(In retrospect, eating that gallon of chili before the fight was probably a bad idea. / Photo courtesy of MMA Fighting.)

Sorry for the delay on this one, dear readers — the Potato Index was waiting on its customary bribe from the UFC before it could give favorable rankings to the fighters at "Rampage vs. Evans." Now that the check has cleared, we’re ready to roll. So who went from zero to hero? And who went from classy to gassy?

Rashad Evans +125
Sugar’s measured, wrestling-based gameplan didn’t exactly transform the haters into fans, but he achieved something a lot more important — he beat an arch-rival and stayed relevant. Rampage can keep his legion of devotees; Rashad is getting a title shot against Shogun, so eat it.

Quinton Jackson -150
Except for his brief blast in the third round, Quinton was just too slow and too predictable. Ring rust was obviously an issue; still, we’re more concerned about Jackson’s ongoing unwillingness to do anything other than box. Those who don’t evolve in this sport are destined to get their asses dug by hungrier competitors. Rampage’s days as an elite light-heavyweight may be numbered.

Up and at ‘em Potato Nation. Check out these articles from our friends around the MMA blogosphere, and keep Young Randy smilin’.
 
- Leonard Garcia Fights Hard, Embraces the Consequences (MMAFighting)

– Options: Next Moves for UFC 114 Winners (Heavy.com/MMA)

– The DREAM 15 Poster Finally Translated (MiddleEasy)

- One Flew Over the M-1 Nest: Affliction Countersues M-1 Global (WatchKalibRun)

- Michael Bisping Enjoys Being the Bad Guy (FightMagazine)

- Ten UFC 114 Fighters Receive Medical Suspensions (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Wanderlei Silva Stands Up for Fans at UFC Expo (MMA Scraps)

(Honestly, what do you hope to gain making a sign like that? You think Rampage or Rashad is really going to notice your sign and be like "That’s awesome work, man, looks just like me. Would you like to be my guest at the afterparty?" Did you already have those gold-star stickers lying around the house, or did you have to buy them especially for the occasion? You know that Jackson and Evans aren’t twins, right? / Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com.)

The UFC paid out $1,631,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters at Saturday’s "Rampage vs. Evans" show, with the victorious Rashad Evans coming out way ahead of the pack with his $435,000 take. Quinton Jackson, Michael Bisping, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira also brought home hefty six-figure salaries. The complete payout list is below; keep in mind that the numbers don’t include additional income from sponsorships, undisclosed "locker room bonuses," and percentages of the pay-per-view revenue, or deductions for taxes, insurance, licensing fees, and underoos. 

Rashad Evans: $435,000 (includes $185,000 win bonus)
def. Quinton Jackson: $250,000

Michael Bisping: $190,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Miller: $15,000

Mike Russow: $89,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus, $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Todd Duffee: $8,000

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $185,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus, $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Jason Brilz: $76,000 (includes $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

("This is bullshit, I’ll be in my trailer. Somebody come get me when craft services arrives." / Photo courtesy of the ‘UFC 114 Photos’ gallery on MMAFighting.com.)

Before Rashad Evans restored order to the universe by outmaneuvering and out-grappling Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event, UFC 114 turned out to be a surprisingly good night for guys sporting what might charitably be described as the “man on the street” build. A dumpy Mike Russow and a doughy Jason Brilz each turned in the evening’s most interesting performances, for different reasons.

Brilz, who stepped in on short notice for an injured Forrest Griffin, got flat-out screwed in dropping a split decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira after clearly winning at least two rounds of their fight. Russow, on the other hand, spent almost three full periods letting Todd Duffee use his face for target practice before he calmly clicked Duffee’s off switch with a lucky right midway through the final round.

It’s a shame the UFC doesn’t award a bonus for “Most Obvious Post-Fight Comment,” because the winner certainly would’ve been Russow, who (without a hint of irony) told Joe Rogan: “I need to get back in the gym,” during their in-ring interview, after Rogan called his KO of Duffee “the best come-from-behind, one-punch knockout in (MMA) history.”

Uh, dude, you need to get back in the gym?

("I dare you to open your mouth, Rashad. Just give me one reason to tell you yo breff stank." Photo courtesy of the UFC 114: Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle.)

It’s been a long time coming. Tonight in Las Vegas, after sixteen-and-a-half years of promoting fights, the UFC is putting on its very first event headlined by two African-American competitors. It’s a historic moment that’s sure be the talk of MMA news and speaks volumes about the development of the sport in this country, as well as the shifting attitudes toward…oh, who the hell am I kidding, THERE’S GONNA BE SOME BLACK ON BLACK CRIME!!!!!

Tonight’s lineup features the grudge-iest of grudge matches between TUF 10 rival coaches Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans, in a fight that will most likely determine the UFC’s next light-heavyweight title contender. Also: Michael Bisping battles Dan Miller in the co-main, Todd Duffee gets his long-awaited second course, Lil’ Nog toys with late-replacement Jason Brilz, and Diego Sanchez returns to familiar welterweight haunts against tough British prospect John Hathaway. But first, Spike TV gives us a couple of guaranteed bangers in their Prelims broadcast. Round-by-round UFC 114 results will be piling up after the jump, beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Hit refresh every few minutes for all the latest, and pass the wings, bitch, because it’s about to pop off…

(They were so much in love. VidProps: YouTube.)

With just a few hours left before they actually climb into the cage, there is not much more to say about the UFC 114 bout between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans that hasn’t already been written and rewritten by MMA scribes, or said by the fighters themselves. Said, and then repeated … then repeated again while standing uncomfortably close to each other. Indeed, after wasting so much of our time with their ridiculous (and repetitive) trash talk during the past few months, these two dudes better fucking bring it tonight.

Instead of adding to the mountainous pile of  terrible clichés already being used to describe this fight – i.e. “it’s time to let their fists do the talking!” as the radio ad airing in my town declares — as a final look at this odd coupling,  I offer just a few numbers that characterize each man’s career up to this point.

They say numbers don’t lie, after all …

(‘Why you gotta act so black Rampage? You should dress and talk like I do — like a white middle class teenage boy.‘)

Just a reminder that we will be streaming the weigh-ins for UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans live at 7pm ET. 

There’s a rumor swirling around that Rashad is having trouble cutting the last few pounds and had to pass on a planned interview with the Jim Rome show.

Video player is after the jump.

(There’s only one song that can put Rashad Evans in the proper headspace before a fight: Lee DeWyze‘s cover of "Beautiful Day." Photoprops: allelbows.)

We’re going to try a little something different for this week’s H2H column. Instead of going through all the MMA FightPicker questions for UFC 114, we’re just going to cover a handful of them, and pepper in a few questions that Mike Russell has generously pulled out of his ass. (By the way, have you joined a FightPicker pool yet for this weekend? Because you really should. No, really. No, seriously.) Check out our analysis of Saturday night’s card below, and make sure to come back tomorrow for our always-entertaining liveblog of the fights, starting with the Spike TV prelims broadcast at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. And let’s begin…

Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans @ UFC 114: Who will win?
MR: I’m picking Evans. I just think that Rashad’s wrestling and conditioning will be too much for Rampage. The fact that we never saw Quinton without a shirt on, that it’s rumored he was smoking like a chimney while on the set of The A-Team and that his face looks like Anthony Anderson’s makes me bet against him.
BG: Yeah, I have Evans by decision for this one. Besides the conditioning disadvantage, Rampage has become such a one-dimensional boxer in his last fights. He could always catch Rashad with a knockout punch, but he’s not going to present anything that will surprise Evans.

Will they quash their beef after the fight?
MR: No. If anything, I can see them having to be restrained by their corners when it’s all over. If Rashad wins, he’ll likely not be respectful on the mic, but if Rampage has his hand raised he’ll go off about how Rashad pissed him off and he had to teach him a lesson.
BG: For the most part, Rashad has that Team Jackson martial-artist-respect thing going on. If he wins, I think he’ll shout out Rampage as a great fighter who he has a ton of admiration for — even if it’s just to make himself look like the bigger man.

(Props: AmazingSerega via MMA Scraps)

It’s fight week for Rampage and Rashad, which means it’s time to make final preparations in body and mind, and get those last insults in. The third episode of their UFC Primetime mini-series aired yesterday after TUF, and you can watch the first half above, in case you missed it. Some highlights:

– The notorious media call where Rashad accuses Rampage of putting on a "minstrel show" and acting dumb for the amusement of the fans.

– Rashad gets in some Olympic-caliber workouts with Jonathan Chaimberg, and does a very unflattering impression of Rampage shouting "HE’S DEAD."

– Rampage spends some daddy-time with his two youngest kids.

– Trevor Wittman puts together a dinner for some of the Grudge Sports guys, and presents Rashad with a pencil drawing he made of him. Pretty impressive for a guy who’s self-taught. (I’m assuming those skills didn’t come from any sort of accredited art school.)

The show continues after the jump…

("Your mama’s so big, I had to walk three blocks and turn left to get on her good side")

Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming the UFC 114 presser here today at 4:00 ET. Should be more of the same Rampage and Rashad bickering like an old married couple, insulting each other’s mamas and chins.

Video player after the jump.

Dana White last September, on the DAM Show:

DW yesterday, in the Miami Herald:

(Come on. Like you wouldn’t rock that. Props: Quik)

Rise and shine, Potato Nation. Here are some must-read stories to kickstart your bloodthirst…

- The Great Debate: Rampage vs. Rashad From a Technical Point of View (MMA Scraps)

- Dana White Thinks a Lot of UFC Main Eventers Are Nobodies (MMA Fighting)

- Dan Miller’s Back Is Against the Wall Against Michael Bisping at UFC 114 (BloodyElbow)

- Shaquille O’Neal is an unlockable character in UFC Undisputed 2010 (MiddleEasy)

– AKA and Greg Jackson look to expand their brands (FightMagazine)

– The Low Blow Episode 150: Takedown Town (Fightlinker)

- Gegard Mousasi Wants King Mo Rematch On New Year’s Eve (MMANews)

- Dominick Cruz: Champions will get younger and younger (FiveOuncesofPain)

– Don’t Mention Todd Duffee’s Dairy Queen Past (WatchKalibRun)

(Props: CagePotato reader Mitch C.)
 
After making a solid profit on Heavy Artillery, the Gambling Enabler is ready to let it ride on UFC 114. Are you ready? Or are you too chickenshit to claim what’s yours in this life? Seriously, if you don’t have the balls to make hypothetical online wagers on UFC fights, then LEAVE NOW BECAUSE WE DON’T WANT YOU. Odds are only being offered on seven matches from the #114 card, but that’s enough to make us a little cash, so lets take a look at the numbers courtesy of MMAMoneyline…

Rashad Evans (-115) vs. Quinton Jackson (+105)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (-540) vs. Jason Brilz (+375)
Michael Bisping (-185) vs. Dan Miller (+160)
Todd Duffee (-430) vs. Mike Russow (+325)
Diego Sanchez (-220) vs. John Hathaway (+185)
Amir Sadollah (-130) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (+120)
Efrain Escudero (-400) vs. Dan Lauzon (+350)

Now then…

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

"Athletically, I’m pretty much where I’m gonna be — I’m 24, I’m probably in the prime physical peak of my life — it’s the mental side of the game that I really have to develop and work on."

So says Todd Duffee (6-0), the impressive-looking heavyweight prospect who has acquired just seven seconds of professional MMA experience since 2008. Duffee’s blitz of Tim Hague at UFC 102 caught the attention of the MMA world, but his momentum was doused due to a back injury suffered in November. Now, the Xtreme Couture member is set to make his long-awaited Octagon return on the main card of UFC 114 against Mike Russow (12-1, 1 no-contest).

Both guys are known as finishers: Duffee has defeated all of his opponents by KO/TKO, with just one fight making it out of the first round. Russow’s unanimous decision win against Justin McCully at UFC 102 broke a seven-fight streak of stoppage victories, all of which came in the first two rounds. And yet, all of the heat is on the side of the 24-year-old. As he told UFC.com: “Here we have one of the most over-hyped fighters going against one of the most underrated in the heavyweight division. I am highly hyped. Am I overrated? I don’t think so. But I’ve been over-hyped by that seven-second knockout."

We’re about to find out if the Duffee-hype is justified. Russow will be an incredibly tough opponent, and a noticeable step up in competition. But if Duffee juggernauts his way through him, will anybody be that surprised?

(Cyrille the Snake’s early kickboxing highlights. Props: Gorgeous PX)

UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans goes down this coming Saturday in Las Vegas, with two new faces casting their fates to the wind in the prelims, both of whom have peripheral connections to TUF 9. Who will survive and what will be left of them? Get to know the guys below, and swing by MMA Fightpicker to make your UFC 114 predictions…

CYRILLE DIABATE (LHW)
Experience: 16-6-1 record competing around the world for promotions like Cage Rage, 2H2H, PRIDE, and ShoXC. Has won nine of his last ten fights, with eight of those wins coming via stoppage in the first two rounds.
Will be facing: Luis Cane (10-2 w/1 no-contest, 3-2 UFC)
Lowdown: A veteran kickboxer and mixed martial artist, "The Snake" has been putting the hurt on people since the ’90s. Diabate spends part of his time training at Team Quest in Temecula, and appeared on TUF 9 last year as Team USA’s striking coach, but is doing most of the preparation for this fight in his native France. Standing 6’6", he tends to rely on his endless reach and striking prowess, but says he’s been concentrating on wrestling recently to become a more complete fighter. He hasn’t lost an MMA match since September 2006, when he was nearly stomped to death by Mauricio Rua at PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute.

(Joe Lauzon, Dan Lauzon, and Narcoleptic Larry pose for a picture before Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Photo courtesy of JoeLauzon.com.)

When Dan Lauzon steps into the Octagon at UFC 114 on May 29th — where he’s scheduled to face TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero — he will do so without three longtime coaches in his corner. Due to a dispute over Dan’s commitment to training, his brother Joe as well as his trainers Joe Pomfret and Steve Maze will not be traveling to the fight in Las Vegas from their home base in Bridgewater. As the story goes, Dan was given an ultimatum a month ago to shape up and start training 10-11 times per week; when he didn’t, his team broke ties with him. Dan first went public with the story earlier this week, telling the Boston Herald:

(Care to share what’s so funny, girls?)

Kevin Iole reveals in latest Yahoo!Sports mailbag that up-and-coming UFC light heavyweight star John Jones declined a slot on the upcoming UFC 114 card as a fill-in for Forrest Griffin against Antônio Rogério Nogueira because he didn’t feel that one month was enough time to prepare for the fight. Jones explained that he hadn’t been in the gym since his win over Brandon Vera a month and a half ago at UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones in Broomfield, CO.

(Props: MGVMEDIA via BloodyElbow)

Tonight after The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV will roll out the latest installment of its UFC Primetime mini-series, focusing on the Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans showdown at UFC 114. Rampage’s acting lessons have clearly paid off, because when he stares into the camera in the above promo clip and vows to destroy us, it’s just so believable, you know? This might be the first time I’ve had the urge to nervously give my cigarettes and fruit cup to a YouTube video. For his part, Rashad could only come up with a weak line about pillows and snuggies, which you can see after the jump. Of course, Rashad has his own acting career to deal with, though it hasn’t quite reached summer blockbuster status…

(Not only do yo’ breff stank, I bet you don’t even know what a best boy does, fool.)

In a recent interview with Bisping.tv, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson says that taking the role of B.A. Baracus in the film remake of the A-Team had nothing to do with avoiding a planned post-TUF 7 showdown with Rashad Evans, like many suggested and that he hasn’t gone "Hollywood." 

“I still want to clear [something] up…some of my fans don’t understand why I didn’t fight Rashad in the beginning. I don’t think…the fans that don’t understand now, I don’t think they’ll ever understand. Just because I’m a fighter, doesn’t mean I can’t do other things. I just want my fans to know…no matter what, even though I haven’t been in the cage for a while…people think that I went Hollywood, people always got negative stuff to say. People always underestimate me. I’ve been in this game for a while; I just think it’s funny. I’m just gonna go out there and do my job. I wanna knock Rashad out as quick as possible and get on with my career." 

(Jason desperately tries to defend the unpredictable mucous attacks of Eliot Marshall. / Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

Sorry guys, it won’t be Jon Jones. Not long after word came out that Forrest Griffin had to withdraw from his UFC 114 fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira due to injury, wrestling specialist Jason Brilz has reportedly stepped up in Griffin’s place; bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly. 

Brilz (18-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has been quietly heating up as a light-heavyweight prospect, most recently scoring a unanimous decision win over Eric Schafer at UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones. His only loss in his last 15 fights was a decision against Eliot Marshall last September, and he also holds career wins over Tim Boetsch, Brad Morris, Jason MacDonald, and Alex Schoenauer. Of course, holding his own against a world-class 205′er like Lil’ Nog on less than a month’s notice will be a tall order, but at the very least, Brilz is tough enough to avoid being steamrolled. As long as Nogueira stays on the card, we can’t really complain…

("Well, that’s the last time I let Fred do my makeup.")

As first reported by TMZ and later confirmed by more reputable sources — not that TMZ isn’t reputable, particularly when it comes to MMA fighters getting arrested in California — Forrest Griffin recently injured his shoulder, and will not be able to take his scheduled match against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114 (May 29th, Las Vegas). At this point, the extent of Griffin’s injury is unclear, and a replacement opponent has not yet been found for Nogueira, who hasn’t competed since his impressive Octagon debut at UFC 106.

The loss of Griffin vs. Nogueira is an unfortunate hit for UFC 114, which coincides with the UFC’s second Fan Expo — but the lineup is still nicely-stacked; you can check it out after the jump. We’ll update you when we know more on Forrest’s injury, and if a replacement steps up to face Lil’ Nog. 

(I know 114 is more than a month away, but this fan-made pre-fight video by KirbyLovesTacos got me excited for two reasons: A) The fight between Forrest and Lil’ Nog is going to be a slugfest and B) he used Hendrix in the clip)

-Despite ending up 16th in online voting, UFC president Dana White fails to make Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. (Cagewriter)

-Kongo injured; not likely for Nelson bout (Riddum)

-Jose Pele Landi Jons leg break vs. Brian Gassaway at TKO 32 (YouTube)

-Chris Clements’ fastest (2 second) MMA knockout (YouTube)

-Chuck Liddell gets beat (at Wii tennis) and interviewed by Asylum reporter (Asylum)

(That terrified white kid could be you! Photo courtesy of ufcfanexpo.com.)

Man, did you come to this site on the right day. We’ve received word that our homeboys at Break.com are giving away a kickass "UFC Ultimate Fan Experience" prize package, which includes airfare to Las Vegas, two nights’ stay at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, and a pair of tickets to the next UFC Fan Expo, which goes down May 28-29 in support of UFC 114. And unlike the contests on CagePotato, you don’t have to humiliate yourselves by writing awful photo captions that will be mocked by your peers later. Nope, to enter this contest, all you have to do is go here and plug in your name and e-mail address. That’s it. Watching the trailer to Sherlock Holmes — available now on Blu-Ray and DVD — is completely optional. Enter now, or regret it on your death bed!

(Well done, Nick the Face. If in fact that is your real name.)

The UFC sent out an email this afternoon pumping up the match-up between “bitter rivals” (sound familiar?) Rashad Evans and “Rampage” Jackson for UFC 114 on May 29. All we can say is, it’s about damn time. Their coaching stints on “The Ultimate Fighter” initially got us hyped for this bout, but then almost immediately we had to get unhyped as ‘Page ran off to make movies/announce his retirement instead of delivering on the “black-on-black crime” he promised us.

Now that it’s on again, we must begin the slow, arduous process of rehyping ourselves. This highlight video helps a little, but how about throwing down with some incendiary quotes to push us over the edge, UFC press release?

It looks like the UFC has already decided who Michael Bisping‘s next opponent will be in the wake of his close decision loss to Wanderlei Silva last month. According to MMA Junkie, the British middleweight is tentatively scheduled to take on Dan Miller at UFC 114 (May 29th, Las Vegas); the event will be headlined by the light-heavyweight bout between Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans. Coming off of back-to-back unanimous decision losses against Chael Sonnen and Demian Maia — neither of which was particularly exciting — Miller could be facing a true must-win scenario here. Bisping has a bit more job security due to his popularity in the U.K., but a loss to Miller (which would be his third in four fights) could permanently derail him as a title contender. Any predictions on how this striker vs. grappler battle will play out?

(Images courtesy of twitter.com/Rampage4real and twitter.com/SugaRashadEvans.)

The long-rumored UFC 114 headlining matchup between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans is a go, according to updates posted last night on the fighters’ Twitter pages. It will be the first fight in over 14 months for Rampage, who went AWOL following his decision victory over Keith Jardine last March in order to film The A-Team. (UFC 114 goes down just two weeks before the film’s release date. That’s called "synergy," brah.) Evans most recently won a decision over Thiago Silva in January

We’re confident that Jackson and Evans can re-build the heat of this matchup back up to TUF 10 levels. But Rampage fans may have reason to worry. According to a recent mailbag column by Yahoo!’s Kevin Iole: "[Jackson] isn’t close to being in shape now, though his Muay Thai coach, Dave Jackson, insists he’s already working hard. But I saw him in Australia and he looked plenty plump to me. I was also surprised to see him smoking a cigarette."

Well, if it can happen to Gerard Butler, it can happen to anyone. Let’s hope Rampage spends these next three months wisely. UFC 114′s tentative lineup is after the jump…

(This is why you should always wear a helmet when doing yes cartwheels.)

After his run at the UFC’s lightweight title ended in bloody failure, Diego Sanchez has decided to recommit himself to his most successful weight class. On Tuesday, the Nightmare confirmed via Twitter that he is indeed returning to welterweight, and will be taking on undefeated British prospect John Hathaway at UFC 114 (May 29th; Las Vegas). Sporting a 12-0 overall record, Hathaway made his Octagon debut last January with a first-round TKO over Thomas Egan, and followed it up with unanimous decision wins over Rick Story and Paul Taylor. The kid’s got moxie, but he’s never fought anybody on Sanchez’s level. Our advice? Try to do exactly what BJ Penn did.

UFC 114 is tentatively being headlined by the long-delayed grudge match between Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Other rumored fights on the card include:

—Forrest Griffin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueria, which was originally slated for UFC 113 in Montreal, but has apparently been pushed back three weeks.

— Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow; both fighters are looking to pick up their second wins in the UFC. Due to a back injury suffered in November, Duffee hasn’t competed since his seven-second knockout of Tim Hague at UFC 102. Russow also made his UFC debut at #102, earning a unanimous decision over Justin McCully.