Jamie Varner tells HeavyMMA.com that he’s ready to beat Donald Cerrone and put his rivalry with Cowboy behind him.

On January 25, 2009, the careers of Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone became forever connected.

That night at WEC 38, Varner put his lightweight championship on the line against the upstart Cerrone, then unbeaten and fresh off a victory over former champion Rob McCullough. Through the first four rounds, the lightweights battled back-and-forth, Varner scoring early, while Cerrone grew stronger as the fight progressed.

During the final round, Cerrone struck a downed Varner with a knee to the head, bringing the bout to an abrupt conclusion. Ahead on the scorecards, Varner retained the title, and each fighter earned a public perception that endures to this day.

Despite the win, Varner was labeled a quitter and a complainer. Some questioned whether he used his injuries as a way out; with Cerrone coming on strong, many believe the challenger would have left as champion had the bout continued.

Read the full story here.

E. Spencer Kyte previews Saturday’s UFC 118, inlculding the big bout between Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn.

Frankie Edgar (12-1-0) vs. BJ Penn (15-6-1)

This might be the fight I’ve been most excited about seeing all summer. No disrespect to the UFC 116 or 117 mains, but this one was so unexpected the first time around that I really want to see if (a) Frankie can do it again and (b) BJ comes with a different level of ferocity than we saw in Abu Dhabi.

Edgar rightfully earned the title in my books the first time around; his executed perfectly, darting in and out, scoring points, and avoiding damage, and he most certainly could do it again. He also scored a takedown, and could turn to his wrestling a little more this time.

That night in Abu Dhabi, Penn looked lethargic to me. I don’t know if anything was wrong – illness, injury, bad cut, whatever – but he didn’t look like the guy who had dismantled Diego Sanchez just four months earlier. If that same guy shows up, he’s losing two-in-a-row for the first time in four years.

I expect a better BJ to show up in Boston, but Edgar will be better too; now that he has the belt around his waist, there is no way he wants to give it up. These are two of the best lightweights in the world and it should be another exciting contest.

Read the full preview here.

With UFC 118 coming up this Saturday, the entire HeavyMMA.com team is on hand in Boston for the pre-fight press conference. Check out Jeremy Botter’s notes below.

– The fighters and Dana White make their way to the stage to huge cheers from the fans in attendance. This venue is really, really cool. It’s called the Great Hall and it’s a historic building.

– James Toney is wearing some serious bling around both of his wrists. He says he’s a warrior and something else. I need live subtitles for this man. Says he’s going nowhere when the cage closes.

– Penn says when you come out and star beating people the way he did ten years ago, people are going to put expectations on you. All of the pressure that people put on him over the years made him stronger today, and he feels like he’s going to blow a lot of people away on Saturday night. People will be surprised at just how good B.J. Penn is.

– Florian says Boston is one of the most passionate sports towns in the entire world and he expects the Garden to be a crazy atmosphere on Saturday night. White agrees, saying that while the UFC is great on television, it doesn’t compare to being in attendance.

Check out all of HeavyMMA.com’s UFC 118 presser notes here.

On Saturday January 24th Mixed Martial Arts promotion Affliction will be putting on a monster fight card dubbed “Day of Reckoning”. It will feature Affliction’s star attraction Fedor Emelianenko, who will go up against Andre Arlovski for the WAMMA heavyweight championship. This will be the second show by the promotion and with the fighters listed on the event card, this looks to be another success. Let’s take a look at three of the main event fights as they’re broken down.

Fedor Emelianenko vs Andrei “the Pittbull” Arlovski
Affliction’s WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko puts his belt on the line against former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. The battle of Russian heavy weights will show who the top heavyweight in MMA is, but also if Fedor is actually an unbeatable force.  Arlovski is a former UFC champ, but many question his chin and his ability on the ground, which happens to be Fedor’s strength. It should be interesting to see if both men’s sambo background will be showcased for any submissions, or if this will be a stand up war.  Arlovski’s best bet is to make this a technical boxing and kickboxing match, which will allow him to try and pick Fedor’s average boxing skills apart. Fedor will probably go in to the clinch and look for a takedown. If he gets Andrei to the ground he will look to throw elbows and set up a submission. Emelainenko is favored to win, and probably should barring a knockout punch or kick.  Don’t blink because this fight could end abruptly.

Matt Lindland vs Vitor Belfort
Matt “the law” Lindland is an Olympic silver medal wrestler who has competed in numerous MMA promotions, who does quite well using ground and pound tactics. His opponent is former UFC lightheavy weight champion “the Phenom” Vitor Belfort, who possesses all the physical skills to be a dominant MMA fighter. This fight should be fantastic as it has so many possible outcomes. While Belfort is a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, it is his pro boxing skills that frighten so many competitors and Lindland loves using the clinch and getting in close, which puts him at risk of a knockout. If the fight goes to the ground, look for Lindland to try and control top position and for Vitor to try and stand up and maybe throw an arm bar attempt. Outside of his mental breakdowns in certain fights, Belfort should be able to take Matt out. Look for a quick finish by TKO from “the Phenom”, who has put away opponents in under a minute in previous fights.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs Rameau Sokoudjou
One of the main event matches features Brazilian fighter Babalu Sobral, an outstanding wrestler and Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt against kickboxer and judo practitioner Sokoudjou. Both fighters are ex-UFC fighters who had their contracts cut. This is not the best match up for Sokoudjou, who has already lost to other Brazilian jiu jitsu stand outs.  His only chance to really defeat Sobral is to keep him standing and try and keep the distance between the two. If he uses his kicks to set up combinations, he can avoid going to the mat. Babalu is more than likely the favorite to win and if he can impose his will and keep the fight on the ground, he should be able to submit Sokoudjou.