So Wait, Penn and Hughes are Bros Now? Well, That Sucks For UFC 123

(VidProps: YouTube/FightersOnlyMagazine)
Good news and bad news for people who were worried about how BJ Penn might react after demoralizing, back-to-back losses to Frankie Edgar this year: On the positive side, Penn’s not hanging it up. In fac…

(VidProps: YouTube/FightersOnlyMagazine)

Good news and bad news for people who were worried about how BJ Penn might react after demoralizing, back-to-back losses to Frankie Edgar this year: On the positive side, Penn’s not hanging it up. In fact, he says in the above vid with Fighters Only Magazine that he’s intent on fighting even more often and actually sounds like a 22-year-old “TUF” rookie just embarking on his UFC career when he starts talking about how he’s still tweaking his training and trying to figure out what works best for him. For a dude who in times past appeared cripplingly preoccupied with his place in the history of the sport, that renewed sense of himself has to be a good thing.

So, the bad news? Well, he and Matt Hughes are cool now, which pretty much takes all the fun out of the pair’s upcoming third meeting at UFC 123. Frankly, if this fight isn’t a grudge match, then it’s not immediately clear why anyone is supposed to care about it, let alone watch.

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Georges St. Pierre: I Know Josh Koscheck Better Than Ever Now

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveGeorges St. Pierre won’t lie, he didn’t exactly have a great time filming season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which premieres Wednesday night on Spike TV.

Don’t misunderstand him, he’s glad he went through it, he …

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Georges St. Pierre won’t lie, he didn’t exactly have a great time filming season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which premieres Wednesday night on Spike TV.

Don’t misunderstand him, he’s glad he went through it, he said. He’s also glad that it’s over. While some fighters dislike the reality show coaching gig because it takes them away from home and disrupts their normal routine, for St. Pierre the problem wasn’t so much the atmosphere as the company.

“I was with Josh Koscheck, so that was hard,” the UFC welterweight champ told MMA Fighting. “He’s very arrogant and I don’t like to be close to this guy. But I didn’t have a choice. It was a few weeks where I had to be there close to him.”

But while being alongside the brash challenger made St. Pierre’s coaching job considerably more irritating, there were some upsides to being forced to see Koscheck’s smirking mug in the gym.

Hughes-Penn III in the Works for UFC 123

(Loser pays for the pig roast at the afterparty.)
CagePotato has learned through a source close to the situation that discussions are underway between Matt Hughes,  BJ Penn and the UFC to set up a rubbermatch between the pair at UFC 123 …


(Loser pays for the pig roast at the afterparty.)

CagePotato has learned through a source close to the situation that discussions are underway between Matt Hughes,  BJ Penn and the UFC to set up a rubbermatch between the pair at UFC 123 on  November 20.

The event, which is scheduled for The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan will feature a main card match-up between former UFC light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton Jackson.

We first learned of the possible match-up last week, and although we were unable to confirm with Hughes’ or Penn’s camps as of time of writing, both men have since confirmed that they could possibly compete in November, so it seems like the tip was legit and that the bout is in fact a plausibility.

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UFC 117 Fighter Salaries: Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes Each Earn $200,000 Purse

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC 117 fighter salaries are in and Anderson Silva and Matt Hughes each received the highest purse with $200,000 for the Aug. 7 event in Oakland.

Silva earned $200,000 with no win bonus while Hughes made $100,000 to show and …

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The UFC 117 fighter salaries are in and Anderson Silva and Matt Hughes each received the highest purse with $200,000 for the Aug. 7 event in Oakland.

Silva earned $200,000 with no win bonus while Hughes made $100,000 to show and a $100,00 to win, according to disclosed salaries provided Tuesday by the California athletic commission to MMAFighting.com.

Attendance for the event at the Oracle Arena was 14,610 for a gross gate of $1,565,130.

Full salaries are below.

CSAC Releases UFC 117 Salaries; Silva, Hughes and Fitch Top Money Earners

(Silva and Hughes both got the same to win and Sonnen got paid what Almeida made to take a nap)
The California State Athletic Commission today released the fighter salaries for UFC 117, which was held August 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif…


(Silva and Hughes both got the same to win and Sonnen got paid what Almeida made to take a nap)

The California State Athletic Commission today released the fighter salaries for UFC 117, which was held August 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

According to CSAC, the total payroll for the event, which is said to have drawn 12,971 fans for a live gate of $1.56 million, was  $1.029 million.

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, whose come from behind win over Chael Sonnen thrilled fans, topped the list with $320,000 which included his flat rate $200,000 show purse and double-fisted $60,000 Fight of the Night and $60,000 Submission of the Night bonus haul. Sonnen on the other hand made just $35,000 show money for the fight, which would have tied him for eight place with Ricardo Almeida on money earner board for the event if he hadn’t picked up the $60,000 Fight of the Night Bonus he shared with Silva.

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MMA Top 10 Welterweights: Jon Fitch Stuck at No. 2

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, WelterweightsIf there was any doubt that Jon Fitch is the second-best welterweight in the world, he erased that doubt on Saturday night. By thoroughly dominating Thiago Alves at UFC 117, Fitch firmly established…

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If there was any doubt that Jon Fitch is the second-best welterweight in the world, he erased that doubt on Saturday night. By thoroughly dominating Thiago Alves at UFC 117, Fitch firmly established himself as MMA’s best welterweight not named Georges St. Pierre.

Unfortunately for Fitch, he was beaten so badly by St. Pierre in their previous fight that there aren’t a lot of fans clamoring for a rematch. And if St. Pierre loses to Josh Koscheck in December, it’s an open question whether Fitch will even accept a title fight if it’s offered to him, since he and Koscheck are friends and training partners.

And so while UFC President Dana White has said Fitch earned the No. 1 contender position with his victory, I’m not so sure that Fitch’s next fight will be for the title. I think it’s more likely that we’re going to see Fitch put into the Octagon with someone else (maybe the Jake Shields-Martin Kampman winner) as he continues his role as the welterweight division’s permanent gatekeeper. Fitch is a great fighter, but I view him less as a No. 1 contender than as a guy who’s stuck at No. 2.

Find out how I rank the rest of the welterweight division below.