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UFC 145: With a win against Rashad Evans, Jon Jones becomes the greatest light heavyweight of all time
04/21/2012
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones recently said Tito Ortiz was the greatest 205-pound fighter of all time.
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" has many different accomplishments he can hang his trademarked flaming beanie on but that may not be one of them. He was the face of the promotion during the "Dark Ages," a period where nearly every single cable and satellite carrier dropped UFC events from its programming. His style of fighting and personality gave the company the star it needed to survive those turbulent times.
Ortiz's career has spanned a decade and a half during which he found himself opposite legends in the sports and stars in the making. Names like Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva and Rashad Evans litter his fight résumé.
He holds a record five light heavyweight title defenses, one more than Frank Shamrock and Chuck Liddell, both of whom are regarded as two of the best fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon and three more than "Bones" himself. But a closer look at these defenses reveal Ortiz was a great fighter but not the greatest.
After tonight's (April 21) UFC 145 main event, the honor may very well go to Jones.

Revisionist history can be bothersome but bear with me for a moment.
Ortiz won the light heavyweight title from a before-his-prime Wanderlei Silva in 2000. Had the fight taken place three years later, it would have been much more impressive but at the time, "The Axe Murderer" hadn't come into his own. Ortiz's first defense would come against natural middleweight Yuki Kondo blown up to 205-pounds to challenge for the title in his native country.
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" then put his belt on the line against Evan Tanner and thoroughly trounced him. There's nothing I can take away from this victory. Tanner had an unblemished UFC record at the time and had only lost twice in over two dozen mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts going into his fight with Ortiz. The next title defense for the champion was a farce, however, as he took on Elvis Sinosic. A barely over .500 fighter, the Aussie was granted a five rounder against Ortiz after pulling off a surprising submission victory over Jeremy Horn.
The next two title defenses would come against Vladimir Matyushenko — a late replacement for Vitor Belfort — and Ken Shamrock — who at 38 years old was well past his prime — two bouts which fall victim to extenuating circumstances.
Fast forward nearly a decade and Jon Jones is experiencing a similar level of domination in the light heavyweight division albeit against much tougher competition.
Jones won the belt from Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 after "Shogun" had knocked out the once thought to be unbeatable Lyoto Machida. Rua, who in 2005, walked through the PRIDE Fighting Championships grand prix and took out Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona. "Bones" battered him for two and a half rounds before the fight was stopped.
Next up for the Greg Jackson product was Jackson who was the first man to become the undisputed number one light heavyweight in the world after unifying his UFC title with Dan Henderson's strap from PRIDE at UFC 75. Jones dominated "Rampage," barely allowing the Memphis native to land a single punch. And then last December, Machida got his second crack at the title but fell short when Jones choked him unconscious at the end of the second round.
And tonight, it's Rashad Evans. Four opponents, all of which were at one point recognized as the best 205-pound fighter in the world.
Should Jones win tonight, there's no doubt who the greatest light heavyweight of all time is.
Could there even be any doubt he is the greatest fighter period?

UFC 145 fight card: Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio fight prediction, preview and breakdown
04/21/2012
In the super-stacked Lightweight division, Mark Bocek serves as a kind of measuring stick for those hoping to break into the top 15. He's become a reliable commodity since a rocky early start in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was taken out by Frankie Edgar and then submitted by Mac Danzig.
Since then, Bocek has improved, showing serviceable striking along with a solid ground game on both ends. And he'll get another opportunity to showcase his evolving skills when he takes on John Alessio at UFC 145 tonight (April 21, 2012) at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alessio returns to the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion as a substitute for Matt Wiman, and the Canadian has won 10 of his last 11 in an impressive streak to land the spot. Both men are grapplers to the core, using striking mainly to set up tie-ups and takedown attempts. Striking is a means to an end, which is putting foes on the mat and outworking them from there.
Follow me after the jump for a complete breakdown of the UFC 145 fight between Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio:

The Breakdown
The biggest factor in this fight is Alessio's weight cut. Previously a Welterweight in a career that's spanned 48 fights back to 1998, he battled Pat Miletich in 2000 in his UFC debut, losing by arm bar. That's a testimony to his adaptability and persistence that he's been able to stay in the game at this level for this long.
However, given that he was a decent-sized 170-pounder, and his age (32), it's hard to see him making this cut without some serious impacts to his stamina. The weight-cutting trend in MMA has created a pressing trend for fighters to drop weight classes to get their foot in a door, usually to pry it open. But the track record of fighters dropping weight classes, especially well into long careers, is a rough one.
Bocek pushes the pace against opponents and a fast start will definitely be to his advantage. Alessio's got to assert his size and strength advantage early and, if possible, land something big on the feet that will allow him to stun Bocek and then shoot for a takedown. Bocek's exceptionally spry and quick and will utilize lateral movement to set up angles and avoid damage on the feet — any kind of a brawling, big-man fight is to Alessio's advantage, assuming he has the gas tank to sustain it.
The Pick
If Alessio could make a reasonable cut to 155 pounds, I'd give him a good shot at beating Bocek. Alessio gave a prime Diego Sanchez an outstanding scrap several years ago, and strong and athletic enough to deny Bocek's edge in quickness and grappling pedigree.
However, everything points toward Bocek. He's been very active at a high level of competition, and win or lose, recent bouts have proven that Bocek is an exceptionally tough out. He'll feel out Alessio in the opening round and eventually wear down Alessio with a blend of simple one-two before transitioning into tie-ups, scrambles and takedowns. Over three rounds, it will prove too much, as Alessio tires down the stretch and absorbs increasing punishment from his back.
Bocek via unanimous decision
Be sure to join MMAmania.com this evening for LIVE, detailed UFC 145 results of all the "Jones vs. Evans" pay-per-view (PPV) action. It will include blow-by-blow coverage of the Facebook video stream, FX "Prelims" bouts, and of course, the PPV broadcast. We'll start RIGHT HERE at around 7:00 p.m. ET and carry straight on through early Sunday morning.
See you then!
Jason Probst can be reached at twitter.com/jasonprobst or jasonprobst@gmail.com

UFC 146: Frank Mir in for Alistair Overeem against Junior dos Santos on May 26 in Las Vegas
04/21/2012
Leave it to UFC President Dana White to drop a bombshell on Twitter late at night.
That's exactly what he did tonight, though, when he announced that Alistair Overeem is officially out of the UFC 146 main event against Junior dos Santos on May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He will be replaced by Frank Mir.

Taking off to Atlanta!!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.

More on this breaking news in just a bit.

HBO 24/7 'Mayweather vs Cotto' video (Episode 1) and recap
04/21/2012
MMAMania.com kicks off its coverage of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto WBA Light Middleweight championship bout with the complete first episode of HBO's 24/7, which covers the two fighters as they prepare to throw down on May 5, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The first episode, which aired last Saturday (April 14, 2012), opens with Mayweather talking about his importance to the 24/7 series franchise:

"I'ma tell the fans this: If Floyd Money Mayweather is not on 24/7, don't even bother watching. Because when I'm on 24/7, it's must watch TV."

The first segment focuses on Mayweather's recent legal troubles, which have the boxer scheduled to serve a 90-day prison sentence for domestic violence following his fight. Floyd's best friend, rapper Curtis "50 cent" Jackson, tells us that he doesn't think that Mayweather will be bothered at all by his impending time behind bars and we see lots of footage of Mayweather training for the fight.

The scenes then shift over to Cotto's camp, who is portrayed as a very soft spoken family man during the episode. There is a recap of Cotto's most recent win over Antonio Margarito, a bout that held great meaning to Cotto because of the nasty rumors that Margarito fought their first bout with loaded handwraps.
Cotto began working with a new trainer for the Margarito fight, Pedro Diaz, and he is continuing to work with Diaz for this fight. We get a chance to hear Diaz talk about the Margarito fight and the importance of getting the victory back for Cotto, who was an undefeated fighter when they first met.

"When a boxer with a perfect career loses, he looks for many reasons for the loss. This was creating in Miguel a complex situation. A desparate situation. So when Miguel and I started to train, we talked about many things. And I think one of his greatest concerns was to prove to the world what he could do to Margarito. He did it in a big way. That's why I said to him, 'Your nightmare is over."

We then go back inside the Mayweather camp and hear a couple members of his entourage talk about his last fight against Victor Ortiz. Mayweather, who often speaks in strange cliches, says a couple of words about the bout:

"It's like this. You violate, we demonstrate. He violated, and I had to demonstrate."

Okay then.
Then we are introduced to Floyd Mayweather Sr, who has been estranged from his son for a good portion of his career. He seems to pop up whenever his son has a fight, and sure enough, he showed up at the Mayweather training center to make peace with his boy after some words were exchanged on camera at the gym during preparation for the Ortiz fight. The episode wraps up with another clip of Cotto hanging out with his family.
Here is the episode, in two parts.
Part One:

Part Two:

You can catch the second episode this Saturday night on HBO, or if you are pre-occupied with a certain Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, I'll be back to recap the second episode, if you want to wait til then!
What are your thoughts on the two fighters after watching this? I like the way they are choosing to present Cotto, who seems like quite a good guy. Of course, it could just be the editing, but he seems like a quiet and family oriented guy.
Mayweather, on the other hand, seems to embrace every last bit of hype that he has been given throughout his life and is bordering on becoming a parody of himself. Nevertheless, his reputation as a tireless worker shines through, and while I'm not sure I respect the way that he handles himself, I can't argue with the success that he has had.
Sound off Maniacs!

UFC 146: Frank Mir replaces Alistair Overeem against Junior dos Santos on May 26 in Las Vegas
04/21/2012
Leave it to UFC President Dana White to drop a bombshell on Twitter late at night.
That's exactly what he did tonight, though, when he announced that Alistair Overeem is officially out of the UFC 146 main event against Junior dos Santos on May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He will be replaced by Frank Mir. Cain Velasquez, who was previously scheduled to face Mir, will get a new opponent, though that has yet to be announced.

Taking off to Atlanta!!!! May 26 is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.

This comes as quite the surprise, considering it wasn't long ago that White was saying Mir would fight Velasquez no matter what happened with Overeem. He also said the Dutchman would get his day in front on the Commission and they would make a decision from there.
But "The Reem's" hearing is scheduled for April 24. That's four days from now for those not paying attention.
So why the sudden change?

History in the Making: Jon Jones chokes out Rampage Jackson in dominant fashion at UFC 135
04/20/2012
The last time Quinton Jackson entered the Octagon as the challenger for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title, he stood opposite Chuck Liddell, one of the greatest champions to ever grace the cage.
"The Iceman" had run roughshod over the division, knocking out each and every fighter they put inside the cage to go against him. He was almost universally ranked as the top light heavyweight in the world and looked to cement the status with a victory over "Rampage."
The two titans had met once before, during PRIDE Fighting Championships' 2003 grand prix, and Jackson walked away the victor that night. At UFC 71, it took "Rampage" less than two minutes to replicate the result. Over his decade plus long career, the Memphis native had been there, done that in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA). He was quite the polar opposite of the man he faced off against at UFC 135.
Jon Jones rocketed to the top of the MMA world through a series of brutal wins, one so much so it ended in a disqualification loss for him. When he choked out fellow rising prospect Ryan Bader in early 2011, he jumped at the chance to face off against Mauricio Rua in a title bout six weeks later.
He beat and pounded on "Shogun" for nearly 13 minutes before the fight was stopped and at 23 years of age, "Bones" became the youngest UFC champion in history. Impressive, yes, but winning the belt is one thing while defending it in the shark-filled tank that is the 205-pound division is something else entirely. He got his first opportunity to prove himself against a former champion in Jackson.
Before "Bones" steps inside the cage this weekend (April 21) against Rashad Evans at UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans," we'll take a look at the young prodigy's first title defense, a dominant display against a formidable foe which helped prove that, yes, this kid is for real.
Let's dive in.

Jones begins the fight by almost crawling towards his opponent, nearly keeping both knees and one hand on the mat at all times. Eventually Jackson gets close enough for Jones to shoot in for a takedown. The champion grabs hold of his opponent and bullies him against the cage where he proceeds to punch Jackson's ribs, knee his thighs and stomp his feet.
They break and reset in the center of the Octagon where Jones immediately throws a front kick to keep Jackson at bay. A leg kick swings Jackson's lower limb backwards and everyone quickly realizes "Rampage" has learned nothing from his loss to Forrest Griffin. They clinch up again and Jones nearly tosses the challenger to the mat with what seems like the utmost of ease.
Kicks are the name of the game in the first five minutes. To the chest and face, against the thighs and to the front of the knee all land for the champion and the round ends with Jackson throwing punch after punch, each hitting nothing but the air between him and his opponent.
The second round opens with more of the same from "Bones" until one kick is caught. Jackson forces the champion against the cage but the much larger fighter is able to work his way off the chain-link and back to the center of the Octagon. From there, he continues to pick "Rampage" apart with leg kicks, a strategy for which the challenger has absolutely no answer for.
For as poorly as Jackson is doing in the stand-up exchanges, he's doing remarkably well when defending the champion's takedown attempts. Any time Jones tries to get the fight to the mat, "Rampage" is able to foil him. This lasts until 90 seconds into the third round when "Bones" finally gets his opponent on his back, landing in side mount and then almost immediately exploding into full mount. To his credit, the former champion weathers the elbows Jones throws his way and gets back to his feet.
A front kick from the champion snaps Jackson's head back and as the seconds tick away in the round, the fact that Jackson's only triumph in the bout has been a defensive maneuver and he has landed little to no offense in 15 minutes becomes startlingly clear.
The first championship round begins with Jackson taking the center of the Octagon but a hook from the champion rattles him. A kick from Jones goes high and the two clinch up, jockeying for position until "Bones" shoves his opponent against the cage. "Rampage" attempts to turn away and Jones takes his back and it's only a matter of seconds before the champion's anaconda-like arms wraps themselves around Jackson's neck.
One thing which can't be dismissed was the mental warfare "Bones" waged on his opponent. In the opening round, he ragdolled Jackson to the mat. At the end of the second, Jones pulled guard as if to tell "Rampage" the bout would go wherever he wanted and in the third, a last second takedown attempt ended with the champion literally lifting Jackson up and shrugging the Memphis native of his shoulders.
Physically and mentally, Jones decimated "Rampage" and proved he belonged at the top of the 205 pound mountain.
Can he do the same this weekend against Evans?

Georges St. Pierre talks recovering from injuries, trainer conflict with Carlos Condit and UFC 145 main event
04/20/2012
Though current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre has been sidelined for the last eight months due to injuries, that hasn't stopped the 170-pound kingpin from making the media rounds at promotional events.
So you could pretty much guarantee that "Rush" wasn't going to miss out on this weekend's (April 21, 2012) highly anticipated UFC 145 event that features two men St. Pierre knows very well, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and number one contender, Rashad Evans. Georges has shared some training time with both individuals down at Jackson-Winkeljohns Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque and has solid friendships with both competitors.
With Georges' rehab being ahead of schedule, the French-Canadian hopes to get back inside the Octagon before the year's out in hopes of unifying his title with the interim welterweight belt currently held by Carlos Condit, yet another Greg Jackson trained fighter.
St. Pierre was on hand at today's (April 19, 2012) UFC 145 open workouts in Atlanta, Ga., answering questions from media regarding a bevy of topics ranging from his current health status to the possible training conflicts that could arise when he faces Condit to his take on this weekend's 205-pound title fight.
Check out what he had to say (via MMA Heat) after the jump.

"It feels very good but because I had two injuries… It was a patellar tendon graph that I had. I had two injuries, not just one, but this is going to be the strongest graph. In two months, it's going to be 100-percent, but right now I feel that something is still not 100 percent, but in two months, I have no doubt in my mind. I don't want to mess it up. If I try to jump or go to fast, I will have to do it all over again so I don't want to do the same mistake."

The champion gave his insight on this weekend's title fight and talks about the pros and the cons that either fighter will face if they fight with too much emotion:

"I believe it is going to be a very good fight. As a fan of the sport, this is definitely a fight that I wanted to see. Both of these guys are incredibly talented. I believe a mistake form one of these two guys will be fatal. So, well see what's going to happen. There is something different about this fight because they knew each other and it's a lot of pressure. I do not know who will be the favorite because of that. Like I say, if you fight sometimes with too much emotion you commit mistakes. So, it can be a good thing because it helps you to push yourself harder and to perform better but it can also be a mistake because of it, so it will be the experience factor of it. When I fought Matt Serra, B.J. Penn and even Josh Koscheck this last time, was a lot of emotion too. But, I always perform at my best under emotion, some people it's the other way around."

It's no secret that the third party in the Evans and Jones drama is none other than Jon's head trainer, Greg Jackson, who used to train "Suga." Greg also just happens to be trainer to "Rush" and "The Natural Born Killer." However, according to St. Pierre, when the time comes, there will be no issues or favoritism shown to either competitor in their title fight, which could possibly go down at UFC 154:

"For me and Carlos is different because we never actually trained together. We train at the same gym at the same time but we never really trained together. We trained with the same sparring partners. I actually only have shake Carlos' hand. I never grapple with him or wrestle or spar with him, so it's a different scenario for me. But Greg will not be in Carlos corner either, that is the understanding that we had if we had to fight each other, Carlos and I. I don't' lose anything because he is not going to be in Carlos corner either. The bottom line is, the trainer help you a lot during the training camp, it's not during the fight that is going to change anything. It's the thousand repetitions during the training camp that will come out during the fight. It's not at the fight that he is going to say something that is going to come out. When you fight, is mostly about instinct. So even if the Pope is in my corner, I will be fine. Greg will not be in mine or Carlos corner, but I have Firaz Zihabi. For me, Firaz is my number one guy, he is their all the time. The most important guy for me is Firaz Zihabi."

Though he has no issues fighting Condit, a fighter he shares a gym with from time-to-time, there is a certain 170-pound contender that he would absolutely have no interest in fighting — fellow Tri-Star training partner, Rory MacDonald, who will also be in action this weekend taking on Che Mills:

"I'm not interested in fighting him, to tell you the truth. There are a lot of welterweights and I don't think we have to do it now. Right now there's a lot of challenge. In two years, who knows, maybe I will go to Middleweight. Who knows what is going to happen. So for me, right now I am not interested. He is a friend and he is a brother to me and I hope him the best and I know one day he is going to be world champion."

"GSP" at Middleweight? Music to fantasy matchmakers ears everywhere and somewhere in Brazil, the ears of 185-pound champion Anderson Silva are ringing.
For now, "Rush" is fully focused on his rehab and his upcoming title unification title fight with Carlos Condit.
Drama free, I might add.

Latest UFC/MMA news and notes from around the web for the week of April 15, 2012
04/20/2012
Welcome, Maniacs, to the weekly series where we help you catch up on some of the original reporting done by other sites in the vast MMA landscape. Like UFC champions Anderson Silva and Jon Jones pictured above, we can all "get along."
Teaming up with MMA sites like Low Kick, Fightline, Fight Opinion and The Fight Nerd, we'll provide an opportunity for all MMA fans to read some fresh and original voices in the sport.
This week, The Fight Nerd reviews the new MMA documentary Fightville, Fight Opinion reveals three of UFC's psychological moments this past week and Fightline interviews Rory MacDonald.
The full list of links is after the jump.

- Looking back at UFC on Fuel 2: The fan experience (LowKick)
""European fans in general, are very passionate about Mixed Martial Arts. They are loyal to this sport, and would follow the fighters wherever. As noted by Marshall Zelaznik, they would have no problem attending an event at midnight. When it comes to international UFC events, there are a lot of variables, such as TV deals, time difference, suitable arenas, local regulatory systems."
- A review of the MMA documentary: Fightville (The Fight Nerd)
As both a movie and a learning experience, Fightville succeeds on so many levels that it's difficult to list them all. Perhaps the best part of the documentary is that it has something to offer everybody.
- Three revealing psychological UFC moments (Fight Opinion)
While the focus is in Atlanta this weekend, there have been three interesting & curious events that have taken place in Zuffaland that I think reveal the current psychology of the company. All of them may not interest you, but I think at least one of the three will be revealing to you for your own reasons.
- Jones clothing deal could be sign of the future (MMA Payout)
Interesting news came out last week when it was announced that Jon Jones would be wearing UFC branded gear for his fight this Saturday night. The UFC tells the USA Today that there will be more fighters wearing UFC gear in the octagon.
- Rebellion Radio with Jade Bryce and Tony Ferguson (MMA Convert)
- Interview with UFC 145 welterweight Rory MacDonald (Fightline)
Rory MacDonald talks not knowing much about his UFC 145 opponent, training with Georges St. Pierre and Kenny Florian and more
- Randy Couture breaks down Jones/Evans (Five Ounces of Pain)
"The favorite is probably Jones because of his range and he is so athletic with such a dynamic striking style. Rashad has the tools and the skillset to make it a tough fight for Jones, but he has to make it a wrestling match and take him down at every opportunity."
- UFC 145 complete betting odds (5thRound)
There's plenty of hype surrounding "UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans," but if you were to ask the Gambling Gods, there's no point in ordering Saturday's pay-per-view broadcast.

Ronda Rousey joins fight to legalize MMA as NY Senate approves new legislation
04/19/2012
Mixed martial arts (MMA) regulation in the "Empire State" — take three.
If at first you don't succeed … well, you know the rest. Bill No. S.1707-A, designed to legalize MMA in New York, passed the State Senate yesterday by a vote of 43-14 and will (eventually) head to the Assembly floor for a final vote, the UFC announced earlier today.
And Zuffa Co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta (via MMA Fighting) is "convinced it will have strong bipartisan support:"

"We would like to thank the New York State Senate for passing the bill to legalize and regulate MMA for the third time in the last three years. We are hopeful the third time will be the charm with the State Assembly. The bill received overwhelming and bipartisan support and we would especially like to recognize the leadership of the Senate sponsor Joseph Griffo.? ?Over the next two months, we will focus our efforts on convincing Assembly leadership that this bill, now sponsored by Assemblyman Joe Morelle – who is a Monroe County native just like UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones – should be brought to the floor of the Assembly for a vote, where we are convinced it will have strong bipartisan support."

New York is one of just a handful of states that (still) does not regulate MMA, but the UFC continues to keep the pressure on, frequently sending fighters and promotion officials to plead their case.
Wednesday was no exception.
Video of those efforts, which included UFC middleweight Nick Catone and Strikeforce 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey, after the jump.

For more on the struggle to get MMA legalized in New York click here.

Bellator 66 preview and predictions for 'Alvarez vs Aoki' on April 20 in Cleveland
04/18/2012
Bellator Fighting Championships will head to "The Buckeye State" this Friday night (April 20, 2012) at the IX Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
The main card will air live on MTV2 and Epix HD on fight night, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Headlining the main event will be a much-anticipated lightweight rematch between top 10 fighters Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki. The Japanese submission wizard, Aoki, defeated Alvarez at Dynamite!! 2008 in Saitama, Japan and Alvarez has been begging for a rematch ever since.
Also on the card, the Bellator season six middleweight tournament semifinals will be taking place as Maiquel Falcao battles Vyacheslav Vasilevsky and Ohio's own Brian Rogers takes on tournament alternate Andreas Spang.
Lastly, the Bellator season six lightweight tournament will also be holding its semifinals as former welterweight finalist Rick Hawn battles underdog fan-favorite Lloyd Woodard and Kentucky's Brent Weedman takes on Brazilian kickboxer Thiago Michel. Check out our complete Bellator 66 preview and predictions after the jump:

155 lbs.: Eddie Alvarez (22-3) vs. Shinya Aoki (39-5) 1 no contest
Eddie Alvarez rose to the top inside the Bellator cage. Immediately after his last submission loss to Aoki, he would win the inaugural Bellator lightweight tournament. He followed up with two "superfight" victories and a title defense against now-current featherweight champion Pat Curran. Late last year, Alvarez would lose his title in one of 2011's finest matches against Xtreme Couture's Michael Chandler. He decided against competing in the season six lightweight tournament and instead waited for another big rematch against Aoki.
Shinya Aoki has some of the best submissions in MMA and he's been on an incredible roll as of late. He came up short in a Strikeforce lightweight title shot against Gilbert Melendez but has gone undefeated since then with five submissions and two decision victories in that time, even coming to America and submitting Lyle Beerbohm in Strikeforce. He signed a one fight deal with Bellator for an opportunity to prove his dominance over Alvarez.
Eddie Alvarez has to have one thing on his mind, and that's to avoid going to the ground with Aoki. It won't be easy because the Japanese submission master is so crafty. Alvarez needs to utilize his wrestling defensively and then blast Aoki with his powerful punching attack. He can't get too close or stay inside for too long as Aoki is unpredictable and can drop for a leglock or takedown from anywhere. He might even show off his patented butt scoot. The one thing going against Aoki is the fact that he had to travel to America, and that has simply not boded well for most Japanese fighters. I think the jetlag may be the difference in helping Alvarez be victorious this time around.
Final Prediction: Eddie Alvarez via TKO in round two
185 lbs.: Brian Rogers 9-3) vs. Andreas Spang (7-1)
Brian Rogers is a monster. He was on a tenacious first round knockout streak before running into the freight train that is Alexander Shlemenko in the Bellator season five middleweight tournament. Undeterred, he came out in the quarterfinals of this tournament against last year's middleweight finalist Vitor Vianna and he turned the Wand Fight Team Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach into a highlight reel with one of the most insanely clean flying knee knockouts you'll ever see. He's pumped and ready to go.
Andreas Spang wasn't even in this tournament, but when Bruno Santos went down with an elbow injury nearly a week ago, he stepped up on short notice. The "Sweet Swude" is a very powerful and technical striker and has serious knockout power on the feet. He's not entirely lost on the ground either but I have a feeling he's going to want to try and finish this fight quickly. He was a standout in MFC and recently scored a first round knockout at the final Strikeforce Challengers show.
Rogers might have met his match on the feet as long as Spang is healthy and in shape. "The Predator" is a monster in terms of his knockout power in combination with those vicious knees but I wouldn't be surprised if he works his terrific throws for a takedown in this fight and works some ground and pound against Spang, who has had his issues on the canvas before. Rogers is used to quick knockouts, but with Spang stepping up on short notice, conditioning should be in his favor. I see Rogers getting a quick TKO here.
Final Prediction: Brian Rogers via TKO in round one
185 lbs.: Maiquel Falcao (29-4) 1 no contest vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (16-1)
Maiquel Falcao is crazy. He fought in the UFC once in a very strange bout, winning a decision but was released when his history with the law came back to haunt him. The Brazilian went 2-1 before earning an invite to the Bellator season six tournament where he dominated Frenchman Norman Paraisy with both his ground fighting and on the feet, although his strategy and taunting were confusing at times. Now he's primed to try to advance to the tournament finals.
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky is a very dangerous Russian striker who's got some respectable submission skills as well. He was a former M-1 light heavyweight champion despite being very undersized and despite M-1's protests, he made his Bellator debut last month, destroying Victor O'Donnell with a dominant display of stand-up and ground and pound in the final two rounds of their fight. He's definitely capable of winning this whole thing.
The biggest difference in both men's skillsets are Falcao's smaller compact stature for a middleweight and his strong takedown game. Falcao took Paraisy down at will and defensive wrestling is the one part of Vasilevsky's game which he is still lacking. On the feet, both men are powerful and dangerous but Vasilevsky should be more technical and have a better reach. What will be the deciding factor in this fight will be Falvao's takedowns and ground game from top control, which I feel Vasilevsky will have some serious trouble with.
Final Prediction: Maiquel Falcao via decision
155 lbs.: Lloyd Woodard (12-1) vs. Rick Hawn (12-1)
Lloyd Woodard is a tremendous story. Training out of Montana, he continues to step up and put a hurting on bigger and more notable names in the division. He was a semifinalist in the season four lightweight tournament before losing to current champion Michael Chandler and he went out and put on a Fight of the Year candidate in his season six tournament quarterfinal bout with Patricky Freire, eventually forcing the Brazilian to give in to his Kimura attack in the second round.
Rick Hawn was a welterweight tournament finalist and arguably should have won the season four 170 pound tourney. Instead, he dropped a decision and then decided to drop a weight class. In his lightweight debut, he remained composed and then proceeded to knock very tough Brazilian Ricardo Tirloni clean out in the first round, showcasing some incredible short range power in the process.
Hawn has Olympic judo wrestling credentials but he primarily uses them defensively to remain standing and work his striking. Woodard is a jack-of-all-trades and is capable of anything and everything. I wouldn't be surprised to see him throw haymakers, leg kicks, takedown attempts and potentially a submission all in the first minute just to keep Hawn guessing. This has all the makings of an incredible fight as Hawn never moves backwards, which should force a ton of action from the super-scrappy Woodard. I feel Hawn's power might be too much for "Cupcake" but he won't go down without a fight.
Final Prediction: Rick Hawn via TKO in round two
So what do you think, Maniacs?
Will Alvarez be able to avenge his 2008 loss to Aoki? If so, how? Who are your picks to advance to the Bellator seaosn six lightweight and middleweight finals?
Sound off!