Today all 18 fighters competing on tomorrow night’s Strikeforce: Grand Prix Finale weighed in today at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. and all 18 fighters made weight.  Strikeforce: Grand Prix Finale will take place tomorrow night from the same venue and will be aired live on Showtime Extreme and Showtime.

Main Card

• Josh Barnett (248) vs. Daniel Cormier (238)
• Champ Gilbert Melendez (153) vs. Josh Thomson (153)
• Rafael ”Feijao” Cavalcante (206) vs. Mike Kyle (203)
• Nah-Shon Burrell (170) vs. Chris Spang (169)

Preliminary Card

• Gesias ”JZ” Cavalcante (156) vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg (156)
• Virgil Zwicker (204) vs. Guto Inocente (205)
• Derrick Mehmen (205) vs. Gian Villante (205)
• Quinn Mulhern (170) vs. Yuri Villefort (170)
• Bobby Green (155) vs. James Terry (156)

Federo Emelianenko announced in an interview with Russian Television that he will retire after his upcoming fight on June 21, against Pedro Rizzo.  Fedor was widely considered the best pound for pound fighter until a recent skid that saw him lose three straight fights.

Nine fighters in total received medical suspensions after UFC on Fuel 3 Tuesday night.  Most of the suspensions ranged from 20 to 60 days but two fighters, Jeremy Stevens and Johnny Eduardo were suspended indefinitely.

The full list of suspensions is as follows:

•  Johnny Eduardo: Suspended indefinitely due to a possible eye injury, can be cleared early by a physician
• Jeremy Stephens: Suspended indefinitely due to a possible eye injury, can be cleared early by a physician
• Jorge Lopez: Suspended 60 days
• Dustin Poirier: Suspended 60 days
• Jeff Hougland: Suspended 60 days
• Kamal Shalorus: Suspended 30 days
• Jason MacDonald: Suspended 30 days
• Igor Pokrajac: Suspended 30 days
• Fabio Maldonado: Suspended 30 days

Coming off of his victory over Marcus LeVesseur, Cody Mckenzie wanted to continue to test his skill and he will get his chance to do exactly that at UFC 148.  UFC officials announced today that McKenzie will drop to featherweight and take on Chad Mendes.  It is unclear where this fight will land on the card.

The Missouri based promotion “ShoFIGHT” has produced 19 amateur events but on June 16 they will break into the professional side of things. UFC vets will be in action as Karo Parisyan faces Shamar Bailey in the main event and Kendal Grove takes on Terry Martin in the co-main event.

Photo: Werdum submits Fedor (Esther Lin/AOL)

Like last week, with two live fights on the docket, the attention quickly shifted to the fights at hand. First up was Team Faber’s Chris Saunders taking on Team Cruz product Vinc Pichel.

“For a last pick, we couldn’t have gotten a better guy,” Coach Urijah Faber stated about Chris Saunders. “There’s no breaking him. At times he looks like the best guy. He has the skill to take Pichel out of this fight.”

“Growing up was tough for me,” Saunders recalled. “I didn’t have my mom or dad and if I wanted something done, I had to do it myself. I’m looking to be a role model. You can do anything you put your mind to.”

“Pichel vs. Saunders is a good fight,” Dominick Cruz declared. “The key is going to be Pichel getting Saunders to the ground and submitting him. Grind, grind, grind. Pressure, pressure, pressure.”

“The further out in the water we get, the bigger the advantage for me,” said Pichel. “He may not even make it out to deep water. I may knock him out in the first round. I don’t really see him having a chance of beating me.”

After a quick feeling out process, Pichel pressed Saunders against the fence and looked for a takedown. However, Saunders reversed the position and gained the top position. Pichel attacked with elbows from his back, as Saunders controlled the position. Pichel returned the fight to the feet at the midway point of the round. Pichel again worked hard for a takedown, but Saunders kept the fight standing.

Pichel again looked for a takedown to open the second round. Saunders fought hard to keep the fight upright, eventually transitioning to Pichel’s back and looking for a takedown of his own. Pichel flurried with two minutes remaining, scoring with clinch knees before finally securing a takedown against the fence. Saunders transitioned again, briefly taking Pichel’s back in the final minute. Pichel pushed hard until the final bell.

“I was kind of hoping for a third round because this is my first decision,” Pichel said, despite being the victor.

“I thought for sure we were heading to sudden-victory,” a disappointed Saunders declared. “I won the first round and he clearly won the second.”

“This is a unique experience for me,” Faber said of having his two fighters facing one another. “It’s not fair for me to take a side.” He informed Al Iaquinta and Andy Ogle that he would be randomly assigning coaches to their corners on the day of the fight.

“Al’s a great guy and he’s very tough,” Ogle said. “I’ve fought him a million times in my head, but I’ve also fought him in the gym. I’m not going to let that get to me. This is my show, my time. I expect to have a war. I want this more than anyone.”

“Ogle’s really stepped up his game,” Faber explained. “He’s grown a lot.”

“I feel like the hardest working person here,” Iaquinta declared. “I’m the first one on the mat and usually the last one off it. That’s the difference between me and a lot of the guys here. Andy’s tough and he’ll keep me on my toes. I came here for a UFC contract and I’m going to leave with a UFC contract.”

Ogle started the fight as the aggressor, but Iaquinta held his ground and looked to counter. Iaquinta scored with a headkick and followed with a right hand. Ogle seemed unfazed and continued to come forward. Ogle connected with an overhand right and then a lead hook. An uppercut from Iaquinta slowed Ogle. The pace slowed until Iaquinta scored with a big right hand that hurt Ogle. He pounced and looked to finish, but Ogle tried to get back to his feet. On the way up Iaquinta landed an elbow that sent Ogle crashing back to the mat and a follow-up right hand forced the referee to wave off the fight.

“We’ve sparred the whole time here, it was weird,” Iaquinta said of fighting a teammate.

“It happens. Each dog has its day,” a dejected Ogle said. “Everybody loses. There can only be one winner and I’m gutted it’s not me.”

Dana White agreed that the opening fight was close, but felt Pichel was the deserving winner. He also declared that Iaquinta sent a statement.

The semifinal matchups will be Team Cruz’s James Vick vs. Team Faber’s Michael Chiesa and Cruz’s Vinc Pichel vs. Faber’s Al Iaquinta. Both fights take place next week, May 25.

Following the fights, White announced that with bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz sidelined by a knee injury, Urijah Faber will now face Brazilian Renan Barao at UFC 148 on July 7 for the interim belt.

Photo: Al Iaquinta (L) battles Andy Ogle (Josh Hedges/Zuffa, LLC)

Brazilian Maiquel Falcao used his grappling, not his wild striking to defeat Andreas Spang and claim the season-six middleweight tournament crown. The win not only earned him a $100,000 prize, but a shot at the vacant title against Alexander Shlemenko.

The first round was bizarre as Spang rocked Falcao in the opening minute, but the UFC veteran recovered and suplexed Spang to the ground. As Falcao attacked from Spang’s back along the fence, he connected with an illegal knee that forced the referee to deduct a point.

In the final two rounds, Falcao used his grappling and strength advantage to neutralize Spang’s boxing. Spang looked for a guillotine choke multiple times, but Falcao escaped easily on each occasion.

Despite the point deduction, Falcao took the decision on every judge’s scorecard.

Karl Amoussou punched his ticket to the welterweight tournament final against Bryan Baker by sliding by David Rickels with split decision win.

In the opening frame, there was a bizarre moment as the strap on Amoussou’s cup was broken just seconds into the bout. Once the equipment issue was resolved, the Frenchman attacked recklessly against Rickels. The judo stylist put Rickels on his back on multiple occasions and used his ground and pound to secure the round.

The second stanza was much more even as Rickels matched Amoussou’s output on the feet. Amoussou appeared to be hurt near the end of the round, but again used his judo to take the fight to the ground. Rickels looked for an armbar late in round, but Amoussou slammed his way out of it.

Rickels poured it on in the third round. Amoussou looked for a heel hook early in the frame but Rickels escaped into top position. Once there, Rickels maintained the position and rained strikes until the final bell.

When it was over, two of the three judges gave the Frenchman the nod and place in the final. Amoussou praised Rickels in his post-fight speech.

In a battle of the top two 115-pound female fighters on the planet, Jessica Aguilar took a unanimous decision win over Megumi Fujii.

Through the first two rounds, Aguilar used counterstriking to land bigger shots against her Japanese opponent. Fujii was the more active fighter, mixing in a variety of kicks, but Aguilar’s strikes found their mark more frequently. Near the end of the first frame, Aguilar was forced to escape an armbar attempt from Fujii.

The final round was all Fujii. The fighter took the fight to the ground and forced Aguilar to defend off her back.

Despite the late push, it was Aguilar who took the decision on the judges’ scorecards.

Heavyweight Mark Holata punched his ticket to the promotion’s season-seven tournament by submitting former Ultimate Fighter cast member Abe Wagner.

Holata scored with an early takedown, but Wagner prevented much offense by locking up his guard. Near the midpoint of the round, Holata sat back for an ankle lock. Wagner countered, but it was Holata that forced Wagner to shout “tap” and put an end to the bout.

Maiquel Falcao def. Andreas Spang by unanimous decision (29-27 x3)
Karl Amoussou def. David Rickels by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jessica Aguilar def. Megumi Fujii by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Mark Holata def. Abe Wagner by submission (ankle lock). Round 1, 2:24
Josh Quayhagen def. Cliff Wright by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Shanon Slack def Booker Arthur by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Andrey Koreshkov def. Derrick Krantz by TKO (strikes). Round 3, 0:51
Richard Hale def. Josh Burns by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 0:38
E.J. Brooks def. Kalvin Hackney by unanimous decision

Photo: Maiquel Falcao (blue shirt) captured the middleweight tournament (Bellator Fighting Championships)

Mo sees a family environment in Bellator and a learning experience in the TNA/Impact Wrestling era headed by Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan. Bellator sees a marketable and still-improving light heavyweight who once held a 205-pound title for Strikeforce, and Carter—maybe more so than Hogan—sees big money in a former 205-pound champion showing up to TNA as nothing more or less than himself

On the surface, it seems like Lawal will get the best of two worlds, while Carter gets to make money off of the potential media frenzy that might transpire with Mo dedicating time to TNA.  And all the while, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney gets to spread the name of Bellator across markets by featuring a major MMA star—or at least, a guy who can be marketed as such—on the Thursday-night program hosted by the company that is seen as the WWE’s competition.

Lawal (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

However, in the long run, who really benefits from it?

The answer is everyone involved—it’s almost the same on paper as it is in reality.

Just as the Brock Lesnar deal got WWE fans involved in the UFC, and just as Lesnar’s WWE return sparked interest in professional wrestling among MMA fans, “King Mo” and his involvement in TNA while remaining under Bellator contract benefits all involved, especially MMA fans who stand behind Lawal and his endeavors.

It’s unknown how many fans are going to accept the former Strikeforce title holder as a legitimate staple of the current mainstream wrestling scene, as many voiced a displeasure for the legitimate strikes Lesnar landed on current WWE star John Cena, and therefore, it may cause many to fear the possibilities of what could result from a legitimate strike or two thrown by Lawal inside TNA’s ring. But a look at what’s really going on in the wrestling world might cause one to not worry too much about Lawal being active in TNA for a variety of reasons, but especially for two specific ones.

The first is the concept of celebrity interaction with the roster, à la NFL defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones. When Jones made it to TNA, he got involved in matches without ever having to actually demonstrate any wrestling skill or athleticism, and that’s one thing TNA will do with Lawal in all likelihood. Dixie Carter and the people in the TNA brass realize that Mo is not the 2012 version of what Ken Shamrock was in 1997 on through 2000, when Shamrock transitioned from MMA into the then-WWF and won titles while Jim Ross brought Shamrock’s nickname to life through his commentary. Fans back in the Attitude Era of the WWE knew Shamrock’s past as the one-time greatest of all time in the UFC, as well as his status as the UFC’s first Superfight champion. In the same way, fans will come to learn about Lawal, his love for pro wrestling, his determination to leave fans wondering what he will do next, and of course, his MMA career.

That said, Lawal can get all the mentions he wants pertaining to his career, but he’s still a Bellator fighter, and just as Jones had little to no actual physicality in his stint with TNA, Mo can prepare himself for the possibility of not getting as much ring time as he would like to get for at least the first few months or so of his contract with Bellator. However, eventually, he will get some ring time so that he can live his dream.

Also, Lawal is going into TNA before Rebney decides when he will debut in Bellator. Mo’s debut will depend on when he finally is healthy to go in Bellator, so the issue of physicality may not in fact be an issue.

Now the physicality issue not being much of an issue is one reason why wrestling fans with any doubts about this should not worry too much, but what’s the other? We said there were two reasons to not worry about the fact that another celebrity is in TNA performing instead of just appearing, yes? So why else should we just sit back and enjoy the show?

Simply put, it’s TNA, folks. They do this a lot, but they are always consistent in featuring celebrities and other sports figures on their programming. They’ve featured mixed martial artists Eddie Alvarez and Joe Warren on their program as commentators, as well as Jersey Shore’s Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Angelina Pivarnick, along with New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and even Survivor winner Jenna Morasca, as active participants on their programming.

Not only that, but one of their former TNA champions, Samoa Joe, uses a pro-wrestling-safe version of the rear-naked choke as a submission finisher at times, so it’s not as though there has not been any MMA influence in TNA. Whatever Lawal ends up doing will be no different, and again, he will benefit from being another “famous” name on TNA programming. Only Bellator can help Lawal achieve his pro-wrestling dreams at this point, and as Bellator is expected to hit Spike TV in 2013, the timing could not be any more perfect.

Lawal (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Bjorn Rebney and Bellator also get something out of this whole deal, aside from getting Bellator’s name out in the open. By not announcing Lawal’s Bellator debut until Mo is healthy enough to train properly for a fight, Bellator is ensuring that Lawal will not try to pull double-duty akin to Deion Sanders and fight for Bellator the night after he just had a match that aired on TV or after he got “injured” on TNA’s Impact Wrestling show. Rebney and his people are waiting until they know Lawal is not injured before they announce that he will be a part of a future light heavyweight tournament.

As for TNA and Dixie Carter, they benefit from this as much as Lawal and Rebney. Carter, an opponent of steroids in the sports world, knows of Mo’s now-famously-infamous drug test and subsequent hearing, but she is not worrying about it because she has assured the public that Lawal will be the most tested person in both Bellator and TNA.

In addition to doing MMA a service and making sure Lawal is not taking any illegal substances, Carter benefits from having Mo in TNA because having a guy like Lawal—an accomplished wrestler and MMA star—in her ranks ensures entertainment and a face that will aim to draw people into TNA—especially those who either never heard of TNA before or swore off TNA because of what they thought was a monotonous product.

The more people buy into Lawal as part of the TNA brand of professional wrestling, the more money it makes Carter and TNA in the long run, and in the world of professional wrestling, isn’t money the bottom line of it all?

Carter can hope to make a lot of it once Lawal is featured on TV, Lawal can hope and expect to get the most out of his experience in pro wrestling for however long it lasts, and Rebney can hope and expect that once Mo’s time in TNA is done, he will have a still-hungry light heavyweight fighter to market to his heart’s content as fans across the world start talking about “King Mo vs. Christian M’Pumbu” before it even happens.

Who loses at the end of it all?

If you want an honest answer, the only losers in this are the people who choose not to watch it from start to finish, because for however long this lasts, this whole ordeal may just be worth paying some hard-earned money to see live—and it all will happen before “King Mo” even steps inside the Bellator cage for the first time ever.

Photo: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Although things did not go as planned for the Factory X Muay Thai product, he is taking what he can from the experience. Hackett hopes to get back on track on May 19 against Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Adam Schindler when the two headline Fight to Win’s “Super Heroes” card in Denver.

“I’m ready for redemption,” Hackett told The MMA Corner. “The TUF experience was awesome, but I learned that you’ve got to leave it all out there, no matter what. Going forward, win or lose, I want to know that I put everything I could into it; that I fought my heart out. It’s not that I didn’t fight hard, I just feel like I could’ve done more. That’s the most frustrating thing.”

Hackett (L) (Phil Lambert/The MMA Corner)

One component of his brief reality show career that bothered Hackett was the new format for the elimination fights. In seasons past, the reality show featured two five-minute rounds to get into the house. However, for the debut season on FX, it was reduced to a single round. Hackett was one of eight fighters that came up short on the scorecards in their five minutes in the Octagon.

“We all knew (the format) going in, but I think a lot of the fights that weren’t finished would’ve had a different outcome if they had gone longer than one round,” said Hackett. “If they’re worried about TV time, they should break it up into two nights. You don’t want to look back and say if there was another round I would’ve done this, or done that, but it’s hard not to.”

Hackett was defeated by Chris Saunders in his elimination round bout to get on the reality show. While it would be easy for Hackett to hold a grudge, that’s anything but the case as Saunders now competes for a spot in the semifinals this week.

“I was rooting for Saunders to begin with,” explained Hackett. “There were a couple of guys that I got to know throughout the whole process and Chris was one of those guys. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to fight him to get into the house, but I did. Regardless of the fact that he beat me, I’m still rooting for him.”

Although he has no animosity toward his opponent, the loss was certainly disappointing for the fighter. Yet, the experience is something Hackett plans to use as motivation going forward in the sport.

“It was heartbreaking,” admitted Hackett. “But there is still good stuff that came out of it. The fights were on Friday, I flew home Saturday, and I was back in the gym on Monday. I’ve been training six days a week, 2-3 times a day ever since. I quit my job before the show and I know this is what I really want to do. Getting a little taste of the big show was great, I just have to go a different route now.”

Hackett (Phil Lambert/The MMA Corner)

That different route could have started with an easy opponent to get Hackett back on track, rather than an experienced veteran like Schindler. But like Hackett’s teammates—either already in the big show, or just on the cusp of it—easy fights are not an option.

“Everybody is asking why I took this fight because it’s so tough,” said Hackett. “Everybody here (at Factory X) fights the toughest guys that we can. Besides, after being on The Ultimate Fighter, and getting that exposure, I need to make a statement.”

Making that statement is no easy task against a fighter of Schindler’s caliber. Schindler will enter the cage with more than twice as many fights as Hackett, as well as two state wrestling titles and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. However, Hackett believes the two will put on a show.

“Adam Schindler is a tough dude and he’s fought in some big shows,” said Hackett. “The biggest thing for me is that he comes to fight. I’m looking forward to getting hit and hitting him. We’re going to have an explosive fight.”

As if facing Schindler wasn’t a difficult enough task, Hackett must deal with the added pressure of headlining a card in his hometown. But the lightweight wouldn’t have it any other way.

“This is the biggest fight of my career,” Hackett declared. “I’ve got some exposure and people know who I am now. They’re bringing in a guy from out of state, but people are expecting me to win. That’s a lot of pressure on me, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Top Photo: Chase Hackett (The Ultimate Fighter/Facebook)

The field started with arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time, the heavyweight champion from multiple organizations, the BJJ phenom, two former UFC champions, and other highly regarded and ranked fighters rounding out the field. But what looked to be an amazing tournament seemed cursed.

Almost immediately matchmaking and the brackets were criticized. This was followed by fan-favorite, and the biggest draw in the event, Fedor Emelianenko, getting knocked out in the first round. Then there was a delay in finding a location to hold the remainder of the first round due to Barnett’s licensing issues. This was followed by the next biggest favorite, Alistair Overeem, been ripped out of the tournament because of contract issues. In all, over half of the original entrants for the Grand Prix were cut before the tournament’s conclusion this week.

But we are finally down to the final two. Josh Barnett is one of the top-ranked fighters in the division and he has been since winning the UFC title back in 2002. His path through the tournament took him through Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov. Daniel Cormier is a superstar wrestler who has transitioned his strong amateur wrestling into the MMA world to make himself one of the fastest rising prospects in the division. He was an alternate brought in to replace Overeem. He defeated Antonio Silva to make it to the finals. Now the veteran faces the newcomer in the final fight of the Grand Prix.

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals takes place Saturday, May 19, in the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET, with the preliminary card airing live on Showtime Extreme at 8 p.m. ET.  Here to break down the main card and give quick picks for the prelims is the MMA Corner Round Table panel of Richard Wilcoxon, Bryan Henderson and Brian McKenna.

Henderson: Nah-Shon Burrell captured a split decision over James Terry in his last outing, and it was enough to earn him a spot on the main card against fellow prospect Chris Spang.

Nah-Shon Burrell (Esther Lin/All Elbows)

Burrell has managed eight wins in nine outings thus far in his career, with a 2010 decision loss to Christopher Curtis as the only black mark on his record. Burrell has put in a lot of (T)KO’s for victories, but the length of his fights has increased as time has gone by.

Spang is only five fights into his career, with a single loss as well. That loss came via unanimous decision to Ricky Legere in Spang’s last bout. Until he reached Strikeforce, he tended to make quick work of his opponents, but lately he’s gone the distance.

I think we’re in for a striking battle here. Spang finished two foes in quick fashion with his fists, and Burrell has done the same six times over. I like Burrell’s experience and his win over Terry. If he gets beyond the first round, I think it’s his fight to take. I see Burrell scoring the TKO midway through this fight.

McKenna: Burrell definitely holds the experience edge in this fight despite the fact that he is two years younger than his opponent, Spang. Not only does he have four more fights and four more victories, but he is 3-0 inside the Strikeforce cage and is clearly comfortable there.

Chris Spang (Strikeforce)

Spang has fought twice in the promotion’s hexagon, but as Bryan pointed out, his transition to it hasn’t gone as smooth considering he needed all 15 minutes to win his first fight there, and lost his second outing by unanimous decision. Clearly, the step up in competition has caused struggles for the Swede.

Generally, I love picking fighters who are coming off of their first professional loss because it tends to humble them and push them even harder for their next outing, but I don’t think that this fight is a good match-up for Spang. I am going to piggyback on Bryan’s pick of a TKO by Burrell.

Wilcoxon: This going to be short and sweet. I don’t have much to add to my colleagues breakdown of the fight. Burrell holds an experience advantage and he has stopped more opponents. He also appears more comfortable in the Strikeforce cage. It is unanimous. Burrell wins this via TKO.

McKenna: Rafael Cavalcante has three losses in his career, one of which came from the hands of Mike Kyle. That fight took place for Strikeforce in 2009 and saw Kyle winning the fight by knockout at the end of the second round. After that fight, Kyle has done well while bouncing back and forth from heavyweight to light heavyweight, while Cavalcante won three straight with the promotion including a third-round TKO victory over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal for the light heavyweight title.

Mike Kyle (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

I mentioned in my breakdown of the Burrell vs. Spang fight that I love picking fighters that are coming off of their first victory because of the fact that generally they’re extremely motivated. Well, I feel the same way about guys that are given a rematch. Cavalcante took the loss from Kyle and turned it into a title. Sure, he lost the title to Dan Henderson, but he came out of that and knocked out Yoel Romero Palacio. The guy feels like he is driven, and that really stands out to me.

While Kyle has done very well since their last fight, I have to go with Cavalcante in this fight. His drive will push him to be victorious with his 11th career victory by (T)KO.

Wilcoxon: As Brian mentioned, this is a rematch from a 2009 fight. At the time of that match-up, Kyle was working hard to rehabilitate his image and his career while Cavalcante was flying high with hype as the next big thing. While that fight sidetracked Cavalcante briefly, it completely changed Kyle.

Since the fight in 2009, Kyle has gone 6-2 fighting both in Strikeforce and other organizations to stay busy. The former bad boy has taken on everyone offered to him and has become, dare I say it, a company man. His only losses during that span are against top-10 heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva.

Cavalcante also went on a run since their last meeting, going 4-1 including winning and losing the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.

Rafael Cavalcante (Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog)

The strengths of the two are very similar. They are both heavy hitters that have combined for 22 knockout victories. They both also have been knocked out fairly regularly in their losses. That means this one has the potential to end suddenly and violently, it is just a matter of who lands cleanly first. Really a fight like this is always going to be a coin toss. However, while it feels like Cavalcante is the younger fighter on the rise, the truth is he is only a year younger than Kyle. He just hasn’t been on the big stage as long and hasn’t stayed as active. I say that experience helps Kyle slow the hype train down one more time. This fights ends like the first with a TKO in the second round.

Henderson: This is the good type of coin toss, one where both men have the skills to finish the other off in sudden fashion. Both men have taken on some solid competition since their 2009 bout, with “Feijao” losing to Dan Henderson and Kyle losing to two top heavyweights.

While Cavalcante’s overall run during that stretch features the bigger win in defeating Muhammed Lawal, I like Kyle’s ability to hang with the heavyweights. I think that plays the biggest factor here, as there’s no way “Feijao” has the same power as, say, an Antonio Silva. I agree with Richard on this one: Kyle turns in a repeat performance and comes out with the TKO victory.

Wilcoxon: Is this the conclusion of the trilogy that no one cares about? Usually, a trilogy has a ton of energy and excitement behind it. When I think back to Chuck and Randy III or even Edgar and Maynard III, there was some talk about it. But this fight just feels like it slid off everybody’s radar.

Josh Thomson (R) (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Thomson is the former Strikeforce lightweight champion. He is also the last person to beat Melendez, back in 2008. Thomson has always been a good athlete with a ton of talent, but he also has been injury-prone. There are even rumors he is injured for this fight. When healthy, Thomson is a handful for any fighter.

Melendez has slowly climbed the top 10 rankings more on the power of not losing and a few big wins than consistently fighting top opponents. His combination of wrestling and striking gives him an advantage in most of his fights by allowing him to take the fight where his opponent is least comfortable.

While Thomson has the talent to win, I have a hard time envisioning it. His combination of injuries and age make it feel like he is nearing the end of the road, while Melendez is still climbing. Melendez takes this fight on the judges’ scorecards as he dictates where the fight happens.

Henderson: The topic of Thomson’s injuries is key here. That rumored injury was not even completely denied by Thomson in a Twitter spat the fighter engaged in with a guerilla MMA journalist. Thomson was more focused on insisting that the fight will go on, and simply shrugged the suggestion of injury off as something that’s commonplace in training for a fight.

While some level of injury is common in training, Thomson has become one of those guys where it’s more newsworthy to hear that he’s healthy rather than injured. Maybe Thomson is denying the severity of this injury, and maybe the injury isn’t even that severe, but I just don’t like where this is headed.

Gilbert Melendez (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

For that reason, I think Thomson will be at a disadvantage heading into the final installment of this trilogy. Thomson is always game, but Melendez is continuing to evolve as a fighter. I think we’ll see him keep Thomson grounded and work for a dominant unanimous decision victory.

McKenna: Right out of the get go here, I am a little confused at the fact that my fellow panelists are not excited to see the No. 2 ranked lightweight according to The MMA Corner fighter rankings. The Strikeforce lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez, is one of the more entertaining fighters to watch. And as Richard pointed out, this fight is a trilogy fight, but at the same time, this fight is a rubber match. However, I agree with Richard in the sense that this fight is being overlooked, which honestly is a shame.

Sure, Thomson may in fact be hurt, but the question here is whether or not he is truly injured. Every athlete from basketball, to football, to combat sports is always hurt. While Thomson would likely not pull out of this fight unless he couldn’t walk—because it is likely the last time that the 33-year-old will be awarded a chance at the title—something tells me that he may be hurt, but not injured.

Even with all of that, this fight is Melendez’s to lose. Currently, the lightweight champ is trapped inside of what could be called a Zuffa purgatory. Some of the most dynamic Strikeforce fighters—Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson and Nick Diaz—have been relocated over to the UFC, but for some reason Zuffa is keeping Melendez in Strikeforce where there is clearly inferior talent to him. There are a lot of people out there who think that Melendez could defeat Ben Henderson, but so long as he is in the purgatory, that won’t happen. Even though the first two fights between the them went to decision and that both Richard and Bryan feel as though it is going to decision, I think that Melendez is going to try his best to make a statement and finish this fight early in the hopes of having Zuffa officials finally add him to the UFC roster. Melendez will take an early-round TKO victory in this one.

McKenna: Finally, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix will come to an end. When the promotion kicked off the tournament in January of 2011, Daniel Cormier wasn’t even in the field. But it was what he did on the outskirts of the tournament that lead Zuffa officials to plug him into the semifinals to replace Alistair Overeem after ‘Reem was plucked from Strikeforce and put in the UFC.

Daniel Cormier (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

At first, a lot of people were calling for Chad Griggs to replace Overeem because he had taken down Gian Villante and Valentijn Overeem in Grand Prix reserve bouts, but nobody can argue with “DC” being put into the tournament after his great knockout of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to gain entry into the finals. After the Brazilian completely dominated Fedor Emelianenko in the opening round of the tournament, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he would be in the finals when he was paired up against Cormier. But the AKA product used superior striking to drop “Bigfoot” twice in that first round, and followed up the second knockdown to earn the knockout. We had heard about how great he was with his wrestling, but now the world knows not to sleep on the power behind his fists.

Across from Cormier is a man who a lot of MMA fans love, and a lot of MMA fans hate. We’ll start with the hate for a minute, because there was a time where Josh Barnett called the UFC home and even held the UFC title. After testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs after UFC 36, he was stripped of the title and given his walking papers. Fast forward to August of 2009, and in the weeks leading up to his fight against Emelianenko in Affliction’s third fight card, Barnett got popped again for PED’s, which not only cancelled the fight, but the entire card and eventually the promotion. But even if you dislike him because of all of this, you have to respect his abilities. The guy is very skilled and has been a top fighter his entire career. He rolled through Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov in the first two fights of the Grand Prix, and is looking to do the same in order to emerge as its victor.

To say it easily, Barnett is the most difficult fighter that Cormier has faced to this point in his career, while the inverse is not true. It would be dumb for the “Baby-faced Assassin” to sleep on Cormier, and that will not be the case as Barnett has the experience edge which will be the biggest factor in his second-round submission victory of “DC.”

Henderson: Cormier has definitely proven to be the real deal, but Brian mostly summed up my thoughts when it comes to the AKA product’s match-up with Barnett.

To add to what my colleague has already said, there’s a reason Barnett has remained a steady top-ranked heavyweight for years now. Throughout his days in the UFC, Pride and Strikeforce, with some stops in between, he has taken on the toughest competition and almost always comes out on top. He’s a proven warrior who has not met with much failure. His only true Achilles’ heel was Mirko Cro Cop, when the Croatian was in his prime.

Now Cormier will be a tough foe, no doubt, but Barnett is a catch wrestler who will have not only the experience edge but also is more ground savvy. Cormier’s best bet is to try to keep this fight standing and out-strike Barnett.

Josh Barnett (Sherdog)

I think Barnett’s a tough veteran who will find a way to take Cormier out of his comfort zone. We’ll see the less experienced Cormier take one round on the scorecards and last until the final bell, but it will be Barnett emerging with the unanimous nod and the Grand Prix championship.

Wilcoxon: While I don’t disagree with anything my colleagues have said, I’m having a hard time jumping on the bandwagon. Here’s why:

Barnett has been picking off strikers left and right lately. Fighters where he had a huge wrestling and submission advantage. The last time he faced anyone with even a little bit of a wrestling base was way back in 2008 when he fought Jeff Monson. To find a true wrestler, you have to go all the way back to 2002 when he fought Randy Couture.

But the match-up with Cormier is completely different than those other match-ups. Randy was completely undersized in that fight and it was one of the match-ups that caused him to drop down a weight class, and Monson wants the fight on the ground as much as Barnett does. But if Cormier is smart, he will use his wrestling to keep the fight standing and turn this into a striking battle.

In a striking battle, I think Cormier has more power but probably a little less technique, which makes this a close battle. Barnett is a big favorite for a reason. His experience and submission game are at an elite level. I just think it is a much closer fight than many believe. My head is telling me to stick with the favorite and that Barnett will win this, but my heart is saying Cormier has a great chance. If I were playing the odds, I would go with Barnett, but something is telling Cormier will edge this out. Cormier wins by split decision.

Henderson: Terry’s been hyped, but he hasn’t really backed that up with big wins. Green by split decision.

Wilcoxon: I’m going the other way. Terry has a huge wrestling advantage. He will get Green down and either grind out a decision or ground-and-pound his way to victory.

McKenna: Sure Terry has been overhyped, but his recent losses have come from Burrell, Caros Fodor and Tarec Saffiedine, who are all quality fighters. Terry gets the edge here in my book and wins by TKO.

Wilcoxon: This could either be an amazing display of grappling or a less than spectacular striking battle. Villefort is coming off an injury, but I think he is up to the challenge. Villefort wins by late submission.

McKenna: The fact that Villefort has been out for so long and is so young scares me in this fight. I have to go with less ring rust, age and experience while picking Mulhern here by submission.

Henderson: Not only has Villefort been on the shelf for nearly two years, he also built his six-fight undefeated record against low-level opponents. Villefort is the equivalent of the competition Mulhern thrived against in King of the Cage. Mulhern takes this via submission.

Henderson: Villante has been disappointing in big fights, but so has Mehmen. It’s a coin toss; I give Villante a slight edge and the TKO win.

McKenna: Both fighters are looking for a strong performance, which generally leads to fireworks. Bryan’s coin landed in favor of Villante, mine landed for Mehmen.

Wilcoxon: While neither has been impressive, some of Villante struggles came from competing at heavyweight. Now at light heavyweight, he has looked better. Villante wins late in this one.

McKenna: Zwicker hasn’t fought since April 2011 while Inocente has been out since September 2010. A combination of longer ring rust and different American rules will hurt Inocente as Zwicker earns the decision.

Wilcoxon: As Brian said, both have ring rust. Zwicker is a brawler, but Inocente is a mixed martial artist. Inocente gets the fight to ground where Zwicker will struggle. Inocente wins this in the second round by submission.

Henderson: Zwicker might be known as a brawler, but he hones his game with Dan Henderson as a primary training partner. He’s facing a guy who comes and goes from the MMA scene—until now, never fighting outside of Brazil—and who has fought primarily sub-par competition. Zwicker presses forward and emerges with a TKO win.

Wilcoxon: Vallie-Flagg hasn’t faced the competition that “JZ” has faced. “JZ’s” ultra-aggressive attitude and style will notch him a submission stoppage.

Henderson: Not only has “JZ” faced tougher foes, he’s only lost to the very best. Vallie-Flagg is a top regional guy, but he’ll be outclassed here. I also think we’re looking at a submission win for Cavalcante.

McKenna: Seven victories by submission for Cavalcante, three losses by submission by Vallie-Flagg. Do the math. Submission victory for “JZ.”

Top Photo: Josh Barnett (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

“The Korean Zombie” stole the show Tuesday night as he submitted Dustin Poirier in the fourth round to claim the title of featherweight No. 1 contender.

Poirier was considered to be the favorite to challenge champion Jose Aldo once Erik Koch gets his chance, but Jung has now jumped up to the top and will be the next in line to fight for the belt.

Aldo and Koch won’t fight until July 21 at UFC 149, but even with the long wait, Jung is willing to wait for the champion.

Everyone is on “The Korean Zombie” bandwagon, and it will be a huge draw to get fans to tune in for his fights. With the second fastest knockout in UFC history and a great performance against Poirier, the world knows who Chan Sung Jung is.

While the champion will be a huge favorite against Jung—assuming Aldo defeats Koch—it will be an interesting fight where Jung may give Aldo a challenge.

The bottom line is “The Korean Zombie” became the new face of the featherweight division in a matter of minutes. Look for Jung to be fighting for the belt later this fall.

The co-main event at UFC on Fuel TV 3 featured The Ultimate Fighter season seven winner Amir Sadollah taking on Jorge Lopez. Sadollah was able to edge out Lopez by split decision to get back in the win column.

The 31-year-old Sadollah has now come to an interesting point of his career.

While all nine of his fights has come in the UFC, Sadollah has yet to have a statement win over a top-tier fighter. He has faced the likes of Johny Hendricks, Dong Hyun Kim and Duane Ludwig, but fell short in all three of those bouts.

Now becomes the time to determine the future of Sadollah, to either label him a contender or pretender.

Sadollah needs another tough opponent, and it should be Paulo Thiago.

Thiago came into the UFC at about the same time as Sadollah, and they are the same age. As of late, the Brazilian has been on a downturn, losing three of his last four fights. But an opponent like Sadollah would give him an opportunity to get back on track.

One man is looking to prove he’s for real, one wants to bounce back. This will be a key fight for these two welterweights.

Lightweights Donald Cerrone and Jeremy Stephens went toe-to-toe on Tuesday, with Cerrone picking up the win by decision.

Cerrone last fought Nate Diaz at UFC 141, but fell short in a bout that cost him a title shot. But now with a win over Stephens, Cerrone has some momentum under him.

“Cowboy” is certainly capable of making his way to the top, but will have a bit of work to do to get there.

Cerrone is a Colorado native and has expressed interest in fighting in his hometown. Well, it just so happens the UFC will be traveling to Denver in August to host UFC 150. With the event months away, the timing is perfect to put Cerrone on that card.

But the question is, who should he fight? There are so many options in the stacked lightweight division, but one name makes sense to matchup with ”Cowboy.”

His name is Edson Barboza, an undefeated Brazilian who put himself on the map after landing a wheel kick on Terry Etim at UFC 142, knocking his opponent out cold.

Other names that come to mind for Cerrone to fight are Anthony Pettis, Clay Guida and Gray Maynard. Cerrone vs. Pettis is a fight that fans have been dying to see, but Pettis is recovering from injury, and won’t be ready in time to compete in August. Guida and Maynard are scheduled to meet in late June at UFC on FX 4, and it would be logical to match Cerrone up with the winner of that bout. However, the victor may not be ready to step back in the Octagon right away in time to fight in Denver.

This leaves Barboza to get Cerrone, which would be an exciting bout. With the combination of Barboza’s striking and Cerrone’s never-say-die attitude, this has all the makings for a Fight of the Night bonus.

Two talented featherweights were in action as well, as Yves Jabouin put on one of the best performances of his career against a tough Jeff Hougland to earn a unanimous decision.

Jabouin has now won three in a row and is at the peak of his career. The Canadian-based fighter needs to take an even larger step up in competition, as he is on a mission to make his way to the top.

A great fight for “Tiger” would be Dennis Siver, who recently dropped down to 145 pounds. Siver is a German kickboxer who has a lot of potential at this weight class.

This would be a great fight stylistically, as both love to stand and trade. The winner would take a huge step forward, while the other would have to go back to the drawing board.

In a fight that would have won Fight of the Night if not for “The Korean Zombie” and Poirier’s main event bout, Igor Pokrajac and Fabio Maldonado put on a show, with Pokrajac doing just enough to earn the win in the judges’ eyes.

Cyrille Diabate should be the next opponent for Pokrajac.

Diabate is a tough veteran and will give Pokrajac another test. Since many believed Pokrajac didn’t win his bout on Tuesday, he’ll have to prove that his three straight wins are no fluke.

As far as the light heavyweight landscape, both need a win to shoot up the ladder. This will be a big fight for both men as they are past the prime of their careers.

Middleweights opened the main card on Tuesday, as “Filthy” Tom Lawlor knocked out Jason MacDonald in less than a minute.

This is the best Lawlor has looked inside the Octagon, and with a few more wins he can climb into the hot seat to take on some of the best middleweights in the promotion.

But first, he will need to go through someone like Karlos Vemola. Once a heavyweight and light heavyweight, Vemola has dropped down to 185 pounds, and was a force in his debut as he defeated Mike Massenzio by rear-naked choke.

At only 26 years old, Vemola has a ton of potential at this weight class. Lawlor would give him a test, and in turn, be a handful for “Filthy.”

Photo: Chan Sung Jung (top) (Ed Mulholland/ESPN)

Weigh-ins for this Friday’s Bellator 69 event took place today, with all but one main card fighter making their required weight.

Middleweight finalist Maiquel Falcao came in at 188, but after a couple of hours was able to loss the additional two pounds to be cleared to fight on Friday.

Bellator 69 takes place on May 18 from the L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La.

Main Card (MTV2)

• Maiquel Falcao (186) vs. Andreas Spang (185.8)
• Karl Amoussou (170) vs. David Rickels (170.6)
• Jessica Aguilar (115.6) vs. Megumi Fujii (116)
• Kevin Asplund (239) vs. Ron Sparks (264.6)

Preliminary Card (Spike.com)

• Josh Quayhagen (158.2)* vs. Cliff Wright (155.6)
• Emanuel “E.J.” Brooks (156) vs. Kalvin Hackney (156)
• Booker Arthur (145.4) vs. Shanon Slack (146)
• Andrey Koreshkov (170.8) vs. Derrick Krantz (170.8)
• Josh Burns (206) vs. Richard Hale (205.5)
• Mark Holata (250.6) vs. Abe Wagner (248.8)

*Quayhagen will be deducted 20 percent of his purse. His fight with Wright will be fought at catchweight.

The UFC 146 bout between Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve has been scratched, as Hunt has suffered an injury nine days before the fight. However, Lavar Johnson is set to take on Struve after fighting just weeks ago.

“I heard last night there was a chance I could get this fight and I accepted right away,” said Johnson. “You don’t get chances like this too much in life, so when you are lucky, you make the most of it. I took one week off after last fight [May 5] and then went back to the gym.”

UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir takes place on May 26 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. All five bouts on the main card feature hard-hitting heavyweights, including champion Junior dos Santos defending his belt against veteran Frank Mir.

The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation announced the salaries for UFC on Fuel TV 3, which took place on May 15.

Chan Sung Jung: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Dustin Poirier: $14,000
Amir Sadollah: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) def. Jorge Lopez: $6,000
Donald Cerrone: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Jeremy Stephens: $24,000
Yves Jabouin: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Jeff Hougland: $8,000
Igor Pokrajac: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Fabio Maldonado: $11,000
Tom Lawlor: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Jason MacDonald: $19,000
Brad Tavares: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Dongi Yang: $12,000
Cody McKenzie: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Marcus LeVesseur: $6,000
T.J. Grant: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Carlo Prater: $10,000
Rafael Dos Anjos: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Kamal Shalorus: $11,000
Johnny Eduardo: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Jeff Curran: $8,000
Francisco Rivera: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Alex Soto: $6,000

UFC on Fuel TV 3 Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $481,000

Josh Koscheck is eager to step back in the Octagon, but his opponent will not be “The Prodigy” BJ Penn.

Koscheck announced that he had been offered a fight with Penn and accepted the invitation. However, Penn stated that he has no interest in fighting him.

“”I know it costs a lot of money to live that lavish lifestyle, big house, fast cars & you need big fights, but sorry I’m not coming back anytime soon,” Penn wrote on his Twitter account.

Photo: Lavar Johnson (MMAJunkie)

The seminar, sponsored by athletic apparel company 100 Percent Clean, will educate people about the dangers of steroids and performance enhancing drugs, as well as help attendees learn new techniques in MMA.

Additionally, all donations made during the seminar will be given to the Taylor Hooton Foundation. The foundation is committed to educating people about the life-threatening dangers of Appearance and Performance Enhancing Drugs (APEDs).

Lytle spoke about the upcoming event, “It is an honor to work with 100 Percent Clean and the Taylor Hooton Foundation. As a professional athlete and father of four, I have always been against the use of PEDs. I am excited to help spread this important message to youth and adults alike.”

“We could not think of a better athlete to represent our brand and convey our message,” 100 Percent Clean, Chief Operating Officer Joe Martin, said about the event, “Chris Lytle embodies all of our values of hard work, sacrifice and ethics and he demonstrated them throughout his UFC and MMA career. We are excited about this seminar and hope that people not only have a great time but learn about the dangers of PEDs in the process.”

Kyle F. Purdy, Vice President of the Taylor Hooton Foundation stated, “(We) applaud the efforts of athletes like Chris who understand that cheating to win, is not winning at all.”

For more information or directions to the seminar, please visit the Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Center online.

Photo: Chris Lytle (Mike Fridley/Sherdog)

What started out as the most heralded assembly of heavyweight talent since the days of Pride has all but fizzled out. When the promotion was purchased by Zuffa in March of last year, few expected them to dissolve the division and move the roster under the UFC banner, but that’s exactly what happened.

Now Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier are the last men standing. While the case could be made that the winner deserves an immediate title shot in the UFC following the bout, they’ll be forced to remain as the lone wolf in the promotion, awaiting one final fight as stipulated by the promotion’s broadcast partner Showtime.

All of that said, there is still one hell of a fight taking place on Saturday night. Barnett enters as the experienced veteran looking for redemption and a way back to the UFC. Cormier looks to keep his undefeated record intact and prove that he’s ready for the big show.

Let’s take a deeper look at the fight. And as a reminder, this is a side-by-side comparison of how the fighters’ skills matchup against one another.

Cormier (L) finishes off Silva (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

By no means are either of these heavyweights considered natural strikers. Their combined 13 stoppages in 45 fights is a low number for a pair of top-tier heavyweights.

For Barnett, it has always been about surviving long enough on the feet to bring the fight to the ground. On his resume are submission wins over high-level strikers such as Mark Hunt, Mighty Mo and Sergei Kharitonov. However, against a kickboxer with takedown defense such as Mirko “Cro Cop,” Barnett struggled mightily, losing on three separate tries.

Cormier is still very green as a fighter, but with each fight he has shown that his training at the American Kickboxing Academy has paid off. He put on a striking clinic against Jeff Monson prior to entering the tournament as an alternate in the semifinals. Against a much larger opponent in Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Cormier used speed and technique to score a violent knockout win.

Without a doubt, this may be the most closely-contested aspect of this fight. Neither fighter will use the clinch for heavy strikes like you’d see in a Muay Thai fight, but both of them will use it to set up the wrestling. Although the wrestling advantage will side with Cormier, Barnett’s experience is more than enough to have a few tricks up his sleeve if the fighters tie up along the fence.

Barnett (top) works from the mount (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

If there is one area where Barnett holds a distinct advantage in this fight, it is the submission game. Seventeen of his 31 victories have come by submission and the big man and his “catch wrestling” style have claimed multiple grappling tournaments outside of cage.

Cormier, on the other hand, is still inexperienced in the jiu-jitsu game. However, his vast wrestling experience gives him an edge in the positional aspect of the ground game.

The deciding factor in this fight may come down to how the fighters react to fighting off their back. While Barnett may be the more experienced submission artist, nearly all of his wins have come from the top position. Obtaining that against Cormier may be easier said than done.

Cormier (R) in wrestling competition (Robert Laberge/NBC)

If Barnett has the edge in the submission game, Cormier makes up for it in the wrestling department. The former Olympic competitor is one of the most decorated amateur wrestlers to transition into MMA. If he can use his skills to put Barnett on his back or simply keep the fight on the feet, he will hold a huge edge over his more experienced opponent.

Barnett’s claim that he’ll be able to take Cormier down is certainly unlikely. That fact alone may decide this fight. If Barnett can’t gain the top position and implement his submission attack, he’s going to be in for a long night.

The other thing that may play a huge factor in the outcome of this fight is size. Cormier would be the first to admit that he’s an undersized heavyweight, but after years of cutting weight for wrestling, the fighter’s kidneys cannot handle the stress required to get down to the next division. As such, Cormier will be giving up four inches in height, seven inches in reach and 20 pounds in weight against Barnett. Against Silva, Cormier used his speed to overcome similar discrepancies, but if Barnett can establish his jab and prevent Cormier from getting inside, it will be a whole different fight.

Verdict: It’s a coin flip. Can Cormier use his wrestling and speed advantage to outpoint Barnett? Or will Barnett find a way to get on top and score a submission win? Based on their past performances, I have to go with the latter, as Barnett takes the Grand Prix crown with a second-round win by arm-triangle.

Top Photo: Josh Barnett (L) faces off with Daniel Cormier (Showtime Sports)