UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC 109 fighter salaries and paydays for 'Relentless'
Super Bowl 2010: Time to talk 'Colts vs Saints'
UFC Quick Quote: Randy Couture to keep plugging away at light heavyweight
Randy Couture celebrated his easy victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 109 by hitting up Eve Nightclub...
MMAmania.com announces UFC 109 Tokyo Five Matt Serra contest winners
Chael Sonnen ready to myth bust Anderson Silva ...
Matt Serra: I may not be the prettiest striker -- but when I land I do damage (Video)
UFC 109: Paulo Thiago 'very happy' with submission win over Mike Swick
UFC Quick Quote: 'Relentless' Mark Coleman performance likely his last inside the Octagon
Dana White: Chael Sonnen looked 'unreal' in win over Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 (Video)

UFC 109 fighter salaries and paydays for 'Relentless'

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 08:06 PM PST

The official fighter purses for those who competed at UFC 109: "Relentless" this past Saturday night (Feb. 6) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, were released earlier today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

As expected, main event participant and UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture was the big earner of the night. "The Natural" came away with a cool $250,000 for his submission win over fellow MMA pioneer Mark "The Hammer" Coleman, who banked a respectable $60,000 in defeat.

Former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt "The Terror" Serra also had a big night, pulling in $150,000 for his crushing win over the fading Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg ($30,000). The next closest salaries came via winning performances from middleweights Chael Sonnen ($64,000) and Demian Maia ($62,000).

Here is the complete list of UFC 109 payouts:

Randy Couture: $250,000 (no win bonus)
Mark Coleman: $60,000
Couture defeated Coleman via submission (1:09 R2)

Chael Sonnen: $64,000 ($32,000 to show, $32,000 to win)
Nate Marquardt: $45,000
Sonnen defeated Marquardt via unanimous decision

Paulo Thiago: $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
Mike Swick: $43,000
Thiago defeated Swick via submission (1:54 R2)

Demian Maia: $62,000 ($31,000 to show, $31,000 to win)
Dan Miller: $15,000
Maia defeated Miller via unanimous decision

Matt Serra: $150,000 ($75,000 to show, $75,000 to win)
Frank Trigg: $30,000
Serra defeated Trigg via TKO (2:23 R1)

Mac Danzig: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Justin Buchholz: $8,000
Danzig defeated Buchholz via unanimous decision

Melvin Guillard: $28,000 ($14,000 to show, $14,000 to win)
Ronys Torres: $4,000
Guillard defeated Torres via unanimous decision

Rob Emerson: $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 to win)
Phillipe Nover: $10,000
Emerson defeated Nover via unanimous decision

Phil Davis: $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Brian Stann: $17,000
Davis defeated Stann via unanimous decision

Chris Tuchscherer: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Tim Hague: $7000
Tuchscherer defeated Hague via majority decision

Joey Beltran: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Rolles Gracie: $15,000
Beltran defeated Gracie via TKO (1:31 R2)

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

For example, the UFC often hands out extra cash for "Fight of the Night," "Knockout of the Night" and "Submission of the Night." To check out these figures for UFC 109 go here.

The total base fighter payroll for the pay-per-view (PPV) event, which reportedly attracted a crowd of 10,687 attendees and a live gate of approximately $2.27 million, was $944,000.

For complete results and coverage of "Relentless" click here and here.

Super Bowl 2010: Time to talk 'Colts vs Saints'

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

It's open thread and discussion time as the clock ticks down to Super Bowl XLIV: "Colts vs. Saints."

Kick off is set for 6:25 p.m. ET on CBS, giving us all ample time to discuss the game, predictions, commercials and whatever the hell else you want.

Feel free to also post any MMA (or hot babe)-related news, gifs, photos or videos if football just ain't you're cup 'o tea.

Have at it, Maniacs. The floor is yours.

UFC Quick Quote: Randy Couture to keep plugging away at light heavyweight

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 11:38 AM PST

"I don't know what's next. We'll see. Dana will probably call me tomorrow and say ‘Hey, do you want to fight next week?'.... I was very happy. We couldn't have mapped it out better. The last few camps have been fantastic and this camp went great too. Everybody talked about Mark and expected the fight not to go well for him. But I don't overlook anybody. I took him very seriously. I see him as a dangerous guy. We prepared for the worst-case scenario, and I'm gonna do that every time. It was great to get the submission win.... I don't know what you're supposed to feel like at age 46. I have no idea. I'm having fun. I'm still smiling. I still enjoy going to the gym and competing.... I'm enjoying competing against guys my own size to be frank. The trend in the heavyweight division is, these guys aren't just big individuals anymore, these guys are damn good fighters. So all other things being equal, when you give away 30, 40, or 50 pounds, that's a pretty disparaging difference. So I'm happy to be playing around with the 205'ers.... I wasn't pushing the UFC to fight again, the situation the circumstance were what they were and the opportunity to fight again presented itself. I was more than happy to compete again. I've been healthy and I've found that I like the shorter camps and I like being this active.... I haven't placed any limits on myself. But I'm a realistic guy. I know that sooner or later I'm gonna have to find something else to do, but so far I'm physically holding up. I'm hitting all the benchmarks I've set for myself. So I'm just gonna keep plugging away and having fun."

-- UFC Hall of Famer and ageless wonder Randy "The Natural" Couture talks about his dominating victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 109. Couture admits that at this point of his career, the more active he his, the better. And since dropping back down to the 205-pound division, and compiling an undefeated (2-0) record, Randy knows, and feels, like this is the weight class where he belongs. So, what's next for the legend? He has clearly thrust himself back into the top tier of the division, and with a relatively short amount of time left in his illustrious career, you better believe Couture wants to make every bit of it count. Which guys in the division do you want to see Randy matched up with? How many fights away from a title shot is he? Sound off, Maniacs.

Randy Couture celebrated his easy victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 109 by hitting up Eve Nightclub...

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 11:38 AM PST

Randy Couture celebrated his easy victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 109 by hitting up Eve Nightclub in Las Vegas last night. More pics at TMZ.com.

MMAmania.com announces UFC 109 Tokyo Five Matt Serra contest winners

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 09:13 AM PST

MMAmania.com is proud to announce the grand prize winner of our UFC 109 Tokyo Five sponsored contest give-a-way, Alex McDowell.

Alex came the closest out of the thousands upon thousands of entries that we had to sift through since Saturday night's "Relentless" pay-per-view (thanks for the support and participation everyone), predicting that Matt Serra would finish Frank Trigg via technical knockout in round one of their welterweight showdown at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 6.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:23.

Nice work, Alex. He walks away with a signed Serra walkout tee from Tokyo Five -- but he isn't alone.

Several other MMAmania readers were close enough to earn their share of prizes, so we'll send them shirts (unsigned), too.

Here they are:

Robin Enman: Serra (TKO) Trigg in 1st Round 2:10
Greg Manco: Serra via TKO at 2:37 in Round 1
Stan Jasinski: Serra wins via TKO at 2:42 of round 1

Alex, Robin, Greg and Stan -- be on the lookout from the MMAmania.com team. We want to get your stuff in the mail as soon as possible.

Thanks again for everyone who participated. And thanks to Tokyo Five for making this all possible. If you want to see more Tokyo Five gear click here.

Chael Sonnen ready to myth bust Anderson Silva ...

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 08:24 AM PST

... he just needs to get a little rest first:

"I'm feeling horrible right now, so I'll take anything to perk me up a little bit [being the number one contender]. I got cut in the fight. I got knocked out in the fight. I got choked in the fight. It was a miserable 15 minutes.... This is the Ultimate Fighting Championship. So while these guys are out there swinging a sledgehammer and flipping a tire around I'm throwing fists at a partners head, neck and chest. I'm fighting in practice everyday. I'm working on fighting things. I'm not spending my time on health or Anthony Robbins, screaming the word 'Yes!' over and over.... I never would have tapped [in the third round], but I was very close going to sleep. I was on my way out.... It was tight.... I would prefer to fight Anderson over Vitor [later this year] even though I think Vitor is the better fighter. Vitor has never lost a fight that was stand up. Not one ever. And I'm a Vitor fan. So I would know. The blueprint to beat Vitor is out there, but it's never been done by a stand up guy. It's been done by a guy who can push, pull and pummel him down there. The one weapon that Anderson's missing..... Anderson is fantastic. He's the champion of the world for a reason. I get that. I'm not delusional. I'd rather have Anderson who's big and tall and those long legs that I can come out and run over than Vitor. It will be a verbal beatdown [before the fight]. Anderson Silva will be in tears before it's all over.... This guy is no more real than the Loch Ness Monster. And if he needs me to expose him then I will. As far as him being the bully on the playground, his 15 minutes are up.... I've got to go get some rest. I feel horrible."

Newly-minted number one middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen, reveals how close he was to losing to Nate Marquardt at UFC 109: "Relentless" last night (Feb. 6, 2010) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sonnen, for the most part, made "The Great" look bad -- certainly not the top ranked 185-pound fighter that he is today. But there were a few hairy moments, including eating an elbow that sliced his forehead wide open in the second round and a getting stuck in a choke in the final frame that nearly had him unconscious. Nonetheless, he persevered and now gets the opportunity to challenge the winner of the showdown between division champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort in April. Sonnen has been incredibly vocal about how he feels about the reign of "The Spider," who has never lost inside the Octagon and holds the record for the most straight victories for the promotion. Is Sonnen really the guy who can "expose" Silva or will Belfort beat him to it? Or, are both Belfor and Sonnen dead men walking? Let's hear it, Maniacs.

Matt Serra: I may not be the prettiest striker -- but when I land I do damage (Video)

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 08:24 AM PST

Who's next for "The Terror?"

UFC 109: Paulo Thiago 'very happy' with submission win over Mike Swick

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 07:52 AM PST

Props: MMA Fighting

Quoteworthy:

"I'm very, very happy with this victory. Mike Swick is a very tough guy and I knew it was going to be a tough fight. Mike Swick has a big career with the UFC so it's normal that people were going to think he would win. But I trained very hard, day and night. People should expect my next fight to be even better performance and continued improvement but yes, [back to work on Monday]."

Brazilian supercop Paulo Thiago continues to defy the odds and muscle his way up the welterweight rankings, once again using a top-ranked fighter from the American Kickboxing Acadamy (AKA) as his springboard. Thiago pushed his record to 13-1at UFC 109 with a "Relentless" attack on Mike Swick, who succumbed to a perfectly executed D'arce choke in the second frame of their main card bout. It's back to work on Monday for the special forces police officer who promises to return to the Octagon even better the next time. That's a scary proposition for the rest of the 170-pound division and may have Josh Koscheck reconsidering that rematch he's been trying to get since falling to the Brazilian at UFC 95 in Thiago's UFC debut. Any fantasy matchmaker's want to take a stab at who his next victim might be?

UFC Quick Quote: 'Relentless' Mark Coleman performance likely his last inside the Octagon

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 07:28 AM PST

"Tonight is probably Mark Coleman's last fight in the UFC. Listen, he looked good against Bonnar. I'm not taking anything away from Mark Coleman -- I have nothing but respect for him. Mark Coleman's always been a stand up guy with me and he'll always be apart of this organization. I just think he'll have a hard time competing with the guys at the top level. Age is a factor with him. This fight was a dream for Coleman. His dream was to fight Randy Couture. And he wanted this thing bad.... He went in there and wasn't able to do anything. Randy pretty much beat him everywhere.... It's tough to say it's over and hang 'em up. It's the toughest thing in the world. And I hate dealing with it. It sucks.... Tito's a lot younger than him. He's talking shit to him after he just lost -- this fight that he wanted his whole life. And Tito's fighting Chuck. I'm not even thinking about Tito versus Coleman."

-- UFC President Dana White talks about the fight future (or lack thereof) of former heavyweight champion Mark Coleman after a lopsided second round submission loss to Randy Couture in the main event at UFC 109: "Relentless." Coleman, 45, looked slow and sluggish compared to his equally-aged counterpart. The UFC Hall of Famer wanted to win the "legendary" fight badly to once again reinvigorate his career. But it didn't happen. And his performance was so meek that it will likely be his last ... despite getting into it with Tito Ortiz immediately following his loss to couture. So should Coleman, who claimed he would return during his post-fight remarks, be forced into retirement by White or should he be allowed to continue competing?

Dana White: Chael Sonnen looked 'unreal' in win over Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 (Video)

Posted: 07 Feb 2010 07:01 AM PST