MMAJunkie gets the answers to the questions we've all been asking - namely, why the hell Greg Jackson's guys have been pinching their nipples before fights and why Rashad Evans was sporting a t-shirt with nothing but Bill Gates' mugshot during his entrance at UFC 88.

"Georges St. Pierre was the first do it, and it's just sort of an inside joke," Evans said.

Evans said St. Pierre had heard it was supposed to bring good luck -- according to some ancient fighting myths, anyway. And if there's anything the New Mexico-based Team Jackson group knows, it's unity. Led by famed fight strategist and head trainer Greg Jackson, the team has created a sense of brotherhood among team members Evans, St. Pierre, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, Joey Villasenor and others.

"Georges said it was supposed to good luck or something, so I said, 'Cool, alright,'" Evans said, laughing.

As for the T-shirt, Evans said it was also an inside joke with the team.

"That shirt, it's [Gates'] mugshot," Evans said. "He was arrested in Albuquerque, N.M. He started off Microsoft in the basement of the Bank One Building. That's right next to the (Team Jackson) gym.

My first column on Sherdog.com is out today and it's a breakdown of the winners and losers from UFC 88. Here's one of the winners, Kurt Pellegrino:

An always-promising fighter with well-rounded skills, Pellegrino couldn’t ever seem to break through intriguing-prospect status. Seemingly unable to cobble together the components necessary for a meaningful career inside the unforgiving cage walls of the Octagon, Pellegrino grappled with anonymity and even identity.

Yet, amidst weight-class changes, personal and familial turmoil and gut-wrenching losses, Pellegrino found a way Saturday to persevere through the sort of adversity that would cripple anyone without an indefatigable will to carry on. If there were ever an underdog pick to root for, Pellegrino is it.

And here's "one" of the losers, the fans who booed Dong Hyun Kim:

Rooting for the home team is rarely objectionable, but is Dong Hyun Kim -- a Korean fighter who voluntarily chose to leave his country to fight for an American company -- really the "away team"?

Like any other fighter under UFC contract competing in America, Kim’s participation in UFC events helps generate revenue for those American entities promoting the fight, to say nothing of how important Kim is for the UFC’s international expansion efforts. Obviously Kim’s contribution in making UFC 88 financially solvent isn’t make or break, but it should prevent him from being unnecessarily booed by Americans driving home in their Japanese imports.

Rashad Evans - $120,000 (incl. $60k win bonus)
Chuck Liddell - $500,000
Evans also earned "Knockout of the Night," worth an additional $60,000

Rich Franklin - $100,000 (incl. $50k win bonus)
Matt Hamill - $10,000

Dan Henderson - $250,000 (incl. $150k win bonus)
Rousimar Palhares - $7,000

Nate Marquardt - $56,000 (incl. $26k win bonus)
Martin Kampmann - $15,000

Dong Hyun Kim - $46,000 (incl. $23k win bonus)
Matt Brown - $8,000

Kurt Pellegrino - $24,000 (incl. $12k win bonus)
Thiago Tavares - $13,000
Both fighters also earned "Fight of the Night" bonuses, worth an additional $60,000 each

Tim Boetsch - $16,000 (incl. $8k win bonus)
Mike Patt - $5,000

Jason MacDonald - $44,000 (incl. $22k win bonus)
Jason Lambert - $17,000
MacDonald also earned "Submission of the Night," worth an additional $60,000

Ryo Chonan - $30,000 (incl. $15k win bonus)
Roan Carneiro - $9,000

via MMAWeekly

"I really don't think about being undefeated...I'm just going to go out there, let my hands fly and see what happens."

-- Rashad Evans talking to the Washington Post prior to his monumtental KO victory over Chuck Liddell at UFC 88.

Everybody is rightly focusing on Chuck Liddell, but UFC 88 also featured Rich Franklin's dismantling of Matt Hamill.  Rich took Hamill apart, beating him from almost every position, and unloading the kind of accurate combinations we haven't seen out of him in a long time.

Kid Nate argued that Rich should stay at 185, and while I appreciate his view, I just can't agree.  The difference between the Rich we saw last night and the Rich we saw against Lutter was motivation.  He looked excited to be fighting, excited to be embarking on a new path.  He now has a lot of interesting options in front of him, including fights against the winner of Jardine/Vera, Shogun, Chuck, and others. Battling to cement his spot as the number two middleweight in the world just isn't enough to excite Rich Franklin, and I can't blame him.

People underestimate the importance of motivation in fighting.  If you can't get excited about your next fight, the performance will show it.  Look how different Chuck looked against Wanderlei Silva compared to the way he looked against Rashad Evans and Keith Jardine.  I refuse to believe that it is completely unrelated to a lack of excitement on Chuck's end about the fights with Greg Jackson's guys.   Similarly, BJ Penn needs to fight GSP to keep himself motivated.  I have no doubt that if he spent a year fighting the Kenny Florians and Mac Danzigs of the world, he would eventually lose due to a lack of motivation.  I cannot begrudge fighters for taking the path that keeps them interested in their own careers.

Personally, I'd like to see Franklin fight the returning Shogun in December.  It's a big fight for both men, and I see no reason to feed either of them an easy fight at this point.  If Franklin wins, he will find himself a fight or two away from a title shot.  If Shogun wins, he's right back in the mix of things as well.

Really, when you look at the top contenders at 205, the only one I think Franklin would really have a nightmare of a time beating is Quinton Jackson.  Can anyone really say Franklin doesn't have a chance against Forrest Griffin or Rashad Evans?  Frankly I'd bet on him against either of the two.  

MAIN CARD:

Rashad Evans def. Chuck Liddell via KO - 1:51 of round 2

Rich Franklin def. Matt Hamill via TKO - 0:39 of round 3

Dan Henderson def. Rousimar Palhares via unanimous decision

Nate Marquardt def. Martin Kampmann via TKO - 1:21 of round 1

Dong Hyun Kim def. Matt Brown via split decision

UNDERCARD:

Kurt Pellegrino def. Thiago Tavares via unanimous decision.

Tim Boetsch def. Mike Patt via TKO - 2:03 of round 1.

Jason MacDonald def. Jason Lambert via submission - 1:20 of round 2.

Ryo Chonan def. Roan Carneiro via split decision.

Notes about the event:

It's all about Evans - I think people are missing a crucial factor of Evans' striking development. The notion that you're either born with KO power or you're not is grossly overstated. The truth is - and I've seen it in other fighters with my own eyes - is that often through hard work and repetition fighters learn to develop their power. The initial stages of learning involve the fundamentals like footwork, combinations, balance and more. But once fighters round the corner on those stumbling blocks, you'll see them cultivate their power. Evans is a clear example of that.

Beyond that, though, Evans' gameplan and quickness played a factor. But the speed of Evans isn't just his handspeed; it was also his ability to move and find the perfect range very quickly. He was mobile enough to put himself in range or readjust when he wasn't without sustaining damage. And when in range, he simply drew quicker than Liddell to flatten the Iceman. I don't think Liddell realized just how perfectly distanced Evans was when he threw the overhand right.

And Liddell's age is partly an issue. I don't think getting KO'd by that punch is evidence that he's too old to compete. But the truth is his body and chin don't have the powers of absorption that it used to. As Josh Barnett is keen on reminding us, fighters who live on their chin eventually suffer when others learn their game, they age or become too comfortable. Chuck is a clear example of that. He's too old to go back to the well of his existing talents without expecting others to eventually catch up. He paid the price for that dearly last night.

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Rashad Evans proved me wrong:  I have long been a doubter of Evans.  I thought he looked really bad in his last two fights.  It doesn't matter though, he just got a career-making KO over Chuck, knocking him out in absolutely brutal fashion.  I don't think he'll get a title shot, but I suspect he may have to deal with Lyoto Machida next.

There is no clear contender at 205:  Everything is up for grabs right now at 205.  This outcome is a major boost for Machida, and a major money loser for the UFC.  A couple of weeks ago the plan was for Griffin to rematch Jackson if Liddell lost, but I don't know if they still want to do that.  

Chuck's future is uncertain:  The bottom line is that Chuck left himself wide open with one of his sloppy uppercuts, and Rashad made him pay for it.  It isn't really about age I don't think, he's been doing that for years, but people are catching onto his game.  He is now out of the race for the title at 205, and will have to decide what he wants to do going forward.  He is still a huge name, and the fans still love him.  I don't think he will retire.  I suspect he can move to heavyweight, and try to get in a position to fight the winner of the heavyweight tournament once it's over.  Chuck vs. Werdum would sure be interesting in the middle of next year.  The other option is to just do some dream fights at 205, such as a fight against Anderson Silva.

Rich Franklin looked great:  Rich is one of the most underrated guys out there, and he showed how good he can be tonight.  His striking was quicker and more dynamic than it has been in a long time, and he showed that he is clearly a level above Matt Hamill.  There are lots of dudes I'd like to see him fight, including Rashad Evans.

Update:  Dana White has announced that Rashad Evans will receive a title fight against Forrest Griffin.  

Knockout of the Night - Rashad Evans

Submission of the Night - Jason MacDonald

Fight of the Night - Kurt Pellegrino & Thiago Tavares

Each earned $60,000 in addition to their purse.

UPDATE: As is custom recently, Pelligrino vs. Tavares is now streaming for free on UFC.com