Weigh-ins for UFC on Versus 2 take place today from the San Diego Sports Arena in California. You can watch todays weigh-in starting at  7pm ET 4pm PT.

For those interested, the UFC will also provide a live stream of the UFC Club Q&A session with Krzysztof Soszynski the coverage of this will begin at  5pm ET 1pm PT.

You can view the weigh-in for the  event courtesy of The Ultimate Fighting Championship and FiveOuncesofPain.com as well as additional promotional content for the event below:

MMAjunkie.com Radio today welcomes to the show two big winners from this past weekend's UFC 116 event.

Stephan Bonnar, who picked up a "Fight of the Night" bonus after stopping Krzysztof Soszynski, and Gerald Harris, whose cage-ratting slam of Dave Branch earned him a "Knockout of the Night" award, both discuss the victories on today's show.

MMAjunkie.com Radio airs from 12-2 p.m. ET (9-11 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

(photo by Tracy Lee via Yahoo! Sports)

Let’s face it, last night Stephan Bonnar (12-7) was staring at his pink slip when he looked across the octagon at opponent Krzysztof Soszynski (19-10-1).

Going into the fight with three straight losses, having only won 2 of his last 7, Bonnar needed a victory badly.

Rematching Soszynski after his controversial loss at UFC 110 when an inadvertent headbutt cut “The American Psycho’s” head open which caused the referee to stop the fight. Instead of going to the scorecard to determine a winner, the referee awarded “The Polish Experiment” with a TKO win.

So, looking to avenge that loss and save his job, Stephan Bonnar was out their to put it all on the line, and that’s exactly what he did.

Earning the wrong end of several knuckle sandwhiches, Bonnar bloodied and fatigued, scored a good couple of strikes in the second. This forced Soszynski into the cage attempting to cover up to regain his composure, but “The American Psycho” landed a big knee to his opponents head sending the fighter to the mat. Bonnar quickly followed that up with several strikes causing the referee to step in to end the fight at 3:08 of the second.

Not only did Bonnar save himself from the chopping block but he earned himself a cool $75,000 for his effort after being awarded on of two “Fight of the Night” awards. Now the former “TUF 1″ finalist has earned himself some breathing room with the win and the bonus, as the UFC will have to really look hard at his next performance should he fall the next time he steps into the octagon.

A total of six fighters earned “Fight Night” bonuses after Saturday night’s “UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin” event. Earning $75,000 each Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar, Krzysztof Soszynski, Gerald Harris, and Brock Lesnar all walked away with the a bonus after their efforts at UFC 116.

UFC 116 took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

Two “Fight of the Night” awards were handed down to Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar, and Krzysztof Soszynski for their main card bouts. Leben and Akiyama battled back-and-forth for three rounds until the “Crippler” caught the Japanese fighter with a leg triangle, forcing “Sexyama” to tap at 4:40. Bonnar stopped Soszynski by TKO in the second round, avenging a loss to the “Polish Experiment” after their first fight at UFC 110 ended in controversy after “The American Psycho” was cut by an accidental headbutt.

The “Knockout of the Night” was given to Gerald Harris after he knocked out opponent Dave Branch in the third round of their fight. Branch jumped up and locked his legs around Harris in an attempt for a submission, Harris answered by slamming his opponent into the mat knocking Branch out.

Earning a surprising “Submission of the Night” bonus was defending UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who probably surprised everyone, by submitting opponent Shane Carwin with an arm-triangle choke in the second.

UFC 116 took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. In a night that delivered on all fronts, Zuffa has announced post fight bonuses for the event. Each bonus was worth 75 thousand dollars to the recipients.

Submission of the night went to the UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar who weathered an early storm before securing a fight ending arm-triangle choke.

Knockout of the night went to Gerald Harris. Harris fought on the nights preliminary card and defeated Dave Branch via Knockout from a vicious slam that immediately rendered Branch unconscious.

Fight of the night honors went to a pair of fights. Stephan Bonnar, Krzysztof Soszynski, Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama each earned $75,000 fight-night bonuses for their performances .

Leben and Akiyama battled for the better portion of 3 rounds, prior to Leben scoring the victory by Triangle choke with only :14 seconds left in the bout. A true gem that might have netted Leben FOTN and Sub of the night under other circumstances.

Soszynski and Bonnar, were awarded a second “Fight of the Night” bonus . This fight a rematch of their UFC 110 meeting. With Bonner pulling out the victory by 3rd round TKO in a fight that saw the UFC vet battered and cut up for the majority of the contest.

LAS VEGAS - Gerald Harris, Brock Lesnar, Stephan Bonnar, Krzysztof Soszynski, Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama each earned $75,000 fight-night bonuses for their performances
at
Saturday's UFC 116 event.

Harris earned the "Knockout of the Night" award, Lesnar earned the
"Submission of the Night" bonus, and Bonnar, Soszynski, Leben, Akiyama all earned
"Fight of the Night" honors.

MMAjunkie.com
learned of the award winners and bonus amounts while at the UFC 116
post-event press conference.

Brock Lesnar stands alone in the heavyweight division as the most dominant big man the sport has to offer.

Brock Lesnar took his position at the top of the heavyweight mountain this evening with a second round submission over the previously undefeated Shane Carwin.

The highly anticipated heavyweight title unification bout that took place during one of the greatest cards the sport has produced to date, UFC 116 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will go down as as one of the greatest heavyweight contests in the history of mixed martial arts.

A monstrous uppercut from Carwin had Lesnar in a world of hurt early in the first round. Carwin swarmed his fallen prey with a vicious series of punches and elbows on the canvas for the duration of the first round but Lesnar, showing the true heart of a champion, absorbed all of it and managed to work back to his feet by the time the round came to an end.

The enormous amount of physical energy spent by Carwin in the first round in an attempt to stop the enormous former WWE superstar seemed to take it’s toll on the massive challenger, as Lesnar scored a takedown early in the second and transitioned to the fight ending side choke that forced the tap just before Carwin faded into unconscious-ville.

Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama threw their name into the hat for “Fight of the Night” honors with a back-and-forth war that had the capacity crowd on their feet from beginning to end. Akiyama began to pull away on the points utilizing slick judo takedowns and top control for the bulk of the first two rounds between the two before Leben caught “Sexyama” in a picture perfect come from behind triangle late in the third and final round.

Leben, who is currently riding an impressive three-fight win streak in the UFC, made no secret as to who he want to face off with next in the middleweight division.

“I want Wanderlei,” said Leben following his second victory in less than a month. “Wanderlei was supposed to have this fight; I’ll take him next.

“I’ll take you out to Wanderlei.”

Also making a valid claim for a “FOTN” bonus were light-heavyweights Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski, who attempted to severely harm one another with their fists, elbows and legs for every moment of their highly anticipated rematch this evening. A battered Bonnar came out in the second round on a mission and eventually dropped “The Polish Experiment” with brutal knee to the chin in the clinch three minutes into the second round for the TKO victory.

“I’ve spilt pints and pints of blood for you guys over the years and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it,” said Bonnar following the victory.

Chris Lytle stands an extremely good chance of earning his fifth consecutive bonus check as the dazzling reverse triangle/straight armbar the Indiana firefighter slapped on Matt Brown had “Submission of the Night” written all over it.

UFC 116 was the type of event that all events will be measured against from this day forward.

Fans often hear about post-fight bonuses being dished out to in-Octagon performers but come Saturday night it may be the ring’s engineers who deserve a little extra lettuce in their monthly salad. Combining for more than 500 pounds, UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar and first-round-phenom Shane Carwin will lock horns in Las Vegas and put the UFC’s trademark structure’s durability to the test at UFC 116 in the process (as well as each others’ chins). In addition to the title fight, Chris Leben rolls the dice by stepping in last-minute to face Yoshishiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski look for a headbutt-free result to make up for their previous bout’s ending, and Matt Brown/Chris Lytle look to battle it out with Kurt Pellegrino/George Sotiropoulos in hopes of possibly scoring the event’s “Fight of the Night“ honors.

Before I get into the actual “pick em” part of this article let me preclude the breakdown of bouts by saying one of the things about Mixed Martial Arts I’ve always loved is its unpredictable nature. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction with a little insight/opinion included in the deal, but readers would be wise to avoid laying down money on my attempts to glimpse into the future. Just ask Bret “The Angry Hick” Bergmark or for that matter Fabricio Werdum. Beyond that, please don’t hesitate to share your own thoughts on any or all of the scheduled fights in the “Comments” section below, and let’s get this show on the road…

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola

Madsen should be entering this bout as the favorite due to his 2-0 record in the Octagon and the public’s familiarity with him from the Ultimate Fighter Season 10. However, Vemola shouldn’t be overlooked, as he’s 7-0 and finished all of his opponents in the first round using a near-even mix of strikes/submissions. Even more impressive is the fact five of those seven foes were felled in less than a minute! Madsen’s only hope appears to be using his wrestling as a means of holding Vemola down for three rounds and either out-pointing him or wearing him down to the point of exhaustion. Vemola’s power and striking look to be a massive threat to any individual he faces, and Madsen was knocked out by Brendan Schaub on TUF 10, so I think it would be a mistake for Madsen to try and stand with him. However, Vemola’s cardio is untested and could be the kink in his armor Madsen needs to expose for a win. I don’t see it happening though.

Winner – Karlos Vemola via TKO Round 1

Daniel Roberts vs. Forrest Petz

The loser of this fight will likely receive a pink-slip so both men have more on the line than normal. Roberts was 9-0 before suffering a brutal knockout to John Howard in his UFC debut, and, though he’s won four consecutive fights on smaller shows, Petz went 2-3 during an earlier run in the Octagon and lost two in a row before recently rallying off four straight. However, just because they’re at risk of seeking out a new deal in a different promotion, I think both will actually be cautious in their approach to the other rather than rushing in to exchange leather. Petz has either gone to decision or seen the finish come by way of submission in seventeen of his twenty-four career bouts, while seven of Roberts’ nine wins have been the result of a submission (the other two decisions). Don’t expect much more than minimal striking from either with the bulk of the action taking place on the mat. I like a ground war as much as the next person but only when it involves two high-level jiu-jitsu practitioners. This bout only has one. Petz’s experience could be enough to carry him through to a decision win, but I think Roberts’ youth/athleticism and superior BJJ should do the trick and earn him a tap-out before things are said and done.

Winner – Daniel Roberts via Submission Round 2

Gerald Harris vs. Dave Branch

Branch may be undefeated thus far in his young career, but he hasn’t faced an opponent like Harris yet so it will be interesting to see how he fares against what I would label as “superior” competition. Harris has won his last nine fights with eight involving a finishing performance. He’s got high-level wrestling, devastating slams, knockout power, and 3X Branch’s in-ring experience. Branch has shown above-average ability as both a striker and grappler but I’m not sure he’s ready to weather “Hurricane” Harris’ storm. However, because I do believe he’s talented, I think he’ll escape the fight without a tap or the need of smelling salts.

Winner – Gerald Harris via Decision

Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic

I’ve been a fan of Grove since the days of “Team Dagger” but these days it’s hard to know which Kendall will show up on a fight-to-fight basis. Will it be the “Da Spyda” who catches opponents like flies in his web of submissions or the one with a chin appearing as soft as silk? Fortunately for Grove, Reljic is known for his grappling as opposed to his striking so the match-up favors him in terms of avoiding a knockout. I think he’ll be able to defend or even catch a choke/limb from the bottom if Reljic takes him down while also using his lankiness to mix in a few jabs and keep the Croat at bay on their feet.

Then again, at 6’3, Reljic is a relatively tall middleweight himself so Grove won’t have the height/reach advantage he’s typically used to. He’s yet to be finished in his career as well. He’s also stronger than his Hawaiian adversary, and should be well-aware of Grove’s susceptibility to strikes, so he may throw his jiujitsu out the door and focus just on stand-up. If that’s the case then Kendall is in for a long, long night (and probably a wake-up call from the UFC with his release from the company).

Winner – Goran Reljic via Decision

Ricardo Romero vs. Seth Petruzelli

This will surely be an entertaining fight if for no other reason Petruzelli’s choice of entrance attire/music. “The Silverback”, a partner in shenanigans with fan-favorite Tom Lawlor, hasn’t stepped foot in the Octagon since going 0-2 in the eight-sided cage a few years ago and should be ready to make the most of his opportunity at redemption. Beyond the energy he’s put into his walk down to the ring, Petruzelli has also struggled to ink bouts that have actually come to fruition since knocking out Kimbo Slice in October 2008 so I think it’s likely he trained his ass off for another chance at earning a place on MMA’s biggest stage. Beyond those stakes, his in-ring competition is also a game opponent with solid jiujitsu and stand-up so Petruzelli will need to be in top form in that regard too. Romero is 10-1 with his only loss being by way of disqualification (an illegal soccer kick). If the two decide to stand I think Petruzelli will land a knockout blow, but if things hit the mat then I believe the outcome will be in Romero’s favor. Truly, this is one of the tougher UFC 116 bouts to pick a winner in.

Winner – Seth Petruzelli via entranceTKO Round 2

Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer

This match-up brings a smile to my face in that it’s essentially a preliminary card version of UFC 116’s main event with the level of experience being reversed. Schaub trains with Carwin and is known for knockout power while Tuchscherer trains with Lesnar and is known for his wrestling. Tuchscherer should enter the bout with a strength advantage while Schaub is a bit faster and more technical. As such, I think the fight’s action will be similar to that in Carwin’s attempt at taking Lesnar’s title later in the evening. I see Tuchscherer trying to close the distance at all times in hopes of limiting Schaub’s power, as well as in order to take him down and work from the top. Meanwhile, Schaub will try to maintain his range and fire away shots from a variety of angles while also being prepared to dirty-box or clinch. In the end, I think he’ll stay active to the point of tiring Tuchscherer out. Doing so should allow him to successfully defend takedown attempts and land enough strikes to either procure a TKO or decision win.

Winner – Brendan Schaub via TKO Round 3

MAIN CARD:

George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pellegrino

I said earlier in this article that I have a great deal of love for ground wars when both men are BJJ bad-asses. Case in point – Pellegrino vs. Sotiropoulos. This bout has “Fight of the Night” written all over it. For reasoning, I’ll defer to my assessment in this week’s “Grappling with Issues” on why it’s the non-main event match-up I’m most excited about…

“Both go 100% at all times and have shown the kind of heart which makes me believe neither would ever mentally tap out in a bout; that they only quit when physically forced by their body to do so.

Beyond that, their skills match-up well as far as promise for entertainment goes. Sotiropoulos has yet to be finished in fourteen fights and Pellegrino is 8-2 in his last ten in-Octagon appearances with losses to the typically-tough Nate Diaz and Joe Stevenson along the way. I can see them trading shots for the first round, then putting on a ground-clinic until the third round ends or one of them is submitted/TKO’d. Their pairing should definitely be a ton of fun to watch and an excellent way to open up the PPV portion of the show.”

As far as a winner, it’s a literal coin-flip for me. I think Pellegrino may edge Sotiropoulos out when it comes to boxing and wrestling but not when it comes to the Australian’s jiujitsu. I don’t believe either will be finished and a split decision is probably the most likely result.

Winner – Kurt Pellegrino via Decision

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

I know UFC President Dana White has a lot of love for Bonnar based on his original promotion-making fight against Forrest Griffin but the reality is “The American Psycho” is 2-4 in his last six bouts and hasn’t beaten a relevant opponent in three years. He’s also tested positive for steroid use before and been relatively injury prone throughout his career. If he can’t beat Soszynski then he needs a fresh start in a smaller promotion. That’s not to say “The Polish Experiment” is an easy draw, because he is far from it, but Bonnar needs to prove he can win against upper/mid-tier competition to earn his keep. It’s been five years since TUF 1, folks.

As long as Stephan keeps his strikes coming from a variety of angles and uses movement to avoid Soszynski’s power (and forehead) I think he’ll be fine this time around. Bonnar has never been submitted in his eighteen-fight career and the only time he’s been finished with strikes was to Lyoto Machida seven years ago. I don’t think he’ll put Soszynski away but I do think he can win a decision against him.

Winner – Stephan Bonnar via Decision

Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown

As was the case in my earlier breakdown of Pellegrino vs. Sotiropoulos, neither Lytle nor Brown have any “quit” in them and the combination of their styles should result in an extremely exciting affair. I can see Brown and Lytle standing and trading punches for a good deal of the first round as a means of appeasing the crowd and testing themselves, nit in the end I think “Lights Out” will likely opt for his reliable combination of wrestling/jiujitsu in hopes of procuring a win. His boxing is better than Brown’s but there’s no reason for Lytle to risk catching a solid shot on the chin when Brown has lost six of eight by way of submission and hasn’t been TKO’d in nineteen career fights. Beyond that, I don’t see “The Immortal” doing enough to win a decision nor knocking out an opponent who has traded shots with the likes of Robbie Lawler and come away conscious.

Winner – Chris Lytle via Submission Round 2

Yoshishiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben

First off, props to Leben for stepping in to fight Akiyama at the last minute regardless of the financial gain he’ll receive for competing two weeks ago on the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale. His ability to leave foes snoozing, his chin’s durability, and his “bushido” make “The Crippler” a threat to beat most middleweights not named Anderson Silva. However, to enter the Octagon against a competitor of Akiyama’s caliber on short notice, let alone after the physical grind of back-to-back training camps, is a lot to ask of any individual. I believe Akiyama’s speed will allow him to avoid a lot of Leben’s power-punches, landing counter-strikes of his own or using judo to take him down, and ultimately take advantage of what I suspect will be questionable cardio from his pink-haired opponent. In the end I believe the circumstances surrounding the match-up will result in either a submission or decision win for the samurai of sexiness.

Winner – Yoshishiro Akiyama via Submission Round 3

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

This clash of monsters might just have King Kong and Godzilla a little jealous given the amount of anticipation surrounding the scrap. Lesnar and Carwin’s physical dimensions are well-documented. For the first time in recent history two UFC big-boys will be dropping pre-fight pounds in order to step on the scales at 265 pounds, giving fans a TRUE “heavyweight” fight to salivate over. To paraphrase something MMA Live’s Jon Anik said on a recent episode, for the first time in his career Lesnar is facing someone who could legitimately leave him looking like he’d just missed a Shooting-Star Press and landed on his face. Comparably, Carwin is also in a situation where he’s taking on an opponent who matches him in size/strength/athleticism for the first time in his career. Though some may feel conditioning could be an issue because Carwin has never seen the second round in his career I don’t believe that will be the case even if the title-fight remarkably goes the distance. He trains at high-altitude in Colorado with a group of high-level partners so I’m positive he’ll be ready to go full speed for at least fifteen minutes if not longer. Also, keep in mind Lesnar is coming off an extended layoff and a serious ailment so his fitness may not be where it normally is come game-time.

Since I see cardio as a push, and jiujitsu is a wash, it’s clear wrestling and striking will determine the winner. As long as Brock can avoid clinching with Carwin and doesn’t make the mistake of standing toe-to-toe with him I think he’ll retain his belt. Carwin is a solid wrestler but Lesnar is on another level from everything I’ve seen/heard; that his combination of speed/power is something you can’t simulate in a gym. As such, I think he’ll eventually get Carwin on his back and pound out a win.

Winner – Brock Lesnar via TKO Round 2

Click here to view the embedded video.

UFC 116 open workout highlights of Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar, and Krzysztof Soszynski.

HT: Heavy.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

HT: Fighters Only Magazine

UFC light heavyweight fighter Stephan Bonnar’s quest to defeat southpaw fighter Krzysztof Soszynski continues this Saturday at UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin and Bonnar thinks the fight will be similar to the first time. Well not exactly similar, in that a accidental headbutt opened a cut that ended the bout for Bonnar at UFC 110, which then saw the judges awarding the bout to Soszynski. Bonner seems ready for the rematch as he spoke of how he thought things would go down, via UFC.com:

“I’ve watched the first fight a bunch of times, and I definitely see the rematch being something similar. I did pretty well the first couple of minutes, and felt I got off to a solid enough start. I think my hands and defence could have been a little better as the fight went on, though. I got a little sloppy in places, and allowed Krzysztof to get off with some shots. I need to move my head a bit more in the rematch and not be static so much and in range of punches. I’m aiming to not get hit quite so much by his power-punches this time around. Preparing to face an opponent I’ve already fought is definitely a positive, as I’m already familiar with Krzysztof’s style and know what he’s all about. I’ve already spent nearly three rounds in his company, so I have a good idea of what he can and can’t do by this stage. I’m not going in there blind.”

UFC 116 will feature a heavyweight title matchup between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin and will also feature Chris Leben taking over for injured Wanderlei Silva as he faces Sexyama.

Heavyweight Championship bout: Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin
Middleweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben
Welterweight bout: Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown
Light Heavyweight bout: Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar
Lightweight bout: George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Middleweight bout: Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic
Middleweight bout: Gerald Harris vs. Dave Branch
Welterweight bout: Daniel Roberts vs. Forrest Petz
Heavyweight bout: Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola