InterMat Staff

NEW YORK -- Showtime Networks Inc. and world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE® have entered into a new broadcast agreement to continue producing live MMA events on the premium television network, SHOWTIME. The agreement was announced jointly today by Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®, Dana White, UFC® President, and Scott Coker, STRIKEFORCE CEO. Under the new agreement, SHOWTIME will produce and televise up to eight live events. STRIKEFORCE athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women's featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos, women's bantamweight championMiesha Tate and other world-class MMA fighters will continue to compete for the organization on SHOWTIME. The new deal kicks off during the network'sFree Preview Weekend, Saturday, Jan. 7, as champion Rockhold defends the STRIKEFORCE 185-pound title against dangerous veteran Keith Jardine at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Notable STRIKEFORCE contenders such as Robbie Lawler, “King Mo” Lawaland Tyron Woodley are also set to compete on the televised card, which, as part of Free Preview Weekend, will be available in more than 60 million households nationwide across SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD™ and SHOWTIME On Demand®. Beginning with the Jan. 7 card, SHOWTIME will also televise undercard fights for all STRIKEFORCE events live on SHOWTIME EXTREME. The live SHO Extreme preliminary telecasts will afford network subscribers with expanded live fight coverage by up to two hours and provide invaluable exposure for the sport's next generation of STRIKEFORCE contenders. Under the new deal, the World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament champion will be determined when Josh Barnett battlesDaniel Cormier. The winner will compete again on SHOWTIME under the STRIKEFORCE banner in the months to follow. “Since its advent on SHOWTIME in 2007, live mixed martial arts has always performed well with our subscribers, particularly in the younger demographics,” said Espinoza, who now heads the division of the network responsible for programming live boxing, studio shows from National Football League and NASCAR as well as multiple sports documentary series. “As the one and only premium network in the MMA business, we are proud to renew our commitment to the sport and to our partners at Strikeforce. This agreement ensures that we can continue to deliver the edge-of-your-seat programming that each live MMA event produces in the New Year and beyond. “This exciting announcement could not have come at a better time,” he continued. “During our nationwide Free Preview Weekend a whole new crop of MMA fans will have the opportunity to sample the Strikeforce brand free of charge.” “We're excited about this renewal with SHOWTIME and I expect to put on some big STRIKEFORCE events next year,” White said. “I never thought I would say this, but I am very much looking forward to building STRIKEFORCE and working very closely with SHOWTIME.” “SHOWTIME has been a great TV partner for us and we're happy to renew our agreement with them,” Coker said. “Together, we've put on some really amazing events and we're going to keep doing that with this new deal. We have a great core of talented fighters on our roster and MMA fans are in for a real treat.”

As expected, Strikeforce and Showtime have inked a new deal that will keep the Zuffa-owned fight promotion on the premium-cable station. Officials today announced the deal, which calls for up to eight events, though no timeframe was disclosed for the shows. As part of the deal, main-card bouts will continue to air on Showtime, and preliminary-card fights now will be broadcast on sister channel Showtime Extreme. Read entire story...

Omaha will once again be host to some of the nation's top combatants. The host city for the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships will once again be the showcase for modern gladiators when the UFC on FUEL TV comes to the 18,000-seat CenturyLink Arena. The UFC recently added two bouts to the night's card: Aaron Simpson (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) vs. Ronny Markes (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and featherweights Jonathan Brookins (12-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Rani Yahya (16-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC). UFC on FUEL TV 1 card as of 12/15: Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez Dave Herman vs. Stefan Struve Ronny Markes vs. Aaron Simpson Jonathan Brookins vs. Rani Yahya

It's a study in contrasts and personalities. Ben Whitford is 145 pounds of constant energy and movement. Taylor Massa, around 30 pounds heavier, is always so calm and composed that you wonder if his pulse ever changes during a big match. "I'm pretty good at masking my emotions, and Ben is a lot more hyper and outwardly confident," says Massa. Massa isn't used to being scored upon, especially by someone smaller than him, and Whitford has just taken him down. Not surprisingly, Massa is not happy. Ben Whitford was a Junior National double champion this past summer in Fargo (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com)Whitford has supreme belief in his own skills. "I'm really confident, and sometimes people might mistake that for cockiness, but I don't wrestle as well unless I think I'm going to dominate," he says, but he knows he's about to pay the physical toll of angering the No. 1 recruit in the country. All he needs to do is look at the narrowing of Massa's eyes, and the realization that the next "go" won't be very pleasant is obvious. And so the laid back Massa pounds the more emotional Whitford into the mat, works him over a bit, and that's that. "He can take me down once in a while, it's good. It keeps me on my toes," says Massa, cracking a smile. "Little guy is quick enough to do it now and then, but it's fun to punish him after he gets that takedown." So goes life for the extremely close friends within the walls of the Massa wrestling room in St. Johns, Michigan. It is here that two of the best high school wrestlers in the country have done a large amount of their training. Taylor Massa, the nation's No. 1 overall recruit, won the Super 32 Challenge title in October (Photo/Rob Preston)Massa, InterMatWrestle's No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2012, is undefeated in his prep career. Whitford is the No. 2 overall recruit in the Class of 2013 and has only one blemish on his prep record. They are two of the most decorated high school wrestlers nationally, with nine Fargo titles, five state championships, a Walsh Ironman title, and a Junior World Team spot between them, among their many accolades. And now, for the first time, they will wrestle together on the same high school team. Their excitement is obvious, perhaps more so because it could have easily never happened. It all started nearly a decade ago. Massa and Whitford met when Whitford's father, Pat, brought him the 40 minutes from Holt, Mich., to St. Johns, to train with Taylor's father Rodger. Rodger Massa is a name that has been synonymous with Michigan wrestling over the past decade, as many Michigan kids seeking out the toughest practices will visit what is now simply referred to as "The Room." The two fathers bonded immediately over their similar styles. "There's not a lot of people that have the same philosophy and mindset we have, so Pat and I clicked," says Rodger Massa. "We really preach doing things the right way above winning and losing, and believe if you do that, good things will happen. We wanted our practices real intense, and sometimes when we held them in the school we couldn't do that, so we decided to build The Room about seven years ago." L-R: Rodger Massa, Ben Whitford, Pat Whitford, Taylor MassaRodger and Pat began running practices together, and the rest, as they say, is history. Taylor and Ben became close friends because of their similar mindsets regarding wrestling. They wrestled together at national tournaments, where their fathers would be in their respective corners, and they trained together constantly. With Massa being a year older, he served as something of a role model and big brother figure for Whitford. "When we were younger, I didn't hang out as much with Taylor, but he was the guy I looked at a lot of the time as far as what I wanted to be like," says Whitford. Perhaps the turning point in the friendship of the two young wrestlers came at a difficult moment. Whitford was going into his ninth grade year in St. Johns, and was geared up to join Massa, who had won his first state title as a freshman. But that would never come to fruition, as a job opportunity for Pat necessitated the Whitfords move to Illinois. Ben was understanding of the change, knowing he would be getting a good education and joining an up and coming program at Marmion Academy. But at his grandmother's lake house right before he left Michigan, he finally realized what he was going to miss most. "Before we moved, I wasn't very emotional about leaving," says Whitford. "But then we said our goodbyes, and when it came to Tay, I got really emotional. We have a bond that's hard to explain, so it was tough." The irony is that while the two were close friends, this moment made them realize they were even closer than they thought. The news hit the usually even-keeled Massa hard as well. "Ben and I have a special connection," says Massa. "It was really hard for me when Ben left because I felt like I was losing a friend, a brother, and a workout partner. When you're around someone that much, they become like part of you." But so goes life, and the friends spent the next two years dominating high school wrestling in different states. The two kept in touch, and got to see each other at big tournaments and over the summer. If anyone wondered whether the bond had been weakened at all because of the distance, Pat Whitford tells a story which answers that clearly. "Ben went to Junior Duals with Team Illinois and they were wrestling the Michigan guys," says Pat Whitford. "Taylor got taken to his back by a real good Illinois kid, and the whole Illinois bench jumped up, because the best kid in the country just got taken down ... everyone except for Ben, who just sat in his chair, not knowing how to react. You could tell from the look on his face how hard it was for him and where his loyalty was." Meanwhile, Massa held out hope that the two friends would be reunited at some point, but that hope was waning earlier this year after he finished up his junior season with a third state title. And so, when he got the news that the Whitfords would be returning to St. Johns in May, his response was atypical for the laid back grappler. "When I first heard he was coming back I just got fired up," says Massa. "I just thought 'Wow.' That was the vision I always saw going into high school me and him on a team with all of our great partners around us, building up our program and taking it to the next level. We definitely have a shot to be the best team in the country and we couldn't do it without Whitford by any means." In the seven months since Whitford's return, their friendship has only strengthened. Whereas this relationship was once Massa as the big brother and Whitford as the little brother, the dynamic has changed. "Since he's been back, I see him more as a best friend," says Massa. "I feel like there's a huge transformation between eighth grade and junior year in terms of maturing and that definitely happened with Ben. It's obvious he's matured a ton since he's been gone and it's another thing that's helped us get closer. I think we both started learning how to self motivate once we got into high school. We have so much in common that we understand each other and have a better connection than most people." For Whitford, it is having someone who he truly trusts at his side that makes it special, and it has helped him grow as a person and leader. Ben Whitford (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"He understands my situation as well as anyone," says Whitford. "He takes care of me and doesn't think about it ... He just does it. That's the kind of person I've realized I need to be around more because of how rare it is. That's why he's a role model. He's trying to help us achieve our goals as he achieves his. I've learned a lot from him, and so now I try and work with some of the other guys in the room to try and help them like Taylor's helped me." It's a credit to both young men that their hypercompetitive nature does not impact their friendship, but in fact helps their development as wrestlers and people. "We both have such high goals for ourselves that having someone with the same goals and understanding for how to achieve them is just going to push you," says Massa. "It's good to have someone that can slap you in the face to get you going if you're not working as hard as you need to. But we also love hanging out off the mat and realize that there's more to life than wrestling." According to Whitford, whether it is on a micro level -- "I'm always trying to push myself higher than his limits, and that pushes him back, that's why we scrap and go at it sometimes" -- or a macro level -- "Just to see him make the Junior World team pushes me to want to get to that point" -- the motivation to stay on the same level with Massa is obvious. Massa relishes the competition, and waxes poetic when asked what a great training partner and friend means to him. "You can shoot hoops all day by yourself and get amazing at that," says Massa. "You can throw a ball and become extremely accurate. With wrestling, you can't become good by yourself. You need a good partner. A good partner isn't just a good wrestler, but someone who understands you and knows you and your emotions and what they have to do to help you get through the practice that day. Because you can't have your best practice every day of your life, it just won't happen. So you need to have your partners there that can push you through on those tough days. And you put a little bit of yourself into the other person every practice, and it's how I think wrestlers become so close. You have to trust and believe in the other person if you're going to become great, and that's one thing Ben has helped me with for sure." Nothing illustrates how close they are more than the first big national tournament the two went to together after the Whitfords moved back to Michigan, Super 32 Challenge, at the end of October. "I was really pumped for that tournament, our first time being back together," recalls Whitford. "I was so excited to watch him wrestle and for me, having him there in my corner made me work that much harder." Taylor Massa (Photo/Rob Preston)Their bond was never more apparent, as the two helped coach one another with a passion normally reserved for family. "The only thing better than winning is having your teammates and best friends win too," says Massa. "You win, and 'good for you' and you feel good, but when you can have other people you care about winning, it makes it that much better. When I'm watching Ben wrestle at Super 32 and coaching him in his corner, you feel like part of you is out there because of all the training we've done together and how hard we've worked." They each breezed their way to a title at a tournament where dominance is a rarity. Whitford rolled through the tough 138-pound class with five pins, a technical fall, and a major decision in the finals. Massa was dominated in similar fashion at 170 pounds, winning a major decision in the finals as well, after four pins and a 12-5 decision earlier in the tournament. This set up a great season ahead for the St. Johns high school team, just reaffirming how alike their mentalities are. "The desire to be the best, I think about it all the time," notes Whitford. "We want to wrestle the best kids. Our mindsets are the same ... We don't care about rankings, we just want to find the other kids around the country who are tough, and we want to be dominant every match, no matter who we wrestle. It brings us closer as friends and training partners because we know the hard work we've put in and the sacrifices we've made to get to this point." A lot of stories would end here. Friends and teammates gearing up for a national title run, while appreciating everything they have been through. But for these two friends, the journey is just beginning. Ben Whitford and Taylor Massa will be teammates at MichiganInstead of this being their final season together, the two will eventually be reunited, as Whitford has given his verbal commitment to the University of Michigan, where he will join the already-signed Massa in Ann Arbor. It was a perfect fit for so many reasons. "I've been a big fan of Michigan since I've been a little kid," says Whitford. "When they added the new assistants, that was huge for me because I learned so much from Coach Bormet in Illinois and Coach Pritzlaff is awesome as well. What Coach McFarland and the assistants are building with the program and Regional Training Center is great. Having the senior level guys around is going to help me a lot, I want to make the World Team and Olympics eventually." All those reasons would be enough to entice any star wrestler, but his friendship and respect for Massa is among the most important reasons Whitford chose Michigan. "Taylor committing was as big as anything," Whitford says. "He's a great role model for me and we've talked a lot about this being a good fit for both of us in college and I couldn't be happier that I get to be with him for the next 5 years." When Massa hears the news, he can't conceal a huge grin. "It's gonna be great," says Massa. "It's awesome that we're going to have the chance to be together for another few years. I never thought this far ahead -- it was exciting to just know we'd have a year together in high school, and now this. I'm just pumped." For Whitford, this is a dream come true. "Having the combination of a best friend and a brother is pretty awesome, and that's what he is," says Whitford. "And now I get to watch him wrestle and be with him for the next five years. It doesn't get any better than that."

LEBANON, Tenn. -- Shorter University won five matches by fall en route to a dominating 46-9 victory over Mid-South Conference rival Cumberland University (Tenn.) in a conference dual Wednesday afternoon in Lebanon, Tenn. Nate Galloway (133), Robbie Collum (149), Dalton Lane (157), Raleigh Abbott (174) and Bret Haley (285) each pinned their opponent for the 17th-ranked Hawks, who improved to 4-2 in dual meets this season and bounced back nicely after a close defeat at the hands of sixth-ranked Lindsey Wilson on Sunday. Galloway, who upset the No. 8-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds just days ago, pinned Cumberland's Ethyn Holbrook in 3:50. Collum, the defending Mid-South Conference champion at 149, pinned Michael Gonzalez in 2:13. Lane won his match by fall at 6:25 over Cumberland's Jacob Shirley. Abbott, ranked No. 5 at 174, made quick work of Scott Stewart, pinning him in 3:54 and Haley pinned Joseph Hill in 5:43 to wrap up Shorter's impressive victory. Freshman Wally Figaro, ranked No. 6 at 165 pounds, won a major decision (11-2) over Zeke Hunt to continue his fast start to his first collegiate campaign. Shorter will take several weeks off for the Christmas holiday before returning to the mat on Jan. 10 when it travels to Spartanburg Methodist for a 12 pm non-league dual. The Hawks then travel to Millersville, Penn., for the Shorty Hitchcock Open on Jan. 15. Results: 125 - Eddie Ortiz (CU) def. Jonathan Rodriguez (SU), fall, 5:28 (CU 6-0) 133 - Nate Galloway (SU) def. Ethyn Holbrook (CU), fall, 3:50 (6-6) 141 - Colby Rinehart (SU) def. Matt Scheve (CU), FOR (SU 12-6) 149 - Robbie Collum (SU) def. Michael Gonzalez (CU), fall, 2:13 (SU 18-6) 157 - Dalton Lane (SU) def. Jacob Shirley (CU), fall, 6:25 (SU 24-6) 165 - #6 Wally Figaro (SU) def. Zeke Hunt (CU), major decision, 11-2 (SU 28-6) 174 - #5 Raleigh Abbott (SU) def. Scott Stewart (CU), fall, 3:54 (SU 34-6) 184 - Cody Linton (CU) def. Joe Hinchman (SU), decision, 3-0 (34-9) 197 - Gunny Hoyt (SU) won by FOR (SU 40-9) 285 - Brett Haley (SU) def. Joseph Hill (CU), fall 5:43 (SU 46-9)

PAINESVILLE, OHIO -- Pins in the first two matches fueled the Lake Erie College wrestling team to a 25-12 upset of 13th-ranked West Liberty University Wednesday night (Dec. 14) in the team's home opener at the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic and Wellness Center. Freshman Austin Gillihan (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) opened the night with a pin of Joe Wagstaff early in the second period and sophomore Tom McVicker (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills/Penn Highlands C.C.) followed with a fall of Dillon Nolte 1:29 into the match to make it 12-0 and give the Storm (5-4) a lead it would never relinquish. "Those two pins were so big tonight," said second-year head coach Kevin Hoogenboom. "They really got us going, really got the crowd into it. That is a very good wrestling team we beat tonight and we needed to have a big night from a lot of guys and we got that." The Hilltoppers (3-1) briefly closed the gap with a pair of close decisions at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Nate Ball, ranked fifth nationally, got all he could handle from Storm freshman Nate Ball (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) before prevailing 6-3 at 141 pounds and Art Hobley followed with a 5-4 win at 149 over sophomore Zak Vargo (Stow, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Acadmey) who was making his season debut. But after the two setbacks, the Storm responded in big fashion. Sophomore Tyler Tesny (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls) defeated Jarrod Shaw convincingly at 157 pounds, 9-3, and freshman Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) edged Ohio University transfer Jordan Nolan, 4-3, on riding time. Those two victories put the Storm ahead 18-6. After Matt Littleton edged Zev Green (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) 4-3 at 174 pounds, freshman Jon Schafer (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) clinched the match with a major decision over Derrick Williams, 16-7, at 184 pounds. Redshirt freshman Mike Samilenko (Parma, Ohio/Normandy) earned an 8-7 decision over Jacob Donely for the Storm's sixth victory of the night. "I thought coming in that those middle matches between 149-184 could go either way, and we won three of them," Hoogenboom said. "Those 10 points, along with Mike's win at 197 pounds, were big and proved to be the difference." Freshman Bobby Zappitelli (Painesville Twp., Ohio/Lake Catholic) battled sixth-ranked heavyweight J.D. Ramsey into overtime before dropping a 4-1 decision. The win was the third straight in dual competition for the Storm and second in three matches over a ranked foe. Lake Erie defeated 17th-ranked Limestone College, 29-12, on Saturday (Dec. 10). Lake Erie now travels to Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 18-19 for the annual Midwest Classic at the University of Indianapolis. That tournament will be the Storm's final event of 2011. Results: 125 Austin Gillihan (LEC) pinned Joe Wagstaff (WL), 3:48 133 Tom McVicker (LEC) pinned Dillon Nolte (WL), 1:29 141 Nick Wykoff (WL) dec. Nate Ball (LEC), 6-3 149 Art Hobley (WL) dec. Zak Vargo (LEC), 5-4 157 Tyler Tesny (LEC) dec. Jarrod Shaw (WL), 9-3 165 Matt Vandermeer (LEC) dec. Jordon Nolan (WL), 4-3 (RT) 174 Matt Littleton (WL) dec. Zev Green (LEC), 4-3 184 Jon Schafer (LEC) maj. dec. Derrick Williams, 16-7 197 Mike Samijlenko (LEC) dec. Jacob Donley, 8-7 285 J.D. Ramsey (WL) dec. Bobby Zappitelli (LEC), 4-1 (OT)

WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst wrestling team won its first dual meet of the 2011-12, recording a 21-18 victory at Waynesburg Wednesday night. Fred Hale pinned Brandon Fedorka in the heavyweight bout to give the Lakers the win. Hale and Fedorka entered the night's final contest with the Yellow Jackets ahead 18-15. Hale controlled the match, pinning his opponent at the 2:46 mark for the team victory. Alex Crown took a 4-3 decision from Ryan Bohince in the 125-pound match for a 3-0 Waynesburg lead. Kody Young won the 133-pound bout in a 10-4 decision to tie the dual. The Yellow Jackets won the next three contests, highlighted by a Garett Johnston pinfall victory over Ryan Martini in the 157-pound match. Josh Shields earned a 7-4 decision in the 165-pound bout, getting the Lakers within 15-6. In the 174-pound match, August Mizia won a 12-1 major decision to pick up four points for the visitors. Michael Pollard posted a technical pinfall in the 184-pound contest, garnering five points to tie the dual meet. However, Patrick Jennings won a 7-1 decision over Chaz Sheaffer in the 197-pound match, giving the Jackets an 18-15 edge. Hurst returns to the mat this weekend. It will compete in the Mercyhurst North East Quad Saturday, December 17. Results: 125 – Alex Crown (W) 4-3 Ryan Bohince (M) 0-3 133 – Kody Young (M) 10-4 Jake Vitolo (W) 3-3 141 – Aaron Mills (W) 8-4 Levi Smeltzer (M) 3-6 149 – Chris Milligan (W) 8-4 Michael Griffith (M) 3-9 157 – Garett Johnston (W) pin 1:24 Ryan Martini (M) 3-15 165 – Josh Shields (M) 7-4 Sam Lombardo (W) 6-15 174 – August Mizia (M) 12-1 maj. Cameron Fine (W) 1 10-15 184 – Michael Pollard (M) 17-2 (6:48) Anthony Bonaventura (W) 15-15 197 – Patrick Jennings (W) 7-1 Charles Sheaffer (M) 15-18 285 – Fred Hale (M) pin 2:46 Brandon Fedorka (W) 21-18 Exhibition: 174 – Sam Guidi (W) 10-2 maj. Grant Chase (M)

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- In the first duals of the 2011-12 season, the Northern Colorado wrestling team split matches at the Fighting Camel Duals. The Bears lost 26-11 to Drexel in the afternoon bout, then bounced back for a 20-19 win over host Campbell. Sophomore Cody McAninch started the Bears off on the right foot in both matches. Against Drexel, he won an 8-3 decision over Niccolo Becattini and then had a major decision win over TeShaun Johnson to begin the Campbell dual. Seniors Casey Cruz and Gabe Burak also won both bouts. Cruz won a 6-3 decision over Drexel's Frank Cimato, who is ranked #20 this week by Intermat and won a 6-5 decision against Jordan Tolbert. Burak, ranked 11th by Intermat, had a pair of bonus point wins for the Bears. He posted a tech fall over Anson Worrell in 5:16 (23-11) and then a major decision win against Nick Rex, 11-0. Those three were the only victors against the Dragons, but freshman Jesse Meis pinned Grabiel Soto in 1:23 at 125 pounds and sophomore Sam Bauer won a 6-0 decision over Tanner Bidelspach at 133 pounds for the nightcap team win. The Bears take a break for the holiday season, returning to the mat on Jan. 6 at Northern Iowa in the Western Wrestling Conference opener. Drexel 26, Northern Colorado 11 184: Cody McAninch (NC) dec. Niccolo Becattini (DU) 8-3 (0-3) 197: Brandon Palik (DU) major dec. Nick Bayer (NC) 9-1 (4-3) 285: Kyle Frey (DU) major dec. Henry Chirino (NC) 9-1 (8-3) 125: Michael Gomez (DU) major dec. Jesse Meis (NC) 6-2 (11-3) 133: Josh Yurasits (DU) dec. Sam Bauer (NC) 10-9 (14-3) 141: Casey Cruz (NC) dec. #20 Frank Cimato (DU) 6-3 (14-6) 149: Shane Fenningham (DU) dec. Jacob Milewski (NC) 6-3 (17-6) 157: Austin Sommer (DU) pinned Nick Alspaugh (NC) 3:55 (23-6) 165: #11 Gabe Burak (NC) tech fall Anson Worrell (DU) 5:16 (23-11) 174: Alex Rinaldi (DU) dec. Patrick Gomez (NC) 5-2 (26-11) Northern Colorado 20, Campbell 19 184: Cody McAninch (NC) major TeShaun Johnson (CU) dec. 8-0 197: John Weakley (CU) pinned Mark Morrill (NC) 0:29 285: Joe Nolan (CU) dec. Henry Chirino (NC) 4-1 125: Jesse Meis (NC) pinned Grabiel Soto (CU) 1:23 133: Sam Bauer (NC) dec. Tanner Bidelspach (CU) 6-0 141: Casey Cruz (NC) dec. Jordan Tolbert (CU) 6-5 149: Mark Hartenstine (CU) dec. Justin Gonzalez (NC) 2-0 157: Ryan Krecker (CU) dec. Nick Alspaugh (NC) 14-9 165: #11 Gabe Burak (NC) major dec. Nick Rex (CU) 11-0 174: James Cook major dec. Patrick Gomez (NC) 19-10

Fabricio Werdum has made his long-awaited, much-rumored jump to the UFC. Werdum (14-5-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will face Roy Nelson (16-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in his first Octagon appearance since leaving the Octagon in 2008. The Brazilian is best known for his 2010 armbar submission of Fedor Emelianenko which ended the champ's 27-fight winning streak. Nelson is coming off a third-round TKO of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 137 in October. "The Ultimate Fighter 10" season winner lost his two previous bouts to Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir. UFC 143 takes place on the eve of the Super Bowl, Feb. 4, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight will be available on pay-per-view.

Do you have the FOX family of networks? If not you'll be missing many of the UFC's preliminary fights in 2012. The UFC has announced that UFC 142 prelims will be aired domestically on FX, the expected move follows the worldwide distribution of the Brazil-based card by Globo. UFC 142 takes place Jan. 14 at Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena. The main card, aired on pay-per-view, features challenger Chad Mendes competing for the featherweight championship against current champion Jose Aldo. The UFC on FOX 2 preliminaries will be aired on Fuel TV. The night's main card, featuring Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz, airs on FOX. UFC on FOX 2 takes place Jan. 28 at Chicago's United Center. UFC 142 card includes: Main Card: (pay-per-view) Champ Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes (for featherweight title) Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson Mike Massenzio vs. Rousimar Palhares Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Erick Silva Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim Preliminary Card: (FX) Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares Mike Pyle vs. Paulo Thiago Fabio Maldonado vs. Stanislav Nedkov Rob Broughton vs. Ednaldo Oliveira Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio "Pato" Carvalho Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa Main Card: (FOX) Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans Mark Munoz vs. Chael Sonnen Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia Preliminary Card: (Fuel TV) Johnny Bedford vs. Eddie Wineland Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass Michael Johnson vs. Cody McKenzie George Roop vs. Cub Swanson Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow Chris Camozzi vs. Dustin Jacoby

Big Nog has decided to just "throw some dirt on it." The Brazilian heavyweight announced his plans to not undergo surgery in repair of the broken arm he suffered during his fight at UFC 140 against Frank Mir. Instead the 35-year-old former PRIDE champion will wear an adjustable cast and undergo two ultrasound therapies a day, a method of treatment meant to help speed up the healing time of the fracture. The UFC announced that they expected Noguiera's recovery to take "no more than" nine months. Noguiera's humerus was fractured when he failed to tap to Mir's kimura submission, forcing Mir to double down the force, thus fracturing Big Nog's right arm.

UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre underwent what he deemed a "successful" ACL and meniscus surgery on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The Canadian fighter reported the tear of his major knee ligament last week. The injury forced St-Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC) out of a February UFC 143 title fight with Nick Diaz. It was the second postponement of his title defense due to a knee injury. St-Pierre's surgery was performed by Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic.

A comprehensive Beast of the East preview will be posted on InterMatWrestle this week. The event will be held at the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of the University of Delaware this Saturday and Sunday. InterMatWrestle will again be live at the Beast with a running notebook during the two-day event. Complimentary analysis on high school wrestling across the country, and from the Beast of the East this weekend is also available following me on Twitter (@JLowe_intermat).

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images UFC fighter Johny Hendricks is one of the world's top welterweights. The former Oklahoma State wrestler is 11-1 and ranked No. 8 in the InterMatFight welterweight rankings. Hendricks is preparing for his Dec. 30 fight at UFC 141 in Las Vegas against No. 2 Jon Fitch, who has gone 13-1-1 in the UFC dating back to 2005, with his only loss coming to Georges St. Pierre during that span. InterMatFight caught up with the 28-year-old Hendricks and talked to him about his upcoming fight against Fitch and what the keys will be to coming out on top, what his loss to Rick Story did to him, what he thinks of Josh Koscheck and Ben Askren, whether he thinks he would have a wrestling advantage if he fought GSP, and much more. The Jon Fitch fight is a little less than a month away. How is your training going for that fight? Hendricks: It's been going great. I've been training my butt off. I went back to my old wrestling ways ... running and training hard the whole time, instead of some of the time. I'm pretty excited. I want to see what my shape is like and how I feel. I can't wait to see what I can do out there. You are one of the most accomplished wrestlers in MMA. I heard you say after your last fight that you needed to sharpen your wrestling skills. How much emphasis have you put on your wrestling since your last fight? Hendricks: A lot. That's one of my main focuses ... just getting back to the basics. It's nice to knock people out. But one thing I've noticed is the higher you get up, the tougher the guys get. The tougher the guys get, the harder it is to finish them. So you've got to find more ways to damage them. Who is your wrestling coach? Hendricks: I go back to Oklahoma State to work with John Smith. I've been up there two and a half weeks during the last two months. To me that is a lot ... because for three and a half years I didn't do any of it. I didn't even like drilling wrestling. Now I know that I've got to become a more complete fighter. The more I get back to that, the more offense I'll have and the more comfortable I'll be. Now I can take people down. That's one thing I have been working on. It's been nice to get away from just the standup aspect. It gives me more tools to learn and learning is always fun for me. I heard you say after your last fight that you have not been excited about your previous fights, but that you would be excited about your next fight. What excites about fighting Jon Fitch? Hendricks: That's it ... Nobody is excited to fight him. He's a straightforward guy. He's going to come in and throw a couple punches, but his main focus is getting you to the cage and taking you down, or taking you down in the open and putting you to your back. He wants to keep the fight on the ground. That's where he feels most comfortable. I feel like I have what it takes to beat that. I've gone with strong wrestlers and they haven't really had a good chance at taking me down, and if they did take me down, it's because I wasn't focusing on it. I fought Mike Pierce last. He's a lot like Jon Fitch, but with heavier hands. Pierce is a strong guy. I don't know if Fitch is going to be as strong, but I feel like I handled myself very well against his takedown, so now I'm just excited to see what I do with Fitch. What are the keys to beating Jon Fitch? Hendricks: You have to keep your back off the cage. A lot of people have had opportunities to beat him in the past ... and what they did was crowd certain positions and give Fitch a chance to reverse them, or end up getting taken down. I've wrestled long, lanky guys, more than most, so now I know whenever he is trying to use that length I have to be able to feel it. A lot of the guys I'm wrestling are 174, 184, and 197-pounders at Oklahoma State with long reaches, long arms ... tall and long. So that way I can feel when they're going to come in and hit the shots. What did that loss to Rick Story do to you? Hendricks: It did everything for my career and me personally. I was content with where I was at. I didn't think the big time would ever come. I just kept fighting, I kept fighting, I kept grinding, I kept grinding ... and I didn't think I would ever get to where I am now. After that loss, that's when my mind switched. I was like, 'Crap, I was right there ... You've got to be kidding me.' That's when I made the switch to training harder because I was so mad that I was right there and it slipped away. After you lost to Rick Story, what aspects of your game did you need to address the most? Hendricks: My clinch game. That was one big part of it. And also just being able to stay off the cage. Rick Story was able to put me against the cage in that fight. That's one thing I can't let Jon Fitch do. When you were a college wrestler at Oklahoma State, you were somewhat of a polarizing, controversial figure. That does not seem to be the case in MMA. Why not? Hendricks: Because people like me smiling. They like me having fun out there. They look at me as not being an arrogant person like the wrestling world did. They look at me as a guy who just enjoys fighting. That's the way I was in the wrestling game. It's just about having fun out there. If I wasn't having fun out there, I didn't want to do it. Do you think some of the animosity toward you as a college wrestler was because your team, Oklahoma State, was on top? Hendricks: That's it too. Wearing the orange and black singlet never hurts. I think that If I would have worn an Iowa singlet, they would have loved me. That's just the way it goes. I wouldn't change it for the world because it helped mold me into the person that I am today. If you beat Jon Fitch and the UFC doesn't give you a title fight, do you have a preference on who you would like to fight? Hendricks: No. Right now I haven't even thought that way. I don't want to think that way because I have a month left of training to prepare for this one. I don't want to start thinking, 'Who can I fight next?' My main focus is just to get as much training as I can and prepare for this fight. The day after this fight I'll sit down with my managers and see where we go from there. You and Josh Kocheck were both NCAA Division I wrestling champions. Now you are both top contenders in the same division. What do you think of Koscheck as a fighter? Hendricks: I think he's tough. He knows what works for him. He's got a nice overhand right. It works. I think he is developing a little bit more as a fighter. Just as I'm looking at myself, he's probably looking at himself and realizing that you can't just go in there and try to finish everybody. So I think he's still developing as a fighter, which is always good. He's a tough cat. Speaking of NCAA champion wrestlers, Ben Askren is the Bellator welterweight champion. Have you been able to follow his career much? Hendricks: I've watched some of his fights. Have I followed it? No. I try not to focus on one fighter. I watch a lot of fights. I watch every pay-per-view, every Spike. I try to watch every Bellator. I try to watch every Strikeforce. I watch so many different fights. Because what I try to do is whenever I see a fighter and I like their style, I try to mimic it. I try to see if I can use that. So I don't really focus too much on one fighter ... Sometimes I'll be watching a fight and I'll be like, 'Hey, I'd do that, and the guy is getting his butt kicked.' I'm like, 'Oh, man, I need to stop doing that.' So it works both ways. Georges St. Pierre is considered one of the best wrestlers in the UFC despite not ever wrestling competitively. Are pure wrestling skills different from MMA wrestling skills? Hendricks: Oh yeah. You put me in a stance and I don't have to worry about punches or anything, have fun trying to get to my legs. That's just the way that it is. Even a below average wrestler can be good as long as he can make you think that's he going to punch you in the face and he's actually going for the takedown. Even if he doesn't get the takedown, he can drive you against the cage. Now your hips and everything else that you're used to using in folkstyle wrestling is not the same against the cage. You're not able to sprawl. You don't have an out of bounds and are able to go and reset. Everything is caged in there. It's just totally different. Whenever I go back to Oklahoma State, they're like, 'How are you getting taken down? Why are wrestlers always getting taken down?' I go, 'Come here. Get against the wall and I'll show you. Just tell me when you want me to start.' I let them fight for a couple minutes and then I just lift them up and put them down on the ground. I'm like, 'You've got to learn different hip pressures' ... In wrestling you don't need to learn it ... You need to know how to sprawl and all that kind of stuff. You don't need to worry about getting off the wall. They're like, 'Man, that was way harder.' And everybody would be laughing. The fact of the matter is, it's easier to get taken down when you can't actually sprawl, stuff their head, and have to worry about getting put into a cage. If you fought GSP, who would have the wrestling advantage? Hendricks: Man, I think that I've got the wrestling strength. I think it has come back to me. I would have to say me now ... because I've actually focused on it. I would never give anyone an advantage, even if I'm fighting the best wrestler in the world. I would always believe that I'm going to be the better wrestler just because I know what I have been through and I know what I would focus on. If I'm fighting GSP, I'm going to focus a little bit more on the wrestling, not so much on the standup ... because that's the way he fights. He's going to throw a couple of shots, just like Jon Fitch. He wants that takedown because that's how he wins. He gets them on the ground, passes their guard, and controls them. Your teammate Jake Rosholt is on a hot streak. What does he need to do to get back in the UFC? Hendricks: Man, I don't even know. I thought after that last win it would push him in there. I guess he needs to go out and get one or two more big wins. Describe how the emotions differ between wrestling on the elevated mat in the NCAA finals and wrestling in the Octagon for a UFC fight. Hendricks: It's quite a bit different. In NCAA wrestling, I knew that I had to win. I knew that I had everything to win. In the UFC, you might touch gloves and the guy gets a lucky hit and you're out of a fight. You have no control over that. The only things you can control in a fight are your mental state, your heart, and your cardio. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, Johny. Is here anything else that you want to add? Hendricks: I want to thank God. I want to thank my family and friends, and definitely my wife for putting up with me. Without a good wife behind you, it's hard to do what you really want to do. I'm just grateful for that. I'm just grateful that God blessed me with the abilities to do what I do.

Related Link: Fab 50 Team Rankings Related Link: Individual Rankings With arguably the craziest Walsh Ironman from the standpoint of top-tier national kids colliding (and getting upended), along with other early season developments, it only made sense to update the national rankings at this point. The next updates for team and individual rankings will now come right around the Christmas holiday. Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham) is the new No. 1 at 152 pounds after winning the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Rob Preston)There are four weights in which a new No. 1 wrestler has been established. Ronnie Bresser (Henley, Ore.) ascends to the top spot at 106 pounds, as the previous No. 1 fell to defeat at the Ironman; Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) rises up at 126 pounds with victories over three other top five wrestlers at the Ironman; Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.) moves up at 132 after the top three wrestlers in the weight class suffered early season losses; while Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), previously ranked No. 2 at 160, is now in the catbird seat at 152 pounds after winning the Ironman. From a team standpoint, the top eight remain unchanged, while there are varying changes throughout the rest of the Fab 50. New teams into the rankings include Wantagh, N.Y.; Camden County, Ga.; and Maple Mountain, Utah. Wantagh joins the Fab 50 after a dual meet victory over previously ranked Shenendehowa, N.Y.; while Camden County jumps in after second-place finishes to Brandon, Fla., at two tournaments this month, and finishing ahead of another nationally ranked team in each. Shenendehowa moves out of the rankings, so do Caesar Rodney, Del., and Roseburg, Ore. Count of ranked wrestlers by state, with 37 in all having a ranked wrestler: 38: Pennsylvania (2 ranked No. 1) 26: Ohio (3) 23: California 21: Minnesota, Illinois (2) 19: Iowa 16: New Jersey (1) 14: Michigan (1) 12: Indiana (2) 10: Oklahoma 9: Virginia 8: Florida 7: Missouri, New York, Wisconsin (1) 5: Oregon (1) 4: Nebraska 3: Maryland, Texas 2: Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Washington (1) 1: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah Count of ranked teams by state: 5: Pennsylvania 4: California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma 3: Iowa, Michigan 2: Georgia, Missouri, Virginia 1: Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin

Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team rankings updated Dec. 7, and individuals updated Nov. 11). Preview items use the new rankings that were updated today. Host Redskins make statement at Mid-America Nationals The weekend event hosted by No. 20 Tulsa Union, Okla. was hotly contested and saw a highly balanced field put together may highly competitive matches. When all was said and done, the host Redskins had emerged with a narrow victory over No. 35 Tuttle, Okla. (232-1/2 to 220). Each squad had ten placers and two champions, with Tuttle even having more top three placers than Tulsa Union (7 to 6). However, the semifinal round provided the defining moments of the tournament. Tulsa Union amassed a 6-1 record in that round, while Tuttle went 2-5. This included a crucial head-to-head victory for the Redskins at 160 pounds, where No. 19 Kyle Ash eared an overtime fall at the 6:38 mark against Sterling Hawkins, who would also lose his next match and take fifth place. Tulsa Union's pair of champions was Brian (132) and No. 4 Kyle (182) Crutchmer. Kyle absolutely dominated the field at 182 pounds, with four pins prior to a 9-2 finals victory over Joel Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.). Runner-up finishes for the Redskins came from No. 12 (at 120) Josh Walker, who lost 3-1 in overtime against Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, Okla.) at 126; Luke Wolfenberger (138); Blasé Walser (195); and Ash, who lost 5-1 to No. 9 Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas) at 160. Tuttle had a pair of champions in No. 12 Zach Beard (170) and Gunnar Laffoon (120), who earned a massive 5-4 upset victory over two-time state champion No. 10 Calib Freeman (Claremore, Okla.). Third-place finishes came from Blake Dauphin (106), Dakota Head (138), Levi Berry (152), Mikey Miears (220), and Nathan Jackson (285). Despite a tournament high three champions, No. 17 Allen, Texas came in third place with 194 points. Part of that was due to the absence of two-time state champion and Cadet double All-American Nick Cobb from the lineup at 195 pounds. The Eagles placed six inside the top three, but were only able to place two additional wrestlers, with both taking seventh. Winning titles were Jack Bass (138), Bo Nickal (145), and Oliver Pierce with his previously mentioned 5-1 victory over Kyle Ash in a battle of nationally ranked 160 pound wrestlers. Second-place finishers for Allen came from Matt Meyer (170) and Shane Drulman (170), while Jarrod Trotter (126) came home in third place. With nine placers each, four each inside the top three, a pair of Oklahoma teams waged a tight battle for fourth place in the standings. At tournament's end, Edmond North just edged out No. 44 Collinsville by a 186-1/2 to 183 tally due to having one additional fourth-place finisher (two versus one). The sole champion for Edmond North was Andrew Dixon (195), as previously mentioned Joel Dixon (182) took second, while the third sophomore Dixon triplet (Lance) took third at 170 pounds, with Hunter Bright (132) adding an additional third-place finish. Champions for Collinsville were No. 19 Davion Jeffries (106) and Gary Wayne Harding (126), with Dylan Helm (132) and Zack Abkemeier (152) finishing as runners-up. Rounding out the weight class champions were Zac Damico (Southmoore, Okla.) at 113, Dominic Sipe (Faustina, Okla.) at 152, Brent Bolton (Bishop Kelley, Okla.) at 220, and Kyle Factor (Westmoore, Okla.) at 285. Minnesota Christmas Tournament Dates: Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17 Location: UCR Regional Sports Center (Rochester, Minn.) Top Teams (all from Minnesota unless noted): No. 4 Apple Valley, No. 8 Simley, No. 39 St. Michael-Albertville, No. 42 Kasson-Mantorville, Scott West, and West Fargo, N.D. Notable Wrestlers (all from Minnesota unless noted): 106: Zach Siegle (Scott West), Maolu Woiwor (Apple Valley) 113: No. 11 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville), No. 18 Kyle Gliva (Simley), Doug Miner (Spirit Lake, Iowa), Jordan Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.) 120: Pedro Delao (Simley), Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville), Nate Thomas (Kasson-Mantorville), Seth Gross (Apple Valley) 126: Cole Sladek (St. Michael-Albertville), Juan Torres (Simley) 132: No. 11 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley), No. 17 Joey Munos (South St. Paul), Eric Bauer (Hastings) 138: No. 12 Ben Morgan (Forest Lake), Austin Leibel (St. Francis), Anjelo Shepherd (West Fargo, N.D.) 145: No. 3 Jake Short (Simley), Ryan Blees (Bismarck, N.D.), Gabe Fogarty (Scott West), Mason Manville (Apple Valley) 152: No. 9 Mark Hall (Apple Valley), No. 11 Nick Wanzek (Simley) 160: No. 5 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley), Cody Skog (Cambridge-Isanti) 170: No. 9 Micah Barnes (Simley), No. 11 Kyle Begin (Anoka), No. 14 Cooper Moore (Jackson County Central), No. 19 Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley), Kip Jangula (Bismarck, N.D.) 182: No. 17 Daniel Woiwor (Apple Valley), No. 20 Preston Lehmann (West Fargo, N.D.), Clayton Jennissen (Cambridge-Isanti), Lance Benick (Totino Grace) 195: Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville), Micahel Burckhardt (Coon Rapids) 220: No. 4 Michael Kroells (Scott West), Nick Edling (St. Michael-Albertville), Isaac Eichmann (Hastings) 285: No. 10 Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville), No. 15 Tanner Lowe (Coon Rapids) Kansas City Wrestling Classic Dates: Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17 Location: Hale Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) Top Teams: No. 9 Bettendorf, Iowa; No. 19 Allen, Texas; No. 26 Tuttle, Okla.; No. 27 Collins Hill, Ga.; No. 31 Blue Springs, Mo.; No. 33 Kearney, Mo.; and No. 45 Collinsville, Okla. Notable Wrestlers: 106: No. 11 Noah Teaney (Oak Park, Mo.); No. 19 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.); No. 20 Davion Jeffries (Collinsville, Okla.); Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.); Jacob Schwarm (Bettendorf, Iowa); Joseph Velliquette (Nixa, Mo.); and Elijah Oliver (Christian Brothers, Tenn.) 113: No. 16 Jaret Singh (Kearney, Mo.); Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa); Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.); John Erneste (Park Hill, Mo.); and Gunnar Woodburn (Claremore, Okla.) 120: No. 14 Calib Freeman (Claremore, Okla.); No. 19 Brad Perkins (Oak Park, Mo.); Drew Ferguson (Collins Hill, Ga.); Cody Hummer (Savannah, Mo.); Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.); Gunnar Laffoon (Tuttle, Okla.); and Braun Marquez (Canyon Randall, Texas) 126: Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, Okla.); Tate Robinson (Christian Brothers, Tenn.); Nate Rodriguez (Neosho, Mo.); Jarrod Trotter (Allen, Texas); Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.); Colston DiBlasi (Park Hill, Mo.); and Colby Watters (Arkansas City, Kan.) 132: No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, NE); Skyler Wood (Platte County, Mo.); Kyle Garcia (Choctaw, Okla.); Dylan Helm (Collinsville, Okla.); Russell Coleman (Park Hill, Mo.); Kevin Kinney (Kearney, Mo.); Matt Kraus (Seckman, Mo.); and Logan Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa) 138: No. 18 Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa); No. 20 Jake Marlin (Creston, Iowa); Jack Bass (Allen, Texas); Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.); Darick Lapaglia (Blue Springs, Mo.); Will Steltzen (Collinsville, Okla.); and Spencer Rickman (Collins Hill, Ga.) 145: Kaleb Baker (Christian Brothers, Tenn.); Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas); Greg Hegarty (Blue Springs, Mo.); Tanner Minder (Kearney, Mo.); Bubba Hernandez (Bettendorf, Iowa); and Levi Berry (Tuttle, Okla.) 152: Sterling Hawkins (Tuttle, Okla.); Cougar Babin (Klein Oak, Texas); 160: No. 8 Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas); Justin Valencia (Granite City, Ill.); and Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, Texas) 170: No. 12 Zach Beard (Tuttle, Okla.); Matt Meyer (Allen, Texas); and Lance Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.) 182: Bryan Levsen (Bettendorf, Iowa); Andrew Krawulski (Collins Hill, Ga.); Joel Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.); and Shelby Krout (Ponca City, Okla.) 195: No. 19 Hashem Omari (Oak Park, Mo.); No. 20 Nick Cobb (Allen, Texas); and Andy Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.) 220: No. 17 Nate Shaw (Bettendorf, Iowa) 285: Collin Bevins (Creston, Iowa); Zach Carmin (Collins Hill, Ga.); and Nathan Jackson (Tuttle, Okla.) Brandon dominates home event With six champions coming from eight finalists, No. 5 Brandon, Fla. was able to be unkind hosts at the Graves Invitational this weekend amassing 667 points in their convincing win. Winning titles for the Eagles were No. 10 Dylan Lucas (106), James Flint (113), No. 4 Rossi Bruno (126), No. 6 Kevin Norstrem (132), No. 6 Clark Glass (160), and Jacob Haydock (170). Travis Berridge (152) and Kyle Koziel (182) were upended by Camden County, Ga. wrestlers in the championship final. For a second straight week, that Camden County team finished in second place with a nationally ranked team behind them in the standings. This week, the Wildcats scored 547 points and had five weight class champions: Austin Trott (152), beating Berridge 3-2; Gray Jones (182), beating Koziel 3-1 to avenge last week's 3-1 finals defeat; Michael Johnson (195); Desmond James (220); and Alex Washington (285). Third place in the standings was No. 37 Glenbard North, Ill. with 532 despite the absence of their anchor wrestler, No. 3 Brian Murphy at 152 pounds. Their lone title came from the tournament's co-Outstanding Wrestler Jered Cortez. Ranked No. 5 nationally, Cortez upended Junior National Greco-Roman champion Isaiah Varona (South Dade, Fla.) 7-2 in the final. Runner-up finishes came from Richard Browne (106), Jon Marmolejo (126), and Johnny Gosinski (132). Rounding out the weight class champions were Jake Spengler (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) at 138 and Kris Iglesias (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.) at 145. Reno Tournament of Champions Dates: Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17 Location: Reno Events Center (Reno, Nevada) Top Teams: No. 17 Tulsa Union, Okla.; No. 20 Bakersfield, Calif.; No. 30 Poway, Calif.; No. 36 Columbia, Idaho; No. 48 Maple Mountain, Utah Notable Wrestlers: 106: Sean Cannon (Green Valley, Nev.) 113: No. 13 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.), Britain Carter (Maple Mountain, Utah), Riley Connolly (Mountain View, Idaho) 120: Jacob Goodwin (Bishop Lynch, Texas), Chris Vassar (Cedar Cliff, Pa.), Paul Fox (Gilroy, Calif.), Brandon George (Maple Mountain, Utah) 126: Josh Walker (Tulsa Union, Okla.); Micah Cruz (Bakerfield, Calif.), Victor Lopez (Poway, Calif.), Joey Moita (De La Salle, Calif.), Mitch Brown (Payson, Utah), Curtis Lampert (Spanish Springs, Nev.) 132: No. 9 Hayden Tuma (Centennial, Idaho), Jon-Jay Chavez (De La Salle, Calif.), Brian Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.), Max Good (Cedar Cliff, Pa.), Tristan Jarboe (Columbia, Idaho), Jed Mellen (Payson, Utah) 138: No. 5 Natrelle Deminson (Bakersfield, Calif.), No. 19 Grant LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah), Nikko Villareal (Gilroy, Calif.), Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.), Reed Van Anrooy (Roseburg, Ore.), Evan DiSora (Easton, Pa.), Jared Johnshoy (Melba, Idaho) 145: No. 16 Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), Connor Sutton (La Salle, NY), Willie Fox (Gilroy, Calif.), Jesse Taylor (Poway, Calif.), Zac Loveless (Payson, Utah) 152: No. 3 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.), No. 6 Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield, Calif.), Alex Abono (De La Salle, Calif.), Maxx Ramirez (Bakersfield, Calif.), Chase Kearney (Churchill, Ore.), Kimball Bastian (Maple Mountain, Utah) 160: No. 18 Kyle Ash (Tulsa Union, Okla.), Javier Mandera (Roseburg, Ore.), Ryder Newman (Green Valley, Nev.) 170: No. 2 Zach Brunson (Churchill, Ore.), No. 18 Silas Nacita (Bakersfield, Calif.), No. 20 Connor King (Poway, Calif.), Austin Dewey (Centennial, Idaho), Steve Elicegui (Wooster, Nev.) 182: No. 4 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.) 195: Blasé Walser (Tulsa Union, Okla.), Tyler Greene (Easton, Calif.), Broc Westlake (Reed, Nev.) 220: No. 20 Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.), Justin Walker (De La Salle, Calif.) Bulldogs made statement at Five Seasons Duals Headed into this past Saturday's Five Seasons Duals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa all signs pointed to a championship match between No. 10 Bettendorf, Iowa and No. 16 Iowa City West, Iowa. This would be a rematch of last year's state championship dual match, which Iowa City West won by a 33-19 score. Headed into the final, the Bulldogs from Bettendorf had a 35-7 record with victories over Waterloo East (74-6), Urbandale (59-18), and Cedar Rapids Prairie (55-7). On the other hand, things were a little tighter for the Iowa City West, as they went 22-6 in winning matches over West Delaware's reserves (68-9) and Alburnett (49-18). In the semifinal against Waverly-Shell Rock, the Trojans won eight of the fourteen matches in getting a 37-25, including a 5-2 victory for No. 18 (at 132) Jack Hathaway over No. 6 (at 120) Eric Devos. The Bulldogs were able to avenge last year's state dual meet tournament finals loss with a 34-21 victory, as they won 8 of the 14 matches. 160: No. 7 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West) pinned Malique Hudson, 0:24 170: Colby Vance (Bettendorf) maj. dec. Mike Watkins, 9-1 182: Bryan Levsen (Bett) pinned Blake Bohner, 1:26 195: Mickey Pelfrey (ICW) maj. dec. Keaton Jurevitz, 15-3 220: Nathan Shaw (Bett) pinned Aydon Wynos, 0:32 285: Colin Foerstner (ICW) dec. Anthony Cavenagh, 9-5 106: Jacob Schwarm (Bett) pinned Jasmine Bailey, 0:41 113: No. 8 Phillip Laux (ICW) dec. Fredy Stroker, 5-4 120: Drake Swarm (Bett) dec. Ernest Willis, 7-0 126: No. 18 (at 132) Jack Hathaway (ICW) dec. Jacob Woodard, 7-0 132: No. 15 (at 138) Dakota Bauer (ICW) dec. Logan Ryan, 6-3 138: Connor Ryan (Bett) dec. Kegan Wakefield, 4-0 145: Matt Miller (Bett) dec. Sam Chalkley, 7-4 152: Bubba Hernandez (Bett) dec. Grady Gambrall, 10-5 Note: ICW was deducted one team point in the dual meet King of the Mountain Dates: Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17 Location: Central Mountain High School (Lock Haven, Pa.) Top Teams: No. 22 Massillon Perry, Ohio; Council Rock South, Pa.; Greater Latrobe, Pa.; Pen Argyl, Pa.; Phillipsburg, N.J. Notable Wrestlers (all from Pennsylvania unless noted): 106: No. 16 Ethan Lizak (Parkland), David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio), Matty Williams (Pen Argyl), Josh Giorgio (Schuylkill Valley) 113: No. 6 Jason Nolf (Kittanning), Ryan Easter (Bedford) 120: No. 20 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South), Joey Byers (Boiling Springs), Willie Bohince (Penn Trafford), Cole Walter (Mifflinburg) 126: Thomas Traxler (Bellefonte) 132: Laike Gardner (Biglerville), Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley), Dylan D'Urso (Reynolds), Dom Scalise (Greater Latrobe), Josh Ortman (Parkland) 138: No. 8 Austin Matthews (Reynolds), No. 11 Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell), No. 13 Mikey Racciato (Pen Argyl), Mitch Newhouse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), Joey Miller (Central Mountain) 145: No. 17 Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe), Zach Beitz (Juniata) 152: No. 12 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio), Bryar Pletcher (Greater Latrobe), Leo Wortman (Bellefote), Adam Kritzer (Lower Mountain) 160: No. 10 Brian Brill (Central Mountain), No. 15 Geno Morelli (DuBois), Ty Walter (Mifflinburg), Zach Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe), Josh Arrendnale (Massillon Perry, Ohio) 170: Zach Towers (Meadville) 182: Chad Hoffman (Hazelton), Tim Riley (Council Rock South), Joe Morrison (DuBois), Blaze Buckwalter (Central Mountain) 195: Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), Dylan Evans (Pen Argyl), P.J. Steinmetz (Council Rock South), Logan Murphy (Boiling Springs) 220: Tyson Searer (Mifflin County), Brandon Hull (Phillipsburg, N.J.), Scott Mohring (Greater Latrobe), Jacob Krupa (Bedford) 285: Quenton Hixson (Bedford), Blake Heim (Reynolds), Garrett Poorman (Bellefonte), Kirby Mutton (Pen Argyl) Don't forget about the Beast A comprehensive Beast of the East preview will be posted on InterMatWrestle this week. The event will be held at the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of the University of Delaware this Saturday and Sunday. InterMatWrestle will again be live at the Beast with a running notebook during the two-day event. Complimentary analysis on high school wrestling across the country, and from the Beast of the East this weekend is also available following me on Twitter (@JLowe_intermat).

Armand McCormick and Drew Pariano will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Dec. 14. Drew Pariano"On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. McCormick, a former high school wrestler at Mount Pleasant High School in Iowa, is the director of programming at XL Sports Acceleration. He was awarded the Silver Star by the United States Military for his bravery in Operation Iraqi Freedom. McCormick is also featured in Kuma War: Freedom's Heroes, an online video game. Pariano is in his second season as the head wrestling coach at Northwestern University. He led the Wildcats to an 18-2 dual meet record during the 2010-2011 season. Northwestern is currently ranked 22nd by Intermat and 23rd by WIN.

OREM, Utah -- University of Wyoming 133-pound redshirt freshman Zach Zehner (Tomahawk, Wis./Tomahawk HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week after defeating a ranked opponent last week. The conference award was announced Tuesday by the league. Zehner was one of four Cowboys to win matches in Wyoming's dual versus No. 21 Nebraska last Saturday. Zehner, who was ranked 16th, took on the Cornhuskers' 18th-ranked Ridge Kiley in the 133-pound bout. Zehner earned an escape point at the beginning of the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Kiley then went ahead 2-1 after a takedown, but Zehner got a reversal to retake the lead at 3-2 entering the third period. Kiley picked up a late escape point to tie it, but Zehner earned a riding time point to win 4-3. The Wyoming grappler is now 4-2 on the year against ranked opponents and the victory also marked Zehner's third-straight win over Kiley this season. Zehner's victory gave the Cowboys a 9-3 advantage in the dual, but the Pokes eventually fell to the Huskers, 19-15. The WWC weekly honor is Zehner's first of his career and the fourth weekly conference award won by a Wyoming grappler this season. The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its sixth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. 2011-12 WWC Wrestlers of the Week Nov. 9 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) Nov. 15 - Shane Onufer (Wyoming) Nov. 22 - Kasey Garnhart (Wyoming)/Steven Monk (North Dakota State) Nov. 29 - Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) Dec. 6 - Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) Dec. 13 - Zach Zehner (Wyoming)

Most UFC fighters are anxious to know if and when they'll receive another opponent, Vitor Belfort now knows his next two. The former UFC champion and one of the most popular fighters in Brazil, Silva is scheduled to face Anthony Rumble Johnson at UFC 142, but was today tabbed as coach "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil." Squaring off against the coach will be 35-year-old former PRIDE Champion Wanderlei Silva. Belfort (20-9 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Silva (34-11-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) met 14 years ago at UFC 17.5, with then 20-year-old Belfort earning the knockout in just :46 and the prospect of a rematch has been a fan-favorite ever since. Fighters are being selected in training sessions, including one this week in Sao Paolo with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and UFC President Dana White in attendance. "TUF: Brazil" will be the first international edition of the popular reality series. It's expected to be played in the United States on FUEL TV and internationally by Globo.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mizzou sophomore Alan Waters was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, as announced Monday afternoon by the league office. It's the first career weekly honor for Missouri's 125 pounder, and the first honoree for the Tigers since Todd Schavrien won last December. Alan WatersWaters went 5-0 at the Kaufman-Brand Open last Sunday, Dec. 4, with four of his matches coming via first period falls. His fifth win, coming in the championship bout, was won by technical fall. On Friday against No. 20 Kent State, Waters opened the dual with a dominating 12-1 major decision victory over No. 2 Nic Bedelyon. Waters opened the scoring with a takedown midway through the first period, and tilted Bedelyon to the mat twice for a pair of three point nearfalls to take a commanding 8-0 lead. After a scoreless second period, Waters worked an escape and another takedown to go with riding time. The Kansas City, Mo., native is 8-0 on the season (3-0 in duals), with all eight victories coming with bonus points. On the year, Waters has one win by major decision, three wins by technical fall and four wins by pin. He ranks as high as No. 4 in the country. Missouri returns home this weekend for a Big 12 matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones. Action from the Hearnes Center will get underway at Noon CT. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com or follow us on Twitter: @MizzouWrestling.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored a big 18-17 win over Ohio in Maclellan Gym tonight. The Mocs erased a five-point deficit with wins in the last two matches while improving their overall record to 3-2 (1-0 SoCon). "This was a big win for us tonight," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "We got behind twice in the match, but our guys stepped up and gave us a huge win. We still have a lot to work on and a lot of areas to improve, but this is something we can build on going into the Illinois trip and the semester break." Freshman Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio) led off for Chattanooga in the heavyweight match. He was facing a tough task against No. 5 Jeremy Johnson. Johnson defeated Malone (5-1) at the Hokie Open earlier in the season, but today's bout was much closer. Trailing 2-0 in the closing seconds, Malone appeared to tie the score at 2-2 with a late takedown. However, a stalling caution back in the first period gave Johnson the deciding point and the 3-2 win. The Bobcats went up 7-0 after Gabe Ramos scored a major decision (11-0) over freshman Blake Thomas (Brentwood, Tenn.) at 125. Chattanooga got on the board at 133 with freshman Nick Soto's (Spring Hill, Fla.) 4-0 shutout over Jake Wojcik. "Nick is off to a good start for a true freshman," added Eslinger. "He is seeing the benefits of his hard work in all areas, on the mat and in the classroom. When you put in the work, good things happen." Ohio took the 141 match with Darrin Boing winning a major decision (14-6) over Shawn Greevy (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), increasing the Bobcats lead to 11-3. Greevy had defeated Boing 5-4 at the Hokie Open, but could not duplicate the result tonight. With an eight point deficit to overcome, Chattanooga would have to ride its three seniors to get back into the match. The Mocs did just that, winning the next three matches, all decisions by seniors. Those three wins - Kelly Felix (Franklin, Tenn.) at 149, Dan Waddell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at 157 and Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) at 165 - got the crowd going and gave UTC a 12-11 lead. Waddell's 2-0 win over Harrison Hightower was payback for a 9-4 loss at the Hokie Open. "I am proud of the way our seniors responded tonight," added Eslinger. "We needed them to step up and get us back in the match and they came through. We expect that of this group and it is nice to see it happen on the mat." The excitement was short-lived however as sophomore Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.) was pinned at 174 by No. 13 Nick Purdue. That put the Mocs in a 17-12 hole and needing wins in the last two matches to stay alive. Fresh off a first place finish at the Davidson Open, junior Robert Prigmore (Southlake, Texas) continued his hot streak with a great match tonight. He shocked the crowd and Ohio's Ryan Garringer with a quick takedown and three near-fall points at 184. He competed hard for the rest of the match and held on for the 5-3 win to start the final rally. For the second time this season, junior Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) took the mat with a chance to clinch the team victory. He came through again tonight, defeating Beau Wagner 10-4. UTC now hits the road for its final dual of the calendar year at No. 11 Illinois. The Mocs visit the Illini on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2:00 p.m. Chattanooga hosts the Southern Scuffle in McKenzie Arena on Jan. 1-2, 2012. Tickets are available now on GoMocs.com or at the UTC Ticket Office by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627). Results: 285: No. 5 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) - Dec. 3-2 - Kevin Malone (UTC) - Ohio 3-0 125: Gabe Ramos (Ohio) - MD 11-0 - Blake Thomas (UTC) - Ohio 7-0 133: Nick Soto (UTC) - Dec. 4-0 - Jake Wojcik (Ohio) - Ohio 7-3 141: Darrin Boing (Ohio) - MD 14-6 - Shawn Greevy (UTC) - Ohio 11-3 149: Kelly Felix (UTC) - Dec. 13-9 - Brad Squire (Ohio) - Ohio 11-6 157: Dan Waddell (UTC) - Dec. 2-0 - Harrison Hightower (Ohio) - Ohio 11-9 165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 4-1 - Miles Chapman (Ohio) - UTC 12-11 174: No. 13 Nick Purdue (Ohio) - Fall 2:17 - Levi Clemons (UTC) - Ohio 17-12 184: Robert Prigmore (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 - Ryan Garringer (Ohio) - Ohio - 17-15 197: Niko Brown (UTC) - Dec. 10-4 - Beau Wagner (Ohio) - UTC 18-17

RENO, Nev. -- The 17th Annual Reno Tournament of Champions will be held at the Reno Events Center from Dec. 16-18. The tournament will feature a two-day high school tournament followed by a one-day college tournament. A number of area schools will compete against the nation's best in what is dubbed the "Toughest Tournament in the U.S.A." Ticket prices are $15 per day for the high school tournament and an additional $15 for the high school finals. The college tournament ticket prices are $20 all day. Floor passes are $25 and provides access to the floor only but you will still need to purchase a ticket for each day to get into the building. This year, Easton (Pa.) high school and the University of Wyoming enter as defending team champions. Easton will look to win its 8th tournament overall, while the Cowboys of Wyoming will look to fend off No. 2 Oklahoma State and a host of other schools for its second tournament title. Easton Area (Pa.) will look to begin a new string of consecutive titles this year. The Red Rovers will be challenged once again by Union (Okla.), Bakersfield (Calif.) and Poway (Calif.) and a host of other schools including in-state rival Pleasant Valley (Pa.). This year, four teams don Amateur Wrestling News' Prep 40 in Bakersfield (Calif.), Union, Columbia (Idaho) and Poway. The college tournament should be one of the most competitive and tournaments since the inception of the RTOC. With five teams ranked in the top 20 according to InterMatWrestle's rankings, including OSU and defending RTOC champion Wyoming, this year's tournament promises to be extremely competitive. This year, Air Force, Michigan State and Oregon State compete for the first time in several years, while Clackamas brings its defending NJCAA team to try to become the first non-D1 school to win the RTOC. Battling to dethrone Mark Branch's Wyoming Cowboys include No. 12 Stanford, the Beavers at 14 and No. 19 Cal Poly. With 28 schools competing, Sunday will promise to be an exciting day of tournament action that will include National implications, too. After the three days are finished we will see why the tournament is the "Toughest Tournament in the U.S.A."

Fedor Emelianenko is back ... again. The 35-year-old Russian has been announced as the headliner for "DREAM: Fight for Japan: Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011!" where he is scheduled to face 2008 Olympic gold medalist and former PRIDE heavyweight champion, Satoshi Ishii. The Japanese fighter was recently rumored to have quit MMA in hopes of returning to judo for the 2012 Olympics in London. Emelianenko is making a quick turnaround having recently earned a decision victory against Jeff Monson on Nov. 20. The former Strikeforce champion had lost his three previous bouts on American soil before his return to native Russia to fight Monson. Also on the evening's card is Shinya Aoki (29-5) versus former Sengoku champ Satoru Kitaoka (29-10-9. Aoki is the current DREAM title-holder at lightweight. "DREAM: Fight for Japan: Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011!" is set for Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The full card for "DREAM: Fight for Japan: Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011!" Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii Champ Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka (lightweight title) Champ Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue (featherweight title) Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata Yuichiro Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno Rodolfo Marques Diniz vs. Bibiano Fernandes (bantamweight grand-prix semifinal) Antonio Banuelos vs. Masakazu Imanari (bantamweight grand-prix semifinal) Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev (bantamweight grand-prix reserve match) Ryo Chonan vs. Hayato Sakurai

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Here is what we learned from the UFC 140 main card and what is (or could be) next for the fighters: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida Division: Light Heavyweight Result: Jones defeated Machida by submission in Round 2 What we learned about Jones: We learned that Jones can take a punch. Many critics have said that Jones has not been tested and have questioned his attitude and heart. He answered the critics in this fight with his finish of Machida. He lost the first round in the opinion of many experts, only to come back and display his grappling and submission of Lyoto Machida. What is next for Jones: Jones is scheduled to face the winner of the Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans fight at UFC on Fox 2 on Jan 28. What we learned about Machida: We learned that Machida is still an elite striker and contender in the light heavyweight division. Machida did a masterful job of closing the distance with his 10.5-inch reach disadvantage by darting in and out with his striking in the first round. What is next for Machida: Machida should have a minor medical suspension and should get either the loser of Evans-Davis or possible a fight with Dan Henderson. Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Division: Heavyweight Result: Mir defeated Nogueira submission in Round 1 What we learned about Mir: Mir can still take a serious shot and recover. Although Mir has been knocked out by Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar and others in his career, his comeback was nothing short of spectacular. His is widely considered one of the top two or three in the division as far as submissions and jiu-jitsu. After his win at UFC 140, few can dispute his top billing jiu-jitsu skills in the heavyweight division. What is next for Mir: The win puts Mir back in the top handful of heavyweights and a matchup with Cain Velazquez or the loser Allistar Overeem-Brock Lesnar makes some sense since Lesnar and Mir stand at 1-1 in their fights What we learned about Nogueira: "Big Nog" showed that his hands/boxing skills are still formidable and he has tons of heart. He dropped Mir and made technical mistakes as he pounced and tried to finish the former UFC heavyweight champion. He refused to tap once it was clear (after he tried to roll out of the Kimura submission) that it would end his night and break his upper arm. What is next for Nogueira: Nogueria will have a lengthy (minimal six-month) medical suspension with the arm break. I would look for him in the fall of 2012 against a top 10 opponent or rising prospect. A fight with Daniel Cormier, who is scheduled to fight Josh Barnett in the spring of 2012 would answer questions about both fighters. Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Division: Light Heavyweight Result: Nogueira defeated Ortiz by TKO in Round 1 What we learned about Nogueria: "Little Nog," who dropped two tough decisions against Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, is still formable in the light heavyweight division with his dismantling of Tito Ortiz. At 20-5, Nogueria needs a signature win to get his name in the handful of fighters who are in title fight conversations. What is next for Nogueria: A fight with Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin, or the winner of Alexander Gustafsson-Vladimir Matyushenko could be in store. What we learned about Ortiz: The self proclaimed "The People's Champion" has now lost two in a row via TKO in his last two fights in the Octagon, and five out of last six UFC fights. The lone win during that stretch against Ryan Bader is looking more and more of an aberration. What is next for Ortiz: Ortiz has one fight left on his contract and my guess is that Dana and the UFC will setup a farewell fight. Forrest Griffin, who Tito is 1-1 against, would be a great way to send out the former champ and future UFC Hall of Famer. Brian Ebersole vs. Claude Patrick Division: Welterweight Result: Ebersole defeated Patrick by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) What we learned about Ebersole: The eccentric Ebersole is now 3-0 in the UFC and winner of his last 10 fights. His hard-fought, workmanlike effort against Patrick will now give him a chance to move up the middle ranks of the welterweight division. What is next for Ebersole: It is time to move Ebersole up in competition against potentially his original match with Rory Markham or Paulo Thiago (who had his fight in January moved with Pierce, who is now fighting Josh Koscheck). What we learned about Patrick: With his 13-fight winning streak snapped, Patrick will look to rebound quickly. We learned that although he was 3-0 going into the fight with Ebersole, he may need a bit more experience before moving back up the welterweight ladder. His overall game was on display. What is next for Patrick: Potentially a fight against Jake Hecht, who won on the same UFC 140 card. It is a fight that would make sense. Chan Sung Jung vs. Mark Hominick Division: Featherweight Result: Chan Sung Jung defeated Hominick by KO in Round 1 What we learned about Jung: We learned that Jung has a nice straight right hand, but in truth we did not learn much. The win does raise Jung stock's considerably as he beat Hominick, who was one fight removed from fighting for the title. What is next for Jung: Jung, at 2-0 in the UFC, will likely get a fight that would set up an upper-tier ranking with an additional win. A fight against Tyson Griffin, Marlon Sandro, or Darren Elkins would allow the UFC to build Jung. What we learned about Hominick: Hominick, who came into the fight off a loss to longtime trainer and friend Shawn Tompkins, merely got caught. He went in overzealous, and got hit with a clean right hand. What is next for Hominick: A fight with the winner of Garza-Poirer would make sense in many ways. Hominick, with two consecutive losses, will have his back against the wall in a must-win next fight.

The five main card bouts for UFC 142 in Rio de Janiero have been finalized by the UFC. Headlining the event will be Brazilian Jose Aldo (20-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) who defends his lightweight belt against Chad Mendes (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC). The preliminary and main card features five brazilian fighters. Jan. 14 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, and Brazilian UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (20-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meets Chad Mendes in the championship headliner (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC). Main Card: (Pay-per-view) Champ Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes (for featherweight title) Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson Mike Massenzio vs. Rousimar Palhares Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Erick Silva Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim Preliminary Card: Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares Mike Pyle vs. Paulo Thiago Fabio Maldonado vs. Stanislav Nedkov Rob Broughton vs. Ednaldo Oliveira Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio "Pato" Carvalho Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa