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

Headliner Nate Diaz as well as preliminary card fighters CB Dollaway and Justin Buchholz were all issued 30-day suspensions for cuts suffered in their bouts at the event.

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

Pictured: Justin Buchholz

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

Diaz took home “Submission of the Night” for his main event guillotine of Guillard, Stephens received “Knockout of the Night” for his stoppage of Justin Buchholz due to cuts on the preliminary card, while Quarry and Credeur earned “Fight of the Night” for their three-round war the kicked off the event’s Spike TV-broadcast.

Click here for more UFC Fight Night 19 coverage.

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

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.

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]