The UFC did America proud earlier tonight at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, as Fight Night 23 provided both entertainment to troops in attendance as well as a forum to raise money for injured soldiers. Also on display at “Fight for the Troops 2” was fairly significant upset followed up by a Texas-sized promise from headliner Melvin Guillard.

Guillard took home the evening’s “Knockout of the Night”, as well as an attached $30,000 bonus, after damaging favored opponent Evan Dunham with a series of quick, powerful strikes and finally a few deal-sealing knees. The win marked the 27th of the 27-year old’s career and was his fourth straight. After the victory Guillard guaranteed an undefeated 2011 and subsequent title-shot shortly thereafter while boasting he was the best lightweight the world.

“Submission of the Night” – as well as a role in “Fight of the Night” – went to affable veteran Yves Edwards after choking Cody McKenzie unconscious in the second round of their preliminary bout. The result marked Edwards’ second consecutive instance of success in the Octagon since rejoining the promotion last year.

Comparably, the loss was the first of McKenzie’s career, though of course he at least took home thirty grand as a consolation prize for his participation in the “Fight of the Night” selection.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFCSimilar Posts:

• Cody McKenzie steps in for re-booked Melvin Guillard at Fight Night 23
• UFC hands out $120,000 in bonus money at TUF 12 Finale
• UFC Fight Night 23 Weigh-In Results
• Alessio Sakara out of UFC 122 with undisclosed illness
• UFC streaming two prelims for free this Saturday night through Facebook

In the promotion’s never-ending quest to bring MMA to the masses, the UFC has announced it will broadcast two otherwise unaired Fight Night 23 bouts for free through the organization’s official Facebook page. The pair of prelims receiving the rub are TUF 9 finalist DaMarques Johnson’s scrap with Mike Guymon and one-of-a-kind Cody McKenzie’s attempt at submitting veteran competitor Yves Edwards for the first time in four years.

“I’m always looking for ways to give fans fights for free and this is just another example of that,” explained Dana White of the decision. “Facebook is such a great tool for people to stay connected and we’re excited to put two live fights on our UFC page for free.”

The stream will begin at 8:00 PM EST.

On top of McKenzie vs. Edwards and Guymon vs. Johnson, Mixed Martial Arts’ enthusiasts can tune in to Saturday night’s “Fight for the Troops” event on Spike TV and also catch heavyweights’ Pat Barry and Joey Beltran facing off, in addition to Matt Mitrione and Tim Hague, as well as Mark Hominick’s bid to become top featherweight contender against George Roop and a headlining clash between heavy-handed Melvin Guillard and 11-1 contender Evan Dunham.
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• UFC officially announces January 22nd “Fight for the Troops” event
• UFC Fight for the Troops 2 Live Results
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• UFC finalizes card for September 25th PPV event

When it was announced earlier this week Melvin Guillard would be stepping in for the injured Ken Florian against Evan Dunham at Fight Night 23 – also a “Fight for the Troops” event – scheduled for Fort Hood in Texas the question as to who Guillard’s original opponent, Yves Edwards, would face. It appears an answer is now at hand for fans, and needless to say if the well-rounded journeyman was training for a stand-up war against hard-hitting Guillard on January 22 it’s likely he’s now changed his focus to defending the Guillotine Choke.

According to a report on MMAJunkie, TUF 12 stand-out Cody McKenzie will now serve as Edwards’ adversary at the event.

McKenzie’s unique personality and expertise at procuring Guillotine Chokes made him one of the season’s more-memorable contestants. The Alaskan is undefeated in twelve professional fights, ten of which have been won in the first round using the afore-mentioned method including his most recent victory at the Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale last weekend over Aaron Wilkinson.

The creator of “Thugjitsu” should prove to be a significant test for the impressively-groomed lightweight based on experience and overall polish. Edwards has more than 5X McKenzie’s experience with an overall record of 39-16-1 and has finished thirty of his past opponents with a near-even split between TKOs and submissions. He has won five of his last six fights, including a recent appearance in the Octagon this past September.Similar Posts:

• Ken Florian out, Melvin Guillard in against Evan Dunham at Fight Night 23
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• Melvin Guillard vs. Ronys Torres latest fight added to UFN 18

The UFC is on its way to putting together a great card for the projected UFC Fight Night 23 (i.e. “Fight for the Troops”) card expected to take place January 22nd at Fort Hood, Texas. The UFC no doubt hopes to follow in the footsteps of the first “Fight for the Troops” show which helped raise a reported $4 million dollars for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Undefeated TUF 10 heavyweight Matt Mitrione and returning UFC veteran Tim Hague are expected to square off at the event. Mitrione is coming off a unanimous decision win over Joey Beltran in September, while Hague will be hoping for a return to success after fighting outside the UFC, and picking up two wins, in an effort to get back to the grandest cage of them all.

Although the show has yet to be announced, another unofficial match-up rumored for the evening is a welterweight fight featuring DaMarques Johnson and Mike Guymon. Johnson confirmed the bout over the weekend via Twitter. With both men potentially fighting for their respective spot on the UFC roster based on recent losses, the fighters should leave it all in the cage come showtime!

The anticipated card will also will also feature a lightweight battle between Melvin Guillard and Texan Yves Edwards. Each man is coming off a win in his previous outing and will no doubt be looking to make a statement with the scheduled influx of talent on the horizon thanks to the UFC recent absorption of sister-promotion, WEC.

Also, as reported recently on Five Ounces of Pain, Mike Swick has fueled the rumors that he would be making his return on this card after being sidelined due to injury/illness. It has since been revealed by MMAWeekly Swick will fight relative UFC newcomer David Mitchell (11-1) at the event.

With the continued support of the Zuffa LLC, to the U.S. Armed Forces this card is mutually beneficial for the troops, the fans and the promotion alike.Similar Posts:

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• Exclusive: UFC newcomer David Mitchell to debut at UFN 22

Ultimate Fighting Championship officials have released lightweight John Gunderson following a unanimous-decision loss to Yves Edwards at UFC Fight Night 22.

Gunderson today informed MMAjunkie.com of the news.

Although Gunderson initially contemplated retirement in the event of an octagon exit, he has decided to soldier on and hopes to fight his way back into the organization.

With UFC Fight Night 22 and "The Ultimate Fighter 12" season debut in the books, this week's edition of The Sunday Junkie focused heavily on the Sept. 15 events.

Our weekly reader-feedback feature covers the short-lived Nate Marquardt greasing allegation, the rise of Charles Oliveira, the return of Yves Edwards, and whether "TUF" has lost its luster.

But this week's winner, Mauricio Ojeda, focused on Keith Jardine and why fans are focused too much on his recent losses and not enough on the otherwise-commendable performances he put into them

Folks in Austin attending UFC Fight Night 22 event appear to be in for a treat, as the world’s foremost MMA promotion makes a stop in Texas’ State Capital for the first time in history this evening with a card featuring intriguing match-ups, a pair of Ultimate Fighter champions, and a main event involving two highly talented middleweights.

Five Ounces of Pain will be bringing readers live results as the event unfolds tonight at the Frank Erwin Center. Coverage of the show will begin approximately at 5:00 ET when the first pair of fighters square off.

UFC Fight Night 22 is headlined by a clash between respected 185-pound contender Nate Marquardt and powerful BJJ practitioner Rousimar Palhares. Fans tuning in will also have an opportunity to see former TUF champs Efrain Escudero and Ross Pearson in action, as well as Jim Miller fighting Gleison Tibau and the return of MMA veteran Yves Edwards to the Octagon for the first time since 2006.

The full list of UFC Fight Night 22 results is as follows:

Brian Foster def. Forrest Petz via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Anthony “TJ” Waldburger def. David Mitchell via Unanimous Decision
Rich Attonito def. Rafael Natal via Unanimous Decision
Dave Branch def. Tomasz Drwal via Unanimous Decision
Kyle Kingsbury def. Jared Hamman via Unanimous Decision
Yves Edwards def. John Gunderson via Unanimous Decision
Cole Miller def. Ross Pearson via Submission Round 2 (Rear-Naked Choke)
Jim Miller def. Gleison Tibau via Unanimous Decision
Charles Oliveira def. Efrain Escudero via Submission Round 3 (Standing Rear-Naked Choke)
Nate Marquardt def. Rousimar Palhares via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)

Each of the twenty “UFC Fight Night 22” participants stepped on the scale in Austin, Texas on Tuesday afternoon in anticipation of tonight’s show and made weight with a single exception – Efrain Escudero. However, all the evening’s fights will still occur on as originally scheduled.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 champion, who will be fighting Charles Oliveira in the event’s co-headlining bout, not only came in heavy for the bout but significantly so. Escudero clocked in at 159 pounds and was penalized 20% of his salary as a result. Comparably, Oliveira registered in at 154 pounds, so the fight will also be contested as a “catch-weight” affair based on Escudero’s flub.

Meanwhile, middleweights Nate Marquardt and Rousimar Palhares both measured in at 186 pounds for their main-event match-up. The 29-9-2 Marquardt will be looking to bounce back from a decision loss to top 185-pound contender Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 last February when he squares off against his submission-savvy adversary at the show. Palhares is currently on a three-fight win streak and won his last pair of Octagon appearances by way of heel-hook. He has submitted eight of the thirteen opponents he’s faced and is 11-2 overall in his career.

Here is a complete rundown of “Fight Night 22” results:

Tomasz Drwal (185.5 lbs) vs. Dave Branch (186 lbs)
Brian Foster (170.5 lbs) vs. Forrest Petz (170 lbs)
David Mitchell (170.5 lbs) vs. Anthony Waldburger (171 lbs)
Rich Attonito (185 lbs) vs. Rafael Natal (186 lbs)
Jared Hamman (205 lbs) vs. Kyle Kingsbury (206 lbs)
Yves Edwards (155 lbs) vs. John Gunderson (156 lbs)
Cole Miller (156 lbs) vs. Ross Pearson (156 lbs)
Jim Miller (155.5 lbs) vs. Gleison Tibau (154 lbs)
Efrain Escudero (159 lbs) vs. Charles Oliveira (154 lbs)*
Nate Marquardt (186 lbs) vs. Rousimar Palhares (186 lbs)

* – Escudero will give 20% of his purse to Oliveira for coming in heavy

Thug-jitsu founder Yves Edwards looks ready to face John Gunderson at UFN: Marquardt vs. Palhares which is set to take place on September 15. Edwards will look for success against Gunderson and continue his current modest one fight win streak, with his last victory coming against Luis Palomino at Bellator 24.

25-year old Jorge Masvidal opened a lot of eyes in the MMA community after battling heavy-handed British striker Paul Daley to a controversial decision loss this past Saturday night at Shark Fights 13. It appears at least one set of them belonged to someone upstairs at Strikeforce.

Five Ounces of Pain spoke to a Strikeforce official late Monday afternoon who confirmed the American Top Team product had been inked to a multi-fight deal after Masvidal mentioned the agreement was in place during a recent conversation with BuddhaSport.

“Let the world know I am going to knock out everybody they put in front of me. I don’t have an opponent yet but I want a big fight; you know. I want (Gilbert) Melendez or the next big name. No B level fighters. (Lyle) Beerbohm is good but nobody really knows him. I would like to get (Tatsuya) Kawajiri, that would be great,” said Masvidal when speaking on his future in the promotion.

Though “Gamebred” fought Daley at 170-pounds last weekend his statements clearly indicate he expects to head back to his regular division, lightweight, under the Strikeforce banner.

Masvidal is 20-6 in his career with two previous wins in Strikeforce – a decision over Ryan Healy in 2008 and a TKO of Matt Lee in 2007. He also holds past victories over UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon and always-tough MMA veteran Yves Edwards.