TUF 9

(War Machine, Unidentified Mayhem Monkey, and Frank Lester: Worst game of FMK ever.)

It seems that an insane amount of heart doesn't necessarily guarantee job security if you can't win fights. After being choked out by Nick Osipczak at the Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale — which followed a TUF 9 run where he beat Kiel Reid and Dave Faulkner and lost twice to James Wilks — Frank Lester has been cut by the UFC. The Team Quest fighter's pro record dropped to 3-3 after his most recent loss. Godspeed, young shadow-boxer.

(Photos courtesy of UFC.com.)

The UFC paid out $630,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses for Saturday night's Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, according to figures released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Leading the list are Diego Sanchez — who took home an event-high $115,000 thanks to his Fight of the Night bonus and pack-leading to-show salary — and Joe Stevenson, who came in second place with $95,000. The numbers are below...

- Diego Sanchez: $115,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus and $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
- Joe Stevenson: $95,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus and $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
- Chris Lytle: $61,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus and $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
- Clay Guida: $48,000 (includes $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
- Nate Diaz: $45,000 (includes $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
- Jason Dent: $41,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus and $25,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
- Tomasz Drwal: $40,600 (includes $7,000 win bonus, $25,000 Knockout of the Night bonus, and 20% of Mike Ciesnolevicz's to-show money [$1,600])
- Kevin Burns: $34,000 (includes $25,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

10. "I'm here to get paid and hurt people's feelings, so...it's time to do the man dance." — Damarques Johnson, offering his mission statement.

9. "You just gotta do what you gotta do whatcha can." — Dan Henderson, on the meaning of life.

8. “Oiiiieeeeehhhh!” — Michael Bisping, every time a Team U.K. fighter landed a shot on an American, and sometimes when they just came close.

7. "Put another shrimp on the barbie!" — Rob Browning, not the most worldly gentleman, tries to mock the Brits with a beloved Australian catchphrase.

Last night's season finale of The Ultimate Fighter ended with each coach telling us exactly what he thinks of the other guy; basically, Dan Henderson thinks Michael Bisping's a douchebag, and Bisping thinks Henderson's time has passed. And maybe they're both right. But with three weeks left until they face each other at UFC 100, tensions aren't exactly building. Here's a highlight from a media conference call held earlier today, via MMA Fanhouse:

With MMA Madness reporting that Frank Lester vs. Nick Osipczak will be added to the TUF 9 finale, and the Grant/Markham scrap taken off the card, we have a pretty solid idea of what Saturday's show will look like, barring any last-minute surprises. Here's the lineup:

MAIN CARD
Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida (LW)
DaMarques Johnson vs. James Wilks (TUF 9 welterweight finals)
Ross Pearson vs. Andre Winner (TUF 9 lightweight finals)
Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz (LW)
Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns (WW)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Melvin Guillard vs. Gleison Tibau (LW)
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Tomasz Drwal (LHW)
Brad Blackburn vs. Edgar Garcia (WW)
Cameron Dollar vs. Jason Dent (LW)
Frank Lester vs. Nick Osipczak (WW)

So if you participated in round 1 of our pick-off contest and you still want the Lyoto Machida "Karate for Mixed Martial Arts" DVD set, read on...