Props: GracieMag.com

Quoteworthy:

"[Rampage] couldn’t be a better opponent and the date is great, too; it gives me time to prepare ... I’m happy to be back and to prove I’m in the mix with the best of them. I’m working hard, I’m correcting a lot of things and putting a lot of effort in. I’m doing all aspects of fighting, the takedowns, ground fighting and striking ... A fight between two former champions couldn’t be more fitting, two fighters who want their place in the sun. He’s a strong guy who has good boxing and wrestling. I feel he’s a bit limited standing, but he’s really strong and, although he may defend well on the ground, he’s not that good there, either ... I’m going to exploit Rampage where he isn’t totally dominant. But I’m prepared for anything, whether it’s standing or on the ground."

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida looks to get back into the title hunt when he collides with another ex-205-pound champ, Quinton Jackson. "The Dragon" plans to exploit "Rampage" where he isn't dominant. Clinch? Ground? Or will the Brazilian play keep-away until "B.A. Baracus" gets frustrated and makes a mistake on his feet? Let's hear some predictions Maniacs, how do you see this one playing out?

I'm not sure whether to file this one under bad karma or just bad business.

Shine Fights is taking another one on the chin this week, this time from the Virginia Athletic Commission, who apparently wasn't on board with the promotion's decision to let the fans do their matchmaking for next weekend's lightweight grand prix pay-per-view, according to MMA Fighting.

From a Shine Fights press release dated Aug. 23:

In their quest to mold Shine Fights Promotions into MMA's most fan-friendly organization, CEO Devin Price and COO Jason Chambers have taken the unprecedented step of allowing Shine fans to play matchmaker for the company's upcoming Lightweight Grand Prix Tournament, which will be televised nationally on Pay Per View. History will be made, as fans have never been given the opportunity to actually choose the fights they want to see. Now, they can mix and match those eight fighters in order to create the four opening-round bouts that they want to see. The combinations with the most votes will be selected as the official bouts

It was a nice idea, but probably one of those things you want to run by the commission first. The promotion recently announced the first match-up as a result of fan voting, the 155-pound scrap between Drew "The Master" Fickett and Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett.

The report also states that Shine will stick to the original date of Sept. 10 but has been forced to abandon its plans for a tournament at the George Mason University campus in Fairfax after being denied a license and will instead head to Oklahoma to a venue yet to be determined.

This is the promotion's second major setback in 2010.  Shine saw the cancellation of its "Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas" pay-per-view event back on May 15, after the courts awarded Don King Productions a last-minute injunction barring Ricardo Mayorga's participation in the main event.

Price and Co. were prepared to continue with their event and promote "Ninja" Rua into the main event against David Heath; however, the North Carolina Athletic Commission pulled the plug and reports circulated that Shine was unable to secure the fight purses in time for the event.

Despite recent claims from Price to reimburse fighters who were stiffed by the cancellation of that event, well-traveled MMA veteran Zac George (among others) insists he has yet to be paid -- even after the promotion moved forward with their upcoming grand prix.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information regarding the Shine Fights tournament pay-per-view, still scheduled for Sept. 10, as it becomes available.

Props: Mirror TKO

Quoteworthy:

"Patrick Cote is a piece of (expletive). I've met Patrick Cote a couple of times. I've always found him to be okay, we've shook hands and I've had no issue with Patrick Cote and then out of the blue, he's talking (expletive) about me. He's just trying to make himself relevant again and he's trying to talk himself into a fight with me, which I'm not going to oblige. I know I'm talking about him now because you asked, but I've just distanced it. I think I'm above Patrick Cote and he's beneath me. He needs to stop talking (expletive) about me and get his arse in the gym and try and win a fight."

Heading into his Oct. 16 fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama, UFC 120 headliner Michael Bisping has some strong words for fellow middleweight Patrick Cote. "The Count" takes offense to "The Predator's" trash-talking and thinks the Canadian isn't on his level both personally and professionally. Anyone want to see these two settle their score in 2011? And who gets the upper hand if they do?

Does he make a legitimate argument? Or is he off his rocker?

The season finale of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12 looks to have its first match-up on paper as former Spike TV reality show contestant and fan favorite Stephan Bonnar will lock horns with Croatian crusher Igor Pokrajac on Dec. 4 in Las Vegas.

MMAmania.com was able to confirm an initial report by ESPN host Jon Anik earlier today.

Bonnar (12-7), treading water after posting three consecutive losses, was able to get back into the win column with an emphatic win over fellow TUF veteran Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 110: "Nogueira vs. Velasquez" earlier this year.

"The American Psycho" earned "Fight of the Night" with his stoppage of "The Polish Experiment" and could slowly start to re-establish his presence in the UFC's light heavyweight division with another impressive performance in "Sin City" this December.

Standing in his way is Pokrajac (22-7), who also rebounded from consecutive losses when he choked out free-falling  veteran James Irvin at the UFC on Versus 2 event last month in San Diego.

It was his first win under the UFC banner after racking up eight straight W's overseas. No question that stopping Bonnar could be a one-way ticket to bigger and better things in 2011.

TUF 12 Finale will feature the top two finalists from this season going head-to-head for a "six-figure" contract and the right to be called "Ultimate Fighter."

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on this still-developing fight card.

Props: UFC.com

Quoteworthy:

"I think Crocop is still the same individual we saw in PRIDE. I think a lot of guys have seen enough tape on him to know that if you walk away from him or stand there in front of him you could be in for a dangerous night because he still has the same leg he always had. He has a lot of speed and quickness … Mirko is very good on his feet; I’m not bad on my feet, either. Add in the wrestling that I have been working on, the jiu-jitsu aspect, he has many more things to worry about. Once that cage door shuts every advantage is mine.... I don’t see anywhere I don’t feel comfortable with Cro Cop – I can beat him in more ways than he can beat me."

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir breaks down his upcoming fight at UFC 119 with mixed martial arts legend and 2006 Pride FC Open Weight Grand Prix winner, Mirko Cro Cop. Naturally, Mir is aware that Cro Cop's best chance to win the fight, which will headline the show in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sept. 25, is if he keeps it upright. Mir, meanwhile, is confident in his advantage on the ground. But Mir feels he's better on his feet than the Croatian is on the ground, which could be accurate, but the difference standing is significant -- Cro Cop has the power to end it at anytime ... quickly. Is Mir a little too confident these days, thinking he could stand with the former K-1-level kickboxer, or will he come to his senses on fight night and waste no time taking it to the ground?

"People finishing fights is a big topic right now and that’s how I fight. You look at Frankie in both fights with B.J. and it seems that no one wants to fight right now. Fans see these guys like Edgar or these other bouncy wrestler types and fans are like "oh…he fights you everywhere," when in reality they don’t fight you anywhere! They just want to hit you three or four times, shoot in for a takedown, stay on the ground for a minute or so then get back up. They want to wear you down because they don’t want to fight you on the ground either."

-- Cole Miller (pictured above) tells BJPenn.com that he's not too impressed with fighters who "bounce" and takedown their opponents, including UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. "The Answer" has been able to solve all of his opponents inside the Octagon -- a hit list that includes BJ Penn (twice) -- with the exception of a bigger, stronger version of himself, Gray Maynard. Edgar is willing to stand and trade, leveraging his fancy footwork, but he floats in and out, picks his shots and looks for takedowns. He's certainly not a brawler, but a more intelligent mixed martial artist who uses his strength (wrestling) to carry him to victory. Is Edgar, and all of the other fighters who "bounce," really avoiding a fight at the expense of fan enjoyment or just doing what needs to be done, knowing that the stoppages will eventually follow? For the record, Miller has finished 14 (more than 85 percent) of his 16 professional wins. Edgar? Nearly 40 percent (five out of 13).

Props: "MMA Live"

Quoteworthy:

"There’s absolutely going to be a sequel. Part two is tentatively scheduled for New Year’s weekend, it may take place Super Bowl weekend. Either way, it will be in Vegas. Last time I defeated the myth, this time I’m gonna defeat the man.... The only thing [that's going to be] different is that I’m leaving there with the belt. That’s it. We were one minute away from pulling it off. Look, if I had beat him, I would have had to come back and beat him again anyways. So nothing in my career has changed. I was the best fighter before the fight, I’m the best fighter after it.... We're not here to get along. I’m not here to be number two. It’s number one or let's move on, and I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be."

Here we go again. The Chael Sonnen hype train has already left the station, with about four to six months still to go before his rematch with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen feels he's still the better fighter despite losing at UFC 117 via last minute, fifth round submission to the Brazilian. He may have a point: He squashed the "Spider" for more than four rounds, taking him down repeatedly and pounding on him relentlessly. Sonnen even got the better of the stand up exchanges during the few minutes/seconds that the pair were on their feet. But, at the end of the day, he did lose. And Silva revealed after the fight that he took it despite doctor's advice to withdraw with a back injury. So is a healthy, and seemingly motivated Silva, Sonnen's ultimate undoing or were those just excuses to cover up the fact that Sonnen has all the tools to untangle the Spider's sticky web?