Author: By E. Spencer Kyte

You’ve seen Eric Del Fierro before, whether as an assistant coach on The Ultimate Fighter 15 or in the corner of a growing number of UFC stars, including bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, Phil Davis, Brandon Vera, and Alex Gustafsson. Now meet the head coach at Alliance MMA, one of the sport’s top gyms.

UFC: What is your official title and how did Alliance MMA come together?

Del Fierro: I am the head coach at Alliance MMA. I would say a quarter of the guys that are on the official pro team have been with me since before Alliance MMA existed as a gym. We’ve always been a part of the same team, and I’ve been coaching for 12 or 13 years. I’ve been with Brandon (Vera) for a decade now, and the team has grown since then.

(UFC bantamweight champion) Dominick (Cruz) has been with me for six years, I think Phil Davis has been here for four-and-a-half years or so, so we have a big group of guys now, and it just keeps growing. The gym itself has existed now for about five years.

In this sport, there are a bunch of talented gyms and teams that we sometimes don’t hear a lot about. You guys are starting to get that attention now. Does it feel a little overdue based on the success you’ve had and the quality prospects that are part of the Alliance team?

I think part of the exposure is more to blame on me in the sense that I’m an introvert. I’ve never really liked attention. I’m real quiet. Some people that know me will tell you I’ve opened up in the last three-to-five years, and that’s probably from working with my shrink (laughs), but I’m a real shy guy.

I’ve coaching for 10-years-plus and I’ve had guys on the UFC main cards for about that long, and nobody really knew much about Alliance MMA or myself for that matter. I think this last two years, three years I’ve been more open to interviews, and more open to giving exposure to the gym and what we’re doing here. I think it goes hand-in-hand with the actual business of the gym. As I got friendly to media, I decided it was easier to go ahead and accept whatever media was coming our way.

There are some very talented fighters that you work with, Dominick Cruz probably being the most high profile of the group. How is his rehab coming along, what’s the outlook for 2013, and how is his demeanor right now?

He’s doing way better now. On that episode of The Ultimate Fighter (where they announced Renan Barao was stepping in to face Urijah Faber), what people don’t know is that (Dominick) had been hurt for about a week at that time, but I don’t think reality hit him until that day when Dana (White) announced that there was going to be an interim belt. These guys pride themselves on these titles – holding these championship belts, and Dominick’s a real prideful guy – and I think it affected him when he found out there was going to be an interim belt. He took it real hard, and the next few weeks were a real hard time for him.

But now he’s doing great. Rehab is going great; I think he’s eight or nine weeks post-op, maybe a little longer. He’s doing good. He’s on a smaller brace now instead of a full knee brace. He’s moving around, his physical therapy is making him do more. He’s doing great, he’s staying positive, and as a camp we’re staying positive. I’m involving him more with our coaching of the guys we have now getting ready for fights; he’s taken almost a full-time role helping me coach these guys, and just being more involved. At the same time, we’re keeping him busy – keeping him out traveling and keeping him in touch with his fans.

How hard is it to keep him reined in and make sure that he sticks to his rehab schedule versus pushing too hard to get back?

We’ve talked extensively about that even before the surgery – how this had to be treated. It’s such a severe injury that there is only one way to rehab it, and part of it was not rushing back into the gym and thinking that when it feels great you’re ready to move. That’s a mistake a lot of guys do with these injuries. The injury feels great, it feels stable, and you think, “Well I’m going to jump back into it right now because I feel good” and then they get re-injured.

Everybody is taking it 100 percent serious, and Dominick is real focused on bringing it back to normal slowly based on whatever the doctor and the physical therapist recommend.

Is there a target date for when he would be ready to come back next year?

No. Personally, the time I’m looking at – what I’m going by – is the average (amount of time) these injuries take to heal. Whether Dominick’s body heals faster or slower, I’m still giving him the whole nine months from the date of injury.

Ideally, I’d like to see him back in full training by the New Year; not necessarily booked to fight, but at least training. But it’s not my call, and we all acknowledge that it will be the doctor and the physical therapist that make the decision as to when he’s ready to get back to training.

Switching to some of the other guys in the gym, you mentioned you’ve been working with Brandon Vera for a long time. How proud of him were you coming out of that fight with “Shogun” where he seemed to have a revelation that he hadn’t always given himself the best opportunity to succeed in the past?

I’m proud of all my guys, no matter what. I coach these guys for the passion of the sport and knowing that we’re all here to accomplish something. I take great pride in that, and these guys take pride in their fights.

Like any other athlete, it’s a process. It could take six months to a year to create somebody that’s ready for a championship or it could take ten years; you just never know what the learning curve is and how long it’s going to take to get these guys to click.

Brandon – anybody that has trained with him, anybody that’s part of the team here knows his skill set; they know what Brandon can do. A focused Brandon should be top 3, top 5, no problem. Brandon kind of marches to the beat of his own drum: if he wants to train hard, he’ll train hard, and it’s our job to motivate him, but ultimately, when it’s fight time, it’s him in the cage and nobody else. What everybody saw in that fight is what we’ve already known: he’s got the skills and he belongs in there.

It was a good fight for him, and at this stage in his career, he’s still growing as a fighter. It’s weird to say because everyone has seen him for eight, nine, ten years now, but the truth of the matter is that he’s still growing; he’s still maturing as a fighter. Some guys mature early, some guys take a little longer, and Brandon is one of those guys that are still learning a lot about himself inside the cage.

You mentioned that sometimes it takes six months and sometimes it takes longer, Phil Davis is obviously somebody that progressed quickly and has been on that path towards being a champion. He had a setback against Rashad Evans in January and an unfortunate situation with Wagner Prado last time out. Where is he at in his development and progression towards being a champion?

Phil Davis is a work-in-progress. He’s a very, very talented athlete, and what people don’t realize is that he took the UFC by storm the first year in. He trained with us, and had smaller fights before getting to the UFC for ten months or so before getting his first UFC fight.

His first UFC fight was against Brian Stann, who had been a world champion in the WEC, so it wasn’t an easy fight. He went in there, dominated, and made a statement, and everybody expected big things from him. From that point forward, he fought every eight weeks the rest of the year. I think he fought a total of five fights. As you know, there is only so much we can do on the learning side of things (when you’re fighting that frequently). All we were doing was keeping him prepared for his fights and keeping him fighting. It was pretty much on-the-job training.

The Rashad fight obviously exposed a few weaknesses in Phil’s game and what we were doing. We were getting away with a lot of talent and his ability to implement game plans, and it had worked for us. Rashad is talented and he’s been around the game a very long time, and we knew we were going to have a very tough fight. Phil was coming off a knee injury at the time, and it wasn’t 100 percent what he should have shown. But now that he’s had time to rehab that knee injury and get back to learning again – as opposed to just getting ready for fights – it has been great for Phil’s career. I expect this coming fight and everything after that to be great.

One of the guys who was a part of that first year run for Phil was Alexander Gustafsson, who then came to you and wanted to work with you. How much development have you seen in Alex since you’ve started working with him, and how bright of a future do you think he has in the light heavyweight division?

The thing about these guys – both Phil Davis and Alex Gustafsson – is that they’ve both helped develop their game. Alex was a world-class striker when he came here and wrestling was his weakness, and it was vice versa for Phil Davis. They’ve helped sharpen each other’s game more than they even know yet.

Alex is very, very talented. He’s come a long way since that fight with Phil; his wrestling has come along, his jiu-jitsu has come along, and he’s just a tremendous talent to work with. The kid is awesome. He’s got a great fight coming up in December against “Shogun” (Rua) and I think people are going to see him establish himself as one of the top 5 guys in the division.

They weren’t friends and teammates when they fought the first time, but they are now. Have you had those conversations with both guys about a potential rematch?

We’ve covered those bases. All the guys at Alliance MMA have no problem fighting each other if and when there is a belt on the line. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but yes, we’ve addressed that situation. At the same time, this is the sport, and if they’re all trying to be the best, sooner or later they might have to face each other.

Injuries have obviously been one of the biggest stories of the year, and one that has impacted the Alliance MMA team. As a coach, what’s your take on the cause of these injuries and is there a way to keep them from happening as frequently?

I think Dominick said it best in one of his interviews when he said, “In order to get ready for a fight you have to fight day in and day out in the gym.” It’s the truth in wrestling, it’s the truth in jiu-jitsu, and it’s the truth in striking. As coaches, we have things in place for trying to get these guys to their fights as safely as possible.

These guys train year-round, and somehow, the stress of a fight and the psychology of the fight causes these guys to gain an injury during a camp. If you think about these guys – they’re here training day in and day out, then they booked to fight, and six weeks into the camp, two weeks from the fight, they get injured. It’s not anything different from what they’ve been doing all year – sometimes it’s just an accident or these guys pushing too hard. That’s why we have coaches trying to mitigate these things, and hoping that they don’t happen.

With our guys who are main card, main event guys, there are certain times that we’ll shut down the live training or the live sparring because we know they’re worth a little bit more to the card. Prelims we can push a little bit harder sometimes because we know they’re easier for Joe Silva to replace, but come main event time, we have some things in place to make sure that these guys are as safe as possible so we can get them to their big fights because this is how they make their living.

Who are the lesser-known guys or guys that don’t get as much attention that people should be looking out for from Alliance MMA?

We’ve got some fights coming up back-to-back in the UFC right now. We’ve got Jeremy Stephens in early October (UFC on FX 5). The following week, we’ve got Phil Davis (UFC 153). After that, it’s Alex Gustafsson (UFC on FOX 5), Phil De Fries again (UFC 155), and Ross Pearson. We’re staying pretty busy. We also have Vinc Pichel and Myles Jury from The Ultimate Fighter 15 who will hopefully be getting ready for fights here soon as well.

We’ve got a busy squad and a lot of fights to look forward to. Hopefully Danny Martinez will be making his UFC debut soon too.

Follow Eric Del Fierro (@EricDelFierro) and Alliance MMA (@AllianceMMA) on Twitter.

UFC 151. Very few fight cards remained unchanged, and in total, more than 60 fights have been re-shuffled in some way, shape, or form over the first eight months of the year.

Rather than dwelling on what has gone wrong and all that could have been from the first two-thirds of 2012, why not look ahead to the fistic goodness on the horizon over the next four months instead?

Six title fights, including the crowning of the first flyweight champion in UFC history, a pair of title eliminator bouts, and challenging tests for a pair of the top up-and-coming talents in the organization are on the calendar to round out the year.

Despite all the upheaval and changes that have come already, the following list of fights should be enough to get fans excited for the final four months of 2012.

JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ VS. DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON – UFC 152

One of these men will have their name etched in the history books as the first ever UFC flyweight champion.

Both Benavidez and Johnson made the move down in weight after having challenged for gold in the bantamweight division, and have established themselves as the top two talents in the UFC’s newest division. Incredibly fast and exceptionally well-rounded, these two dynamic athletes should make sure that the inaugural title fight in the flyweight division is a memorable one.

JON JONES VS. VITOR BELFORT – UFC 152

With everything that has transpired involving Jones since he last stepped into the cage, there has to be heightened interest in seeing the light heavyweight champion return to action. This time, he’s squaring off with a dangerous knockout artist looking to cash in a once-in-a-lifetime lottery ticket.

It may not be the fight everyone was expecting, but rest assured, when Jones and Belfort meet in the center of the Octagon at the Air Canada Centre, they’ll deliver.

JUSSIER FORMIGA VS. JOHN DODSON – UFC ON FX 5

Less than two weeks after the UFC crowns their first flyweight champion, the first challenger for the belt could be decided in this under the radar battle slated for October 5 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dodson, the bantamweight winner of TUF 14, has designs on winning titles in three weight classes, working his way from flyweight to featherweight. After earning a decision win over Tim Elliott in his UFC flyweight debut, he’ll now welcome the highly regarded Formiga to the Octagon. The Brazilian is one of the top 125-pound competitors in the sport, boasting a 14-1 record and five straight wins heading into this one.

The Shooto South American champion and “The Magician” should combine to deliver a fast-paced contest that could potentially steal the show out from underneath their much larger contemporaries on FX.

JOSE ALDO VS. FRANKIE EDGAR – UFC 153

An injury to Erik Koch has opened the door for former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar to step up opposite Jose Aldo and fight for the title in his featherweight debut.

A bout between the two mainstays on the pound-for-pound list has been something fans – and UFC President Dana White – has been interested in seeing since Edgar dropped the lightweight title to Benson Henderson at UFC 144. The Toms River, New Jersey native announced his intention to relocate after losing his rematch with Henderson at UFC 150, and will now square off with the dominant featherweight champion on his home turf on October 13 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Aldo, who enters the bout on a 14-fight winning streak, has successfully defended the featherweight title five times between the WEC and UFC, most recently stopping Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 142 in January. The two pound-for-pound list fixtures could easily combine to deliver one of the most exciting fights of the year in this one.

JOHNY HENDRICKS VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN – UFC 154

Both men won bouts believed to establish them as the #1 contender in the welterweight division. Now they’ll square off with each other to officially determine who will be the next man to challenge for championship gold in the UFC’s 170-pound weight class.

Hendricks has earned four straight wins, including back-to-back victories over former title challengers Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch to find himself on the brink of earning a shot at the belt for himself. To get that opportunity, he’ll need to get through the UFC’s “Comeback Kid,” Martin Kampmann, who has made a habit of rallying from the brink of defeat to emerge victorious in 2012.

GEORGES ST-PIERRE VS. CARLOS CONDIT – LATE 2012

After more than 18 months, the wait is almost over. This November at the Bell Centre in beautiful Montreal, Quebec, Canada, GSP – who has been recently cleared to resume training after being sidelined by injury – is hoping to finally make his return to the Octagon, squaring off with interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit in a title unification bout at UFC 154 on November 17.

The welterweight champion has not fought since defeating Jake Shields at UFC 129, and he will be testing out his surgically repaired knee for the first time in a dangerous matchup with his occasional training partner from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Despite all the heat Condit took for his strategic victory over Nick Diaz at UFC 143, “The Natural Born Killer” has been a finisher throughout his career, and will surely look to bring the fight to the returning French-Canadian superstar in this one.

RORY MACDONALD VS. BJ PENN – UFC ON FOX 5

There are a number of storylines that could be attached to this bout to help sell it even further, but the fact that you have one of the most respected and talented champions in UFC history squaring off against one of the most promising prospects in the sport should be reason enough to be excited.

Originally scheduled to take place at UFC 152, a nasty cut above MacDonald’s right eye turned Toronto’s loss into Seattle’s gain, and gave December’s FOX show a third incredible contest. These two have been bickering with each other in the media from the time the bout was first announced, and as entertaining and engaging as it has been, it should pale in comparison to what these two will deliver when the cage door closes.

MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA VS. ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON – UFC ON FOX 5

After going through back-to-back back-and-forth battles with Dan Henderson and Brandon Vera, Rua’s next hurdle on the road back to the light heavyweight champion just happens to be a surging Swedish finisher looking to earn his chance to fight for the title as well.

Having earned five straight wins over increasingly more talented opposition, this is a chance for Gustafsson to show that he deserves to be considered among the best of the 205-pound weight class. A victory over a former champion like Rua – especially a finish – could put “The Mauler” in line for a title shot in early 2013.

BENSON HENDERSON VS. NATHAN DIAZ – UFC ON FOX 5

Everyone who has been waiting to see the lightweight division take a step forward only has to wait until December, when Henderson will defend the belt against Diaz in the headlining bout of what is stacking up to be the best card of the year on FOX.

Controversial or not, Henderson holds a pair of wins over Frankie Edgar already this year and wears the lightweight title around his waist. Continuing to improve with every appearance, “Smooth” will need to continue that trend, as Diaz has found his rhythm since returning to lightweight. Consecutive wins over Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone, and Jim Miller have carried the TUF 5 winner to the role of title challenger, and his blend of slick jiu-jitsu and signature Diaz Brothers boxing give him a real chance of walking away from this one as the champion.

JUNIOR DOS SANTOS VS. CAIN VELASQUEZ 2 – UFC 155

Why not end the year with the biggest fight possible, literally?

Just 13 months after meeting for the first time, dos Santos will defend the UFC heavyweight title against the man he won it from in the main event of the company’s final show of the year.

Though “Cigano” easily earned his first successful title defense against Frank Mir at UFC 146, Velasquez’s performance against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the co-main event of the evening was the standout performance of the night. The former champion manhandled his Brazilian opponent, quickly opening up a nasty cut on his head with the same ferocious ground-and-pound that earned him a stoppage later in the first round.

Their first encounter lasted only 64 seconds and felt a little anti-climactic after a great deal of build-up on the initial UFC broadcast on FOX. Expect the rematch to reach its full potential.

Momentum is a very important factor in any fighter’s career, but it doesn’t only come down to wins and losses. Though repeatedly having your hand raised is essential, so too is staying active, as a string of wins spread too far apart can press pause on a forward progress.

When you’re trying to make your way through the UFC lightweight division, both elements of momentum are crucial, as every event seems to produce another memorable battle and a new contender ready to join the long list of fighters already vying for a shot at Benson Henderson’s championship belt.

In a division as deep and talented as the 155-pound ranks, being active can at times trump wins and losses. A pair of solid wins can quickly erase the memory of a one-sided defeat, potentially elevating an active fighter on the rebound above one with the same number of consecutive victories who has been stuck on the sidelines for too long.

Such is life for Evan Dunham, the talented 30-year-old contender who has watched his progress up the UFC lightweight ladder move forward in fits and spurts thanks to untimely injuries.

Nine months after facing Melvin Guillard in the main event of the second UFC Fight for the Troops event at Fort Hood just outside of Killeen, Texas, Dunham returned from an injury to find himself competing on Facebook against former Ultimate Fighter contestant Shamar Bailey. One bout after entering the cage as a fringe contender, Dunham had been shuffled back into the middle of the lightweight deck.

After following up his decision victory over Bailey with a second-round stoppage win over Nik Lentz four months later, the 13-2 southpaw was paired with rising star Edson Barboza in a bout that would move the winner into the mix in the deep 155-pound ranks. But in May, veteran Jamie Varner shocked fans by halting Barboza’s unbeaten run, the former WEC champion a late replacement for the once again injured Dunham.

“It was a really tough thing to do,” said Dunham of the decision to withdraw from the bout with Barboza. “But it was one of those situations where I wasn’t going to be able to perform. It was frustrating, but having done it before made it – I won’t say easier, but with the first time it happened, it seemed like there was no end to it. This time, I knew I would be back, I knew that given time to heal, I would be healthy, and that when I was, I would get right back to it.”

Everyone has their own theories on why so many fighters have been falling out of bouts due to injuries this year; some believe it’s just a run of bad luck, while others wonder if the introduction of medical insurance has made it more palatable to pull out of a fight to treat an problem that might have previously gone overlooked. In Dunham’s opinion, it’s just another part of being a fighter.

“It’s just the nature of what we do and training with really tough guys. When you go in and bang it out with guys that are world-class guys every single day, injuries are going to happen. They’re a part of the sport, and unfortunately it happened again.

“It’s nothing specific that I think that I’m doing,” Dunham offered, unable to point to one area of his training routine that has been at fault for the bumps, bruises, and bigger injuries that have been accumulated along the way. “I’ve pulled back a little bit now just to give my body a little rest, but it’s just one of those things that it happens when you least expect it, and there is no way to plan against it.”

They also seem to happen at the worst time, at least in Dunham’s case. Four months after being matched with one of the top up-and-coming prospects in the division, the well-rounded Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is preparing to return to action against grizzly Canadian veteran TJ Grant at UFC 152 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

While getting back to business on a big card is a plus, squaring off with a lesser known, but no less of a challenge opponent like the 18-5 lightweight from Nova Scotia isn’t exactly the matchup Dunham was hoping to have in his return.

“I was definitely pushing for a more name guy,” admitted Dunham between training sessions last month. “(Donald) Cerrone and (Anthony) Pettis were two names that we were throwing out there and hoping to get, but that didn’t work out. When they told me TJ’s name, I jumped on it because I’ve never been one to turn down a fight, so if that’s who they want me to fight, that’s fine with me. He’s a very talented opponent. He’s got two good wins at 155 (pounds), and so it’s just one more person that I need to get out of my way to move up that ladder.

“You definitely want to go against name guys, but he’s very talented. He’s very good on the ground; he’s pretty good everywhere,” Dunham continued in his assessment of his matchup against the 28-year-old Canuck. “There is a little less pay out with it, but it is what it is. I’m going to go out there and fight my ass off – I’m sure he will too – and I’m going to come out the winner, and hopefully it will be a great fight that people enjoy.”

It’s hard to say where a third consecutive victory would put Dunham in the lightweight pecking order, in part because the division remains the busiest, most talent-rich collection of fighters in the UFC.

Fortunately for Dunham and his fellow 155-pound competitors, the congestion that has kept the division backed up for the last three years appears to have finally cleared. The chain of championship rematches has ended, with Nathan Diaz challenging Henderson for the title later this year, and as far as Dunham is concerned, all the other spots on the lightweight ladder are up for grabs.

“Our division was so jammed up for a while with the rematches and that stuff. It was hard for anybody – even if you were fighting all the time – to really move up the ladder because the ladder was already capped. We’ve already got the next matchup for the title – we know what that’s going to be – but after that, it’s anybody’s game, so this is a perfect opportunity to step up and show why you deserve that title shot.

“It’s always changing, and I think we’re kind of getting to a point where the guys that really deserve to get that shot are being noticed and getting that recognition,” added Dunham. “We’re at a time where there are going to be potential changes in the title, and more guys being able to fight for it. Rather than having one or two challengers in the span of two years, we’re going to have three or four, which is really good for our divisions.

As for what comes next if he’s able to extend his winning streak when he travels north of the border? All Dunham is looking for is a little momentum.

“I usually don’t look past (my current opponent) or name names or anything like that, (but) I just want to fight whoever I need to fight, whoever I need to beat to get that title shot. Whoever that person is that I need to beat to get that title shot, that’s who I want to fight. It’s just all about going out there, keep winning, and staying relevant.”

Rather than continue to lament the cancellation of UFC 151 and the fact that I no longer have an excuse for avoiding dinner with my mother-in-law this weekend, I’ve decided to take a glass half-full approach to it all.

Yes, being without an event this weekend isn’t good, but in addition to getting an excellent meal out of the deal – instead of the usual fight night assortment of chips and dips and cheeses shoveled in without breaking eye contact with the television – the anticipation for September’s two events later in the month just got cranked up another notch.

The spotlight on UFC 152 in Toronto has gotten brighter, and while not much has changed for the UFC’s debut in Nottingham a week later, there is now extra time to realize the FUEL TV offering is made up of some intriguing fights that are deserving of greater attention.

Here’s a look at what UFC fight fans have to look forward to in the month of September.

JON JONES VS. VITOR BELFORT

Despite being a bout that was cobbled together amidst the chaos of last week, the brand new UFC 152 headliner is a compelling contest that sees the original “Phenom” of the UFC get an unexpected opportunity to once again challenge for the light heavyweight championship.

With a 3-1 record since returning to the UFC and coming off consecutive first-round finishes, it’s clear that Belfort is still an elite competitor capable of ending a fight quickly. Whether or not he’ll be able to duplicate that success against the embattled Jones is the question we’ll all be waiting to have answered.

Coming off a summer of turmoil, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Jones we see at UFC 152 is the most focused and ferocious version of the light heavyweight champion we’ve seen to date.  Regardless of everything going on around him, there has been no one more dominant inside the cage over the last two years than “Bones,” and you can be sure the 25-year-old champion will be looking to remind people of that – and perhaps send a message to a certain talkative Oregonian – when he steps into the Octagon with Belfort on September 22 in Toronto.

JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ VS. DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON

History will be made at the Air Canada Centre when these two former bantamweight title challengers square off to determine who will become the inaugural UFC flyweight champion.

After beating everyone he’s faced in the 135-pound ranks not named Dominick Cruz, Benavidez showed how dangerous he will be in the UFC’s newest weight class with a second-round knockout win over Yasuhiro Urushitani back in March. The Team Alpha Male standout has now won four straight, and is ready to establish himself as one of the top pound-for-pound competitors in the sport with a win over “Mighty Mouse.”

Following the scoring error that resulted in his first meeting with Ian McCall being ruled a draw, Johnson went back to work with Matt Hume at AMC Pankration, and made sure to leave little doubt in the minds of the judges who was the better man when the two tangled for a second time back in June. The 26-year-old newlywed controlled “Uncle Creepy” from the outset, earning a unanimous decision win to set up what should be a Fight of the Year caliber showdown with Benavidez that crowns the first flyweight champion in UFC history.

MICHAEL BISPING VS. BRIAN STANN

Let’s be honest: the build-up to any and every Michael Bisping fight is entertaining. The former Ultimate Fighter winner always speaks his mind, always courts controversy, and always draws a crowd, and that will be no different in the weeks leading up to his UFC 152 bout with Brian Stann.

This one should help clear up the title picture in the middleweight division, where Chris Weidman patiently waits for an opportunity, while Tim Boetsch recovers from a broken foot, and these two lock horns in the Great White North.

Both men have lost to Chael Sonnen in the last year, though Stann has since rebounded with a dominant first-round victory over Alessio Sakara in Sweden. “The All-American” is 4-1 since moving to middleweight and has the knockout power to potentially reproduce the result that occurred the last time “The Count” stepped into the cage with a heavy-handed American in a potential title eliminator.

CHARLES OLIVEIRA VS. CUB SWANSON

The UFC 152 main card will kick off with a featherweight contest that is sure to be contested at 100 miles per hour.

After losing his UFC debut to Ricardo Lamas last November, Southern California’s Swanson has earned back-to-back second round stoppages over George Roop and Ross Pearson to put himself into the title conversation in the 145-pound weight class. It’s never been a question of talent with Swanson, but now the well-rounded Team Jackson-Winkeljohn trainee is starting to put it all together in the cage, and looks to continue his push towards a title shot here.

First he’ll have to get through Oliveira, who has returned to his impressive ways since dropping down to featherweight after going winless over his final three appearances at lightweight. “Do Bronx” debuted in his new weight class with a first-round reverse calf slicer submission over Eric Wisely – which still remains in the running for Submission of the Year – before following it up with a second-round victory over Jonathan Brookins back in June.

Both men are comfortable on their feet and on the ground, and they charge forward looking to finish every time out, which should produce an electric start to the UFC 152 pay-per-view.

STEFAN STRUVE VS. STIPE MIOCIC

Miocic entered the UFC as one of the most hyped heavyweight prospects in recent memory, and so far, the Strong Style Fight Team member has lived up to his advanced billing.

The unbeaten heavyweight has looked better in each of his three appearances inside the Octagon, following up his debut win over Joey Beltran with a Knockout of the Night-winning effort against Phil De Fries four months later. Back in May, the Cleveland State alum secured his third consecutive UFC win (and ninth straight overall) with a second-round TKO stoppage of previously unbeaten Shane del Rosario.

Despite being six years younger than his opponent, Struve is the more veteran fighter of the two, as this will be the 11th time the 24-year-old Dutchman has entered the Octagon. Having won his last three outings while earning a pair of Submission of the Night bonuses, Struve appears to finally be starting to fight to his full potential and take advantage of the multitude of skills he’s displayed since breaking into the UFC in February 2009.

While it may not determine the next title challenge, this one has serious career implications for both men. The winner moves up the ladder into the upper echelon of the big boy division, while the loser loses all momentum and remains in the second tier of the heavyweight ranks heading into 2013.

PAUL SASS VS. MATT WIMAN

Ronda Rousey isn’t the only undefeated, prolific submission artist on the Zuffa payroll.

Paul Sass is a perfect 13-for-13 in his career, with 12 of those victories coming by way of submission, nine by way of his signature “Sassangle” triangle choke. Thus far, the 24-year-old Team Kaobon trainee has earned a trio of first-round submission wins in the UFC, most recently halting Jacob Volkmann’s winning streak in less than two minutes at UFC 146.

Standing as the much-needed step up in competition for Sass is TUF 5 alum “Handsome” Matt Wiman. The 14-6 lightweight (8-4 in the UFC) has won four of last five fights, the only blemish coming by way of a questionable decision against Dennis Siver at UFC 132. A durable grinder with four Fight of the Night awards on his mantle, Wiman has the experience and savvy to test Sass and serve as a litmus test for the talented Liverpool native.

JOHN MAGUIRE VS. JOHN HATHAWAY

The UFC welterweight division is only big enough for one talented Brit named John – or at least that’s one way to sell this clash of talented 170-pound countrymen.

Gypsy Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Maguire has used consecutive victories in the UFC to run his winning streak to seven. After earning a hard fought victory over Justin Edwards in his debut last November, “The One” collected the Submission of the Night bonus during the UFC’s debut show in Sweden by forcing DaMarques Johnson to tap to a slick armbar in April.

With wins over Rick Story and Diego Sanchez, Hathaway has already established himself as one of the top up-and-comers in the welterweight division. He rebounded from the first loss of his career with a win over former TUF finalist Kris McCray before missing more than a year due to various nagging injuries. Upon his return, Hathaway picked up right where he left off, controlling Pascal Krauss to push his record to 16-1.

This should be an entertaining back-and-forth bout, as Hathaway has surprisingly strong wrestling and Maguire is an aggressive grappler, and both are more than capable of making the other take a funny step when they connect with their hands.

Every fighter who makes their way onto The Ultimate Fighter does so with designs of being the last man standing.

They all set out envisioning themselves in the cage with Dana White, being handed the etched glass plate that signifies winning the long-running reality competition, and knowing that their fighting future has just taken a very sizable step in the right direction.

Of the 16 fighters who successfully relocate to Las Vegas each season, only one or two get to experience the Hollywood ending they’ve been playing back in their head from the moment they were accepted on the show.

Daron Cruickshank’s dream of winning Season 15 came to a screeching halt in the first live fight in Ultimate Fighter history. One of the early favorites following the elimination round, the 27-year-old Michigan native looked for a takedown late in the first round of his matchup with James Vick, and ate a knee instead.

Being eliminated from the tournament forced Cruickshank to re-write the script for his stay in Las Vegas. No longer part of the ensemble cast of active competitors, the tae kwon do black belt interned on the Team Faber coaching staff instead, helping his teammates prepare for their bouts while soaking up as much knowledge and insight as he could.

“When I got out of the tournament, there was almost a release of pressure because I wasn’t in the competition anymore,” admits Cruickshank, who entered the house with a 10-2 record and riding a four-fight winning streak. “When you’re competing, you could possibly fight one of your teammates, so you kind of put up a wall. Being that I was knocked out at the beginning of the tournament, my wall came down, and I became really good friends with all the guys. I was just trying to train as much as I could, and I almost became a little bit of a coach. I wasn’t able to spar or anything like that, so I started holding mitts for a lot of the guys, just trying to get my teammates ready for their fights.

“The biggest part that I would take away from Urijah and (the guys at Team Alpha Male) is how mentally tough they are,” says Cruickshank. “There is no negativity; everything is positive with them. He might have a bad day at practice, but he doesn’t remember it; he remembers hitting a few shots. Everything he does he wins in. I was at his house a couple weeks ago just after he lost (to Renan Barao at UFC 149), and he came in happy like, `You win some, you lose some. What’s next?’ I’ve tried to pick some of that up from them.”

Cruickshank was clearly able to put his early setback behind him by the time the finale rolled around, as he used his superior wrestling to control the action against his Team Cruz rival Chris Tickle to secure a unanimous decision win. Though it wasn’t the victory he had initially hoped for when he started out on his TUF journey, the man known as “The Detroit Superstar” is continuing to focus on the positives of his experience as he prepares to make his pay-per-view debut against Henry Martinez on September 1 at UFC 151.

“This is a huge stage,” Cruickshank says of fighting at the Mandalay Bay on the undercard of a bout headlined by Jon Jones defending the UFC light heavyweight title against one of the best of all-time, Dan Henderson. “The finale fight was almost like fighting in my hometown – it was a small venue, and a lot of people came; it was mostly the families of the fighters who were actually at The Palms. Yes, it was UFC and televised and stuff, but now that I know the process – UFC basically takes care of everything – I just have to be on time to all the meetings and stuff, and I’m good.

“(Getting a win on the finale) got the ball rolling. I have some momentum going; I’m starting to develop a really good fan base, and I just try to feed off that. I’m looking forward to putting on a show for the fans and keep the ball rolling.”

Martinez will be looking to keep the ball rolling as well. The Jackson-Winkeljohn product made a successful return to the lightweight division after suffering a loss in a spirited short notice affair at welterweight against Matthew Riddle in his UFC debut. Having primarily used his striking to get the nod over Bernardo “Trekko” Magalhaes in his last outing, Cruickshank expects Martinez to change his approach once they start trading shots early next month.

“If he tries to stand-and-bang with me, he’s going to get picked apart,” suggests Cruickshank with confidence. “I feel like that’s my favorite thing to do, and once a wrestler gets cracked, he’s going to try to get the takedown. Once I tag him a few times, he’s going to want to try and take me down. I’m going to have to defend the takedown, push away, and kick him in the head. That’s what I feel like is going to happen.”

Though his Hollywood ending on The Ultimate Fighter quickly found its way to the cutting room floor, Cruickshank used his time on reality TV to get his foot in the door, and he secured a role in an even bigger, more meaningful ensemble with his victory over Tickle in June.

“This is where I want to be. (Being a part of the UFC) is what’s most important,” says Cruickshank. “Everything else that I’ve done in my career matters because it got me here, but it doesn’t matter anymore. From the time I started mixed martial arts, this has always been where I wanted to fight.”

He may not have made it into the UFC lightweight division the way he’d originally envisioned, but how he got here doesn’t matter. He’s made it, and he plans on sticking around for a long time.

“My next fight is always my most important fight. I just have to keep winning and keep climbing that ladder until I become a UFC champ. That’s what really matters.”

By the time people are once again making resolutions they’re not likely to keep and faking their way through another bad rendition of Auld Lang Syne, Michael Johnson wants to be in the top 10 of the UFC’s lightweight division.

That was the goal he set out for himself at the start of 2012. No more backwards steps in his career. No more inconsistency in the cage. This was going to be his year; “The Year of The Menace.”

The former Ultimate Fighter finalist was realistic about the difficulty of the challenge he’d set out for himself. Entering the year off a first-round submission loss to British standout Paul Sass, Johnson knew he’d have to work his way up the rankings one step at a time. He likened the long, difficult road ahead of him to Mortal Kombat, the iconic video game that spawned a pair of classic, mediocre movies and countless console adaptations and sequels after introducing gamers to Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, and the rest of the cast of characters in the early ‘90s.

Just as your fighter of choice had to work their way through a gauntlet of opponents that became increasingly more difficult to defeat, so too would Johnson, starting with former WEC contender Shane Roller. Unlike Mortal Kombat, however, a loss for Johnson wouldn’t come with a 10-second countdown and the opportunity to continue from where you left off with the press of a button or by sliding another quarter into the coin slot before the clock reached zero.

Heading into his third fight of the year, Johnson is still progressing towards his goal on his very first quarter.

After hanging on to a decision win against Roller in January, the 26-year-old lightweight stepped in to face fellow TUF alum Tony Ferguson on short notice in May, and promptly delivered his most complete performance to date, pitching a shutout against “El Cucuy,” halting Ferguson’s three-fight winning streak while taking another step forward on his journey towards contention.

“It’s a good year for me so far; my confidence level is good,” laughs Johnson, happy to engaging in another interview as he prepares for his third fight of 2012. “I’m just trying to stay focused and stay on the right track – not let anything interfere with what I’ve got to do to get the job done.”

The charismatic member of “The Blackzilians” team based in Boca Raton, Florida garnered positive reviews for his strong showing against Ferguson, his performance surprising those who expected the Season 13 winner to continue rolling against Season 12’s runner-up. Despite his recent success, making headway in the lightweight division is a constant struggle, as each event seems to produce another memorable bout and potential contender to keep tabs on. As such, Johnson has learned to embrace the underdog role he’s been repeatedly cast in so far this year, using the minimized expectations to help push him further along on his journey towards the top 10.

“That underdog role is real difficult, but to me, I don’t think I’m the underdog in any fight I go into,” admits Johnson. “As far as the media and everybody else that pays attention to the sport, if they think I’m an underdog, that’s fine with me. I love that – I love people seeing me as the underdog going into my fights. I hope my opponent thinks of me as the underdog going into the fight. It takes all the pressure off of me; I don’t have to live up to everybody’s expectations of how they see me coming into the fight. I can just worry about my game plan, and focus on fighting the best fight I can. It’s good to be the underdog, and I hope it continues. I hope after this fight and going into every fight I’m the underdog.

“For me it’s easier when everybody doubts me. I want people to do that because they don’t know my true talents, and as long as my team and everybody here is on the same page, that’s great.

“For me to break from the underdog role, it’s going to take (me getting to) where I want to be – winning every fight so that people can no longer cast me as the underdog,” forecasts Johnson. “But in this division, man, everybody is so tough and fighting to make the top 10, so I might still be the underdog in every fight even when I am beating everybody I face. That drives me. That’s extra motivation for me – proving somebody wrong. The worst thing anybody can do is to doubt me.”

The more he continues to climb the ranks of the lightweight division, the less people are going to be able to overlook and underestimate Johnson, who is now 3-1 since losing being bested by Jonathan Brookins in December 2010. While his consecutive victories highlight the improvements “The Menace” had made since departing the Ultimate Fighter house, some of the elements that have played a key role in his development can’t be found in his highlight reel.

“It’s always about the minor adjustments – going back, watching my film from the fight, and noticing things. `How can I make myself better from this? How can I be different from this next time?’” explains Johnson, who gives a great deal of credit to the cast of veteran fighters and coaches he spends every day with in South Florida, as well as the team at Authentic Sports Management.

“My management team does a great job – and I think I’ve said this before – of taking all the stress off my back. The only thing I need to worry about is training and fighting. They do a great job of putting me in that position. It’s the same with our coaches. Everyone thinks it’s a one-on-one sport because we’re fighting one-on-one when we get in there, but my coaches are in there just as much as I am. They put in the time and the dedication, and if it wasn’t for them and my management team, I wouldn’t be at the level I’m at now. That stuff plays a huge factor in my success.”

Inside the cage, the most visible contributor to Johnson’s recent run of his success has been his ability to maximize the athleticism that made him Georges St-Pierre’s first pick on The Ultimate Fighter. Paired with improved conditioning, Johnson has used his natural athletic instincts and gifts to elevate his offense, his increased movement taking his striking to a new level, which in turn makes his wrestling a more dangerous weapon as well.

“I think my athleticism sets me apart from everybody else,” says Johnson. “Some people are great at jiu-jitsu or they’re great at standup; I just want to bring everything together, and use my athleticism to be the most well rounded fighter I can be. That’s my standout point, so as long as I stay on top of maximizing my athleticism – keep getting stronger and faster – you’re really going to see me break away from everybody in this division.”

Johnson’s next chance to showcase his athleticism and continue in his climb up the lightweight ladder comes on September 1st against Danny Castillo at UFC 151 in Las Vegas. Like Johnson, Castillo has quietly put together a nice little winning streak, stringing three victories together over the last 10 months, most recently getting the best of prospect John Cholish on the same night Johnson topped Ferguson.

“We’re both great fighters – both entertaining fighters,” said Johnson. “You won’t get a boring fight out of either one of us; I think we can both guarantee that.

“He’s on a three-fight winning streak, and that’s really tough to do in this division,” he added. “I think he’s kind of got a chip on his shoulder that he probably sets himself above where he is. We’re similar fighters coming from our wrestling backgrounds, so it’s going to be pretty interesting to see how this plays out.

“He’s a great wrestler, but I’ve faced great wrestlers before; I’m not worried about that. He has decent hands too, so I’m really looking forward to seeing if he’s going to stand with me. I personally don’t think he’s going to stand with me – I think that’s the worst thing for him to do is stand there and trade with me. I’m coming into this fight looking at him trying to take me down and do everything he can to not stand with me.”

Like every fighter, Johnson has a best-case scenario for how the fight with Castillo plays out, one that involves him duplicating the achievements of fellow lightweights Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon on the last two UFC events, allowing him to leave Las Vegas with a win and a pair of bonus checks to bring back to South Florida. More importantly than things going according to Hoyle, however, is for Johnson to defeat another opponent and move one step closer to reaching the goal he set out for himself at the start of the year.

If he keeps doing that, the man with the Mortal Kombat approach to his career knows he will eventually reach the point where he’s battling the likes of Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, and their favorite four-armed henchman.

“For me to move up this ladder, I’ve just got to stay doing what I’m doing: working hard, staying focused, not letting any outside things get in the way. I’m fine with taking whatever fights (the UFC offers me) or stepping in on short notice. We’ll see how many it takes, but I have a feeling like I’m getting pretty close. I would say a couple more fights and I can see myself starting to break into the top 10 by the end of this year – just as I set out to do.

“I’m going into my third fight (of the year) – hopefully I can seal the deal, and get another one. You never know. I might be getting close to fighting Goro early next year or something like that.”