Here’s the latest predictions from my warped view of the upcoming UFC 114 card.
There’s five fights scheduled for the main PPV portion of the card and two fights slated to air on Spike TV. First up will be the Quick Hit predictions on the fights not slated for air, then the Spike TV fights and finally the PPV card.

Quick Hit’s

Ryan Jensen over Jesse Forbes.
Aaron Riley over Joe Brammer.
Luiz Cane over Cyrille Diabate
Melvin Guillard over Waylon Lowe

Spike TV fights

Efrain Escudero (13-1) vs. Dan Lauzon (12-3).
Escudero was one of the more highly touted fighters to come off The Ultimate Fighter reality show in recent memory. In his three post TUF bouts, he’s 2-1 and coming off a loss via submission in his last outing.

Lauzon is 0-2 in his two appearances in the UFC and the latest news on him is that he and his now former training camp have had an ugly split.

Prediction: Escudero over Lauzon.

Amir Sadollah (4-1) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-0-1, 1 NC)

Again we have another TUF winner in Sadollah. Sadollah has won his fights either via submission or decision. His one loss was a TKO.

Kim has two decisions and a TKO for his three wins in the UFC.

Prediction: Kim over Sadollah by unanimous decision.

PPV Main Card

Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez (23-3) vs. John Hathaway (13-0).

After a three-fight foray in the Lightweight division, Sanchez is back in the welterweight division. His last fight saw him stopped by BJ Penn in the lightweight title bout at UFC 107.

Hathaway has won two straight decisions in his UFC run. All three of his bouts have been overseas and he’s looking to make an impression on a USA audience.

Prediction: Sanchez over Hathaway by unanimous decision.

Heavyweight bout: Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-1-0, 1 NC).

Duffee’s UFC debut lasted all of six seconds before Duffee notched the fastest knockout in UFC history.

Russow is also making his second trip into the Octagon after picking up a win over Justin McCulley at UFC 102 via unanimous decision.

Prediction: Duffee over Russow by technical knockout.

Light-Heavyweight bout: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3-0) vs. Jason Brilz (18-2-1).

Nogueria was originally slated to face UFC poster boy Forrest Griffin at this event. But a shoulder injury to Griffin opened the door for Brilz.

Brilz has won 3 of 4 fights in the UFC. Nogueira has a TKO win in his lone fight in the UFC but has won pretty much everywhere he’s competed.

Prediction: Nogueira over Brilz via KO.

Co-Main Event

Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping (19-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3-0, 1 NC).

Bisping, another TUF winner, is fighting to keep his status as the MMA poster boy across the pond. If not to stay relevant, never mind being in title contention.

Miller is looking to take a step up the ladder and Bisping is a big enough name to do that against.

Bisping’s been fighting at 185 pounds since losing to Rashad Evans at 205 at UFC 78 in November of 2007. He came out hot winning three straight fights at 185 before he ran into Dan Henderson at UFC 100.

Let’s just say that Bisping had a good nap that evening.

He bounced back with a TKO win over veteran Denis Kang at UFC 105 in his home country of England. He then lost a close decision to Wanderlei Silva in Sydney, Australia at UFC 110 in February.

Being 1-2 in his last three fights, “The Count” needs a win desperately.

Miller has lost two straight fights to guys that have either challenged for the middleweight title (Damien Maia) or will challenge for the belt (Chael Sonnen).

He also needs to pick up a win or it might mean the end of his run in the UFC.

Prediction: Bisping over Miller by unanimous decision.

MAIN EVENT

A LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT GRUDGE MATCH
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (30-7) vs. “Suga” Rashad Evans (19-1-1)

This all started easily enough. At UFC 96, Jackson beat Keith Jardine a teammate of Evans.

At the time Evans had the belt at 205 and it appeared that Jackson would be the first challenger in line to take a shot at Evans.

That didn’t happen and Evans suffered the first loss of his career to Lyoto Machida.

Then the two aficionados trash talk were picked as coaches for Season 10 of TUF to hype a fight between the two at the end of that season.

The fight still didn’t happen. Rampage went off to Canada to film the upcoming A-Team moive. Evans beat Thiago Silva at UFC 108.

Now, finally, here we are. UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans.

I still think a wildcard in this fight could be which one of these guys remembers that they have a base in wrestling.

I expect both to be launching bombs disguised as overhand rights or left hooks but I think both will be aware of that and Plan B may have to be used for one to finish the fight.

Prediction: I like Evans to remember his takedown skills and get Jackson in a Ground N Pound situation.

Rampage is bigger but I like Evans’ speed in this fight.

Prediction: Evans over Jackson via TKO.

Now watch there be a KO in the first 30 seconds. That’d be just my luck.

Until Next Time

I’m Q

CYA

“Words are important, I thank you for hearing my words.” George Carlin.

When MMA fans talk about the new generation of mixed martial artists,
the generation that's been competing since middle school, they're
talking about featherweight Ronnie Mann.

Mann, a resident of Cheltonham, England, took up
Muay Thai at 11 and had his first tournaments in jiu-jitsu and
kickboxing at the age of 13. School was a place to pass time before the
gym. He had his first amateur fight at 16 and turned pro one year later.

Now 20 fights into his MMA career, Mann has his eyes set on the WEC and a showdown with another young phenom, Jose Aldo

“He’s done. I don’t give a [expletive] if he’s the best 170-pounder in the world, he’ll never come back here again,” White said in the postfight press conference.

“He’ll never come back. I’m probably the most lenient guy in sports and this is proboably one of the most lenient organziations. You know we’re all human, we all make mistakes, things happen. There’s no excuse for that. These guys are professional athletes. You don’t ever hit a guy blatantly after the bell like that whether you’re frustrated or not.”

White said that it was the sucker punch that put the nail in the coffin for Daley, and that he didn’t buy Daley’s excuse.

“When I went in there and talked to him after the fight he said ‘I didn’t hear the bell.’ That’s what he said to me. That won’t be tolerated.”

White said that he had been impressed with Daley, a British fighter, before the cheap shot happened.

“It was probably one of the dumbest things I’ve seen because he is a talented guy and he is one of the best 170-pounders in the world. I was actually impressed with his takedown defense. There isn’t wrestling in England. He’s obviously been working on his wrestling game. He’s beat all the top guys at 170 pounds, comes in face to Koscheck who’s a good fighter and hung in there.”

HT: Yahoo! Cagewriter for the transcription and to MiddleEasy.com for finding the Gif.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is expected to host its next U.K. show in October, and the show is slated to air for free on Spike TV in the U.S.

The event, potentially UFC 120, is expected to take place Oct. 16 at The O2 in London, England, sources close to the show today told MMAjunkie.com.

Although not officially set, the show is in the works and could be finalized in the next month. It's expected to air via same-day delay in North America.

By Paul Daley - I'm packing my gear and ready to fly out of England. In case you haven't heard, it is Fraggle Hunting Season in Canada, and I've packed a ton of Semtex in my suitcase to blow that critter away. Some people think it is cruel to hunt Fraggles - and they are on the endangered species list - but like rats they are actually vermin with weird dirty hair and they have to be exterminated before they breed.

NEW YORK (April 22, 2009) –Unbeaten Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sensation Roger Gracie (2-0) will make his long-awaited STRIKEFORCE and United States Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut when he squares off with two-time NCAA National Wrestling Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin “The Monster” Randleman (17-14) in a featured light heavyweight (205 pound) contest at STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. on Saturday, May 15.

Middleweight (185 pound) superstar and 2008 DREAM Grand Prix tournament runner up “Jacare” Souza (11-2) will collide with hard-hitting sensation Joey Villasenor (27-6) in another featured bout.

The winner of the coveted ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005, the 28-year-old Gracie, a second degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie, Jr., made history by submitting all eight of his opponents during the tournament, a feat that had never previously been achieved.

The 6-foot-4 Gracie’s submission skills have, thus far, proven their worth in MMA competition. In his pro debut on Dec. 2, 2006, he forced Ron “H20” Waterman to tap from an armbar and, on May 18, 2008, he submitted Japan’s Yuki Kondo with a rear naked choke.

A native of Brazil, Gracie resides in West London, England, where he owns and operates The Roger Gracie Academy.

At age 38, Randleman of Columbus, Ohio will attempt to re-enter the win column after two consecutive defeats and reclaim the glory he achieved more than a decade ago when he was crowned UFC heavyweight champion after scoring a knockout over Pete Williams at UFC 23 on November 19, 1999.

A tremendous athlete with explosive power, Randleman captured back-to-back NCAA Division I national wrestling titles in 1992 and 1993 while attending Ohio State University. His stellar collegiate career gained him entry into the school’s Hall Of Fame in 2004.

On Oct. 22, 1996, Randleman made his professional MMA debut in Brazil where he stopped Luiz Carlos Macial in the first round. After amassing a 6-2 record, he entered the octagon for the first time at UFC 19 on March 5, 1999, and pulled off a stunning upset of MMA and kickboxing legend Maurice Smith.

Randleman enjoyed a lengthy career with Japan’s PRIDE Fighting Championships, winning his first three fights with the now-defunct promotion and stopping superstar Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in one round on April 25, 2004.

The 6 foot Souza, a 30-year-old submission wizard from Brazil, made a splash debut with STRIKEFORCE on Dec.19, 2009 when he forced former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland to tap out from an arm triangle choke in the first round (4:18).

Two years ago, Souza made a brilliant run to the championship round of DREAM’s single-elimination middleweight tournament in Japan. After submitting Ian Murphy on April 29, 2008 with a rear naked choke in the first round (3:38) of their opening tournament round matchup, Souza went on to earn a unanimous decision over American star Jason “Mayhem” Miller on June 15, 2008 and, then, submitted Zelg Galesic with an armbar on Sept. 23, 2008.

The 35-year-old Villasenor, a seasoned striker and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player who hails from Albuquerque, N.M., and is a member of the fearsome fight team led by Greg Jackson, is riding a four-fight win streak. He produced his last victory, a split decision over Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, in his STRIKEFORCE debut at ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. on June 19, 2009.

During the first live, primetime telecast of an MMA event on network television (CBS) on May 31, 2008, Villasenor came out of the gates with guns blazing and overwhelmed notorious brawler, Phil “The New York Badass” Baroni, crushing Baroni with a barrage of punches in the first round (1:11).

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery are on sale at the Scottrade Center ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com).

In the main event, STRIKEFORCE World Heavyweight Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem (32-11) will put his title on the line against heavy-handed knockout artist Brett “The Grim” Rogers (10-1).

In another heavyweight confrontation, former world champions Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (15-7) and Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (13-2) will collide.

Doors at Scottrade Center will open for STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery at 6:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 15. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Shamrock Promotions is assisting STRIKEFORCE with local marketing for the event.

The Volcanic ash from a volcano in Iceland, which is plaguing air travel to and from Europe, has prevented one fighter from traveling to the next installment of Bellator Fighting Championship’s tournament card, which is set to take place this Thursday with Bellator XV.

Bellator XV is set to take place this Thrusday on April 22 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. with tournament bouts including Dan Hornbuckle vs Tyler Stinson, Jacob McClintock vs. Ryan Thomas, Steve Carl vs. Brett Cooper, and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. William Romero.

Jim Wallhead (18-5) had been scheduled to meet Jacob McClintock (6-0) in a welterweight tournament quarter final bout but was forced out of the tournament. Wallhead was to travel to America for the fight but can’t fly out of England because all commercial air traffic has been grounded by the volcanic ash.

The bout will go on without Wallhead, replacing him will be Ryan Thomas (18-5) who lost to Ben Askren at Bellator XIV due in a controversial stoppage. Askren was awarded a technical submission victory after sinking in a guillotine choke midway through the fight, causing Thomas to give an audible grunt which prompted the referee to halt the bout prematurely since Thomas never tapped out.

In a press release Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney was pleased to give Thomas a second chance in the tournament.

“While I am very disappointed that Jim won’t be able to make it to the U.S. this week, at least some good comes out of this situation as Ryan will get the opportunity to step back into our welterweight tournament. After the fight last Thursday, I promised Ryan that he would be our first alternate for the tournament and, based on a natural disaster, his opportunity came much sooner than anyone would have guessed. Ryan and Ben Askren were locked in a tough fight last week that was ended, somewhat controversially, by the referee. While I respect that decision, I am pleased that this opportunity has presented itself for Ryan.”

Sources close to the event confirmed the fighters for three preliminary bouts for this Thursday’s card. Former “TUF 7″ fighter Dan Cramver will face Dennis Olsen, while Matt Lee takes on Ryan Quinn, and Brylan Vanartsdalen will step into the cage against Richard de Los Reyes.

Main Card

- Dan Hornbuckle vs. Tyler Stinson (welterweight tourney first round)
- Jacob McClintock vs. Ryan Thomas (welterweight tourney first round)
- Steve Carl vs. Brett Cooper (welterweight tourney first round)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. William Romero (featherweight tourney first round)

Preliminary Card

- Dan Cramer vs. Dennis Olsen*
- Matt Lee vs. Ryan Quinn*
- Richard de Los Reyes vs. Brylan Vanartsdalen*

* – Not officially announced

The Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed all of the bouts for “UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans” event.

UFC 114 is set for Saturday May 29th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be headlined by former light-heavyweights Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Suga” Rashad Evans.

A UFC superstar and former light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / professional record 17-6) knows what it takes to be successful in the Octagon™. Coming off of a split-decision victory over Tito Ortiz in a highly anticipated rematch, Griffin looks to build off of this victory in his quest to regain the light heavyweight title. Standing in his way will be a difficult challenge. Half of one of the most respected brother duos in mixed martial arts, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / 18-3) has plans of his own in the light heavyweight division. Holder of a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Nogueira also has impressive boxing skills which he used in his UFC debut to dismantle Luiz Cane via first round TKO. Fireworks are sure to be produced when these two veterans of the sport collide.

Coming off a three-round war with MMA legend Wanderlei Silva, Michael Bisping (fighting out of Manchester, England / 19-3) is back with victory on his mind. The U.K. superstar with devastating stand-up ability looks to impose his will on another veteran of the UFC in Dan Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J. / 11-3, 1 NC), an accomplished wrestler who was recently awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Renzo Gracie black belt Jamie Cruz. Miller and Bisping are both hungry for a victory in what is sure to be an exciting matchup.

Main Card

- Rashad Evans vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
- Forrest Griffin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
- Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller
- Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
- John Hathaway vs. Diego Sanchez

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

- Dong Hyun Kim vs. Amir Sadollah
- Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon

Preliminary Card (Not televised)

- Melvin Guillard vs. Thiago Tavares
- Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate
- Joe Brammer vs. Aaron Riley
- Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen

UFC.com

Ryan Thomas got some justice, after all.

After a controversial stoppage in an opening-round welterweight-tournament loss to Ben Askren this past week at Bellator 14, officials today announced Thomas has replaced Jim Wallhead in a tourney bout with Jacob McClintock at Thursday's Bellator 15 event.

Wallhead is grounded in England and unable to fly because of volcanic ash that's plagued European air travel.

Jacob McClintock

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 19, 2010) — Ryan “The Tank Engine” Thomas, whose controversial loss to former U.S. Olympian Ben Askren generated substantial comment in the MMA world following Bellator 14 in Chicago last week, has been announced as a last-minute replacement for “Judo” Jim Wallhead at Bellator 15 in Connecticut this Thursday.

Wallhead (18-5), who was anticipating making his U.S. debut with Bellator, is unable to travel from his native England due to the volcanic ash cloud that has halted air travel across Europe over the last several days.

Instead, Thomas (12-4) will get the call versus Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob “Tick Tock” McClintock (6-0), who has won each of his first six pro fights via first round stoppage.

The fight is one of four Bellator fights from this Thursday night’s event at The Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., that will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports Net and in special highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

“While I am very disappointed that Jim won’t be able to make it to the U.S. this week, at least some good comes out of this situation as Ryan will get the opportunity to step back into our welterweight tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “After the fight last Thursday, I promised Ryan that he would be our first alternate for the tournament and, based on a natural disaster, his opportunity came much sooner than anyone would have guessed. Ryan and Ben Askren were locked in a tough fight last week that was ended, somewhat controversially, by the referee. While I respect that decision, I am pleased that this opportunity has presented itself for Ryan.”

Thomas, a veteran of the UFC, fell to Askren via technical submission just 2:40 into Round 1 at last Thursday’s event.

Controversy erupted almost immediately after the stoppage, though, as Thomas, his corner and a vocal fan contingent in the theatre’s balcony protested that he gave no indication that he wanted the fight to be stopped.

“It’s a bad call by the referee,” Thomas said afterwards. “It’s just a shame that the fans got cheated and Ben got cheated out of some more cage time. I was fine – it wasn’t like the world was closing in on me. I was totally fine.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.