UFC 146 Aftermath: Five Fights, Five Finishes

By Elias Cepeda


Props: MMAFighting.com

Junior dos Santos is a walking, terrifying public relations smashing machine. Not only did he Babe Ruth it and fulfill his prediction of winning by 2nd round stoppage over former two-time champion Frank Mir Saturday night, but he also provided the best feel-good photo op of the year so far.

Junior trains out of Luis Carlos Dorea’s Champion Boxing gym in Brazil which, in addition to being headquarters for world-class fighters, is home to a vibrant youth boxing program. After training one day, the UFC Primetime cameras caught one of the little tikes hanging asking Junior to take him with him to the states for his title fight.

At the time, Junior said, “we’ll see.” But he ended up bringing the 9 year-old kid and his family to Vegas to watch him win. After beating Mir, he lifted the lucky young fighter onto his shoulders and posed for the cameras along with his coaches.

Dos Santos definitely appears to have the Wanderlei Silva nice guy/maniac fighter balance down pat. Try as I might, that image warms my cynical heart, and I don’t give a damn how orchestrated it may or may not have been. Who doesn’t like watching a kid’s dream come true before their eyes?

By Elias Cepeda


Props: MMAFighting.com

Junior dos Santos is a walking, terrifying public relations smashing machine. Not only did he Babe Ruth it and fulfill his prediction of winning by 2nd round stoppage over former two-time champion Frank Mir Saturday night, but he also provided the best feel-good photo op of the year so far.

Junior trains out of Luis Carlos Dorea’s Champion Boxing gym in Brazil which, in addition to being headquarters for world-class fighters, is home to a vibrant youth boxing program. After training one day, the UFC Primetime cameras caught one of the little tikes hanging asking Junior to take him with him to the states for his title fight.

At the time, Junior said, “we’ll see.” But he ended up bringing the 9 year-old kid and his family to Vegas to watch him win. After beating Mir, he lifted the lucky young fighter onto his shoulders and posed for the cameras along with his coaches.

Dos Santos definitely appears to have the Wanderlei Silva nice guy/maniac fighter balance down pat. Try as I might, that image warms my cynical heart, and I don’t give a damn how orchestrated it may or may not have been. Who doesn’t like watching a kid’s dream come true before their eyes?

Mir’s dream of becoming the second ever three-time UFC heavyweight champion came crashing down on him, however, when he could not drag dos Santos down to the mat. Mir eat huge hellacious shots to the dome in the latter part of the first and into the second, until the final hammer fist prompted the ref to step in and stop the action.

It has been easy for this writer to continually underestimate dos Santos in some of his biggest bouts on account of his “only” having his hands. What are the chances, I’ve often found myself thinking, that he can go a whole fight without getting put on his back? Well, so far, those chances are much less likely than the chances that his opponents can go an entire fight without being hit by him.

When dos Santos touches an opponent, they drop. That’s the way it goes, we’ve come to learn.

Who’s next for him? How about a rematch with the man he beat to win the title, Cain Velasquez?

Cain got back on the winning track by dominating and brutalizing Antonio Silva, stopping him in the first round with ground strikes. Cain made Silva bleed his own blood, a lot of it, with elbows and punches, and by the end of the brief bout he looked like he was trying out for a horror flick.

He was trying out for a title shot, and I think he earned it. The only guy I’d rather see get it next, his AKA teammate Daniel Cormier, will be out for a long time with a broken hand.

Yeah, Velasquez vs. dos Santos would be a rematch but so what? Elite fighters often hang around the top of divisions together and, if we’re lucky, we get to see the best of the best go at it over and again.

Cain lost quickly to dos Santos last fall, but before that he was unbeaten and devastated the, at the time, invincible-looking champion Brock Lesnar. Modern-day Antonio Silva only loses to the best guys out there, like Fabricio Werdum, Velasquez and Cormier, and recently dominated Fedor Emelianenko. Taking him out so impressively counts for a lot, and with the timing working out, it is time for dos Santos vs. Velasquez II.

Roy Nelson found the mark with his over hand right early and knocked Dave Herman silly. He went in to add to the punishment on the ground but thankfully the ref got in there fast and stopped it. Only way Nelson could have added to the damage would have been to eat Herman, and we all know he’s watching his boyish figure these days.

Dan Hardy showed why he was still employed after four-straight losses in beating solid veteran Duane Ludwig via first round TKO. Hardy always come in shape, always gives an entertaining fight and has only lost to the best in the welterweight division. It has to feel good for the “Outlaw” to finally get back in the win-column. Now he can go get high as a kite. Hardy joined Nelson as a “knockout of the night,” bonus check recipient.

To pull guard in MMA you have to either be suicidal or a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu boss. Paul Sass and Stefan Struve were the latter in securing submission wins off of their back at UFC 146. They shared “submission of the night,” honors. All bonus winners earned extra $70,000 checks. No “fight of the night” bonuses were given.

Jamie Varner showed why he is a former world champion by beating formerly unbeaten wrecking-ball Edson Barboza via TKO after taking the fight on short notice. Way to make a re-entry to the big leagues, Jamie. Perhaps the biggest underdog of the night, scored the huge upset.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller pleaded with the UFC to give him another fight in the organization after losing badly to Michael Bisping and he got one, against C.B. Dollaway. Miller fought well and lost a close decision to Dollaway. But still, looks like, he gone. Reports are that he pulled a stunt backstage after the fight that sealed his fate. Maybe he ran into Team Cesar Gracie.

One final note, Glover Teixeira looked great in his long-awaited UFC debut. He submitted Kyle Kingsbury with an arm-triangle choke in the first round. Is it too soon to want to see Glover against some of the best in the 205lb division?

UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir — Live Preliminary Card Results and Commentary


It may be an all heavyweight main card, but the bantamweight is stealing the show. Props: MMAFighting.com

We’re just hours away from UFC 146, so it’s time to turn on FX and watch the preliminary card. This evening’s all heavyweight main card will kick off with the lighter guys, as Diego Brandao makes his first post-TUF appearance against Darren Elkins, Dan Hardy and Mayhem Miller fight for their careers against Duane Ludwig and C.B. Dollaway, and Edson Barboza takes on Jamie Varner in what may potentially be the squash match/upset of the year. Handling tonight’s liveblogging duties will be Seth Falvo, who will be frantically checking to see if his beloved Philadelphia 76ers can take Game Seven during commercial breaks. Come in after the jump for live play-by-play.


It may be an all heavyweight main card, but the bantamweight is stealing the show. Props: MMAFighting.com

We’re just hours away from UFC 146, so it’s time to turn on FX and watch the preliminary card. This evening’s all heavyweight main card will kick off with the lighter guys, as Diego Brandao makes his first post-TUF appearance against Darren Elkins, Dan Hardy and Mayhem Miller fight for their careers against Duane Ludwig and C.B. Dollaway, and Edson Barboza takes on Jamie Varner in what may potentially be the squash match/upset of the year. Handling tonight’s liveblogging duties will be Seth Falvo, who will be frantically checking to see if his beloved Philadelphia 76ers can take Game Seven during commercial breaks. Come in after the jump for live play-by-play.

Good evening, jerks. I just got back from Bellator 70 in New Orleans. I’m running on two hours of sleep and three cans of Rockstar Xdurance. What I’m trying to say is, let’s just jump right into it, and try not to complain about typos, okay?

Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig

Round One: Both guys start off respecting each other’s striking, hesitant to rush each other. Hardy gets clipped, as Ludwig clinches up and lands some knees to Hardy’s body. Dan Hardy recovers, and pushes Ludwig against the cage, throwing some occasional hooks to Ludwig’s body. Hardy breaks, and lands a nice combination. And a follow-up 1-2. Head kick Ludwig. Hardy throws a 1-2, and misses with the left hook. Nice knee by Ludwig, as Dan Hardy works for a takedown. Hardy now has Ludwig pinned against the cage, but Ludwig is landing knees to the body of “The Outlaw”. Just as Joe Rogan starts praising Hardy’s lead left hook, Hardy lands one right to the jaw of Duane Ludwig. He momentarily celebrates, then finishes the fight with some elbows to a downed Ludwig until Josh Rosenthal stops it. Good start to the night.

Dan Hardy def. Duane Ludwig via KO, 3:51, Round One

And before anyone brings it up: Yes, I heard Arianny was arrested this morning. I didn’t say she was stealing the show for good reasons.

C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller

Round One: Miller comes out and lands a cross right to Dollaway. Mayhem appears to lock in a guillotine, but Dollaway is out and takes Mayhem’s back. Miller gets back up, and gives Dollaway a noogie. Seriously. Dollaway lands a cross, and now they’re back in the center of the cage. Dollaway drops Mayhem with another cross, causing Joe Rogan to speculate that Mayhem has blown out his knee, which is already wrapped and bandaged.  His inability to stand seems to support that theory. Dollaway takes Mayhem’s back, but he can’t get his hooks in. The crowd starts to boo, as Dollaway is doing nothing but hold on, as Mayhem is unable to stand. Miller tries getting up, although Dollaway is doing a good job at keeping Miller down. I wish he would, you know, do something, but I digress. Dollaway works for a kimura, but gives up on it and mounts Mayhem. Miller escapes, and manages to stand as the round ends.

Round Two: Nice jab by Dollaway. Miller is clearly favoring that knee, as Dollaway earns a takedown, but lets Miller back up. Miller catches Dollaway behind the ear, and works to finish, but Dollaway reverses position. Miller manages to get up, but Dollaway has him pinned against the cage. The crowd is booing the lack of action, as Dollaway unsuccessfully attempts a takedown. Miller works for a guillotine, as the crowd boos louder. Miller gives up on the guillotine, and Dollaway throws a few punches from Miller’s half guard. Emphasis on “a few”. This crowd is nearly booing these guys into actually doing something. The Boston Celtics are on top of the Philadelphia 76ers, 17-14, if you’re curious. The round ends with Dollaway in Mayhem’s guard, and the crowd is not impressed.

Round Three: Miller throws a couple of punches, but Dollaway takes him down by that bad knee, and the crowd boos. Miller’s right hand is trapped behind his back, if Dollaway wants to, you know, throw some punches or something. The ref continues to warn them to work, the crowd continues to boo…anyone mind if I change it to the Sixers/Celtics game? Okay, fine. Dollaway now has Miller’s back, and tries to get his hooks in as he occasionally throws a punch. It’s kind of funny to hear Joe Rogan try to save this one. Dollaway finally gets his hooks in, as Miller grabs the cage. C.B. is FINALLY throwing some punches that Mayhem isn’t even trying to defend. Dollaway mounts Miller as this “fight” comes to an end. The crowd boos loudly.

Peace out, Mayhem. I wish I could say it’s been fun to watch you in the UFC.

C.B. Dollaway def. Jason “Mayhem” Miller via unanimous decision.

Dollaway talks about how he was hurt during the second round, how he was injured before this contest, and gives a shoutout to Miami Heat forward Mike Miller, who is part owner of Power MMA & Fitness, where C.B. trains. The crowd is not done booing as we cut to commercials.

No comment on the judge who scored this one 30-26. 29-28 is acceptable, as anyone who gets a noogie during a round automatically loses it in my book.

Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner

If the prelims were a Gallagher show, this would be the point where the audience shields themselves with plastic while cheering loudly. If this one somehow doesn’t deliver blood, you can all blame me for jinxing it with that last sentence. Oh no…not Steve Mazzagatti.

Round One: Leg kicks from Barboza as this one starts off. Head kick attempt from Barboza, but Varner catches it and takes him down. Varner now in Barboza’s half guard and throwing punches. After that last “fight”, the crowd is conditioned to boo anything that happens on the ground, and reacts accordingly. Barboza gets back up and throws a leg kick. “Barboza” chants from the crowd, as Varner counters a leg kick with a nice cross. Varner is yet to check a leg kick, and Barboza is really taking advantage. Varner catches Barboza with a huge cross, and takes him down. Barboza gets away, but then gets rocked by another huge cross (?!?!?!?!) and rains down punches until Mazzagatti stops it.

Well HOL-LEE SHIT! It was short and brutal alright, but not nearly in the way that anyone who has paid attention to MMA since 2008 and isn’t named “Varner” was expecting. Yeah, you can call it a comeback.

Jamie Varner def. Edson Barboza via TKO (punches), 2:23, Round One.

True story: Autocorrect tried to fix that last sentence.

We’ve got Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira from the Facebook preliminary card in order to kill time. Other than Kingsbury’s killer mustache, this fight was all Teixeira. Dominant performance capped off with an arm-triangle choke submission, 1:53 into Round One.

Last fight before the PPV up next.

Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins

But before we get to that, we’ve got some obligatory hype for the PPV, as Rogan and Goldberg act like Velasquez vs. Bigfoot should be a close fight. Then again, after what we’ve already seen tonight, I dont know what to believe about anything anymore.

Round One: Nice combination from Brandao, capped off with a leg kick. Huge swing and a miss from Brandao, as Elkins gets Brandao to the ground. Nice reversal from Brandao, who ends up in Elkins’ guard. Elkins attempts a kimura, but loses it, as Brandao stands up. Brandao is really swinging for the fences, but he’s missing. Nice knee from Brandao, as Elkins is dropped and Brandao ends up in side control. He throws a few punches, notices Elkins attempt a submission, and then stands back up. Nice 1-2 from Elkins. Brandao lands one of those huge right hands and follows up with another cross, dropping Elkins. Elkins recovers and attempts a guillotine, but Brandao escapes and rains down punches from inside Elkins’ guard. Elkins grabs an arm, but is unable to do anything with it. Brandao stands up, throws a kick to the downed Elkins and then lands another right hand. Elkins holds on as this one comes to an end.

Round Two: They touch gloves. Elkins throws a left hook that completely misses. Nice knee from Brandao. Brandao attempts a lead uppercut, which is countered nicely by Elkins with a cross. Nice back elbow from Brandao. Rogan compares it to Anderson Silva, Goldberg compares it to Jon Jones, and they’re both wrong, as that elbow barely phased Elkins. Brandao slips, and Elkins winds up in Brandao’s guard. Brandao attempts an upkick, and nearly gives up his back as it misses. Elkins back in Brandao’s guard attempting to pass, as Brandao throws elbows from the guard. Elkins passes to half guard, and eventually gets full mount. Big punches from Elkins, and Brandao looks hurt. The crowd is chanting “Diego” as this round comes to an end.

Round Three: Brandao is clearly gassed, and throws some desperate lead uppercuts. Elkins counters with a 1-2, and manages to get Brandao to the ground. Elkins throws punches from Diego Brandao’s guard, as Rogan explains that Brandao wasted all of his energy looking for the finish in the first round. Full mount by Elkins with half of a round left, as he begins to rain down punches. Elkins with an arm-in guillotine, but Brandao escapes and stands back up. Brandao manages to drag Elkins down and looks to mount Elkins, but Elkins manages to pull guard. Brandao is too gassed to put together any meaningful offense, as this one comes to an end with Elkins throwing punches from the guard. I’ve got it 29-28 Elkins.

Okay, I’m glad I’m not the only one who heard Joe Rogan say “He’s getting fucked up” at the end of the second round.

Darren Elkins def. Diego Brandao via unanimous decision.

Very interesting night of fights. It looks like the Sixers are down by four, the heavyweights are about to take over the card, and the preliminary broadcast is coming to a close. That”s all for me tonight. Enjoy the main card.

UFC 146 Injury Switcheroo: Roy Nelson Now Facing Dave Herman, Jamie Varner Returns Against Edson Barboza


(Just don’t come between Dave and his cubs.)

A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.

Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?

UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…


(Just don’t come between Dave and his cubs.)

A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.

Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?

UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…

Main Card (PPV)
Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic
Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman
Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve

Preliminary Card (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner
Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway
Jacob Volkmann vs Paul Sass

Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda


(Varner does his happy-dance after scoring the only UFC win of his career, against Jason Gilliam back at UFC 68 in March 2007.)

Video Roundup: The Fights Worth Watching from ONE FC 2 and XFC 16

Felipe Enomoto vs. Ole Laursen. All videos in this post props to IronForgesIron.com

It would be a real shame if you only remembered ONE FC 2 for the freak show that was Bob Sapp vs. Rolles Gracie. As is too often the case when events only get remembered for the freak show fight(s) that they hosted, the rest of the card had some legitimately entertaining fights. Four out of five of the main card’s bouts ended in submission, with Felipe Enomoto, Bae Young Kwon and Gustavo Falciroli all securing rear-naked chokes against their opponents. While Enomoto vs. Laursen may have been the most entertaining of the three, Bae Young Kwon’s victory came the earliest, securing the choke only fifty six seconds into the fight. Likewise, Gustavo Falciroli picked up a quick submission against Soo Chul Kim, who curiously enough seemed hesitant to stand up with the BJJ blackbelt.

Bae Young Kwon vs. Honorio Banario


Felipe Enomoto vs. Ole Laursen. All videos in this post props to IronForgesIron.com

It would be a real shame if you only remembered ONE FC 2 for the freak show that was Bob Sapp vs. Rolles Gracie. As is too often the case when events only get remembered for the freak show fight(s) that they hosted, the rest of the card had some legitimately entertaining fights. Four out of five of the main card’s bouts ended in submission, with Felipe Enomoto, Bae Young Kwon and Gustavo Falciroli all securing rear-naked chokes against their opponents. While Enomoto vs. Laursen may have been the most entertaining of the three, Bae Young Kwon’s victory came the earliest, securing the choke only fifty six seconds into the fight. Likewise, Gustavo Falciroli picked up a quick submission against Soo Chul Kim, who curiously enough seemed hesitant to stand up with the BJJ blackbelt.

 
Bae Young Kwon vs. Honorio Banario

 
Gustavo Falciroli vs. Soo Chul Kim

When we last checked in on XFC, Jamie Varner wasted little time crushing local fighter “Ladies Love” Nate Jolly. This time around, at last night’s XFC 16, little had changed. Jamie Varner wasted little time crushing journeyman Drew Fickett, dropping him early and earning the stoppage only forty seconds into the fight. Time to bring in Fancy Pants.

 
Jamie Varner vs. Drew Fickett

While there were plenty of knockouts from XFC 16, Amaechi Oselukwue delivered the most impressive one. Unorthodox as it was, the straight right he landed after missing with a kick caught Gerardo Julio Gallegos completely by surprise, ending his night in one minute and twenty three seconds. Coincidentally, Nate Jolly was the referee for the fight.

 
Gerardo Julio Gallegos vs. Amaechi Oselukwue

Full results:

ONE FC 2 Main Card Results:
Felipe Enomoto def. Ole Laursen via submission (RNC) – R2, 3:49
Bae Young Kwon def. Honorio Banario via submission (RNC) – R1, 0:56
Rustam Khabilov def. Rodrigo Ribeiro via unanimous decision
Gustavo Falciroli def. Soo Chul Kim via submission (RNC) – R1, 1:12
Rolles Gracie def. Bob Sapp via submission (punches) – R1, 1:18

XFC 16 Main Card Results:
Jamie Varner def. Drew Fickett via submission (punches) – Round 1, 0:40
Josh Samman def. Mikey Gomez via TKO (punches) – R1, 3:37
Marianna Kheyfets def. Heather Clark via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – R1, 5:00
Chris Wright def. Len Cook via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Chase Gormley def. Brandon Sayles via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Amaechi Oselukwue def. Gerardo Julio Gallegos knockout (strikes) – R1, 1:23
Dustin West def. Stoney Hale via TKO (strikes) – R1, 1:23

Parisyan vs. Menne, Beerbohm vs. Varner Added to March 31 ‘Worldwide MMA’ Event in Texas


(These two bouts alone beat most Strikeforce Challengers events.)

CagePotato.com has learned that a trio of bouts featuring UFC veterans has been added to Worldwide MMA’s debut card in El Paso, Texas.

Karo Parisyan (19-8-4 1 NC) versus Dave Menne (45-16-2), Lyle Beerbohm (16-2) versus Jamie Varner (18-6-1 2 NC) as well as Drew Fickett (41-16) versus Kevin Knabjian (12-6) will all take place at the March 31 event.


(These two bouts alone beat most Strikeforce Challengers events.)

CagePotato.com has learned that a trio of bouts featuring UFC veterans has been added to Worldwide MMA’s debut card in El Paso, Texas.

Karo Parisyan (19-8-4 1 NC) versus Dave Menne (45-16-2), Lyle Beerbohm (16-2) versus Jamie Varner (18-6-1 2 NC) as well as Drew Fickett (41-16) versus Kevin Knabjian (12-6) will all take place at the March 31 event.

The inaugural UFC middleweight champion, Menne is 4-1 in his past five bouts. The 37-year-old competed in the Bellator season 7 welterweight grand prix in 2009, but had his tournament hopes dashed by Omar De La Cruz who TKO’ed the veteran in the first round of their semi-final match. He submitted Eric Davila at UWF 1 Huerta vs. War Machine in his last fight in the Lone Star state in November.

Parisyan, who has struggled as of late with three losses in a row in as many bouts had perhaps his most inspired performance in recent years and glimpses of his old self against Canadian prospect Ryan Ford last may at MMA Live 1 in London, Ontario, Canada. After controlling the opening two frames with his judo and wrestling skill, the 29-year-old Armenian got caught with a knee by “The Real Deal” and was deemed unable to continue by the commission doctor when a gash opened up on his brow line as a result. An invitation to train with Georges St-Pierre to help the UFC welterweight champion prepare for his scheduled UFC 143 bout with Nick Diaz was put on hold due to GSP’s knee injury and subsequent surgery, but the former UFC 170-pound contender says he plans on taking a raincheck for his next title defense, presumably against Carlos Condit.

After being dropped by Strikeforce following back-to-back losses to Pat Healy and Shinya Aoki, previously undefeated Beerbohm is looking to right the ship. A win over the former WEC lightweight champion would do just that for “Fancypants.”

Standing in his way of a much-needed win will be Varner, who desperately needs to beat a decent name to rebound from a 2-4 (1 NC) slide in his past seven outings. Although he did pick up a confidence boosting “W” over little known Nate Jolly in his last bout at XFC 14 Resurrection in October following a brief retirement, “The Worm” will be in for a much tougher fight against Beerbohm.

First he’ll have to make it through his match-up with Drew Fickett Friday night at XFC 16 in Tennessee, though.

“Knight Rider” also has a lot to gain by coming out of the fight with Varner unscathed as he’s set to take on an underrated submission specialist in Knabjian, who will be riding a two-fight winning streak into the bout. Fickett, who from April 2010 to June 2011 went undefeated in five fights before losing to Brian Cobb at MFC 30, is hoping to snap a three-fight losing streak with a win over the Chicago native.

We’ll have more news on the remainder of the card and the venue as we receive it.

Hump Day Headlines with Stephanie Ann Cook

UFC 141 set for live stream on Xbox Live, will feature free fights. Lavar Johnson vs. Joey Beltran added to UFC on Fox 2 card. Brock Lesnar signs exclusive deal with Everlast. Chad Griggs is.

UFC 141 set for live stream on Xbox Live, will feature free fights.

Lavar Johnson vs. Joey Beltran added to UFC on Fox 2 card.

Brock Lesnar signs exclusive deal with Everlast.

Chad Griggs is latest Heavyweight to migrate from Strikeforce to UFC.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira claims a judge told him he was illegally striking Frank Mir, which lead to his switch of game plan and arm-breaking loss.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson confirmed for UFC 143.

Jamie Varner booked for XFC 16 on February 10th.

Ricardo Lamas replaces injured Eric Koch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 143.

Heavyweights Philip De Fries vs. Stipe Miocic added to UFC on FUEL TV 1 card.