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The man known to many simply as “Mayhem” is at a crossroads in his career.

Expected to enter the UFC opposite veteran Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 last July, Jason Miller was instead handed the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to coach Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite former TUF winner and top five contender Michael “The Count” Bisping.

Rather than having to work his way up from the middle of the pack in the 185-pound ranks, Miller was being given a shot at jumping to the head of the line. After more than three months of televised bickering between the two, fight night arrived, and the highlight of “Mayhem’s” performance was his entertaining walk to the cage.

Bisping dominated Miller, earning a stoppage win just past the midway point of the third round. Though it was the 44th fight of his career, Miller looked like a newcomer inside the cage, throwing awkward strikes, and fatiguing quickly.

The criticism came fast and furious, and from every direction, including the top of the UFC. Dana White openly pondered whether or not to keep Miller on the roster, and called the contest one of the most lopsided fights he’s ever seen. While many have pressed him for an explanation, the verbose 31-year-old veteran has refrained from saying much — if anything — about his performance.

“Nobody cares about your excuses,” blurts out Miller before the question is completed, knowing it will end at his decision not to discuss his December outing against Bisping. “The point is get in there and do it right, you know? I threw that fight away, and it was my fault. I’m not going to cry about it — I’m going to look forward, and win the fight on the 26th.”

After serving as one half of a highly anticipated main event in his UFC debut, Miller is back in the middle of the pack for his second outing, aligned with former Ultimate Fighter finalist C.B. Dollaway on the preliminary portion of UFC 146, the company’s annual Memorial Day weekend event.

Miller has no problem with the flood of criticism that flowed following the Bisping debacle, and not only did he completely understand White’s reaction to his performance, the former “Bully Beatdown” host has told the UFC President that if he offers up a similar showing against Dollaway, he’s calling it a career.

“Everybody likes to kick a guy when he’s down, but I don’t give a damn,” says Miller of the critical response to his performance from fans and media. “If I’m man enough to stand in front of my mom and the rest of the world and get my ass kicked, I think I’m strong enough to take some criticism from a guy who never laced on some gloves.

“I told (Dana) if I put on a show like that again, I’m quitting,” Miller says flatly. “That was ridiculous. That wasn’t me out there; that wasn’t me. I threw that fight away, and so it’s up to me to go ahead and really make a statement on the 26th. The best thing that ever happened to me is me getting beat up by Michael Bisping because I’ve approached my entire career in a completely different light.”

Like Miller, Dollaway will enter the Octagon with his back against the wall. After earning five wins in his first six post-TUF appearances, the 28-year-old Arizona native has dropped back-to-back contests, getting stopped by Miller’s teammate Munoz last March before falling to Jared Hamman last summer.

Though Dollaway has a 5-0 edge in UFC wins and five times as many appearances in the Octagon, Miller is thoroughly unimpressed with what his opponent has accomplished to date, and sees himself staving off early retirement with relative ease.

“I just look at who he’s fought in the past, and I look at — you know — I look at who he’s fought in the past, and how I match up with them, and I know that… this should be an easy night for me. On top of that, I trained my ass off. I’m not gonna make this a personal thing with the guy, but at the same time, I’m not gonna pretend to respect him.

“There’s a stark contrast between me and him. You can see that I’m mentally tough, and I’m a bit of a masochist, so I’ll take the abuse, and go through it. When the going gets tough, this guy quits, and I’m gonna make him quit.

“I shredded the fat out of my training camp,” Miller continues, explaining why things will be different this time around. “I was getting hung up on gimmicks, and having too many people crowded into my training camp. The good thing about losing a fight is that you lose a lot of quote-unquote friends. I got rid of the people who weren’t doing anything for me, and now I’ve focused on the core group of training partners who are going to make me successful.”

While the sarcasm and snark are ever-present, Miller’s brusque tone speaks volumes as well. Even if he sounds like he’s joking most the time, he’s acutely aware of how pivotal this fight is for his career.

With the loser of this fight possibly receiving a handshake and best wishes in their future endeavors, Miller knows nothing else matters other than coming away with the victory, including where this bout is in the lineup on fight night.

“I don’t give a damn (where I’m at on the card). When I’m inside the cage, I finally get to have fun. All the stupidness is over — all the cutting weight, every day going to practice, not eating what I want to eat, not drinking what I want to drink, you know what I mean? All the suffering is over. That’s supposed to be the performance part, so I don’t care where it is on the card. I don’t care if I’m fighting him in the back parking lot, Structure C; I’m going to fight just as hard.

“I’m going to knock his fart-face off, and I’m going to send him packing. There’s no way around it.”

On Friday evening's episode of The Ultimate Fighter® Live, UFC President Dana White officially announced Renan Barao, 30-1 with 1 no-contest, will face Urijah Faber for the UFC Interim Bantamweight Title at UFC 148.

You know him as The Voice of the Octagon. The impeccably groomed showman with the volcanic vocal chords who revs up the crowd – and UFC fighters – right before the fists start flying. But what you may not know is that Mr. Bruce Buffer – one half of the First Family of Fight Announcing (along with brother, Michael) – is a lifelong martial artist and professional poker standout who is meticulous in his eating habits. 54 years young, Buffer shares his philosophy on eating well and what he does in the hours leading up to a UFC event to ensure optimal performance and mega-watts on the mic.

Curreri: So, do you believe diet plays a role in you being on top of your announcing game in the Octagon?
Buffer: Yeah, I believe that on a daily basis so I practice that every day. I treat my body like a machine. Just like a fine car, we have to put oil in that car or else it breaks down. The same principle applies to the human body. I look at my body as a machine. Not just a temple – but a machine. So I don’t lag when it comes to my body. I’ve got to be prepared for anything, inside of the Octagon or in my personal life.

Curreri: Tell fans about how you prepare your voice for optimum performance in the hours before a UFC show?
Buffer: I enjoy a good steam at the spa at the hotel because steam is great for the vocal chords. I keep honey at the show, which lubricates my vocal chords. Or Hall’s Mentho-lyptus (lozenges) in case I get a sore throat. I’ve done shows with a 104 temperature, I’ve done shows with just getting off laryngitis, I’ve done shows with severe colds. The bottom line is, I always tell myself ‘I’m not fighting … I can get through this. The show must go on.’ So I can always deliver, no matter how I might feel during the show. My adrenaline kicks in and I can always do a show.

Also, I don’t go out and go screaming and clubbing the night before a show. I want to be fresh before the show. I’m always ready for a show. If I got a (surprise) call from Dana White tonight and he said, ‘Be ready for a show tonight,’ I would be ready. To me, the whole thing behind the phrase, ‘It’s Time!’ … I want to be ready to move and ready to roll every day of my life. That’s just the way I live my life.

Curreri: Talk about your evolution as a martial artist.
Buffer: My dad started teaching me boxing when I was five years old. I started martial arts when I was 12 – I started in judo. Then I earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do. I was always interested in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do theory, which we all know today to be mixed martial arts. Then I got into kickboxing and Muay Thai. So I’ve been doing Muay Thai my whole life. I never lifted weights until I was about 27 years old. My main source of exercise until then had been a couple of hundred push-ups per day. The only weights I did were arm curls.

My theory on staying healthy is 20 percent exercise, 80 percent nutrition. It’s all in how you eat. I started thinking like that in my mid-20s. I don’t care what you do, or how much you exercise, if you don’t watch how you nourish your body, how you nourish your temple, then all of that is for naught.

Curreri: A day in the dietary life of Bruce Buffer …
Buffer: When I’m home, because I travel a lot on weekends for shows, I will wake about 8:30 (a.m.) and the first thing I will do is have a vegetarian egg white omelet, oatmeal, a cup of coffee and that pretty much gets me going for the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. One of the biggest problems people have is they don’t eat breakfast, and that’s why those crashes happen in the afternoon. So they rely on energy drinks to get them through the rest of the day. The only time I ever drink an energy drink is when I’m at a long poker tournament, when I need a pick-me-up. Otherwise I stay away from energy drinks.

Curreri: How many meals do you eat per day?
Buffer: I try to eat every three or four hours, so about five meals a day. They are not all big meals; portion control is key. In America we are big overeaters and there is a lot of waste in this country. So after I eat breakfast I will work out for two hours. My workouts consist of circuit training, cardio workouts and about a half hour of stretching.

When I get back I usually make a nice shake. I make my shakes with protein powder, water, I put a lot of blueberries, which are great for the protein. I also put in vegetables and something for digestion. I have little bars that I buy that are low in sugar, have the perfect amount of protein and a low amount of carbohydrates. Because all of my carbohydrates I consume before 6 o’clock (p.m.).

Curreri: What is your theory on no carbs after 6 p.m.?
Buffer: I eat them early because they help me get a good burst in the morning and I know I’m going to be burning them off. If you eat carbs past 6 or 7 (p.m.) and you are not exercising, then if you eat carbohydrates then your body naturally stores them as fat. So if you want to lose body fat, along with portion control you also need carbohydrate control, too. So most of my carbohydrates are breakfast and lunch.

Curreri: You’re on the road a lot and sometimes you can’t always eat to your own perfection or highest standards. What do you eat when you have to settle for less-than-ideal meals?
Buffer: Well, most every country has a wide variety of food. If it’s kind of hard to eat like I want to eat at hotels … When I travel I take a supply of (supplement) bars with me on the road as a meal replacement. So if I can’t find what I want to eat then I can basically live off those bars. I’ll take at least two bars with me (for every day on the road). So if I’m leaving for a four-day trip, like in Brazil or the U.K., I’ll bring at least 8 to bars with me.

If I have to order something from the hotel, the safest thing for me to order is the club sandwich. I like that they put eggs on them. But I change the bread to wheat bread and tell them that instead of three pieces to give me two pieces. And most places I go to I can always have a breakfast omelet. And breakfast is my favorite meal. I could literally eat breakfast every meal of the day.

Curreri: Does your eating ritual change on the day of a UFC event?
Buffer: Absolutely. Usually on the day of a UFC, I like to sleep in that day so I’ll have extra energy coming out. Sometimes I’ll fly in (to the host city) the morning of the event or the night before. I make sure that I have a good meal before I leave for the arena. Typically I might have chicken and vegetables, or a turkey sandwich and some fruit.

I might also eat from the media buffet right beforehand for extra carbohydrates. Because even though I am not fighting or running around like crazy, for a UFC I’m at the event for six to eight hours at a time and I like to have energy when I work. So I carb up before a show.

Curreri: Speaking of ‘your life,’ you are working on an autobiography. When will it be available?
Buffer: Yeah, Random House publishing is working on it right now. The working title, of course, is “It’s Time.” And I hope that’s the finished title. It is due to be released approximately April 2013.

Curreri: Give fans a perspective or benchmark of some of your physical feats, at 54, that might impress some folks.
Buffer: I can easily bang out 75 pushups, no problem. My cardio level is very high. It’s just that your body can’t take the punishment it used to take. Maybe after a long surf session I’m a little sorer than I used to be, but still, I can handle it. You know, I just had my ACL replaced and I stayed in shape the whole time. I’m nine months into (healing) and now I’m going to start getting in the water and start surfing the way I like to surf.

Curreri: Will we ever see you do the ‘360’ again inside the Octagon on the new knee?
Buffer: The 360 is retired. Oh, but here’s another thing: I did the 360 when I was 52 years old. I’d like to see someone else get out there and do one of those at 52 years old.

Curreri: Now, you didn’t tear your ACL doing the 360 in the Octagon, right?
Buffer: No. This will all be detailed in my book, by the way. I blew my ACL at UFC 129, but the full details will be in my book.

Curreri: What are the absolute DON’TS in the Bruce Buffer diet?
Buffer: A real standard rule is to avoid eating anything white: white bread, white pasta, white rice. Usually they are full of starch and carbohydrates that are not good for you. Another key thing is no late-night eating and no carbs after 7 (p.m.) if you can help. That’s because the carbs sit in your body and your body will naturally turn them into fat. Another thing is to eat every three to four hours so that you can speed up your metabolism. Eating big meals is not the way to sustain your body. You want to feed your body with sustained energy throughout the day.

JUNG “COWBOYS” UP, BIG TIME

Chan Sung Jung was a huge underdog heading into his main event bout with Dustin Poirier. That was an understandable situation. After all, this is the same guy who lost three of his last four bouts before coming to the UFC.

Since that time, however, Jung has been nothing short of a monster. Three UFC fights. Three wins. Each occurred inside the distance. Each won a post-fight award.

“The Korean Zombie” has gone from from wondering if he would have a job much longer to legitimately talking about his UFC championship aspirations. Not a bad restart to his featherweight career.

I’ve got to be honest. I don’t know what has changed for Jung since joining the UFC. He certainly hasn’t taken a step backward in quality of opponents. His three previous losses came courtesy of Manasori Kanehara, Leonard Garcia and George Roop. His three UFC wins came against Garcia, Mark Hominick and now Poirier. Nothing against Kanehara and Roop, both of whom are very talented fighters, but Hominick and Poirier are a step up, not a step backward. Yet, Jung raised his game to meet the challenge.

We are certainly premature in beginning to break down a potential bout with featherweight ruler Jose Aldo, since the champion is currently preoccupied preparing for a title defense against Erik Koch on July 21. But let’s have some fun anyway. Aldo will truly turn Jung into a Zombie on the feet – an unconscious zombie. Jung certainly appears to enjoy an edge over the champion on the ground. I’m more convinced of that notion after watching him control Poirier on the mat. The question, however, will be whether Jung can actually take Aldo to the canvas and keep him there for any material length of time. That is easier said than done.

SADOLLAH FAILS TO IMPRESS, BUT KEEPS ON KEEPIN’ ON

Amir Sadollah is an affable fighter. His self-deprecating personality is very reminiscent of Forrest Griffin, a man most of the fight world adores.

The UFC 146 heavyweight bout between Stefan Struve and Mark Hunt -- which had been the only main card fight untouched by the shakeups caused by Alistair Overeem's withdrawal from the event -- has now gone the way of the others with Mark Hunt suffering an injury just nine days out. Stepping in to his spot to fight "The Skyscraper" is Lavar "Big" Johnson, who's coming off of two knockout of the night performances in 2012.

“I heard last night there was a chance I could get this fight and I accepted right away," said Johnson. "You don’t get chances like this too much in life, so when you are lucky, you make the most of it. I took one week off after last fight [May 5] and then went back to the gym."

"“He’s looked impressive in his first two fights in the Octagon, but I’m gonna look even more impressive next week," said Struve. "I want to thank him for stepping up on such short notice, but he’s gonna face the best Stefan Struve you’ve seen so far.”

Gonzaga, Dunham Injuries Force UFC 146 Card Changes updated May 1
The injury bug has bitten again, and this time its target was UFC 146, which underwent two more changes today.

After much reshuffling on the all-heavyweight main card, Roy "Big Country" Nelson now has his third opponent since the event was announced. Gabriel Gonzaga is out with an injury, just 8 days after being slotted to fight Nelson after Nelson's original opponent, Bigfoot Silva, was plucked for another bout. Hirsute heavyweight Dave Herman will now fill in against the TUF 10 winner.

On the undercard, lightweight contender Evan Dunham has also been injured, forcing him to withdraw from his much-anticipated bout against Edson Barboza. The change opens the door for the Zuffa return of former WEC champion Jamie Varner. Varner has racked up three impressive wins in the last year, all finishes in under two minutes.

Verbal agreements are in for both replacement bouts.

Big Country and Napao to Meet at UFC 146 updated April 23
Roy "Big Country" Nelson has an opponent for May 26th's UFC 146 event, as the resurgent Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga will step up to face the former Ultimate Fighter winner in Las Vegas. Now it's Gonzaga's original foe, Shane del Rosario, who will wait and see who he will be battling at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

update: The11-0 Shane del Rosario will now meet fellow undefeated heavyweight Stipe Miocic (8-0) at UFC 146. Miocic decisioned Joey Beltran in his UFC 136 promotional debut and earned Knockout of the Night for quickly dispatching Phil de Fries in February at UFC on FUEL TV.

This addition to the main card again completes the all-heavyweight roster. Junior dos Santos now fights Frank Mir for the heavyweight title in the main event; former champion Cain Velasquez meets Bigfoot Silva; Nelson takes on Gonzaga; and Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve -- the only match-up to stay as-is from the event's initial announcement -- opens the evening.

Cain Gets Bigfoot at UFC 146
The all-heavyweight fight card continues to re-shuffle, as UFC president Dana White announced today via Twitter that former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will now battle former Strikeforce star

Seven fighters attended the UFC on FUEL TV post-fight press conference: Chan Sung Jung, Dustin Poirier, Donald Cerrone, Tom Lawlor, Yves Jabouin, Igor Pokrajac and Amir Sadollah. UFC President Dana White missed his first fight in eleven years due to impending surgery, but provided commentary via his Twitter account.

Jung and Poirier earned Fight of the Night for their thrilling main event scrap. After a back-and-forth battle in which the momentum swung in each fighter's favor, Jung landed an uppercut in the fourth round that sent Poirier retreating toward the fence. Jung pursued, stuffed a Poirier takedown attempt, and secured a fight-ending d'arce choke. For his efforts, "The Korean Zombie" was also awarded Submission of the night.

Knockout of the Night went to Lawlor, who dropped veteran Jason MacDonald early in the first round. Lawlor, who turned 29 tonight, took home his third Fight Night bonus (after earning Fight of the Night for his battle with Aaron Simpson, and Submission of the Night for his victory over CB Dollaway). Each fighter received $40,000 for their bonuses (with Jung taking home $80,000 for his two bonuses).

Press Conference Highlight Videos

FAIRFAX, VA, May 15 – Leading up to their UFC on FUEL TV fight at the Patriot Center, Jeremy Stephens vowed to “break” Donald Cerrone, perceiving that Nate Diaz had done the same last December.

But the “old” Cerrone emerged Tuesday night, the one who had annihilated six straight foes before Diaz. And that was bad news for Stephens, who received probably the worst beating of his seven-year career in losing a shutout 30-27 decision in the lightweight scrap.

Stephens went the distance, but walked away with a sizable welt under a bloody left eye, and a left leg (his lead leg) that is sure to be plenty sore Wednesday morning following the dozens of Cerrone kicks that assaulted it.

At times mocking and toying with Stephens, Cerrone seemed to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and he walked away relatively unscathed. He punished Stephens (20-8) with body kicks, knees and combinations to the head. And made somehow made it look easy.

“Coming off my last loss, it feels good,” said Cerrone (18-4, 1 NC). “He came and brought it, that’s what I thought he would do.”

As for his next move, Cerrone, a native Coloradan, is eyeing UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar (scheduled for August in Denver.) Said Cerrone: “I really want to get on that Denver card, man.”

JORGE LOPEZ VS. AMIR SADOLLAH

Amir Sadollah eked out a split decision win over Jorge Lopez in a slow-moving fight that left fans clamoring for the main event. The 23-year-old Lopez impressed early, clearly controlling the first round with a takedown, superior aggression and scoring with a bevy of punches and kicks.

Lopez could have rightfully been awarded the second round as well, notching two more takedowns and controlling on top. Yet Sadollah (7-3) may have swayed judges by landing the better blows standing – particularly kicks to the ribs, stomach and shoulder that certainly didn’t produce devastation, but perhaps persuasion.

If you prefer Octagon control, then perhaps a tiring Lopez deserved the third because of a pair of takedowns. There wasn’t much effective striking, but what little there was saw Lopez (11-3) looking reticent and Sadollah looking busier.

Two judges deemed it 29-28 for Sadollah; the other gave the nod to Lopez by 29-28.

YVES JABOUIN VS. JEFF HOUGLAND

Perhaps the best summary of Jeff Hougland’s toughness comes from the mouth of Yves Jabouin.

After punishing Hougland over three-rounds of total, one-sided domination, Jabouin expressed admiration for a fighter who never quit despite absorbing furious assaults that had the referee on high alert for intervention on several occasions.

“Once that back kick sinks in, not a lot of guys can withstand it,” said Jabouin, who dropped Hougland with a vicious spinning kick in the first round. “He took it like a man. My hat’s off to him.”

The Montreal-based bantamweight tormented Hougland early and often with a wide array of potent kicks, and further mashed him with an avalanche of ground and pound. At every turn, Houghland (10-5) fought on, showing no signs of quit despite never getting the desperation takedown he hoped might turn the tide in his favor.

Judges awarded Jabouin the win by scores of 30-27 (twice) and 30-26. Jabouin, 18-7, has now prevailed in three straight.

FABIO MALDONADO VS. IGOR POKRAJAC

Fabio Maldonado loves nothing more than to bury his head in your chest, and dig away to the body. Nobody’s gonna confuse the Brazilian’s power with say, Joe Frazier, but it’s proved highly effective for the ultra-aggressive 205-pounder. While Maldonado generally relies on volume to wear opponents down, Igor Pokrajac specializes in power and knockouts. The collision of the two styles produced a back-and-forth war of attrition that ended with Pokrajac being awarded a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

The bout was much closer than the scores indicated, as evidenced by a parade of fans who booed the decision.

Pokrajac (25-8) scored a bear hug takedown early and controlled the first half of the round with top position and ground and pound. But the second half of the round belonged to Maldonado (18-5), who roared back on the strength of left hooks that stunned the Croatian. Maldonado followed up with nice flurry of punches against a covered up Pokrajac, and then went strong to body as Pokrajac seemed a tad winded.

But as in the first, Pokrajac owned the early part of the second round, landing crisp 1-2 combinations to Maldonado’s grill. Down the stretch, however, the Brazilian ferociously attacked the body.

Round three saw more toe-to-toe exchanges, with Pokrajac landing some of his best punches of the night, causing bruising and swelling under Maldonado’s right eye. Despite the damage, Maldonado tenaciously stalked and attacked until the final horn.

JASON MACDONALD VS. TOM LAWLOR

Well, that was quick.

A straight jab, a power right hand to the head – and Jason MacDonald was free-falling to the canvas. At 50 seconds, Tom Lawlor was running around the Octagon in celebration of his victory and his 29th birthday.

The verbose Rhode Islander dazzled the local crowd with gems such as “Virginia is for lovers” and “(Fairfax) is definitely one of the top 50 best cities to fight in.”

Lawlor improved to 8-4 (4-3 UFC). MacDonald (26-16) has now lost three of his past four.

FAIRFAX, VA, May 15 – If Korea needs an MMA superstar, they have found their man.

“The Korean Zombie,” as 25-year-old Chan Sung Jung is affectionately known in the sport, choked out Dustin Poirier in the fourth round Tuesday night to cap a thrilling UFC on FUEL TV main event at the Patriot Center that was certainly Fight of The Night and which stands a strong chance of being one of the most entertaining scraps of 2012.

“I want to thank all the Korean fans and the Korean community that came here to support me today,” the exhausted featherweight said after winning his third straight. “He had me in trouble at the beginning of the third round. The thought of giving up was in my head but I just kept going …”

While Poirier began to take control in round three, repeatedly cracking a barely-able-to-stand Jung with hard left hands, it was Jung (13-3) who delivered in most other moments of the fight. He jumped on Poirier early, catching a kick for a takedown and immediately cutting Poirier’s forehead with an elbow strike. Typically relentless in his attacks, Jung suffocated Poirier (12-2) with pressure and punches and takedowns in the second, even dropping the highly-regarded Louisianan with a punch. The crowd chanted “Zombie! Zombie!” as he ravaged the “Fightville” documentary star with flying knees and threatened with deep armbars and triangle chokes.

After Poirier’s resurgence in the third round, it was proper to wonder if Jung had enough in his tank to survive and keep from squandering his lead. But he put any such thoughts to rest in round four by rocking Poirier with punches and then finishing him on the mat with a D’Arce choke, ending the bout at the 1:07 mark and leaving the wondering to center on what’s next for the charismatic Korean warrior, who fights in the mold of an in-his-prime Wanderlei Silva but also has a fearsome ground game to go with it.

Jung’s plans?

“I want Jose Aldo.”

FAIRFAX, VA, May 15 – The Tuesday fight between lightweights Cody McKenzie and Marcus LeVesseur at the Patriot Center lasted three minutes and five seconds. McKenzie maybe won 15 seconds of the action. But it was the 15 seconds that mattered, as The Ultimate Fighter vet survived some heavy leather early before cinching in his signature “McKenzietine” choke that provoked the Levesseur tap out in the first round.

Levesseur (21-6) came out winging – but missing – early, yet he started to crack McKenzie from the top position after scoring a takedown. McKenzie (13-2) remained poised, sucked the former college wrestling standout into his butterfly guard, and summoned the move that everybody in the arena knew he wanted, as he got his finish and broke a two fight losing skid.

BRAD TAVARES VS. DONGI YANG

For two rounds, this was a really fun-to-watch, free-swinging middleweight affair. Both Brad Tavares and Dongi Yang were aggressive, both swinging with malicious intent. It seemed that Tavares got the better of the banging in round one, landing some big right hands and scoring downstairs with sizzling leg kicks. Yang responded with some powerful shots of his own, and both guys traded inadvertent eye pokes.

In the second, Yang seemed the clear-cut aggressor as Tavares pawed at his left eye (the one that had been poked) numerous times. More heavy leather flew, but Yang’s stalking seemed to favor him.

In round three, Yang inexplicably seemed to lose his sense of urgency after Tavares took him down several times. Yang did not seem fatigued, but instead fought conservatively like someone who presumed they were up two rounds to none. Tavares, meanwhile, became a little more methodical and diverse, mixing up his kicks and punches to clearly carry the round and take the decision via three scores of 29-28.

In triumph, Tavares improved to 7-2; Yang fell to 10-3.

T.J. GRANT VS. CARLO PRATER

After compiling a .500 record at welterweight in the UFC, Canadian T.J. Grant’s reinvention at 155 pounds continued with a unanimous decision nod (30-27 three times) over Carlo Prater.

Grant’s second straight win came courtesy of besting Prater anywhere the fight went. On their feet, Grant outstruck his foe 65 to 23. Takedowns: Grant 4, Prater 0. And though Prater (30-11-1) is a BJJ black belt, Grant (18-5) schooled him on the mat by winning scrambles, passing guard, and roughing him up with ground and pound in rounds two and three. Grant particularly heated up late in the third, slamming Prater hard to the canvas, mounting him, threatening with a rear naked choke and then a credible armbar as the final horn sounded.

“I’ve been fighting the best in the world and let’s take the next step. I want to be on the card in Canada (Calgary in July, headlined by UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo vs. No. 1 challenger Erik Koch) and maybe Joe Silva can do something for me, I don’t know…” Watch Grant's post-fight interview

RAFAEL DOS ANJOS VS. KAMAL SHALORUS

A left kick to the head spelled trouble for Kamal Shalorus early in the fight, as dos Anjos swarmed his fallen and foggied foe with punches. The ref came oh-so-close to stopping the lightweight contest, but intervened soon after when dos Anjos forced Shalorus to tap with a rear naked choke at just 1 minute 40 seconds of the opening stanza.

Dos Anjos improved to 16-6 (5-4 in the UFC). Shalorus (7-3-2), who had been training out of Falls Church, Va., dropped his third straight. Hear what Dos Anjos had to say in his post-fight interview

JEFF CURRAN VS. JOHNNY EDUARDO

Jeff Curran came up short against Johnny Eduardo in bantamweight action. Who knows if the MMA pioneer, despite 35 pro wins, will ever notch his first UFC win. But I do know this: The “Big Frog” is a fighter’s fighter. He embodies that, “anyone, anytime, anyplace” mentality and has fought so many of the sport’s biggest names over the past 14 years.

Curran is one of those gritty, never-say-die fighters who can be competitive with just about any fighter. But so often, by close margins, he finds himself on the short end of the judges’ scorecards. The seasoned bantamweight turned in another gritty and, at times, inspiring performance against Eduardo in Virginia, but again had to settle for defeat by 29-28 scores across the board.

The first two rounds were competitive, with the lanky Brazilian cautious with his hands but repeatedly scoring with hard kicks to Curran’s lead leg. Curran landed the occasional overhand right, scored with his lead jab and kicks and a nice elbow off a punch. But Curran found it hard-pressed to land consistently against such a defensive-minded and athletic opponent (to the point where Curran at times dropped his hands low, hoping to entice Eduardo into more aggression and counterpunching or takedown opportunities). Eduardo did not oblige him.

The third round told a completely different story. Curran (35-15-1) came on strong. He landed a beautiful 1-2 early on, snapping Eduardo’s head back and prompting the Brazilian to immediately appeal to the referee and claim an eye poke. Curran tagged him with another crisp shot and soon enough a trickle of blood began streaming around Eduardo’s left eye. With ever greater frequency, Curran began to land, bringing loads of pressure, enough to dent Eduardo’s armor but not destroy it.

In victory, Eduardo improved to 26-9, 1-1 in the UFC. Watch Eduardo's emotional post-fight interview

FRANCISCO RIVERA VS. ALEX SOTO

There is no doubting Alex Soto’s toughness: He’s a U.S. Army vet, served a tour in Afghanistan and, oh by the way, the 28-year-old moonlights as a professional fighter.

And Soto needed every bit of that toughness to weather a non-stop storm from Francisco Rivera, who rocked Soto in all three rounds of the night’s opening bout. If you prefer damage inflicted to strikes landed (as I generally do), then you likely would have awarded round one to Rivera, who dropped Soto with a hard right hand in the opening frame and walloped the U.S. Army veteran numerous times with his best punch. Rivera seemed perfectly content to stalk Soto and walk through his arsenal, even though it was the dancing Soto who landed more frequently with punches and kicks and threw in a takedown for good measure.

In the second round, with Soto rightfully fixated on avoiding the right hand, Rivera surprised him with head kicks, one of which put Soto on the deck again. After eating a hard right hand and kick (and bleeding from his mouth), Soto defiantly blew a kiss to Rivera. Soto’s survival skills were impressive, and he continued to score throughout the fight, but his blows didn’t pack nearly as much pop as his adversary (Rivera, at one point, after Soto landed a combination, shook his head to say, essentially, ‘no effect.’)

FAIRFAX, VA, May 15 – The Tuesday fight between lightweights Cody McKenzie and Marcus LeVesseur at the Patriot Center lasted three minutes and five seconds. McKenzie maybe won 15 seconds of the action. But it was the 15 seconds that mattered, as The Ultimate Fighter vet survived some heavy leather early before cinching in his signature “McKenzietine” choke that provoked the Levesseur tap out in the first round.

Levesseur (21-6) came out winging – but missing – early, yet he started to crack McKenzie from the top position after scoring a takedown. McKenzie (13-2) remained poised, sucked the former college wrestling standout into his butterfly guard, and summoned the move that everybody in the arena knew he wanted, as he got his finish and broke a two fight losing skid.

BRAD TAVARES VS. DONGI YANG

For two rounds, this was a really fun-to-watch, free-swinging middleweight affair. Both Brad Tavares and Dongi Yang were aggressive, both swinging with malicious intent. It seemed that Tavares got the better of the banging in round one, landing some big right hands and scoring downstairs with sizzling leg kicks. Yang responded with some powerful shots of his own, and both guys traded inadvertent eye pokes.

In the second, Yang seemed the clear-cut aggressor as Tavares pawed at his left eye (the one that had been poked) numerous times. More heavy leather flew, but Yang’s stalking seemed to favor him.

In round three, Yang inexplicably seemed to lose his sense of urgency after Tavares took him down several times. Yang did not seem fatigued, but instead fought conservatively like someone who presumed they were up two rounds to none. Tavares, meanwhile, became a little more methodical and diverse, mixing up his kicks and punches to clearly carry the round and take the decision via three scores of 29-28.

In triumph, Tavares improved to 7-2; Yang fell to 10-3.

T.J. GRANT VS. CARLO PRATER

After compiling a .500 record at welterweight in the UFC, Canadian T.J. Grant’s reinvention at 155 pounds continued with a unanimous decision nod (30-27 three times) over Carlo Prater.

Grant’s second straight win came courtesy of besting Prater anywhere the fight went. On their feet, Grant outstruck his foe 65 to 23. Takedowns: Grant 4, Prater 0. And though Prater (30-11-1) is a BJJ black belt, Grant (18-5) schooled him on the mat by winning scrambles, passing guard, and roughing him up with ground and pound in rounds two and three. Grant particularly heated up late in the third, slamming Prater hard to the canvas, mounting him, threatening with a rear naked choke and then a credible armbar as the final horn sounded.

“I’ve been fighting the best in the world and let’s take the next step. I want to be on the card in Canada (Calgary in July, headlined by UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo vs. No. 1 challenger Erik Koch) and maybe Joe Silva can do something for me, I don’t know…” Watch Grant's post-fight interview

RAFAEL DOS ANJOS VS. KAMAL SHALORUS

A left kick to the head spelled trouble for Kamal Shalorus early in the fight, as dos Anjos swarmed his fallen and foggied foe with punches. The ref came oh-so-close to stopping the lightweight contest, but intervened soon after when dos Anjos forced Shalorus to tap with a rear naked choke at just 1 minute 40 seconds of the opening stanza.

Dos Anjos improved to 16-6 (5-4 in the UFC). Shalorus (7-3-2), who had been training out of Falls Church, Va., dropped his third straight. Hear what Dos Anjos had to say in his post-fight interview

JEFF CURRAN VS. JOHNNY EDUARDO

Jeff Curran came up short against Johnny Eduardo in bantamweight action. Who knows if the MMA pioneer, despite 35 pro wins, will ever notch his first UFC win. But I do know this: The “Big Frog” is a fighter’s fighter. He embodies that, “anyone, anytime, anyplace” mentality and has fought so many of the sport’s biggest names over the past 14 years.

Curran is one of those gritty, never-say-die fighters who can be competitive with just about any fighter. But so often, by close margins, he finds himself on the short end of the judges’ scorecards. The seasoned bantamweight turned in another gritty and, at times, inspiring performance against Eduardo in Virginia, but again had to settle for defeat by 29-28 scores across the board.

The first two rounds were competitive, with the lanky Brazilian cautious with his hands but repeatedly scoring with hard kicks to Curran’s lead leg. Curran landed the occasional overhand right, scored with his lead jab and kicks and a nice elbow off a punch. But Curran found it hard-pressed to land consistently against such a defensive-minded and athletic opponent (to the point where Curran at times dropped his hands low, hoping to entice Eduardo into more aggression and counterpunching or takedown opportunities). Eduardo did not oblige him.

The third round told a completely different story. Curran (35-15-1) came on strong. He landed a beautiful 1-2 early on, snapping Eduardo’s head back and prompting the Brazilian to immediately appeal to the referee and claim an eye poke. Curran tagged him with another crisp shot and soon enough a trickle of blood began streaming around Eduardo’s left eye. With ever greater frequency, Curran began to land, bringing loads of pressure, enough to dent Eduardo’s armor but not destroy it.

In victory, Eduardo improved to 26-9, 1-1 in the UFC. Watch Eduardo's emotional post-fight interview

FRANCISCO RIVERA VS. ALEX SOTO

There is no doubting Alex Soto’s toughness: He’s a U.S. Army vet, served a tour in Afghanistan and, oh by the way, the 28-year-old moonlights as a professional fighter.

And Soto needed every bit of that toughness to weather a non-stop storm from Francisco Rivera, who rocked Soto in all three rounds of the night’s opening bout. If you prefer damage inflicted to strikes landed (as I generally do), then you likely would have awarded round one to Rivera, who dropped Soto with a hard right hand in the opening frame and walloped the U.S. Army veteran numerous times with his best punch. Rivera seemed perfectly content to stalk Soto and walk through his arsenal, even though it was the dancing Soto who landed more frequently with punches and kicks and threw in a takedown for good measure.

In the second round, with Soto rightfully fixated on avoiding the right hand, Rivera surprised him with head kicks, one of which put Soto on the deck again. After eating a hard right hand and kick (and bleeding from his mouth), Soto defiantly blew a kiss to Rivera. Soto’s survival skills were impressive, and he continued to score throughout the fight, but his blows didn’t pack nearly as much pop as his adversary (Rivera, at one point, after Soto landed a combination, shook his head to say, essentially, ‘no effect.’)