(VidProps: ESPN)

If you’re not already pumped for UFC 126, there isn’t much we (or modern medicine) can do for you at this point. The card is stacked, the matchups are stellar and the UFC middleweight champion showed up at the weigh-in looking like he just stepped out of the orgy scene in “Eyes Wide Shut” and damn near started a brawl. What more do you want? Fine, we’ve got a couple more tidbits for you, but after this we’re done until tonight’s live blog and tomorrow’s aftermath retrospectives.

First, some interesting stuff came out of ESPN’s MMA Live weigh-in special (video at top) on Friday. Most notably, Franklin McNeil makes the wild, barely attributable claim that estranged trainer Shawn Tompkins has been leaking secrets to Anderson Silva’s camp since splitting with Vitor Belfort a couple weeks ago. Basically McNeil quotes “several” anonymous sources telling him hazy things about Tompkins “being in contact with Team Silva” and he “assumes” that it means Tompkins is stabbing Vitor in the back. Dude, and people call us rumor mongers? He also refers to Shawn Tompkins as “Thompson” at least once here, but that’s really beside the point.

Also, we’ve got quotes from Jon Jones that make him sound either totally prepared for Ryan Bader, or not prepared at all. It’s all after the jump …

(Props: Neon Bar Fights via MiddleEasy)

Not only does UFC light-heavyweight contender Jon Jones have a lot of hype, his hype has a lot of hype. By that I mean, Jones’s lofty reputation has become a major talking point in itself. Ryan Bader wants to end that hype at UFC 126; Jones wants to transcend it. On Sunday morning, Bones could be living with his first real defeat, while keyboard warriors claim he was never that great in the first place.

That’s because hype is fragile. Legacy, on the other hand, can never be taken away — and if Jones slashes through Bader tomorrow night, he’ll be one step closer to securing his own. What really makes Jon Jones interesting is that his journey in the sport is just beginning. His pro debut was in April 2008, less than three years ago. The path in front of him is limitless.

Anyway, check out this highlight reel, because it’s honestly one of the best we’ve ever seen.

("Come at me, bro.")

Will Anderson try to answer questions in English?

Will Vitor talk about how training with Jesus has helped him prepare for this fight?

Will "Bones" Jones talk about how awesome he is?

Will Rich Franklin reveal the tattoo he has chosen for Forrest to get if he beats him?

All of these questions and more will be answered at the UFC 126 press conference at 4:00 pm ET.

As always, the UFC video player is after the jump.

Super Bowl weekend. For America’s degenerate gamblers it’s like Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day and the Day of Eternal Judgment all rolled into one. The so-called experts estimate that over $100 million wordwide could change hands in bets on the Super Bowl this year. Slightly less than that will probably be wagered on Saturday night’s UFC 126, but as long as some of it winds up in your pocket, who’s complaining? To help you in that quest for the rich stuff, the Gambling Addiction Enabler is back.

See below for fight odds as of this writing (they appear to be changing pretty fast, more evidence that there are lot of bored gamblers playing out the string until Sunday’s kickoff). An explanation of what it all means is right here, though if you need that right now might not be the best time to jump into this thing with both feet. For the rest of you, let’s start earning, shall we?

(Video courtesy DailyMotion/Spike/UFC)

If you don’t have the time or couldn’t be bothered to watch the show, we got you covered.

Here are the CP Notes of this edition:

- Anderson doesn’t like Vitor and says whoever God wants to win will win Saturday.

- Vitor believes Jesus loves him more and will help him beat Anderson.

- Ed Soares respects Vitor  and seems somewhat nervous about this fight.

- Vitor  respects Anderson, but says he isn’t afraid of him.

- Vitor says he’s not there to dance around (like Anderson), he’s there to fight.

- Rich seems to be training seriously ahead of this fight, both in the gym and the tanning beds.

- Forrest seems to be doing lots of book promo ahead of this fight.

- Forrest might rely on his new BJJ black belt for this fight.

- Both Franklin and Griffin say they are pretty much the same fighter, only Rich says Forrest is much bigger.

- Forrest doesn’t like being asked questions about Anderson.

-  Jones has a lot of hype to live up to and seems to be buying into it himself.

- Jones wasn’t impressed by Bader’s win over Lil’ Nog, even though Nogueira is widely considered a better calibre fighter than any "Bones" has beaten.

- Jones doesn’t think Bader is very good because he "doesn’t knee, spin or jump."

- Jones doesn’t plan on toning down his cockiness flashiness for the fight.

- CB Dollaway is a weird looking dude.

Parts two and three are after the jump.

(VidProps: You Tube/UFC)

If you’re anything like us, you got your first good look at the official trailer for UFC 126 on Saturday night during the Fight for the Troops show on SpikeTV and thought, “Wow, almost everything said during that 31 seconds is extremely debatable.” Granted, the UFC is known for its revisionist history and these promotional spots are typically designed to bend the truth however much is necessary to get dudes who don’t really know that much about MMA interested in dropping 50 bones on the per-per-view. Even considering that, this particular commercial seems pretty, uh, erroneous. Anyway, watch it, then follow the jump for our picks of the five most questionable assertions made here …  

(Couple hours later, the owner of an Albuquerque body shop tweeted: “Affluent fighter dude needs complete rebuild on front driver’s side of Chrysler 300. GOD IS GOOD!” PicProps: @JonnyBones)

What is with these young people today and crashing their cars just before big fights? UFC light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones smashed up his Chrysler 300 on Wednesday afternoon while he and a carload of teammates were on their way to a dog park in between training sessions, according to the fighter’s own Twitter account. Jones was uninjured and his upcoming fight with Ryan Bader will reportedly not be effected. One partly hilarious, partly dreadful but altogether telling side note to this is that Jones immediately jumped on his Twitter after the wreck to declare “GOD IS GOOD” … even though he later admitted a woman in the other car left the scene on a stretcher.

(The government later debunked Jon Jones’ claims of seeing a UFO, saying the object in the upper left was just a weather balloon doing routine analysis. PicProps: Heavy)

We already know that Jon Jones is a compulsive game planner. We also know that his methods are sometimes unorthodox, trending toward crazy. Remember that one time he taped off Stephan Bonnar’s physical dimensions on his wall at home in preparation for their bout at UFC 94? Yeah, that seemed to work. Well, as he gets ready for his UFC 126 clash with Ryan Bader, it appears that Jonny Bones’ OCD is reaching new heights. Jones tells Old Dad this week that he’s not only studying tape of Bader’s fights, he’s also watching and re-watching his interviews, shadowing him on Twitter and reading the tweets of his friends, coaches and followers.

(Props: Cyberplex)

"Ryan’s mentioning that he thinks that I’ll cut down on my flashiness? That’s what he’s afraid of. So that’s exactly what I’ll probably give him the most, is a lot of weird, unorthodox techniques that he’s never seen, even in wrestling."

So says light-heavyweight contender Jon Jones, who’s set to face off against Ryan Bader in a high-profile matchup at UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort on Super Bowl weekend. In his most recent fights against Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, and Matt Hamill, Jones simplified his gameplan so that he was pretty much just taking guys down with his Greco throws then smashing them with elbows and punches until the ref pulled him off. Bader will be expecting that, which may be why Jones is promising brand-new techniques. But what can he throw that he hasn’t shown us already? Is there such a thing as a spinning-flying-knee?  

After the jump: Chuck Liddell‘s guest-spot on Blue Mountain State (damn right it’s horrible!), Michael Schiavello repeats his catch-phrase over and over again, and MMA makes it onto Comedy Central’s brand-new Sportsdome series. Sort of.

("I’m sorry, what were you saying?" PicProps: MMAConvert)

Despite some brief reports to the contrary and recent scenes of the two acting a bit too chummy for a couple of guys about to fight in a cage, Jon Jones and Ryan Bader are now a lock to do battle at UFC 126 in February, the company confirmed on Friday during its “Ultimate Insider” web show. And here you thought the internet was just for scumbags and for-profit axe-grinders trying to further their own agendas.

Confirmation of Jones vs. Bader is good news on a lot of fronts, but especially because (even though no one wants to admit it) the once vaunted light heavyweight division needs some serious help right now. The champ continues to be hampered by his own fragility. Chuck is done. Tito is so done he doesn’t even know it yet. Randy is opting for a soft retirement in order to avoid becoming the next Brett Favre. During the last three years the belt has been passed around like HPV at a barbecue at Whitehead’s. Frankly it ain’t pretty down at light heavy right now. This division desperately needs somebody to come along and put the belt on lockdown and the two guys with the best chance to do that just might be Jonny Bones and Bader. It ain’t gonna be Roger Nog, we know that much.

(Well, they found the shortest guy at the Palms Pool. Next on the photo scavenger hunt list? A pair of real breasts. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com)

Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader was supposed to be the badass Super Bowl Weekend co-headliner that established a top-dog 205-pound contender in the UFC. Turns out, it might not happen at all. As Dana White told fans earlier today in London, "I don’t know if Jones is going to fight Bader. We tried to put that fight together, but Bader has some stuff going on. Jon Jones might be fighting somebody else, I don’t know how that’s going to go…[Jones is] going to have to go through a couple of guys before he gets a title shot, but at the rate Jon Jones is going he could be fighting for the title next year."

BloodyElbow points out that the "stuff" Bader has going on includes his wedding at the end of this month and a gym-opening later this year. According to Jones’s agent, Bones vs. Darth is still a go at this point, so all hope isn’t lost. It would be a shame if a fight as important and logical as this one doesn’t happen because Bader has to nurse a honeymoon hangover and attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony. In other words, would you mind sacking up, bro?

("…but you know me, I never like to look past my opponents.")

As we mentioned over the weekend, UFC hype-magnet Jon Jones is likely to take on fellow light-heavyweight rising star Ryan Bader early next year. You’d think Bones would be psyched to rumble with the undefeated TUF 8 winner, in a fight that could potentially produce a title contender at 205 pounds, or at the very least establish a pecking order in the division. As it turns out, he’s not too impressed with the matchup, telling Inside MMA:

"I’m actually really sick of fighting this type of style. Matt Hamill, Matyushenko, Jake O’Brien…they all have that similar kind of style. Their main focus is that double leg dive and [they have] sub-par boxing…I’m ready to fight some strikers, I’m ready to fight some south paws, I’m ready to really mix it up…I’m trying to secure a respect level with my wrestling. I’m sure Ryan Bader, the advantage he’ll have going in is to be the better wrestler and I’m going to try and prove the UFC wrong again."

 
(If only…)

Our talented UFC 119 photographer and comment section regular Jason "J-Dog" Wright was back at the Conseco Field House in Indianapolis Saturday night to snap some exclusive photos for us.

Except for one scary incident prior to the Mitrione-Beltran fight (which Ariel Helwani touched on in this interview with Meathead) that nearly cost us some danger pay, J-Dog made it home in one piece with some wicked shots and some great stories to tell the grandkids some day.

Jason was situated by one of the Octagon doors and as such was able to get some candid shots before, during and after each of the fights.

Check out part one of our exclusive UFC 119 photo gallery after the jump.

(Seriously Mirko, you didn’t miss much. We’ll tell you about it later. PicProps: Vancouver Sun)

There were times during UFC 119 when it felt like everyone involved spent Saturday afternoon chugging tons of codeine cough syrup. Everybody looked just a little slow, a little out of it. It sure didn’t help that the two main eventers were totally sleepwalking during the first 14 minutes of their fight before Mirko CroCop ended things with his vicious head butt to Frank Mir’s knee. The “co-main event” was also entirely forgettable, as Ryan Bader outpointed Roger Nog to reportedly win the Jon Jones Sweepstakes. Guess we’ll have to check in with him in six months, find out how that worked out for him …

This was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a great effort from the world’s largest MMA promotion. It also wasn’t quite as bad as a lot of people are saying. We’re not talking “worst show of all time” territory here. Credit local boys Matt Mitrione, Sean McCorkle and Chris Lytle for salvaging what they could of the day. Also, Evan Dunham and Sean Sherk’s back-and-forth battle was by turns exciting and totally bizarre. Too bad it was marred by a shaky judges’ decision. And hey, the good news is, if you liked UFC 119 you’re gonna love Oct. 16’s UFC 120, which looks just as terrible on paper but at least airs for free on SpikeTV.

 
Just a reminder that the UFC 119 post-fight presser is live and can be watched right here.

Will Mirko retire? Will Dunham swallow the loss to Sherk? Does Bader get to be killed by Jon Jones Next? 

All this an more will be answered. Giddy up!

UFC video player is after the jump.

(Well, now I’m going to have nightmares. That’s great. Thanks for nothing, Joe Rogan. PicProps: UFC.com)

Look, we’ve been trying to think of a good way to tell you this. In the end, maybe it’s best if we just come right out and say it: UFC 119 isn’t a great PPV card. Your main event features two guys just trying to cling to life in the heavyweight division, while the rest of the card is kind of … meh. Not saying it’s terrible, but if you wanted to save your money for, say, UFC 121 and just follow the live blog for this baby, we’d understand. We got you, player. That’s what we’re here for. And if you’re some big swinging dick who has money out the yaz (even in these tough economic times) and you’re ordering the thing, but for some reason still feel compelled to follow along online – maybe as a respite from how empty and shallow your life really is, maybe just to toss out sweet zingers in the comments section — that’s fine too. We don’t discriminate. Except against fat people. And the old.

We’ll be going live just after 10 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. PST. Remember to hit refresh early and often to get the latest updates.

 
(UFC 119: Mediocre Mean-Muggers)

Will Frank Mir come off as a douche bag? Is Cro Cop motivated and in shape enough to shut his mouth with a headkick? Will Bader or Lil’ Nog say anything bad about each other?

All these questions and more will be answered at 1:00 pm ET today during the UFC’s obligatory pre-fight press conference for Saturday night’s UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop event in Indianapolis, Indiana.

UFC video player is after the jump.

After an unsuccessful stint in rehab, the Gambling Addiction Enabler has returned to do what it does best — make large, ill-advised wagers simply for the thrill of gambling. We’re not saying you should follow our betting advice, necessarily, but there are plenty of opportunities to beat the bookies at UFC 119, which goes down this Satuday in Indianapolis. The betting lines are below, courtesy of bestfightodds.com. If you can’t afford to waste real money, please hit up MMA FightPicker and throw down some virtual PotatoChips on the fights. And if you don’t know what these numbers mean, please read this first.

MAIN CARD
Frank Mir (-220) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (+215)
Ryan Bader (-165) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+155)
Chris Lytle (-125) vs. Matt Serra (+120)
Evan Dunham (-204) vs. Sean Sherk (+190)
Melvin Guillard (-150) vs. Jeremy Stephens (+140)

SPIKE TV PRELIMS
CB Dollaway (-295) vs. Joe Doerksen (+270)
Matt Mitrione (-140) vs. Joey Beltran (+136)

UNAIRED PRELIMS
Thiago Tavares (-290) vs. Pat Audinwood (+240)
Steve Lopez (-115) vs. Waylon Lowe (-115)
T.J. Grant (-150) vs. Julio Paulino (+145)
Mark Hunt (-215) vs. Sean McCorkle (+200)

And away we go…

(Video courtesy megavideo/UFC)

With Sonnengate taking the piss out of the fact that there’s a UFC event this weekend, a lot of us (myself included) forgot that he UFC 119 countdown show was on last night.

If you happened to miss it and you were looking for something to do at work today instead of finishing up putting the new cover sheets on your TPS reports, we got you covered. 

We won’t spoil it for you, but the first thing that becomes clear in the latest episode is that they have switched up the format which gives the show a David Fincher movie feel to it.

I’m a fan of the new style, but then again the frenetic pace and non-stop jittery transitions seem to mimic my ADHD-controlled thought pattens, so it could just be me.

A few notes on the show after the jump:

(Always be specific when you order "Brazilian twins" from the local escort service. You could get badly burned. Trust me guys, *badly* burned…)

Sherk vs. Dunham? Who cares! Lots more UFC 119-related news just came over the wires, and it looks like the people of Indianapolis are going to be in for a wild night, even if the main event is somewhat lacking in importance. Here’s what we’re dealing with…

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir: This will reportedly be the evening’s headliner. Hmm. If you’ll recall, the two former champions coached against each other on TUF 8, then Mir shocked our asses by TKO’ing Nogueira at UFC 92. Nogueira blamed his weak performance on a staph infection, so maybe this fight will turn out differently, but basically we’re being given another UFC main event where both guys are coming off losses, and the winner doesn’t even become the division’s #1 contender. Personally, I was more interested in a Big Nog vs. Cro Cop rematch. 

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader: Now we’re talking. Lil’ Nog needs to redeem himself after nearly getting beat by late replacement Jason Brilz at UFC 114, while Ryan Bader is looking sharper every time out, most recently knocking out Keith Jardine at UFC 110. If Bader can out-hustle the Brazilian vet, he’ll land directly in the light-heavyweight title mix.

Unless your name is Phillip Miller, you can’t expect to go through a career in cage-fighting without losing at least once. So in honor of Fedor Emelianenko’s first legitimate defeat, we decided to take a look at the best MMA fighters who still have flawless records. Whose “0” will be the next to go? And whose win streak is just getting started? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section…

#1: SHANE CARWIN (12-0, all wins by first-round stoppage)

Notable victories: Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96 (TKO R1), Frank Mir at UFC 111 (TKO R1, won UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship)

Next fight: Brock Lesnar at UFC 116, 7/3/10

He may very well take his first loss this Saturday, but right now, Shane Carwin is the most dangerous undefeated fighter in MMA — as evidenced by the fact that no opponent has made it to the second round against him, and only two have lasted past the second minute. As he immediately showed in his UFC debut against Christian Wellisch at UFC 84, Carwin has a near-supernatural ability to generate power with his 4XL fists. Though he’s backed by impressive wrestling credentials, he’s only needed those hands to achieve victory in the UFC, knocking out top contenders Gabriel Gonzaga and Frank Mir in his last two fights. Brock, get ready to have your chin tested.

#2: MEGUMI FUJII (20-0, 16 wins by submission)

Notable victories: Lisa Ward at Bodog Fight: Vancouver (SUB R1), Mika Nagano at Smackgirl: Starting Over (SUB R1)

Next fight: Bellator women’s 115-pound tournament quarterfinals, opponent TBA

One of the most effective submission artists in the history of MMA, “Mega Megu” owns the longest active win streak in the sport, but suffers from the same problem that Cris Cyborg is facing in the States — a scarcity of legitimate challengers. Now that she’s signed on for Bellator’s 115-pound tourney later this year, she can prove her reputation as a living legend who can do more than armbar pint-sized scrubettes in Japan.

(Some Silva vs. Bisping hype, courtesy of nicktheface.)

Update: In light of the Rothwell/Cro Cop/Perosh situation, which will henceforth be referred to as the saga of Mirko and "The Hippo," just for laughs, we’ve updated the FightPicker questions. We’ve also replaced Sinosic/Haseman with Lytle/Foster, so there’s that too. You should probably go update your picks accordingly. Picks can be changed until 11 pm PST tonight. If, after that point, any more changes happen to make our existing questions obsolete, we’ll just declare those a tie. Sound good?

It’s the Friday before a big MMA event, and as new tradition dictates, it’s time for BF and I to make our MMA FightPicker picks public so that we can bust each other’s balls on Monday morning. Before we get to it, have you made your own picks yet? And have you considered entering one of the prize pools to win an iPod Touch? Not trying to nag or anything, it’s just that we regret the things we don’t do in this life, you know? Anyway…

1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez at UFC 110: Who will win?
BG: Nogueira. He’ll handle Velasquez standing, and he’s strong enough on the ground to avoid being squashed.
BF: Strong enough to avoid being squashed, yes. But strong enough to avoid being put there again and again and worked over for three rounds? I have my doubts. Velasquez via decision. Maybe then you’ll realize that it is not 2006 anymore.

(Sinosic: Australian for "punching bag.")

Unlike some other ragged-ass UFC events that we could mention, the UFC’s first excursion to Australia is shaping up to be their strongest card in recent memory. We already knew that UFC 110 (February 21st, Sydney) may feature Big Nog vs. Cain Velasquez in the main event, with Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping in the co-main spot, and Mirko Cro Cop vs. Ben Rothwell in a "who wants to keep their job?" exhibition. But the good times don’t stop there. According to new reports, here’s who else will be headed down under…

— Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine. Bader is a perfect 10-0 in his professional MMA career, and has earned unanimous decisions over veterans Carmelo Marrero and Eric Schafer since winning the TUF 8 light-heavyweight contract last December. He’ll be meeting the free-falling Keith Jardine, who has dropped four of his last six fights, including back-to-back losses against Quinton Jackson and Thiago Silva. You gotta feel for the Dean of Mean. The UFC has given him nothing but monsters, and he’s clearly being used as a stepping stone here. If Jardine can’t give Bader his first loss, he may be getting a time-out from his UFC contract.

Could UFC 103‘s altruistic experiment of airing some of the undercard bouts on basic cable before the main card be a recurring tradition? According to a press release distributed by Spike TV this afternoon, the UFC will be doing another live prelim show on Spike directly before the UFC 104 pay-per-view on October 24th. Guaranteed for the one-hour commercial-free broadcast will be…

Ryan Bader (9-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Eric Schafer (11-3-2, 3-2-0 UFC): TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader, who most recently won a unanimous decision over Carmelo Marrero at Condit vs. Kampmann, will try to take another step up the light-heavyweight ladder against tough ground specialist Eric Schafer, who’s coming off back-to-back first-round stoppages of Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes. Seems like a perfect next step in Bader’s development, as well as an opportunity for Schafer to prove that he’s a legitimate contender.

Antoni Hardonk (8-5, 4-3 UFC) vs. Pat Barry (4-1, 1-1 UFC): It might be win-or-go-home time for these two leg-kick specialists, who will both be trying to bounce back from losses. Hardonk most recently suffered a second-round TKO against Cheick Kongo at UFC 97, while Barry was quickly choked out by Tim Hague at UFC 98. It’s too bad that Barry didn’t take the Hague loss as a sign that he should drop to light-heavy, because Hardonk’s reach advantage is going to be frightening.

Other preliminary bouts could air during the broadcast, if time allows. UFC 104′s compelete lineup is after the jump.

(Photo courtesy of MMA Weekly.)

According to Ryan Bader’s Twitter page, the TUF 8 light-heavyweight winner will return to action at UFC 104 (October 24th, Los Angeles) against "Eric Shaufer." (We’re assuming that means Eric Schafer, the UFC vet who’s coming off back-to-back first-round stoppages of Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes.) If the announcement is accurate, it would be a surprisingly quick comeback for Bader, who wrecked his knee during his three-round domination of Carmelo Marrero in April; early predictions said he’d be out of action for up to a year. UFC 104 will be headlined by the light-heavyweight title fight between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua, and may also feature the heavyweight contenders match between Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez.

(A cunning array of STDs. Photo courtesy of Zimbio.)

What do you get when you cross two wrestlers from Arizona with one porn chick from the Valley? COMEDY GOLD. After sifting through seven pages of captions from last week’s impromptu contest, we’ve decided that these five are worthy of free t-shirts:

bpd: Bader learns the hard way that C.B. stands for "Cock Block"

Landertime: Fucking her would prove nothing, CB. You chose your sexuality when you put on that jacket.

El Famous Burrito: The scent of semen and raw fish in the air causes Ryan Bader to flash back to his TUF days.

Wyatt: Pictured: Three of the biggest pussies you’ll ever see.

Homoplata: Gianna: "Sorry Ryan, not tonight, I saw how boring you can be on top."

If you’re one of the fab five, please send your name, address, and shirt size to feedback@cagepotato.com, and we’ll hook y’up. And congrats to Gianna Lynn for being nominated for Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene (Girlgasmic) at the 2009 AVN Awards. You’re so much more talented than those other bitches!

(It was either this or another picture of Bader. Photos courtesy of twitpic.com/photos/ariannyceleste.)

— TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader may have suffered serious knee damage during his unanimous decision win over Carmelo Marrero on Wednesday. As Bader told MMA Weekly, "The doctor said I blew my MCL out and maybe the ACL…One of the first takedowns, I was passing from half-guard trying to pass to side control and I just heard my knee pop, which isn’t a big deal because they pop every once in a while. I stood back up and I felt that it was really, really loose. It didn’t really do too much as far as impeding me in the fight or anything like that, but it was starting to swell up a little bit. Hopefully the ACL is fine. I don’t really want to deal with that." In a worst-case scenario, the injury would require surgery and a long recovery period.

— Bader’s Arizona Combat Sports teammate Steve Steinbeiss was reportedly paid his to-show money as well as his win bonus for Wednesday’s event, even though his opponent Ryan Jensen was yanked from the fight following a positive test for Adderall.

— I think I got up to take a piss during this particular commercial break, but during a Burger King-sponsored/Amir Sadollah-hosted segment in the season premierewww.cagepotato.com/tuf-91-quick-recap-team-uk-gets-its-elite-8, TUF 9Forrest Griffin confirmed that he’ll be coming back to face Thiago Silva at UFC 101 (August 8th, Philadelphia). Griffin hasn’t fought since his UFC 92 title fight against Rashad Evans in December, in which he lost his belt and broke his hand. Sadollah also revealed that he’ll be making his first post-TUF appearance (as a welterweight) at the August event, though an opponent was not named.

(Props: "BONEtheDOME" on the UG.)

Do we have a cool prize to give away today? Not really, other than some bullshit t-shirts. But this photo of CB Dollaway and Ryan Bader pretending to fight over adult film actress Gianna Lynn at the last AVN Awards show amuses me. Best three captions win a shirt. Winners will be announced early next week-ish. Here, I’ll start:

"They lived their lives by a code: Bro’s before ho’s. Until she came along and turned their worlds upside-down."

Or, this:

"I don’t do double-anal. Dollaway, where did you find this chick anyway?"

Good luck.

(Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann)

Last night’s "Condit vs. Kampmann" card brought in a live gate of $626,077, thanks to its 10,267 spectators — which made it the most well-attended Fight Night show in UFC history. $120,000 was re-distributed to the fighters in the form of $30,000 end-of-night bonuses. Taking home the extra cash were…

Fight of the Night: Tyson Griffin and Rafael Dos Anjos, as mentioned earlier. Don’t ask us why their sloppy slugfest got the nod over the technical back-and-forth battle of the main event.

Knockout of the Night: Aaron Simpson’s first-round stoppage of Tim McKenzie in the night’s opening bout turned out to be the only TKO on the card, so he scored the bonus by default.

Submission of the Night: Rob Kimmons earned the bump with his first-round guillotine choke victory over Joe Vedepo, which put Vedepo to sleep for the second time in his short UFC career. It was nice knowing you, buddy.

More videos from the main card after the jump…

(Being around all these skinny guys just made Dana want to gorge on buffalo wings even more. Photo courtesy of this set on CombatLifestyle.)

One of the many advantages of living on the East Coast is that these UFC Fight Night thingies are actually broadcast live for us. That may not be the case for some of you in the "flyover states," so check your local listings and maybe come back later if you want to avoid all spoilers. When you’re ready, hit that "Read More" link and refresh the page every few minutes for live updates from the Sommet Center in Nashville. Are you ready to see some local refs ruin some fights? Then let’s DO this!