In one of the most tragic miscarriages of justice in recent MMA officiating memory, longtime referee Yves Lavigne took the fate out of Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig’s hands this evening during the UFC 115 preliminary card in one of the worst stoppages of the year.

No stranger to controversy with extremely questionable calls in previous UFC bouts such as Kyle Bradley vs. Phillipe Nover and Matt Brown vs. Pete Sell, Lavigne made the decision to stop this evening’s lightweight contest between Wiman and Danzig after coming to the conclusion that Danzig had been rendered unconscious from a mounted guillotine choke early in the opening round.

Danzig had not.

Even before Lavigne had a chance to separate Wiman’s forearm from the former TUF champion’s throat, Danzig threw both hands into the air protesting the stoppage. Upon rising to his feet it was apparent that Danzig was in no danger of being finished as the replay clearly dislayed that Danzig had plenty of room for oxygen to trravel to his brain through a large opening in the submission attempt.

Although Danzig appeared anxious to continue on with the fight following the stoppage, the damage was done and Wiman declared the winner via first round submission. Unfortunately, there was no submission.

Former close training partners at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Evan Dunham and Tyson Griffin went at it for a full three rounds this evening in a  closely contested, technical affair. Surprisingly, Dunham showed that he had a clear advantage in the takedown department over the stocky and experienced Griffin. Dunham took Griffin’s back on multiple occasions during the scrap and controlled the action for the bulk of the contest on his way to a split decision victory.

Also putting up impressive performances this evening during the UFC 115 prelims were Mario Miranda, who rebounded from the first defeat of his career to stop David Loiseau via TKO in the second round; and UFC newcomer Claude Patrick who finished the normally durable Ricardo Funch with a slick first round guillotine choke.

A full list of the results from the undercard action is listed below:

Mike Pyle def. Jesse Lennox via technical submission (triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:44

Claude Patrick def. Ricardo Funch via submission (guillotine choke)- Round 2, 1:48

James Wilks def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Mario Miranda def. David Loiseau via TKO – Round 2, 4:07

Matt Wiman def. Mac Danzig via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:45

Evan Dunham def. Tyson Griffin via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Once again it’s on and FiveOuncesofPain.com will be here all evening to make sure you keep up to date with all of the live results and happenings from tonight’s “UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin” event.

UFC 115 will take place from the GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

FiveOuncesofPain.com’s coverage will kick off right around 7:30 pm ET (4:30 pm PT) when the first pair of fighters touch gloves. The prelims on Spike TV are scheduled for 9:00 pm ET (6:00 pm PT), and the main card is slated to begin on pay-per-view at 10:00 pm ET (7:00 pm PT).

Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will be squaring off with Rich “Ace” Franklin in a battle of fan favorites and former champions in the main event of the evening, while fellow heavyweight knockout specialists Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Pat Barry will go at it in the co-headliner.

Enjoy The fights! Results are below…

Mike Pyle def. Jesse Lennox via technical submission (triangle choke) - Round 3, 4:44

Claude Patrick def. Ricardo Funch via submission (guillotine choke)- Round 2, 1:48

James Wilks def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Mario Miranda def. David Loiseau via TKO – Round 2, 4:07

Matt Wiman def. Mac Danzig via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:45

Evan Dunham def. Tyson Griffin via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Carlos Condit def. Rory Macdonald via TKO – Round 3, 4:53

Ben Rothwell def. Gilbert Yvel via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Martin Kampmann def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Pat Barry via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 4:30

Rich Franklin def. Chuck Liddell via knockout – Round 1, 4:55

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (June 10, 2010) – Pat Curran completed his unlikely Cinderella-story run through Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 2 Lightweight Tournament on Thursday, scoring a split decision victory over MMA veteran and 2009 Submission of the Year titleholder Toby Imada to win the tournament championship.

Curran’s win headlined another great night of fights from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in South Florida, roughly 30 miles south of the high school that Curran represented in the state wrestling finals just four years ago.

On Thursday, with dozens of his friends and family looking on, the 22-year-old impressed the judges with an athletic takedown defense and a series of powerful blows to the head that opened two cuts around Imada’s right eye. With the win, Curran earned the Season 2 Championship and the right to fight reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion and 20-2 MMA star Eddie Alvarez.

Alvarez, who watched the fight cageside with his son, Eddie Jr., called Curran’s performance “tough” and “impressive.”

“The guy’s powerful and he hits hard,” Alvarez said as Curran (12-3) was presented with a check for $100,000. “I’m looking forward to fighting him.”

Curran, who was inspired to begin a career in MMA by his cousin, UFC, WEC and Strikeforce veteran Jeff Curran, said afterwards that Bellator “changed my life.” It was his third consecutive upset victory along with a quarterfinal KO of Georges St.-Pierre training partner Mike Ricci and a semifinal decision win against UFC veteran and early tournament favorite Roger Huerta.

“What Pat Curran accomplished tonight is exactly what Bellator is all about,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He proved to himself and to the world that he deserves this championship and he deserves a fight with Eddie Alvarez thanks to three straight outstanding wins against three very tough opponents.”

Imada, who helped put Bellator on the map during its inaugural season with his now-famous inverted triangle choke submission of Jorge Masvidal, accepted the defeat graciously, congratulating Curran and saying “that’s what I get for leaving it up to the judges.”

The night also featured an impressive statement from Megumi Fujii, the consensus No. 1-ranked female fighter in the world, who improved her pro MMA record to an impressive 20-0 with a third round TKO of Missouri-based jiu-jitsu specialist Sarah Schneider in the evening’s “Female Showcase Fight.”

Schneider turned in a gutsy performance to survive the first two rounds but Fujii took the fight to the ground early on in Round 3, moved quickly to full mount and unleashed a rapid-fire ground-and-pound that forced the stoppage at 1:58. It was Fujii’s first-ever TKO and she admitted afterwards that she was “very surprised” not to have won via submission.

The win cemented Fujii’s position as the overwhelming favorite in Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 women’s tournament, despite the inclusion of a bevy of the world’s top 10 female fighters including 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton (the world’s No. 1-ranked 125 lbs. female), 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward and 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene.

“I will show my skills and I will be the champion,” Fujii told Bellator TV commentator Jimmy Smith after her fight, which also marked her first appearance on national television in the U.S.

In the evening’s first televised bout, a “Heavyweight Showcase Fight,” Seattle-area native Mike “300” Hayes (12-3-1) overcame a 30-pound weight disadvantage to win a unanimous decision victory over former Arena Football League player Steve Banks (4-3). The southpaw Banks used his size to claim the center of the cage and control the fight during Round 1, but he began showing signs of serious fatigue early on in Round 2. Hayes used his superior conditioning to control the fight the rest of the way and earn his fourth straight victory.

Later, in a “Bantamweight Feature Fight,” Philadelphia brawler Zack Makovsky (9-2) defeated local fan favorite and American Top Team product Eric Luke (4-3) with a crafty kimura submission at 4:28 into Round 2. With the win, Makovsky earned a spot in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament.

The event also played host to four Local Feature Fights, a sampling of which will be aired at Bellator.com beginning this Sunday as part of Bellator’s ongoing “Sunday Night Fights” promotion. The results of the local fights were:

- Brian Eckstein def. Mitchell Chamale via unanimous decision
- Moyses Gabin def. Chris Boffil via rear-naked choke submission (4:41)
- Sabah Homasi def. Frank Carrillo via TKO (13:36)
- Luis Palomino def. Jose Figueroa via unanimous decision

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Kansas City Power & Light District, where former NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren faces MMA rising star Dan Hornbuckle in the championship round of Bellator’s Season 2 Welterweight Tournament.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

Megumi Fujii is coming to America.

The undefeated Japanese submission specialist widely believed to be the pound-for-pound best female on the planet will be making her first return to the United States since March of 2007 when she faces off with the durable veteran Sarah Schneider at Bellator 21.

The bout between the pair will be contested at a catchweight of 120 lbs., where Fujii normally competes at the 115 lb. mark.

Bellator 21 is set to take place this upcoming Thursday evening, June 10, from the Seminole Hard Rock Resort & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net, while highlight shows are set to air on Saturday evening via the NBC, Telemundo and Mun2 networks.

Female MMA’s equivelant of Fedor Emelianenko, the battle-tested Fujii stands alone in her division with an impressive record of 19-0 that has spanned over the last six years. With a reputation as one of the fiercest submission finishers in the sport today , “Mega Megu” has finished 16 of her 19 victims via tapout.

Already having tested herself against some of the best female MMA has to offer, Schneider holds impressive wins over the likes of Kaitlin Young and Julie Kedzie, while coming up on the short end of the stick in recent bouts against the likes of Strikeforce 135 lb. female champion Sarah Kaufman, and most recently, Andrienna Jenkins.

The latest Bellator Fighting Championship event, Bellator 20, is already underway from the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX.

The event is being shown live on Fox Sports Net, and its regional sports network affiliates, with a highlights package airing on Saturday on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The show features two middleweight tournament bouts between Bryan Baker vs. Eric Schambari and Jared Hess vs. Alexander Shlemenko.

To see the full Bellator XX results click

Tournament bouts

Middleweight bout: Bryan Baker def. Eric Schambari via submission (triangle choke) – R1, 2:29
Middleweight bout: Alexander Shlemenko def. Jared Hess via TKO – doctor stoppage (knee injury) – R3, 2:20

Non-Tournament bouts

Lightweight bout: Adam Schindler def. Brian Melancon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight bout: Aaron Rosa def. Robert Villegas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Heavyweight bout: Eddie Sanchez def. Marcus Sursa via TKO – R3, 0:23
Featherweight bout: Nik Mamalis def. Mark Oshiro via submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 1:29
Welterweight bout: Andrew Chappelle def. Cedric Marks via submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 3:18
Flyweight bout: Jimmy Flick def. Humberto DeLeon via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Fernando Rodriguez def. Kenneth Battle via submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 1:28

UFC welterweights Dustin Hazelett (12-5) and Rick Story (10-3) have agreed to meet at UFC 117 according to sources close to the event.

UFC 117 has yet to be made official by the promotion, but it is expected to take place on Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. and will be headlined by a middleweight title bout between champ Anderson Silva vs. challenger Chael Sonnen.

Hazelett had been rumored to face Dan Hardy as part of UFC 119, but the fighter declined the bout because he is planning on getting married in the fall.

Hazelett is coming off a loss to Dan Hardy at UFC 108 where they fought at a catch weight of 172 pounds. He had scored two previous victories over Tamdan McCrory and Josh Burkman, earning “Fight Night” awards for both. His UFC 91 win over McCrory earned him the “Submission of the Night” while he submitted Burkman at the “TUF 7″ Finale to earn the “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors.

Meanwhile Story has rattled off three victories after losing his UFC debut in June of last year. The 25-year-old has earned victories over Brian Foster, Jesse Lennox and Nick Osipczak in his past three fights. Not unfamiliar with double “Fight Night” honors, Story earned the “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” awards against Foster at UFC 103.

No information was provided on where on the UFC 117 card, the bout will appear.

HT: MMAjunkie.com

Dustin Hazelett's return is finally set.

While the submission specialist had been rumored to face former
contender Dan Hardy in October, sources close to the event today told
MMAjunkie.com that Hazelett has
signed to face rising prospect Rick Story at UFC
117.

Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC 117 is expected
to take place Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. A
middleweight showdown between embattled champion Anderson Silva and
challenger Chael Sonnen headlines.

At last, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion has returned to his rightful place at the throne following an absence that totalled more than two years this evening during “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem needed all of 3:40 to demolish Brett “Grim “Rogers with a savage series of strikes in the pair’s championship clash that aired live on Showtime.

Overeem may have weighed more than ten pounds less than Rogers when the two hit the scales yesterday evening during the official weigh-ins but it was Alistair who made it quite apparent that he had a decisive strength advantage in the bout between fellow big men, throwing the larger Rogers to the canvas like a rag doll early in the first. It was all downhill for Rogers from there as the hulking Overeem kept Rogers pinned securely to the canvas and administered a ground and pound beating that caused the bout to be mercifully and appropriately waved off in the opening round.

Andrei Arlovski returned to action following more than a year layoff only to suffer the third consecutive defeat in his career, this time at the hands of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Alrlovski answered many questions critics had regarding the former UFC heavyweight champion’s chin following back-to-back knockout losses by a variety of solid strikes to the chin from Silva. Unfortunately for Arlovski. Silva did just enough utilizing his striking arsenal in a closely contested bout to come away with a narrow unanimous decision vistory.

Also looking impressive on the card was Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who utilized a much improved striking game with a suprising wrestling arsenal to impose his will on Joey Villasenor for the bulk of the three rounds between the middleweights en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Roger Gracie looked sharp in St. Louis as well, submitting former UFC champion Kevin Randleman with a rear naked choke in the very first round, and Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante added another stoppage to his steadily improving resume with a first round knockout of Antwain Britt.

A full set of live results from Strikeforce “St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” are below:

Matt Ricehouse def. Greg Wilson via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3

Tom Aaron def. Erik Steenberg via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1

Fransisco France def. Lee Brousseau via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1

Mike Chandler def. Sal Woods via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1

Darryl Cobb def. Booker DeRousse via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Lyle Beerbohm def. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Jesse Finney def. Justin DeMoney via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1

Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcvante def. Antwain Britt via TKO – Round 1

Roger Gracie def. Kevin Randleman via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2

Ronaldo Souza def. Joey Villasenor via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Antonio Silva def. Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Alistair Overeem def. Brett Rogers via TKO – Round 1

(props to Snakefinger and Cagepotato.com for the poster)

Tonight’s Strikeforce event, “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” have already kicked off in Missouri beginning with the un-aired preliminary card.

The event takes place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis with the main card airing live on Showtime.

The preliminary card began at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) and the main card is set to kick off at 10:00 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).

The show features several heavyweight bouts including a Strikeforce title bout between heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers. The co-main event has former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski taking on former EliteXC heavyweight champ Antonio Silva.

As always, The MMA News keeps the Live Quick Results off the main page. To view the match-ups and full list of results for the Strikeforce event click

Main Card

– Alistair Overeem def. Brett Rogers via TKO (punches) – R1, 3:40 (defends heavyweight title)
– Antonio Silva def. Andrei Arlovski (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
– Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza def. Joey Villasenor via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
– Roger Gracie def. Kevin Randleman via submission (rear-naked-choke) – R2, 4:10
– Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante def. Antwain Britt via KO (strikes) – R1, 3:45

Preliminary Card (un-aired)

– Jesse Finney def. Justin DeMoney via submission (guillotine choke) – R1, 3:22
– Lyle Beerbohm def. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
– Darryl Cobb def. Booker DeRousse via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mike Chandler def. Sal Woods via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 0:59
– Fransisco “Kiko” France def. Lee Brousseau via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 1:27
– Tom Aaron def. Erik Steenberg via submission (guillotine choke) – R1, 0:56
– Matt Ricehouse def. Greg Wilson via submission (rear-naked choke) – R3, 0:45

FiveOuncesofPain.com will be here all evening to keep you up to date with all of the latest live results from “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” along with our usual offering of post-fight analysis.

“Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” takes place this evening from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, with the preliminary bouts beginning at approximately 7:30 pm ET (4:30 pm PT) and the main card action kicking off at 10 pm ET (7 pm PT).

The main event will see Alistair Overeem attempt to defend his Strikeforce heavyweight throne for the first time in over two years in a battle with Brett Rogers, while Andrei Arlovski and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva will be looking to knock one another senseless in the co-main event of the evening.

A full set of live results from Strikeforce “St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” are below:

Matt Ricehouse def. Greg Wilson via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3

Tom Aaron def. Erik Steenberg via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1

Fransisco France def. Lee Brousseau via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1

Mike Chandler def. Sal Woods via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1

Darryl Cobb def. Booker DeRousse via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Lyle Beerbohm def. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Jesse Finney def. Justin DeMoney via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1

Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcvante def. Antwain Britt via TKO – Round 1

Roger Gracie def. Kevin Randleman via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2

Ronaldo Souza def. Joey Villasenor via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Antonio Silva def. Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Alistair Overeem def. Brett Rogers via TKO – Round 1