MMA News and Tidbits

[jmt225]

Well, look at the bright side... I'm sure there's a job for him in Strikeforce, who are in desperate need for some new Heavyweight. Just think about this.... all the Strikeforce Heavies, outside of Werdum and Lashley, will stand and trade with Paul Buentello. Overeem, Rogers, Arlovski, Big Silva, Fedor, etc. etc. etc. would all strike with him if they fought, and I do believe some of these match-ups are possible. Arlovski vs. Buentello was supposed to happen years ago, so they could build off that if they wanted, and of course the loser of Rogers/Overeem will need something to do after that, and what better option than pitting them against Paul Buentello?

This very well could actually be a good thing for MMA fans.

 

[INDYjon22]

A previously postponed welterweight rematch between Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves will now take place at UFC 115 on June 12 at the GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, according to a post made Sunday on UFC President Dana White’s Twitter account.

Alves couldn’t get medically cleared to face Fitch at UFC 111 on March 27 due to an irregularity in his pre-fight neurological exam. The 26-year-old Brazilian underwent a successful surgical procedure last week to correct the condition.

Fitch, 32, fought last-minute replacement Ben Saunders, a teammate of Alves, at UFC 111 and won the bout by unanimous decision.

American Kickboxing Academy’s Fitch earned a second-round technical knockout over Alves at UFC Fight Night 5 in June 2006.

Fitch and Alves sit at the No. 2 and 3 spots on Sherdog.com’s official rankings.

They really want this rematch to happen. It isn't that I don't want to see Fitch and Alves fight again but for some reason I have no real interest in this fight. I get the feeling that it will be a three round fight that ends in a decision. I really don't find Thiago Alves to be that exciting of a fighter and I still believe that Jon Fitch is much better. Hopefully I am wrong and these guys put on a good show. A win for Fitch over Alves might be just what the doctor ordered for another title shot.

 

[jmt225]

Yeah, I'm not too high on this move, either. I was really, really hoping Dana White was going to stick to his guns and force Fitch to fight Josh Koscheck. But, maybe he will sometime in the future, if both Fitch and Kos win their respective fights against Alves and Daley.

Anyway, I'm definitely rooting for Thiago Alves in this fight. I'm sick and tired of seeing Fitch lay and pray his way to victories, without even ATTEMPTING to put his opponent away with the passing of the guard, or hard ground and pound. Fitch seems like a good guy, and I want to like him, but as long as he pulls that bullshit in fights, no matter how "smart" it is, I will not consider myself a fan of his.

 

[jmt225]

Nick Diaz is signed to fight Hayato Sakurai at DREAM.15.

Easy win for Diaz. Sakurai's a talented fighter, but he's nowhere near Diaz's level. He has lost his last two fights, including one against the guy Diaz defeated by first round KO in his last fight, Marius Zaromskis. Zaromskis beat Sakurai with one of the most brutal headkicks you'll ever see. While I doubt Diaz beats him with a headkick, he will mess the guy's face up with his boxing. Plus, if the fight goes to the ground, Nick is far superior there as well. So, like I said... should be a very easy victory for Nick Diaz. Looking forward to it...

 

[INDYjon22]

UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian has been hospitalized in Boston with a staph infection in his right knee. The two-time title challenger returned from vacationing in Antigua on Sunday and was admitted to the hospital after a checkup visit earlier Monday, according to his brother and trainer Keith Florian.

“Kenny had a bursa sac in his knee that popped and it got infected with staph,” said the younger Florian brother, “and now he has to have intravenous antibiotics and a minor surgical procedure to scoop it out tomorrow.”

Florian also told Sherdog.com that doctors would test the material removed from the fighter’s knee to make sure they know what they are dealing with and to gauge the seriousness of the infection. Worries about MRSA -- a particularly stringent strain of staphylococcus bacteria -- are the reason for the extra measure.

With the UFC lightweight title picture in flux after Frankie Edgar’s stunning upset of B.J. Penn Saturday at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, UA.E., Florian has been thrust back into title contention despite losing by submission to Penn at UFC 101 last August. His injury concerns could hinder his chances for a crack at the new champ.

According to Keith Florian, that is not the case. The target for his brother’s next match is the UFC’s tentatively scheduled August 28 card in Boston. And, if the infection and treatment are as minor as is Florian’s hope, he should be right on schedule to fight in his hometown. Whether or not he will be facing Edgar remains to be seen.

Florian should be released in two to three days after the regimen of antibiotics has been completed.

That sucks. Staph infections are no joke but luckily they are very treatable now. He should be back soon at least I hope so. Florian remains one of the top Lightweights in the world and with the recent change in champions in the UFC I have a feeling he may be getting another title fight before to long. However, that will obviously not happen as long as he is sidelined with a staph infection. I hope he has a speedy recovery so he can get back in the octagon and be one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC.

 

[jmt225]

Well, as unfortunate at it is, at least it's happening now instead of a month or 2 from now, which would put his fight in his hometown in jeopardy. So, while unfortunate... you can still look at the bright side, as long as he is able to get this fixed as quick as he should be.

And speaking of which, I forgot all about the Boston show in August. Shit... you HAVE to put Florian vs. Edgar on that show. It'd be epic! Florian, for all he has done since TUF, deserves his moment, and that would undoubtedly be it.

I really, really hope that fight happens at the UFC Boston show now.

 

[INDYjon22]

Well, as unfortunate at it is, at least it's happening now instead of a month or 2 from now, which would put his fight in his hometown in jeopardy. So, while unfortunate... you can still look at the bright side, as long as he is able to get this fixed as quick as he should be.

And speaking of which, I forgot all about the Boston show in August. Shit... you HAVE to put Florian vs. Edgar on that show. It'd be epic! Florian, for all he has done since TUF, deserves his moment, and that would undoubtedly be it.

I really, really hope that fight happens at the UFC Boston show now.

Damn, I didn't even think of that. That could very well be the biggest moment in UFC history if he could win the title from Edgar in his hometown but he still has a long way to go. The UFC has to sort out this whole Edgar/Penn situation first but honestly from everything I have heard, I feel as though Edgar should have some challenger other then Penn first. I can't say I am right but from what I have heard it would make the most sense to have Florian fight for the belt again. I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[jmt225]

Two things:

Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell for UFC 115 has been confirmed by the UFC. No reason yet as to why Tito Ortiz had to drop out of the fight, so we'll have to keep watching TUF to see exactly why. But, Chuck is running his mouth saying Tito's just a bitch and pussy, blah blah blah. I highly doubt that's the case, but I do look forward to seeing the exact reason why Tito had to drop out. Moreover, it'll be fun to see Chucky get his ass kicked by Franklin, so when Tito does return, Liddell will be too irrelevant for the UFC to waste a Tito Ortiz fight on him.

And the other news being that Frank Mir has said he wants a catchweight fight against Anderson Silva at a 235 pounds. First of all, that would be a great fight, but I'm not so sure Mir would be able to cut down that far. He was walking around at 300 before the Carwin fight, so 235 would be one hell of a weight cut. But, if he's able to pull it off, then I definitely wouldn't bitch about the fight were it put together.

 

[Mufasa]

I think Anderson Silva could beat Mir at catchweight. His striking is too good and if it went to the ground, he's good there too. Honestly, at this point I don't know who can beat him. I could maybe see GSP take him him to a decision with his wrestling.

I was wanting to see Tito vs Liddell again .

 

[Turd Ferguson]

BloodyElbow's confirming that the winner of Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley will not only be #1 Contender to GSP, but they'll also oppose GSP coaching on TUF.

I think GSP would be a tremendous TUF coach, and plus, there's always the additional bonus of Greg Jackson being a coach, and that can only help the prospects more than anything. I think Koscheck, with how well-rounded he is, would also be a good coach as well, being well versed in his wrestling and striking.

Paul Daley on the other hand... I'm not quite sure how good of a coach he'd be. He might wind up being essentially, a British Rampage. Either way, the trash talking by Daley and Koscheck should be a lot of fun.

The only thing I'm pissed off about is that they're going to hold a title up now and GSP won't fight until the end of the year. I thought they were done holding titles up. It holds the division up and basically makes the fights coming up in the Welterweight Division meaningless for guys like Fitch, Alves, Thiago (who will have to wait until next year now at the earliest), and possibly even Jake Shields.

 

[jmt225]

Well, GSP was a great coach on the Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter. I remember everybody on the show loved him. Even Matt Serra grown a friendship with him and even tried to pick a fight with Matt Hughes just because Hughes was disrespectful towards GSP. Also, him and Shonie Carter got along great as well, and there was one classic scene between the two that was hysterical. I remember it was on Youtube, let me see if I can find it...

Yep! Here it is:

[YOUTUBE]buFYtDDwS70[/YOUTUBE]

Not only is GSP without a doubt the best fighter in the World, but he's such a \nice guy on top of that. Of course someone like that will make a great coach.

Now, as far as Kos/Daley is concerned... both are arrogant as shit, and either one will get their ass handed to them against GSP. But, I think Kos would make for the more entertaining coach. For one, GSP's accent is enough, don't want to have to deal with a Brit, too. But moreover, Kos is a bigger prick than Daley, and there's no doubt his douchebaggery would come through on the show (once again), so it would make for interesting television, and make it all that much more sweet when GSP beat his ass.

 

[INDYjon22]

I never knew GSP was one of the coaches for TUF season 4. I guess you really do learn something new everyday. GSP truly is one of the nicest guys in all of MMA. I don't see how anyone can not like him. I am very interested to finally see GSP as a head coach on TUF. I think he could actually go down as one of the greatest, of course that will only be told in time. However, when I see the two names attached as possible opposing coaches only one stick out. Josh Koscheck needs to be the other coach. The guy has coached before and been successful. I also feel like he will be a much better personality to be the villain to GSP's hero. Paul Daley is a very good fighter but I don't know how well he is as a coach and quiet frankly I am tired of seeing one sided seasons. I want to see two very good coaches coaching against each other in competitive fights every week and see a good mix of both teams all the way to the finals. And I think GSP/Kos is that perfect mix. Not to mention all the hate Kos will get for being the other coach will be great.

 

[jmt225]

Two HUGE fights were announced today.

First of all, at UFC 118, Roy Nelson will go up against none other than Frank Mir. AWESOME!!! I'm really, really excited to see how this one will turn out. Both have improved drastically striking wise over the past year or so, and both are considered two of the best Jiu-Jitsu Heavyweights in the sport. Roy Nelson, when he was skinny back in 2003, actually has a win over Frank Mir in a grappling match. Check it out below:

[YOUTUBE]2dj5xMeXybs[/YOUTUBE]

So, yeah... they have a little history. It'll be very interesting to see where the fight goes, and who will come out on top. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Frank Mir to take it, but I've picked against Roy Nelson a lot of times over the past year or so, and I have yet to be right once, so you never know this guy.

And the 2nd fight I mentioned is Takanori Gomi vs. Joe 'Daddy' Stevenson in Gomi's 2nd fight in the UFC, on the UFC's 2nd show on Versus August 1st. I'm very, very excited for this fight as well, and I fully expect Gomi to put on a MUCH better performance against Stevenson than he did against Florian. Gomi is pretty much superior to Stevenson in everything other than Jiu-Jitsu, but wrestling wise and striking wise... Gomi has the edge and should cruise his way to victory. Cannot wait to see it.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

So far, UFC 118, which I plan on going to, has:

UFC Lightweight Championship:
Frankie Edgar (c) vs. BJ Penn

Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson
Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard

VERY solid card. I really hope we get a Light Heavyweight Title fight here too. Dana said that it was his intention to have two title fights on the Boston card, and make it one of the most stacked cards in UFC history, because of how he grew up in the area. I would absolutely love it if we got the winner of Shogun/Machida vs. the winner of Rampage/Rashad to go with the rest of the card.

Also, MMAJunkie is reporting that Randy Couture vs. James Toney is on for the Boston card! Holy shit, I can't wait to watch Randy pound the shit out of him!

Dana White also confirmed that Jake Shields is leaving Strikeforce, going to the UFC, and accused Strikeforce of sending Mayhem in there as a last-ditch effort to get Shields to fight someone in Strikeforce and make it look like he's walking away from a fight. I really want to know where Shields fits in. He's an immediate #1 contender regardless of what division he fights in.

 

[INDYjon22]

If UFC 118 shapes up the way it's looking then it will be a ton of fun. I am envious of you Guy. Indianapolis is supposed to get a UFC card by the end of 2010 but I don't really know if it will happen or not. What happened with the Chael Sonnen/Anderson Silva fight? I thought that was being targeted for UFC 118.

I read Dana's comments about Strikeforce and Jake Shields as well. As much as I don't want to think Strikeforce sent Jason Miller inside the Octagon to create drama I can't discredit it. Their really wasn't anyone else to fight outside of maybe a squash match against Scott Smith. Jason Miller would be the much more entertaining fight but as much as I want to see that rematch, I want to see Shields in the UFC. It will be very interesting to see what Shields does in the UFC. Will he stay at Middleweight or drop to Welterweight. What I do think is that he won't get a title shot upon arrival. I think he fights one fight, much like Anderson Silva, and then gets his title fight against whoever is the champion of his weight class.

 

[jmt225]

Dana said that it was his intention to have two title fights on the Boston card, and make it one of the most stacked cards in UFC history, because of how he grew up in the area. I would absolutely love it if we got the winner of Shogun/Machida vs. the winner of Rampage/Rashad to go with the rest of the card.

Well, that depends on whether or not Shogun/Machida ends early, which is highly doubtful. I see it going to another decision, and there's just no way after another tough 25 minute fight that Dana will book either one again so soon. Unfortunate, but true.

So, unless Machida or Shogun get a knockout early on, there's no way another title fight is going to take place at that show. Dana might want to have two title fights for it, but sometimes things just don't work out the way you want it..

Also, MMAJunkie is reporting that Randy Couture vs. James Toney is on for the Boston card! Holy shit, I can't wait to watch Randy pound the shit out of him!

Awesome. Toney's going to get completely tooled. Can't wait to see it, and then hear his excuses at to why he got his ass handed to him.

Dana White also confirmed that Jake Shields is leaving Strikeforce, going to the UFC, and accused Strikeforce of sending Mayhem in there as a last-ditch effort to get Shields to fight someone in Strikeforce and make it look like he's walking away from a fight. I really want to know where Shields fits in. He's an immediate #1 contender regardless of what division he fights in.

Yeah, when this becomes official, a thread should be started on it ASAP. There are so many options for Shields in the UFC that it's ridiculous.

 

[INDYjon22]

Keith Jardine will lock horns with Matt Hamill in the featured matchup at “The Ultimate Fighter 11” Finale on June 19 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The light heavyweight duel was announced by Spike TV representatives on Monday.

Based at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M., Jardine has lost four of his last five bouts and will carry a three-fight losing streak, the longest of his career, into the match. The 35-year-old Montana native last fought in February, when suffered a third-round knockout at the hands of the unbeaten Ryan Bader in Australia. Jardine holds notable victories over UFC hall of famer Chuck Liddell, former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and American Top Team standout Wilson Gouveia. Spawned by Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” he has secured nearly half (seven) of his 15 career wins by KO or technical knockout.

Hamill, meanwhile, has not competed since his controversial disqualification victory over Jon Jones at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale in December. A decorated amateur wrestler who has been finished only once in 10 bouts as a professional, the 33-year-old Loveland, Ohio, native has won three in a row since his defeat to former middleweight champion Rich Franklin at UFC 88. Victories over Seth Petruzelli, Mark Munoz and Tim Boetsch anchor his resume.

Other matchups rumored but not yet announced for “The Ultimate Fighter 11” Finale include a middleweight showdown pairing the undefeated Aaron Simpson with Chris Leben, a lightweight bout pitting Spencer Fisher against Dennis Siver and a heavyweight tilt between Jardine’s teammate, James McSweeney, and Travis Browne.

This should be a very solid fight. Both men are in need of a win, Jardine more s. Matt Hamill did win his last fight but it was very controversial so I think he needs to come out and dominate Jardine and Jardine just needs to get a KO or his ass will be canned finally. I love Jardine but I don't think this fight is in his favor. Jardine has suspect take down defense and Hamill is a great wrestler and good ground and pound. Jardine will have to KO Hamill and keep the fight standing because that is the only real way I see him winning, unfortunately Hamill has some nasty kicks as well. It will be interesting to see how this fight plays out. I will be rooting for Jardine but it will be a tough win.

 

[jmt225]

Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko will co-headline UFC Live on Versus 2 with Takanori Gomi vs. Joe Stevenson.

Shaping up to be a great free card. Always fun to see Jon Jones fight, and while I don't want to underestimate Vladimir Matyushenko (he is a very good, accomplished MMArtist), Jones should easily run through him. Standing up and wrestling wise... Jones is just too good for someone of Vladimir's level to handle. In absolutely no way does Vladimir stop the Jonny "Bones" Jones hype train in this fight. No way.

It'll be a good win for Jones, too, I might add. Vladimir Matyushenko has a very, very good record (24-4), and has faced some great names in the sport (Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski, Lil' Nog twice, among a few others), so a win against this guy will not be anything less than impressive.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko will co-headline UFC Live on Versus 2 with Takanori Gomi vs. Joe Stevenson.

Shaping up to be a great free card. Always fun to see Jon Jones fight, and while I don't want to underestimate Vladimir Matyushenko (he is a very good, accomplished MMArtist), Jones should easily run through him. Standing up and wrestling wise... Jones is just too good for someone of Vladimir's level to handle. In absolutely no way does Vladimir stop the Jonny "Bones" Jones hype train in this fight. No way.

It'll be a good win for Jones, too, I might add. Vladimir Matyushenko has a very, very good record (24-4), and has faced some great names in the sport (Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski, Lil' Nog twice, among a few others), so a win against this guy will not be anything less than impressive.

I guess it answers one thing for sure: Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko will be in the conversation for the most boring mixed martial artist of all time if he somehow makes a Jon Jones fight boring. I sort of feel like it's a step down for Jones, who I felt was ready for a shot at someone in the top 10 in the Light Heavyweight Division. I mean, I don't think Thiago Silva was tied up or anything. That would have been a great fight and a real good challenge for Jones. I would think that Jones blows by him in impressive fashion.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Maybe Anderson Silva IS ducking Chael Sonnen:

“I signed my contract and sent it in six minutes after it hit my fax machine. He’s been hanging on to (his contract) for 10 days and hasn’t signed it yet,” said Sonnen. “I’ll be fighting August 7 against somebody. I’m presuming it’s him, but again, he’s had it for 10 days. I don’t know if fax machines aren’t working in Brazil or what the holdup is.”

What's the matter, Anderson? Don't want to defend your title again? You wanted GSP or a light-heavyweight? Maybe you shouldn't have sandbagged the Maia fight.

EDIT: Chael Sonnen RULES.

"He’s a grown man with earrings. He’s a grown man with saggy pants, pink t-shirts and crooked hats. Go join a gang, don’t get in the UFC. People don’t care about him. He came out and said he’s gonna go heavyweight, no one cared. So he comes out and says well ‘I’m gonna go light heavyweight,’ no one cared. ‘Well I’m gonna retire.’ Good! Beat it, this is back page news, no one cares about you anyway. ‘Well I’m not gonna retire I’m gonna stick around.’ Or do that. Again, it doesn’t really matter, you’re a nuisance. So who cares, they go make the little action figures and the two little kids that bought em, are probably pretty upset, their parents probably thought it was Quinton Jackson when they bought it for them and the kids had a disappointing Christmas I would imagine. That's a big difference. I became the number one contender on February and February 7 he sent out a press release as to why he shouldn't have to fight me. On August 7 he will fight me. I stand here of my own free will. He stands here because Uncle Dana is making him."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans are going to be featured on UFC Primetime as the UFC builds their fight. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. The ratings are going to be through the roof, and it should be entertaining as hell.

 

[jmt225]

StrikeForce is holding a Los Angeles card on June 16th. The main event will be Robbie Lawler vs. Renato Sobral at a 195-pound Catchweight. Bobby Lashley and KJ Noons are also confirmed for this card.

So, since this card was supposed to be headlined with Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Robbie Lawler, I guess either Mayhem is getting suspend, or they're going to set-up Mayhem vs. Nick Diaz for a July or August show. If it's the latter, then I will be very pleased.

But yeah... as far as Sobral vs. Lawler, should be a great fight. Not sure who I'm picking just yet, but if I had to bet right now, then I see Sobral taking this one. He's too well rounded. Lashley will most likely be fed another tomato can, so who cares. And Noons... well, hopefully he's given a decent opponent. Would really like to see if he can compel himself into a contender for Gilbert Melendez's Lightweight Championship (not like there's anyone else, anyway).

Oh, and check out this picture. It's awesome.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Source TMZ

Forrest Griffin -- one of the most popular fighters in the UFC -- is backing out of his fight later this month because of a bum shoulder ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us the former UFC light heavyweight champ's shoulder injury is serious enough that he won't be able to fight Lil' Nog on May 29 in Las Vegas.

The extent of Griffin's injury is unclear.

I tried looking for another source to see if theres anymore info on this and cant find none yet. Well this sucks, I was looking forward to the upcoming match. I just hope they keep Lil Nog on the card, even though it was just announced that Thiago Silva is gonna face Tim Boetsch at UFC 117, I think Silva would be a great opponent for Nog. Hopefully Lil Nog can get an opponent and we dont have to wait longer for his next UFC fight. I just wanna know when TMZ became intrested in the actual fighters and not just the legal troubles of them, its kinda weird to get info from them on these matters.

Intresting note, just looked at wikipedia for UFC 114 and they have it updated with Griffin out and Dan Severn as his replacement.

Main Card
Light Heavyweight bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans[1]
Light Heavyweight bout: Dan Severn vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira[1]
Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller[1]
Heavyweight bout: Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow[1]
Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway[1]

I know wikipedia can be shit as anyone can mess with the articles, but if its true thats just stupid. All Severn has been doing the past few years is fighting cans for fighters. Nog will knock his head off.

 

[jmt225]

Yeah, there's no way Dan Severn is replacing Forrest on the card. That's absolutely a prank.

Anyways, that really sucks Forrest had to pull out of the fight. I was really looking forward to that one.

It'll be interesting to see though who they get to replace him. Who is available exactly? You mentioned Thiago Silva, and I do like that idea, but what if he's not able to go? I honestly can't think of any other top name, so UFC 114's co-main event might now be officially fucked, and while Rashad vs. Rampage can draw on their on I'm sure, the card will still take a huge blow if they cannot find a good opponent to throw in there with Lil' Nog. No doubt about it.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I forgot all about Silva's herniated disk problems probably why hes not fighting untill August. So looking at other poetential opponents for Lil Nog I came up with another Jon Jones. Jones is supposed to face Matyushenko at the versus 2 on Aug. 1st but you pull him from it theres more than enough time to get another fight put on, possibly he can still fight on the card win or lose since its 2 months after UFC 114. I wanted to say Ryan Bader too but he just had surgery on his hand to fix a torn tendon he wouldnt be ready. Other than Jones I cant find anyone that would be able to co-headline with Nog. I guess Bisbing and Miller get the bump if they dont have a replacement for Nogueria.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Jason Brilz signed on to fight Lil' Nog at UFC 114.

I don't get it. He just lost to Elliott Marshall two months ago and now he has the opportunity of a lifetime to fight Lil' Nog. If he somehow wins, good god.

I guess Thiago Silva vs. Tim Boetsch and Jon Jones vs. Vladimir "THE JANITOR" Matyushenko were fights that are too big for the UFC to postpone.

 

[jmt225]

Yeah man, that sort of sucks. This guy Jason Brilz, while he has an impressive record, has no name value whatsoever and is the kind of person that could pull off the upset and completely drag down Lil' Nog's status as a fighter, when in my opinion Brilz doesn't deserve that kind of opportunity since he recently lost to a TUF reject.

Regardless though, I guess this is a lot better than Lil' Nog not fighting at all. If I remember correctly, he got bumped for UFC 108 or 109 because his opponent suffered an injury, and it would have sucked really hard for him to have to drop another paycheck just because his opponent couldn't show up to fight.

Moreover, let me say that I completely understand why they didn't get Jon Jones. No way to you risk Jones' rise by putting him in there with a talent like Lil' Nog on this short of notice. No way.