Happy Winter Solstice Everyone!

GSP on SportsCenter

TUF 12: Live Finale

Live Finale Recap:


TUF12 Final:
-(Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) def. (Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) via unanimous decision for 14pts.

Other TUF12 Fights:
-Leonard Garcia def. (Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS) via split decision (robbery) for 0pts.
-(Team Tammy's) Cody McKenzie (GSP) def. (Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS) via submission (guillotine choke) in Round 1 for 10pts.
-(Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP) def. (Team Jen's) Sako Chivitchian (KOS) via unanimous decision for 7pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 4pts for having GSP as their coach.

With the win by Brookins, Team Jon wins Fantasy TUF 12, $80, and the Wookie Cup. Team Roy finishes in 2nd place for $40, and Team CJ finishes in 3rd place for $20.

And here are the final scores:

• 64 - Jon ($80)
  
• 52 - Roy ($40)
  
• 35 - CJ ($20)
  
• 34 - Tammy
• 21 - Jen
• 18 - Tommy
• 09 - Adam
  

TUF 12: Live Finale this Saturday

Last night's final episode of The Ultimate Fighter 12 saw Jonathan Brookins and Michael Johnson advance to the finale in Las Vegas this weekend, where they'll square off for the Season 12 lightweight crown. MMA Junkie now reports that several of their castmates will be joining them on the undercard of the finale.

Semifinalist, Nam Phan will drop down to featherweight to meet the WEC's resident 145 lb brawler, Leonard Garcia, on the televised main card. Meanwhile, guillotine master, Cody McKenzie faces Aaron Wilkinson, and judo specialist, Sako Chivitchian takes on the other semifinalist, Kyle Watson. The full card is below:

Main card:
Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
(Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) vs. (Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP)
Demian Maia vs. Kendall Grove
Ricky Story vs. Johny Hendricks
(Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS) vs. Leonard Garcia

Preliminary card:
Will Campuzano vs. Nick Pace
Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza
Rich Attonito vs. Dave Branch
Tyler Toner vs. Ian Loveland
(Team Tammy's) Cody McKenzie (GSP) vs. (Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS)
(Team Jen's) Sako Chivitchian (KOS) vs. (Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP)

TUF 12: Episode 11

Episode 11 Recap:

Semi-Final Bout
(Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) vs. (Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP)
-(Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) def. (Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP) via decision for 7pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

Semi-Final Bout
(Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) vs. (Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS)
-(Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) def. (Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS) via decision for 7pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

And with that the Finals are now set. The Live Finale will be this Saturday night on Spike. The TUF12 tournament final will be between (Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) and (Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP).

Here are the scores going into the Live Finale:

• 48 - Roy
• 46 - Jon
• 28 - CJ
• 20 - Tammy
• 18 - Tommy
• 17 - Jen
• 09 - Adam

TUF 12: Episode 10

Episode 10 Recap:

Quarter Final Bout
(Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP) vs. (Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS)
-(Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP) def. (Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS) via submission (rear naked choke) in Round 1 for 10pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

Quarter Final Bout
(Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) vs. (Team Tommy's) Alex Caceres (GSP)
-(Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) def. (Team Tommy's) Alex Caceres (GSP) via Unanimous decision for 7pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

And with that the Semi-Finals are now set. The final two hour episode with be Wednesday December 1st starting at 9pm. The bouts will be (Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins vs. (Team CJ's) Kyle Watson and (Team Roy's) Nam Phan vs. (Team Roy's) Michael Johnson. And the Live Finale will be Saturday December 4th at 9pm.

UFC 123: This Saturday

Detroit will be infused with adrenaline on Saturday, November 20, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the Motor City for the first time since UFC IX in 1996. In the main event, two former UFC light heavyweight champions collide as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson takes on Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida at UFC 123: RAMPAGE vs. MACHIDA, live from the Palace at Auburn Hills in Detroit, Michigan.

Also on this stacked UFC 123 card, former welterweight champions will settle their score as UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes and former two-division champion BJ Penn face off in the rubber match of one of the greatest trilogies in fight history.

Main card:
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8) vs. Lyoto Machida (16-1)

Matt Hughes (45-7) vs. B.J. Penn (15-7-1)

Gerald Harris (17-2) vs. Maiquel Falcao (25-3)

Phil Davis (7-0) vs. Tim Boetsch (12-3)

George Sotiropoulos (13-2) vs. Joe Lauzon (18-5)


On Spike:
Matt Brown (11-9) vs. Brian Foster (14-5)

Aaron Simpson (7-1) vs. Mark Munoz (8-2)


Preliminary card:
Karo Parisyan (19-5) vs. Dennis Hallman (45-13-2)

Darren Elkins (12-2) vs. Edson Barboza (6-0)

Paul Kelly (10-3) vs. T.J. O'Brien (16-3)

Tyson Griffin (14-4) vs. Nik Lentz (21-3-2)

TUF 12: Episode 9

Episode 9 Recap:

Quarter Final Bout
(Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) vs. (Team Jen's) Sako Chivitchian (KOS)
-(Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) def. (Team Jen's) Sako Chivitchian (KOS) via submission (rear naked choke) in Round 1 for 10pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

Quarter Final Bout
(Team Tammy's) Cody McKenzie (GSP) vs. (Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS)
-(Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS) def. (Team Tammy's) Cody McKenzie (GSP) via TKO in Round 2 for 9pts.
-Team CJ, Team Tommy, and Team Adam each earn 1pt for having KOS as their coach.

TUF 12: Episode 8

Episode 8 Recap:

Wild Card Bout
(Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS) vs. (Team CJ's) Marc Stevens (KOS)
-(Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS) def. (Team CJ's) Marc Stevens (KOS) via submission (guillotine choke) in Round 2 for 9pts.
-Team CJ, Team Tommy, and Team Adam each earn 1pt for having KOS as their coach.

Next week the Quarterfinals begin:

• Team GSP's Jonathan Brookins vs. Team Koscheck's Sako Chivitchian
• Team GSP's Kody McKenzie vs. Team Koscheck's Nam Phan
• Team GSP's Kyle Watson vs. Team Koscheck's Aaron Wilkinson
• Team GSP's Michael Johnson vs. Team GSP's Alex Caceres

TUF 12: Episode 7

Episode 7 Recap:

This season's coach's challenge was a home run derby and Josh Koscheck crushes GSP. And with that victory Team CJ, Team Tommy, and Team Adam each earn 5pts for having KOS as their coach.

(Team Jen's) Dane Sayers (GSP) vs. (Team Jen's) Sako Chivitchian (KOS)
-(Team Jen's) Sako Chivitchian (KOS) def. (Team Jen's) Dane Sayers (GSP) via unanimous decision for 7pts.
-Team CJ, Team Tommy, and Team Adam each earn 1pt for having KOS as their coach.

Next week's wildcard match up will be (Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS) vs (Team CJ's) Marc Stevens (KOS)

UFC and WEC Will Merge in 2011

World Extreme Cagefighting is merging with its sister organization the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Dana White confirmed that the merger will take place in January 2011. In addition, White said that four UFC events will air live on Versus in 2011.

The final two WEC cards will air on the cable network on Nov. 11 and Dec. 16, which means that starting next year, the UFC will absorb WEC's 135, 145 and 155 weight classes.



Update from MMAJunkie:
A showdown between WEC and UFC champions is on the horizon.
The winner of an upcoming WEC title fight between champion Ben Henderson (12-1 MMA, 5-0 WEC) and challenger Anthony Pettis (11-1 MMA, 4-1 WEC) will meet the winner of an upcoming UFC title fight between champion Frankie Edgar (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and challenger Gray Maynard (10-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC).
The news was shared today by UFC president Dana White on the heels of an announcement that the UFC is folding the WEC into its promotion in January 2011, though he did not provide a timeline for the meeting between the two promotions' lightweight champions.
Henderson vs. Pettis is set to take place at WEC 53, which takes place at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., while Edgar vs. Maynard is set for UFC 125 on Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Until today's merger announcement, the WEC lightweight division was the only class which overlapped with UFC's lightweight division. That, of course, led to airy speculation on potential matchups between the promotion's champions, though both UFC and WEC officials repeatedly downplayed the possibility.
WEC 52, which takes place Nov. 11, and WEC 53 are the final events scheduled for the WEC.

And another update from MMAJunkie:
World Extreme Cagefighting's final featherweight champion, Jose Aldo (18-1 MMA, 8-0 WEC) will make his UFC debut on Jan. 1.
UFC president Dana White today announced that Aldo – who by virtue of the pending UFC and WEC merger is now the UFC's first featherweight champ – will defend his title against a yet to be named opponent at UFC 125.
Featuring a lightweight title fight between current UFC champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard, UFC 125 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The main card airs live on pay-per-view.
White says Aldo's opponent has yet to be determined, but he believes the Brazilian featherweight could use the new stage to become an MMA superstar.
"This kid could be a huge star," White said. "[WEC fighters] are finally on the biggest stage in the world now."
Potential opponents for Aldo include Canadian veteran Mark Hominick (19-8 MMA, 3-2 WEC), who recently picked up his third consecutive WEC win with a split-decision victory over Leonard Garcia at WEC 51, as well as Josh Grispi (14-1 MMA, 4-0 WEC), who takes a 10-fight win streak and perfect 4-0 WEC record into next month's WEC 52 meeting with Erik Koch (10-1 MMA, 2-1 WEC).

TUF 12: Episode 6

Episode 6 Recap:

Episode 6 featured two fights with two quick submissions.

(Team Tammy's) Cody McKenzie (GSP) vs. (Team CJ's) Marc Stevens (KOS)
-(Team Tammy's) Cody McKenzie (GSP) def. (CJ's) Marc Stevens (KOS) via submission (guillotine) in Round 1 for 10pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

(Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) vs. (Team Adam's) Sevak Magakian (KOS)
-(Team Jon's) Jonathan Brookins (GSP) def. (Team Adam's) Sevak Magakian (KOS) via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1 for 10pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

Next week, we get the coaches challenge (home-run derby!), our final 2nd round fight (Team Jen vs Team Jen!), and the announcement of this season's wild-card picks.

Viggie is ready! are you?

TUF 12:Episode 5

Episode 5 Recap:

(Team Tommy's) Spencer Paige (GSP) vs. (Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS)

-(Team Roy's) Nam Phan (KOS) def. (Team Tommy's) Spencer Paige (GSP) via unanimous decision for 7pts.
-Team CJ, Team Tommy, and Team Adam each earn 1pt for having KOS as their coach.

And with that win Roy jumps out to a big lead.

Happy Columbus Day

TUF 12: Episode 4

Episode 4 Recap:

(Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP) vs. (Team Tammy's) Andy Main (KOS)

-(Team CJ's) Kyle Watson (GSP) def. (Team Tammy's) Andy Main (KOS) via submission (rear naked choke) in round 2 for 9pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

And with that win Team GSP is up 3-0.

TUF 12: Episode 3

MMAjunkie's episode 3 recap.

(Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) vs. (Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS)

-(Team Roy's) Michael Johnson (GSP) def. (Team Jon's) Aaron Wilkinson (KOS) via submission (rear naked choke) in round 3 for 8pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

TUF 12: Draft and Episode 2

Here are the results of the draft:
01- CJ - Marc Stevens
02- Jen - Sako Chivitchyan
03- Tommy - Alex Caceres
04- Tammy - Cody McKenzie
05- Roy - Michael Johnson
06- Jon - Jonathan Brookins
07- Adam - Jeff Lentz

08- CJ - Kyle Watson
09- Roy - Nam Phan
10- Jen - Dane Sayers
11- Tammy - Andy Main
12- Tommy - Spencer Paige
13- Adam - Sevak Magakian
14- Jon - Aaron Wilkinson

15- CJ - Josh Koscheck
16- Roy - Georges St-Pierre
17- Jen - Georges St-Pierre
18- Tammy - Georges St-Pierre
19- Tommy - Josh Koscheck
20- Adam - Josh Koscheck
21- Jon - Georges St-Pierre

Here is MMAJunkie's recap of episode 2.

And here is an awful recording of the fight:


(Team Tommy's) Alex Caceres (GSP) vs. (Team Adam's) Jeff Lentz (KOS)

-(Team Tommy's) Alex Caceres (GSP) def. (Team Adam's) Jeff Lentz (KOS) via submission in round 2 for 9pts.
-Team Roy, Team Jen, Team Tammy, and Team Jon each earn 1pt for having GSP as their coach.

And with that Team Tommy jumps into the lead, and the defending champ is down a fighter.

UFC 119: This Saturday Night

UFC 119 is this Saturday night live from Indianapolis. The Prelims start at 9pm on Spike, and the main card starts at 10pm on PPV.

Main bouts:
Frank Mir (13-5) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-7-2)

Ryan Bader (11-0) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-3)

Chris Lytle (29-17-5) -140 vs. Matt Serra (11-6)

Evan Dunham (11-0) vs. Sean Sherk (32-4-1)

Melvin Guillard (25-8-2) vs. Jeremy Stephens (17-5)


On Spike:
C.B. Dollaway (10-2) vs. Joe Doerksen (46-12)

Matt Mitrione (2-0) vs. Joey Beltran (12-3)

Preliminary bouts:
Thiago Tavares (14-3-1) vs. Pat Audinwood (9-0-1)

Waylon Lowe (8-3) vs. Steve Lopez (12-2)

T.J. Grant (15-4) vs. Julio Paulino (17-3)

Mark Hunt (5-6) vs. Sean McCorkle (9-0)