Author: Steve Cofield

It turned out Gray Maynard was trying out last night during his Ultimate Fight Night 20 win over Nate Diaz. Maynard won a close decision but the fight was sloppy at times and "The Bully’s" took a beating. He needed to wow the powers that be to earn a title shot against UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn. 

During his New York media blitz to announce Flash Entertainment/Abu Dhabi’s 10 percent purchase of the UFC, UFC president Dana White explained why he tabbed Frank Edgar as Penn’s next challenger.

"We gotta put people in there who have a better shot at beating B.J. Penn. And Gray Maynard didn’t sell me on that last night," said White.

Maynard used his size and wrestling to dominate Edgar back at UFN 13, but clearly the little guy has moved back ahead of the unbeaten Maynard in the pecking order.

"Frankie Edgar has looked great in his last few fights and he’s been dominating good opponents."  

Edgar will meet Penn at UFC 112 Apr. 10 in Abu Dhabi. Maynard and his coaches Randy Couture and Gil Martinez didn’t exactly scream and yell for a title shot last night during the UFN 20 postfight press conference. They even suggested Maynard might need more seasoning (VIDEO).

White and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta also expanded on the news of the transaction with Abu Dhabi. 

The show featured "The next Anderson Silva" and a Mexican fighter with lots of potential but it’s starting to look like the best young prospect who should’ve emerged from Season 8 of "The Ultimate Fighter" was Evan Dunham. One problem, he wasn’t on the show. The native Oregonian said he would’ve loved to have been on the show but always seemed to find about tryouts too late. He got his revenge last night by taking out the TUF 8 champ Efrain Escudero and did it in scary fashion by nearly dislocating him arm. Escudero went to to the hospital where he was told there was tendon damage and he was fitted with a sling. 

The biggest mystery in MMA just got more interesting with Randy Couture reiterating that Brock Lesnar’s recovery is way ahead of what Dana White has been suggesting. Couture first told HDNet’s Inside MMA and again repeated to Cagewriter that he spoke with Lesnar, who already said he was training.

"He was very upbeat and very positive," said Couture. "[He] said that he was training again but he wasn’t cleared yet to get on the mat and that he felt way better and that he’d be back in the spring." 

Couture also said he was under the impression Lesnar already had his surgery and the situation was under control. That was Monday morning before Ultimate Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Va. Meanwhile four hours later, White was still telling the Chad Dukes and LaVar Arrington Show on WJFK in Washington, D.C. that Lesnar may be out 16-18 months. So what’s the real story? Is White setting us up for a dramatic return in the next few weeks? 

Gray Maynard thought he was ready to take on UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn but after last night’s win over Nate Diaz, he may have a few doubts. Mind games play a big part before and during a fight. Maynard, about as even keeled a fighter on the UFC roster, lost his head early against Diaz and his gameplan went out the window.

"He just tries to punk everybody. I was trying to keep it cool the whole time, the whole camp. I was a little pissed even before [saying to myself] he ain’t going to try and punk me."

As a result, all that great boxing and footwork Maynard exhibited during his wins over Jim Miller and Roger Huerta were replace by crazy roundhouses, lunging and poor balance.

His mentor Randy Couture said Maynard learned a lesson:

"You can’t let anybody get in your head. You can’t allow that to distract from your job, your goal or what you’re trained to do. He got caught up in Diaz’s attitude."

This might make Maynard a target in the future.

"There’s a lot of guys out there with an attitude and a persona. It’s easy to get caught up in that,. That’s what they look for, that’s what they want. They want you to be emotional. They want to quit thinking about beating them. He was trying rip his head off with one good one."

As it moved along the fight got sloppy and nasty with both fighters talking and gesturing a lot. It actually brought more than a few booes from the 8,500 in attendace in Fairfax, Va.

"It was more of a scrap," said Maynard, who apologized in the cage. "I was probably more apologizing to [my boxing coach] Gil [Martinez]."

Now what happens if Maynard gets Penn? Penn is great fight prefight and in fight trash talker. Couture pointed that maybe this was a good thing, to get these kind of shenanigans out of the way. 

After strong whispers over the weekend that multiple trips by UFC officials to Abu Dhabi were to negotiate the sale of a 10 percent minority stake, the news became official today when the promotion released the information to AP:  

UFC
co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta told The Associated Press that the deal with Flash
Entertainment, a subsidiary owned by the emirate’s government, was done to
create increased value for UFC and help the mixed martial arts league expand in
the Middle East and Asia.

Neither Fertitta nor Ossama Khoreibi, chairman of Flash,
would estimate UFC’s worth or say what Flash paid for the newly issued shares in
Zuffa LLC, its parent company. Fertitta says terms of the deal are
confidential.

Reports initially surfaced back in October that the UFC was looking for minority investors: 

"We made the decision early on that if we were to bring on
a partner, it wasn’t for financial reasons," Fertitta said. "We didn’t need to
raise any money, that wasn’t the purpose. If we were going to bring somebody it
was going to be with someone that could really be a true strategic partner and
could help create an increased value for the company long term."

Flash is now ahead of Dana White in the ownership pecking order. White owns nine percent, Flash owns 10 percent while the Fertittas, Lorenzo and his brother Frank III, each own 40.5 percent.

The infusion of money also opens speculation that the Fertittas could use the money as a crutch for their struggling gaming company, Station Casinos:

Fertitta would not say what would be done with the money Flash invested or
whether it would stay in UFC. Station
Casinos Inc., where Frank Fertitta is chairman and CEO and Lorenzo Fertitta
is vice chairman, has a pending bankruptcy case in Nevada that is separate from
UFC.

It’s all part of the UFC’s plan for global expansion:

"The sport has incredible potential and the commercial
opportunities were very obvious to us," Khoreibi said.

"We’re building a global brand," Fertitta said. "It’s never
been done before in the fight business."

Another UFC trip to the east coast was well worth it at the cash register. Ultimate Fight Night 20 sold out George Mason’s Patriot Center with 8,500 fans and a gate of $730,000. According to UFC PR it was a record for any Fight Night card.

UPDATE: MMAJunkie points out that UFN 13 in Denver had a listed live gate of $753,429.

The big gate helped bump up the cash awards to $30,000. Aaron Simpson and Tom Lawlor got fight of the night. Gerald Harris was awarded knockout of the night and Evan Dunham got submission of night for his armbar of Efrain Escudero. 

The UFC last visited the east coast for UFC 101 in Philadelphia. Before that, it was UFC 78 in Newark, N.J. There’s already several more trips planned to come back this way with UFN 21 rumored to be held Mar. 31 in Charlotte. The UFC is going to make its debut in Boston in August. 

Anytime you fight a Diaz it can turn ugly. Nate and his brother Nick, have a way of throwing guys off their games physically and mentally. Nate threw a wrench into Maynard’s smooth path to a UFC lightweight title shot. "The Bully"  became a one punch fighter and brawler but it was just enough to eek out a split decision win 28-29, 30-27 and 29-28. The former Michigan State wrestler remains unbeaten and he may have earned himself a shot against B.J. Penn.

"The gameplan and technique went out the window once I saw that dude across from me and I just wanted to throw," said Maynard. "I saw his face and I wanted to fight. It was stupid but I hope you guys enjoyed it."

Maynard and Diaz gestured at each other, dropped their hands and often raised them to the crowd in the middle of the action. The fight featured a lot of wild swinging from Maynard while Diaz employed his pawing style with lots of pitter, pat shots. Maynard did land some big shotss and put Diaz down momentarily on several occasions. 

Now the question is, did Maynard (9-0, 7-0 UFC) do enough to secure that fight against Penn on Apr. 10 in Abu Dhabi? Maynard asked the crowd if they wanted to see him fight Penn. He got a mixed reaction.

"I ain’t gonna make a cheesy speech about students and masters. If they want it, I’m here for him. UFC if you want me to do it, let’s fight." 

Maynard and Diaz had a history dating back to their stint on Season 5 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Diaz bested Maynard via submission in the semifinals. There was plenty of heat going into the fight as Diaz mocked Maynard’s improvement and called him a white belt.  

Evan Dunham is one tough hombre. He was on queer street for two minutes in the first round but came back to physically punish Efrain Escudero in the second and third rounds. Ninety seconds into the final round, Dunham transitioned from side control and eventually caught the champ from Season 8 of "The Ultimate Fighter" in an armbar. Escudero tried to hold out but his arm was being hyperextended badly. Referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight at 1:59 of the final round. 

Escudero (13-1, 3-1 UFC) laid on the mat for a few seconds and it looked like the arm was damaged badly. He was holding it and cringing as he walked back to the lockerroom. It was the first loss of Escudero’s career as Dunham pulled the upset as a plus-220 underdog. 

The end was a surprise after what was a completely one-sided opening round where Escudero teed off on Dunham. Escudero landed a big knee and then an uppercut that rocked Dunham. Two more rights and Dunham was on his butt. Escudero got on top but it probably wasn’t the right place to finish against a jiu-jitsu brown belt. Dunham (10-0, 3-0 UFC) scrambled and survived. He turned things around in the second and really overpowered Escudero on the ground. 

The guy’s a goof but it’s time middleweights start taking Tom Lawlor seriously. "Filthy" Tom took apart Aaron Simpson in the first round but it wasn’t enough to convince the judges who gave the former Arizona State wrestler the split decision win 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28. Cagewriter had it 29-28 for Lawlor while Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole scored it 28-28 with Lawlor grabbing a 10-8 round in the first. 

"Obviously,I’ve got a lot more I need to get better at," said the 35-year-old Simpson. "I think get rocked early, I think having that wrestling background. I mean I wrestled over 1,000 matches in my lfe." 

Lawlor, the reigning king of quirky ring entrances, walked to cage using Hulk Hogan’s music, "I am a Real American" and sported a lovely boa. Once in the cage, he used a counter right to destroy Simpson in the opening stanza. Simpson was lazy with his jab, leaving it out there for too long. Lawlor got him with counter rights throughout the first and second round. It was clear that Simpson couldn’t see the punch coming over the top.

"i’ve sparred soiuthpaws in the past but it was alittle different for me," said Simpson. "It’s one of those difficult things for you."

Lawlor’s pace slowed in the second but he still landed the more significant shots.

Simpson (7-0, 3-0 UFC) did a good job of coming back from the brink in the final round by landing a couple of takedowns. The crowd booed loudly after the decision was announced, then it wwas scolded by UFC color analyst Joe Rogan in the Octagon.

It’s been a long road for Amir Sadollah since winning Season 7 of "The Ultimate Fighter." He’s suffered a ton of injuries and missed several fights. Tonight, you could see why he’s regarded as such a good prospect. In just his fourth pro fight, Sadollah dominated veteran Brad Blackburn to score a unanimous decision win, 30-27 on all three cards. Sadollah gets his third career win in front of the home crowd in the first televised fight at Ultimate Fight Night 20 on Spike. 

"It was so cool [fighting at home]," said Sadollah. "It was the first time in my life that I had a crowd chanting my name. I was so glad I can fight here in Virginia. The crowd was unbelievable.."

Blackburn was hanging with Sadollah for the first four minutes of the fight. He was countering well but then Sadollah’s array of kicks began to take their toll. Sadollah rocked Blackburn with a beautiful combination, a straight left followed by a right uppercut. Blackburn was on wobbly legs. Sadollah almost ended the fight at the start of the third when he crushed Blackburn with a big knee. Oddly, both times Sadollah (3-1, 3-1 UFC) had Blackburn (15-9, 3-1 UFC) in real trouble, he chose to take the fight to the ground.

"I felt like if I saw an opportunity to take him down I would, but I wasn’t afraid to bang I out on my feet. He likes to control the pace of the fight and I was trying to find a balance of respecting his power and being able to go on the offensive."

He did plenty of damage on the ground but not enough to finish the fight.

Chris Leben has plenty of experience and he’s shown a pretty well-rounded game at times but he’s always had a penchant to slug away standing. Leben clearly had a gameplan and it involved not playing into Jay Silva’s only strength, his stand-up game. Leben scored takedowns in all three rounds and rolled to a unanimous decision win, 30-27 on all three cards, to snap a two-fight losing streak.

"Everytime I go out there I look for the knockout but the strategy was working so well and I needed this win so badly that I decided to stay with the ground game."

Leben worked for a rear-naked choke for four-plus into the first round after quickly converting a takedown to the mount. Silva did a nice job of holding out. In the final two rounds, Silva simply wasn’t active enough to stay out of Leben’s clinch-game.

Silva was a great story on paper. A bouncer until 2007, he began training jiu-jitsu in the New York area and then befriended former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson, who moved him out to California in 2008. Silva was fabulous in a debut loss to C.B. Dollaway but his takedown defense was weak in that fight. It really showed tonight against Leben, not exactly a guy who’s known as a top level grappler.

Leben (18-6, 8-5 UFC) needed this win. He’s fought personal issues and alcohol issues for years. He wad coming off terrible losses against Michael Bisping and Jake Rosholt. He tested positive after the Bisping fight and served a one-year suspension. The Rosholt fight was in his hometown, Portland at UFC 102, and he was put to sleep via arm-triangle choke. 

Even the most probing reporter couldn’t get a peep out of Tom Lawlor before his fight tonight at Ultimate Fight Night 20. The MMA world wanted to know what UFC’s clown prince would do for his ring entrance. At UFC 100, he entered to "Who let the dogs out?" with his buddy Seth Petruzelli alongside on a leash. At Sunday’s weigh-ins, he donned a mullet wig and glasses as a tribute to UFC 3 fighter Harold Howard. Tonight, who knows? Petruzelli does and he may have given away Lawlor’s secret.

You
know you’re at an MMA fight when a woman in the crowd is catcalling a
fighter who is writhing in pain on the ground. Nik Lentz was on the
receiving end of two vicious boots to the groin but there wasn’t much
mercy from the angry woman or Thiago Tavares. The Brazilian was super
aggressive down the stretch blasting away at Lentz. It was all for
naught because he had a point taken away on the second low blow. It
costs him the fight, scored a majority draw, 28-28, 28-28 and 27-29. 

Lentz
said in the cage he thought Tavares kicked him in the groin on purpose.
The second low blow left Lentz prone on the ground for three minutes at
the start of the third round. That’s when the lovely lady seated just
behind the media section began ripping Lentz.

"The second time it was a full blown thai kick right to the nuts. It wouldn’t have been that bad but if you can break a steel cup?" said
Lentz. "I have a crack down the middle of it. He did it on purpose. It was ridiculous. I would fight him
again but I know he wouldn’t do it."

Lentz also mentioned some first round numbness in his hand, saying he might have fractured the hand.  

STORY DOWNS LENNOX IN FIGHT OF THE NIGHT CANDIDATE

Jesse Lennox is one tough dude. He took a beating at the hands Rick Story.
Story was the crisper striker throughout and worked effectively on the
ground in the second nearly locking on a kimura. Lennox was competitive
throughout but judge Eric Colon saw a different fight giving him "The Ox"
the nod 29-28. The other two judges had it 30-27, awarding Story a split
decision victory.

"I was surprised. I was expecting him to go for more takedowns. I was a little bit taller than him and I had a little bit more reach. It’s the way I wanted it to go."

Story (9-3, 2-1 UFC) was effective throughout with body kicks.  

Rory MacDonald entered the Octagon with a lot of hype and didn’t disappoint. The 20-year-old Canadian looked strong on the ground and improved position whenever he wanted. Mike Guymon got caught in a bad position and couldn’t keep his arm secure from an armbar attempt. When MacDonald finally freed the arm and extended it for the armbar, Guymon tapped almost immediately at 4:27 of the first round.

"I’m a little disappointed with my performance," said the very demanding MacDonald. "But happy I got the win."

Guymon, 35, was the feel good story of the card. Last August, he tried to commit suicide. A veteran fighter and gym owner, on Aug.11 of 2009 he fought with his wife at home and rode off to find a police officer to assist in a suicide by cop. After a three-hour standoff, the situation was diffused, Guymon went into treatment and turned his life around. The UFC signed him to a four-fight deal in mid-October, but "The Joker" never got on track in this one. It was clear that his goal was to score takedowns and get top control. MacDonald thwarted Guymon’s takedown attempts and converted all of them to dominant positions.

MacDonald said he’d like to fight on the UFC card in Vancouver in June. He may get a fight before that. The kid is talented and there are lots of cards to fill between now and June. 

DOS ANJOS OVERPOWERS BRADLEY ON THE GROUND

Rafael Dos Anjos suffered one of the highlight reel knockouts of 2009 but the young Brazilian has bounced back to rip off two straight wins including tonight with a dominant unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all cards, over Kyle Bradley.

Dos Anjos scored multiple takedowns. The end of the first round set the tone for the rest of the fight. The Brazilian drilled Bradley with a front kick to his face and then rocked him with a right cross. In the second, Dos Anjos did his biggest damage of the fight. Working out of full guard, he landed some huge elbows with two minutes left in the round. The final round was much of the same as Bradley faded.

Dos Anjos (13-4. 2-2 UFC) lost at UFC 91 to Jeremy Stephens after absorbing a vicious uppercut. But he opened eyes at Ultimate Fight Night 18 by taking Tyson Griffin the distance. Since then he’s beaten Rob Emerson and now Bradley (14-7, 1-3 UFC).  

Not all "Ultimate Fighter" cast members walk the instant path to the UFC. Jesse Forbes from Season 3 made his return to the Octagon for the first time since his 2006 and a TUF 3 Finale loss to Matt Hamill. Now 25, with 16 pro fights under his belt, he looked like a legitimate middleweight. Veteran Nick "Jersey Devil" Catone was alittle too much for him as he lost a close decision 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 to open Ultimate Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Va. 

The first two rounds were razor thin. The entire 10 minutes were spent standing with the fighters trading hard shots. Give Catone credit, one of the first punches he absorbed, appeared to have broken his nose.

"He caught me with a couple of shots. I think the southpaw thing threw me off," Catone told UFC.com. "I kind of made the adjustment toward the middle of the first round." 

Catone sealed the win in that final round by scoring two takedowns. He was actually denied a chance to do major damage on the ground after the first takedown. Referee "Quick" Rick McCoy stood the fighters up without much cause even though it appeared Catone was active while sitting in Forbes’ full guard. It may have been the first time in recent UFC history that a crowd booed a referee for bringing a fight back to the feet.

"Jesse was stuffing my shots in the first two rounds, but I felt like I was able to get into a groove in the third round." 

Catone needed the victory. He dropped close fights at UFN 18 and UFC 102. 

"I was coming off two tough losses," said Catone. "It felt good to get the win under my belt and get the monkey off my back"

HARRIS GET HIS FIRST UFC WIN

Much like Forbes, Harris had a disappointing finish to his appearance during "The Ultimate Fighter." A Season 7 castmember, Harris never got a shot to fight at the TUF 7 Finale, in spite of more than competing during his round of eight fight against the eventual champion Amir Sadollah.

Harris, called in tonight to fight on short notice because of an injury to Tim Credeur, was the fresher fighter against John Salter. After a delberate pace in the first two rounds, he finished things off in the third. After scoring two takedowns, Harris got into a dominant position and wailed away with some good elbows. When he got in a clean left and right, referee Ryan McGovern saved Salter at 3:24 of the third.

"I heard him say ‘ugh’ like he was hurt so I kept punching. I ended up with a TKO in my first UFC fight so I can’t complain too much."

Salter was also fighting on short notice. He was called in on Tuesday when Mike Massenzio had to drop out of the fight. The late notice killed him. Salter was out of gas early in the fight but Harris never really looked willing to push the pace.

"I heard a couple of boos. I love to please the crowd but I have to make sure to stick to my gameplan and get the win first. I wanted to have a better showing but there will be other fights."

The Patriot Center, hosting Virginia’s first UFC fight, is about 75-percent full with nine more fights on the way.

Spike and the UFC have put together an intriguing card with title shots at stake and several intriguing prospects of all ages. Gray Maynard is fighting to keep his title hopes alive. A big win from Maynard over Nate Diaz, makes him the logical choice to face UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.

Is Aaron Simpson a legit prospect at 35 years old? He’ll face prankster Tom Lawlor. Chris Leben may be on his last legs with the UFC. "The Crippler" has lost two straight and faces Jay Silva (pictured) on the non-televised undercard. Silva just started fighting professionally in early 2008. Season 8 "Ultimate Fighter" winner Efrain Escudero has a tough challenge in Evan Dunham. Jesse Lennox and Rick Story is a strong candidate for fight of the night. We also get to see what Kyle Bradley brings against Rafael Dos Anjos after mandhandling TUF 8 runner-up Philipe Nover at UFC 98. Amir Sadollah faces a stiff test in veteran Brad Blackburn, which should be a standup war and lightweight prospect Thiago Tavares after 11 months off because of injury.

Yahoo! Sports is live cageside with fight-by-fight updates beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. If you’re looking for some underdogs with value. Silva has a shot but the price isn’t worth it at plus-115. Dunham (+220), Blackburn (+150), Lennox (+180) and Bradley (+250) all worth a play.

UFN 20 odds (Courtesy Venetian Resort Hotel Casino):
Nate Diaz (+280) v. Gray Maynard (-360) – Lightweight
Evan Dunham (+220) v. Efrain Escudero (-300) – Lightweight
Tom Lawlor (+200) v. Aaron Simpson (-250) – Middleweight
Brad Blackburn (+150) v. Amir Sadollah (-180) – Welterweight
Jay Silva (+115) v. Chris Leben (-145) – Middleweight
Mike Guymon (+210) v. Rory MacDonald (-270) – Welterweight
Jesse Lennox (+180) v. Rick Story (-220) – Welterweight
Kyle Bradley (+250) v. Rafael Dos Anjos (-330) – Lightweight
Nik Lentz (+200) v. Thiago Tavares (-250) – Lightweight
Jesse Forbes (+150) v. Nick Cantone (-180) – Middleweight
John Salter (+220) v. Gerald Harris (-300) – Welterweight

Tony Halme was a big, bad man. That’s what Randy Couture remembers as he got set to fight the Finnish giant at his UFC debut in August, Ga. way back in 1997. Couture was a winner that night and the rest is history as he picked up multiple UFC title belts on his way to becoming a UFC Hall of Famer. Halme’s path was a little different. He was professional wrestling before the UFC, a television star after his MMA fight and eventually got involved with Finnish politics. His post-UFC story came to a sad close yesterday when he was discovered dead at his home at the age of 47.

"Scared [expletive] comes to mind," Couture said about the night he faced Halme. "I didn’t see the [prefight video interviews but] my Mom was watching actually watching it on television from Seattle and started crying when he started talking about how he was going to rip my arms off.He was a 300-pound man, I was like ‘what have I gotten myself into? It was pretty crazy"

Couture won that night via rear-naked choke. Halme was "Ludvig Borga" in the WWF. His poltical career involved a stint in the Finnish parliament in 2003. Soon after, Halme had issues with firearms and drugs during several arrests. Currently police are saying there was no foul play involved in Halme’s death.

Couture also spoke to Cagewriter about Ultimate Fight Night 20. Xtreme Couture camper Gray Maynard is in the main event.

"Obviously his hands have been the biggest thing he’s improved on working with gil Martinez. He specifically got a lot of time in with Neil [Melanson] for this fight working on his ground fighting. And coming up with submission defense because he doesn’t want to get caught with something like he did in the exhibition match [Ultimate Fighter 5 semifinals] against Nate." 

Couture has a lot of respect for the Diaz brothers, Nate and Nick. He also addressed the issue of teammates of not wanting to fight each other. He thinks if it came down to it, Maynard would fight Tyson Griffin if the reward is a title shot against B.J. Penn.