NZ Mixed martial Arts

Demian Maia and Mike Swick may have fared differently inside the Octagon at UFC 109 but share a similar fate now medical suspensions for the event have been issued – visit the doctor or sit on the sidelines until early summer. According to information received by Five Ounces of Pain from the Nevada State Athletic Commission neither will be allowed to return to the cage until August without first receiving a physician’s clearance.

American Kickboxing Academy’s Swick, who was submitted via D’Arce Choke in the second round of his bout against Paulo Thiago, must have his left elbow cleared by an orthopedic specialist in order to compete before August 6th with a minimum suspension from action running until March 24th. He is also prohibited from contact until March 9th.

Thiago’s Brazilian countryman, Maia, also found himself victorious on Saturday night although the win came courtesy of a unanimous decision over Dan Miller. However, during the contest he apparently suffered a cut to his left eyelid and must have the laceration treated by an ophthalmologist or ocular-plastics doctor if he has any desire to fight again during the next six months.

The complete list of suspensions is as follows:

Rolles Gracie – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Melvin Guillard – Needs a follow up ophthalmologic exam in one or two months; must be done before 03/26/10 and he must take a copy of his January 2010 examination.
Mac Danzig – Must have orthopedic clearance on possible left knee sprain or no contest until 8/6/10
Justin Buchholz – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Frank Trigg – Suspended until 3/24/10 (no contact until 3/9/10)
Demian Maia – Must have left vertical upper eyelid laceration cleared by an ophthalmologist or an ocular-plastics doctor or no contest until 08/06/10.
Dan Miller – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Mike Swick – Swick must have left elbow x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic Dr. or no contest until 8/6/10, minimum suspension no contest until 03/24/10 (no contact until 3/9/10)
Nate Marquardt – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)
Chael Sonnen – Suspended until 3/24/10 (no contact until 3/9/10 – lacerations on forehead and nasal bridge)
Mark Coleman – Suspended until 3/9/10 (no contact until 2/28/10)

The conclusion of “UFC 109: Relentless” in Las Vegas has brought a disclosed payroll of approximately $1,184,000 in salaries and bonuses to the participants.

UFC light heavyweight contender and hall of famer Randy “The Natural” Couture lead the pack, taking home a $250K check from the UFC. Couture submitted fellow UFC hall of famer Mark Coleman in the night’s main event bout.

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt “The Terror” Serra followed closely behind with a $210K disclosed payout. Serra’s payout includes a $75K win bonus as well as a 60K “Knockout of the Night” bonus from a swift knockout of Frank Trigg.

Below is a full list of payouts from UFC 109 according to MMAJunkie.com.

Randy Couture: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Mark Coleman: $60,000

Chael Sonnen: $124,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus and $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $105,000 (includes $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus)

Paulo Thiago: $90,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus and $60,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus)
def. Mike Swick: $43,000

Demian Maia: $62,000 ($31,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Miller: $15,000

Matt Serra: $210,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus and $60,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus)
def. Frank Trigg: $30,000

Mac Danzig: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
def. Justin Buchholz: $8,000

Melvin Guillard: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Ronys Torres: $4,000

Rob Emerson: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
def. Phillipe Nover: $10,000

Phil Davis: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Brian Stann: $17,000

Chris Tuchscherer: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Tim Hague: $7000

Joey Beltran: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
def. Rolles Gracie: $15,000

With his recent demolition of fellow UFC Hall of Famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman at UFC 109, Randy Couture has strategically positioned himself for one last chance at championship glory.

Two consecutive wins over worthy opponents that had themselves been coming off of victories have separated Randy from the pack of an extremely talent filled weight division with no clear cut number one contender. Brandon Vera had two wins at the weight class going into his loss suffered at the hands of Couture, and of course Coleman was fighting on the heels of his one sided victory over Stephan Bonnar.

The recent ups and downs of the 205 pound division have created a scenario where “Captain America” – whether you like it or not – has established himself as a clear challenger to the title.

It is a commonly accepted fact hat the UFC’s 205 pound weight class is among the most ferociously stacked in the sport, and this may be a large part of the reason that many have trouble accepting the forty-six year old legend of the game as a legitimate challenger to the throne. But let me tell you, that’s exactly what he is.

So if not Randy; Who then? Let’s take a look at the others that could be considered worthy of championship contender recognition:

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: As it stands right now it has been just shy of a full year since Rampage last saw action and the performance the former champion turned in against Keith (2-4 in his last 6) Jardine was far from impressive. Let’s not forget that the bout between Jackson and Jardine was hardly considered to be a blowout in Quinton’s favor. Based on Jackson’s inactivity and lack of a notable victory in his last three bouts I find it hard to get excited about an immediate title shot for the movie star if – and that’s a strong if – he can get past Rashad Evans at UFC 114 in May.

Rashad Evans: Evans showed nothing in his previous bout with Thiago Silva that made me believe the outcome in a rematch with Lyoto Machida would be any different. The only way I see Rashad being justified to bypass Randy for a title shot here is if the “Sugar” manages to carve through Rampage like a knife through butter during their anticipated UFC 114 match-up; And if Mauricio “Shogun” Rua walks away with the championship in his rematch with Machida which is expected for UFC 113. If Machida pulls out the victory in that bout I’d much rather see some fresh blood face off with “The Dragon”, at least until Evans makes a believer out of me through his performances in the Octagon.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: I feel like I may be grasping at straws here even throwing Nogueira’s name in the mix. It’s not that he’s not a worthy contender – he absolutely is – but more that he’s only fought once with the UFC at this point. However, UFC 114 should be a big event as far as determining the next challenger for the 205 pound crown is concerned being that Rashad and Rampage are expected to clash at the event, while Rogerio and Forrest Griffin also duke it out in a bout that carries just as much weight and relevance in the division as the previously mentioned match-up.

Forrest Griffin: Forrest is coming off of a big win over UFC legend Tito Ortiz, but let’s not forget that the man is 1-2 in his last three, and that’s the bottom line. With that being said, a win over Nogueira at UFC 114 combined with all of the star power that makes the case for Randy such an easy one to make, could tip the scales heavily in Griffin’s favor. I don’t think a bout with Machida would be a good look for Griffin… at all. But on the other side of that coin, if Shogun comes out on top a rematch between the two would make perfect sense.

Jon Jones: It’s going to happen sooner or later. This kid is talented beyond belief, and with a 3-1 record that should be 4-0, a decisive win over Brandon Vera during the first UFC on Versus would definitely propel “Bones” in the right direction. Is he ready to challenge for the title? Sure. But I feel like Jones needs to be built up just a little more with the masses at this point, and headlining status on a free event on a major cable television network should go a long way in doing just that.

Perhaps the one decisive difference between Randy and the previously mentioned challengers to the light heavyweight championship in the UFC that stands out the most is that all of those other guys will have other opportunities to get a crack at the belt at some point. Most likely all of them will if they keep winning. But honestly, at a soon to be forty-seven years young, how much longer should we have this living legend prove that he’s worthy to challenge for the title one last time? Should we wait until he suffers a defeat and expect for him to work his way back up? That’s not going to happen. The time is now.

In my opinion Randy Couture has earned his shot at the title one last time not only due to his recent back-to-back victories over more than worthy opposition, but through a lifetime of sacrifice and dedication to insuring this amazing sport we have all come to love would flourish for years to come when we needed him the most.

So why wait? I say make Couture’s next bout a championship bout. The man’s not getting any younger, and how cool would it be if the legend could pull it off one last time? Stranger things have happened.