Forrest Griffin: $250,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus)
def. Tito Ortiz: $250,000

Josh Koscheck: $246,000 ($53,000 win bonus, $70,000 FotN bonus, $70,000 SotN bonus)
def. Anthony Johnson: $87,000 ($70,000 FotN bonus) 

Paulo Thiago: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Jacob Volkmann: $6,000

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $170,000 ($30,000 win bonus, $70,000 KO/TKOotN bonus)
def. Luiz Cane: $19,000

Amir Sadollah: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Phil Baroni: $25,000

Ben Saunders: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Marcus Davis: $27,000

Kendall Grove: $44,000 ($22,000 win bonus)
def. Jake Rosholt: $15,000

Brian Foster: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
def. Brock Larson: $25,000

Caol Uno: $20,000
vs. Fabricio Camoes: $10,000

George Sotiropoulos: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Jason Dent: $8,000

Total disclosed pay: $1,301,000

Josh Koscheck vs Anthony Johnson

via cdn3.sbnation.com

Watch the video between 4:26-4:30. You see the part that the blurred picture was taken where it supposedly shows Johnson poking Koscheck in the eye but when you watch that part and when its not blurred like the picture it clearly shows Johnson poking Koscheck's nose he never touched Koscheck's eye. Koscheck clearly fakes an injury than purposely poked Johnson in the eye twice. Koscheck probably made that blurred photo himself.

After dropping fights to Pete Sell, Dustin Hazelett, and Mike Swick inside the UFC. Josh Burkman earned a knockout win over Season 5 TUF cast member  Brandon Melendez at a local event in Utah.

Throwdown Showdown V Results

Josh Burkman def. Brandon Melendez by KO 4:14 R1

Steve Siler def. Enoch Wilson by unanimous decision

Tandi "Tandilion" Schaeffe def. Britney Schmid by TKO 2:50 R3

Jordan Smith def. Bristol Marunde by submission triangle choke R2

Eduardo Rivera def. Sean Whalen by KO 2:34 R1

Ramsey Nijem def. Logan Hancock by unanimous decision

Dave Allred def. Jamie Anton by submission RNC 4:20 R1

Cameron Pacheco def. Eddie Pelczynsk submission RNC R1

Brock Jardine def. Dave Terrel by unanimous decision

Rad Martinez def. Steve Sharp by unanimous decision 

HT: Uniting Locals Through Mixed Martial Arts 

Tweeted not that long ago, Machida has confirmed a Saturday, May 1st date will be his rematch against Mauricio "Shogun" Hua. We've got the when, now all we need to know is where;  any takers on the location for this fight? I had thought the May show was going to be Montreal.

FYI at the moment I'll treat this as 99% confirmed - if I get word from Shogun's manager to verify, I'll post an update.

With all this talk of judging from Ortiz v. Griffin, I thought it appropriate to share this news about judging in the world of kickboxing.

In an interesting move, It's Showtime announced a change to their judging criteria effective as of this weekend's show.  In case of decision, judges will now give an advantage in scoring to fighters who display a more attractive fighting style and show more spirit.  This would be applied to close decisions, and would not impact fights where one man is clearly ahead on strikes.  The idea is that this will inspire fighters to put in greater effort and cut down on slow fights.

Obviously, this is a pretty big change, and I am unaware of any other fighting organization who has a similar rule.  In the past, organizations have used stand-ups (in MMA) and penalty cards to keep the action moving.  Perhaps the closest corollary is Pride's heavy reliance on "effort to finish a fight" in their judging criteria, but this is somewhat different, as it is not based on effective of technique, but instead on style.

This is a bold move that could be great or could cause a lot of headaches.  An organization that has faced its share of judging controversy in the past (such as last year's Buakaw v. Kraus fight), It's Showtime is clearly willing to try something new here.  But the danger in my eyes is that this will too greatly muddy the already somewhat vague judging criteria.  Judges will have to ask themselves: at what point does the flashiness outweigh the effectiveness?  If a fighter is putting on a beautiful capoeira demonstration, but not actually doing much damage, is he gaining points for style?  And the reverse, does a cautious, defensive fighter like Remy Bonjasky get penalized for his conservative approach?  The answer, according to the new rules, would seem to be yes.

As a new system, we will have to see how this plays out before making any quick judgments, but I think it's fair to have some concerns.  The adage "If it's ain't broke don't fix it" doesn't really apply here.  Judging in kickboxing and all combat sports is indeed problematic.  But adding more nebulous criteria is not a solution to that problem - if anything, it threatens to make judging worse.

It will be worth watching what effect this has on It's Showtime, and on the fight world if anyone else follows their lead.

From Tony Loiseleur:

Hey everybody, I’m back! (Well, sort of–at least as much as thesis writing will allow) For those who asked about NYE, here’s what I know:

Sengoku and Dynamite are indeed merging shows, and this is indeed related to Don Quijote secretly allying with FEG.

So the rumors are pretty much true. What I’m also hearing however is that DQ’s switching sponsorship has caused tensions in WVR/SRC staff.

Remember that rumors of copromotion between Sengoku and Dream aren’t new, and never happened til now since one side or other didn’t want it.

Thus, WVR is now under new management, internally. They are now seeking another financial backer for SRC to fill the place of DQ.

WVR has already booked the Ryogoku Kokugikan for March, so we may see one more show. Future shows depend on finding a financial backer.

The gist of other rumors: Ishii might debut against someone else unless Yoshida Dojo is well-repped on Dynamite's lineup.

From Japanese Magazine:

K1 producer Sadaharu Tanikawa said "To cooperate a event including Yoshida vs Ishii, It’s hard to do together if we don’t get a response by the end of this week, because I have to make other matches."

FEG Press conference is now scheduled to take place before the end of this week.

Gonna keep this one short and sweet:

There's some minor grumbling out there about the judging of the Forrest/Tito fight, whether Tito's back and skull were in fighting shape, not to mention the wacky stuff that happened in the Koscheck/Rumble fight.

But nobody's talking about the REAL controversy at UFC 106 - the fact that Josh Koscheck received the submission of the night award.

Kendall Grove's lightning-fast, come-from-behind triangle choke finish of Jake Rosholt was WAY more impressive than Kos' comparatively boring rear-naked choke of Anthony Johnson. Koscheck simply muscled a worn-out Rumble to get the choke. I don't see how anyone can deny that Kendall's finish was both far more technical and exciting than Koscheck's, and just plain cooler to see.

I would also argue that George Sotiropolous' armbar submission of Jason Dent was way more impressive than Kos' RNC. 

Maybe Josh has pics of Dana White dancing around in ladies' underpants, but there's no way he deserved to win submission of the night over Kendall or George.

Am I crazy? Vote in the poll!

Despite recent setbacks like the Machida-Rua controversy, Machida's injury, and the indefinite departures of Henderson, Jackson and Liddell, the UFC Light Heavyweight division still has the potential to be exciting. Let's first list the upcoming match-ups in the division then explore some of the interesting possibilities ahead.

Machida vs Rua
The general consensus is that Rua deserves the immediate title shot. Due to Machida's injury, however, the fight must be postponed at least until spring. By the time the winner of that fight is ready to defend his title in the summer or fall of next year, the division may look vastly different than it does now. 

Evans vs Silva
Two top-ranked light heavies looking to return to contention. Silva has already rebounded from his destruction at the hands of current champion Machida by knocking out Jardine. A win over Evans, the previous champion, would make Silva the #1 contender. Having Silva fight for the title is especially appealing if Rua emerges victiorious (I am always reluctant about rematches, especially for title shots, especially when the original fight was so decisive.) Meanwhile Evans needs at least one more win before fighting for the title.

Coleman-Couture
This fight makes sense on many levels. Both veterans are coming off decision wins against mid-level competition (in the form of Bonnar and Vera, respectively). Since we are dealing with stars who can be entertaining to follow even if they are not necessarily threats to the title, the outcome of this fight could lead to some interesting match-ups

Jones vs Hammill
Jones is an undefeated star tearing thru the middle of the LHW division, with recent wins over Bonnar and former HW O'Brien. If he finishes Hammill, he should finally get his first taste of Top 10 compeition. As for Hammill, who has amassed a solid record but was blocked from entering the LHW elite with losses to Franklin and Bisping, a win against Jones should place him right on the outskirts of the Top 10.

Now the fun part. I will make the case for some future match-ups that make sense in the UFC LHW division. Join me by playing Joe Silva in the comment section.

Nogueira vs the winner of Evans-Silva
The winner of this fight would the #1 contender for the title. For Evans, this means a trajectory of wins over Silva and Nogueira since he lost his title to Machida - a very respectable run. For Silva, straight wins against Jardine, Evans and Nogueira would make him an undisputed top contender. Even if Machida still holds the belt, he would have look upon Silva as a serious threat to his title. As for Nogueira, nobody could deny him a title shot after his stunning knockoug of the feared Cane followed by a good win over either Evans or Silva.

Griffin vs the winner of Coleman-Couture
Griffin has a ways to climb before redeeming himself from his back-to-back knockout losses to Evans and Anderson Silva. It makes sense for him to take on a few lower-ranked opponents before he returns to contention. Griffin has spoken disparagingly of Coleman, but with wins over Griffin's TUF rival Bonnar and his TUF coach Couture, Coleman should get Griffin's attention. (Couture is on the record mocking the "BJJ-inspired" tradition of refusing to fight gym partners, so that shouldn't be an obstacle.) The winner of this fight would be one additional win away from a title shot - perhaps against the loser of Machida-Rua.

Ortiz vs the loser of Coleman-Couture
If Coleman loses, then Ortiz will finally get his promised "tune-up" fight against the aging veteran. If Couture loses, a rematch of the classic Couture-Ortiz fight would be exciting despite its irrelevance to title contention in the division. That makes Ortiz vs the loser of Coleman-Couture a win-win situation.

Jardine vs the winner of Jones-Hammill
With his inconsistent record against top LHWs, Jardine has proven that he can hang with the best without truly vying for the title. This makes him the very definition of a gatekeeper, albeit a gatekeeper to the Top 10 of the LHW division. He is the perfect choice to welcome - or turn away - Jones or Hammill at the doorstep of the LHW Top 10.

Cane vs Vera
Both are hyped fighters coming off embarrassing losses. They will be hungry to pust past losses behind them but certainly fearful of being further down-graded. It is time to put one man's hype to rest for once and for all, so who shall it, Cane or Vera?

Liddell vs Franklin
In the spirit of the veteran match-ups that are being put together. This could be a spectacular fight if Liddell showed up in good shape. There's little chance of Franklin tapping Liddell's chin since he lacks the power of Evans and Rua. It's also a no-lose fight because if the winner takes in impressive fashion, he keeps himself close to the title picture. If both fighters come off looking shot, well, the fight still has that historic value.

I wrote an article about how I used networking tools to set up the first MMA organization in Pakistan. Please check it out here http://www.elance-thenewwaytowork.com From there you can link to the Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan site.

Please check it out and let me know what you think. I have also traveled to India and am working with Tigers Gym India. If you think Pakistan and India go crazy after cricket. Try MMA!

Some interesting tidbits about WEC from the UFC Fight Club Q & A session (via Sherdog):

World Extreme Cagefighting has renewed its broadcast deal with the Versus Network, UFC President Dana White said Friday at a Q and A session for its fight club fans. White didn’t divulge specifics about the new agreement.

WEC, also owned by UFC promoters Zuffa LLC, hosts bouts in the 135, 145, and 155-pound divisions.

Answering a question about the possible merger of Zuffa’s two brands, White said the media “terrorized” him over the issue in the past, but he hoped the new deal would put the speculation to rest.

White also acknowledged that the company had discussed integrating the two brands, but it will not be happening “anytime soon,” with the new deal in place.