And here are their stats, I can’t help but wonder how many of these lightweights are actually feather or bantamweights who couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get some prime time reality show exposure. The show begins on September 15, on Spike.

J.J. Ambrose
Fighting out of: Santa Clara, Calif.
Gym: American Kickboxing Academy
Record: 12-2
Age: 23

Paul Barrow
Fighting out of: Tampa, Fla.
Gym: Gracie Tampa
Record: 2-0
Age: 24

Jason Brenton
Fighting out of: Grand Junction, Colo.
Gym: Eighth Street Impact Boxing
Record: 6-0
Age: 23

Jonathan Brookins
Fighting out of: Orlando, Fla.
Gym: Gracie Barra Orlando
Record: 11-2
Age: 24

Mike Budnik
Fighting out of: Broken Arrow, Okla.
Gym: Triton
Record: 8-4
Age: 35

Alex Caceres
Fighting out of: Miami, Fla.
Gym: Young Tigers Foundation
Record: 4-2
Age: 21

Sako Chivitchian
Fighting out of: Glendale, Calif.
Gym: Gokor/Gene Le Bell/Hayastan MMA
Record: 5-0
Age: 26

Joseph Duffy
Fighting out of: Donegal, Ireland
Gym: Falcon Martial Arts
Record: 7-0
Age: 22

Pablo Garza
Fighting out of: Fargo, N.D.
Gym: Academy of Combat Arts
Record: 7-0
Age: 26

Toby Grear
Fighting out of: Los Angeles
Gym: True Warrior
Record: 7-4-1
Age: 30

Dan Head
Fighting out of: Sharpsville, Ind.
Gym: Indiana Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Record: 6-2
Age: 23

Michael Johnson
Fighting out of: Springfield, Mo.
Gym: Springfield Fight Club
Record: 8-4
Age: 24

Amir Khillah
Fighting out of: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Gym: Jeremy Horn’s Elite
Record: 6-4
Age: 30

Jeff Lentz
Fighting out of: Lanoka Harbor, N.J.
Gym: Kurt Pellegrino MMA Academy
Record: 6-1
Age: 21

Sevak Magakian
Fighting out of: Glendale, Calif.
Gym: Hayastan MMA/Main Event
Record: 8-3
Age: 24

Steve Magdaleno
Fighting out of: Torrance, Calif.
Gym: VMAT MMA Gym
Record: 5-1
Age: 28

Andy Main
Fighting out of: Boonton, N.J.
Gym: AMA Fight Club
Record: 4-1
Age: 21

Cody McKenzie
Fighting out of: Metaline, Wash.
Gym: Fancy Pants Fight Team
Record: 10-0
Age: 22

T.J. O’Brien
Fighting out of: Prole, Iowa
Gym: Round Kick MMA
Record: 13-3
Age: 23

Spencer Paige
Fighting out of: Watertown, N.Y.
Gym: Central New York MMA
Record: 5-2
Age: 24

Nam Phan
Fighting out of: Garden Grove, Calif.
Gym: Ma Du Academy
Record: 15-7
Age: 27

Mike Richman
Fighting out of: Rosemount, Minn.
Gym: Minnesota Fight Factory
Record: 8-0
Age: 24

Dane Sayers
Fighting out of: Fargo, N.D.
Gym: Academy of Combat Arts
Record: 7-1
Age: 22

Ariel Sexton
Fighting out of: San Jose, Calif.
Gym: Renzo Gracie Academy
Record: 6-3
Age: 28

Marc Stevens
Fighting out of: Lorraine, N.Y.
Gym: Team Balance/Relson Gracie Academy
Record: 12-5
Age: 24

Kyle Watson
Fighting out of: St. Louis
Gym: The Hit Squad
Record: 13-6-1
Age: 30

Ran Weathers
Fighting out of: Albquerque, N.M.
Gym: Greg Jackson’s MMA Academy
Record: 13-5
Age: 28

Aaron Wilkinson
Fighting out of: Manchester, England
Gym: Wolfslair MMA Academy
Record: 6-3
Age: 23

Looks like Evans is toeing the same line as teammate GSP in regards to fighter gameplans.

Article and pic from MMA Junkie,

Now, as he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Saturday, his takedown skills and dominant top game will be the foundation for future game plans. That includes his strategy for newly crowned champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, with whom Evans secured a future meeting by defeating Jackson.

“I felt like I needed to bring [wrestling] back after the Machida fight,” said Evans, who posted back-to-back knockout wins over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin before the loss to Machida. “One thing that happens sometimes when you find success in one area – and I found success standing up – I kind of forgot about the area where I was strongest.”

Evans said his return to wrestling is part of his win-first mentality.

“Me doing wrestling now is just going to be something I do from here on out,” he said. “Because no matter how far (I get) in my stand-up, I’ve always got to remember that my bread and butter is my wrestling, and everything else stems from that.”

….

“One thing you understand really quickly as a fighter – and the fans don’t really understand – is that you’re not punching with eight- or 10-ounce gloves on,” he said. “You’ve got four-ounce gloves on, and underneath that is a cast.

“And it only takes one good shot for the fight to be over. I wasn’t trying to take no shots for no amount of boos.”

Kid Nate over at Bloody Elbow gave a breif but pointed view of the situation

As MMA evolves and becomes more of a sport and less of a spectacle, we’re going to see more and more winning fighters adopt this approach.

Fans may love fighters who bring it at all costs, but we haven’t seen Chris Lytle and Marcus Davis fight for many titles have we?

Hard to argue with the facts, while it is possible to an exciting fighter to win a championship belt.

It is much harder to keep and defend the title. At the highest levels of competition with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line.

Rashad Evans: $435,000 (includes $185,000 win bonus)
def. Quinton Jackson: $250,000

Michael Bisping: $190,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Miller: $15,000

Mike Russow: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
def. Todd Duffee: $8,000

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $120,000 ($40,000 win bonus)
def. Jason Brilz: $11,000

You can begin to see why a fighter would take a more cautious path to a very rewarding victory as opposed to a sour and paltry defeat. That being said as fans and purveyors of multiple monthly PPV shows at $50 a pop and $55 to $60 if you want it in HD, you can begin to see the case for people wanting more stand and bang for their buck? This debate has been raging for a while now, in regards to wrestling heavy stratagems harming or helping the sport. Commentator and combat sports aficionado , Michael Schiavello weighed in on the hot topic a while back.

This game plan, pioneered by the Colemans and Severns remains the basic, successful recipe for American wrestlers in MMA today. The question is: does this recipe make for less exciting spectacles of MMA? Indeed a further question could be: have American wrestlers taken the martial arts out of Mixed Martial Arts?

The article was seen as some as a mark against American wrestling as it pertains to MMA. Upon closer inspection you see it is a mark against those who use wrestling as a neutralization tool only and do nothing to damage their opponent or finish the fight. Which I think is something everyone can agree on hardcore or casual. But when we are talking about fighting opponents at the highest level, finishing becomes a more difficult and risky endeavor. Not every champ gets to feast upon a late replacement opponent to highlight reel aka Bellator middleweight title holder Hector Lombard and Jay “Called on Monday, fight on Thursday” Silva.

Top ranked opponents are usually hard to finish, hell even Shogun needed 2 tries to beat Machida. I may have given GSP some guff over fighting safe. But the reality of the situation is that prize fighters are trying to make as much money as they can before they are no longer able to compete without seriously jeopardizing their health. This is a hurt business after all, a motor-sport analogy for the actual insanity of combat sports would be:

Combat Sports = Building a high performance vehicle from scratch with the best parts money can buy and pouring all your resources to making it the best automobile possible. Then pit it against another labor of love in a 1 on 1 destruction derby. This car is also your everyday car too.

Could you imagine some guy smashing a Ferrari into a Lotus just for the pure competition of it all? So if a fighter found a way to minimize damage to himself while simultaneously ensuring victory, could you really blame him for doing so? I know I would but logic would win out in the end. But what does a keyboard warrior like me know?

From MMA Junkie

LOS ANGELES – Georges St-Pierre is grappling with UFC fans’ expectations.

St-Pierre, one of MMA’s most popular stars and a six-time UFC welterweight champion, said he’s frustrated with the reaction to his most recent victory over Dan Hardy at UFC 111.

But the champion is more than willing to meet head-on the critics who say he plays it safe.

“That’s true,” St-Pierre (20-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Monday evening as he honed his mat moves with jiu-jitsu coach Shawn Williams at a Renzo Gracie Academy school in the Mid-Wilshire district. “I fight safe, and I’m not going to hide it.”

…

“I’m fighting safe,” St-Pierre admitted. “Every time I step into the octagon, my life is in jeopardy. For me, it’s more important to not get hit than to hit the guy. I will never fight in a way [in which] I fight like I flip a coin.

“I never took risks. The only fight I took a risk was when I fought Matt Serra, and I went in a stupid exchange, and it was not smart. I got caught; Serra beat me fair and square, and he deserved the victory that night. But it taught me a good lesson, and I don’t want it to happen again.”

St-Pierre said playing it safe also applies to his stand-up skills in a fight.

“When I’m standing up, I hit the guy, (and) I pick my angle, and I’m smart,” he said. “I’m not afraid to say it: I’m not a brawler, and I’m not a coward. I’m not going to trade punch one-for-one with a guy. I’m going to hit the guy and not get hit. That’s a smart way to fight.”

The champion said he’s seen many examples of fighters who don’t fight smart and have paid the price.

“I’m not going to give names, but if I would tell you names, you would know who’s a brawler (and) who’s not and who now has a problem with his career because he got hit too much,” St-Pierre said. “They can’t take a punch anymore.”

Next up for St-Pierre is a fifth title defense against Josh Koscheck, whom he defeated nearly three years ago by unanimous decision. The two will soon head to Las Vegas to coach opposing teams on “The Ultimate Fighter 12.”

St-Pierre said he wants to knock the fuzzy-haired fighter “out cold,” but he won’t do so at the expense of his smarts.

“I don’t fight like an idiot,” St-Pierre said. “That’s what defines me. I’m (not the) champion because I’m the strongest guy in the division. It’s not because I’m the fastest guy. I’m not the best grappler. I’m not the best striker. I’m not the best wrestler. But why I’m champion is because I fight smart every single fight.

“It’s like F-1; you need a good driver and a good car. If you have a very good driver but a bad driver, you’re not going to win the race. If you have a very good driver and a bad car, you’re not going to win, either. So I have a good car and a good driver, which is even more important.”

I am conflicted with this news, granted its not really surprising for anyone who has seen the last couple of title defenses from the UFC’s welterweight champ. While taking the surest path to victory is the smart thing to do for a prize fighter in regards to making money. It may also lead to fans turning on you.

GSP is stylistically and methodologically similar in many ways to undefeated boxing champ and future hall of famer Floyd Mayweather. Both fighters highly skilled, obsessive in their training and technique wise execute textbook maneuvers time and time again. The similarities do not end their as both fighters also put a high premium on taking as little damage as possible. While Mayweather is regarded as the biggest villain in boxing due to his brash and cocksure bravado, GSP maintains a respectful demeanor so rigid that he is usually unable to engage in pre fight hype and trash talk.

My inner fight fan and wannabe fight analyst are in conflict over this news. Then again this must be daunting to the contenders who want the belt knowing that they are facing a champ who has no problem neutralizing you for 25 minutes so he can keep his belt. He may be on the top of the world now, but time will tell if his tactics will be looked back on as the praise worthy displays of skill they are seen as now.

Thanks to mmaweekly.com for the pic.

Finished watching the event, talking it over with friends and wanted to get some of my thoughts on the blog before I call it a night.

-What we saw in tonight’s welterweight title bout was the MMA grappling equivalent of the Pacquiao v Clottey fight. The champion offered a one sided offensive assault that was countered only by desperate defense and pure tenacity to survive by the challenger. GSP is the man, letting go of the 4th round kimura was one of biggest examples of sportsmanship I’ve seen in MMA to date.

I never would have thought I would be applauding a guy for not finishing a fighter when they could have,

-Palhares is getting what he deserves.

Rousimar Palhares: Suspended 90 days for not releasing submission

-Shane Carwin is the new bully on the block.

-Frank Mir would have more success as a “speed” heavyweight rather than a “power” guy.

-The move to 170 by Nate Diaz was a smart one, his new found power is a serious offensive threat now.

-Ditto for Almieda and his bjj

-Batman Pelligrino is one scrappy bastard.

-Hometown advantage gave Jim Miller the edge in a really close fight. But that’s combat sports for you

-Jon Fitch won a Unanimous Decision

-Joe Laozon did a good job handling the twitter account for the UFC.