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By Jason Comack  February 21, 2010, at 12:55 pm  After each major Mixed Martial Arts event, our very own matchmaker, Jason Comack, does his best Joe Silva and breaks down all the possibilities for the fighters who waged war last night in a little feature we like to call: What’s Next?
Chris Lytle: Lytle is a much better fighter then he shows in the ring. He’s content with banging out KO’s, fights and submissions of the night and banking the extra cash. Lytle is a much crisper boxer then we’ve seen as of late but the truth is his giant hay-maker of doom punches have put money in his wallet so he’s unlikely to stop them. Against Brian Foster we were reminded that Lytle does in fact have a submission game as he won with a devastating knee bar.
Lytle has settled nicely into the gate keeper role. He’s a guy you can put either on the under-card or a Spike TV Prelim/Fight Night and know your going to get a solid fight. His role is taking on young guys who are ready to move up in competition and while there’s a bunch of fights that make sense a lot of the young welterweights are already booked in fights.
Rory MacDonald; The 20 year old Canadian welterweight is an exciting prospect. However he’s been rumored to be fighting Carlos Condit at UFC 115. Rick Story and Nick Osipczak are fighting each other at UFC 112. Amir Sadollah and Dong Hyun Kim are fighting each other at UFC 114. T.J Grant and Johny Hendricks are fighting at UFC 113.
So due to timing issues most of those guys are out of the equation. So whose left?
Paulo Thiago: Thiago has been fighting top guys non-stop. This fight would give him a chance to hone his skills, he’s still very raw, and give him a win against a solid welterweight. Let’s not kid ourselves though Thiago isn’t going to take such a drastic step down in competition.
Matt Serra: That already happened and my wallet still is hurting.
Rob Kimmons and Mike Pierce: Pierce and Kimmons are fighting on UFC Live: Vera/Jones on March 21rst so the timing works out nicely. Pierce, 10-3 (1-1 UFC), took out Brock Larson is his UFC debut and then lost to Jon Fitch. Obviously there’s no shame in losing to Jon Fitch and in fact he looked very good in that fight. Kimmons hasn’t enjoyed much UFC success, 2-2, but is moving down to welterweight for the first time.
Ben Saunders and Jake Ellenberger: Saunders was originally set to take out Martin Kampman before a horrifying gash knocked hm out of the fight. Ellenberger is 1-1 in the UFC and much like Pierce has looked good even when he’s lost. He lost to Carlos Condit in his UFC debut but lost a close split decision, he followed that up by beating Mike Pyle.
Saunders is 4-1 in the UFC and a win over Ellenberger would probably put him in line to fight bigger fish then Lytle. If Ellenberger does win however Lytle would probably be a fight in his range.
Ricardo Almeida and Matt Brown: Almeida is moving down from middleweight, where he had sucess and draws Matt Brown as his first opponent. Brown is riding a fight win streak and is 4-1 in the UFC. Almedia would probably draw a bigger name if he wins considering his original opponent before injury was Jon Fitch. Brown already fought and lost to Lytle although it was outside of the UFC.
Nate Diaz and Rory Markham: The less sane Diaz brother is moving up in weight because well in his own words “I don’t make enough money to cut to 155.” Diaz is 6-3 in the UFC and a marketable fighter because of his personality. Markham had success in the IFL but has struggled as of late. He lost is UFC debut to Dan Hardy and has struggled with injuries since.
If Diaz can beat Markham I can’t think of a more perfect fight then Diaz/Lylte. Your bound to get a fight of the night with both guys winning wild hay-makers at each other. Unlike Gray Maynard Lytle actually has the boxing acumen to make Diaz pay for his goofy striking style. Also unlike Gray Maynard if he gets KO’d he really doesn’t care. Lytle and Diaz would also be a wildly entertaining scrap if it hit the ground.
Diaz has to get by Markham first but, Lytle Vs. Diaz would be awesome as a Spike TV Prelim or Fight Night fight.
By Jason Comack February 15, 2010, at 3:40 pm Elvis Sinosic (8-11-2) vs. Chris Haseman (20-16)
The Fighters: Move along nothing to see here. No, seriously. This is the “hey let’s find two Australian dudes” and have them fight. Sinosic isn’t very good as his losing record would indicate. The UFC seems to love the King Of Rock and Rumble as this is will be his 9th fight, 1-7, in the UFC. They must think he has a cool nickname.
Haseman, 40 years young, is also…well Australian. He’s 0-1 in the UFC and has lost his last 5 fights. This will be his first return to action in almost two years.
Breakdown: These two met once before and Haseman won by the dreaded submission “chin to eye.” Of course that fight happened in 1997. Haseman/Sinosic II won’t exactly have the drama of Couture/Coleman but if nothing else we get to hear a whole lot of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Oy Oy Oy.”
Prediction: Haseman Via Chin To Eye Round 1
Stephan Bonnar (11-6) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (18-9-1)
The Fighters: Is this a “loser leaves town match?” [Side Note: Can we just officially start hyping these matches as such? We have number one contender matches, why can't we have the opposite? Joe Rogan can even pull his best Jeff Probst and kick the loser out of the cage in lieu of a post fight interview.] Stephan Bonnar has earned a lot of good will with the UFC but it might be running out. Seriously speaking, the UFC wouldn’t exist as currently constructed without the contributions of Bonnar and Forrest Griffin, and since that fateful day in April 2005 their careers have gone in opposite directions. Griffin went on to win a title and Bonnar has been suspended for horse steroids and has lost 4 of his last 6 fights, including two in a row. While Bonnar has become a more refined fighter, his skills haven’t really evolved in the past five years. He’s still a mediocre striker, with questionable cardio, less than stellar wrestling and decent jiu-jitsu. His last loss was to Mark Coleman in a fight in which Bonnar got bullied. To say it was an embarrassing performance would be an understatement.
Soszynski entered his season of The Ultimate Fighter as one of the more experienced contestants. The former IFL veteran has racked up a 3-1 record in the UFC and is coming off his first UFC loss. Soszynski is a very big and strong light heavyweight who has found a knack for winning by submission (two of his UFC wins have earned him submission of the night.)
Breakdown: This is a fight that seems to break down perfectly for Soszynski to win. Everything Bonnar does well Sosznyski does better. Bonnars best hope might be to turn this fight into a brawl, ala Griffin/Bonnar I. In his last fight, against Brandon Vera, Soszynski looked hesitant when he got tagged and never seemed to want to engage. Forcing him into the pocket is the way to go.
Prediction: Sosznyski Via Unanimous Decision.
Chris Lytle (27-17-5) vs. Brian Foster (13-4)
The Fighters: Lytle is The Ultimate Gatekeeper at this point. Don’t let the veteran Lytle’s UFC record fool you. He’s a very well rounded fighter who always is a challenging fight. In fact, Lytle’s last 3 UFC fights have been awarded Fight Of The Night honors. Lytle will never be a title contender but he certainly has an important role in developing young talent. Get past Lytle and it’s time for the big boys.
Foster is replacing Dong Hyun-Kim, who had to pull out of the fight due to injury. Foster put himself on the map with impressive performances against Rick Story and Brock Larson. In the Larson fight he received two illegal blows in the first round and came back to win.
Breakdown: We can expect fireworks here as both guys aren’t afraid to stand and bang. Fosters edge may be on the mat but don’t expect Lytle to let it come to that. At the end of the day Foster won’t be ready for a fighter the caliber of Lytle, when the brawling ends and the boxing begins Foster will be out of his league.
Prediction: Lytle KO Round 2
Goran Reljic (8-0) vs. C.B. Dollaway (9-2)
The Fighters: And the award for “fight I am randomly super excited for” goes to…Goran Reljic and The Doberman?
Reljic is one of the top prospects at 185 pounds. The exciting 25 year old made his debut at UFC 84 and took out Wilson Gouveia in impressive fashion. He mixed in punches and devastating kicks before eventually knocking out the veteran fighter. Now moving down to middleweight for the first time Reljic hopes to quickly move up the ladder. Reljics striking skills were on display in the octagon but don’t doubt his BJJ credentials. Reljic is a BJJ Brown-Belt and in 2007 he swept the European Gracie Jiu-Jitsu championships.
Dollaway in a lot of ways is similar to Melvin Guillard. Dollaway has an insane amount of talent but always seems to find a way to put his neck on the line, literally. He got caught in an arm-bar, twice, against Amir Sadollah and got caught in a guillotine choke against Tom Lawlor (and almost caught by Mike Massenzio.) Dollaway’s strength is his All-American wrestling background. He trains with a great camp at Arizona Combat Sports that includes up and comers like Ryan Bader and Aaron Simpson.
Breakdown: Reljc will have a significant advantage while the fight is on the feet. On the other hand Dollaway’s wrestling is good enough to the point where he should be able to get the fight to the ground at will. The real question is whether or not Dollaway has learned from his mistakes and learned enough jiu-jitsu defense to remain out of harms way. Something tells me he hasn’t.
Prediction: Reljic Via Triangle Choke Round 2.
Igor Pokrajac (21-6) vs. James Te Huna (12-4)
The Fighters: Pokrajac is a Cro-Cop disciple. While you would expect head-kicks from anyone on the Cro-Cop Squad, Pokrajac relies on his wrestling and submission skills. Pokrajac is 21-6 and 0-1 in the UFC. His one UFC loss was a decisive decision loss to Vladimir Matyushenko.
Huna is a Australian, shocker I know, fighter making his UFC debut. Huna relies on his Thai Boxing and wrestling skills. According to some publications he was considered the #1 Light Heavyweight fighter in all of Australia and New Zealand.
Breakdown: While these guys have a combined 43 fights between them most have been against local competition. In fact looking at Pokrajac’s record his 21 wins is clearly inflated by fighting lesser European competition. Every time he’s taken a step up in competition; Ausserio Silva, Mamed Khalidov and Vladimir Matyushenko he’s lost handily. One can come to the hypothesis that the only reason Pokrajac is still on the roster is because of his association to Cro-Cop. Look for the hometown fighter, Huna, to stifle Pokrajac’s take-downs en route to a K.O. win.
Prediction: Huna Via K.O Round 2
By Anthony De Franco November 24, 2009, at 10:05 am Ladies and Gentlemen, let us take this time to take pride in a little victory. The UFC 106 disclosed payroll was over 1 million dollars. Way to get that money, guys.
Some interesting notes from this list, brought to us by MMA Weekly:
- Tito Ortiz is making 250,000 in a loss. Do we even know if he can still draw? If the numbers for this card come back, and they suck, how is Dana White going to defend paying him that kind of money?
- Lil’ Nog also making big bucks, getting 100,000 for his win over Luiz Cane. Rogerio was incredibly good in the victory, and showed the kind of skills that can make him a champ at 205.
- The night’s big winner was Josh Koscheck, who received 106,000 in salary for his win over Anthony Johnson, and then added 140,000 more for Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night. War Kos. That’s got to be a good feeling waking up on Monday and seeing an extra 246,000 in your bank account.
Here’s the full list:
MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS
-Forrest Griffin: $250,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) def. Tito Ortiz: $250,000*
- Josh Koscheck: $106,000 (includes $53,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Johnson: $17,000
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
-Paulo Thiago: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Jacob Volkmann: $6,000
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $100,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Luiz Cane: $19,000
-Amir Sadollah: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Phil Baroni: $25,000
PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS
-Ben Saunders: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Davis: $27,000
-Kendall Grove: $44,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus) def. Jake Rosholt: $15,000
-Brian Foster: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Brock Larson: $26,000
-Caol Uno: $20,000 vs. Fabricio Camoes: $10,000
(The fight was ruled a draw. Both fighters received their show money only.)
-George Sotiropoulos: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Jason Dent: $8,000
UFC 106 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,021,000
*Tito Ortiz was paid a flat rate of $250,000 to show, with no available win bonus.
UFC 106 AWARDS & BONUSES
(Each fighter was awarded $70,000 per award, which is in addition to his disclosed salary.)
Fight of the Night:
-Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson
Knockout of the Night:
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Submission of the Night:
-Josh Koscheck
By Anthony De Franco November 19, 2009, at 4:56 pm George Sotiropoulos v. Jason Dent
Love Sotiropoulos. He’s a huge lightweight with the kind of BJJ that can end fights quickly. He’s grown a lot as since his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter. He’s got three wins in the UFC but none of them are over anyone with a name. The best of them in the ultra-lanky lightweight George Roop.
Dent is a TUF 9 alumni who has in a win in his one fight since. He’s another BJJ guy with 15 of his 19 career wins coming by submission. He had a previous stint in the UFC, and he lost to Gleison Tibau and Roger Huerta before being cut.
In what promises to be a technical, BJJ battle, I’ll take the guy who has more potential.
Prediction: Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision
Caol Uno v. Fabricio Camoes
How the mighty have fallen. Uno went from his famous wars with B.J. Penn to being on the undercard. In his comeback at UFC 99, he lost a fight he simply should not have against Spencer Fisher. Before that, he lost a fight in Japan against Shinya Aoki. Is Uno done? He 42 total fights under his belt, which is more than veterans like Randy Couture. There’s a possibility that the battle wounds have just caught up with him.
Camoes is a UFC newcomer. He’s 10-4 in his MMA career, but lacks any big wins. He’s a second degree black belt under Royler Gracie, so you know that his BJJ is solid. Most of his wins come by submission, which you’d figure. He’s walking into a really crowded 155 division, and will have impress right away to move up the ranks.
Prediction: Uno via TKO
Brock Larson v. Brian Foster
Larson is a Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts product that we praised on this site, so needless to say that he lost his last fight. He’s 26-3 in his career and he called for him to get more respect before he lost to solid up and comer in Mike Pierce. He’s a very strong wrestler with a background in Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu, which is a combination of BJJ and Judo. A former WEC fighter, he’s 2-1 since coming over to the UFC and will look to continue to use his all around game to climb in the rankings.
Foster is from the HIT Squad camp that Matt Hughes runs. Foster lost his first UFC fight in really bizarre fashion. He lost to Ricky Story via Arm Triangle, but he actually defended the move correctly. When you are in an arm triangle, you are taught to keep your opponent inside of your guard. That keeps him from getting any kind of leverage. Well, Story didn’t need any leverage to choke to out Foster. When you lose in such a strange way, you have to prove that the last one was a fluke.
Prediction: Larson via Submission
Paulo Thiago v. Jacob Volkmann
Thiago’s on this undercard too, huh? It wasn’t too long ago that he knocked out Josh Koscheck, right? Since then he lost a decision to Jon Fitch at the swing fight of UFC 100, and now he’s been banished to the undercard. He’s only loss is the one to Fitch, and he still has a bunch of potential.
Volkmann is making his UFC debut, but has big fight experience as his last bout was on ESPN’s Bellator Fighting Championship. He’s 10-0, and a very hot prospect. Another Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts project, he’s got great BJJ, and a decent all around game. Side note: His nickname is Christmas. Not kidding.
I’m just pretty sure that this fight is designed for Thiago not to lose.
Prediction: Thiago via unanimous decision
Kendall Grove v. Jake Rosholt
Is there more maddening fighter in the UFC than Kendall Grove? He shows potential that makes you jump out of your seat sometimes, and other times you think that he just flat out sucks. Since TUF 3, he’s won three in a row, lost two in a row, then won two more, then lost to Ricardo Almeida, which isn’t that bad. I still think that he is the best fighter that he has ever been. His muay thai causes problems for just about anyone because of his length. On the ground, he’s not a real pro, but he’s better than most.
Rosholt is another member of Oklahoma State wrestling dynasty that has made it’s way over to the UFC from the WEC. He’s 1-1 in the UFC since coming over. His loss was to an underrated Dan Miller, but his win was over Chris Leben, and there were rumors that Leben had fallen into drug use again and had not trained for the fight at all. Rosholt will likely try to take Grove down, and if he does the question becomes can he possibly stay out of Grove submissions.
In a word: Nope.
Prediction: Grove via submission
Marcus Davis v. Ben Saunders
Mark my words: This will be the most exciting fight on the card.
Davis is a former boxer that has made himself a really nice career in MMA. Since appearing on TUF, He’s 8-2, and his losses are to Mike Swick and Dan Hardy. In the Hardy fight, there is an argument to be made that Davis actually should have won a split over Hardy. If he did, he probably gets a rematch with Swick, and maybe we’re talking about him taking on GSP. He’s not just a good boxer, but he’s got good muay thai, and a good enough ground game to get back to his feet.
Saunders is also a muay thai practitioner with excellent stand-up. He’s shown a propensity to bang, and was even talking smack to Mike Swick before Swick put him down for good. He’s 7-1-2 in his career, and 3-1 in the UFC. I think that Saunders is a future contender, but this not going to be his fight.
Prediction: Davis via TKO
For UFC 106 Gear, check out The 3rd String Store.
By Anthony De Franco September 22, 2009, at 10:00 am My god. Nate Quarry gets paid an absolute ton. I know that he has been under contract for some time now, but at some point don’t you have to ask yourself just what paying a guy like Quarry 60,000 dollars in a win does for your company? That being said, good job Nate. Keep getting that money.
Here is the full list of salaries and bonuses from MMA Weekly:
MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS
– Nate Diaz ($48,000/win bonus was $24,000) def. Melvin Guillard ($14,000)
*Diaz also earned an extra $30,000 for “UFN 19 Submission of the Night”
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
– Gray Maynard ($24,000/win bonus was $12,000) def. Roger Huerta ($21,000)
– Carlos Condit ($48,000/win bonus was $24,000) def. Jake Ellenberger ($10,000)
– Nate Quarry ($60,000/win bonus was $30,000) def. Tim Credeur ($10,000)
*Quarry and Credeur also earned an extra $30,000 each for “UFN 19 Fight of the Night”
PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS
– Brian Stann ($22,000/win bonus was $11,000) def. Steve Cantwell ($10,000)
– Mike Pyle ($30,000/win bonus was $15,000) def. Chris Wilson ($17,000)
– CB Dollaway ($28,000/win bonus was $14,000) def. Jay Silva ($6,000)
– Sam Stout ($24,000/ win bonus was $12,000) vs. Phillipe Nover ($20,000/win bonus was $10,000)
*Oklahoma Commission did not allow bout due to medical issue prior to fight
– Jeremy Stephens ($24,000/win bonus was $12,000) def. Justin Buchholz ($8,000)
*Stephens also earned an extra $30,000 for “UFN 19 Knockout of the Night”
– Mike Pierce ($12,000/win bonus was $6,000) def. Brock Larson ($26,000)
– Ryan Jensen ($8,000/win bonus was $4,000) def. Steve Steinbeiss ($6,000)
UFC Fight Night 19 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $476,000
UFN 19 AWARD BONUSES
(as disclosed by UFC president Dana White)
Each fighter received a $30,000 bonus for the following awards.
Fight of the Night:
– Nate Quarry and Tim Credeur
Knockout of the Night:
– Jeremy Stephens
Submission of the Night:
– Nate Diaz
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