You could say Nate Marquardt has a one-track mind heading into Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 22 main-event fight with fellow middleweight Rousimar Palhares.

Marquardt hasn't fought since a February loss to Chael Sonnen that snapped a three-fight string of knockout victories.

The defeat also cost Marquardt a second shot at the belt, and since then, he's thought about few other things.

French Canadian fighter, Martin “The Stress” Desilets (11-2) earned a second straight win over opponent Victor Valimaki defending his TFC light-heavyweight title.

With the win Desilets may be poised to move on to bigger and better things, fans may expect to see him in a Bellator cage soon.

Here is the full Press Release.
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Edmonton, Alberta (Canada): Martin “The Stress” Desilets came into his rematch with UFC veteran Victor Valimaki at Friday’s TFC 11: “Full Force” with a lot of questions laid at his feet. Some wondered if his first victory over Valimaki, which took place at TFC 10: “High Octane” in March, was a fluke. Some questioned whether or not Desilets was a dirty fighter due to groin strikes that occurred in the bout. Well, those questions have all been answered, as The Fight Club fans saw “The Stress” (11-2) land a knee “full force” and take out Valimaki (16-7) at only 37 seconds of the first round. Now truly the undisputed TFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Desilets only question now is “who’s next?”

“Full Force” also featured a Canadian Lightweight Championship match between the undefeated Mitch Clarke and Josh Machan, who entered the tilt on a seven-fight winning streak. After a tough first round, Clarke was able to maneuver his prey into a submission, squeezing out a rear-naked choke victory at 33 seconds of the 2nd round, capturing the title in the process. The newly-minted champ runs his record to a perfect 8-0, while Machan’s winning streak is stopped, bringing his record to 7-4.

Also at TFC 11, rising young Canadian welterweight star Ryan “The Kid” McGillivray defeated late replacement Markhaile “Showtime” Wedderburn in an exciting matchup. After an action-packed first round, McGillivray (11-4-1) caught Wedderburn (10-8) in a fight-ending armbar submission, making him undefeated in his last four fights. The night wasn’t a total loss for the Machan family, as Josh’s brother Ryan (12-5) was able to conquer the challenge brought by James McCutcheon (3-3) via TKO (ref stoppage due to unanswered punches). Also featured at “Full Force” was ex-CFL player Rio Wells, who continued his winning ways by stopping fellow former football player Chuck Pelc via TKO due to strikes. Wells stays undefeated as a pro, and has won all four of his fights via knockout.

Here are the full results of TFC 11: “Full Force:”

205 lbs: TFC World Light Heavyweight Champion Martin Desilets (11-2) defeated Victor Valimaki (16-7) via TKO (knee) Round 1, 0:37
155 lbs: Mitch Clarke (8-0) defeated Josh Machan (7-4) for the TFC Canadian Lightweight title via submission (rear-naked-choke) Round 2, 0:33
170 lbs: Ryan McGillivray (11-4-1) defeated Markhaile Wedderburn (10-8) via submission (arm bar) Round 2, 2:42
170 lbs: Ryan Machan (12-5) defeated James McCutcheon (3-3) via TKO (punches) Round 1, 2:25
170 lbs: Rio Wells (4-0) defeated Chuck Pelc (2-2) via TKO (punches) Round 2, 1:00
130 lbs: Sy Jewett (2-0) defeated Rachael Swaetz (3-2) via split-decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
170 lbs: Max Dalsin (4-2) defeated Darcy Boizard (1-2) via TKO (knees) Round 1, 1:15
140 lbs: Adam Bodwell (1-0) defeated Reece Chapman (0-1) via submission (guillotine choke) Round 1, 4:37
155 lbs: Steve Beaumont (1-0) defeated Dean Cox (0-1) via TKO (punches) Round 1, 3:17

AMARILLO, Texas - Dominant wrestling has cost Paul Daley dearly.

This year alone, it cost him a title shot with UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, a coaching stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 12," a win over Josh Koscheck, and ultimately, his UFC contract.

So Daley - one of the more vocal opponents of "boring wrestlers" - found a little humor in the way he defeated a game Jorge Masvidal at Saturday's Shark Fights 13 event.

Press Release

It wasn’t the homecoming party that Ryan Ford wanted, but it was the coming out party that Douglas Lima deeply desired.

Stunning a vastly partisan crowd in his opponent’s home town, Lima (15-4) scored a second-round submission victory over Ford (12-3) in the co-main event of MFC 26: Retribution held Friday night at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta, and live on HDNet Fights.

Following an exciting back-and-forth opening round, Lima found Ford’s arm dangling after a takedown and smoothly transitioned into a tapout finish at the 48-second mark of the middle frame. From once unknown to instant title contender, it was a perfect turn of events for the ATT Atlanta product.

“I want the belt now,” declared Lima, who also secured the Submission of the Night award. “I was promised if I win this fight they will give me a title shot. That’s what I want – please.”

The victory was Lima’s third straight and put a halt to Ford’s four-fight string of success while also souring the much-ballyhooed return of Ford to the MFC where his promising career began.

While Lima positioned himself in the welterweight title picture, reigning MFC lightweight champ Antonio McKee left no doubt as to who wears the biggest crown in the organization. Much-maligned for his “boring” style and vowing to retire if his opponent could last the five-round distance with him, McKee (25-3-2) punished Brazilian foe Luciano Azevedo (16-9) with a wicked slam and then proceeded to demolish him with relentless ground-and-pound.

Two devastating elbows strikes carved a huge gash in Azevedo’s forehead and a after a brief check by the ringside physician, referee Frank Geric waved the fight to a rightful stoppage just 3:11 into the opening stanza. The victory was just McKee’s third TKO win of his career and the Lakewood, California, product not only retained his belt but remains unbeaten in his past 15 fights spanning seven years. Though only seven of his 25 career wins have been of the non-decision variety, this decisive verdict should serve some notice to McKee’s many critics that he can truly be an entertaining finisher.

“Whoever the MFC puts in front of me next, I’ll whoop their ass too,” said McKee. “I guess it’s not true – you can teach an old dog new tricks. And I want to thank (HDNet commentator) Guy Mezger for bringing the best out of me.”

Two other fighters made serious impacts at MFC 26, both ending their respective bouts with impressive knockouts. Despite spending much of the first round on his back, David Heath sent foe Solomon Hutcherson back to his corner after the opening five minutes with badly bleeding – and likely broken – nose. That was only the tip of the damage iceberg that was in store for Hutcherson.

Heath (16-6) brought a huge roar from the capacity crowd when he opened Round 2 with a spinning backfist that very nearly dropped Hutcherson. And moments later, Heath did put Hutcherson (11-7) down for good with a well-placed right hand and follow-up hammerfists that brought an explosive ending to the fight at 3:46 of the second round. The result, which garnered Knockout of the Night kudos for the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, was particularly noteworthy for Heath as it was his first test in the middleweight ranks, dropping down from light heavyweight. While there’s still work to be done, Heath served notice that he is a serious threat in search of a title belt.

The same can also now likely be said of Dwayne Lewis, who redeemed himself for a poor showing at MFC 25 against Emanuel Newton by taking out Mike Nickels only 1:30 into their 205-pound contest. Lewis (12-5) dropped Nickels (8-4) twice with short uppercuts in the clinch and then pounded down Nickels for good with more sharp and heavy shots. Lewis, one of the organization’s most-popular figures, made a clear-cut case for a new multi-fight contract with his most-impressive outing since dusting off Marvin Eastman at MFC 23.

In another middleweight bout, Jesse “JT Money” Taylor (16-6) didn’t inflict a lot of damage, but kept positional advantage and went after enough submissions to easily pull away from brash Brit Tom “Kong” Watson. While his ring entrance electrified the crowd, Watson (12-4) was unable to unleash his vaunted striking attack under the relentless wear of Taylor’s well-executed game plan. All three judges scored the bout 30-26 in Taylor’s favour – Watson having been deducted one point in Round 1 for holding the ropes during takedown attempts.

The night’s televised card opened with two of the MFC’s newest young guns squaring off and it was Curtis Demarce (11-7) using a slick triangle choke to coax the tapout from Tyson Steele (6-1) at the 4:09 mark of Round 2.

Other results:

Ford Robertson def. Andrew Buckland – unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Aaron Berke def. Ryan Ballingall – tapout via rear-naked choke, 0:35 Round 2
Chad Freeman def. Theo Brisley – tapout via armbar, 3:04 Round 1

The Fight Club is holding it’s latest event, TFC 11, at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta tonight beginning at approx. 10 PM EST (7 PM PST).

The event features two TFC title bouts on the event card.

TFC light-heavyweight champ Martin Desilets (10-2) will defend his title against Victor Valimaki (16-6) in the main event. While Mitch Clarke (7-0) and Josh Machan (7-3) will fight it out for the TFC lightweight title.

The event will air on tape delay on The Fight Network.

The MMA News will provide Live ‘Quick Results’ for TFC 11.

Here are the full ‘Quick Results.’

Light-heavyweight: Champion Martin Desilets def. Victor Valimaki via TKO (knee) – R1 @ 0:37- TFC World Light Heayweight title bout
Lightweight: Mitch Clarke def. Josh Machan via submission (rear naked choke) – R2 @ 0:33 defends TFC Canadian Lightweight title
Welterweight: Ryan McGillivray def. Markhaile Wedderburn via submission (armbar) – R2 @ 2:22
Welterweight: Ryan Machan def. James McCutcheon via TKO (punches) – R1 @ 2:25
Welterweight: Rio Wells def. Chuck Pelc via TKO (unanswered strikes) – R2 @ 2:05
Women’s 130lb: Sy Jewett def. Rachael Swaetz via split decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Welterweight: Max Dalsin def. Darcy Boizard via TKO (unanswered strikes) – R1 @ 1:15
140 lbs: Adam Bodwell def. Reece Chapman via submission (choke) – R1 @ 4:37
Lightweight: Steve Beaumont def. Dean Cox via TKO (strikes) – R1 @ 3:17

Click here to view the embedded video.

Antonio Mckee spoke to Marcos of Fight Hub TV about his upcoming bout, September the 10th where he will defend his MFC lightweight title against Luciano Azevedo. Mckee talks how he will retire if he does not get the win or has a boring fight, how Azevedo’s trash talk has motivated him and that he will beat Azevedo’s young ass to put on a great show.

The weigh-ins for the latest The Fight Club event, “TFC 11: Full Force” took place on Thursday night from the Union Hall night club in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Friday’s TFC 11 event takes place at the Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton. The event will air on tape delay on HDNet and features two title bouts. TFC light-heavyweight champ Martin “The Stress” Desilets (10-2) will defend his title in a rematch with Victor “The Matrix” Valimaki (16-6). While Mitch Clarke (7-0) faces Josh Machan (7-3) for the TFC lightweight title.

Seventeen of the eighteen fighters made weight for their respective bouts. Only Markhaile “Showtime” Wedderburn (9-7) failed to make weight.

The full “TFC 11: Full Force” weigh-in results are as follows:

Light-heavyweight: Champion Martin Desilets (205.4) vs. Victor Valimaki (205.8) – TFC World Light Heayweight title bout
Lightweight: Mitch Clarke (154.6) vs. Josh Machan (155.6) – TFC Canadian Lightweight title bout
Welterweight: Ryan McGillivray (171) vs. Markhaile Wedderburn (173.4)
Welterweight: Ryan Machan (171.8) vs. James McCutcheon (169.4)
Welterweight: Rio Wells (171) vs. Chuck Pelc (170)
Women’s 130lb: Sy Jewett (130) vs. Rachael Swaetz (129)
Welterweight: Darcy Boizard (169.8) vs. Max Dalsin (169)
140 lbs: Reece Chapman (139.6) vs. Adam Bodwell (132.4)
Lightweight: Steve Beaumont (156) vs. Dean Cox (154.8)

Does Karo Parisyan deserve a return to the Octagon only a year removed from his banishment from the organization? How do you feel about the format of Shine Fights’ upcoming event? What is MMA’s “Comeback of the Year” now that we’re three-quarters of the way through 2010? Are you excited about the Ultimate Fighter Season 12?

Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!

Welcome to “Grappling with Issues”, our site’s regular weekly 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…

What is your opinion of single-night, eight-man tournaments such as the one occurring at tomorrow night’s Shine Fights show?

Tool: It’s interesting that this sort of thing is so rare in MMA nowadays given the fact that these sorts of tournaments are exactly how the sport started out. Those single digit UFC and early PRIDE events featured competitions like these but they eventually went away once the sport started being sanctioned. Not surprisingly this Shine Fights event had to be moved for that very reason, as Virginia refused to sanction the card and the show had to be moved to Oklahoma.

I find these types of tournaments to be mostly useless in the present day and age. For one, it’s hard to find fighters willing to endure an evening like this one (since the winner of Shine Fights’ tournament could be in the cage for up to 41 minutes total). If the UFC did such a tournament for one of their titles I suppose guys would be lining up but for Shine Fights it seems as though the winner simply gets bragging rights. There’s also the fact that most of these tournaments end up with at least one fighter getting screwed by taking too much damage in the early rounds and having to be replaced later on in the tournament. It’s also worth pointing out that all of the fighters competing for Shine Fights tomorrow night will potentially be hurting their careers, as it appears all eight men will face suspension for participating in an unsanctioned event. All things considered I have to ask; what’s the point?

Conlan: I’m not necessarily surprised by the scarcity of similar tournaments based on the evolution of the sport since its early days. Fighters have grown into polished athletes and the education of today’s fan/government official has greatly improved since John McCain famously labeled MMA as “human cockfighting”. As Tool pondered, “What’s the point?”…at least beyond satisfying the public’s inner-yearnings to see a movie like “The Karate Kid” or “Bloodsport” played out in real life that is.

Though I appreciate the raw nature of the eight-man “grand prix” concept in MMA, I think it’s outdated and has more potential for bad than good. It goes without saying participants are more likely to sustain some form of injury after enduring multiple fights in an evening rather than the standard single bout. Whether the damage is minimal or stomach-turning, those who advance will no longer be competing on a level playing field as they would be when facing off at a standard event. In a sense that cheats not only the involved fighters but the fans as well.

Additionally, the negative publicity attached to the controversy surrounding the format adds to the misinformed perception of many that Mixed Martial Arts is a sport of bloodlust rather than athleticism. Rather than opting for a regulated event, Shine Fights has chosen to push their product over the betterment of the sport by running their show without State approval at a tribal casino. The nation’s media is such that a single story can form America’s view of a topic depending on how often it plays on the 24-hour cable news cycle, and I fear what sort of reaction might be had by talking heads if one of the fighters in a later round of the tournament was significantly injured. It’s important to recognize the tightrope MMA is rapidly walking towards mainstream acceptance and an unlicensed card where two men will fight three times in a single night could easily shift its balance if not knock it off altogether were something terrible to happen. Fortunately, that’s also a very unlikely scenario, but still an angle that should have been given serious consideration by the Shine Fights staff before going ahead with the single-night grand prix.

Who stands the most to gain with a win at next week’s UFC “Fight Night” event?

Tool: There’s a few ways to look at this question. There are guys who are simply looking to gain continued employment within the UFC and for them it could be the most important fight of their career. There’s no real do-or-die situations on the main card but the evening’s preliminary card features a few fighters who could find themselves back on smaller shows with a loss on Wednesday. Tomasz Drwal would push his current losing streak to 2 if he drops his fight with David Branch, and that would make his UFC record 3-3. Forrest Petz and Brian Foster could be in a “loser leaves town” situation as both fighters are coming off of a loss. It’s also worth noting that Petz would move to 0-2 in the UFC while Foster would have 3 losses in the Octagon (with his lone win being an impressive one over Brock Larson).

Looking at this question in more of a broad sense I think we are trying to figure out who would stand to gain the most ground within their division with a win over their scheduled opponent. Rousimar Palhares would be a good answer but I’m going to look outside of the main event (more on Palhares in a bit). Within this card I think it’s Ultimate Fighter champion Ross Pearson who could get the biggest boost to his career with a win over Cole Miller. By now it’s become clear that Pearson is a far better fighter than people wanted to originally give him credit for, and a win on Wednesday moves his post-TUF career to 3-0 over some quality lightweight fighters. He should get a step up in competition and could move into contention sooner than later given the recent upheaval within the division.

Conlan: My apologies if this seems like a cop-out, but I think it stands to reason Nate Marquardt has the most to gain if he’s able to get by his powerful, submission-savvy opponent at the event. He was on the cusp of contending for the UFC middleweight title before running into the takedowns and top control of Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 last February, and a case could even be made he offered Sonnen a stiffer test in three rounds than Anderson Silva did through five before procuring one of the most memorable triangle-chokes in MMA history.

Prior to the decision loss, Marquardt had won four of his previous five bouts with the lone exception being a split decision defeat to Thales Leites based primarily on having points deducted during the fight rather than getting outworked. Beating Palhares at next week’s “Fight Night 22” would launch Nate “The Great” back into the title mix, and that’s a distinction no one else on the card can claim (except maybe his opponent at the event).

“Toquinho” has won three consecutive bouts since losing a decision to Dan Henderson two years ago and is 11-2 overall. He’s small for a middleweight but makes up for his size disadvantage with a great deal of upper-body strength and the willingness to implement his BJJ in devastating fashion if necessary. Defeating Marquardt would certainly be the most significant victory of his career and earn him bigger match-ups in the future, but, again, the bump up in reputation is secondary to a championship opportunity as far as I’m concerned. If Marquardt escapes Austin with his hands raised he’ll be no more than two wins away from a shot at the belt and such a situation deserves serious consideration when asking who will benefit most with a dubya on September 15th.

Do you agree/disagree with the UFC’s decision to bring Karo Parisyan back into the Octagon after a single fight outside of the organization?

Tool: I have to disagree and I can give three reasons why:

1. Karo is all out of relevance in the UFC’s welterweight picture. Believe me, I feel for the guy after he lost out on his title shot due to injury but what has he done since then? After the loss to Diego Sanchez he came back with three wins in a row over guys who aren’t with the UFC anymore. He was on the receiving end of Thiago Alves’ flying knee and it was all downhill from there.

2. He’s given no indication that his personal problems are taken care of. I don’t want to rehash the last few years of Parisyan’s UFC career but we all know they were not pleasant. In a recent interview he said his failed UFC 94 drug test was simply a case of him being dumb enough to take painkillers the morning of the fight. He doesn’t make any statements that would lead you to believe that he’s not taking the pills anymore, he simply makes it sound like he’s not going to be dumb enough to get caught again.

3. He brings out the worst qualities in Joe Rogan. It takes away from a fight when the announcers calling the action have a clear favoritism towards one fighter over the other. Rogan has made no secret of the fact that he and Karo are pals, and the result is some of the worst color commentary of the night. Rogan turns into Parisyan’s biggest cheerleader and it just bugs the crap out of me.

Conlan: I’m with Adam on this one and am surprised the simple fact UFC President Dana White stated Parisyan was finished in the UFC also didn’t play into his answer. Though White’s words have been empty numerous times before, in this instance it seemed as though he was attempting to make an example out of Parisyan for his inconsistent, unprofessional behavior and was going to stand firm rather than cave less than a year later.

Tool has outlined a number of worthwhile points, though I personally haven’t ever noticed Rogan foaming at the mouth for “The Heat” to the point it took away from my enjoyment of a fight, and I think he’s still a solid fighter when on his game.

Beyond that, I agree Parisyan hasn’t done enough to publically prove his personal issues have been resolved as might have been the case had he fought more than once (in Australia no less) since being released by the UFC. While he may not have punched Josh Koscheck in the grill after a fight ended, as Paul Daley did prior to earning a now-questionable lifetime ban from the promotion, but he definitely slapped the UFC in the face after a series withdrawing at the last minute from a few events and also submitting a positive test for the use of illegal painkillers ultimately causing his last appearance in the Octagon to be ruled a “No Contest”. I’ve always enjoyed watching Parisyan fight, and I have a great deal of respect for his judo ability, but at this point in time he should be paying his dues outside of the UFC rather than being welcomed back a single year and single fight later.

BUY/SELL – Rousimar Palhares is the most dangerous grappler Nate Marquardt has ever faced in the UFC.

Conlan: All due respect to Genki Sudo, but this is definitely a “buy” for me. Though Marquardt has faced as or more accomplished submission-grapplers than Palhares, the key word in the phrasing here is “dangerous”. Unlike Ricardo Almeida or Demian Maia per say, Palhares has a history of attacking opponents’ legs/feet. Of his eleven wins, four have come by way of “heel hook” and another using an “ankle lock”. He’s also coming off a three-month suspension for extending a submission on Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111 last March. Since he’s not only injured previous opponents, but also employs a submission-strategy associated with more involved risk than the standard one, I think it’s fair to say Palhares is the “most dangerous” grappler Marquardt has faced in his 41-fight career.

Tool: I’m with Brendhan in picking “buy” as well. Palhares may not have the credentials of Maia (and so very few people do) but he’s arguably one of the strongest fighters in the middleweight division. That strength allows him to score often on his takedown attempts, and it also gives him the advantage of some great top-control. The biggest advantage of all that muscle is that when Palhares grabs a hold of a limb he’s not going to let go. I’d be very surprised if Marquardt allows this fight to go to the ground because if it does he’s going to be in for a world of trouble.

Do you plan to watch every single episode of this season of The Ultimate Fighter?

Conlan: Absolutely. I’ve been an avid watcher of the Ultimate Fighter since the first season and credit it, like many other people, for opening my eyes to the struggles of Mixed Martial Artists and the intricacies of the sport. Though the show’s quality has suffered at times, especially when it comes to focusing on entertainment over athletic endeavor, the core remains both what occurs in the ring and revealing fighters to be far more human than the savages so many people still perceive them to be. Last season’s champion, Court McGee, is a perfect example of what’s “right” about TUF.

As far as the upcoming offering, I’m also interested beyond simply being a habitual watcher based on the choice of coaches. I have grown to respect Josh Koscheck a lot over the past year or so and truly believe he plays up the villain role he’s been labeled with since debuting in the UFC. For all his faults he still seems like a hard-working, insightful person. He has experience as a wrestling coach on high school and collegiate levels, plus works with a tight-knit group at American Kickboxing Academy where he’s also known for his training ethic and willingness to assist teammates.

His opposing coach on the show, Georges St. Pierre, is also associated with being an extremely dedicated individual in the gym who believes in sharing his knowledge with others. The UFC Welterweight Champion is as humble as superstars come and, as a generally private person, it should be insightful and entertaining to see how he conducts himself in front of the cameras. I don’t care about the involved title-defense angle, as plenty of TUF-based bouts have fallen apart, but the idea of Koscheck and GSP (who don’t necessarily like each other) as coaches is extremely appealing, as is the idea of learning about another new crop of potential UFC rookies. For those reasons, like I said before, I’ll definitely be tuning in from season’s start to finale’s finish.

Tool: I’ll also be watching every episode of this season for a couple of reasons. Obviously as someone who writes about the sport in a somewhat professional manner it stands to reason that I would want to soak up everything the UFC has to offer. The other reason I’ll be watching the entire season is because my girlfriend will want to watch it too. I don’t know if anybody else has managed to get their significant others into MMA via this particular reality show, but it’s worked out fine for me.

This is one of those times when I ask a particular question during the column because I’m actually more curious to see how the readers respond to it. Brendhan and I are both in for the long haul, but what about you? Does this show still grab your interest after 12 seasons? Are you at all curious to see the budding rivalry between Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck? Or will you simply find something better to do on Wednesday nights and only catch the replay if you hear about a particularly good fight?

On the heels of Joe Warren’s amazing KO of Joe Soto at last week’s Bellator event, what is your early pick for Comeback of the Year?

Conlan: As incredible as Warren’s win was, I have a hard time picking anything other than Anderson Silva’s timely submission of Chael Sonnen as the current “Comeback of the Year”. Bellator’s newest champion took a good amount of damage in the opening round, but I don’t feel he ever came as close to defeat as “The Spider” did at UFC 117 based on the heart and instinct to survive he’s shown in previous performances.

Silva, on the other hand, had been dominated for more than twenty minutes and found himself on his back in Sonnen’s clutches again during the bout’s fifth frame before initiating the final sequence of events. To have maintained focus in that position, especially against someone with Sonnen’s top control, stands out more to me than Warren landing a few finishing strikes after being marked up in a single round.

Additionally, the UFC middleweight champ’s victory also occurred on a huge stage with the added pressure of both an enormous amount of pre-fight hype and the Brazilian’s remarkable win streak at risk. I’m sure there are a lot of other deserving contenders in the “comeback” category who haven’t received as much mainstream attention as Silva’s recent title defense did, like Ricardo Romero’s submission of Seth Petruzelli at UFC 116 for example, but for me the only “10” out of a bunch of “9.5”s remains the UFC 117 main event based on all the involved factors.

Tool: 2010 has featured some of the best MMA comebacks of all time, and each one was the best kind of reminder of exactly how great this sport is. I’m sure the Silva/Sonnen finish will claim this award from most sites at the end of the year, and it’s certainly right up there with the best comeback wins in history.

For the sake of our readers though, I’ll make a different pick for the Todd Duffee/Mike Russow fight from UFC 114. When they posed off the day before the fight these two looked more like the before & after pictures from a weight-loss ad. Once the fight started Duffee was constantly moving forward and attacking as Russow absorbed the constant offense while offering none of his own. Duffee couldn’t put his opponent away but he was clearly on his way to winning a decision once the fight entered the third round. Midway through the third Russow landed a right hand out of nowhere and Duffee was completely separated from consciousness. It was that rare combination of a stunning knockout and an unbelievable comeback.

Press Release

Edmonton, Alberta (Canada): Rising Canadian fight promotion The Fight Club (TFC) today announced the finalized fight card for their next event, “TFC 11: Full Force.” This exciting event will take place on Friday, September 10th at the Shaw Conference Center. In the main event, one of the most anticipated rematches in Canadian MMA history will commence, as newly-minted TFC Light Heavyweight Champion Martin “The Stress” Desilets (10-2) and UFC veteran Victor “The Matrix” Valimaki (16-6) will lock horns for the belt. Also on the line will be the TFC Canadian Lightweight Championship as undefeated Edmonton native Mitch Clarke (7-0) will battle Josh Machan (7-3). In addition, top Canadian welterweight Ryan “The Kid” McGillivray (10-4-1) will put his talents on display against three-time TFC veteran Markhaile “Showtime” Wedderburn (10-7), who will be taking the place of the injured Adam Lynn (13-8). Doors for this exciting nine-fight event will open at 7 PM, and the fights will begin at 8 PM. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, http://www.thefightclub.ca/, or (780) 451-8000.

In their first bout, which took place at “TFC 10: High Octane” this past March, Martin Desilets and Victor Valimaki laid it all on the line, throwing punches with abandon. In the end, Desilets was able to outlast his foe en route to a TKO victory with only ten seconds left in the first round. He gained Valimaki’s light heavyweight strap in the process. Check out the full fight here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEVf9dK3NR4. Now, these two will look to exceed their performances from their first fight at “Full Force.” Valimaki will attempt to regain his lost crown, while Desilets will do everything he can to hold onto it. Regardless of who comes out on top, the true winners will be the fans.

In a battle for the TFC Canadian Lightweight title, the undefeated Mitch Clarke (6-0), a native of Edmonton, will fight Josh Machan (7-3, seven straight victories), who hails from Red Deer, Alberta. This scrap features two top young Canadian lightweights, and is sure to electrify the crowd.

With the TFC World Welterweight Title declared vacant due to the departure of Ryan Ford from the organization, TFC’s top welterweight contender, Ryan “The Kid” McGillivray, is now in the spotlight. “The Kid” has only been competing in mixed martial arts for the past four years, but has quickly established himself as one of the top Canadian prospects in the welterweight division. All of Ryan’s fights have been in and around his hometown of Edmonton, so he is very well-known in the local MMA community, and he has built a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. And with eight of his ten victories coming via submission, fans know that they can always expect an exciting fight for McGillivray. He’ll be facing a strong Muay Thai fighter in Markhaile “Showtime” Wedderburn. This tough Canadian fighter has fought top 170ers such as Ford, Jason High, and Dan Grandmaison. It will truly be a test for “The Kid.”

Here is the finalized fight card:
Light-heavyweight: Champion Martin Desilets (10-2) vs. Victor Valimaki (16-6) for the TFC World Light Heayweight title
Lightweight: Mitch Clarke (7-0) vs. Josh Machan (7-3) for the TFC Canadian Lightweight title
Welterweight: Ryan McGillivray (10-4-1) vs. Markhaile Wedderburn (10-7)
Welterweight: Ryan Machan (11-5) vs. James McCutcheon (3-2)
Welterweight: Rio Wells (3-0) vs. Chuck Pelc (2-1)
Women’s 130lb: Sy Jewett (1-0) vs. Rachael Swaetz (3-1)
Welterweight: Darcy Boizard (1-1) vs. O’Denva Phillips (0-0)
140 lbs: Reece Chapman (0-0) vs. Adam Bodwell (0-0)
Lightweight: Steve Beaumont (0-0) vs. Dean Cox (0-0)

The event will be shown on The Fight Network on tape delay, and news on a press conference will be announced soon. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.thefightclub.ca/

A lightweight bout between George Sotiropoulos and Joe Lauzon has been verbally agreed to by both fighters for UFC 123, MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the event.

Although not officially announced by the organization, UFC 123 takes place Nov. 20 at the The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Mich.

A source told MMAjunkie.com a victory could earn Sotiropoulos a title shot.