Tommy Speer

(Rumble celebrates his ferocious Speer-ownage at UFC Fight Night 13 last April. Photo courtesy of NBC Sports.)

From a recent Around the Octagon interview with Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, via MMABay:  

(Technically, this picture wasn't gay until the guy on the far right started dragging his pants down.)

In an interview with Rochester, Minnesota's Post-Bulletin, Tommy Speer announced that he has been picked up by the WEC and expects to debut with the organization in August. The TUF 6 finalist — who was cut by the UFC after getting knocked-dead by Anthony Johnson at last month's UFC Fight Night 13 — competed once before in the WEC, knocking out Sidney Silva at WEC 27 last May. Said Speer on his bounce from the UFC:

"I didn't agree with it right away; it was depressing news. But now I know I lost to a great fighter, and he surprised me and everyone by how well he fought. I don't think it's too bad of a thing for me to be going to the WEC. There are great fighters there, too. I need to keep learning and working on my game, and the WEC is a great place to do that.

The WEC's 170-pound division is certainly respectable, with names like Carlos Condit, Carlo Prater, John Alessio, and Brock Larson populating the roster, but it's not nearly the threshing machine of the UFC's welterweight class, and seems like a great place for Speer to develop while still maintaining a decent level of exposure. "The Farm Boy" intended to fight outside of the WEC before his August debut, but his training has been halted by an appropriately rural setback:

"The doctors at Mayo (Clinic) said I was bit by a brown recluse spider (on my calf), so I'm on antibiotics," Speer said. "They said it might take a month to heal up. So I'm not training now, and I probably won't be able to fight until August, because I'll need some serious training time when I get back."

Speer said he still intends to travel to Missouri to train with former UFC champion Matt Hughes at his gym, H.I.T. Squad, prior to his fights.

In other news...

Building on an already impressive card that includes fights between Stephan Bonnar and Matt Hamill, as well as Kenny Florian versus Joe Lauzon, the word is that April 2's Ultimate Fight Night 13 will include the first post-TUF appearance by finalist Tommy Speer. He's expected to fight Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (4-1, 1-1 UFC), a 23-year-old Californian whose last fight was a submission loss to Rich Clementi at UFC 76. Similar to the Alexander/Irvin situation, this matchup seems set up to develop Speer and get the farmboy an impressive win. Johnson has never won a fight by submission, and shouldn't throw Speer anything on the ground that he can't handle.

Elsewhere in the UFC...

So, Mac Danzig proved a few things at Saturday's Ultimate Fighter 6 finale: 1) I should really stop making public predictions. 2) Experience trumps raw power. 3) With his killer ground-and-pound and the ability to end nearly every fight in a rear naked choke, Danzig may already be a top-5 contender in the UFC's lightweight division. The UFC is pretty aggressive about pulling their vids from YouTube, so get it while it's hot...

Hey CagePotato fans, this is Greg Clark from MMA Fever, I'll be filling in for Ben as he recovers from his breast-reduction surgery, so let's dive into The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale shall we...

Ben Saunders vs. Dan Barrera

The first fight of the Spike TV televised card set the tone for the rest of the night: Brutal, nasty, and damn entertaining.

Saunders defeated Barrera in Episode 6 by majority decision, so this bout was a true grudge match for both fighters to showcase their talent to the UFC and its fans.

Ben Saunders started round 1 demonstrating his superior striking skills, complemented by his leg kicks from his 6'3" frame that connected on Barrera at will.  The fight was filled with back-and-forth action, but Barrera, who had been coached by Matt Hughes, showed that he was way out of his league against the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist when the fight went to the ground.

At one point, Saunders had Barrera's back and put him in a body lock which set up the rear naked choke attempt.  As both fighters were dripping with sweat, Barrera was able to escape the bout ending submission.  Saunders stuffed Barrera's takedowns easily which appeared to be the only weapon he had during the fight.  He also dominated on the ground and clearly won rounds 1, 2 and 3 for the unanimous decision victory against the battle worn Barrera.

Ben Saunders def. Dan Barrera via unanimous decision

Next up: Rogan's Matt Hughes interview