Young lion Rory MacDonald looks to bounce back from disappointment when he meets Matt Brown at UFC 123.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com that the welterweight matchup has been verbally agreed to by both competitors and that contracts should be finalized shortly. Sportsnet.ca first reported the bout earlier today.

UFC 123 takes place Nov. 20 and is expected to feature a light heavyweight headliner between former champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida.

UFC welterweight Dan Hardy is looking to make his next fight in the Octagon in front of hometown fans at the O2 Arena in London England where he is tentatively scheduled to face Carlos Condit as part of UFC 120 in October, this according to MMAWeekly.

This will be the first match back for Hardy since he badly lost a unanimous decision to Georges “Rush” St. Pierre, the current UFC welterweight champion. That loss was the only blemish on Hardy’s record since arriving in the UFC, as he was riding a four fight win streak prior to that match.

Carlos Condit is coming off a very hard fought decision win over up and coming fighter Rory Macdonald and the two garnered “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin. Condit is 1-1 since his debut having lost to Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night 18.

Expect this fight to be very exciting, but keep in mind it’s not announced officially yet. We’ll update this story as the word comes out.

A welterweight fight between Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit is set for UFC 120. Both sides have apparently agreed to the bout, and the contract for the fight should be signed by the end of the week.

News of the likely contest between the crowd-pleasing welterweights comes courtesy of a recent report on MMAWeekly.com.

Hardy is coming off of a one-sided loss to UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111, a fight that saw St. Pierre take Hardy down at will throughout most of the fight. Before that, Hardy had defeated Rory Markham, Akihiro Gono, Marcus Davis, and Mike Swick in the UFC. Three of five Hardy’s fights in the Octagon have occurred in England, and this will be no different.

Condit’s last fight was a gutsy victory as he faced the up-and-coming Rory MacDonald at UFC 115. MacDonald dominated the first two rounds of the fight, but Condit made a staggering comeback in the final round and finished MacDonald with punches and elbows on the ground, earning him and MacDonald a nice $85,000 dollar Fight of The Night Bonus.

UFC 120 occurs on October 16 and will emanate from the O2 Arena in London, England.

Whose performance stood out the most at UFC 115? Is it time for Tyson Griffin to dip down to 145 pounds? What WEC 49 bout has you more pumped than the others? Should Keith Jardine receive his pink-slip this weekend if he loses a fourth straight fight in the UFC?

Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!

If you’re reading these lines you’ve made it through another work-week and are back in the friendly digital confines of “Grappling with Issues”, our site’s resident Friday feature highlighting insight and opinion from Adam Tool and myself on six subjects plucked from the Mixed Martial Arts landscape. However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column…

True/False – Tyson Griffin needs to seriously consider dropping to featherweight.

Adam Tool: False. I find it kind of funny that people are talking about how small Tyson Griffin looks and how he needs to drop down, when he actually looks a bit bigger than current lightweight champion Frank Edgar (although both fighters are 5‘6“). Griffin and Edgar are on the shorter end of the lightweight spectrum, but they’ve each proven that they are more than capable of handling a number of other fighters at 155 lbs. Manny Gamburyan had two tough losses in the UFC before he decided to drop down, so let’s at least give Griffin the benefit of the doubt and see how he does in his next fight before declaring him too small for the lightweight division.

Besides, at this point what does Griffin stand to gain by moving down? He’d likely be accepting a paycut by going to WEC, and he would undoubtedly be fighting with far less exposure in the featherweight division. It’s much easier for a light heavyweight fighter to make the move to middleweight, since they know they’ll still be fighting in the UFC. For a lightweight fighter the move down in weight also means a move down in organizations, and I fail to see how that could be truly beneficial in this case. Griffin holds wins over a number of respected lightweight fighters, he’s well-known amongst the fan base, and he’s been one half of five different “Fight of the Night” match-ups. The loss to Evan Dunham certainly sets him back, but it’s much too soon to think that he can’t hang in the UFC anymore.

Brendhan Conlan: If Griffin’s motivation as a Mixed Martial Artist is to solidify his legacy in the sport as a great champion and pinnacle of his division he absolutely needs to give the move some thought; if his motivation is purely based on fame and fortune then he should sit tight in the UFC. I happen to believe he leans towards the former, as most fighters do, and as such I’ll be answering this topic as “True”.

Tool is right when he says Griffin has proven he can hang at lightweight. After all, the Xtreme Couture OG is 7-3 in the UFC. He’s also gone to the judges in eight of those ten bouts with his only finishes coming against David Lee nearly four years ago and a portlier-than-normal version of Hermes Franca at UFC 103 last September. Fighting smart is one thing; not being able to submit/TKO mid-tier competition is another.

What does Griffin stand to gain from a drop to 145 pounds? For one, a chance at being the best in the world at featherweight when such a goal is almost certainly unobtainable at 155. If Tyson can out-work larger opponents then imagine how he might perform against competition similar, even smaller, in size. For another, an opportunity to headline cards and be featured in marquee match-ups. WEC has already dipped their toes in the PPV market once with plans to do so again in the near future and it seems inevitable the promotion will end up on Spike TV at some point too. Griffin vs. Faber II, Griffin vs. Aldo, Griffin vs. Brown, etc. – the list goes on and on in terms of who he could be paired against, as WEC features the world’s deepest featherweight division. Yes, he would sacrifice some money and exposure in the short term, but there are still plenty of both to be had in UFC’s sister promotion. Also, let’s not forget there has been talk about the UFC absorbing the WEC featherweights, so if that ever happens then the finance/fame stuff becomes a moot point.

Long story short, if Griffin stays at lightweight he’ll win more than he loses but I don’t think it’s likely he’ll ever be champion. You can make comparisons to Edgar if you want but there are lots of people out there who think BJ Penn deserved to retain his belt (enough to where Frank’s first defense will come against the former champ). The title-shot was also a very fortunate opportunity for Edgar and lightning won’t necessarily strike twice with Griffin as the recipient. If he wants to really take a crack at making a significant impact in MMA he HAS to consider featherweight. After all, he’s shown he’s familiar with coming out on the favorable end of “decisions”. This is just one more he needs to deal with.

UFC 115 featured two more incidents where fans got “hands on” with fighters during an entrance. Is that aspect of “fighter safety” something the UFC needs to address or a situation not worth paying attention to?

Tool: While the stealing of hats may not be worthy of Zuffa’s attention, it’s just a short step to fans getting too close to the fighters and potentially doing something far more damaging. Arena security is supposed to be taking care of this sort of thing, but as we saw on Saturday the guys walking with the fighters to the cage aren’t necessarily doing their job. Stronger security measures are needed before something truly bad happens, and this may be a case where Zuffa needs to step in and do something about it themselves.

Conlan: In the words of Diego Sanchez, “Yes, yes, yes!!!” Last November I wrote a piece called “The Exit of the Entrance” based on a few similar incidents at UFC 105. Essentially, my concern is this:

We live in a culture where Average Joes and Janes will do nearly anything for fifteen minutes of fame. People have rushed the ring at WWE events, attacked on-field coaches in MLB, and streaked on countless fields across the world. If the audience at a UFC show is in close enough proximity to take an item of clothing from the fighters’ heads then they are also able to do a multitude of things with the pathetic hope of getting a reaction or making a highlight reel on cable/sports news. Do we need to see a drink poured on an athlete’s head or punch thrown before the issue is truly examined? Do we want to see a main event ruined because one of the participants is distracted by an unnecessary occurrence? The answer is clearly “no”, so why wait for something to happen when the odds dictate its almost guaranteed?

Should Keith Jardine receive his walking papers if he drops a fourth straight bout by losing to Matt Hamill at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale?

Tool: I believe so. Keith Jardine is the biggest enigma in the UFC. He’s got wins over respected opponents like Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, and Brandon Vera. He’s also had his share of crushing defeats to Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and Houston Alexander. He’s more than capable of putting on exciting fights, but at this point his chin has been more exposed than Britney Spears’ private parts. The UFC’s light heavyweight division is one of the most competitive weight classes in the world, and if Jardine can’t hang with most of his opponents than he really has no place in the organization. He’s got a winnable fight on Saturday so we’ll have to wait and see what happens then, but if he ends up unconscious in the octagon again it will probably be for the last time.

Conlan: No, but a fifth straight should merit the proverbial axe swing. With the exception of Alexander his losses have come to highly-touted opponents. Even Hamill is a respected competitor as far as wrestling and power goes. “The Dean of Mean” has lost five of his last seven fights, so he’s definitely on thin ice as is and being released on the heels of a possible loss to “The Hammer” wouldn’t surprise me, but I think he deserves a step down as far as adversaries go before the company makes the decision to cut him. Win or lose, putting him against a lesser-skilled fighter would give Jardine a chance to get a little confidence back or prove he’s a liability the UFC can’t keep around.

Of all the winners at UFC 115, whose performance impressed you the most?

Conlan: Evan Dunham with Rory MacDonland a very close second. I felt confident in Dunham’s ability to beat Griffin based on size and technique but he looked more convincing doing so than I’d expected. He’s definitely shown he deserves to make a lateral, if not vertical, move where competition is concerned. That could possibly mean a date with the loser of Ken Florian vs. Gray Maynard, or more likely the winner of a fight closer to occurring like Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropolous (UFC 116) or Takanori Gomi vs. Joe Stevenson (UFC on Versus 2). At 11-0, and with three consecutive wins against tough opponents, Dunham is definitely a 155-pounder that has to be watched and is in position for a nice push within the organization.

Tool: This is a tough one, because there were so many awesome performances on the show. Rory MacDonald and Chuck Liddell certainly get the nods for “Best Showing In A Losing Effort,” but as far as the winners go I’m going to have to cheat and pick two.

First up is Martin Kampmann. Like most everyone else I picked Paulo Thiago to emerge victorious on Saturday night, but apparently I had some sort of mental blockage that made me forget just how great Kampmann can be. We all knew he would likely have the edge in a striking battle, but what really impressed me was the way Kampmann continually threatened Thiago on the ground. Most fighters, when matched up with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, would simply do everything in their power to keep the fight standing while avoiding any ground action at all. Kampmann was not only willing to go with the mat with Thiago, he was the one attempting numerous submissions to try and end the fight. At no point did it look like Thiago was going to tap (seeing as how he’s fought out of these situations far too many times), but kudos to “The Hitman” for showing what a complete mixed-martial artist he is.

Secondly, I’d like to give some much-deserved props to Rich Franklin. In the days following UFC 115 there’s been so much focus on the end of Liddell’s career, with hardly anyone talking about what a dramatic victory this was for “Ace.” While some people will discount the win seeing as it’s coming at the end of Liddell’s career, it’s fair to say that Franklin was facing the best version of the “Iceman” that we’ve seen in years. Franklin took Liddell’s best shots and kept on coming. He broke his arm early in the fight yet powered through the injury and pulled off the win. On top of that he proved the doubters wrong that said he didn’t have KO power, and his $85,000 bonus check was the perfect icing on the cake.

Now that the season is coming to a close, rank the latest edition of The Ultimate Fighter on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the highest).

Conlan: “6″, which is actually a full point below where I ranked TUF 11 in a previous GWI written a few weeks after the season started. A handful of episodes featured exciting in-ring action but for the most part there was little to get worked up about. Any momentum the season had after the opening round of qualifying fights was sucked dry by the remaining episodes’ one-sided decisions, disqualifications, injury-based substitutes, and Jamie Yager’s refusal to answer the bell and come out of his corner in a quarter-final match-up with Josh Bryant. Hell, both finalists lost earlier in the season. The personal rivalry between team-heads Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell flared up once or twice but remained tame for the most part and Ortiz’s eventual replacement as coach on the show came so late in the season it was somewhat anti-climactic. Overall, it was a vanilla season which was supposed to culminate in a fight nobody wanted to see and instead resulted in Liddell getting knocked out, and likely retired, by Rich Franklin. It’s not to say there weren’t a few positives as well, but definitely not enough to deserve a rating any higher than being slightly above average.

Tool: I’ll go with a “7,” as this was a relatively entertaining season overall. Jamie “Fro Cop” Yager was a constant annoyance, but otherwise the stuff at the house was just fine. Obviously the drama makes for more entertaining television, but I for one am glad that we didn’t get inundated with the kind of in-house shenanigans that have characterized past seasons. In terms of the fights we saw plenty of quality match-ups. The number of fighter injuries is proof that the various cast members left everything in the cage each time (unlike a certain rotund “TUF” champ that did the minimal amount of effort to win). The competitiveness of the tournament goes a long way towards making a quality season, and I’m genuinely interested in seeing who wins the various cast member match-ups on Saturday.

The only real knock I can give this season is the coaches. Chuck Liddell is a legend in the sport and one of the greatest light heavyweight fighters of all time. What he is not though, is a good on-camera performer. Chuck looked mildly uncomfortable in nearly every second he was talking on screen, and most of that time was spent pacing back and forth in small steps. Tito Ortiz was clearly much more comfortable on-camera, but that’s because he spent a good portion of the time talking about his favorite subject: Tito Ortiz. Their rivalry was hardly interesting due to two separate factors; we knew Chuck would almost certainly be winning their third fight, and we knew that fight wasn’t going to be happening anyways.

Which fight are you looking forward to the most at WEC 49 this weekend?

Conlan: There are a few solid match-ups on the card but without a doubt I’m looking forward to Josh Grispi vs. L.C. Davis more than the others. Their combined record is 29-3 with Grispi emerging victorious the last nine times he’s stepped in a ring and Davis winning seven of his last eight fights. Both have above-average striking and grappling skills as indicated by the almost 50/50 split between submissions/TKOs in terms of their finishing performances. Grispi, as a matter of fact, has rendered his opponents unable to compete in twelve of his thirteen wins including seven straight. Both are also 3-0 in WEC. Though I think the card’s main event (Jamie Varner vs. Kamal Shalorus) will be highly entertaining, as should Chris Horodecki vs. Ed Ratcliff, I think Grispi vs. Davis should be more competitive than both and involve more than one highlight-worthy moment.

Tool: I’m going with the slightly easy answer and taking the headliner as my pick. Varner vs. Shalorus may not be a fight worthy of the main event status its been given, but it will most likely be a solid contender for “Fight of the Night.” Varner got out-classed by Ben Henderson, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the former lightweight champion is still a serious threat in the WEC. He’s beaten everyone else he’s faced since coming over from the UFC and with his name value he’s likely just a win or two away from another shot at the belt. Meanwhile you’ve got Shalorus taking on the toughest opponent of his brief career, and a definitive victory on Sunday could shoot him right to the top of the list of 155 lbs. contenders. Looking past what’s at stake in this fight, stylistically these two match up real well. Shalorus has a wrestling background but has clearly favored the stand-up in both of his WEC fights, and we all know that Varner will go toe-to-toe with anybody.

In closing I’d just like to remind everyone that while the WEC 49 card may not be all that impressive on paper, it’s oftentimes the weakest looking cards that end up entertaining us the most. We were reminded of that fact again this past Saturday, so do yourself a favor and don’t miss another (potentially) great event this weekend.

Fights, not fighters, are what make MMA events entertaining. You can stack a card with high quality fighters but there is no guarantee that this will make for enjoyable fights.

UFC 115 came in for heavy criticism from people who were unhappy at the lack of top class talent on display. What the main card of UFC 115 might have lacked in top ranked fighters though it more than made up for with a series of spectacular fights.

Local lad Rory Macdonald got the action off to the best possible start by picking Carlos Condit apart for two rounds to open up an insurmountable lead on the scorecards. The Canadian crowd were delighted and nothing short of a third stoppage would have suffice for Condit.

An uncharacteristically animated Greg Jackson sent Condit out for the third and final round telling him that, quite simply, he needed to go to war. Condit took Jackson’s words to heart and set about dominating Macdonald with a brutal display of ground and pound.

With a healthy two round lead presumably under his belt Macdonald only needed to survive this onslaught until the final bell to claim a decision victory. With less than seven seconds remaining and Condit raining down a barrage of unanswered blows the referee stepped in for a dramatic yet highly unpopular stoppage.

It was no more than Condit deserved for an inspiring comeback and tellingly there were absolutely no complaints from his vanquished opponent. This was one of those rare fights were both fighters were able to enhance their reputations and deservedly claimed fight of the night honors.

Next up were the heavyweights and Ben Rothwell and Gilbert Yvel were involved in a back and forth war which surpassed expectations despite an anti climactic third round. Rothwell went at Yvel from the opening bell and set a surprisingly fast pace for a heavyweight. Yvel fought back and was battering Rothwell by the time the bell rang.

Both fighters were already fatigued when round two began but Rothwell was able to take Yvel down and keep him there, although without doing any real damage. When Yvel was able to reverse the position he was far more effective and although Rothwell spent the majority of the round in a dominant position Yvel did far more damage.

Bereft of all energy both fighters came to a virtual stand still in the third round. Rothwell was once again able to secure a dominant position and this time Yvel was unable to escape, spending almost the entire round pinned to the floor. Rothwell was understandably awarded the decision although either of the first two rounds could conceivably have gone to Yvel.

Martin Kampmann showed that he is a serious welterweight contender by defeating Paulo Thiago with an extremely technical display. Thiago was consistently beaten to the punch by some crisp striking and Kampmann appeared on the verge of submitting the BJJ black belt on a couple of occasions. Kampmann is slowly working his way up the welterweight ladder and is probably only one more win away from a title shot.

Crocop vs Barry had all the makings of a classic and it did not disappoint. Barry enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and dropped Crocop with two hard right hands. Crocop seemed surprisingly reluctant to throw his legendary left kick preferring instead to use some unorthodox side kicks and spinning heel kicks. A stand up exchange towards the end of the round was enjoyed by both fighters so much that they shared a premature embrace but this was Barry’s round and Crocop’s face was badly swollen at the end of it.

UFC fans have been waiting to see the Crocop who laid waste to Pride’s heavyweight division inside the octagon and in round two they finally got to see him. Barry was unable to pull the trigger and Crocop showed good versatility to take Barry down and emphatically win the round.

By round three the real Mirko Crocop was ready to stand up. He chased Barry across the Octagon while picking him off with a selection of punches in a performance reminiscent of his Pride days. Once again Crocop was able to take Barry down and this time he secured a rear naked choke for a dramatic submission win.

After such an entertaining build up expectations were high going into the main event and it did not disappoint. Much was made of Liddell’s superior preparation and he showed that even aged 40 he is still able to evolve as a fighter with some vicious kicks, one of which probably broke Franklin’s arm.

At one point Liddell even successfully executed an unlikely take down but he seemed in a hurry to finish the fight and his impatience was to cost him. As the round drew to an end he chased Franklin down and pinned him against the cage, landing a sharp elbow. Liddell lunged forward looking to finish the fight and ran straight into a right hand from Franklin which knocked him out cold.

It was a huge win for Franklin and demonstrates that he is still a force in the light heavyweight division. For Liddell this surely marks the end of a glorious career but the iceman can feel proud that at least he went out on his shield.

Former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin walked away from UFC 115 with more than a first-round win over fellow icon of the Octagon Chuck Liddell after flattening the “Iceman” with five seconds remaining in the opening frame. “Ace” also exited the arena with an additional $85,000 and “Knockout of the Night” honors, both of which may help to ease the lingering pain he’s no doubt enduring as a result of a broken bone in his arm sustained during the headlining bout. The news was announced at the post-event press conference and reported by Sherdog.

Joining Franklin in procuring an extra $85,000 for work put in, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s post-fight plea apparently resonated with UFC brass, as his third-round choke of hard-hitting kickboxer Pat Barry WAS selected as “Submission of the Night”. The Croatian, generally known for his striking and knockout power, earned the fourth submission-based win of his career with the performance and his first by means of grappling since choking Kevin Randleman in PRIDE a little over 5 1/2 years ago.

Finally, Carlos Condit’s comeback win over blue-chip prospect Rory MacDonald was announced as the event’s “Fight of the Night”. The former WEC welterweight title-holder emerged down on the judges’ scorecards after the bout’s opening ten minutes but was able to pound out a victory with less than ten seconds remaining in the third round.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - While the $85,000 bonus check Rory
MacDonald received for his "Fight of the Night" performance at
UFC 115 probably helped chase away the blues that
accompanied his first professional MMA loss, it did little to silence
the 17,000 angered fans at GM Place.

With MacDonald absorbing shot after shot from opponent Carlos Condit,
referee Kevin Dornan made the unpopular decision of stopping the fight
with just seven seconds left in a contest the Canadian youngster seemed
assured of no less than a draw result.

UFC president Dana White said the timing of
the ending was unfortunate, but he backed the referee's decision
completely.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Fight of the Night” winner Carlos Condit talks about his victory over Canadian Rory MacDonald and offers his opinion on the refs stoppage with 7 seconds left in the round.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Victorious welterweight Claude Patrick discusses his submission win over Ricardo Funch and say’s he’d like to fight Dong Hyun Kim next.

HT: MMAFighting.com

The UFC’s first trip to Vancouver looked to have been a success as the sold out show drew in approximately 17,000 spectators, for a gate of $4.2 million according to UFC president Dana White. White made that announcement, as well as the “Fight Night” bonuses for Saturday’s UFC 115 Liddell vs. Franklin event, which took place at GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Earning $85,000 for their efforts were Carlos Condit, Rory MacDonald, Rich Franklin and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. The “Fight Night” bonus was $20,000 higher than the $65,000 bonuses handed out at the promotions last event, UFC 114 which took place in Las Vegas.

Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald each received the $85,000 bonus for earning the “Fight of the Night” honor. MacDonald had been winning the first two rounds but slowed in the third and was caught in the dying moments of the third by Condit as he unleashed a vicious ground-and-pound attack on the Canadian. Referee Kevin Doman stepped in with only 7 seconds remaining to award Condit the TKO victory at 4:53 of the third.

Rich Franklin was given the “Knockout of the Night” award after he put the “Iceman” Chuck Liddell, on ice at 4:55 of the first round. The round was exciting to watch with both men trading hard shots, but Franklin managed to land a short straight right hand dropping Liddell to the mat out cold. It was revealed after the bout that one of the “Iceman’s” high kicks had broken Franklin’s left arm.

The “Submission of the Night” honor was awarded to former PRIDE champ Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic who earned a rare submission victory over Pat Barry. Both men walked away pretty banged up in a fight most critics thought would end with a knockout. Filipovic, who suffered some early knockdowns, was able to press the attack in the third on a tired Barry and dropped him to the mat. The Croatian quickly followed his opponent to the mat, dropping several short punches but quickly sunk in the rear-naked-choke on Barry when he exposed his neck, and forced the submission at 4:30 of the third.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Rich Franklin, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald each earned $85,000 fight-night bonuses for their performances at
Saturday's "UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin" event.

Franklin earned the "Knockout of the Night" award, Filipovic earned the
"Submission of the Night bonus, and Condit and MacDonald both earned
"Fight of the Night" honors.

MMAjunkie.com learned of the award winners and bonus amounts while at the UFC 115 post-event press conference.