While the recently-reported rematch between Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves has yet to be confirmed for the pay-per-view event, a heavyweight showdown between veteran Paul Buentello and prospect Todd Duffee was announced for the UFC 107 main card.

The UFC 107 fight card now includes:

MAIN CARD

• B.J. Penn (c) vs. Diego Sanchez
  UFC Lightweight Championship
• Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir
• Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch
• Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
• Paul Buentello vs. Todd Duffee

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
• Shane Nelson vs. Matt Wiman
• Ricardo Funch vs. Johny Hendricks
• Lucio Linhares vs. Rousimar Palhares
• Edgar Garcia vs. DaMarques Johnson
• Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for complete UFC 107 coverage.

Pictured: Shane Nelson

After stunning Florian several times over the first three rounds and stifling the challenger’s takedown attempts, Penn got a takedown of his own before taking Florian’s back. After softening him with kicks to the body, Penn secured a rear naked choke and Florian was forced to submit 3:54 into the fourth frame.

Penn (14-5-1) rebounds from a January welterweight loss to champion Georges St-Pierre by winning his fourth-straight fight at 155-pounds, while the loss for Florian (11-4), his first in nearly three-years, snaps a six-fight winning streak.

In the UFC 101 co-headliner, UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva returned to the light heavyweight division and silenced his critics, following up back-to-back lackluster wins with a first-round knckout of former 205-pound champ Forrest Griffin.

After an aggressive start by Griffin that saw him miss with a head kick attempt, Silva tagged Forrest with punches, sending him to the canvas twice, and taunted him to attack, leaving his hands at his waist. As Griffin again pressed forward Silva backpeddled, but connected with a compact right that sent Forrest to the canvas for a third and final time as the referee immediately stepped in and stopped the fight.

Knocked unconscious by the awkward-yet-powerful punch, Griffin quickly returned to his feet and ran out of the Octagon while Silva celebrated his return to form. “The Spider” (25-4) extends his win streak to 11-straight overall, including 10-straight UFC victories, while Griffin (16-6) has now lost two-straight.

In other main card action, Aaron Riley, Ricardo Almeida, and Kurt Pellegrino all picked up unanimous decision wins, while Johny Hendricks knocked out Amir Sadollah in just 29-seconds in a controversial stoppage.

The complete results for UFC 101 were:

• B.J. Penn (c) def. Kenny Florian via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 4, 3:54
  UFC Lightweight Championship
• Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin via KO (punch) — Round 1, 3:23
• Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Johny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:29
• Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
• Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
• George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via submission (kimura) — Round 2, 1:59
• Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) — Round 3, 3:37

Click here for more UFC 101 coverage.

The UFC lightweight champion Penn and challenger Florian both tipped the scales exactly at 155 pounds, while UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin both weighed in at 205 for their light heavyweight matchup.

Welterweight Tamdan McCrory was the only fighter who visibly struggled to make weight, arriving at the scale still wearing his sauna suit, but didn’t require the one-pound allowance, weighing in right at the division limit of 170-pounds.

One of the lone surprises at the UFC 101 weigh-ins was The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah, who weighed in at just 166.5 pounds for his 170-pound welterweight matchup against Johny Hendricks.

The official weigh-in results for UFC 101 were:

MAIN CARD

• 155: B.J. Penn (c) (155) vs. Kenny Florian (155)
  UFC Lightweight Championship
• 205: Anderson Silva (205) vs. Forrest Griffin (205)
• 185: Kendall Grove (185.5) vs. Ricardo Almeida (185)
• 155: Josh Neer (155.5) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (154.5)
• 170: Amir Sadollah (166.5) vs. Johny Hendricks (171)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 155: Shane Nelson (156) vs. Aaron Riley (154)
• 170: Tamdan McCrory (170) vs. John Howard (169.5)
• 185: Thales Leites (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185.5)
• 170: Matthew Riddle (170) vs. Dan Cramer (169.5)
• 155: George Sotiropoulos (155) vs. George Roop (154)
• 170: Jesse Lennox (171) vs. Danillo Villefort (170.25)

Remember: Fighters are granted a one-pound allowance for non-championship bouts.

Pictured: Anderson Silva

Amir Sadollah

The UFC today announced the majority of the fight card for UFC 101: Declaration, which is set for August 8th at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Joining BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin on the pay-per-view main card will be Johny Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah, Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove, and Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino.

Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley, John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory, Dan Cramer vs. Matthew Riddle, Rob Emerson vs. George Sotiropoulos, and Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort were confirmed for the unaired preliminary card.

The only rumored bout that has not yet been officially announced is a middleweight fight between Thales Leites and Alessio Sakara.

Tickets for UFC 101: Declaration will go on sale next week.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest UFC 101 news.

Shane Nelson

A couple lightweight fights have been rumored today for the UFC cards in August, and rumors of UFC 103 in September have surfaced as well. A rematch between Shane Nelson and Aaron Riley has been slated for UFC 101 on August 8th in Philadelphia. UFC 102 on August 29th in Portland will include Evan Dunham vs. Matt Veach. Finally Efrain Escudero will have his first fight since “The Ultimate Fighter” against Cole Miller at the yet to be announced UFC 103 on September 26th, possibly in the UK.

Shane Nelson and Aaron Riley first faced off at UFC 96 in a fight that ended with a highly controversial early stoppage in favor of Nelson. The stoppage angered UFC president Dana White, and led Nelson to offer Riley another shot. According to reports by MMAWeekly he will get that shot at UFC 101, which is slated to be headlined by BJ Penn v. Kenny Florian.

H.I.T. Squad product Matt Veach will be putting his 11-0 record on the line at UFC 102 in Portland, OR against fellow undefeated competitor Evan Dunham. Both fighters stepped in on short notice for their promotional debuts, and still managed to secure victories. Veach came from behind to knock out Matt Grice at UFN 17 in his debut, and Dunham knocked out Per Eklund in his UFC 95 debut. MMAWeekly has confirmed that this fight has already been signed.

“The Ultimate Fighter 8″ winner Efrain Escudero was scheduled to face off against Jeremy Stephens at UFN 18, but was forced to withdraw due to a rib injury just prior to the event. He has now been scheduled to make his first Octagon appearance since winning TUF against “The Ultimate Fighter 5″ cast member Cole Miller. Cole Miller was last in action in a submission victory over another “The Ultimate Fighter 8″ competitor, Junie Browning, at UFN 18. Reports by MMAJunkie claim that sources close to the bout are saying that it will take place at UFC 103 on September 26th in an undetermined location, possibly in the U.K.

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.

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)