Nashville has waited a long time to have MMA return to the Music City since 2009, when the UFC first traveled there. Bridgestone Arena will be loud on Friday night as many talented fighters will step into the Octagon to put on a show.

The main event is sure to live up to its potential, as two top lightweight contenders will look to get back on track. Melvin Guillard recently broke his winning streak by losing to Joe Lauzon at UFC 136, while Jim Miller is looking to make another run himself since losing to current No. 1 contender Ben Henderson. This fight is a huge bout in the division, where the loser could no longer be in the mix for a shot at the 155-pound belt.

The co-main event is a fight that should not get overlooked, as now-official record holder of the fastest knockout in UFC history, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, will try to work his way up the welterweight ranks. But first, he has to get past the tough Josh Neer, who is on a five-fight win streak.

Rounding out the main card will be Mike Easton welcoming newly announced opponent Jared Papazian to the Octagon, while two heavyweights will go to war in the opening bout as Pat Barry takes on Christian Morecraft.

The MMA Corner’s panel of Joe Atkins, Gregory Chase and Corey Adams will break down the four main card bouts in this edition of the Round Table.

Chase: This fight has all the makings of being Knockout of the Night. Barry is coming off of two losses in a row, and in this company that means this is do-or-die. Barry is looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Stefan Struve and Cheick Kongo, both formidable opponents. This may or may not be the cutting block for him, since his competition has been tough and he has a great personality. The strength in his hands and if he can avoid blows himself will determine if this heavyweight can hang among the best still.

Morecraft is a little on the safer side, coming off of only one loss, but one loss is still one more than any fighter wants. Morecraft holds the ability to knock you out as well, but has a stronger submission game than Barry. Barry’s losses are primarily submissions, and if this goes to the ground, it may be an early night for Barry.

Christian Morecraft (R) battles Matt Mitrione (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

I see Barry being very motivated for this fight. He has the advantage on the feet, so I would give him a knockout victory. However, if it goes to the ground, it is all Morecraft. Officially, I will have to say Morecraft’s well-roundedness and longer reach will be tough for Barry to overcome, and Morecraft will be the victor.

Atkins: Barry desperately needs a win if he wants to keep his place in the UFC. Barry, to be frank, isn’t a well-rounded mixed martial artist. Once the fight wanders out of his comfort zone, he appears utterly helpless. He’s been training with Brock Lesnar and the guys at Team DeathClutch for some time now, but I’ve yet to see the fruits of his labour. That being said, he is one of the finest strikers in the heavyweight division, and if this fight stays standing, he will have a tremendous advantage.

Morecraft’s UFC career has been up and down so far, but he has potential. He’s a huge heavyweight, and will have a marked size advantage over the 5-foot-11 Barry. He has shown he’s vulnerable on the feet against better strikers, so I assume his game-plan will be to put Barry on his arse and submit him. Morecraft’s not great in any particular area, but he’s versatile and if he can avoid being clipped on the chin, he should win this fight.

Morecraft defeats Barry via submission in round one.

Adams: This is going to be Pat Barry’s breakthrough fight.

I agree with my fellow panelists that “HD” isn’t well-rounded at all, but my hunch is that his wrestling will be improved on Friday and will surprise some people. Knowing that he could get released with a loss, Barry will be focused coming into this one and will have a lot of emotion.

Morecraft could use a win here, as well. He has never been past the second round in his career, but has also been knocked out twice out of his last three fights. That’s not a good statistic when coming into a fight with a striker like Barry.

The logical choice would be to go with Morecraft here, but I’m gonna ride with “HD” by first-round TKO.

Atkins: Mike Easton had a good outing in his Octagon debut in October of last year when he defeated Byron Bloodworth via TKO. He’s a black belt in both taekwondo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so he’s comfortable wherever the fight ends up. I think Easton is the more tested fighter. He has some good wins in his career so far, including a victory over TUF 14 winner John Dodson.

Papazian has earned a call to the Octagon. He’s won his past three fights, and at just 23 years old, he has the potential to go far in the sport. However, the bright lights and the main card attention could prove unnerving for the young fighter. Jared, like his opponent, is a fairly balanced mixed martial artist, but four of his six losses have been by submission, so I can only assume he’ll be at a disadvantage if the fight goes to the ground against Easton.

Mike Easton (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

I’m going to predict Easton beats Papazian via submission in the second round.

Adams: Out of the four main card bouts on the card, this fight is without a doubt the most lackluster. Not saying that these two young guys won’t put on an exciting fight, but many fans aren’t going to know who Easton and Papazian are.

I did not know that Easton had defeated John Dodson until Joe mentioned it, and then when looking at the 27-year-old’s record, I also saw that he earned a close win over Chase Beebe. Easton does have some solid wins in his career, has only lost once before, and should be the favorite in this fight.

Stepping in for an injured Ken Stone will be Papazian. What stands out to me is that “The Jackhammer” has eight of his 14 victories by decision, and that’s against mid-level competition outside the UFC. It will be interesting to see how Papazian performs in the main card spotlight against Easton.

Papazian won’t be a walk-over, but Easton is going to get the best of him. I’m going with Easton by third-round TKO.

Chase: Have to agree with Joe that Easton is the more tested fighter. While Papazian is coming off of three wins, Easton himself is on a six-fight winning streak. Easton made his debut back in October, and put on a good show for his first fight in the Octagon, but Papazian is making his debut with this fight.

As Joe and Corey have pointed out, being on the main card and making his Octagon debut, to me, already puts Papazian at a disadvantage mentally. It could mean the opposite, but more often than not, newcomers have some issues adjusting. This is not a huge pay-per-view event, but the card is still not too shabby with a great headliner.

I am going with the majority here as well, Easton will walk out of the cage victorious. He has the better experience, and Papazian is not one to finish the fight that often. His losses have primarily come by submission, and that is perfect for Easton to execute in their fight. While not having many submission victories under his belt, Easton still possesses the ability to submit his opponents and will have the ground advantage here. Easton wins via TKO in the second round, or a sub in the first.

Adams: While this fight may not sound like a huge co-main event, this is a bout that I am really looking forward to, however.

Duane Ludwig (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

The Denver native Ludwig is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the welterweight division. “Bang” specializes in using a high-level Muay Thai approach that is difficult to defend, but also has a lot of power in his hands, along with an underrated jiu-jitsu game. He is also a long-time veteran of combat fights, both in MMA and kickboxing. The 33-year-old is currently on a two-fight win streak as well, and has a few solid years left in him to make a run in the division.

“The Dentist” Neer has never been as consistent as right now, winning in his last five fights, including a UFC win over Keith Wisniewski in October. Neer has beaten top guys in the sport, including Melvin Guillard and Mac Danzig, but just hasn’t been able to string together multiple wins to earn himself a UFC title shot. At this point, it’s going to take a lot of work for the Iowa native to reach the top of the heap, but at only 28 years old, it’s possible.

But with that said, it will be difficult for Neer to take out Ludwig. In his five recent wins, none of those guys Neer faced has had the talent “Bang” possesses. Ludwig has a good mindset right now on his fight career and is just going out there comfortable and looking to have fun.

If Neer decides to stand and trade with Ludwig, he may be in for a long night. I don’t believe Ludwig will finish “The Dentist,” but he will get his hand raised by earning a unanimous decision.

Chase: I agree with Corey: this fight has all the makings to be a really great fight. Neer is on a five-fight winning streak and has been looking good while doing so. He is a very well-rounded, just as Ludwig is.

This fight intrigues me because it is not style versus style, but truly two well-rounded fighters, versed on the ground and standing (and efficient at it), that will be going toe-to-toe on Friday night. Ludwig is on a two-fight winning streak, so his momentum is good, but not that of Neer’s. Both of his wins, though, were decisions, so it is not as motivating as Neer’s last eight wins not leaving the second round, and many finished in the first. Based on his performances lately, I would have to say a finish win could go to either, but Neer has the better chance of pulling it off.

I am going to have to go with Neer winning this one by TKO or submission.

Atkins: This fight should be an excellent scrap. It’s going to boil down to what’s more effective, Ludwig’s technical striking or Neer’s grittiness?

Josh Neer (R) battles Keith Wisniewski (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

Ludwig has been steadily improving as a mixed martial artist, and he showed in his last fight against Amir Sadollah that he’s capable of keeping the fight where he wants it. He is a better striker than Neer, but he can’t risk rushing his attack and getting countered by Neer’s wild punches. Ludwig will likely want to control the distance with his jab and teep, and gradually chop away at Neer’s legs with kicks.

Neer possesses an incredible chin, and also an unshakable desire to win. I don’t think Ludwig will be able to stop Neer with strikes, no matter how ugly it gets. Neer will be wanting to get in Ludwig’s face and put him on his back foot. He can win this fight if he shoves Ludwig up against the fence and beats him up, or takes him down and crushes him with ground-and-pound. I don’t think he will do either of those things though.

Neer’s going to stand toe-to-toe with Ludwig for three rounds and lose an unanimous decision.

Chase: When I first heard about this fight, I was ecstatic. Here is a shining example of two styles going head to head. This is ground vs. striking in a big way, and thus should provide a great fight. This is another fight that has the potential to win any of the “of the Night” bonuses. First, you have Guillard, who is coming off a disappointing loss where his emotions got the best of him. He is an explosive striker who I see coming into this fight as very focused and motivated.

Melvin Guillard (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

Miller is an excellent submission artist and a very hard man to put away. He is currently 20-3, with more than half of those wins coming by way of submission and, most noteworthy, has never been finished. He is coming off a loss as well, and will be looking to re-establish himself.

This division is very deep in talent and has many people clamoring for the title shot. Both cannot afford a second loss in a row, and both want to get back to their top contender status they were at prior to both of their last fights. It is very worthy to note that Guillard has nine losses, and only one came by decision. The others were all submissions.

This leads to, once again, if it stays standing, Guillard wins. If it goes to the ground, Miller walks away victorious. I will have to side with Guillard for this fight. I think he has been humbled by his last fight, is aware of the danger Miller poses, and has something to prove. I will predict Guillard wins via TKO sometime in the first round.

Adams: This is such a difficult fight to predict and, as Gregory stated, has the makings of winning bonuses, as both guys love to put on exciting fights.

Guillard is arguably one of the most dangerous fighters in the lightweight division. He can put away his opponent with his explosive striking and quickness. I also believe “Young Assassin” will come in very confident and focused for this fight and will have a different attitude than he had against Lauzon, where he lost in the opening round.

The New Jersey native Miller is one of those guys who isn’t exceptionally talented standing and doesn’t have a ton of explosiveness, but sure does know how to find a way to defeat the best guys in the sport. Miller was on a seven-fight win streak until he met Ben Henderson. Henderson was able to pick him apart on the feet and pulled out a unanimous decision.

I’ve been going back and forth in this fight, but in the end I think Guillard will be too much for Miller to handle on the feet. This one shouldn’t go to the judges’ scorecards and Guillard will get back on track by earning a TKO in round two.

Jim Miller (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Atkins: Guillard’s loss to Lauzon can be attributed to two things: Overconfidence, and a poor ground game. It’s no secret that Guillard struggles against submission specialists, but it seemed for a while that he’d engineered a strategy to avoid fights ending up on the mat. He’ll be wanting to put that same strategy into use against Miller, because the New Jersey native has no doubt spotted that weakness in Guillard’s game.

Miller’s no slouch on the feet, but he’ll be wanting to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible. I believe his striking is almost as good as Guillard’s, but he’s not as quick and he doesn’t hit as hard, so he’ll be doing himself a disservice if he doesn’t try to take him down. Miller, as we all know, is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He had no problem submitting Charles Oliveira, so I fancy his chances of catching Guillard in some sort of choke.

Jim Miller wins via submission.

Now, with wrestling behind her, McMann has set another lofty goal: to become the best female mixed martial artist in the world. “I’m not in a hurry. Things are progressing very well right now,” McMann said. “I don’t have to fight the top names in the sport right away, I’m patient. But from the moment I decided to do this, the top women had targets on their backs.”

McMann’s idea of patience is a little more fast-paced than normal. She turned professional in mixed martial arts in 2011 and in less than three months posted four victories, including a win over Tonya Evinger, then the No. 9-ranked woman at 135 pounds. To open 2012, she will fight No. 5-ranked Hitomi Akano in Honolulu on Jan. 21 as part of a televised ProElite event on HDNet.

“Sara may be the most focused fighter I’ve ever worked with,” said longtime MMA manager Monte Cox. “She sets her goals, maps out the course to go after them, and gets the job done. Will she make it to the top of women’s mma? I sure wouldn’t bet against her. It won’t be long until the best in the world are looking over their shoulders — if they aren’t already.”

For her efforts in 2011, McMann moved up to No. 9 in the world rankings byMMArising.com and she received the “Mighty” Mia Hayes Inspirational Female Fighter of the Year Award last month. The award is named in honor of courageous amateur fighter “Mighty” Mia Hayes, who lost her lengthy battle with cancer last year. It recognizes a fighter who has provided inspiration to others by persevering through adversity. McMann’s brother, Jason, was murdered in 1999 and shortly after her Olympic success, she suffered the loss of her then-fiancé, Steven Blackford, in an automobile accident.

“My life is really filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” McMann said. “I’ve come to accept the fact that that’s the way it’s going to be whether I like it or not.”
It was a tough start in MMA too, as opponents found a variety of reasons to turn down or back out of fights. At one point, Cox says nine straight scheduled opponents found a reason not to get into the cage. “I had promoters tell me they called all over the country and couldn’t get a replacement,” Cox said. “They said we should take down Sara’s wrestling videos on YouTube because she was scaring everybody off.”

Things took an upswing last year when McMann signed on to fight for ProElite. With a solid budget and a TV deal, the promotion has been able to keep McMann busy. “Sara is the real deal and I think she will be the best in the world, if she isn’t already,” said ProElite promoter T.Jay Thompson. “We were going to bring her along slowly and let her get experience. But she’s so good we had to change our plans. Now she is co-headlining our next show and fighting the No. 5-ranked woman in the world. There’s no holding her back.”

When not training and fighting, McMann, now 31, managed to secure a master’s degree and become a mother. Her daughter, Bella, was born in 2009. She also does volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity and Safe Homes and traveled to Sri Lanka with some Olympic teammates to help victims of the Tsunami rebuild homes.

Alistair Overeem has conquered the world of kickboxing and most MMA promotions. He is the last K-1 World Grand Prix champion, the last Dream heavyweight champion, and the last Strikeforce heavyweight champion. Overeem is looking to add to his collection of belts and his first step toward the UFC title starts at UFC 141 tonight in Las Vegas.

In Overeem’s way stands a giant roadblock in the form of Brock Lesnar. Lesnar, a former UFC champion, is looking to make his own way back to the title. After coaching on TUF season 13, he was scheduled to face Junior dos Santos but had to pull out of the fight due to illness. If he can win on Friday night, he will get his fight with dos Santos, but this time it will be for the title.

The bout headlines a card that features several fights that will have title implications. Donald Cerrone will look to win his fifth fight in the UFC this year when he faces the always dangerous Nate Diaz. Also, the consensus No. 2 welterweight Jon Fitch puts his ranking and a potential shot at the interim title on the line when he faces the heavy-handed wrestling ace Johny Hendricks. It all goes down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

The MMA Corner’s panel of Joe Atkins, Brian McKenna and Richard Wilcoxon look at all five main card contests in this edition of the Round Table.

Atkins: After losing two consecutive fights, Nam Phan got a much-needed victory at UFC 136 when he fought Leonard Garcia for the second time. I think Phan’s striking is some of the best in the division. He doesn’t have one-punch knockout power, but his technique is always sharp and I like how he uses body shots against opponents. Also, he’s a lot better than his record implies.

Jim Hettes is somewhat of a phenom. He’s undefeated and has won all of his fights via submission. What makes him even more interesting is his Judo background, and at just 24 years old, the kid’s no joke.

Jim Hettes (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

I like how these two fighters match up. I’d give Phan the edge in striking, although Hettes is no slouch on the feet, and I’d give Hettes the advantage on the ground despite Phan holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

I’m going to predict Hettes continues his submission streak and catches Phan in a triangle in the second round.

McKenna: I’m on board with Joe in this fight. Personally, I know very little about Hettes due to his youth and only having one fight in the UFC, but the numbers with that kid do not lie. A record of 9-0 with nine submission victories speaks for itself, the kid knows how to grapple. Beyond that, it is one thing to know how to grapple, but it is another to be able to do it within the confines of the sport. It is one thing to have great jiu-jitsu skills, but if you can’t do it effectively with gloves on and without a gi, you’re not going to last long. He proved he could do it at the top levels of the sport too by taking out “Bruce Leeroy” in his inaugural UFC fight.

Even though Phan is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, I have to agree with Joe and give the edge on the ground to Hettes. But also like Joe said, the striking edge is most likely in favor of Phan. Even if they’re somewhat even, Phan has been at this a lot longer than Hettes, which should show in the striking department as far as angles and tempo are concerned. Having fought with Strikeforce and Sengoku on his way to the UFC have produced tougher opponents than smaller shows within Pennsylvania and Maryland, as Hettes has come from.

But when it comes down to it, I am also going to take Hettes by submission. It might take him a little while, but “The Kid” will be able to get the fight to the ground where it won’t take long for him to end it.

Wilcoxon: Phan is quickly becoming known for having exciting fights. However, this is generally related to his willingness to stand and brawl. But don’t let his willingness to brawl make you overlook his skill. He holds high ranks in Karate, Quyen Dao Vietnam and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

As both Brian and Joe pointed out, Hettes has won all nine of his professional fights via submission. He seems to be a prodigy on the ground with both Judo and BJJ. However, he has been boxing for 10 years.

Phan will try to make this a brawl. Hettes will use his boxing to survive on the feet before looking for a throw or takedown. On the ground, Phan is not helpless. In fact, he has never been submitted in his career. I look for that streak to continue, but he will lose by decision.

McKenna: It will be youth versus experience in the second fight of the pay-per-view as Gustafsson will take on Matyushenko. In September of 1997, Vlad “The Janitor” won three fights in the same night, his first three professional MMA fights. When this occurred, Gustafsson was just six years old. Because of that, I think it is fair to give the experience edge to Matyushenko, but that does not mean that his opponent is a cake walk.

“The Mauler” enters the cage with not only an impressive 12-1 MMA record, but he enters with a professional boxing background where he went 8-0. This has clearly translated to his MMA game as eight of his MMA victories have come by knockout. But Matyushenko likes to stand and bang too, as he has a knockout and technical knockout in the two-fight winning streak that he is currently riding.

Alexander Gustafsson (Ryan O’Leary/Sherdog)

What stands out to me the most here is that Matyushenko has only lost to upper echelon fighters in his career. I would not say that Gustafsson is that good of a fighter just yet and because of it, “The Janitor” will grind out a decision. The age factor here will make it a close fight, but Vlad gets the nod on this night.

Wilcoxon: Brian is right. This fight is experience versus youth. It is also a wrestler versus striker fight.

Matyushenko has a ton of experience. He even fought for the UFC light heavyweight title way back at UFC 33. He tends to use a grinding style that has led to 10 decision victories in his career. That leaves Gustafsson as the striker. He has finished eight of his 12 victories via TKO.

Brian also is right that Vlad has only lost to top-level competition, but the same holds true for Gustafsson. However, Vlad also has not beat a high-level opponent in years. Recently, Vlad has been trying to stand and strike more and, in addition, if Vlad loses, it tends to be by knockout. I think that gives one of the most exciting young fighters in the MMA the opening he needs. Gustafsson wins after landing a flush strike in the second round.

Atkins: After being manhandled by Jon Jones, I thought Matyushenko was done. I thought he’d hang ‘em up and wave goodbye to the world of mixed martial arts. I’m glad he didn’t though, because he looked outstanding in his next two fights, especially against Jason Brilz. That fight was fleeting, sure, but in those 20 seconds he showed speed, technique and most of all, improvement. Vladimir Matyushenko still has a lot of fight left in him and won’t be an easy opponent for Alexander Gustafsson.

Gustafsson is a very promising fighter. He might still be in the early stages of his career, but he has been improving at a rapid rate with the help of Phil Davis and the guys at Alliance MMA. At 6-foot-5, he’s one of the taller members of the light heavyweight division, and with a background in boxing, he utilizes his reach well against opponents. Gustafsson’s takedown defense will be put to the test in this fight, but I don’t think Matyushenko will be able to get him down, let alone keep him down.

I see this fight staying primarily on the feet, and like Richard, I think Gustafsson will earn a TKO victory in the second round.

Wilcoxon: Jon Fitch is the consensus No. 2 welterweight in the world and has been for years. The former Purdue wrestling captain utilizes technically sound striking to supplement his grinding wrestling. He is also a black belt in Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu, which he uses primarily to defend submission attempts.

While Fitch is a monster, this may be his toughest fight since Georges St-Pierre. Johny Hendricks is a collegiate wrestling legend. He is a two-time NCAA Champion and a four-time All-American. In MMA, he has shown heavy hands, winning six of his fights via TKO.

Jon Fitch (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Styles make fights. Fitch struggled when Penn came out and aggressively wrestled him. Hendricks is a more decorated wrestler than Penn and could provide the same type of challenges for Fitch. But Fitch has an additional motivation. If he wins this fight, Dana White will be hard pressed to keep him from facing off with the winner of Diaz/Condit for the interim title. I think that motivation along with the high level of competition Fitch has faced gives him the advantage. Fitch wins this, but Hendricks makes him wait for the judges’ cards to make it official.

Atkins: Can Hendricks stop Fitch from doing what Fitch does best? I don’t think he can. Hendricks does have an estimable wrestling background, and he’s a veritable powerhouse of a man, but I just can’t see him defending every single one of Fitch’s inevitable takedown attempts. Once he’s put on the mat, he won’t be getting back up.

I predict Fitch will employ the same game plan he always does. And why not? It works. It’s ugly, but it’s effective. If he can’t take Hendricks down with conventional single and double legs, he will clinch up and drag him down, that or keep him pinned against the cage. In his fight against Alves, Fitch did impress me with his striking. He threw some good kicks and showed he’s capable of being more than just a grinding wrestler.

If this fight should somehow stay standing, I actually believe Fitch is the better striker. Hendricks will have the power advantage, but Fitch has better technique. But that’s not how I see it going down. I’ll agree with Richard and predict Fitch will take Hendricks down and beat him up for three rounds.

McKenna: It would be difficult to breakdown this fight and not predict an outcome that has Jon Fitch taking this fight by decision, but considering his last nine fights have gone to the judges’ scorecard, I have to give this fight to Fitch by decision. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter is a beast as far as being able to take top position and control the fight. Sure, for the fans it may be boring, but along the lines of what Joe said, don’t fix what isn’t broken. Fitch’s style is like a baseball team just hitting single after single in baseball, it is not too exciting, but it is effective and scores points.

Johny Hendricks is indeed no slouch though, and as mentioned above, he very well could out-wrestle Fitch. On top of all of that, Hendricks has not looked too bad in the striking department, where he recently took a Knockout of the Night honor from TJ Waldburger. The guy is good, but on Friday he won’t come out on top.

McKenna: Fireworks are sure to fly from the co-main event fight between Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone. These two fighters both fight angry, and it is clear that they do not like one another. Diaz, the season five winner of The Ultimate Fighter, has been walking a tightrope lately with his UFC career as he was riding a two-fight losing streak when he was headed into his last fight, but put on a dominating performance over Takanori Gomi at UFC 135.

Donald Cerrone (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

But if you want to talk about dominating performances, you have to talk about Donald Cerrone throughout his short UFC career. Since the WEC merged with the UFC, “Cowboy” has gone 4-0 with two submission victories, a TKO victory and a unanimous decision where he took three rounds from his opponent. Before his time with the UFC, Cerrone was one of the best fighters that the WEC had to offer.

On paper, you might not think that Cerrone likes to stand and trade due to him only having one victory by knockout, but that is far from the truth. “Cowboy” first started fighting kickboxing, where he held a dominating record of 28-0-1. A lot of his 13 submission victories have come from rocking his opponent and pouncing on them to slap on a submission, which is exactly what happened in his last fight against Dennis Siver.

It is in this fashion that I see this fight going, as Cerrone continues his perfect run with the UFC and chokes out Diaz in the second.

Atkins: This is a brilliant fight. I love watching both of these guys go to work in the Octagon, and I don’t know who I’ll be rooting for.

Diaz will be looking to re-establish himself as a legitimate lightweight contender. He’s a mirror-image of his brother, Nick. He uses the same skill-set, boxing and jiu-jitsu, and he even carries himself with the same standoffish attitude. In the past he has struggled against big, strong wrestlers, but I don’t think he will have to worry about wrestling in this fight.

Cerrone will be more than willing to stand and trade with Nate. Cerrone is a good kickboxer, and he uses his long limbs well in the Octagon. Something he does better than Nate is kick. His leg kicks are brutal. He’s also slick on the ground, not good enough to submit Nate, but perhaps good enough to avoid being submitted.

Nate Diaz (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

This is a likely candidate for Fight of the Night. I think both men will meet in the middle of the Octagon, Nate will talk some shit, and fireworks will ensue. After three rounds of back-and-forth entertainment, I see Nate Diaz walking away with a decision victory.

Wilcoxon: It looks like I get to be the tie breaker on this one. I agree with both Brian and Joe that this should be an entertaining fight. Both guys possess entertaining styles and rarely fail to please the audience. Both guys’ weakness is wrestling, but both guys are good strikers and good on the ground. Cerrone is probably a better striker, while Diaz is more proficient in grappling.

While I think this fight will be entertaining, I really don’t think it will be that close. Gray Maynard outstruck Nate Diaz and Maynard is nowhere near the level of striker Donald Cerrone is. I don’t believe Diaz has the wrestling to get this to the ground and I doubt Cerrone would be foolish enough to help Diaz out. I look for Cerrone to take a few solid shots from Diaz, but really overwhelm him standing on his way to a unanimous decision.

Atkins: I’ve been anticipating Alistair Overeem’s UFC debut for a long time now. Admittedly, I’ve been one of his most emphatic supporters on MMA forums, so apologies in advance if my analysis and prediction of this fight is a little biased.

Alistair Overeem (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

Overeem is the best kickboxer in mixed martial arts. There’s no doubt about it, in pure striking matches he has defeated some of the top fighters in the world, including K-1 bad-boy, Badr Hari and Golden Glory stablemate, Gokhan Saki. However, I don’t believe he’s shown the best of his striking in MMA.

Unfortunately for Overeem, I don’t think Brock’s going to want to stand and trade. Lesnar is going to be utilizing his wrestling to the utmost degree in this fight. I predict he will shoot for a double-leg in the first thirty seconds of round one. I think he will be able to get Overeem down, too, but despite his massive advantage in wrestling, I don’t believe he will be able to keep him down.

I see this fight ending when Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar engage in the clinch. Overeem will strap on the Muay Thai plum and go to work with knees to the body and head.

Wilcoxon: This may be the biggest non-title heavyweight fight ever in the UFC, both literally and figuratively. Both of these guys are huge and will be pushing 260 pounds. This fight will mark the return to action of Brock Lesnar, who has proven to be the biggest pay-per-view draw in UFC history. Overeem may not be a huge draw in the US, but he is a proven commodity, winning both kickboxing and MMA titles around the world.

Lesnar is a pretty proven commodity at this point. The former NCAA wrestling champion mixes impressive speed and athleticism with his power, size, and wrestling skills. Lesnar will be looking to get this fight to the ground where he can work some vicious ground-and-pound.

Overeem enters this fight with equally impressive physique. He is a kickboxer and will look to keep this fight standing. He also possess a deadly guillotine choke.

Both fighters have something to prove in this bout. Overeem has headlined events around the world, but this is his first time inside the Octagon. Will he suffer from Octagon jitters and can he measure up to the elite in the UFC? Lesnar hasn’t looked good against big punchers in the past. How can he overcome maybe the most feared heavyweight striker in MMA?

There is one major point I keep coming back to in my mind. While Overeem has more experience, has he faced the quality of fighters Lesnar has? He just beat Fabricio Werdum by decision, but I just don’t see Werdum really being a threat to the title. Before that you have to go all the way back to 2006 to find a top-10 name on his record. Lesnar has fought the best each and every fight. Based on the competition faced recently, I am taking Lesnar to ground Overeem and beat him up on the ground until he finishes it in the third.

Brock Lesnar (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

McKenna: There is always a special feeling in the air any time that Brock Lesnar is on a UFC card. Athletically, the guy is an absolute monster. People that are his size and weight are not supposed to be able to move as gracefully and quickly as he does, which is why the guy is so special. Then when you add in his boatloads of charisma, which he gets from his days with the WWE, along with the fact that he is fighting one of the biggest international fighters on the planet, and you have a huge pay-per-view draw. The question coming into this fight though is what Richard brought up: How will Lesnar do against one of the top strikers in the heavyweight division when he has not done well against strikers in the past?

My fellow panelists laid these two fighters abilities out wonderfully, so at this point I’ll dive straight into my analysis of the fight. If Lesnar tries to stand and trade with Overeem, the fight will go the way of “The Demolition Man’s” fight with Todd Duffee: Short and sweet with a quick knockout. But I’m sure that Lesnar and his camp are not stupid and realize that he won’t be able to stand and trade. The way that the former UFC champion can win this fight is if he comes out and does exactly what Chael Sonnen did to Anderson Silva and press the action to him. If Brock is able to immediately close the distance and take Overeem down and keep him down, he will come out on top. But if the Pride veteran can defend the takedown and keep it standing, Lesnar stands no chance.

The thing is, Lesnar will be able to take him down and keep him down. The way that Cain Velasquez got off of his back against Lesnar will not happen again, he won’t let it. Overeem is a huge guy, but I don’t know if he has ever gone up against a guy that is as big and strong as Lesnar, which will make it extremely difficult for him to get off of his back. That will tire Overeem out and wear him down and Brock will capitalize with a second-round ground-and-pound TKO victory.

Photo by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC 140 took place from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.  The event featured a light heavyweight title bout between champion Jon Jones and former champ Lyoto Machida.  The main card aired on pay-per-view, while the preliminary card was shown on ION television and Facebook.

Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones faced the biggest test of his young career, battling early adversity to defeat former champ Lyoto Machida.

Machida prevented Jones from mounting much offense in the opening frame, frequently countering and even rocking the lengthy Jones with a left hand.  The karate practitioner appeared to confuse the divisional kingpin.

In the second round, Jones solved the puzzle, taking the Brazilian to the mat and opening a large cut with an elbow.  When the fight returned to the feet, Jones connected with a left hand that rocked the former champion.  Before Machida could recover, Jones locked on a standing guillotine choke and removed him from consciousness.  When referee John McCarthy did intervene, Machida’s unconscious body crashed to the mat, face-first.

The fight earned the $75,000 “Fight of the Night” honors.

In a rematch of the UFC 92 interim heavyweight title bout, Frank Mir once again got the better of Pride legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

The Brazilian opened the fight aggressively, hoping to erase the memory of the sluggish performance in their first bout.  He rocked Mir with a right hand that sent the American to the ground.  Rather than finishing the fight with strikes, “Big Nog” latched onto Mir’s neck.  The guillotine attempt failed and allowed Mir to recover.

Once the cobwebs were clear, Mir immediately went to work on Nogueira’s right arm from the top position.  The Brazilian tried to roll out of the kimura attempt, but Mir transitioned back to the dominate position and broke the arm.  Nogueira has no choice but to tap out.

The comeback submission earned Mir the night’s “Submission of the Night” award.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira made sure that fans would forget his last few outings in a dominant performance over former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

Ortiz, who resurrected his career in July with a submission win over Ryan Bader, opened the fight moving forward and attacking.  Nogueira, with his Olympic boxing skills, countered the early barrage with a series of left hands that stunned Ortiz.  A knee to the body sent Ortiz to the mat in obvious pain

Nogueira followed Ortiz to the ground and rained punches and elbows.  Eventually, a series of body shots to Ortiz’s left side forced referee Yves Lavinge to end the fight.

In one of the night’s closest bouts, welterweights Brian Ebersole and Claude Patrick clinched and grappled back-and-forth, with Ebersole ultimately earning the judges’ nod.

The bout was primarily fought in the clinch against the fence, with Ebersole frequently working for failed takedowns.  Patrick’s best offense was submission attempts from his back, but Ebersole was never in danger.

Korean Chan Sung Jung needed only seven seconds to finish off Canadian Mark Hominick in their featherweight bout.

Hominick rushed forward and missed with a jab, walking directly into a right hand from Jung.  Hominick immediately dropped to the canvas with Jung with him all the way.  Two more shots forced Herb Dean to intervene.

The seven-second KO earned Jung the “Knockout of the Night” bonus and tied him for the official record of fastest finish. (However Duane Ludwig defeated Jonathan Goulet in just four seconds at Ultimate Fight Night 3).

Light heavyweight Igor Pokrajac needed only 35 seconds to dispatch of Krzysztof Soszynski.  Pokrajac connected with right hand that rocked the TUF alum and a barrage of strikes on the ground forced the stoppage.

Middleweight Constantinos Philippou finished off former light heavyweight Jared Hamman with an onslaught of punches.  Philippou rocked Hamman repeatedly, ultimately forcing the fight to end.

In a lightweight contest, former welterweight Dennis Hallman (who missed weight by 2.5 pounds) showed off his experience and grappling expertise to submit Canadian John Makdessi by rear-naked choke.  The loss was the first of Makdessi’s career.

Bantamweights Yves Jabouin and Walel Watson battled it out on the feet for three full rounds, with the Canadian Jabouin getting the decision on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

Lightweight Mark Bocek outworked Nik Lentz from the top position, repeatedly putting Lentz on his back and handing him his first Octagon defeat.

Debuting welterweight Jake Hecht survived a rough first round against Ultimate Fighter alum Rich Attonito to come back and finish the fight in the second with a barrage of elbows.

John Cholish spoiled Canadian Mitch Clarke’s debut, delivering a second round TKO after a slick transition to take his back.

Jon Jones def. Lyoto Machida by technical submission (guillotine choke). Round 2, 4:26 (retains light heavyweight title)

Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by submission (kimura). Round 1, 3:38

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Tito Ortiz by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 3:15

Brian Ebersole def. Claude Patrick by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Chan Sung Jung def. Mark Hominick by TKO (punches). Round 1, 0:07

Igor Pokrajac def. Krzysztof Soszynski by KO (punches). Round 1, 0:35

Constantinos Philippou def. Jared Hamman by KO (punches). Round 1, 3:11

Dennis Hallman def. John Makdessi by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 1, 2:58

Yves Jabouin def. Walel Watson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

Mark Bocek def. Nik Lentz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Jake Hecht def. Rich Attonito by TKO (strikes). Round 2, 1:10

John Cholish def. Mitch Clarke by TKO (strikes). Round 2, 4:36

Photo: Lyoto Machida lies on the canvas unconscious after being defeated by Jon Jones

On Saturday, December 10, 2011 Jeremiah Paco ‘The Punisher’ Castillo and his brother Angel Castillo are slated to headline ‘Evolution 2.’ The event marks the highly anticipated return of ‘Evolution’, the show that launched the now popular regional MMA promotion. The event will take place at the Curry County Event Center in Clovis, New Mexico. The promotion is thrilled to mark the return of ‘Evolution’ by featuring the first ever brother vs. brother headliner.

According to Martin Singleterry, founder of Evolution Combat Sports Championships, “We are thrilled to bring back our high profile ‘Evolution’ shows. The Saturday night shows are a perfect addition to our ‘Friday Night Fight’ series. We have a stellar event planned for December. Fans are in for a real treat! Not only is the card stacked with New Mexico’s top contenders, fans will get to witness the first ever brother vs. brother pro MMA battle!”

Singleterry went on to say, “Although the Castillo brothers may not be house hold names on a national level, they are well-known and respected within the regional fight scene …and when it comes to their high octane personal vendetta …well, heh… it’s no secret. I thought, what better way for these two warriors to settle the score than in their element, in the cage, in front of their fans. I approached the Castillo brothers about the match-up and the rest is history.”

On December 10, the Castillo brothers will go head-to-head in a 130-pound catch weight bout, which according to many, has fight-of-the-night implications. In addition to the highly anticipated brother vs. brother headliner, ‘Evolution 2’ will also feature a co-main event bout between two of New Mexico’s best female fighters. Knockout artist Heather “Hurricane” Clark drops down to the 115lb division to take #10 ranked Chelsea “Italian Princess” Colarelli, in a fight that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The full fight card will be announced soon. Fight fans will not want to miss this event!

‘Evolution 2’ will take place on Saturday, December 10, 2011 at the Curry County Events Center in Clovis, New Mexico. Doors open at 5:00pm CT. Fights start at 6:00pm CT. Tickets are on sale now! Prices range from $12.00 for grandstand seating to $35.00 for VIP. To purchase event tickets, please log on to www.evolutioncombatsports.com . Tickets can also be purchased at the venue the night of the event.

For more information about Evolution Combat Sports Championship please visit www.evolutioncombatsports.com.

The main event is really a 5-fight main event as 5 titles will be up for grabs. In one match, ROC Welterweight Champion and UFC veteran Pete Sell (9-5) defends his Welterweight Title for the first time against Nordine Taleb (3-1). Sell is coming off of a second round submission victory against Elijah Harshbarger where Sell looked dominant and showed the MMA crowd he is back to 100% after taking time off to heal various injuries. For Taleb, who is riding a 3-fight win streak, this will be the biggest test of his young career. ROC officials hold Taleb in high regard as he was granted this title fight, so don’t be fooled by the lack of experience for Taleb. He is one of Montreal’s gems of MMA and trains with some of the best fighters in the world including UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges St-Pierre at the Tristar gym. For Sell, this is another opportunity to prove that “Drago” is just hitting his peak.

The ROC Featherweight Title is also on the line as champion Deividas Taurosevicious (13-5) defends his strap against Marlon Moraes (5-2-1). The Renzo Gracie student, Taurosevicious, has 9 victories coming by submission while Moraes has all 5 of his victories coming by way of stoppage, either KO or submission. Taurosevicious is one of the best grapplers ever trained by Gracie, so look for him to get the fight to the mat quickly. Moraes will have to defend the takedown attempt and make Taurosevicious pay in the standup game if he is going to win the fight and take home the 145 lb belt. This has all of the making to be fight of the night as these two will put on a high pace fight.

In another main-event caliber fight, undefeated Al Iaquinta (6-0-1) defends his ROC Lightweight Championship against UFC veteran Patrick Audinwood (9-2-1). Iaquinta is a Matt Serra trained fighter and a ROC veteran and should have the hometown crowd behind him. But Audinwood is cutting down from 170 where he previously has fought so he will give Iaquinta everything he can handle in the strength department. Iaquinta’s last bout was a quick victory against an opponent who took him to the limit previously, so Iaquinta’s all-around MMA game is growing by leaps and bounds with each fight. For Audinwood, having dropped two tough fights in the UFC, he has made the permanent move down to lightweight and looks to rebound against the ROC champ.

In still more championship action, Jimmie Rivera (8-1) takes on Anthony Leone (9-4) for the ROC Bantamweight Championship. Rivera is on a 7-fight win streak and also a current champion of another top-level MMA organization. Rivera, is also formally a featherweight and will bring a size advantage into the fight and will look to use his wrestling and grind down Leone and finish the fight in the later rounds. For WEC and Bellator veteran Leone, this is a chance to take down a lion and win the most prestigious MMA title on the East Coast. Expect Leone to push the action and try to wear out the bigger Rivera.

The final title that will be on the line is the ROC Light Heavyweight Championship when undefeated Champion Tom DeBlass (5-0) battles Davit Tkeshelashvili (1-1). DeBlass is out of the Renzo Gracie camp and has never tasted defeat. DeBlass’ last two fights have ended in the first round, so expect him to come out with guns blazing. For Tkeshelashvili he was submitted in his last bout, so he will have to withstand the grappling of DeBlass early on to make this a fight.

Event Bouts
Co-main Tom DeBlass vs. Davit Tkeshelashvili
Co-main Al Iaquinta vs. Patrick Audinwood
Co-main Deividas Taurosevicious vs. Marlon Moraes
Co-main Pete “Drago” Sell vs. Nordine Taleb
Co-main Jimmie “El Terro” Rivera vs. Anthony Leone
Undercard Fikret Darzanoff vs. Brett Linebarger
Undercard Andre Harrison vs. Alex Davydov
Undercard Chris Wade vs. Vinicius Agudo
Undercard Jerome “Jay” Isip vs. Jarred Mercado
Undercard Tom “The Terror” English vs. Anthony Facchini
Undercard Pat Defranco vs. Robert Gittens
Undercard Frankie Perez vs. Allen Cozze
Undercard Ryan Vaccaro vs. Mike Prokop
Undercard Uriah Hall vs. John Troyer
Undercard Drew Puzon vs. Aung La “The Burmese Python” Nsan

To follow the play by play click here. To watch the fights live go to www.gfl.tv

Houston, TX. – November 17, 2011 – On December 16, Frost Murphy, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt out of Elite MMA in Houston, will not only be stepping into the cage to make his professional MMA debut, he will be fighting to save a life. Murphy will be donating his entire purse to HeartGift.org, a charity that provides lifesaving surgery to repair congenital heart defects in children who live in countries where specialized medical care is not available.

Murphy feels that fighting to benefit a charity like HeartGift.org is a great way to show the world that MMA isn’t just a blood sport and that fighters have a giving and compassionate side. He chose HeartGift.org to honor his future father-in-law, who is one of the co-founders of the organization. Murphy will make his pro MMA debut at Legacy Fighting Championship 9 against Chris “Chop” Rucker in December. 100% of his earnings that night will go directly to the charity.

The HeartGift Foundation brings children from around the world to Texas to correct life-threatening heart defects. They must travel to the U.S. for the procedure because adequate healthcare is not available in their home countries. Each child is strategically chosen and every dollar raised goes towards funding their heart surgery. The children return home post-surgery with a healthy heart and new found hope for the future.

According to Murphy, “There are so many people in mixed martial arts that are dedicated to making a difference, especially the fighters, from mentoring troubled kids to participating in charity events. The MMA community in Houston is a testament to that. Everyone has come together to raise the $22,000 needed to save this child, especially my gym, Elite MMA and Legacy Fighting Championships.”

Elite MMA recently held a fundraising event to benefit Murphy’s sponsored child that included an in-house grappling tournament, kick-a-thon, and a silent auction. The response was so overwhelming they were able to raise more than $17,000! Once the goal of $22,000 is met, additional funds will go towards sponsoring a second child.

In addition to fundraising initiatives executed by Elite MMA, Legacy Fighting Championship will be selling limited edition T-shirts on their website (starting in December) and at the Legacy FC 9 event on Dec. 16. 100% of the T-shirt proceeds will go to HeartGift.org. Fans everywhere can make a $10 donation by simply texting the keyword GIFT to 80077.

Legacy Fighting Championship 9 features a main event welterweight title bout between Strikeforce veteran’s Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis and Jorge “Macaco” Patino. The event will take place on December 16 at the Houston Arena Theater in Houston, Texas. Doors open at 6:30pm CT. Fights begin at 7:30pm CT. Fight fans can purchase tickets at www.legacyfights.tv. The main card will air live on HDNet at 9:00pm CT.

To learn more about Legacy Fighting Championships, please visit www.Legacyfights.tv. To learn more about Heartgift.org or to become a sponsor, please go to www.Heartgift.org.