It was the spring of 2006 and Matt Hughes, then the UFC welterweight champion, had a problem. The problem was his back. More specifically, the problem was the three bulging discs that made every day its own little carnival of pain. He had a fight coming up in a month's time – a catchweight showdown with early UFC legend Royce Gracie. He had a decision to make. Only if you hear Hughes tell it, there was no decision. The matter had already been settled before the injury ever occurred. "I'm probably a little different than most people," says Hughes. "If ...

With his light-heavyweight trial run in the rearview mirror, Kimbo Slice is back to being a happy heavyweight. Back in his comfortable division, the MMA and crossover star returns to the cage at UFC 113, facing fellow Ultimate Fighter season 10 cast member Matt Mitrione. Interestingly, in discussing the fight during a recent edition of "Inside the Ultimate Fighter," Slice seemed to indicate a desire to move out of his comfort zone in a different way, employing a rarely-seen ground attack. "I'm sure he's probably going to try some takedowns, he's going to come with some stupid kicks and try to ...

Call him Mr. TUF Finale. Matt Hamill has been selected once more to fulfill The Ultimate Fighter Finale headlining duties. Spike TV confirmed Monday that Hamill will face Keith Jardine on the upcoming live card on June 19 in Las Vegas. Hamill (9-2) is coming off a controversial win over Jon Jones last December that he was on his way to losing before Jones hit him with illegal elbows for the DQ. With the lucky finish, Hamill has reeled off three straight wins, over Jones, Mark ...

 Strikeforce cagefighting champion Nick Diaz is only 26 years of age, but the young Stockton California native has fought in almost every legit MMA promotion there is, including a three-year, 10-fight stint with the biggest and best one, the UFC. All his matches have been tremendously entertaining, the best one possibly being the "news reel-style" knockout win over a heavily favored Robbie Lawler at UFC 47 in April of '04. Diaz, in my opinion, is one of the top "pound for pound" fighters in the world today, and the eldest of the two fighting siblings was recently in Las Vegas to race in the Xterra Triathlon, an "iron man" contest; but ...

  While many people have complained that Dan Hardy is not a worthy challenger for UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre, and there is a solid argument to be made there, it's also worth emphasizing that any opportunity to see one of the best martial artists in the young history of our sport perform is not to be missed. To celebrate this rare treat I thought I would do a Judo Chop on one of the moves most associated with St Pierre: the superman punch.  In his most recent fights, especially his triumphs over the highly credentialed amateur wrestlers Jon Fitch and Josh Koschek, ...