The UFC officially announced the long-rumored event and previously reported fights on Monday. The press release announcing the card is below:

“UFC Fight Night” on Spike TV heads to the suburbs of Washington D.C. on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9:00pm ET/PT for the first ever UFC fight in Virginia with a card featuring some of the best up-and-coming lightweight fighters. Emanating from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA on the campus of George Mason University, undefeated UFC lightweight Gray Maynard (9-0, 1 NC) takes on hard-hitting Nate Diaz (11-4) in the main event with Efrain Escudero and Evan Dunham in a duel of undefeated fighters in the co-feature.

The main event features a rematch of lightweight contenders Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz who first met in the Octagon on season five of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Diaz defeated Maynard on was way to being named “The Ultimate Fighter” that season.

A former teammate of Rashad Evans on the Michigan State wrestling team, Maynard currently trains with UFC legend Randy Couture in Las Vegas. Maynard is riding one of the most impressive winning streaks in the sport, defeating an impressive array of 155 lb fighters including Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, and most recently Roger Huerta this past September.

Diaz has won six of his last eight UFC fights including a win over Melvin Guillard this past September. The pride of Stockton, CA and product of the renowned Cesar Gracie Fight Team, Diaz needs a win over Maynard to continue his path toward a shot at BJ Penn’s lightweight crown.

Winner of season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the undefeated Escudero (13-0) is coming off of an impressive victory over Cole Miller at UFC 103 in September. Fighting out of Tempe, AZ, Escudero will look to use his superior grappling skills against another rising star in the division, Dunham. An Oregon native, Dunham (9-0) was victorious in his first two fights in the UFC, including most recently earning a split decision win over Marcus Aurelio at UFC 102 in August.

Check out the UFC Fight Night 20 rumors section for the latest UFN 20 fight card.

Pictured: Gray Maynard

The matchup is a rematch from The Ultimate Fighter 5 semifinals, when Diaz submitted Maynard with a guillotine choke in the second-round of the bout to advance to the finals, where he defeated Manny Gamburyan to win the reality show.

Following a no contest against Rob Emerson at the TUF 5 Finale due to a double knockout, Maynard (8-0) has emerged as one of the top contenders at 155-pounds by remaining undefeated, pushing his record to 8-0 with six-straight wins inside the Octagon over the likes of Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, and most-recently in September Roger Huerta.

After winning TUF 5 in mid-2007, Diaz (11-4) won four-straight, including wins over Kurt Pellegrino and Josh Neer, before dropping back-to-back fights to Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson. He rebounded in September with a second-round submission of Melvin Guillard in the UFC Fight Night 19 headliner.

The fight card for the Spike TV televised event also includes Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce, Efrain Escudero vs. Nik Lentz, and Tom Lawlor vs. Aaron Simpson.

For the latest UFC Fight Night 20 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

Pictured: Gray Maynard

Nate Diaz and Carlos Condit were also among the card’s top earners, pocketing $48,000 apiece for their main card victories.

9,490 fans attended the event at the Cox Convention Center, generating a live gate of nearly $578,000, while another 2.5 million tuned in to watch the fights on Spike TV.

The disclosed fighter salaries for UFN 19 were:

• Nate Diaz ($48,000 — includes $24,000 win bonus) def. Melvin Guillard ($14,000)
• Gray Maynard ($24,000 — $12,000 win bonus) def. Roger Huerta ($21,000)
• Carlos Condit ($48,000 — $24,000 win bonus) def. Jake Ellenberger ($10,000)
• Nate Quarry ($60,000 — $30,000 win bonus) def. Tim Credeur ($10,000)
• Brian Stann ($22,000 — $11,000 win bonus) def. Steve Cantwell ($10,000)
• Mike Pyle ($30,000 — $15,000 win bonus) def. Chris Wilson ($17,000)
• CB Dollaway ($28,000 — $14,000 win bonus) def. Jay Silva ($6,000)
• Phillipe Nover ($20,00)0 vs. Sam Stout ($24,000)*
• Jeremy Stephens ($24,000 — $12,000 win bonus) def. Justin Buchholz ($8,000)
• Mike Pierce ($12,000 — $6,000 win bonus) def. Brock Larson ($26,000)
• Ryan Jensen ($8,000 — $4,000 win bonus) def. Steve Steinbeiss ($6,000)

* Nover and Stout still received their base salaries despite the fight being canceled due to a seizure suffered by Nover.

Remember, the salaries listed above are simply those reported by the UFC to the athletic commission and do not represent a fighter’s actual earnings.

In addition to their salaries above, Quarry, Credeur, Diaz, and Stephens each took home an extra $30,000 for “fight night” bonuses.

For more UFC Fight Night 19 coverage check out MMAFrenzy.com’s UFN 19 section.

Pictured: Nate Quarry

The finish capped off the Spike TV-televised card, which took place at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Guillard dominated the opening round against Diaz with powerful standup, as he knocked The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner to the ground in the opening seconds of the bout but refused to follow him down to the canvas for a possible finish out of respect for his ground game. Diaz returned to his feet and recovered, but Guillard finished the round strong with more accurate and powerful striking.

Looking to continue his gameplan and keep the fight standing, Guillard kept the fight on the feet early in the second frame, but fell victim to one of Diaz’s well-known guillotines midway through the round and was forced to quickly tap to the choke.

Diaz improves to 11-4 in rebounding from back-to-back losses to Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson, while the loss drops Guillard to 22-8-2, with all but one of his losses coming by way of submission, and snaps “The Young Assassin’s” three-fight winning streak.

In the UFN 19 co-headliner, Gray Maynard cemented his status as a lightweight contender and remained undefeated by edging Roger Huerta via split decision. Huerta, fighting for the first time in over a year in what was likely to be his final UFC fight for the indefinite future, didn’t go down easy in the final fight on his current UFC deal, as he traded shots with Maynard for much of the first two rounds. In the third, Maynard finally took the fight to the canvas where he secured the win with a near-fight-ending kimura. After the final horn sounded, the judges declared Maynard the winner by scores of 28-29, 30-27, and 30-27.

Maynard improves to 8-0 on his career with his sixth-straight UFC victory, while Huerta falls to 19-3-1 after dropping back-to-back fights to Kenny Florian and Maynard on his way out of the UFC.

In other main card action, former WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit won his first UFC bout by taking a split decision over Jake Ellenberger in a tight battle, while Nate Quarry topped Tim Credeur by unanimous decision in an exciting slugfest that kicked off the night’s broadcast.

Brian Stann, Mike Pyle, CB Dollaway, Jeremy Stephens, Mike Pierce, and Ryan Jensen were victorious on the UFN 19 preliminary card, while a lightweight matchup between Phillipe Nover and Sam Stout was scratched from the event after Nover suffered a seizure backstage.

The official results for UFC Fight Night 19 were:

• Nate Diaz def. Melvin Guillard via submission (guillotine) — Round 2, 2:13
• Gray Maynard def. Roger Huerta via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
• Carlos Condit def. Jake Ellenberger via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Nate Quarry def. Tim Credeur via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
• Brian Stann def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Mike Pyle def. Chris Wilson via submission (guillotine) — Round 3, 2:15
• C.B. Dollaway def. Jay Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jeremy Stephens def. Justin Buchholz via TKO (cut) — Round 1, 3:32
• Mike Pierce def. Brock Larson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  
• Ryan Jensen def. Steven Steinbeiss via submission (guillotine) — Round 1, 3:56

Click here for more UFC Fight Night 19 coverage.

Pictured: Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard Prediction:
Nate Diaz via submission, Round 1.

Guillard is athletic, explosive, and has KO power. Diaz really is the opposite, but I think Diaz still has the better skill set and should take this one. Diaz should be able to use his reach to stay away from Guillard’s power until he decides to step in and take this fight to the ground, where he is (on paper) the better equipped fighter. Guillard has also shown a past weakness to submissions, and I think that will be the deciding factor.

Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta Prediction:
Gray Maynard via Unanimous Decision

Huerta is coming off of a thirteen month layoff, so I expect ring rust a plenty. Maynard on the other hand has been active, against good competition. In Huerta’s bout against Clay Guida in 2007, Guida was able to out wrestle him and control the action for most of the bout, before Huerta managed to land a shot that rocked Guida and led to the eventual submission victory. Gray Maynard is a better wrestler than Guida, and has better stand up than Guida. I expect Maynard to be able to take the fight to the ground and control Huerta there however he sees fit, and Maynard’s striking is clean enough to stay out of trouble on the feet. Maynard will therefore grind out another decision victory over another tough opponent.

Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger Prediction:
Carlos Condit via Submission in round 2

Condit is game fighter with slick submissions, and capable stand up. Ellenberger comes from a wrestling background but favors his adept striking game for defeating his opponents. Both men have done the rounds with lower tiered promotions, and this is a tough bout to call. However I think the fact that Condit has already spent sometime under the bright lights of the UFC, combined with his experience defeating the WEC belt will be enough to put him over the top. Ellenberger is taking this fight on short notice, and is making his UFC debut, and I think will cave to the pressure and make a mistake that Condit will capitalize on in the second round. Ellenberger could still make an impact in the division, however, even if he does lose to Condit.

Tim Credeur vs. Nate Quarry Prediction:
Nate Quarry via TKO round 1

Credeur is a game fighter, but Quarry’s skills are just a level above Credeur’s. Quarry has solid punching power and crisp striking, as well as decent take down defense. I expect Credeur to want to take this fight to the ground and go for a submission, where he is a much more dangerous fighter than he is standing. However, Quarry has faced more skilled grapplers in Pete Sell and Jason MacDonald and come out on top and I expect the same out of him against Credeur.

PRELIMINARY BOUTS Predictions:

• Steve Cantwell def. Brian Stann via submission in round 1
• Mike Pyle def. Chris Wilson via submission in round 2
• C.B. Dollaway def. Jay Silva via submission in round 1
• Sam Stout def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision
• Jeremy Stephens def. Justin Buchholz via TKO in round 3
• Brock Larson def. Mike Pierce via submission in round 2
• Ryan Jensen def. Steve Steinbeiss via submission in round 2

KRIS KARKOSKI’s UFN 19 QUICK PREDICTIONS

• Nate Diaz def. Melvin Guillard via submission — Round 2
• Gray Maynard def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision
• Carlos Condit def. Jake Ellenberger via submission — Round 1
• Nate Quarry def. Tim Credeur via TKO –  Round 2
• Steve Cantwell . Brian Stann via submission — Round 2
• Mike Pyle def. Chris Wilson via submission — Round 3
• Jay Silva def. C.B. Dollaway via TKO — Round 2
• Sam Stout def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision
• Jeremy Stephens def. Justin Buchholz via unanimous decision
• Brock Larson def. Mike Pierce via submission — Round 1
• Steven Steinbeiss def. Ryan Jensen via submission — Round 2

Stop back tomorrow for live UFC Fight Night 19 coverage, as well as MMAFrenzy.com’s recap of the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter 10, which debuts immediately after UFN 19.

UFC Fight Night 19 Coverage

The rest of 11-bout card, including main card fighters Gray Maynard, Roger Huerta, and Carlos Condit, also successfully made weight on their first attempts for the Spike TV-televised event, which takes place on Wednesday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, the same venue which hosted today’s weigh-ins.

The official weigh-in results for UFC Fight Night 19 were:

MAIN CARD

• 155: Melvin Guillard (155) vs. Nate Diaz (156)*
• 155: Gray Maynard (155.5) vs. Roger Huerta (156)
• 170: Carlos Condit (171) vs. Jake Ellenberger (170.5)
• 185: Nate Quarry (184) vs. Tim Credeur (186)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 205: Steve Cantwell (206) vs. Brian Stann (205.5)
• 170: Mike Pyle (170) vs. Chris Wilson (171)
• 185: C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Jay Silva (185)
• 155: Phillipe Nover (155.5) vs. Sam Stout (156)
• 155: Justin Buchholz (155.5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155.5)
• 170: Brock Larson (171) vs. Mike Pierce (169.5)
• 185: Ryan Jensen (186) vs. Steven Steinbeiss (185.5)

* It was announced that Diaz weighed in at 156.5 pounds, but he actually made weight at 156 pounds, according to official weigh-in results released by the UFC.

Stop back tomorrow for live UFC Fight Night 19 coverage, as well as MMAFrenzy.com’s recap of the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter 10, which debuts immediately after UFN 19.

UFC Fight Night 19 Coverage

Sherdog’s Loretta Hunt reported on Thursday that the 155-pound bout is being planned for the event, which will serve as the lead-in for the debut of The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights featuring Kimbo Slice.

Huerta (20-2-1) had been unbeaten in 17-straight fights dating back to 2004, including 6-straight UFC victories over the likes of Clay Guida and Leonard Garcia, before suffering a unanimous decision loss to Kenny Florian in August 2008. “El Matador” has not fought again since the loss, just the second of his 24-bout career, instead pursuing a career in acting. If the bout against Maynard is finalized it would be the final fight on Huerta’s current contract with the UFC.

Maynard (7-0), a semifinalist on The Ultimate Fighter 5, has emerged as a lightweight contender by winning five-straight fights inside the Octagon since debuting in mid-2007, including wins over Jim Miller and Frankie Edgar among others.

Huerta-Maynard is currently the only rumored bout for UFN 19 and is likely to be promoted as the card’s co-main event.

Click here for the latest UFC Fight Night 19 rumors.

Quinton Jackson

All eleven fighters drug tested by the Ohio Athletic Commission following their bouts at UFC 96 on March 7th in Columbus, Ohio have tested negative.

MMA Junkie first reported the negative results yesterday.

Tested for recreational drugs (such as marijuana and cocaine) as well as performance enhancers (such as anabolic steroids) were Quinton Jackson, Shane Carwin, Matt Brown, Matt Hamill, Gray Maynard, Tamdan McCrory, Kendall Grove, Jason Day, Jason Brilz, Brandon Vera, and Shane Nelson.

All of the tested fighters except Day earned wins at UFC 96.

For more UFC 96 coverage check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC 96 category.

Jon Fitch

• Gray Maynard says he’d like to fight Diego Sanchez, Clay Guida, or Sean Sherk next. [MMA Junkie]
• Takanori Gomi will return to Shooto for the first time in almost six years to fight 154-pound champion Takashi Nakakura on May 10th at JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
• Tito Ortiz says he’ll pass on Affliction, instead attempting to sign with Strikeforce. [Youtube]
• Former EliteXC lightweight champion KJ Noons suffered a unanimous decision loss over the weekend in his return to boxing. [MMA Junkie]
• Former EliteXC middleweight title-holder Murilo “Ninja” Rua has signed with DREAM and will make his debut for the promotion at DREAM 8 on April 5th in Japan. [Gracie Mag]
• Former NFL player and heavyweight prospect Rex Richards (8-1) will tryout for the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. [MMA Junkie]
• Andrei Arlovski’s boxing debut has been postponed until May. [Sherdog]
• Gina Carano says her anticipated bout against Cris “Cyborg” Santos is likely to take place before the end of 2009. [MMA Weekly]
• Former WEC fighters Johny Hendricks and Danillo Villefort will be transferred to the UFC’s welterweight division. [Five Ounces of Pain and MMA Junkie]
• Bellator has announced the complete lineup for its April 3rd debut. [MMA Junkie]
• Kendall Grove is likely to fight at UFC 101 on August 8th in Philadelphia. [Five Ounces of Pain]
• Bellator’s third event will take place on April 17th in Norman, Oklahoma and will feature the first round of the promotion’s middleweight tournament, which includes notable Hector Lombard, with Brandon Vera’s wife Kerry Vera also slated to be in action in a non-tournament bout. [MMA Junkie]
• Jon Fitch has signed a five-fight contract extension with the UFC. [MMA Mania]
• Wilson Reis vs. Henry Martinez will headline Bellator’s second event on April 10th at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. [MMA Junkie]
• Ultimate Fighter cast members Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver and Joe Scarola will fight for the welterweight and lightweight titles respectively at MMA Big Show’s June 10th “Conviction” event at the Belterra Casino in Belterra, Indiana.
• Alexandre “Xande” Ribeiro vs. Keiichiro Yamamiya and Makoto Takimoto vs. Michael Costa have been added to the official lineup for Sengoku Eighth Battle on May 2nd in Tokyo.
• New Jersey has refused to sanction a planned boxing bout between former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia and former boxing champion Ray Mercer, which was to headline Adrenaline MMA’s third show on May 30th in Atlantic City. This bout is now tentatively scheduled to take place in June at a location to-be-announced. [MMA Weekly]
• The Ultimate Fighter 7 teammates Matt Riddle and Dan Cramer are likely to square off at UFC 101. [Five Ounces of Pain]
• Welterweight bouts featuring Josh Koscheck against Chris Wilson at UFC 98 and Paul Taylor versus Peter Sobotta at UFC 99 have been officially announced.

Quinton Jackson

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson took home nearly half of the disclosed $762,000 payroll at UFC 96, earning $325,000 for his unanimous decision victory over Keith Jardine in the evening’s headliner. Jardine received $55,000 for the losing effort.

UFC 96 took place on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio and the Ohio State Athletic Commission today released the official salaries for the pay-per-view event.

Other top earners included Gabriel Gonzaga ($60,000), Brandon Vera ($60,000), Kendall Grove ($44,000), and Matt Hamill ($40,000).

UFC 96 drew a sell-out crowd of 17,033 for a live gate of $1.8 million.

The official salaries exclude some bonuses (including “fight night” bonuses), taxes, fees, sponsor payments, and other miscellaneous payments and fees.

The official salaries for UFC 96 were:

• Quinton Jackson ($325,000 – includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Keith Jardine ($55,000)
• Shane Carwin ($32,000 – includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Gabriel Gonzaga ($60,000)
• Matt Brown ($16,000 – includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Pete Sell ($12,000)
• Matt Hamill ($40,000 – includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Mark Munoz ($12,000)
• Gray Maynard ($20,000 – includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Jim Miller ($9,000)
• Tamdan McCrory ($20,000 – includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Ryan Madigan ($3,000)
• Kendall Grove ($44,000 – includes $22,000 win bonus) def. Jason Day ($5,000)
• Jason Brilz ($10,000 – includes $5,000 win bonus) def. Tim Boetsch ($12,000)
• Brandon Vera ($60,000 – includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Mike Patt ($5,000)
• Shane Nelson ($16,000 – includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Aaron Riley ($6,000)