Nate Diaz shines in UFC on Fox 3 main event; Johny Hendricks, Alan Belcher and Lavar Johnson with big wins

Nate Diaz became the first fighter to stop Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 in New Jersey Saturday with a guillotine choke in the second round of the main event.

After a tight first round, Diaz started to taunt Miller in the second round. When Miller tried for the takedown, Diaz rolled into a one-arm guillotine choke so tight that Miller's tongue was stuck out. He was forced to tap at 4:09 in the second.

After the bout, Diaz said he had a hard time with the bout because he respected Miller.

"I'm happy to come out to New Jersey and come out and perform. It was hard to be motivated to train because he's a good guy."

With the win, Diaz is expected to face Anthony Pettis in a title-eliminator bout.

Hendricks takes split-decision

Surprisingly, the two Division I national champions stuck to striking for most of the first round. Josh Koscheck got the better of exchanges and avoided Johny Hendricks' takedowns. Hendricks did a better job in the second, using lefts to beat up Koscheck's face and knees to weaken his legs.

Koscheck got the first takedown of the fight in the round, and used top position to control the fight until the end but it was Hendricks who came out with a 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 split-decision win.

For Hendricks, the win is his fourth in a row and the key to a welterweight title shot. UFC president Dana White hinted earlier this week that with a win, Hendricks could be next in line, after interim champ Carlos Condit challenges George St-Pierre.

Belcher, Johnson impress

Most fighters cannot escape the Rousimar Palhares leg lock, but Alan Belcher did and that was the key to his win. Belcher attempted a leg lock of his own before Palhares put on the kneebar that has broken many a fighter before him. When he escaped, he put down ground and pound that stopped Palhares at 4:18 in the first round.

Pat Barry tried to use a ground game against Johnson early on, but he couldn't keep Lavar Johnson down. With less than a minute to go in the first round, Johnson wobbled Barry with a head kick, then hemmed him in against the fence, landing a barrage of punches. Barry didn't move and just absorbed Johnson's strikes until he fell to the ground with 21 seconds left in the first round.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/nate-diaz-shines-ufc-fox-3-main-event-020735937.html

Phil Baroni Don Barr Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort 

UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones arrested for DUI

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested early Saturday morning for a DUI after getting into an accident in Broome County in New York state. The accident was first reported by TMZ who said Jones crashed his Bentley into a pole and was arrested at the scene. Ariel Helwani reports Jones walked away from the accident uninjured.

Malki Kawa, Jones' manager, released a statement on the arrest.

"I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI. While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time."

Jones recently defended his championship with a five-round decision win over Rashad Evans. He is scheduled to fight Dan Henderson in September.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-light-heavyweight-champ-jon-jones-arrested-dui-184604133.html

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Chad Mendes mixing it up with Cody McKenzie at UFC 148

Former featherweight title-contender Chad Mendes has been given an opponent and date for his return to the Octagon after suffering a knockout loss to champion Jose Aldo in January. The defeat was the first of Mendes? career. According to the UFC, the 11-1 Mendes will welcome Cody McKenzie to the 145-pound division at UFC 148. [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/18/chad-mendes-mixing-it-up-with-cody-mckenzie-at-ufc-148

Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga Lyman Good Gary Goodridge

UFC on Fox 3 will answer these five questions

UFC returns to network television for the third time on Saturday with four bouts on Fox and six on Fuel TV. What questions will be answered when the fights are over?

1. Is Johny Hendricks ready for the big time? Since losing to Rick Story in 2010, Hendricks has been on a tear. He won three straight fights, including a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch. His last test before being promised a title shot is Josh Koscheck, a one-time welterweight contender who has equally impressive wrestling credentials.

2. Does Nate Diaz deserve a title shot? UFC president Dana White says with a win over Jim Miller, yes. Diaz won his last two fights, but lost the two before that. The lightweight belt is being contested in August and Anthony Pettis is waiting in the wings. Even with a win, Diaz may have some time on his hands before fighting for UFC gold.

3. Is Josh Koscheck over the hill? Koscheck is 34. Hendricks is 28. That age difference means it's easy to look at the fight as old fogie vs. young buck, but Koscheck took offense, calling any media who pointed out the gap between their ages "retards." If he wants to prove he's not an old man, he needs to give a better showing in the cage against Hendricks than he did against Mike Pierce in February, when he barely won a split decision.

4. Will Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson last more than a minute? This bout kicks off the month of the heavyweight, and it promises to be the perfect way to start a May that will feature the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix finals and UFC 146's all heavyweight main card. Barry and Johnson have 20 knockout wins between them. Chances are that number will be 21 by the time the bout is over.

5. How do the latest crop of "The Ultimate Fighter" products stand up? The preliminary card, airing on Fuel TV and Fox Deportes, is full of TUF castmembers from the past few seasons. John Dodson, Louis Gaudinot and Dennis Bermudez are getting their first shots at fights outside of the TUF finale, and this is their chance to show they're more than just good TV.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-3-answer-five-questions-143924003.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki 

Josh Barnett Wins Big Despite Defeat

The California State Athletic Commission has released the official salaries for all of the contestants who competed in last Saturday?s “Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix Final” event. While Daniel Cormier may have taken home this monstrosity by beating Josh Barnett (Pictured) in the show’s featured attraction, Barnett was still the card’s highest earner. “The Warmaster” pocketed [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/116507/josh-barnett-wins-big-despite-defeat/

Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove

53-year-old knocks out opponent half his age

Let's hear it for the old guys! 53-year-old Tim Karaker showed up at Fire Extreme in Bourbonnais, Ill. last week and was asked to fight. He said yes, and knocked out 21-year-old Brandon Frey. Watch his MMA debut here, and skip to the 2:30 mark for the KO. UFC fighter Stephan Bonnar narrates and lets a few NSFW words slip.

Apparently, the medical personnel who is supposed to be at that fight were out for a walk, because they weren't too quick in responding to Frey on the ground. Nonetheless, congratulations to Karaker. You're now the hero of Bonnar as well as every man over the age of 50 who wanted to throw some leather at a youngun but couldn't actually get in a cage with him.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/53-old-knocks-opponent-half-age-124941961.html

Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić

UFC on Fox?s Three Stars: Nate Diaz, Alan Belcher and Lavar Johnson

The UFC's first two airings on Fox didn't quite live up to fans' expectations. Junior dos Santos' 64-second knockout of Cain Velasquez was almost too quick to appreciate, and the second Fox show featured lackluster decisions. The third try delivered, as the main card filled with exciting bouts and great finishes.

Here are Cagewriter's Three Stars from the weekend. Tell us yours in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

No. 1 star -- Nate Diaz: The younger Diaz brother stepped out of his brother Nick's shadow with a perfect performance ending in the first submission loss of Jim Miller's career, then made the classy move of supporting Miller's nephew's cause. His performance earned him a title shot and a $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus, and his nice gesture won him new fans.

No. 2 star -- Alan Belcher: Not only did Belcher TKO Rousimar Palhares, but he did it like a BAWSE. He jumped into the lion's mouth, daring Palhares to slap one of his trademark heel hooks on before transitioning out and using ground and pound to win. Unlike Diaz and Johny Hendricks, Belcher was not promised a title shot for his performance, but he showed he's ready for the elite of the middleweights.

No. 3 star -- Lavar Johnson: Putting Johnson's bout with Pat Barry first on the Fox card was smart, because it would have been shocking if these two didn't deliver with a knockout in the first round. Though Johnson pulled it off with just 22 seconds left in the round, he did put Barry out with a devastating barrage of strikes.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-three-stars-nate-diaz-alan-belcher-151556931.html

Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove

Donald Cerrone hoping to win UFC on Fuel 3 bonus for a pontoon boat

Donald Cerrone is used to walking away from fights with fight night bonuses. Stretching back to his days in the WEC, "Cowboy" has picked up nine Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night, or Knockout of the Night bonuses.

For tonight's UFC on Fuel 3 fight against Jeremy Stephens, it's not surprising that Cerrone already has plans for the next bonus he will try to win.

"You name it, the post-fight bonuses, I'm going for it," Cerrone declared through his informal drawl. "I've got [expletive] to buy. I'm thinking (of getting) 10 or 12 girls to come out on a pontoon boat."

Since he has picked up so many bonus checks, perhaps the UFC needs to think of different ways to motivate Cerrone. Much as Lincoln Hawk arm-wrestled for a new tractor/trailer in "Over the Top," Cerrone could fight for a boat, or a new horse for his ranch, or a lifetime supply of cowboy hats. It's not too much to ask for.

For coverage of UFC on Fuel 3 tonight, follow Cagewriter on Facebook and Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/donald-cerrone-hoping-win-ufc-fuel-3-bonus-174608815.html

Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipović Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher

Talks Jon Jones Moving to Heavyweight - Dana White

When a fighter dominates a weight class like Georges St-Pierre has done at welterweight, Anderson Silva has done at middleweight and now Jon Jones is doing at light heavyweight, the question always seems to come up when will the move weight classes?What happened to the days of just being great at one weight class? Well, UFC President Dana White agrees with that ideology especially when talking about their UFC light heavyweight champion pursuing a title at heavyweight.Looking at the monsters that walk around in the heavyweight division, White knows that Jones would already be at a disadvantage, and he's hoping that if it ever does happen that he's more than prepared for a big move like that.Check out what White had to say about Jones potential move to heavyweight and if it's a smart move or not:

Source: http://mmalice.com/dana-white/talks-jon-jones-moving-to-heavyweight-video_460b1c28e.html

Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar Lorenzo Borgomeo  Kyle Bradley