Antonio McKee vs. Jacob Volkmann in the works for UFC 125

A lightweight fight between Jacob Volkmann and UFC newcomer Antonio McKee is in the works for UFC 123 on New Year's Day.

Volkmann (11-2, 2-2 UFC) debuted in the UFC as a welterweight, losing back-to-back contests to Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann. Since dropping to lightweight, though, Volkmann has gone 2-0, with decisions over Ronnys Torres and Paul Kelly.

McKee (25-3-2) has not been defeated since dropping a decision to Karo Parisyan in February of 2003. Since then, the now-40-year-old fighter has gone 14-0-1, and is currently on an 11-fight win streak.

Volkmann last three fights:
Win (Unanimous Decision) Paul Kelly - UFC Live on Versus 2
Win (Split Decision) Ronnys Torres - UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi
Loss (Submission - Guillotine Choke) Martin Kampmann - UFC 108


McKee last three fights:
Win (TKO - Doctor Stoppage) Luciano Azevedo - MFC 26: Retribution
Win (Submission - Kimura) Rodrigo Ruiz - Collision in the Cage
Win (Unanimous Decision) Carlo Prater - MFC 22: Payoff

Props: MMAjunkie

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan Post-Fight Thoughts

- When Jose Aldo sees an opportunity to finish, he does so with malice. We really are witnessing something special. The short list of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world best consists of Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Aldo, and if Aldo continues to run through competition like this, he will be the undisputed p4p champ sooner rather than later.

- Even scarier, Aldo is only 24 and has not even approached his athletic peak.

- When I saw Miguel Torres' new stance, with his left hand extended and pawing, I was concerned that Charlie Valencia would come over the top with the big right hand he is known for. Torres never let Valencia get close enough to threaten with that right, though, and when he smelled blood, he ran through Valencia. Joining Tristar in Canada is the best thing Torres could have done for his career.

- George Roop absolutely smashed Chan Sung Jung with a beautiful head kick. It goes to show that no matter how good you think your chin is, always keep your hands up.

- The judges ALMOST screwed up again. After a three-round affair that saw Mark Hominick repeatedly score with hard punches while Leonard Garcia flailed away will wild punches, it was clear that Hominick had won. For reasons beyond me, one judge still scored the fight 29-28 Garcia. There is no conceivable way that Garcia won that fight. Get it right, or get the hell out of MMA. The judging in this sport is so bad, it has become downright embarrassing.

- Hominick did a great job sticking to his game plan. Instead of getting drawn in to a brawl, he kept good foot movement, sat behind his jab, and let Garcia tire himself out. This fight shows what good boxing does against wild boxing.

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan Quick Results and Bonuses

Main Card:
Jose Aldo def. Manvel Gamburyan by KO (punches) at 1:32 of round 2 to retain WEC featherweight title
Donald Cerrone def. Jamie Varner by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Miguel Torres def. Charlie Valencia by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:25 of round 2
George Roop def. Chan Sung Jung by KO (head kick) at 1:30 of round 2
Mark Hominick def. Leonard Garcia by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Preliminary Card:
Zhang Tie Quan def. Pablo Garza by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:26 of round 1
Mike Brown def. Cole Province by TKO (punches) at 1:18 of round 1
Chris Horodecki def. Ed Ratcliff by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
Diego Nunes def. Tyler Toner by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Antonio Banuelos def. Chad George by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Demetrious Johnson def. Nick Pace by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)


$10,000 Fight Night Bonuses
Knockout of the Night - George Roop
Submission of the Night - Miguel Torres
Fight of the Night - Donald Cerrone vs. Jamie Varner

Bellator 31 Quick Results

Chris Lozano def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2
Zoila Frausto def. Jessica Aguilar by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
Megumi Fujii def. Lisa Ward by submission (armbar) in round 1
Mark Holata def. Shawn Jordan by TKO (strikes) in round 1
Tim Ruberg def. Aaron Davis by submission (rear-naked choke) in round 2
Dave Herman def. Michael Kita by submission (omoplata) in round 1
Mike Chandler def. Scott Stapp by TKO (strikes) in round 1

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan Weigh-In Results

Main Card:
Jose Aldo (145) vs. Manny Gamburyan (145)
Jamie Varner (156) vs. Donald Cerrone (155.5)
Miguel Torres (136) vs. Charlie Valencia (136)
Chan Sung Jung (146) vs. George Roop (145)
Leonard Garcia (146) vs. Mark Hominick (145)

Preliminary Card:
Tiequan Zhang (154) vs. Pablo Garza (154)
Mike Brown (145) vs. Cole Province (146)
Chris Hordecki (155) vs. Ed Ratcliff (155)
Diego Nunes (145) vs. Tyler Toner (145)
Antonio Banuelos (136) vs. Chad George (135)
Demetrious Johnson (135) vs. Nick Pace (135)

Bellator 31 Weigh-In Results

Main Card:
Megumi Fujii (114.8) vs. Lisa Ward (115.2)
Zoila Frausto (116.2)* vs. Jessica Aguilar (115.4)
Chris Lozano (170.4) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (170.6)

Undercard:
Mark Holata (261.8) vs. Shawn Jordan (262)
John Harris (155.2) vs. Kyle Miers (155.4)
Tim Ruberg (185.8) vs. Aaron Davis (186.2)
Dave Herman (241.6) vs. Michal Kita (226.2)
Scott Stapp (165.8) vs. Mike Chandler (164.4)

* Frausto missed weight by .2 lbs, and is currently attempting to shed the excess weight

Frankie Edgar to Defend Lightweight Title Against Gray Maynard at UFC 125

Frankie Edgar will defend his UFC lightweight title against Gray Maynard at UFC 125 on New Year's Day at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Edgar (13-1, 8-1 UFC) dominated B.J. Penn for five rounds to retain the lightweight title at UFC 118. The New Jersey fighter has won five fights in a row, including back-to-back defeats of Penn.

Maynard (10-0 (1), 8-0 (1) UFC) defeated Kenny Florian by unanimous decision at UFC 118 to earn a shot at the title that some felt was overdue. Maynard has never been defeated in his professional career (although he was submitted by Nate Diaz while competing on "The Ultimate Fighter 5").

Maynard is also responsible for Edgar's only career loss, defeating Edgar by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 13 in 2008.

Edgar last three fights:
Win (Unanimous Decision) B.J. Penn - UFC 118
Win (Unanimous Decision) B.J. Penn - UFC 112
Win (Submission - Rear-Naked Choke) Matt Veach - Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale

Maynard last three fights:
Win (Unanimous Decision) Kenny Florian - UFC 118
Win (Split Decision) Nate Diaz - UFC Fight Night 20
Win (Split Decision) Roger Huerta - UFC Fight Night 19

Props: MMAfighting.com

UFC 120 Trailer

Props: Youtube.com/UFC

Blackledge Out, Newcomer Maldonado In against McSweeney at UFC 120

Brazilian light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado (17-3) has signed with the UFC and will make his promotional debut against James McSweeney at UFC 120.

McSweeney (4-5, 1-1 UFC) was originally scheduled to face newcomer Tom Blackledge, but Blackledge pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons.

Maldonado is a Team Nogueira member. The striker has finished 11 of his 17 victories by (T)KO, and is currently on a ten-fight win streak with nine finishes.

McSweeney last three fights:
Loss (TKO - Punches) Travis Browne - Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale
Win (TKO - Knee and Punches) Darrill Schoonover - Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale
Loss (Submission - Rear-Naked Choke) Ricardo Romero - Ring of Combat 24


Maldonado last three fights:
Win (KO - Punch) Nelson Martins - First Class Fight 4
Win (Submission - Guillotine Choke) Jackson Mora - Memorial Fight Qualifying
Win (Submission - Punches) Jessie Gibbs - Bitetti Combat 7

UFC Division Snapshot: UFC 119 Edition

After every UFC event, TapouTVTC.com takes a look at how each division shapes up. For more information on the Division Snapshot, take a look at our first snapshot

Frank Mir:  +6 (Was 13, now 7) (heavyweight)

Can you be a loser and still win? Mir came as close as you can, turning in a lackluster 14-minute performance before an out-of-nowhere finish. Win or lose, Mir is usually an exciting fighter, so this could be an aberration, but the fact that Dana White refused to give him a Knockout of the Night bonus goes to show that Mir will need to come through in spades in his next bout.

 Mirko 'Cro Cop': -11 (Was 4, now 15) (heavyweight)

Tentative. Uninterested. Boring. These are not the words that should be used to describe a legend like 'Cro Cop,' and yet he was all those things on Saturday. If the head kick specialist decides he wants to fight again (and all indications say he does) he has been relegated to gatekeeper status.

Ryan Bader +1 (Was 2, now 1) (light heavyweght)

It wasn't a statement win, but Bader used his superior wrestling to best Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The "Ultimate Fighter" winner remains unbeaten at 12-0, including a 5-0 mark in the Octagon. A collision course with fellow rising star Jon Jones seems inevitable.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: -15 (Was 7, now 22) (light heavyweight)

Any time 'Little Nog' started to find his rhythm on the feet, Bader was able to stifle with a takedown. Hailed as a potential contender when he entered the UFC, Nogueira could very well be 1-2 in the UFC had his decision victory over Jason Brilz swung the other way (which many people think it should have).

Chris Lytle: +5 (Was 7, now 2) (welterweight)

It was redemption of sorts for Lytle, who defeated Serra in a rematch of their "Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale" bout. Lytle battered Serra on every exchange, and has now won four in a row in the UFC.

Matt Serra: -11 (15, now 26) (welterweight)

Rather than work to get the fight to the mat, where he held a distinct advantage, Serra elected to fight in a boxing match he lost from bell to bell. It's one thing to try and be exciting, it's another to do so at the complete expense of winning.

Sean Sherk: +9 (Was 21, now 12) (lightweight)

Let's be clear; Sherk lost this fight. That doesn't mean, however, that he deserved to be booed after the fact. Sherk went back to the wrestling base that made him a killer earlier in his career, and opened up a nasty cut on Evan Dunham's face in the first round. "The Muscle Shark" might have one more title run left in him after all.

 Evan Dunham: -21 (Was 4, now 25) (lightweight)

Dunham did everything in this fight that you want to see a young prospect do except win. Rather than wilt after sustaining a massive cut, Dunham came out energized for the second round, battering Sherk on the feet and threatening with guillotine attempts that would have tapped most lightweights. Even after being robbed by the judges, Dunham was humble and gracious. This is a kid to take notice of going forward.

Melvin Guillard: +1 (Was 5, now 4) (lightweight)

Fans of Guillard's swing-for-the-fences style are bemoaning his UFC 119 performance, as he was content to stick and move against Jeremy Stephens. He got the job done, though (with a little help from the judges), and Guillard is starting to creep into the title hunt.

 Jeremy Stephens: -15 (Was 9, now 24) (lightweight)

Stephens seemed to land the harder punches, but the judges saw it differently (heard that one before?).  Now he will begin the long climb back up the lightweight ladder.

CB Dollaway: +3 (Was 7, now 4) (middleweight)

Since his time on the "Ultimate Fighter," Dollaway has started to mature in the Octagon. Instead of gassing himself out with a futile guillotine attempt, Dollaway stayed calm, created a scramble, and eventually snagged a choke that almost popped Doerksen's head off. Dollaway has quietly gone 5-1 in the UFC since losing the TUF 7 finale to Amir Sadollah, and is on a three-fight win streak.

Joe Doerksen: -12 (Was 19, now 32) (middleweight)

Who would have predicted that submission specialist Doerksen would be the one tapping out? This loss should spell an end to the journeyman's most recent UFC stint.

Matt Mitrione: +3 (Was 7, now 4) (heavyweight)

He always has a grin on his face, and he hits like he has cement in his gloves. Mitrione bounced back from losing the first round to pound Joey Beltran en route to a unanimous decision. 'Meat' is fast becoming a heavyweight prospect to watch, but will his age (32) and NFL wear-and-tear be his biggest obstacles?

Joey Beltran: -12 (Was 6, now 18) (heavyweigt)

Beltran dominated the first round, but had no answer for Mitrione's reach after that. You can't question Beltran's toughness, but he desperately needed to get the fight back to the mat, and he never did.

Preliminary bouts and full snapshots after the jump...