How did you not give Tito the 2nd Round?

Takedowns are the most difficult area for a judge to score. In my opinion, what happens after the takedown should play a major role in how it's scored. For example, if a fighter takes his opponent down, does not land any strikes or work for a submission, then allows him to get back to his feet or is swept within a minute, I feel like it should be a negative scoring item. 99.9% of takedowns do not hurt the guy who lands on his back. It's all about control and if you cannot maintain it or do any damage, you should not be rewarded. In the 2nd Round, Ortiz scored an early takedown that resulted in hardly any strikes. Near the end, he scored another takedown, landed some elbows (opened a cut), before Griffin swept him and ended the round with some strikes of his own. My analysis is that Griffin's sweep negates the first takedown by Ortiz (both netted the guy on top some partially blocked strikes). This leaves Ortiz's second takedown with the elbows against Griffin's stand-up work. I still see it as an even round.

No way Koscheck got hit in the eye. He faked it.

He was not tired. It was three minutes into the 1st Round and Koscheck is not known to gas. I also don't see a reason for him to regroup. The fight was even at that point. From what I saw, Johnson's knee drove Koscheck's arm into his eye (There was also a secondary strike which partially landed. After it hits his arm, the knee keeps going and connects with his face.). I don't think Koscheck had any idea what actually happened. All he knew was that Johnson's knee came flying at his face then his eye hurt. Getting hit in the eye is like getting hit in the balls. Even a minor shot feels like the end of the world. There isn't a mirror for him to look into. For all he knew, his eyeball was sucked inside his skull.

Overall, I don't even think it matters whether it fully or partially landed. Johnson threw a knee to the head of a downed opponent and it hit something. Luckily, Koscheck had his arm up, but it's still a knee aimed at the head. Unless Koscheck's head suddenly disappeared, it was going to end with a timeout and a point deduction.

Why is Phil Baroni in the UFC?

After Saturday night's event, I received more emails about Baroni not belonging in the UFC than any other topic. It stunned me. I don't get it. Every fighter does not have to be a title contender. Accept Baroni for what he is and don't expect him to be anything else. The guy puts on exciting fights and I hope he sticks around in the UFC for a long time. Match him up with any of the following and it's instant entertainment - Chris Lytle, Marcus Davis, Matt Brown, and of course Matt Serra. I'd watch a ten part pre-fight special with Baroni and Serra going back and forth about who's the toughest guy in Long Island.

Can UFC 108 be salvaged?

The UFC is at a point where even their tape delayed international PPVs do 350K buys. Evans/Silva on top of the current card will bring in 400K. The real problem will be ticket sales. Last weekend in Vegas, they handed out 3,898 complimentary tickets worth over $2 million. Unless something unexpected happens, UFC 108 (also in Vegas) will surpass that total.

Are you watching this season of The Ultimate Fighter? It's horrible.

Yes, and I agree.

Here's the problem. Most of these fighters have no business being Heavyweights. They're out of shape Light Heavyweights and that's why they run out of gas in 2-3 minutes. The total disregard for conditioning has ruined the fights. The smaller cast members came into the show with extra weight on their frames, because they thought they needed to "bulk up". The strategy hasn't worked.

Dana White overhyped the season. Yes, it received tremendous ratings, but that's not necessarily a good thing when millions of viewers see a glorified Toughman competition.

Is there anything you like about this season?

Marcus Jones, Kimbo, Rashad's rental cars, and Brendan Schaub. I believe Schaub is a legit fighter and will have a solid UFC career. He's the only cast member I see evolving and becoming a threat. The other guys just don't have it. You can see it right away. Roy Nelson has had a successful career, but he's not making noise in the UFC with his grappling and pitter patter punches. Schaub has the size, he's with a great camp, and he's still young. Marcus Jones seems talented enough, however, his size and age will work against him. Making it in MMA requires a body that can handle the stress of constant training. He's too big, too old, and already been through too much.

Jose Aldo would kill BJ Penn!!!

Every time a WEC fighter gets a big win, they're proclaimed the best thing since Royce Gracie. I think Aldo is great, but lets wait until he defends the title a few times before we place him in the company of fighters like Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. I was never totally sold on Brown, either. He's a solid fighter with a vicious punch. I still believe Faber wins the second fight, if his hand stays in one piece.

Anyways, Aldo is exciting and has the potential to be special. He still has a long way to go, though, before he's in the Best Fighter on the Planet discussion.

What's going on with Dan Henderson?

He's holding out for the best possible deal. Henderson is 39 years old with decades of athletic wear and tear on his body. This is his chance to cash in and he's not rushing things. I expect him back with the UFC.

Does Cheick Kongo have any chance at all?

His odds of winning get better with each passing day. Let me explain. A month ago, Frank Mir found himself buried under several fighters in the Heavyweight Title picture. Then injuries hit Lesnar (digestive system exploded), Carwin (elected for knee surgery), and Nogueira (I say we assume Nog has staph all the time until proven otherwise.). Suddenly Mir is a hot commodity. A win over Kongo and he's back in the hunt.

This fight has trap written all over it. Not only will Mir be looking ahead to his next opponent, but he's also facing someone with true knockout power. Mir isn't known for having a granite chin. He's also quite proud of his improved striking. It's not a stretch for him to walk into a right hand and wake up moments later on the mat.

Will any of the UFC fighters managed by Ed Soares lose in 2010?

This was my favorite question of past six months. The short answer is "Yes".

Anderson Silva
Upcoming Bouts: As Middleweight Champion, he's set to defend against Vitor Belfort in early 2010. Beyond that, he could face any number of opponents including Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson, Georges St-Pierre, or someone from the Light Heavyweight Division. His 2010 should be very exciting to watch and feature his toughest set of opponents since joining the UFC.
Chance of Losing: Slim. Going into the fight with Forrest Griffin, his aura was lacking. Well, he embarrassed a former Light Heavyweight Champion and in the process regained his Intimidation Factor. There just aren't that many fighters out there who can match his speed and power. Belfort probably can for three minutes, but beyond that I'm skeptical. The other possible opponents each have their flaws. Marquardt and Henderson already lost to Silva in devastating fashion. St-Pierre would be facing a much bigger opponent and fighting at a higher weight class for the first time in his career. One scenario I can see happening is Silva fighting for the Light Heavyweight Title (if Mauricio Rua defeats Lyoto Machida at UFC 113). Rua is big and fast enough to give Silva some problems. I'd love to see it happen. That said, Silva has other options in 2010 and a possible fight with Rua probably wouldn't happen (if at all) until 2011.

Lyoto Machida
Upcoming Bouts: Machida will defend his (Rua's) Light Heavyweight Title against Mauricio Rua at UFC 113 in May. A win over Rua would set Machida up for possible bouts with contenders like Thiago Silva, Rashad Evans, or Randy Couture. Yes, the pickings are that slim at 205 lbs right now.
Chance of Losing: The rematch with Rua should favor Machida. He's had a chance to reflect on Rua's leg/body kick strategy and we should see some adjustments. The backlash against the decision also works in Machida's favor because even though he won, he didn't receive any of the usual victory praise. He should not have any problems finding motivation for the second match-up. With a win, he'd then be looking at a possible rematch with Silva or Evans. He made both look foolish, so I believe the UFC would much rather book him to face Randy Couture (if Couture takes care of Mark Coleman in February). I don't see Machida having any problems with Couture. He'd liquidfy Couture's internal organs with kicks. Would not be pretty.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Upcoming Bouts: Big Nog will hopefully face Cain Velasquez at UFC 109 or 110. That's plan, unless he gets staph, again. A win over Velasquez and Nogueira's next fight would be for the Heavyweight Title against Lesnar/Carwin.
Chance of Losing: Velasquez is a difficult opponent for Big Nog. In a three round fight, I can see him grinding out a decision over Nogueira. It's certainly not a slamdunk because Nogueira is capable of submitting anyone at anytime. If it was a 25 minute fight, I'd favor Nogueira. For the sake of this argument, lets say Nogueira defeats Velasquez. His next fight would be for the title in some form. Either against the winner of Lesnar/Carwin, or against Carwin for the Interim Title. Lesnar poses more problems. He fought Frank Mir twice and the second time around it was obvious he learned a great deal about defending submissions. I don't think Carwin is ready to defeat a legend like Nogueira. He'd take Carwin into the deep water and drowned him.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Upcoming Bouts: Unknown, although it should be someone well known like Franklin, Jardine, Jones/Hamill, Coleman, Ortiz, or Griffin. The tricky thing about Little Nog, is that he's fighting in a division where the champion is a friend/training partner. He's not fighting Machida and the UFC has to be careful about giving him too much of a push. At the same time, they'd be nuts to hold him back.
Chance of Losing: I think he defeats any of the fighters listed above. Jardine could give him problems, because of his unique style. The others don't strike me as risky bouts.

Junior Dos Santos
Upcoming Bouts: Things are up in the air. It appears the UFC will reschedule his bout with Gabriel Gonzaga, rather than finding a replacement opponent. Dos Santos has been impressive, but Gonzaga is not Fabricio Werdum or Mirko Cro Cop. He's one of the top Heavyweights in the world and will be Dos Santos' biggest test to date.
Chance of Losing: The Gonzaga fight is a coin toss. Anything after that would be against the best the UFC has to offer (Velasquez, Carwin, Mir, Lesnar). Dos Santos has a rough year ahead of him.

UFC 106 Live Results begin at 8:00pm ET with the Preliminary Card. Our Live Play-by-Plays begin at 10:00pm ET when the PPV kicks off. As always, if you enjoy the Live Results, please support our sponsors. Without their continued help, RearNakedNews.com would not be possible.

Jason Dent vs George Sotiropoulos

-Sotiropoulos Wins by 2nd Rd Submission (Armbar)

Fabricio Camoes vs Caol Uno

-Majority Draw (29-27 Uno, 28-28, 28-28)

-In 2nd Rd, a point was deducted from Camoes for upkicking Uno while he was on his knees.

Brian Foster vs Brock Larson

-Foster Wins by 2nd Rd TKO

Kendall Grove vs Jake Rosholt

-Grove Wins by 1st Rd Submission (Triangle)

Ben Saunders vs Marcus Davis

-Saunders Wins by 1st Rd TKO

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-Sotiropoulos is more talented and a giant Lightweight. He also doesn't have a terrible nickname like Jason "Dynamite" Dent. I don't need anything else to make up my mind.

-Sotiropoulos Wins by 1st Round TKO

-Cane fights with a viciousness that cannot be taught. He gains pleasure from breaking his opponents. Facing someone of Nogueira's pedigree is a major test, but I feel he's ready for it.

-Whoever wins this fight should receive a major push by the UFC. The Light Heavyweight Division needs some faces.

-I'd give Joe Silva tons of credit for matching these two up, but the pairing happened because several fighters turned down a bout with Cane.

-Cane's style is impressive to watch and unless Nogueira pulls out a random submission, it'll be difficult for him to win. Should be an entertaining fight.

-Cane Wins by Unanimous Decision

-Ortiz is a very proud fighter. While he was away from the UFC, the promotion crafted a story around Forrest Griffin that centered on the first fight between the two. Basically, it was that by the end of the fight, Ortiz wanted nothing to do with Griffin. He squeezed out a victory by the slimmest of margins. The real winner was Griffin. Hearing this story over and over again had to annoy Ortiz. I feel like this gives him a ton of motivation to prove himself.

-On the other side, Griffin is against a wall. A year ago he was the Light Heavyweight Champion and coming off two huge wins over Mauricio Rua and Rampage Jackson. Then he went out and won the first two rounds against Rashad Evans before getting TKO'd. We all know what came next when Anderson Silva made him look foolish. That's quite the ride. You have to wonder about Griffin's emotions coming into this main event.

-Strategically I feel the fight favors Griffin. Ortiz does not have knockout power. Griffin can relax and throw his combinations without worrying about getting dropped. If he avoids takedowns, he wins the fight. Ortiz is not outstriking him.

-Griffin Wins by Split Decision

I think Joe Silva went to a voodoo doctor and he told him the only way to reverse their current bad luck with injuries was to match-up 46 year old Couture with 44 year old Coleman. I've heard worse plans.

From a fight standpoint, I love it. Both fighters are top notch wrestlers and neither has knockout power. This one has stand-up war written all over it. The bout also sets up the winner for a big fight, because they will be coming off two straight wins. Either way, it works out well for the UFC.

In other UFC 109 news, the planned bout between Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie might be pushed back to a later card. Nothing is official, but that's what I'm hearing.

From everything I've read, the usual course of treatment for diverticulitis is "colon rest". The patient eats a low-fiber diet to reduce their bowel movements and give their colon a chance to recover. Lesnar's case might be more severe and require surgery, as Dana White indicated to TMZ. Either way, this is the type of thing that will wreak havoc on a fighter's body, especially one of Lesnar's size. It's not easy to maintain a healthy weight upwards of 260 lbs. Even if he doesn't need surgery, I think an Interim Heavyweight Title is in the cards.

(I don't know how I got through that without making a "horseshoe up his ass" joke.)

Stop whining. Couture not only controlled Vera, he also landed more strikes.

• Brandon Vera has no one to blame but himself for losing the fight. He repeatedly put himself into poor position and allowed Couture to push him into the cage (Usually by swinging wildly following a break by the referee. A better idea might have been to circle towards the center then throw strikes.). He also did not try to force his way off the cage because he was worried about being taken down. Basically, he was content to sit against the cage. The judging criteria is not brand new. We all know how much judges love "Octagon Control".

• This type of cautiousness isn't new for Vera. I started calling him "The Ultimate Fighting Turtle" for a reason. He goes into his shell at the first sign of danger.

• For anyone who was outraged by the decision, re-watch the fight. Couture landed more strikes than I realized, especially in the 3rd Round. I think it will surprise you. In that round, he won striking and control. Vera had two positive moments - a solid body kick and the takedown (which resulted in zero damage and Couture getting up). The 1st Round was much closer, although it's difficult to give it to Vera. He landed a couple strikes right off the bat then didn't do anything for the rest of the round.

• Michael Bisping saved his career. I'm glad he canned the counter routine and decided to be aggressive. I'm also glad he got rid of the shaved head chemo look.

Denis Kang vs Michael Bisping
-The only reason I'm taking Bisping is because I cannot stand Denis Kang fans. They act like he's Anderson Silva and we should all bow down to his greatness. I'm not sure why this false aura surrounds him. He's a good fighter who had a very nice run earlier in his career. Nothing more, nothing less.
-Bisping will keep the fight standing and score more points.
-Bisping Wins by Unanimous Decision

Dan Hardy vs Mike Swick
-Time to see if Dan Hardy can swim in the deep end. So far in the UFC he's won two split decisions and knocked out a guy who fought injured. I'm hardly impressed (couldn't resist). I do have to give the UFC credit for at least having the foresight to groom a second English star. At some point they must have had a meeting with the topic, "What do we do after Bisping gets demolished???".
-Swick Wins by 1st Round TKO

Randy Couture vs Brandon Vera
-If Couture relies on his wrestling, he wins the fight easily. If he tries to be a boxer, he loses. It's as simple as that.
-I'm interested to see how Vera handles the pressure. He's been relegated to second class status since his back to back losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. Now he's headlining an event against Randy Couture. That's a big step and he may not have the stomach for it. Vera needs to pull the trigger against Couture and avoid being cautious. Otherwise, he'll spend a lot of time on his back.
-Couture Wins by Unanimous Decision