Jason Reinhardt hoped to reinvigorate himself by dropping down to bantamweight for his last fight.
He may have done that, but his loss to Edwin Figueroa at UFC on Versus 5 10 days ago was enough for the promotion to hand him his walking papers. Sources close to Reinhardt told MMA Fighting on Tuesday that Reinhardt has been released by the UFC.
Reinhardt, who was the oldest active fighter in the UFC, was in his second stint with the promotion. All three of his career losses came in UFC fights.
Reinhardt (20-3, 0-3 UFC) first fought in the UFC at UFC 78 in November 2007. After starting his career 18-0 fighting mostly in his native Illinois, as well as Iowa and Indiana, Reinhardt was picked up by the UFC for a fight against Joe Lauzon. Lauzon submitted him just 1:14 into the first round.
After picking up two more wins on regional shows, Reinhardt again got the call from Zuffa, this time to fight Tiequan Zhang at WEC 51 in a lightweight fight on short notice. But he had to withdraw from the bout when he failed his eye exam.
Reinhardt got his shot at Zhang several months later at UFC 127 in February – with both he and Zhang dropping to featherweight for the fight. Zhang submitted him 48 seconds into the first round.
But despite another quick UFC loss, Reinhardt got another shot – and reportedly at the urging of matchmaker Joe Silva, dropped to bantamweight. Against Figueroa at UFC on Versus 5 earlier this month, Reinhardt heard the boo-birds when he circled around the outside of the cage for more than a minute without engaging, then taunted Figueroa to engage him and was seen telling him, “I can do this all night.” Once Figueroa caught him, Reinhardt needed to be saved by the bell in the first round. And in the second round, Figueroa ended things quickly with a TKO.
In Reinhardt’s three UFC fights, he competed in three weight classes for a total of just 7:52 in the Octagon. Reinhardt’s fight against Figueroa was just the third time in his career he had seen the second round. Eighteen of his 20 wins have been first-round stoppages, and he has 16 career submission wins. But his success outside the UFC – as what critics have called a can crusher – didn’t translate to success in the UFC.
Reinhardt recently began training in Las Vegas with Wanderlei Silva‘s Wand Fight Team, and he has said his plan is to move to Las Vegas permanently to continue training.
On his Facebook page, Reinhardt said he plans on getting back to the UFC: “I’m staying positive, recovering, and I will have my (butt) back in the gym ASAP,” Reinhardt said. “I love the UFC and how they treated me … All I have to do is win a couple fights in another organization and I will be back.”
But he is, apparently, the type to call everyone out. Not yet 48 hours removed from what he called the biggest win of his career – and that includes winning and defending the WEC lightweight title – Henderson kept his options for what’s next wide ranging.
“I want to fight everybody,” Henderson told host Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour” on Tuesday. “Literally. I want to beat everybody on the 155-pound roster in the UFC. I want to smash everybody. I want everybody put on notice. I’m not coming for a belt. I’m coming to beat you.”
Henderson was a slight underdog Sunday against Jim Miller, who had built up the UFC’s longest winning streak outside champions Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre with seven straight victories. But after surviving some first-round submission attempts from Miller, Henderson turned on the heat and dominated the fight, even winning 30-26 on one judge’s scorecard.
UFC president Dana White had intimated that Miller was in line for the next title shot if he took out Henderson. With that scenario off the table after Sunday night, White and matchmaker Joe Silva have a decision on their hands, and Henderson could be at the heart of it.
The former WEC champ, who lost his title in December to Anthony Pettis after Pettis delivered his now-famous kick-off-the-cage to Henderson’s face, sees no reason why he shouldn’t’ get the next title shot after Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard rematch on Oct. 8.
“My job is to fight,” Henderson said. “I will say if Dana, Lorenzo (Fertitta), Sean (Shelby) and Joe give me a title shot, I will take it and I will have a great performance. But if it’s not a title shot, that’s fine too. Going against the No. 1 contender, after you have that sort of performance against the No. 1 contender, what else is there? Not a close decision, not squeak by … what’s the next logical step? There’s the winner of the title fight.”
Some of the other names in the lightweight division that have gotten traction are Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard and Donald Cerrone. Guillard has won five straight, but already has a fight booked against Joe Lauzon at UFC 136, the same night Edgar and Maynard rematch for Edgar’s belt. Cerrone just beat Charles Oliveira to see his streak reach five – three in the UFC after winning his last two WEC bouts. Guida is coming off a unanimous decision win over Pettis, who was the top contender until the Edgar-Maynard draw put him in a holding pattern that Guida spoiled.
Guillard, Guida and Cerrone are all members of the Greg Jackson camp and aren’t likely to fight each other any time soon. So the fight that has been mentioned the most is between Guida and Henderson, with the winner getting next crack at the belt.
“If you think about it, Guida beat the No. 1 contender in Pettis, and I beat Jim Miller who was No. 1 contender,” Henderson said. “So I guess it does make sense for him and I to match up. I have no problem with that. Guida, we know, will fight anyone. But why fight someone if you can get the next title shot? Why take an extra fight if you can get the title shot?”
Guida may be thinking the same thing – why fight Henderson, risk a loss and get sent to the back of the pack the way Henderson did to Miller and Guida did to Pettis? Which means that they’re both likely just waiting for the UFC to make a decision.
Tuesday, also on “The MMA Hour,” Henderson’s agent, Malki Kawa, said he sees no reason his client shouldn’t just be next in line. Though Henderson has only won two straight fights, both in the UFC, his only loss since 2007 came to Pettis in December, and it was a fight that likely was decided by Pettis’ kick in the final minute of the fight. Had Henderson won the fifth round, he would have walked away with a split decision win instead of a unanimous decision loss.
“I think he deserves a title shot,” Kawa said “My philosophy is, Jim MIller was the No. 1 contender. To me, (Henderson) beat up the outright No. 1 contender. He didn’t just beat the guy in a close fight – he dominated this guy. He separated himself from a lot of guys.”
Henderson said he prefers more time than most in between fights so he can actually find the areas he needs to improve and work on them. And thanks to some elbows to Miller’s head, he’ll be waiting on the results of an X-ray, too. If he is to get the next lightweight title shot, he’ll likely have plenty of time to wait. Assuming the winner of Edgar-Maynard comes out of that fight reasonably healthy, his first defense is not likely until early 2012 at the soonest.
But he is, apparently, the type to call everyone out. Not yet 48 hours removed from what he called the biggest win of his career – and that includes winning and defending the WEC lightweight title – Henderson kept his options for what’s next wide ranging.
“I want to fight everybody,” Henderson told host Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour” on Tuesday. “Literally. I want to beat everybody on the 155-pound roster in the UFC. I want to smash everybody. I want everybody put on notice. I’m not coming for a belt. I’m coming to beat you.”
Henderson was a slight underdog Sunday against Jim Miller, who had built up the UFC’s longest winning streak outside champions Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre with seven straight victories. But after surviving some first-round submission attempts from Miller, Henderson turned on the heat and dominated the fight, even winning 30-26 on one judge’s scorecard.
UFC president Dana White had intimated that Miller was in line for the next title shot if he took out Henderson. With that scenario off the table after Sunday night, White and matchmaker Joe Silva have a decision on their hands, and Henderson could be at the heart of it.
The former WEC champ, who lost his title in December to Anthony Pettis after Pettis delivered his now-famous kick-off-the-cage to Henderson’s face, sees no reason why he shouldn’t’ get the next title shot after Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard rematch on Oct. 8.
“My job is to fight,” Henderson said. “I will say if Dana, Lorenzo (Fertitta), Sean (Shelby) and Joe give me a title shot, I will take it and I will have a great performance. But if it’s not a title shot, that’s fine too. Going against the No. 1 contender, after you have that sort of performance against the No. 1 contender, what else is there? Not a close decision, not squeak by … what’s the next logical step? There’s the winner of the title fight.”
Some of the other names in the lightweight division that have gotten traction are Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard and Donald Cerrone. Guillard has won five straight, but already has a fight booked against Joe Lauzon at UFC 136, the same night Edgar and Maynard rematch for Edgar’s belt. Cerrone just beat Charles Oliveira to see his streak reach five – three in the UFC after winning his last two WEC bouts. Guida is coming off a unanimous decision win over Pettis, who was the top contender until the Edgar-Maynard draw put him in a holding pattern that Guida spoiled.
Guillard, Guida and Cerrone are all members of the Greg Jackson camp and aren’t likely to fight each other any time soon. So the fight that has been mentioned the most is between Guida and Henderson, with the winner getting next crack at the belt.
“If you think about it, Guida beat the No. 1 contender in Pettis, and I beat Jim Miller who was No. 1 contender,” Henderson said. “So I guess it does make sense for him and I to match up. I have no problem with that. Guida, we know, will fight anyone. But why fight someone if you can get the next title shot? Why take an extra fight if you can get the title shot?”
Guida may be thinking the same thing – why fight Henderson, risk a loss and get sent to the back of the pack the way Henderson did to Miller and Guida did to Pettis? Which means that they’re both likely just waiting for the UFC to make a decision.
Tuesday, also on “The MMA Hour,” Henderson’s agent, Malki Kawa, said he sees no reason his client shouldn’t just be next in line. Though Henderson has only won two straight fights, both in the UFC, his only loss since 2007 came to Pettis in December, and it was a fight that likely was decided by Pettis’ kick in the final minute of the fight. Had Henderson won the fifth round, he would have walked away with a split decision win instead of a unanimous decision loss.
“I think he deserves a title shot,” Kawa said “My philosophy is, Jim MIller was the No. 1 contender. To me, (Henderson) beat up the outright No. 1 contender. He didn’t just beat the guy in a close fight – he dominated this guy. He separated himself from a lot of guys.”
Henderson said he prefers more time than most in between fights so he can actually find the areas he needs to improve and work on them. And thanks to some elbows to Miller’s head, he’ll be waiting on the results of an X-ray, too. If he is to get the next lightweight title shot, he’ll likely have plenty of time to wait. Assuming the winner of Edgar-Maynard comes out of that fight reasonably healthy, his first defense is not likely until early 2012 at the soonest.
(“Sorry, God. I didn’t ask to be this awesome.” Props: UFC.com)
The UFC paid out $838,000 in disclosed payouts and bonuses to the fighters at Sunday’s UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle event, according to figures released by Wisconsin’s Department of Safety and Professional Services. Chris “The Bonus Snatcher” Lytle and Donald Cerrone were the only competitors who broke the six-figure mark, with Dan Hardy’s haul landing just short.
The numbers are below; keep in mind that they don’t include additional income from sponsorships and undisclosed “locker room” bonuses, or deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees.
Chris Lytle: $200,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus, $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus, $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Dan Hardy: $90,000 (includes $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Ben Henderson: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Jim Miller: $35,000
Donald Cerrone: $109,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus, $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Charles Oliveira: $12,000
(“Sorry, God. I didn’t ask to be this awesome.” Props: UFC.com)
The UFC paid out $838,000 in disclosed payouts and bonuses to the fighters at Sunday’s UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle event, according to figures released by Wisconsin’s Department of Safety and Professional Services. Chris “The Bonus Snatcher” Lytle and Donald Cerrone were the only competitors who broke the six-figure mark, with Dan Hardy’s haul landing just short.
The numbers are below; keep in mind that they don’t include additional income from sponsorships and undisclosed “locker room” bonuses, or deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees.
Chris Lytle: $200,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus, $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus, $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Dan Hardy: $90,000 (includes $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Ben Henderson: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Jim Miller: $35,000
Donald Cerrone: $109,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus, $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Charles Oliveira: $12,000
Underpaid: Based on level of difficulty, Ed Herman probably should have won the $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus for his first-round heel-hook submission of Kyle Noke. Instead, Dan Hardy dives directly into a guillotine choke, and Chris Lytle walks off with another bonus. Times have been tough for Short Fuse due to his long injury layoff last year, and I’m sure the extra cash would have been nice.
Overpaid: Lets just say that Jason Reinhardt is leaving the UFC with six grand that he didn’t earn. Good riddance, Steve Carell-on-meth.
Shawn Tompkins death ruled a heart attack. Tompkins’ manager, Gary Ibarra reveals family’s history of heart disease. Jon Fitch expected back in the cage at UFC 139 in San Jose, rumored opponent is Johny Hendricks..
Shawn Tompkins death ruled a heart attack. Tompkins’ manager, Gary Ibarra reveals family’s history of heart disease.
Jon Fitch expected back in the cage at UFC 139 in San Jose, rumored opponent is Johny Hendricks.
UFC on Versus 5 produces 6 indefinite medically suspended fighters including: Jim Miller, Amir Saddolah, Duane Ludwig, C.B. Dollaway, Kyle Noke, and T.J Obrien. Full breakdown of all 12 suspensions: here.
UFC on Versus 5 salaries and bonuses released. Chris Lytle highest paid at $200,000. More here.
UFC on Versus 6 to feature Fabricio Maldonado vs. Aaron Rosa.
Filed under: UFCUFC on Versus: Hardy vs. Lytle could have been the rarest of events that saw both main event fighters exit the UFC right after competing. Instead, it saw Chris Lytle walk away on a glorious note, retiring after his submission win, while…
UFC on Versus: Hardy vs. Lytle could have been the rarest of events that saw both main event fighters exit the UFC right after competing. Instead, it saw Chris Lytle walk away on a glorious note, retiring after his submission win, while Dan Hardy was given one more chance from UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta despite losing his fourth straight bout.
In reality, it was a fair conclusion for both fighters, who fought a hard-nosed battle for nearly 15 minutes before the ending. Lytle gets the distinction of walking away on a high while Hardy is afforded the opportunity to decompress, clear his mind and determine a new course of action going forward. While any thoughts of returning back to contender status are for off into the future, he has a pulse, and for now, that will have to do.
With that, we take a look at what might be next for Hardy and the rest of UFC on Versus 5‘s key participants, in this edition of The Forward Roll.
Dan Hardy
It’s been a brutal 17-month stretch for Hardy, who lost bouts to Georges St-Pierre, Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson and now Lytle. Afterward, he mentioned wanting to take some time off, and that’s a request that should be granted. Losing is often harder on the mind than the body, and Hardy should get the chance to heal both.
Hopefully, we don’t see him back in the octagon until spring is breaking. Given a lengthy layoff, it’s tough to project who he might face — a lot will happen in the next six or seven months — but someone like TJ Grant or Amir Sadollah sounds about right.
Ben Henderson
Casting aside Lytle’s emotional goodbye, Henderson was the star of the show, with a spectacular performance against Jim Miller in a high-stakes bout.
The fact that Miller was riding a seven-fight win streak made it impressive enough as it was, but having seen Miller throughout his career, we can say that he just doesn’t get dominated like that. Not even current champ Frank Edgar or current No. 1 contender Gray Maynard handled him the way Henderson did. Impressively, he continues to improve his standup game, but does his best work with wrestling and ferocious ground and pound. He also keeps a ridiculous pace, even for a lightweight.
The performance should quiet all doubters about Henderson’s ability and just how far he can go. It also rockets him up the contenders list, and he gets stars from here onward.
The next man on his list should be Clay Guida, who is riding a four-fight win streak and has nothing scheduled. The winner should next fight for the title.
Jim Miller
Sure he gets knocked down a couple of pegs, but given his recent run, there’s no reason to write Miller off as a future No. 1 contender.
The good news for him is that there is such a glut of top lightweights that there should be no problems in finding him a good matchup. The two best possibilities may be Dennis Siver, who is currently riding a four-fight win streak, or Sam Stout, who is coming off a fantastic knockout over Yves Edwards. Another possibility is Anthony Pettis, who lost to Guida in June.
Donald Cerrone
Previously considered an uneven performer, Cerrone seems to have figured out the issues that led to slow starts in the past. His first-round TKO win over the promising Charles Oliveira was his third victory of 2011 and fifth straight overall.
A good next step for him would be Jeremy Stephens, who has captured four of his last five, with his only loss coming in a close split-decision.
Charles Oliveira
For the first time in his career, Oliveira looked outmatched in the loss to Cerrone, who easily handled him in the striking and overwhelmed him on the ground. After losses in two of his last three, he has a decision to make as far as if he wants to stay in the 155-pound division or move to featherweight.
The UFC usually doesn’t force their hand in these matters, but they could cut Oliveira if they wanted to, so they have the leverage to ask him to reconsider a move. I think he will try 145. Let’s throw him in with a ground shark like Javier Vazquez and see if he sinks or swins.
Duane Ludwig
After a long welterweight run, Ludwig returned to welterweight and has now won two straight after throttling Amir Sadollah. The knock on Ludwig has always been grappling troubles, and his last two matchups have been favorable as he’s faced a pair of strikers.
That should change in his next match, but it probably won’t. Instead, the UFC will likely match him up in another bout that will guarantee good standup action. Let’s slot him in to face Matt Brown.
Jared Hamman
The wiry Hamman always seemed out of place among the UFC’s massive light-heavyweights. In his middleweight debut, he looked to be in the right class.
As a relative newcomer to the division, he shouldn’t be rushed along. Rafael Natal is about right.
EdHerman
It’s hard to be believe, but Herman and Michael Bisping are the only two fighters remaining in the UFC from season three of The Ultimate Fighter. Unfortunately, he’s had terrible luck with injuries, missing nearly two years of action before returning with back-to-back wins.
He was fighting Aaron Simpson when he first injured his knee. It would be nice to give him another crack at Simpson, but the “A-Train” already has a fight scheduled in October, so we’ll have to go to plan B, Constantinos Philippou.
Joseph Benavidez
Benavidez is in a terrible position right now, stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock is Dominick Cruz, who has beaten him twice, yet is standing in front of him as the champion, meaning no rematch is likely anytime soon. The hard place is the lack of a flyweight division, which he will likely relocate to as soon as the UFC institutes it. So he is left to continue on with little chance of fighting for a belt until either Cruz loses or the UFC makes the move for 125-pounders.
There really aren’t many compelling fights for him right now. One possibility is a Miguel Torres rematch. The other is surging 20-year-old Michael McDonald.
It is a somber day amongst the MMA community as we say a collective goodbye to “The Coach” Shawn Tompkins who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, August 14th in Canada at the age of 37..
It is a somber day amongst the MMA community as we say a collective goodbye to “The Coach” Shawn Tompkins who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, August 14th in Canada at the age of 37. MMA Fix has only grattitude and respect for Shawn Tompkins. We extend our hearts and support to the Tompkins family.
UFC on Versus 5 drew $539,000 at the gate with 6,751 in attendance.
Chris Lytle officialy retires following submission win over Dan Hardy at UFC on Versus 5.
Lorenzo Fertitta gives Dan Hardy at least one more chance in the UFC.
Ryan Couture will face Maka Watson at Strikeforce Challengers 19. Watson is currently (4-1) in his pro MMA record. 3 of his wins come via submission.
Following Ben Henderson‘s Unanimous Decision win over Jim Miller at UFC on Versus 5, Clay Guida campaigns for next title shot.
Ronda Rousey hopes to return to the Strikeforce cage immediately following her controversial win over Sarah D’Alelio where it appears, referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight after being told by Rousey (and not hearing it himself) that D’Alelio verbally tapped at Friday night’s Strikeforce Challengers 18.
Jason Reinhardt hoped to reinvigorate himself by dropping down to bantamweight for his last fight. 
UFC on Versus: Hardy vs. Lytle could have been the rarest of events that saw both main event fighters exit the 