Torres (14-1), who was scheduled to debut against Guillard and Jeremy Stephens in 2009 before injuries forced him to withdraw from both fights, has won eight-straight, including a 5-0 mark in his most-recent bouts in 2008. Torres’ most notable win was a 2006 victory over Rafael Feijao, one of just two decisions on his record.

After back-to-back losses sent Guillard (22-8-2) packing from the UFC in 2007, a win outside the Octagon earned him a return to the promotion, where he won “Knockout of the Night”  over Dennis Siver at UFC 86 last July before earning a decision over Gleison Tibau in June. “The African Assassin” suffered a second-round submission to Nate Diaz in September in the main event of UFC Fight Night 19.

UFC 109 has yet to be official announced, but is rumored to include Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller, Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg, and Rolles Gracie vs. Mustapha Al-Turk.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for complete UFC 109 coverage, including UFC 109 news and UFC 109 rumors.

Pictured: Melvin Guillard

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] won the Ultimate Fighter, so even if he gets three or four losses I think he’s going to be around somewhere in the picture. I don’t feel like his job is on the line—though he might have to take a long break. It might make him have to sit down for about six months. I don’t feel any pressure, and fighting guys with pressure never bothers me. A fight’s a fight, and I want to stay busy.

“Nate’s been bothering the UFC about getting somebody to stand up and bang with him, because Clay Guida went in and just took him down and out-wrestled him. Stevenson did the same thing. Everybody knows I am a great wrestler, but I’m also a great striker and I want to have a good stand-up battle. I mean, if he really wants someone to go in there and stand up and bang with him? I’m that guy.

“I know my boxing’s way better than his, and it’ll be a short night for him if he wants to go that route. But man, I know how it goes in a fight. Once a guy gets hit by me, his whole game plan goes out the window. Nobody can withstand my right hand, and I think that he’ll try on a couple of little Jiu-Jitsu moves in that case. But my cardio’s great, and I am prepared to go full-speed, 100% for 15 minutes.”

UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, who has evolved from a loser of two-straight who served a nine-month suspension for cocaine in 2007 to a UFC Fight Night headliner, talks about his strategy for tonight’s main event matchup against The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner 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

The UFC announced the 155-pound matchup on Tuesday, with another lightweight matchup between Roger Huerta and Gray Maynard set to co-headline the Spike-televised card.

After falling short in a WEC lightweight championship bout against Hermes Franca, Diaz (10-4) won The Ultimate Fighter 5 with a finals win over Manny Gamburyan. Following four-straight wins over Junior Assuncao, Alvin Robinson, Kurt Pellegrino, and Josh Neer, Diaz suffered the first setback of his UFC career, a split decision loss to Clay Guida in January. In his most-recent fight at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in June, Diaz suffered a unanimous decision loss to Joe Stevenson.

Following a 3-1 start to his UFC career, Guillard (22-7-2) headlined UFC Fight Night 9 against Joe Stevenson but was submitted in just 27-seconds, then tested positive for cocaine and served an eight month suspension. After suffering a loss to Rich Clementi in his first bout after the suspension in late-2007, Guillard briefly left the promotion, earning a decision win over Eric Regan before returning with a “Knockout of the Night” of Denis Siver at UFC 86 last July. “The Young Assassin” was scheduled to take on Spencer Fisher at UFC 90 in October, but a torn ACL forced him out of the bout. Guillard returned to the Octagon at the TUF 9 Finale, picking up a split decision over Gleison Tibau.

In addition to Diaz-Guillard and Huerta-Maynard, UFC Fight Night 19 is rumored to include Dan Miller vs. Aaron Simpson, Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle, Jeremy Stephens vs. Ronny Torres, Tim Credeur vs. Nate Quarry, and Kyle Bradley vs. Sam Stout.

For the latest UFC Fight Night 19 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

According to NSAC executive director Keith Kizer, fighters Diego Sanchez, Clay Guida, DaMarques Johnson, James Wilks, Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, Chris Lytle, Joe Stevenson, Brad Blackburn, Nick Osipczak, Melvin Guillard, and Tomasz Drwal tested negative at the Spike-televised event, which took place at The Pearl in Las Vegas.

For more TUF 9 Finale coverage click here.

[Pictured: TUF 9 lightweight winner Ross Pearson]

Sanchez earned $90,000 for his main event win over Clay Guida ($23,000), while Stevenson received $70,000 by topping Nate Diaz ($20,000) in the first bout of the Spike-televised main card. The total disclosed payroll for the event (excluding fight night bonuses) was $430,000.

The event took place at The Pearl in Las Vegas and drew a sell-out attendance of 1,800 for a live gate of $500,000.

The official salaries for The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, as reported to the NSAC, were:

• Diego Sanchez ($90,000 – includes $45,000 win bonus)* def. Clay Guida ($23,000)*
• James Wilks ($16,000 – includes $8,000 win bonus) def. DaMarques Johnson ($8,000)
• Chris Lytle ($36,000 – includes $18,000 win bonus)* def. Kevin Burns ($9,000)*
• Ross Pearson ($16,000) def. Andre Winner ($8,000)
• Joe Stevenson ($70,000 – includes $35,000 win bonus)* def. Nate Diaz ($20,000)*
• Melvin Guillard ($24,000) – includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Gleison Tibau ($17,000)
• Brad Blackburn ($18,000 – includes $9,000 win bonus) def. Edgar Garcia ($5,000)
• Tomasz Drwal ($15,600 – includes $7,000 win bonus)*^ def. Mike Ciesnoleviscz ($6,400)^
• Nick Osipczak ($16,000 – includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Frank Lester ($8,000)
• Jason Dent ($16,000 – includes $8,000 win bonus)* def. Cameron Dollar ($8,000)

* Salaries do not include fight night bonuses.
^ The salaries of Drwal and Ciesnoleviscz have been adjusted for the 20% ($1,600) Ciesnoleviscz paid Drwal for failing to make weight.

[Pictured: Diego Sanchez]

The fight opened with a flurry and rarely slowed, as Sanchez battered Guida in the opening seconds with a flurry of punches and knees that appeared as though they could end the fight. The iron-chinned Guida survived the early onslaught to deliver punishment of his own in rounds two and three, but it was Sanchez’s dominant opening frame, head kick knockdown, and cut-opening elbows from the bottom that were enough to earn him the win and put him in contention for a lightweight title shot.

The rest of the card failed to disappoint either as Chris Lytle and Kevin Burns traded blows in a bout that deserved Fight of the Night before being upstaged by Sanchez and Guida, Joe Stevenson looked impressive in topping Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in a technical battle, and welterweight James Wilks and lightweight Ross Pearson were crowned The Ultimate Fighter 9 champions with victories on the Spike-televised main card.

After three quick stoppage victories by Jason Dent, Nick Osipczak, and Tomasz Drwal to start the event, the prelimiary card was marred by a duo of controversial decisions as Brad Blackburn edged Edgar Garcia and Melvia Guillard topped Gleison Tibau.

The event’s official results were:

• Diego Sanchez def. Clay Guida via split decision (28-29, 29-27, 29-28)
• James Wilks def. DaMarques Johnson via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 4:54
  TUF 9 Welterweight Final
• Chris Lytle def. Kevin Burns via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ross Pearson def. Andre Winner via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  TUF 9 Lightweight Final
• Joe Stevenson def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Melvin Guillard def. Gleison Tibau via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Brad Blackburn def. Edgar Garcia via split decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-28)
• Tomasz Drwal def. Mike Ciesnolevicz via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:48
• Nick Osipczak def. Frank Lester via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 3:40
• Jason Dent def. Cameron Dollar via submission (anaconda choke) — Round 1, 4:46

[Pictured: Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida]