As MMA fans know, there have been quite a few MMA events lately.

Mar-7-2009 7pm PT/10pm ET
Location: Nationwide Arena, OH

UFC® 96 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio is presented by Harley-Davidson

Quinton Jackson Vs. Keith Jardine

Name: Quinton Jackson
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 29-7-0

Name: Keith Jardine
Height: 6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 14-5-1

I have to take Jackson in this one. Jardine is a dangerous opponent, but I think Rampage is going to win.

Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Shane Carwin

Name: Gabriel Gonzaga
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 242 (110 kg)
Record: 10-3-0

Name: Shane Carwin
Height: 6' 3" (191 cm)
Weight: 262 (119 kg)
Record: 10-0-0

I'm taking Shane Carwin.

Pete Sell Vs. Matt Brown

Name: Pete Sell
Height: 5' 11" (180 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 8-5-0

Name: Matt Brown
Height: 6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 11-7-0

I'm taking Matt Brown.

Matt Hamill Vs. Mark Munoz

Name: Matt Hamill
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 7-2-0

Name: Mark Munoz
Height: 6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 5-0-0

I've taking Hamill.

Gray Maynard Vs. Jim Miller

Name: Gray Maynard
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 7-0-1

Name: Jim Miller
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 13-1-0

Great fight. Hard to pick, but I'm taking Maynard.

As MMA fans know, there have been quite a few MMA events lately.

Mar-7-2009 7pm PT/10pm ET
Location: Nationwide Arena, OH

UFC® 96 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio is presented by Harley-Davidson

Quinton Jackson Vs. Keith Jardine

Name: Quinton Jackson
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 29-7-0

Name: Keith Jardine
Height: 6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 14-5-1

I have to take Jackson in this one. Jardine is a dangerous opponent, but I think Rampage is going to win.

Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Shane Carwin

Name: Gabriel Gonzaga
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 242 (110 kg)
Record: 10-3-0

Name: Shane Carwin
Height: 6' 3" (191 cm)
Weight: 262 (119 kg)
Record: 10-0-0

I'm taking Shane Carwin.

Pete Sell Vs. Matt Brown

Name: Pete Sell
Height: 5' 11" (180 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 8-5-0

Name: Matt Brown
Height: 6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 11-7-0

I'm taking Matt Brown.

Matt Hamill Vs. Mark Munoz

Name: Matt Hamill
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 7-2-0

Name: Mark Munoz
Height: 6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight: 205 (93 kg)
Record: 5-0-0

I've taking Hamill.

Gray Maynard Vs. Jim Miller

Name: Gray Maynard
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 7-0-1

Name: Jim Miller
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 13-1-0

Great fight. Hard to pick, but I'm taking Maynard.

The Countdown show is on Friday.

So, what are everyone's picks?

If jardine gets one of those vicious rights in it could result in rampage on his back When I saw him knock out the ice man I must say I was impressed although with his strange fighting style he leaves himself open to much.

I am interested in the Shane Carwin fight.

I have seen his fights on the net. He is STRONG!

if Gonzaga has any chance, he better be quick.

I am going for Carwin. He is a BULLY and can back it up.

I too think Jackson will take it.

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Just announced for June:

"Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida are heading straight for one another.

The potent lightweight pair has agreed to meet in the headlining bout of “The Ultimate Fighter 9” finale on June 20 at the Pearl inside the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, according to sources close to the fighters. The bout will anchor a night of final deciding bouts for the Spike TV reality series, which begins airing in April.

Sanchez (22-2), a winner of the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” acquitted himself well in his 155-pound debut against Joe Stevenson at UFC 95 on Feb. 21 in London. The 27-year-old New Mexico native hung tough and outscored the accomplished Stevenson to take the unanimous decision from the TUF 2 winner.

At 170 pounds, Sanchez stockpiled key victories over Joe Riggs, Karo Parisyan, and Nick Diaz. His only two losses have come to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, which prompted his move to lightweight.

Few can match Guida’s intensity and pace in the UFC’s lightweight division. The Chicago-based wrestler has rattled off three straight victories –- to Samy Schiavo, Mac Danzig, and Nathan Diaz –- since his dramatic loss to Roger Huerta at “The Ultimate Fighter 6” finale in December 2007. Guida (25-9) eked out a close spilt decision to Diaz at UFC 94 on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas."

Wow! What a fight this will be.

Any other MMA fans on the forum got any picks or comments?

Who caught the countdown show last night?

I saw part of the show.
This fight is hard to call.
Jackson is always a threat,and in my opinion
the favorite.
Its the same with Jardine,but it's hard to
see the match up.I think Jardine will need to be very agressive and not get caught to win.

Carwin is scary,but Gonzaga is very skilled.
Got to go with Carwin.
I think Hamill has really won all his fights.
Super strong and tough.Don't know Munoz,but Hamill is my pick.

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I Love This Site

Did you see Carwin's Hands? I am excited!

Now I figure out what beverage to enjoy.

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if you're gonna be a bear...

Just hours away now. Hope all MMA fans on the forum are able to see it.

These are my picks.

Jardine
Gonzaga
Sell
Hamill
Maynard

Going to a bar that has it free and should be a good night.

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NRA Endowment Member

Great event! 9 of 10 fights were shown. I went 5-0 on my picks. Been a while since I called all them right.

Looking forward to seeing Rampage fight Rashad Evans.

Shane Carwin just served notice on the heavyweight division that there is another player in the mix.

Matt Hamill and Matt Brown continue to impress me. They both get better every fight.

What the hell was up with the Matt Brown fight?! Why did Yves push him away without stopping the fight?

The fights were great but both Jardine and Rampage gassed pretty quickly.

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NRA Endowment Member

I think if Gonzaga did not get caught, he was going to give Carwin a run. His skill level to bring the big guy down incredible.

with that said, Carwin is going to be a problem for the big guys.

The Jackson Jardine fight was good. Even though I was pulling for Jardine, Jackson showed good sportsmanship during and after the fight. No real "WWF" after fight antics.

Now it went "WWF" with the Jackson Evan verbal squabble. That will be a good fight. I will pull for Jackson, but he better not take this fight lightly and train hard.

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if you're gonna be a bear...

"What the hell was up with the Matt Brown fight?! Why did Yves push him away without stopping the fight?"

The ref made a mistake. Once a ref does what he does, the fight is over. Brown had fists of fury in that one.

The Evans-Jackson fight will be a good one. I'm picking Rashad to win. Both Evans and Jackson are a little loud for my tastes. What I really want to see if Lyoto Machida fighting the winner.

UFC 96 payouts as reported by sherdog:

"Quinton "Rampage" Jackson may have thrown everything he had at Keith Jardine, but he left the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, with $385,000 weighing him down following UFC 96 last Saturday night.

Jackson earned a tough three-round decision over Jardine, who took home $115,000 for his second loss in three fights. Those figures, provided by the Ohio Athletic Commission, also include $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses doled out by the promoters.

What a difference a year makes. The 30-year-old Wolfslair Academy fighter will face champion Rashad Evans next for the light heavyweight title at UFC 98 in May –- less than a year after an unstable Jackson thrust himself into the nation’s spotlight for wrecking havoc through the streets of Newport Beach, Calif., in his truck.

Heavyweight Shane Carwin swung his way into the contender’s circle with a gripping first-round knockout over Octagon vet Gabriel Gonzaga. Carwin was paid $32,000, while Gonzaga received nearly double that in defeat with $60,000.

UFC 96’s third highest bread winner was light heavyweight Brandon Vera with $60,000, though the take must have been bittersweet. Once heralded as the division’s next coming, Vera earned $200,000 for his last disclosed payroll at UFC Fight Night 14 in July 2008 with a unanimous decision win over Reese Andy. However, the athletic 31-year-old has gone 2-3 in his last five outings and signed to a much thriftier contract this time around. Vera’s opponent, Michael Patt, took home $5,000.

According to the OAS, all main card winners were tested for drugs following UFC 96, with the addition of middleweights Kendall Grove and Jason Day. Results are pending.

UFC 96 Payouts

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson -- $325,000 (including $100,000 win bonus) def. Keith Jardine -- $55,000

Shane Carwin -- $32,000 (including $16,000 win bonus) def. Gabriel Gonzaga -- $60,000

Matt Brown -- $16,000 (including $8,000 win bonus) def. Pete Sell -- $12,000

Matt Hamill -- $40,000 (including $20,000 win bonus) def. Mark Munoz -- $12,000

Gray Maynard -- $20,000 (including $10,000 win bonus) def. Jim Miller -- $9,000

Tamdan McCrory -- $20,000 (including $10,000 win bonus) def. Ryan Madigan -- $3,000

Kendall Grove -- $44,000 (including $22,000 win bonus) def. Jason Day -- $5,000

Jason Brilz -- $10,000 (including $5,000 win bonus) def. Tim Boetsch -- $12,000

Brandon Vera -- $60,000 (including $30,000 win bonus) def. Michael Patt -- $5,000

Shane Nelson -- $16,000 (including $8,000 win bonus) def. Aaron Riley -- $6,000"

Why does Carwin get chump changed compared to his opponent and knocked him out?

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if you're gonna be a bear...

"Why does Carwin get chump changed compared to his opponent and knocked him out?"

Because Gonzaga was a bigger name going into the fight. He already challenged once for the title. Carwin will get a lot more in his next UFC fight.

I think Matt Brown was way underpaid. He's a vet with a 3-1 UFC record.