, but there’s no arguing with the decision. At this point in his career – after three consecutive ugly KO losses – it’s starting to look like a solid gust of wind has to potential to knock Liddell stiff. It’s time to pull the plug on this thing while he still has most of his faculties.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/GoodMorningTexas)

Gone are the days of seeing Chuck all hopped up on "NyQuil" rambling on about fighting Tommy Morrison and Vernon "Tiger" White on morning television. "The Iceman" has reinvented himself physically for his fight with Rich Franklin tomorrow night in Vancouver at UFC 115, which means night clubs and pharmacies have taken a hit beyond what the recession dealt them.

Feel free to rewatch the video, reminisce about this bizarre moment in MMA history and talk amongst yourselves until the stream of the weigh-ins goes live tonight at 7pm ET.

As always, the link to the UFC media player is after the jump

(Chuck just enjoying life at Shady Acres Retirement home.)

Fighters Only caught up with Dana White this week and spoke about Chuck Liddell’s future with the promotion should the Iceman lose to Rich Franklin at UFC 115. According to the UFC president, Liddell will be given a gold watch and a nice retirement package if he doesn’t win Saturday night.

“Yes[he'll be done], and I think he will say the same thing. But let me tell you what the difference is – the difference before, when I wanted him retired, was that he wasn’t doing the right thing," White said. "He was out partying every night and doing the wrong thing not the right thing. He wasn’t living the life of a professional athlete."

By CagePotato contributor Dallas Winston
To see past installments of Dallas’s incredibly thorough (and usually accurate) fight breakdowns, click here.

The UFC’s infusion of Pride and other overseas fighters had a significant impact on the nearly invincible aura surrounding Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin.

Only a few short years ago, the duo had thoroughly cleaned out their respective divisions as UFC champions, shellacking any and all takers with unorthodox striking that commonly ended in highlight-reel knockouts, until Pride’s demise opened the flood gates for an influx of hungry new blood.

Before first meeting Anderson Silva in 2006, Franklin boasted a stout 20-1-1 clip, ending all contests but one by stoppage — fourteen of which were handled in the opening frame — with some mysterious karate guy accounting for his only stain on the carpet. Since that dark eve of the profoundly deviated septum at UFC 64, Franklin has notched a mediocre 5-4 run, checkered by three brutal first-round beatings and one tight decision loss, all dealt by former Pride fighters (although Vitor Belfort’s classification should remain amorphous).

(The conclusion of the Tavares/McGee semi-final battle. Props: WWELegendKillerV1)

The two-hour last-actual-episode of TUF 11 begins with Tito Ortiz being whitewashed out of the production. Rich Franklin is slotted into the opening credits. His poster replaces Tito’s in the gym. Ace signs the bout agreement to fight Chuck Liddell. It’s almost as if Tito…never existed.
 
Rich was under the impression that he was just coming by to promote his fight with Chuck; he didn’t know Tito was completely off the show, and that he’d have to help Kris McCray train for his semi-final fight against Josh Bryant. Dana White calls up a few notables from the Xtreme Couture camp to help out as assistant coaches: Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, and Tyson Griffin. The guys help Kris with wrestling techniques, and Kris is surprised at how smooth the transition is.

It takes some getting used to for Chuck, though: "I go from fighting a guy I hate, to fighting one of the nicest guys in MMA." But when the time comes, he’ll be ready to rumble. 

(Video courtesy YouTube/UFC.com)

As much as I dig the production and polish of the UFC Primetime series, I still enjoy watching the traditional UFC Countdown shows because they offer more than just an inside glimpse into the camps and pre-fight lives of the two main event fighters. 

Tonight’s UFC 115 countdown features interviews and training footage featuring Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, Rich "Ace" Franklin, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Pat "HD" Barry.

(Yager vs. Bryant, part 1; part 2 is at the end of the post. Props: KARELMMA)

Tito Ortiz has pulled out of his fight with Chuck Liddell, and the Iceman is a shadowboxing ball of anger, capable only of saying the word pussy. "That fucking pussy, I told you he was gonna do this," Chuck vents to Dana. "Don’t let that guy fight anymore, he’s a pussy…unless I can fight him, then it’s a different story." Meanwhile, Tito just sits in the next room, listening to Chuck go off about him. Tito on adversity: "I guess it’s God seeing what type of person I am." You don’t need God to figure that out, you pussy.

The last quarterfinal match is high-kickin’ afroninja Jamie Yager (Team Punishment) vs. wrestling specialist Josh Bryant (Team Liddell). Uscola shouts out Yager’s talent and speed, but the most obvious advantage is his size — he dwarfs Bryant, who has to be a natural welterweight. Yager is 2-1 as a pro, while Bryant is a perfect 10-0. Yager is expecting Bryant to shoot, shoot, shoot. Bryant clarifies: "My game plan is to hit him first…then take him down." Y’all ready for the best fight of the season?

(Liddell vs. Franklin hype reel, courtesy of 13berhanus.)

We don’t want you guys to panic or anything, but this coming weekend is utterly dead in terms of mixed martial arts competition. Seriously, even Bellator is taking a bye week. So, instead of wasting your time by asking you to enter MMA FightPicker pools for Triumph Fighter, Inferno!, we’re just going to have a two-week entry period for UFC 115 (June 12th, Vancouver). The question list for "Liddell vs. Franklin" is after the jump — study hard, make your predictions, and make us proud. No, you’ll never catch up with the Aaron Rampeys and surf_finlands of the world, but hey, if you’re doing it for the glory, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

As for UFC 114‘s pools, the less said about them the better. Mike Russow, John Hathaway, and Dong Hyun Kim pretty much shot my picks to shit. Men make parlay bets, and God laughs…

(What has one pinky and one thumb up and wants a  title shot? This guy!)

Speaking exclusively with CagePotato.com on Thursday afternoon, Rich Franklin revealed that his days as a middleweight in the UFC are likely numbered and that he is planning on making the best of his new permanent home at light heavyweight by working towards a title shot in his final five fights on his contract.

According to the former UFC middleweight champ, the decision to abandon the weight class he once reigned over in the Octagon was not entirely a personal one.

"The UFC has repeatedly told me that they aren’t interested in seeing me fight at 185 any more. Because of that, I moved up to 205. It all comes down to the fact that they didn’t want to do a Franklin-Silva III," Franklin explains. "I’m a ‘never say never’ type of guy, but the problem is that if the UFC doesn’t want to see me do a title match at 185,  ultimately I would be stuck fighting in that weight class without ever being able to fight for a title again, which would make no sense since that is the whole reason we do this and the goal we work towards as fighters." 

(The UFC returns to Canada, with a title on the line. Specifically, the title of "Saddest Former Champion.")

UFC fans have responded to the news of UFC 115′s headliner switch with a collective "WHOFREAKIN’CARESGIMMEGIMMEGIMME!" According to a recent update on UFC.com, their June 12th event at General Motors Place in Vancouver sold out just 30 minutes after the pre-sale began yesterday morning, officially making UFC 115 the fastest sellout in UFC history. The sellout happened long before seats were made available to the general public, so if you’re an average non-Fight Club member, it’s time to get scalped.

On the topic of his new opponent Rich Franklin, Chuck Liddell said pretty much what you’d think he’d say, telling UFC.com: “I’m ready for this fight, I’m in the best shape of my life, and I can’t wait to get back in the Octagon. I can’t tell the fans what happens in the Ultimate Fighter 11, you have to watch the show, but I’ll tell you how this is gonna end, I’m knocking Rich out.” Franklin is coming off his TKO loss against Vitor Belfort in September, while Liddell is riding back-to-back knockout losses at the hands of Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua. Against Rich Franklin, Chuck will be in more danger to suffer his third straight KO than he’d ever be against Tito Ortiz. But I think I’ve learned my lesson about counting guys out completely.

A few weeks ago this image would have represented nothing more than prevailing internet rumors and some committed fan’s proficiency with Photoshop. But it just so happens that the picture you see here was found in an email sent out by the UFC this afternoon, casually announcing that tickets for UFC 115, featuring a main event bout between Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin, go on sale this week. No biggie, just a tacit admission that the UFC has been straight-up lying to us for the past several weeks.

Coming as it does just a couple episodes into the new season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” this announcement makes it hard not to have terrible flashbacks to last season, where we were forced to watch “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans jaw endlessly at one another even after we knew the promised payoff bout wouldn’t come. Ortiz and Liddell haven’t even really started to get under one another’s skin, and already we know that it will all amount to nothing.

(And he was really looking forward to shoving a foreign currency into the G-string of a foreign stripper.)

Plans to hold UFC 115 in Vancouver may have been thwarted, according to a report by the Canadian Press, and instead the UFC may be heading to Cincinnati in June. The report states that though the UFC has been pushing hard to get Vancouver to be more open-minded about their particular brand of unarmed combat, “the deal fell through because the UFC and the city could not reach an agreement on other details around the show.”

So help us, if this is about footstomps again, we’re going to lose it.

If the report is true and the UFC really is abandoning the dream of Vancouver for the gritty, oil-stained reality of Cincinnati, we have no choice but to revisit the rumor that Rich Franklin – not Tito Ortiz – will face Chuck Liddell at UFC 115. Dana White swears it isn’t true, and we all know that DW is not the type of man who would ever tell a convenient lie to help his business. Yet now the event that is supposed to feature the showdown between the two TUF coaches may be headed for Ace’s hometown. Seems just a tad bit suspicious, no?

Well now we don’t know what to believe. Here’s Dana, denying the recent Chuck vs. Rich rumors via Twitter. He goes on to say that "Nothing happened to Tito. Tito and I are cool." Good to know. Still, could all of these reports have been inaccurate? Why the weirdness from Tito lately? Is Randy bummed that he won’t be getting James Toney?

Yesterday, Scott Coker confirmed that Strikeforce’s upcoming Nashville event would stay with its original April 17th date, instead of switching to April 24th in order to dodge a potential UFC counter-programming show. Well, they asked for it. Fighters Only passes along this major announcement:

(Rich works on his mean-mug while listening to the latest This American Life podcast.)

By CagePotato.com contributor Mike Russell

Despite several unsubstantiated reports stating otherwise, a rumored match-up between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former number one UFC middleweight contender Patrick Cote at UFC 113 (May 1st, Montreal) is not happening according to both Franklin’s longtime manager Monte Cox and “The Predator."

Cox told Cage Potato yesterday that Franklin plans to stay at light heavyweight when he returns to action following an estimated 6-8 week recovery from a hernia surgery that the Cincinnati, Ohio native has scheduled for next week, and that they have not been offered a fight on the May 1 card.

Responding to the rumor, which was propagated by a posting on The Fight Network website, Cote said he was as surprised as anyone to hear the fight was a go:

(Props: MMA TKO)

We haven’t heard much out of Rich Franklin since his TKO loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC 103, but recently his manager popped up to complain about the illegal blows “Ace” suffered at the very end of the fight.  While J.T. Stewart insists that this is not about “sour grapes,” he says he’s disappointed that everyone saw fit to overlook what he saw as a series of illegal blows just before the stoppage, and wonders why there wasn’t a break in the action due to the blows to the back of Franklin’s head:

“Would it have changed the outcome?  Maybe not. But this is about fighter safety. This isn’t just about Rich Franklin; it’s about Rich and every other fighter knowing the rules will be enforced, whether the fight is about to be stopped or not. … “There’s been no discussion about it.  None. It’s a disappointing [sic]. The commissions, referees, fighters – everyone could have improved the safety of the sport by examining and discussing this situation. But because most people thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion, everyone conveniently ignored it."

That’s one assessment of the situation.  The other is that, as illegal blows go, this is a bit of a gray area. 

("I’m sorry to tell you this, Mirko, but we discovered a scratch on your cornea. Also, there seems to be a large quantity of sand in your vagina." Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

— The UFC handed out its traditional end-of-night bonuses following UFC 103, which totaled $65,000 this time around. Fight of the Night went to Rick Story and Brian Foster, whose two-round bang-up ended with Story sinking in an arm-triangle choke. For this, Story also got the Submission of the Night Award; not a bad payday for an up-and-coming fighter. KO of the night went to Vitor Belfort for his old-Vitor-esque first-round smashing of Rich Franklin. The event drew a sellout crowd of 17.428 fans to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, producing a live gate of $2.4 million.

— During the post-event press-conference, Dana White made his intentions known about Belfort’s place in the UFC middleweight division: "To be honest with you, the way the last two fights happened with Marquardt and Henderson against Anderson Silva, I think it would be better to see them fight each other, and the winner of that become the next contender. I think Vitor is ready to fight Anderson Silva (now)…I love the fact that we have Vitor at that weight class." Belfort credited his win to a new focus on karate: "It’s just something that I want to use right now. I was taking my time. I was feeling the fight. As soon as I see something, I make sure I have the zip code, the address and the social security number…Sometimes I take my time; sometimes I’m aggressive. But as soon as I start, I make sure I fight. That’s what people want to see."

(Floyd knew he should have thrown paper.)

Update: These quotes are fake, apparently. Sorry, guys.

(Props: CagePotato reader "David D.")

There are some things in this mad, mad world that we’ll never fully understand. Like, for example, why the movie Legally Blonde had to be adpated into a musical. Or why UFC play-by-play man Mike Goldberg took a singing role in a low-rent production of that musical. Skip to the 1:59 mark of the above video for Goldie’s star turn as the lead character’s argyle-socked father. Seriously, WTF? Did Mike lose a fight-picking bet to Joe Rogan? Does he direct community theatre on the weekends, and did the actor who was actually supposed to play the role call in sick that night? Did Guffman ever show up? We need answers, and the Internet is giving us nothing.

(Props: Machinemen via CRE)

Some must-see vids to get you through the rest of the afternoon: First up, a fantastic Miguel Torres highlight reel that reminds us why he’s one of the most entertaining fighters in the world. After the jump, the UFC 103 extended trailer re-introduces Vitor Belfort to all the TUF noobs out there, sets up Cro Cop vs. Dos Santos as a meeting between an MMA legend and a dangerous up-and-comer, and plugs the #1 welterweight contender match between Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann. "If Swick’s looking at the GSP fight before me, he’s gonna make a big mistake, ’cause I’m gonna fuck him right up," says Kampmann. Also, the Octagon Girls are not quite ready for prime time.

(Time to earn that thing, Effy. Photo courtesy of MMA Frenzy.)

In what will hopefully become a recurring trend, the UFC has decided to air a two-hour commercial-free telecast of UFC 103‘s undercard on Spike TV as a lead-in to the pay-per-view card, according to the OC Register. And why are we being treated to such generosity? Well, MMA-hater Floyd Mayweather Jr. is fighting Juan Manuel Marquez on the same night, and Dana White wants to be a pain in their asses. That’s good enough for us. It’s only a matter of time before the UFC begins counter-programming NBA playoff games and presidential addresses.

UFC 103, which will be headlined by Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort, and also features Mirko Cro Cop vs. Junior Dos Santos, Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann, and Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg, has a whopping eight fights scheduled for the undercard. It’s hard to imagine all of them will make the broadcast, but we could be seeing the returns of Vladimir Matyushenko and Dan Lauzon, the Octagon debut of Paul Daley, and Efrain Escudero‘s first fight since winning TUF 8‘s lightweight trophy. UFC 103′s full lineup is after the jump.

(This is a picture of Brian Foster. It is what it is. Props to thehitsquad.com.)

In our almost-daily update of fighters who were supposed to compete at Affliction: Trilogy…

— New UFC welterweight acquisition Paul "Semtex" Daley is expected to make his Octagon debut against H.I.T. Squad product Brian Foster (10-3) at UFC 103 (September 19th, Dallas), according to MMA Weekly. Foster is currently on a three-fight win streak, and eight of his ten career wins have come by first-round stoppage. UFC 103 will be headlined by Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort, which will now be at a catchweight of 195 pounds.

(One more round for old time’s sake?)

Though Dana White was hoping he could announce the signing of Fedor Emelianenko at this afternoon’s much-anticipated UFC press conference, it was not meant to be. DW said he did everything he could possibly do to get Emelianenko into the Octagon and offered him an "amazing" deal, but M-1′s dogged desire for co-promotion sunk the negotiations, which made Dana "fucking miserable." Still, there were some major announcements to share, which are sure to get MMA fans talking:

— UFC 103‘s main event has been thankfully changed to Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort. The match will be contested at light-heavyweight. Dan Henderson will likely get the next crack at Anderson Silva‘s middleweight belt, possibly followed by the winner of the Nate Marquardt/Demian Maia match at UFC 102.

— Tito Ortiz (remember that guy?) is back in the UFC, and plans to fight before the end of the year. Mark Coleman has been named as a possible opponent.

(Props: twitter.com/FollowACE)

Rich Franklin gives us the heads-up that the UFC may be re-thinking the main event for UFC 103 (September 19th, Dallas) — which is great, considering it was a garbage-ass fight to begin with. MMA Junkie claims that the bout, though officially announced, was never added to the UFC 103 event page to begin with. It seems like odd treatment for an upcoming main event, unless something else is in the works; it’s been speculated that because of recent events, Franklin or Henderson could instead face off against Vitor Belfort or He Who Shall Not Be Named at #103. Belfort would be an awesome fill-in, though September might be too soon a return for You Know Who. Adding fuel to the rumor fire is Dana White’s recent announcement that the UFC will be holding a press conference on July 31st to discuss "a lot of crazy things." Stay tuned…

(Whaddya say, Rich — once more for old times’ sake?)

The announcement that a rematch between Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin would headline UFC 103 (September 19th, Dallas) came as a bit of a surprise to us. And apparently, Franklin was just as surprised as we were. Here’s how he described the booking to MMA Junkie:

Nice, Dana. Luckily, Franklin is being a good sport and going along with it, even if he still doesn’t know which weight class the fight will be contested at. Said Franklin: "I’m assuming (it’s at) 205…I haven’t spoken to anyone about it, so anything I say is only speculation…Even if [Henderson] lost to me at 205, it shouldn’t affect his standing at 185 pounds. So I’d assume the UFC would do this fight at 205."

(Whaddaya say, boys?  Once more, this time without eye-pokes?) 

Remember when the Dan Henderson-Michael Bisping scrap at UFC 100 was the fight to determine the number one contender in the middleweight division?  Neither does the UFC.  The organization announced today that Hendo’s reward for knocking Bisping out in the second round will be a rematch against Rich Franklin.  Who he already beat once.  So…congratulations?

Judging by the announcement on the UFC website, the official justification for this move is that the first fight was so close it “split the mixed martial arts community,” which is true to the extent that it is with any close fight (Akiyama-Belcher, Hardy-Davis, Franklin-Wanderlei) but it’s not as if a passionate mob of fans has been clamoring for a rematch since the first fight went down.