MFC Continues Roster Expansion; Castillo vs. Southern Added to 36th Event

David Castillo (left) lands a left hook on Ricky Musgrave (right).
Photo via Sherdog.com 

The Maximum Fighting Championships continue their major additions to the roster with two new signings to their already stacked lightweight division.

Kurt Southern, a 10-3 Canadian prospect, was signed to a multi-fight contract with the Canadian promotion a few weeks back. He is a very welcome addition as he brings a very dangerous ground game and a very promising future to the MFC.

Southern’s debut will not be against an easy opponent though. David Castillo, a 30 year old veteran who holds wins over Gordon Bell and John Gunderson, also signed a multi-fight deal with MFC. He also trains out of Elite Performance with UFC vets like Jason Brilz, DaMarques Johnson, Travis Wiuff, and MMA legend Jeremy Horn.

Castillo brings one of the more impressive records to the ever-growing Maximum Fighting Championships with 22 fights and a 16-5 record. He’s won 6 of his last 9 fights and is coming off of a 3^rd round TKO loss to UFC vet and Alpha Male product in Justin Buchholz.

Southern, on the other hand, is riding a three fight win streak, including a first round submission win over Mukai Moromo, who will be fighting for the vacant lightweight title on the same card.

David Castillo vs. Kurt Southern is bound to produce fireworks wherever the fight goes as they both provide a well-rounded MMA game. The winner could also be granted a title shot against the winner of Mukai Moromo and Graham Spencer.

Castillo/Southern will be opening the main card of MFC 36 on February 15^th live on AXS TV. 

Related news:
Jay Silva Signing, Jason Zentgraf vs. Luke Harris Set

Official December MMA Rankings

Updated as of: 1/13/13

Heavyweight: 1) Cain Velazquez
2) Junior dos Santos
3) Alistair Overeem
4) Fabricio Werdum
5) Daniel Cormier
6) Frank Mir
7) Antonio Silva
8) Stefan Struve
9) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10) Josh Barnett

Contenders: Mark Hunt, Roy Nelson, Cheick Kongo, Mike Russow, Gabriel Gonzaga.
Name(s) to Watch: Stipe Miocic, Travis Browne, Alexander Volkov

Light Heavyweight: 1) Jon Jones
2) Rashad Evans
3) Dan Henderson
4) Lyoto Machida
5) Alexander Gustafsson
6) Shogun Rua
7) Phil Davis
8) Ryan Bader
9) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
10) Rampage Jackson

Contenders: Gegard Mousasi, Glover Teixeira, Anthony Johnson, Forrest Griffin.
Name(s) to Watch: James Te Huna

Middleweight: 1) Anderson Silva
2) Chris Weidman
3) Vitor Belfort
4) Chael Sonnen
5) Michael Bisping

6) Luke Rockhold

7) Mark Munoz
8) Yushin Okami
9) Brian Stann
10) Alan Belcher

Contenders: Costa Philippou, Tim Boetsch, Hector Lombard, Jake Shields, Cung Le, Ronaldo Souza.
Name(s) to Watch: Ronny Markes

Welterweight: 1) Georges St. Pierre
2) Johny Hendricks
3) Carlos Condit
4) Nick Diaz
5) Rory MacDonald
6) Jon Fitch
7) Martin Kampmann
8) Jake Ellenberger
9) Tarec Saffiedine
10) Ben Askren

Contenders: Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt, Josh Koscheck, Mike Pierce, Matt Brown.
Name(s) to Watch: Karl Amoussou, Tarec Saffiedine, Erick Silva.

Lightweight: 1) Ben Henderson
2) Frankie Edgar
3) Gray Maynard
4) Nate Diaz
5) Gilbert Melendez
6) Donald Cerrone
7) Anthony Pettis
8) Jim Miller
9) Michael Chandler
10) Clay Guida

Contenders: Joe Lauzon, Jamie Varner, Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez, TJ Grant, Matt Wiman.
Name(s) to Watch: Tim Means, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Marcin Held.

Featherweight: 1) Jose Aldo
2) Chad Mendes
3) Pat Curran
4) Ricardo Lamas
5) Chan Sung Jung
6) Dennis Siver
7) Hatsu Hioki
8) Cub Swanson
9) Nik Lentz
10) Erik Koch

Contenders: Dustin Poirier, Hacran Dias, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Daniel Straus, Darren Elkins.
Name(s) to Watch: Marcus Brimage, Dennis Bermudez, Max Holloway.

Bantamweight: 1) Dominick Cruz
2) Renan Barao
3) Urijah Faber
4) Michael McDonald
5) Eddie Wineland
6) Brian Bowles
7) Brad Pickett
8) Bibiano Fernandes
9) Scott Jorgensen
10) Raphael Assuncao

Contenders: Tyson Nam, Mike Easton, Eduardo Dantas, Marcos Galvao, Takeya Mizugaki, Yuri Alcantara.
Name(s) to Watch: Erik Perez, Francisco Rivera, Alex Caceres.

Flyweight: 1) Demetrious Johnson
2) Joseph Benavidez
3) John Dodson
4) Ian McCall
5) Darrel Montague
6) John Moraga
7) Jussier Formiga
8) John Lineker
9) Chris Cariaso
10) Darren Uyenoyama

Contenders: Louis Gaudinot, Mitsuhisa Sunabe, Mamoru Yamaguchi, Will Campuano, Yasuhiro Urushitani, Kentaro Watanabe.
Name(s) to Watch: Sean Santella, Josh Sampo, Tim Elliot, Sergio Pettis.

Women's Featherweight: 1) Cris Cyborg
2) Marloes Coenen
3) Milana Dudieva
4) Germaine de Randamie
5) Ediane Gomes
6) Elaina Maxwell
7) Julia Budd
8) Yana Kunitskaya
9) Romy Ruyssen
10) Hiroko Yamanaka

Contenders: Lauren Taylor, Ashley Sanchez, Fiona Maxwell.
Name(s) to Watch: Randi Miller, Veronica Rothenhausler.

Women's Bantamweight: 1) Ronda Rousey
2) Miesha Tate
3) Sara McMann
4) Alexis Davis
5) Sarah Kaufman
6) Liz Carmouche
7) Shayna Baszler
8) Sarah D’Alelio
9) Cat Zingano
10) Amanda Nunes

Contenders: Hitomi Akano, Leslie Smith, Shana Nelson.
Name(s) to Watch: Jessamyn Duke, Holly Holm

Women's Flyweight: 1) Rosi Sexton
2) Jessica Eye
3) Vanessa Porto
4) Barb Honchak
5) Zoila Gurgel
6) Sheila Gaff
7) Michelle Ould
8) Tara LaRosa
9) Munah Holland
10) Tonya Evinger

Contenders: Reyna Cordoba, Takayo Hashi, Kalindra Carvalho Faria.
Name(s) to Watch: Jocelyn Lybarger, Sarah Maloy.

Women's Strawweight: 1) Jessica Aguilar
2) Megumi Fujii
3) Carla Esparza
4) Ayaka Hamasaki
5) Katja Kankaanpaa
6) Joanne Calderwood
7) Seo Hee Ham
8) Claudia Gadelha
9) Felice Herrig
10) Aisling Daly

Contenders: Mei Yamaguchi, Bec Hyatt, Yuki Tsuji, Ashley Cummins, Patricia Vidonic.
Name(s) to Watch: Tecia Torres.

Women's Atomweight: 1) Jessica Penne
2) Naho Sugiyama
3) Kikuyo Ishiwaka
4) Michelle Waterson
5) Cassie Rodish
6) Yasuko Tamada
7) Lisa Ellis
8) Lacey Schuckman
9) Misaki Takimoto
10) Nicdali Rivera-Calonic

Contenders: Satomi Akano, Stephanie Frausto Liz McCarthy, Amy Davis.
Name(s) to Watch: Laura Marcusse.

Let us know what you guys think. Tell us in the comments or on Twitter @Champion_Rounds.

UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez Main Card Recap

This is only a little bit of blood compared to how much was actually shed.
Photo via Yahoo!

Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson: Man, this fight was painful to watch. Leben showed a very severe case of ring rust. He was slow, his cardio was garbage, and he just looked plain old. Brunson was clearly just stronger and had the better ground game. He outwrestled him and out-grappled him en route to a gruesome decision win. Leben might have to retire following that loss. I think he might even be released.

Possible matchups for Brunson: This was a huge win for the young wrestler in Brunson. Though he was riding two straight losses (though it should just be one loss to Jacare), Brunson deserves another stiff test. His cardio really isn’t as bad as this fight showed, it was most likely due to an adrenaline dump. Another fighter who is considered to be a very promising up and comer is Francis Carmont. The winner between these two should result in a big name matchup.

Possible matchups for Leben: If Leben doesn’t either retire or get released, he will be put with a smaller name fighter like Jared Hamman. That would be a loser goes home bout but could put on an awesome barnburner.

Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher: Yushin Okami is the Jon Fitch of the middleweight division: he smothers from bell to bell. Belcher just couldn’t stop it. There isn’t really much to say about this fight other than Okami evaded a few guillotine attempts and smothered his way to victory.

Possible matchups for Okami: This was a much needed win for the former title challenger. Though it wasn’t pretty, he did look very impressive. I would like to see him fight Hector Lombard, who is coming off of a very dominant first round KO victory over Rousimar Palhares.

Possible matchups for Belcher: Man, Belcher just couldn’t get anything going for about 14 minutes of this fight. He landed one or two solid punches and a couple OK guillotine attempts. Nothing else. I could honestly see the UFC setting up a fight with Karlos Vemola just to get him back on track.

Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou: After the first round, which was Boetsch pretty easily outwrestling Philippou, it seemed as though Tim was going to go on to a pretty easy decision win. But Philippou came out in the second round a new man. He cut Boetsch very bad on the forehead (though it seemed as though it was from an accidental headbut) and started to wear him down. He was landing more shots and stuffing all of Boetsch’s takedown attempts. Tim knew he wasn’t going to get anything going on the feet so he began to pull guard, which was a horrible decision. He did it about three times in rounds two and three. Each time he did pull guard, Philippou would beat and bloody him up, and bad enough to finish him halfway through the third.

Possible matchups for Philippou: If Boetsch would have beaten Philippou, he would have been put into a number one contender bout. So what does that say about Philippou’s future? Certainly not a number one contender match, but he is now very close to a title shot. Brian Stann is going to be fighting Wanderlei Silva next, so I expect a knockout in favor of Stann. If Stann wins that, I’d like to see him fight Philippou.

Possible matchups for Boetsch: This was a devastating loss for Boetsch, there is no two ways about it. We all knew he didn’t have elite skills in any aspect of MMA, just mediocre abilities. But he’s still at least a top-15 middleweight. Mark Munoz is in a similar position so I would like to see a fight between these two.

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon: It’s a shame that we already did our “End of the Year” awards because this could definitely be considered for Fight of the Year. Miller came out guns blazing and started to kick out Lauzon’s legs and sliced open his face with elbows in the clinch. There was so much blood that it was basically puddling up in Lauzon’s eyes while he was standing up. It was so dark that it looked as though his eyes were plucked out. These two guys wouldn’t stop; they just kept slugging it out and would have amazing scrambles on the ground. There aren’t many words that can describe the awesomeness of this fight.

Possible matchups for Miller: Even though this was an awesome back and forth fight with Lauzon having several good moments, Miller still looked fantastic. If Miller wants to put on another amazing fight, he should fight the winner of Diego Sanchez and Takanori Gomi. If Sanchez wins, a fight between him and Miller is definitely an instant Fight of the Year contender.

Possible matchups for Lauzon: Joe had some momentum coming into this fight and he’s still a very good fighter and one of the elite in the UFC’s lightweight division. But I don’t think that he should fight a top guy next. I think he should fight the winner of Paul Sass and Danny Castillo.

Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez: There’s not much you can really say about this fight other than that Velasquez absolutely mauled him. Dos Santos actually started off very well; he defended almost everyone of Velasquez’ takedown attempts, which there were many of. Halfway through the round though, Cain caught Dos Santos right on the chin while Dos Santos had his arms down. It almost knocked him clean out. I thought the fight was over but for all five rounds, Junior showed absolutely amazing heart. You can’t question Dos Santos’ toughness, heart, or chin. He is a true champion and he will come back stronger than ever.

Possible matchups for Velasquez: After recapturing his title in extremely dominant fashion, Cain is ready for the best. I think that the fight between Alistair Overeem and Antonio Silva is a number one contender match. So the winner of that should fight Cain next.

Possible matchups for Dos Santos: Due to the thinness of the heavyweight division, there aren’t a lot of matchups you can make for Dos Santos. I honestly think the best choices are either the loser of Overeem and Silva or the winner of Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve. Either way, any four of those matchups are great.

UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez Prelim Recap

Chris Cariaso vs. John Moraga: In a division as shallow as the flyweight division, two finishes in a row is mighty impressive. John Moraga has now won two fights in a row, one by knockout and one by submission. The first two rounds of this fight were a bit slow, more of a feeling out process than anything. Cariaso was throwing a lot of left head kicks and Moraga would try to counter it. That is really the story of the first two rounds. But Moraga came into the third with some urgency. Cariaso clinched and jumped into a modified guillotine. Moraga finished him shortly thereafter.

Possible matchups for Moraga: This huge win now puts Moraga at least one win away from a title shot. Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez are fighting at UFC 156 and the winner of that should fight Moraga in a number one contender bout.

Possible matchups for Cariaso: Cariaso was looking good up until he got caught in the guillotine. I would like to see him fight the winner of Phil Harris and Ulysses Gomez. All three of these guys are very talented but Harris vs. Gomez is a potential loser goes home bout.

Max Holloway vs. Leonard Garcia: This fight was…well… a Leonard Garcia fight. He was overly aggressive while being countered down the middle. He did fight with a lot more technique though, as he used a lot more head movement and more straight punches than usual. Holloway proved to be the more technical and out countered him throughout. Many people are saying that Garcia got robbed but you have to look at it this way: the first could have gone either way, the second was much of the same but everyone is leaning towards Garcia, and Holloway won the third. In other words, it could have gone either way, therefore it wasn’t a robbery. But robbery or not, Leonard Garcia is going to be released from the UFC.

Possible matchups for Holloway: Though this is a win over a pretty big name in Leonard Garcia for Max Holloway, it’s kind of a setback to be totally honest. He was a big favorite heading in but almost lost against a guy whose striking is far inferior to his in many ways. I don’t think Holloway is just yet ready for a step up so I would like to see him fight another up and comer. That fighter is Rony Jason, who is coming off of his TKO win over Sam Sicilia.

Phil de Fries vs. Todd Duffee: This fight went much like I envisioned: Duffee being aggressive and getting the finish early. He clipped Phil early but ended up being takedown and nearly finished. De Fries had him against the cage and was landing several very solid shots to the temple, but right after that, Duffee finished him off quick. There is no doubt that Duffee has a lot of power.

Possible matchups for Duffee: This now makes Duffee 2-1 in the UFC and right back on track. I have a feeling that he is going to be put on the fast track towards a title shot by the UFC. His knockout power and entertaining fighting style can make him a star in the mainstream spotlight. Pat Barry is another fighter that has similar fighting style: extremely powerful and entertaining. And he just happens to be coming off of a KO of the year candidate over Shane Del Rosario.

Possible matchups for De Fries: Though this loss only makes de Fries 2-2 in the UFC, his two losses are both via early KO losses. He should be put in a loser goes home bout next with the loser of Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow.

Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury: Right from the start, this fight was Myles Jury. Many people went in thinking that this fight was going to be a mismatch, including myself. Jury was just the better fighter. He controlled him everywhere the fight went, especially on the ground; getting takedowns and battering him with ground and pound. That’s what I envisioned Michael Johnson doing. Going into this fight, Johnson was considered to be a future title contender and many now believe that Jury took his position.

Possible matchups for Jury: With this huge win over Johnson, this launches Jury up the rankings. I was calling for a big name for Johnson but instead he got owned by lesser known prospect in Jury. Mac Danzig is coming off of a very close decision loss to Takanori Gomi, so I think he should fight Jury for either a rebound fight for Danzig or a big stepping stone for Jury.

Possible matchups for Johnson: This was a devastating loss for the Blackzilian product. It will certainly push him down the ladder quite a bit. I’d like to see him fight guy for a rebound like Fabricio Camoes, who is coming off of a decision loss to Melvin Guillard.

Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Gulliard: This fight was exactly as many expected: a barnburner from beginning to end with a great scrambles on the ground. Guillard opened the fight with a bunch of very solid legkicks but Varner ended up countering them with a nasty combo that almost knocked Guillard out. Varner ended up fighting smarter in the second round though, as he began to wrestle with Melvin, who is known to have a very poor ground game. It was a back and forth second round but Varner took it to the ground again. In the third round, Varner fought smart again and out-grappled Guillard. At one point, Varner did a reversed atomic bomb right on Guillard’s head. Yeah, it’s a tad hard to describe in words. It was a generally easy 30-27 for Varner and one of the judges gave it 30-27 to Guillard… Anyway, on to the matchups.

Possible matchups for Varner: This was an absolutely huge win for Varner. Guillard has a lot of name value so I want Varner to fight a top-10 or top-15 opponent again. I would like to see him fight the loser between Cerrone and Pettis. Cerrone and he have a huge rivalry that goes way back to 2009 at WEC 38. And Pettis vs. Varner would be an instant Fight of the Night.

Possible matchups for Guillard: It’s a shame that Guillard may never actually reach the greatness in which we all thought he could one day reach. I would like to see him fight another guy who is coming off of a decision loss like Mark Bocek. It could go either way with a KO from Guillard or a submission from Bocek.

Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth: Did anyone expect any different? Perez came right out and landed shots, pushing Bloodworth against the cage. After landing a nasty knee to the body and dropping Bloodworth, Perez swarmed and finished him soon after. This makes Bloodworth 0-2 with two TKO losses in the UFC. He’s not UFC quality.

Possible matchups for Perez: There were reasons as to why Perez was so hyped going into his fight and he showed it in his win over Bloodworth. I would like to see him fight the winner between Francisco Rivera and Edwin Figueroa. The winner would deserve a top-10 opponent.

Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland: From beginning to end, Eddie Wineland put on a striking clinic over Brad Pickett, and I have to admit, I was quite surprised. Wineland was just countering and landing with right hands the whole fight, battering Pickett’s face. He looked fantastic, much like his last win over Scotty Jorgensen.

Possible matchups for Wineland: Heading into this bout, there were very big title implications. Wineland dominated this fight so I would like to see him fight the winner of Renan Barao and Michael McDonald. With the technique and power that he brings to the table, he will be a handful for either fighter.

Possible matchups for Pickett: Poor Brad Pickett. He gets to a number one contender match, and loses. This has happened at least two or three times to him now. If he wants to make it back into contention, he should fight Mike Easton. A win over Easton could send him right back into contention.

CR's 2012 MMA Awards!

 We are doing an end of the year award post for this amazing year of MMA in 2012. We cover a variety of subjects and give you our take on what was the best of the best. Let us know your choices in the comments section below!

Sam’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Ronda Rousey: MMA had a rocky 2012, this is something that the UFC will try to change in in the year 2013. But when men’s MMA had a rocky year, women’s MMA had the best year in its history and it’s all due to one women: Ronda Rousey. Being a former Olympic bronze medalist, she smoothly made her transition into MMA with seven first round armbar finishes heading into 2012. After snapping Miesha Tate’s arm in half and doing much of the same to Sarah Kaufman in her first title defense, Rousey became a star. Her natural sex appeal, aggressive personality, and dominant fighting style put women’s MMA in the mainstream light. With what Rousey has done in only 365 days is what makes her the Fighter of the Year.

Fight of the Year – Chan Sung Jung def. Dustin Poirier via D’Arce choke at 1:07 of round 4: The equation for a fight of the year candidate consists of a back and forth brawl, people being dropped, submission attempts, and an exhilarating finish. This fight had that and a little more.  They slugged it on the feet, Jung went for multiple submissions in the second with almost getting a few, and ended up finishing Poirier with Poirier’s favorite technique. There was only one other fight that could be considered better and Dave picked it.

Round of the Year – Dustin Poirier def. Jonathan Brookins via D’Arce choke at 4:15 of round 1: Apparently Poirier loves to be in amazing fights. After he lost in his Fight of the Year bout against Jung, he was looking for a rebound fight against TUF winner, Jonathan Brookins. Brookins came out strong and aggressive, pushing Poirier against the fence and swinging for the fences. Poirier returned and eventually caught Brookins, dropping him into a sloppy takedown attempt. Poirier countered with a D’Arce choke and finished him off.

Submission of the Year – Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate via armbar at 4:27 of round 1: When picking a submission or knockout of the year, it will typically be a comeback win, the first of its kind, or a win with huge implications. This is the third, but we didn’t know it at the time. Rousey won the fight, but the huge explosion for women’s MMA is what causes this win to be my submission of the year. Also the arm snapping didn't hurt, well, except Miesha Tate.

KO of the Year – Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via KO (Spinning wheel kick) at 2:02 of round 3: Did you really expect anything else? This knockout was insane. I couldn’t stop watching it for weeks. Remember the three different things a “Finish Of the Year” would need? This was the first of its kind. No one has ever knocked anyone out with a spinning wheel kick in the UFC. And Etim just happened to be frozen in time while falling unconscious.

Upset of the Year – Jamie Varner def. Edson Barboza via TKO (punches) at 3:23 of round 1: Varner’s return was a very unexpected surprise but he was supposed to be absolutely blasted by Edson Barboza, who was coming off his win over Terry Etim. Varner was about a 5-1 underdog in the betting lines heading in, but an even bigger one in people’s opinions. Varner bum rushed him and easily finished him in the first round.

Event of the Year – UFC 144: With a card filled with brutal knockouts, awesome submissions, stunning upsets, insane comebacks, and all out wars, this card was absolutely nuts. Sure there were one or two fights that weren’t that great but seriously this card was one of the best in UFC history.

Comeback of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 3: Heading into this fight, Boetsch was meant to be a rebound win for Okami, who was coming off of his failed title shot. Okami was well on his way to a possible 30-26 or 29-27 decision win but Boetsch came out into the third round a different man. He completely demolished Okami in seconds into the third round, pulling off one of the best comebacks of all time and best upsets of the year.

Prospect of the Year – Max Holloway: At only 21 years old, Max Holloway has already amassed a 2-1 record in the UFC. He possesses some of the most technical striking in the UFC’s featherweight division. His last two wins over Justin Lawrence and Pat Schilling are just the beginning of what this young prospect can do.

Most Improved Fighter – Matt Brown: Heading into 2012, Matt Brown was on the brink of being released from the UFC. He was 1-4 with all his losses being submissions in the second round. His New Year resolution was apparently to become a better fighter, and boy did he succeed at that. He ended up going 4-0 in 2012 with two big upsets and three T/KO finishes. That is the definition of improved.

Moment of the Year – Jose Aldo Celebrating with Brazilian Crowd: At UFC 142 in Brazil, the featherweight champion Jose Aldo capped off the night with a first round KO win over Chad Mendes. After his win, he ran into the wild crowd. At first, I was worried because it seemed as though he was being mauled. But then he was put upon the shoulders of a fan and was carried while swinging the Brazilian flag. It was a very emotional and amazing scene.

Story of the Year – UFC 149 Injury Bug: Not only is this the story of the year because it’s insane, but because it’s extremely comical. The amount of injuries that this card sustained is absolutely mindboggling. I will give you a quick rundown of what happened: Bisping was replaced by Lombard against Boetsch. Yoshihiro Akiyama was supposed to fight Thiago Alves but pulled out, Siyar Bahadurzada filled in. Alves pulled out and Chris Clements filled in. Bahadurzada pulled out and Matt Riddle filled in. Thiago Silva was supposed to fight Shogun but pulled out and Shogun left the card to fight Brandon Vera later on. Jose Aldo, originally headlining against Erik Koch, pulled out and Urijah Faber and Renan Barao ended up headlining after Dominick Cruz pulled out of his fight with Faber. George Roop was supposed to fight Antonio Carvalho but pulled out and Daniel Pineda filled in. Big Nog, originally fighting Cheick Kongo, was still healing from his broken arm he got from Frank Mir. And last but not least, Claude Patrick was going to fight James Head but pulled out and Brian Ebersole filled in. It not only was terrible but led to one of the worst cards in MMA history.

Dave’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Matt Brown: Yes, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Brown went 4-0 with 3 of those being finished by (T)KO. He destroyed one of the most highly touted prospects in MMA in Stephen Thompson. And put a screeching halt to Mike Swick’s comeback ride. Brown not only did all of this in a dominating fashion but also made each fight incredibly fun to watch. Matt Brown is why I watch MMA. He is talented and fun to watch. And in 2012 Matt Brown was the best.

Fight of the Year – Joe Lauzon def. Jamie Varner via triangle choke at 2:44 of Round 3: This fight was freaking insane! Everyone watching this around me lost their minds on at least 5 different times. It was a back-and-forth affair that ended with a fantastic scramble that summed up the fight as a whole and got Lauzon back in the win column.

Round of the Year – Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert via RNC at 3:45 of Round 1: This round was my favorite because I was certain it was over 2 times and each time the other guy pulled it out somehow. Albert came at Menjivar like a wild animal. Albert was destroying him but Menjivar, the wily vet, kept his cool and somehow came back and won in one of the most fun fights you’ll ever see.

Submission of the Year – Wolfgang Janssen def. Aaron Armstrong via Flying Reverse Triangle at 1:57 of Round 2: This fight didn’t mean much and it was in a small promotion but it is one of the most amazing technical grappling maneuvers I have ever seen. He didn’t get lucky in a scramble and run with it. Janssen was looking for it and got it. Please go watch it on YouTube NOW!

KO of the Year – Johny Hendricks def. Martin Kampmann via KO at :46 of Round 1: Both of these guys had a ton of steam coming into this fight and it lived up to the hype. Most people thought Hendricks would outwrestle Kampmann but he instantly put a big left hand on Kampmann and Kampmann went flying back like a punch from Superman in a comic book. 46 seconds in and we found the scariest man at 170. Watch out GSP!

Upset of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO at :54 of Round 3: This fight was supposed to be a one sided beating, and for 2 rounds, it was. Most people thought Okami would just throw Boetsch around and blanket him, and for 2 rounds, he did. But then Boetsch decided to take Okami’s head off and he did. Incredible.

Event – UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort: I’m a little biased because I was there close to the action but the action was nonstop during this one. The night started out with 3 straight 1^st round finishes. Then there was Grant vs. Dunham which could have been Fight of the Year. Then Vinny Magalhaes’ submission over Igor Pokrajac was a thing of beauty. A few fun fights later and you get two amazing title fights! The first ever Flyweight Title fight which was a back-and-forth technical battle and then Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title against legend Vitor Belfort. That fight alone was amazing. All in all it was the best time I had watching MMA this year.

Comeback of the Year- Martin Kampmann def. Jake Ellenberger via TKO at 1:40 of Round 2: I thought Jake was going to destroy Martin. And he was well on his way to doing so until Martin somehow landed a knee out of nowhere that sent Jake to the ground in a heap. I was speechless at the time. I truly felt that Ellenberger would easily win that fight, but you can't ever count out Kampmann.

Prospect of the Year – Erik Perez: Perez is only 23 years old, is 2-0 in the UFC and both of those wins came against quality opponents. Not only that, but both of those wins ended in the first round. On top of all of this, he trains at Jackson’s camp. This kid has a huge chance to do something amazing at 135 pounds.

Most Improved Fighter – Cub Swanson: Cub has always been good but if you were to tell me a year ago he would go 3-0 against great competition and all of those wins coming by way of KO, I would think you’re nuts. He got manhandled by Chad Mendes, barely won against Mackens Semerzier and then got destroyed by Ricardo Lamas. But Cub went on a rampage in 2012 and most recently destroyed fellow rising star, Charles Oliveira in just under 3 minutes. The sky is the limit for Cub.

Moment of the Year – Vitor Belfort’s armbar attempt on Jon Jones at UFC 152: This fight was a joke to begin with. You had the scariest man alive, Jon Jones, taking on aging and undersized Belfort squaring off on short notice. It was ridiculous and you could tell from the ring of the bell that Jones was going to destroy Belfort. Jones took Belfort down immediately and started to land vicious elbows. But then out of nowhere, Belfort locks on an armbar that made Jones wince in pain and the Air Canada Centre arena erupted in a noise like no other. I’m a huge Jones fan and even I wanted to see Belfort pull it off. It was incredible and even though Jones defended it off, it was an amazing moment in MMA history.

Story of the Year – Women’s MMA makes it to the UFC: This was a huge moment for MMA history as women will now be able to fight under the UFC banner. It was a long time coming and I am so glad it has happened. I just hope that they sign a ton of fighters and handle the women’s divisions better than they have handled the 145, 135 and 125 divisions for men. Dana needs to keep them off of Facebook and feature them often. I can’t wait  for this chapter in UFC’s history to begin.

CR Exclusive Interview with Sam Alvey

"Smilin’" Sam Alvey is a tall 185er who is 19-4 (11 wins by KO) with some impressive wins over guys like Karl Amoussou and Augusto Montano. Alvey is just coming off of a stint as a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 16 on FX. Alvey was not asked back to fight on the Finale card but when some doors are closed, others will open. Alvey is now going to fight Elvis Mutapcic at MFC 36 on February 15^th for the middleweight title. Alvey is very excited for the opportunity. He took some time to talk with us before the holidays about TUF, MFC, Bellator, Team Quest and his thoughts on Ronda Rousey’s main event status.

Check it out:

Championship Rounds: How has your life changed since being on TUF?

Sam Alvey: You know, what my life consists of is basically the same things. I get up, I train, I come home. I go back to the gym, I come home again and back to the gym. Same thing every day. It is cool though, I have been recognized 11 times outside of sporting events.

CR: What was your experience like living inside the TUF house? And how were all the personalities?

SA: Everyone assumes it is a constant mile-a-minute ride, but the truth is, it’s boring almost the entire time. You work out for about; well team Carwin we worked out for 4 hours a day. Team Nelson worked out for 2 hours. And the rest of the time you’re back at the house. You know, some of the personalities really made things easier. Like Igor he is one of the biggest personalities I’ve ever met. Matt Secor, I love him to death, he talks a lot but you know what, it was fun listening to him too because there was nothing to do.

CR: After being around Dana for a little bit, what was your take on him.

SA: He is the exact same way as he seems on camera. He knows what he is doing, down to business and if he wants something he will get it. And that being said I really liked him. I think he represents the sport well.

CR: Were you surprised, like we were, that you did not fight in the finale?

SA: Yes, I was very surprised and even more so that no one fought in the finale. It was a 3 man finale [with Roy Nelson, Colton Smith, and Mike Ricci]. But I did get to go and watch my good friend Colton win and it was a great event. Pat Barry was amazing. Even Roy Nelson, for as short as he came up on the coaching side of things, definitely can fight.

CR: How do you feel about fighting for MFC and fighting for a title?

SA: It is a great opportunity. It is one of the bigger organizations in the world and the biggest in Canada. It is my home. My teammate Richie Whitson fought for them about a year ago a couple times and watching him really made me a fan of the organization. So, I'm looking forward to stepping in the ring and impressing everyone that watches.

CR: So, what do you think of your opponent, Elvis Mutapcic? What do you think he brings to the table and how do you see that fight going down?

SA: He is kinda like the T-2. He is good at striking, he is really fast, and he trains with wrestlers constantly. He is just the next breed of fighter and I’m going to get in the cage and show him I am too. So, it’s going to be a great fight and anyone that watches will leave that arena or broadcast impressed.

CR: What is it like training at Team Quest on a daily basis?

SA: It’s the hardest training I’ve ever had. I’ve worked out at gyms around the world and nothing is compared to Team Quest. They just have this drive led by Dan Henderson. Then the coaches he has brought in: Daniel Woirin, Ricardo Feliciano, Bryan Harper, are all top notch. When I win my next fight it will be because of them and I couldn’t have done it at any other gym.

CR: So, you fought some really great fights in Bellator. What was your experience with Bellator like and if you ever had the opportunity would you ever go back?

SA: You know what? It was a good experience but I don’t know if I would go back or not. They would have to talk with me. They just didn’t seem to like me at all (laughs). They asked me before the tournaments, ‘Who would you want to fight the most?’ I told them, ‘Last year’s champ’, because I wanted to go all in. I love striking and I’m good at wrestling too. I just thought it was a great matchup for me. And then they asked who my least favorite opponent was and I told them I’d beat [Vitor] Vianna but you know a black belt like that is pretty intense and he trains with some of the best in the world also. And that is who they matched me up with; which is fine because I will fight anyone at any time. I also personally thought I won that fight but two judges saw it a different way but life goes on.

CR: Yea, that fight was extremely close. So, there is some noise coming from your camp that they are upset, and rightfully so in my opinion, that Dan Henderson is fighting Lyoto Machida underneath Ronda Rousey and her title fight. So, is it true that some people are upset about it and what are your feelings about it?

SA: Well, I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth because everyone knows she is a great athlete and all that. However, my personal opinion is that she hasn’t earned it. Dana White says she is the title holder and the title holder will always be the main event. But she was given the title, she hasn’t fought for it. Then you have Dan Henderson in there who has fought everyone from around the world and left from two organizations with three different title belts. He does deserve to be the main event but he is happy just fighting and just like everyone else from Team Quest, he just loves the sport.

CR: Yea I was kind of shocked, to be honest, when they announced Ronda as the main event. But one last question. How do you see the Fight with Dan and Machida going down?

SA: My man Dan is as good as it gets. I don’t think Machida has what it takes to beat him. Dan’s got more power than Machida and he is a better wrestler than Machida. Dan works the clinch better than anyone in the UFC except for maybe Anderson Silva. I just think it’s a bad matchup for Machida and I look forward to see Dan knocking him out or submitting him.

CR: Thank you so much for taking your time and doing this with us. We wish you luck in your fight.

SA: Thanks.

Sam Alvey was the nicest guy on TUF 16 and might be the nicest guy I have ever talked to over the phone. Make sure you keep an eye on Alvey because he will be making some huge splashes in the next few years. Make sure to follow him on Twitter @smilensam and watch his fight in February on AXS TV.