Day made his UFC debut in April 2008, scoring an impressive first-round knockout of Alan Belcher at UFC 83, but was unable to secure another UFC victory, dropping back-to-back bouts to Michael Bisping and Kendall Grove that resulted in him being released by the promotion earlier this year.

Prior to his back-to-back UFC losses, “Dooms” Day had won 10 of 11 fights, losing only to middleweight contender Patrick Cote while earning victories over notables Marcus Hicks, Jonathan Goulet, Ron Faircloth, and David Loiseau.

Josh Burkman

Welterweight Josh Burkman and middleweight Jason Day have both been released by the UFC.

Burkman (9-7) has competed exclusively in the UFC since late-2005, compiling a 5-5 record in ten UFC bouts. He was cut by the promotion after losing three-straight fights to Mike Swick, Dustin Hazelett, and Pete Sell.

Despite notable victories over Jonathan Goulet, David Loiseau, and Alan Belcher, Day (17-8) has been cut by the UFC after dropping back-to-back fights to Michael Bisping and Kendall Grove.

For the latest UFC news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

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.

Gabriel Gonzaga

Six UFC 96 fighters have been issued medical suspensions by the Ohio Athletic Commission following their bouts on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Pete Sell, Mike Patt, and Jason Day each received 30-day precautionary suspensions for their UFC 96 TKO losses.

Gabriel Gonzaga and Mark Munoz were both issued 60-day suspensions following their knockout losses on the evening’s main card.

Ryan Madigan, who suffered a first-round knockout to Tamdan McCrory on the event’s preliminary card, has been suspended indefinitely due to an eye injury suffered in the bout and will have to be medically cleared before being eligible to return to action.

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

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)

Shane Carwin

Eleven UFC 96 competitors, including all ten of the evening’s winners, were drug tested by the Ohio Athletic Commission following their bouts on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

According to MMA Junkie the tested fighters were Quinton Jackson, Shane Carwin, Matt Brown, Matt Hamill, Gray Maynard, Tamdan McCrory, Kendall Grove, Jason Day, Jason Brilz, Brandon Vera, and Shane Nelson.

The results of the tests, which detect both recreational drugs (such as marijuana and cocaine) as well as performance enhancers (such as anabolic steroids), will be made available in several weeks.

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

Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine Exchange Punches at UFC 96

Former UFC light heavyweight champion and top 205-pound contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson topped Keith Jardine on Saturday via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 96 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The event, the promotion’s third-straight March event in Columbus, drew an official attendance of 17,033 for a live gate of $1.8 million.

The opening round of the headliner saw Jardine edge Jackson on the majority of the judge’s scorecards, clinching with Jackson from the opening bell and looking for a takedown midway through the frame while nearly completely neutralizing Jackson from doing any damage.

Jardine opened the second with wild punches the failed to find their mark before “Rampage” sent him to the canvas with a left hook. Despite Jackson’s best efforts Jardine quickly returned to his feet but the tide had turned. After briefly taking Jardine to the ground midway through the round, Jackson closed the frame with a late flurry, winning the round with 10-9 scores from all three judges.

After briefly exchanging early in the third, Jackson again took Jardine down but the fighters were quickly back on their feet. Jackson continued to look for an opening to finish Jardine but none were presented. Instead, he slowly wore Jardine down over the final minutes before finally sending him to the canvas with a last-second combo. The flurry sealed the victory for Jackson, who received scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.

Immediately after Jackson was declared the winner in the evening’s headliner the UFC offered him a bout against title-holder Rashad Evans which would headline UFC 98 on May 23rd in Las Vegas. Provided he’s injury free and up for the quick turnaround “Rampage” is expected to accept the opportunity to attempt to reclaim the light hevyweight belt.

Shane Carwin proved he’s among the promotion’s top heavyweights on Saturday with a knockout of former title-challenger Gabriel Gonzaga just over one minute into the UFC 96 co-main event.

Matt Brown, Matt Hamill, and Gray Manard also picked up main card victories, while Tamdan McCrory, Kendall Grove, Jason Brilz, Brandon Vera, and Shane Nelson were victorious on the UFC 96 preliminary card.

The UFC awarded $60,000 fight-night bonuses to Jackson, Jardine, and Hamill for their performances with Jackson and Jardine taking home “Fight of the Night” honors while Hamill received “Knockout of the Night” for his first-round head kick KO of Mark Munoz. A “Submission of the Night” award was not given out as none of the evening’s ten bouts ended via submission.

The event’s complete results were:

• Quinton Jackson def. Keith Jardine via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Shane Carwin def. Gabriel Gonzaga via knockout (punch) — Round 1, 1:09
• Matt Brown def. Pete Sell via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:32
• Matt Hamill def. Mark Munoz via knockout (head kick) — Round 1, 3:53
• Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Tamdan McCrory def. Ryan Madigan via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:35
• Kendall Grove def. Jason Day via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:32
• Jason Brilz def. Tim Boetsch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brandon Vera def. Mike Patt via TKO (leg kick) — Round, 1:27
• Shane Nelson def. Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:44

UFC 96 Poster

The weigh-ins at Nationwide arena are now completed for tomorrow night’s UFC 96. All twenty fighters made weight including the headliners Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (205), and Kieth Jardine (204). Full Weigh-In results are included below.

UFC 96 is scheduled to take place tomorrow night, at the Nationwide arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Pay-Per-View televised portion of the event is scheduled to begin tomorrow night at 7pm PST/10pm EST.

MAIN CARD

• Quinton Jackson (205) vs. Keith Jardine (204)
• Shane Carwin (259.5) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (257.5)
• Matt Brown (170.5) vs. Pete Sell (170)
• Matt Hamill (205) vs. Mark Munoz (204.5)
• Gray Maynard (155) vs. Jim Miller (154.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Ryan Madigan (169) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170)
• Jason Day (184.5) vs. Kendall Grove (185)
• Tim Boetsch (205) vs. Jason Brilz (204)
• Michael Patt (204.5) vs. Brandon Vera (205)
• Shane Nelson (155) vs. Aaron Riley (155)

Sherdog first reported the matchup yesterday.

Day was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Lambert after suffering elbow and biceps injury that will sideline the Canadian middleweight for an unknown period of time.

MacDonald (20-10) opened his UFC career with back-to-back wins over Ed Herman and Chris Leben but then dropped three of his next five bouts to Rich Franklin, Yushin Okami, and Maia. He’s also earned UFC victories over Rory Singer and Joe Doerksen.

Following three-straight victories over Rob MacDonald, Terry Martin, and Brenden Lee Hinkle to open his UFC career Lambert was defeated by Rashad Evans then posted a knockout victory over Renato “Babalu” Sobral. He next lost back-to-back light heavyweight bouts to Wilson Gouveia and, most-recently at UFC 85 in June, Luis Cane, which forced him drop down to the 185-pound middleweight division.

UFC 88 takes place on September 6th at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and features a main event light heavyweight matchup between former 205-pound champion Chuck Liddell and “The Ultimate Fighter 2″ winner Rashad Evans.

For more on upcoming UFC events check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

The bout, which was officially announced the UFC this week, completes the UFC 88 fight card.

“Day is a tough guy with good kickboxing and jiu jitsu,” said Lambert to UFC.com. “I think it’s going to be a great fight and I’m looking forward to getting back in the Octagon.”

“I think this is going to be a good fight for me,” Day told UFC.com. “It (the fight) was totally unexpected, but the more I train for it the more I like it. I haven’t been able to show much of my ability on the ground in the UFC yet and I plan on taking this fight there. I know Lambert is a ground and pound guy and so am I, so it has the potential to be an all-out war on the ground. I have been working hard on my ground for this fight and I want to show off my submission skills. He is not scared to stand with guys and if he tries to avoid my takedowns and keep it standing then I have no problem ending it on the feet.”

UFC 88 “BREAKTHROUGH” FIGHT CARD

MAIN CARD

• Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans
• Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
• Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
• Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
• Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Thiago Tavares vs. Kurt Pellegrino
• Tim Boetsch vs. James Lee
• Dong Hyun Kim vs. Matt Brown
• Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan
• Jason Lambert vs. Jason Day

For more on upcoming UFC events check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.