UFC Featherweight Champ Jose Aldo Crowned Fighter Of The Year

VERSUS to air broadcast of Fighters Only World MMA Awards tomorrow at 10pm ET/7pm PT

Roughly one week removed from receiving his new UFC featherweight title from UFC President Dana White, Brazilian sensation Jose Aldo felt like the holidays came early this year. Little did the 24-year-old know that UFC gold wouldn’t be the only honor he’d receive to close out 2010.

Aldo was named Fighter of the Year at the 2010 Fighters Only World MMA Awards on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The 18-1 fighter accepted the award at a special ceremony held at The Pearl at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

VERSUS will broadcast the event on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 10pm ET/7pm PT.

Nominated with the likes of UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua , Aldo was deeply humbled to be crowned Fighter of the Year.

“I was truly honored to receive such an award,” said Aldo, who defeated Mike Brown to capture the world title last November and followed up by scoring impressive victories over Urijah Faber and Manny Gamburyan this year. “I’m fortunate to train with some of the very best fighters in the world and to be coached by a legend in Andre Pederneiras. I have to give a lot of credit to my family and my team for helping me to achieve this award.”

For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com .

Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu, The KO’s

If you missed all the action of Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu on Saturday December 4th, then here are the best parts of the four main fights from the main card: the KO’s. Check out the video below to see Silva’s, Lawler’s, Daley‘s KO of the night, and Henderson‘s KO of Sobral.

The UFC Finally Hits Toronto in April 2011

UFC FAN EXPO ALSO SCHEDULED TO TAKE OVER TORONTO APRIL 29-30

UFC President Dana White has said time and time again that the UFC loves Canada, and that Canadians are among the best and most passionate UFC fans in the world.

Today, in recognition of this great Canadian passion, White and UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright, made the highly anticipated announcement that the Ultimate Fighting Championship will host its first-ever event in Ontario as the UFC visits Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Saturday, April 30, 2011. The UFC also announced it will host a two-day Fan Expo at the Direct Energy Centre on April 29 and 30, rounding out what promises to be an historic and record-setting event.

“Canadians have repeatedly shown how much they love the UFC,” said White. “Fans in Ontario have patiently waited and it will pay off as this one will go down in the history books come April 30. I’m very excited – Toronto is going to break the record and host the biggest mixed martial arts event ever in North America.”

“This announcement has been a long time coming and we’re thrilled,” said Wright. “Ontario is obviously a key market as Toronto is one of THE MMA cities in the world,” he added. “We’re very thankful to Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ministers Sophia Aggelonitis and John Gerretsen and the provincial government for their support in sanctioning and regulating the sport.”

The Rogers Centre event will represent Canada’s sixth UFC global Pay-Per-View event following UFC 124 in Montreal on Dec. 11, 2010. Montreal has also hosted three other events (UFC 83, 97 and 113) since April 2008 while Vancouver hosted UFC 115 in June 2010.

The fight card for the April 30th event will be confirmed at a later date while tickets for the event and Fan Expo will go on sale in the New Year. UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance of the on-sale date via UFCFightClub.com .

More information on the UFC Fan Expo can be found by visiting www.ufcfanexpo.com , or, for current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com .

Tyron Woodley And Tarec Saffiedine Top Strikeforce Challengers Card

SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TOP RISING STARS TYRON WOODLEY AND TAREC SAFFIEDINE TOPS STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS CARD AT NASHVILLE MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM ON JAN. 7

Undefeated Olympian Daniel Cormier To Face Veteran Devin Cole, Yancy Medeiros vs. John Salter, Julia Budd vs. Amanda Nunes, Nate Moore vs. Nate Coy

Tickets Go On Sale Friday, Dec. 10, For STRIKEFORCE ’s First Event of 2011; Pre-Sale Begins Wednesday, Dec. 8, via “STRIKEFORCE Insider”

A long-awaited showdown between top welterweight (170 pounds) rising stars, undefeated Tyron Woodley (7-0), and hard-hitting Tarec “Sponge” Saffiedine (10-2), will headline a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011.

Undefeated up-and-coming heavyweight prospect and former Olympic wrestling star Daniel Cormier (6-0) of San Jose, Calif., faces what could be his toughest test to date when he meets veteran Devin Cole (18-8-1) of Medford, Ore., in a feature televised contest.

In other televised fights formally announced by STRIKEFORCE for its initial presentation of the decade: undefeated Yancy “Frisson’’ Medeiros (9-0) of Waianae, Hawaii, faces John Salter (5-2) of Nashville in a middleweight (185 pounds) scrap, promising Julia “The Jewel’’ Budd (1-0) of British Columbia, Canada, faces Amanda “Lioness Of The Ring’’ Nunes (5-1), of Salvador, Brazil, in a women’s middleweight (145 pounds) match and Nate Moore (6-2) of San Jose meets Nate “Soulforce’’ Coy (8-3) of Portland, Ore., in a welterweight (170 pounds) fight.

A special ticket pre-sale purchase opportunity for the event will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://STRIKEFORCE.com/insider.html), beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 8, and ending at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec. 9. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 10, and will be available at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000 including Kroger and FYE, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
The first non-televised, undercard fight on Jan. 7 will begin at 7:30 CT. Doors will open at 7.

The unbeaten 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Woodley of St. Louis, Mo., is a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for the University of Missouri. After notching three straight victories on the Challengers series, Woodley made his debut at a STRIKEFORCE championship series event, scoring a thunderous first round (1:48) KO over fellow prospect Andre Galvao on the Diaz vs. Noons card in San Jose last Oct. 9.

Woodley fought five times in 2009, winning all five of his starts by way of submission. He was only forced beyond the first round on one occasion last year, submitting Zach Light with an armbar in the second round (3:38) of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25.

Woodley, who turned pro in February 2009, is a member of American Top Team. He won his initial start for STRIKEFORCE with a first-round submission (Brabo Choke) over Sal Woods in a non-televised, undercard bout on June 6, 2009, in St. Louis.

Like Woodley, Saffiedine, a 24-year-old, 5-foot-9 native of Brussels, Belgium, has been on a surge, winning all three of his bouts in 2010, and 9 of his last 10 fights. Saffiedine’s only defeat during this stretch came via narrow, split decision against Dong Sik Yoon at DREAM 12 in Osaka, Japan on Oct. 25, 2009.

Saffiedine’s strong striking foundation stems from his teenage years when he took up Karate at age 16. He now holds a black belt in Shihaishinkai, a form of Karate that combines striking, Judo throws and wrestling, and an amateur kickboxing record of 12-1-1. After immigrating to The United States, he added Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to his repertoire.

To date, Saffiedine holds a record of 2-0 in STRIKEFORCE Challengers competition. In his debut for the promotion last Feb. 26 in San Jose, he earned a unanimous decision over James Terry. On May 21, Saffiedine scored a second-round (1:21) KO on Moore with a punch in Portland, Ore.

Cormier, a two-time JUCO national wrestling champion, six-time U.S. national champ, two-time Olympian and 2008 U.S. Olympic team captain, has been virtually unstoppable since turning pro on Sept. 25, 2009, winning all his fights inside the distance, all within two rounds.

The 5-foot-11, 31-year-old Cormier may be short in stature for a heavyweight, but he’s long on talent. His last five fights – all in 2010 — ended in the first round, the last three by submission. In his most recent outing, the exciting Cormier devoured Soa Palelei on Nov. 5. The farthest Cormier has been taken was in his pro debut when he triumphed by 3:39, second-round TKO (punches) over Gary Frazier at a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25, 2009.

Cormier, who whipped Jason Riley in 1:02 in his last fight for STRIKEFORCE last Aug. 21, is a member of American Kickboxing Academy. One of his teammates and chief training partners at AKA is UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, whom Cormier helped get ready before Velasquez obliterated Brock Lesnar in November.

Cole is 6-1-1 in his last seven fights. Unquestionably, the most experienced fighter to face Cormier, Cole has fought several well-known, world-class fighters in a career that began in July 2003, including former STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, STRIKEFORCE star Mike “Mak” Kyle, Jeff Monson, Travis Wiuff, Krzysztof Soszynski, and Ben Rothwell.

An All-American wrestler at Oregon State, the 6-foot-4 Cole has been victorious inside the distance in 13 of his 18 victories, and has gone nearly two years without being submitted. An IFL veteran who’ll be making his STRIKEFORCE debut, Cole had a five-fight winning streak end in his last outing on Sept. 11 when he dropped a decision to Aaron Rosa.

MMA Fighter Rankings: Flyweight

The lightest weight class in MMA does nothing but bring on sheer entertainment. These fighters have speed and power and go into most fights looking to knock the heads clear off their opponents. This is also the only division currently not in the UFC (although the merger with the WEC does not take place until the New Year. The list was put together by Ray Ang of RantMMA.com . Be sure to voice your opinion in the comments section and let us know what you think about the rankings.

10. Ulysses “Useless” Gomez
Gomez is a ton of fun to watch, and with his latest win over Travis Reddinger at Bellator 27 he moves into the top 10.

9. Mitsuhisa Sunabe
Sunabe is a fighter who just can’t seem to put enough wins together to get to championship matches. He’ll look to win his series with Kiyotaka Shimizu in their 3rd match in December.

8. Kiyotaka Shimizu
Shimizu gets a rubber match with Mitsuhisa Sunabe, the man who he faced and lost to in his 1st career MMA fight.

7. Fumihiro Kitahara
Kitahara recently lost against Mamoru Yamaguchi, stopping his ascent to the top of the division. Previously, he was on a 5 fight win streak in Shooto.

6. Alexis Villa
Villa is a rising star in the division, and it will be interesting to see how he does if he moves to Shooto to face the top 125ers in the world.

5. Ryuchi Miki
Miki got a 3rd opportunity to fight Mamoru Yamaguchi, but unfortunately came up short once again.

4. Yuki Shojo
Shojo holds his place in the division with wins over Junya Kudo and Jesse Taitano.

3. Mamoru “Afro” Yamaguchi
He of the Afro recently won against rising star Fumihiro Kitahara to cement his position as one of the elite in Shooto’s 125 division.

2. Yasuhiro Urushitani
The Shooto flyweight champion holds the #2 spot, having won the title by defeating Ryuichi Miki.

1. Jussier “Formiga” da Silva
Formiga has amassed an 8-0 record and established himself as the top 125er in the world. He’ll face Danny Martinez in December.

UFC President Dana White At Maple Leaf Square In Toronto

UFC President Dana White, Tom Wright And Canadian Fighters Stout And Patrick Team Up For Free Fan Event At Maple Leaf Square In Toronto

UFC President Dana White and Tom Wright, UFC Director of Canadian Operations, will be joined by London, Ontario native and UFC lightweight fighter Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout and Toronto-resident and UFC welterweight fighter Claude “The Prince” Patrick for a public event in Toronto on Tuesday, Dec. 7. White and Wright will partake in a free public Q&A session while Stout and Patrick will follow up with an autograph signing to get fans geared up for UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2, taking place in Montreal on Dec. 11.

UFC fans are invited to attend this FREE event at Real Sports Bar & Grill, located within Maple Leaf Square at 15 York Street. White and Wright will take questions from fans from 3-4 p.m., while Stout and Patrick will sign autographs from 4-6 p.m. at Real Sports Apparel. Please note – these events are on a first come first basis (one autograph per person).

Earlier in the day at 10:30 a.m., White and Wright will host a press conference at the Air Canada Centre to discuss UFC 124, which features two-time UFC welterweight champion and Montreal native Georges St-Pierre and his most heated rival and No. 1 contender Josh Koscheck.

UFC PRESS CONFERENCE (not open to the public)

WHEN:
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 – 10:30 a.m.
WHERE:
Air Canada Centre, Toronto – Gate 6 entrance off Bremner Blvd.
WHO:
UFC President Dana White and Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright

FREE PUBLIC Q&A

WHEN:
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 – 3-4 p.m.
WHERE:
Real Sports Bar & Grill, Maple Leaf Square – 15 York Street, Toronto
WHO:
UFC President Dana White and Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright

UFC AUTOGRAPH SESSION

WHEN:
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 – 4-6 p.m.
WHERE:
Real Sports Apparel, Maple Leaf Square – 15 York Street, Toronto
WHO:
UFC fighters Sam Stout and Claude Patrick

Chael Sonnen Breaks His Silence on HDNet’s MMA Live

Ever since Chael Sonnen was accused of taking steroids he had been silent about the whole ordeal, opting not to discuss it at all until his trial with the Athletic commission was over.

Chael Sonnen recently had his trial with the commission where the commission reduced his ban of 12 months to 6 months, the monetary fine, however, was upheld.

Here’s Sonnen’s interview with HDNet’s MMA Live discussing the entire ordeal.

The UFC Confirms Remaining Bouts For UFC 124: St-Pierre Vs Koscheck

The fights on the card are as follows:

STEFAN STRUVE vs. SEAN McCORKLE
JIM MILLER vs. CHARLES OLIVEIRA
JOE STEVENSON vs. MAC DANZIG
THIAGO ALVES vs. JOHN HOWARD
MARK BOCEK vs. DUSTIN HAZELETT
JESSE BONGFELDT vs. RAFAEL NATAL
MATT RIDDLE vs. SEAN PIERSON
JOE DOERKSEN vs. DAN MILLER
TJ GRANT vs. RICARDO ALMEIDA
PAT AUDINWOOD vs. JOHN MAKDESSI

The UFC once again heads to Montreal to bring a sensational night of fights north of the border. Two-time UFC welterweight champion and Montreal native Georges St-Pierre goes home to once again face his most heated rival and No. 1 contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 124: ST-PIERRE VS. KOSCHECK, presented by Affliction and live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday, December 11, 2010. The UFC proudly confirms the remaining bouts on this stellar card, including Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle, Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira, Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig, Thiago Alves vs. John Howard, Mark Bocek vs. Dustin Hazelett, Jesse Bongfeldt vs. Rafael Natal, Matt Riddle vs. Sean Pierson, Joe Doerksen vs. Dan Miller, TJ Grant vs. Ricardo Almeida and Pat Audinwood vs. John Makdessi.

Tickets for UFC 124 are still available and are at the Bell Centre box office, by phone at (514) 790-2525 / 1-877-668-8269 or at www.evenko.ca.

UFC 124 will be available live on Pay-Per-View on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available). UFC 124 will also be available on Pay-Per-View in Spanish in the United States.

A rising star who is starting to come into his own, Stefan Struve (fighting out of Beverwijk, the Netherlands / 24-4) hopes to continue moving himself up the heavyweight ranks. The 22-year-old is a threat wherever the fight goes, holding 14 career wins by submission and four by knockout, including a Knockout of the Night win over Christian Morecraft and Submission of the Night award over Chase Gormley. “Skyscraper” will take on Sean McCorkle (fighting out of Indianapolis, Ind. / 10-0). After winning his UFC debut via armbar over Mark Hunt barely a minute into the fight, McCorkle plans to establish a name for himself against Struve. McCorkle has only been to a decision once, winning four fights by knockout and five more by submission.

Regarded as one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, Jim Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J. / 18-2) has only lost to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, who will battle for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 125. Miller has won five straight and 12 of his last 13 fights, including one Fight of the Night and another Submission of the Night. Standing in his way is the undefeated Charles Oliveira (fighting out of Houston, Texas / 14-0). “Do Bronx” has achieved Submission of the Night honors in both of his UFC fights and a win over Miller would be his fifth of 2010 and could elevate him to contender status.

In a lightweight matchup, longtime UFC veteran Joe Stevenson (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M. by way of Victorville, Calif. / 36-11) will be competing in his 14th fight in the Octagon. “Joe Daddy” is known for his consistently thrilling fights, and he has received Fight of the Night awards in three of his last four bouts. The winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 will battle Mac Danzig (fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. / 20-8-1), the Season 7 TUF winner. With 11 wins by submission, the grappling specialist hopes to get back on track in the lightweight division against Stevenson.

After a rapid ascent up the welterweight division that included TKOs of UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, Chris Lytle and Karo Parisyan and a unanimous decision win over Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. / 22-6) looks to rebound after dropping decisions to current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and fellow contender Jon Fitch. An impressive striker, “Pitbull” has notched five of his last six wins via knockout. In the opposite corner will be John Howard (fighting out of Boston, Mass. / 14-5). “Doomsday” has won seven of his last eight bouts, including four out of five in the UFC. Holding knockout victories over Dennis Hallman and Daniel Roberts in the UFC, Howard is a definite threat to Alves’ comeback.

In a battle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts, Mark Bocek (fighting out of Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada / 8-3) takes on fellow UFC veteran Dustin Hazelett (fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio / 14-6). Bocek has already fought six times in the UFC, and has notched five overall wins by rear naked choke. Hazelett is a submission specialist, himself, as four of his five wins in the Octagon have come via tap out, including two that won him Submission of the Night honors.

Jesse Bongfeldt (fighting out of Kenora, Ontario, Canada / 15-4) is set to make his UFC debut after putting together an impressive professional fighting resume. With seven straight wins and victories over UFC veterans TJ Grant and Sean Pierson, Bongfeldt is set to make the jump to the UFC in the middleweight division. Never having been to a decision (nine submission wins, six knockout wins), he will debut against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rafael Natal (fighting out of New York, N.Y. / 12-3). A student of the legendary Renzo Gracie, “Sapo” holds seven wins by submission and three by knockout, and will look to pick up his first UFC win against Bongfeldt.

With all six of his professional fights coming in the UFC, Matthew Riddle (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / 5-1) continues to gain valuable experience in the Octagon. A veteran of The Ultimate Fighter Season 7, Riddle looks to pick up his third straight win against UFC newcomer Sean Pierson (fighting out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada / 10-4). The welterweight has put together five straight first-round victories by finishing fights with kicks and punches, and is set to make the jump to the UFC.

Known for his world class experience, Joe Doerksen (fighting out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada / 46-13) is set to compete in his 60th professional MMA bout. “El Dirte” holds victories over names like Tom Lawlor and Patrick Cote in the UFC, and the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is always a threat to score a submission. Fighting opposite of Doerksen will be Dan Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J. / 12-4, 1 NC). As Jim Miller’s older brother, Dan looks to set the stage for his brother in this fight. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt himself, Miller has recorded three of his four UFC victories via submission.

As a very well-rounded fighter, TJ Grant (fighting out of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada / 16-4) is dangerous in any aspect of his game. Not only has Grant recorded 12 of his wins via submission, but he also has a Knockout of the Night award to his name. Grant will face another world-class grappler in Ricardo Almeida (fighting out of Hamilton, N.J. / 12-4). “Big Dog” is a third-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie and has submitted Nate Marquardt and Matt Brown in his career. Against Grant, Almeida hopes to pick up his second win in the UFC welterweight division.

Looking to score his first UFC win on December 11th, Pat Audinwood (fighting out of Big Flats, N.Y. / 9-1-1) will take on John Makdessi (fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada / 7-0), who is making his UFC debut. “The Bull” is undefeated in seven fights, having won six of his fights via knockout, and he is ready to make an immediate impact during his first trip into the Octagon.

MMA Fighter Rankings: Bantamweight

The Bantamweight division is home to some of the most exciting fighters in MMA , not to mention two WEC poster boys in Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres. The division holds three former champions and a title contender in Scott Jorgensen, who will be taking on Dominick Cruz for the Bantamweight championship. The list was put together by Ray Ang of RantMMA.com . Check back here for the remaining top 10 list on the top Flyweight fighters in MMA. As always, voice your opinion in the comments section and let us know what you think about the rankings.

10. Masakatsu Ueda
The former Shooto champion rebounded from an upset loss to start his climb back to the title.

9. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
Johnson picked up an upset win over the ranked Damacio Page to enter the top 10.

8. Brad “One Punch” Pickett
Pickett lost a #1 contenders match, but is still established as a top talent at 135, having won his previous 9 fights.

7. Takeya Mizugaki
The tough as nails Mizugaki slips, but only a little. Getting beat by the man who used to rule 145 doesn’t drop your stock too much.

6. Miguel Torres
The old poster boy of the bantamweight division got back in the swing of things with a win over Charlie Valencia.

5. Urijah “The California Kid” Faber
Faber made his debut at 135 in impressive fashion, submitting Takeya Mizugaki, who has only been stopped twice.

4. Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen
Jorgensen earned a title shot with a win over Brad Pickett. He’s riding a 5 fight win streak where he avenged his most recent loss.

3. Brian Bowles
The former 135 champ was injured again and missed WEC 52. With only 1 loss on his record which was to Cruz, Bowles is still a top dog in the bantamweight division.

2. Joseph Benavidez
Benavidez came close to beating Dominick Cruz, but it wasn’t enough. He bounced back with a win over submission ace Wagnney Fabiano. There is talk of Benavidez going down to 125 when the UFC gets that division up and running.

1. Dominick Cruz
Cruz remains on top of the bantamweight division with a split decision win over Joseph Benavidez in his 1st title defence.

The Ultimate Fighter 12: Episode 11

The Semi-Finals

After a week off due to the holidays, TUF 12 returned with the last of the tournament fights. Both semi-final fights took place with the winners vying for the crown of The Ultimate Fighter on the TUF 12 finale taking place on Saturday December 4th at 9 PM EST free on Spike TV.

The first fight to take place was Jonathan Brookins against Kyle Watson, with GSP once again not cornering any of the fighters. Brookins is the favourite in this fight due to his ever evolving skills and versatility as a complete fighter. Watson still has all the tools to get the win, but is lacking some skill compared to Brookins.

Before the fight begins, we are shown a scene from the house where Marc Stevens of Team Koscheck (and a few of the other Koscheck team members) are dissatisfied with the lack of training they have received from Koscheck and Team GSP received a ton of training from GSP and a handful of special guests. Stevens proceeds to impersonate Koscheck and make fun of him to the delight of Team Koscheck members. Stevens gets a bit of a surprise when Koscheck walks into the house to hang with his team, and pretty much catches Stevens in action. For a change Koscheck actually doesn’t get bothered by it and states that he will let Stevens slide for this one. After the house drama, the fight between Brookins and Watson gets underway.

As the fight begins, both fighters are a bit cautious of each other, but Brookins pushes the action by going for a takedown and getting rocked by Watson in the process. The punch doesn’t fade Brookins as he manages to get a takedown on Watson regardless. The fight gets back to the standing position, but not for long as Brookins scores another takedown. This time the fight stays on the ground for the remainder of the round with Brookins dominating the whole way. Brookins easily wins the round.

Round two starts where the 1st round left off, with Brookins shooting for the takedown and eventually getting it. The round is spent on the ground as Brookins controls it in its entirety, landing multiple elbows and punches to Watson’s head. Brookins maintains full control for the entire round winning it in very dominant fashion.

Round three is much of the same, as Brookins gets into familiar territory by completely controlling Watson in all facets of the fight. There is a tiny glimmer of hope for Watson in the round when he lands a successful combo on Brookins, but it doesn’t really faze him and Brookins continues to dominate the round. Brookins easily wins the round, and the fight, as he takes the unanimous decision victory.

After the fight, the episode goes back into the drama of the house with Nam Phan’s team not really showing him any support for his upcoming fight against Michael Johnson. In fact, the house spends more time playing pranks (there is a little incident in which they attempt to catch Phan, umm, pleasuring himself) and badmouthing Phan then helping him to prepare for his semi-final fight. At one point Phan heads to the training facility to train by himself, without even his coaches there to help him (apparently they had something to attend to). Regardless of this, Phan remains focused and optimistic that he will win his fight.

Before the fight, Dana White admits that Johnson is the more complete fighter of the two, but that Phan has all the tools to beat Johnson and win the fight.

As the fight begins, Johnson immediately takes Phan to the ground and scores a takedown, but Phan is quick to get back on his fight. Phan continuously stalks Johnson and lands some big hits, but Johnson is quick to recover and lands another takedown on Phan. Once again, Phan doesn’t waste any time on the ground and is quickly back on his feet. The stand up goes back and forth, with each fighter landing some heavy strikes. However, Johnson clearly controls the fight, landing more punches and controlling Phan in the clinch, while also giving Phan a cut below his eye. Johnson wins the first round, doing more damage and scoring some big takedowns early on.

The second round is a different story, this time Phan assumes control of the fight, scoring some big shots on Johnson and tiring him out. Phan manages to hurt Johnson and it shows, as Johnson is having trouble keeping his hands up and blocking Phan’s shots. When it’s clear that Johnson is in trouble, he shoots for a takedown, but gets stuffed and Phan counters with a takedown of his own. Phan continues to rain down heavy hits on Johnson, but Johnson defends well and gets back to his feet. The round ends with both fighters standing and trading, but Phan wins the second round with ease.

The third round has both fighters clearly tired and gassed, but Phan seems to still have enough energy to carry on. However, Johnson has a lot of heart, refusing to give up and manages to score a quick takedown on Phan. Even though Phan is on the bottom he still throws heavy elbows and punches to Johnson’s head, Johnson defends the strikes but does not counter any of Phan’s attacks. Johnson is clearly tired and continues to eat the clock by holding Phan up against the fence in a clinch. Both continue to exchange, with Johnson getting the better shots in, but Phan refuses to give up and attempts to counter Johnson’s shots.

In Dana White’s words, this fight was an absolute war, with both fighters throwing everything at each other to get the win. In the end, Johnson won the fight by split decision, but Phan gave him a run for his money. Koscheck is obviously pissed but he vows to get the last word when he faces GSP at UFC 124 on December 11th.

The TUF 12 Finale takes place on Saturday December 4th with Teams GSP teammates Michael Johnson & Jonathan Brookins squaring off to determine who will be The Ultimate Fighter.

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