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MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani meets up some participants from last night’s event.

It’s a busy week in the MMA world between UFC on Fuel 3 and Strikeforce Grand Prix Final but Rebellion MMA Radio hosts Mitch Ciccarelli and Bryan Levick aren’t taking a break to bask in all the caged glory.

This Sunday night the show welcomes two talented competitors who call the UFC home in the form of lightweight Shane Roller and featherweight Dennis Bermudez. Also set to offer up some insight, BloodyElbow/Wrestling Observer writer Josh Nason will call in to reflect on the sport’s current landscape.

The 8-3 Bermudez, a former All-American wrestler, was a finalist on TUF 14 and recently picked up a dominating decision win over Pablo Garza earlier this month at UFC on FOX 3.

Roller (10-6) is also more-than familiar with work on the mat after being named an All-American three times during his storied career at Oklahoma State. The longtime Zuffa veteran holds wins over Jamie Varner, Thiago Tavares, Anthony Njokuani, and Danny Castillo under the company’s banner between his time in WEC/UFC. His next fight is scheduled for July 7 at UFC 148 where he’ll face John Alessio.

Interested listeners can also contribute to the show by submitting questions for guests via Twitter or email (RebellionMMARadio@yahoo.com).

Catch Rebellion MMA Radio live on Sunday at 6:30 PM EST where the guys offer their own unique takes on all-things MMA.

It’s a busy week in the MMA world between UFC on Fuel 3 and Strikeforce Grand Prix Final but Rebellion MMA Radio hosts Mitch Ciccarelli and Bryan Levick aren’t taking a break to bask in all the caged glory.

This Sunday night the show welcomes two talented competitors who call the UFC home in the form of lightweight Shane Roller and featherweight Dennis Bermudez. Also set to offer up some insight, BloodyElbow/Wrestling Observer writer Josh Nason will call in to reflect on the sport’s current landscape.

The 8-3 Bermudez, a former All-American wrestler, was a finalist on TUF 14 and recently picked up a dominating decision win over Pablo Garza earlier this month at UFC on FOX 3.

Roller (10-6) is also more-than familiar with work on the mat after being named an All-American three times during his storied career at Oklahoma State. The longtime Zuffa veteran holds wins over Jamie Varner, Thiago Tavares, Anthony Njokuani, and Danny Castillo under the company’s banner between his time in WEC/UFC. His next fight is scheduled for July 7 at UFC 148 where he’ll face John Alessio.

Interested listeners can also contribute to the show by submitting questions for guests via Twitter or email (RebellionMMARadio@yahoo.com).

Catch Rebellion MMA Radio live on Sunday at 6:30 PM EST where the guys offer their own unique takes on all-things MMA.

MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani caught up with Nate Diaz, Johny Hendricks, Alan Belcher, Lavar Johnson, John Dodson, Louis Gaudinot, Dennis Bermudez, John Hathaway and Roland Delorme to talk about their wins at UFC on FOX 3.

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UFC on FOX 3 takes place later tonight at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event airs live on FOX at 8pm ET/7pm CT. The prelims will precede the FOX broadcast at 4pm ET on Facebook and 5pm ET on FX.

In the main event, lightweights Jim Miller and Nate Diaz clash in a potential title eliminator bout.

In another potential title eliminator, fast-rising welterweight Johny Hendricks takes on Josh Koscheck.

Rousimar Palhares looks to collect another limb as he faces the always tenacious Alan Belcher.

And opening the night, heavy handed heavyweights Lavar Johnson and Pat Barry look to send each other astral traveling.

Results and recap after the jump.

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Been away on a sort of vacation for the last week, but I had enough time to throw together my picks for tonight’s UFC on FOX 3 card. The preliminary card goes down at 4pm ET on Facebook, and 5pm ET on FX.

-Karlos Vemola vs. Mike Massenzio

Opening the night’s precedings is this awkward middleweight bout between two good, but perhaps not quite UFC calibre fighters. Massenzio has never backed away from a tough fight, and his heart and determination is impressive. I mean, who steps in as a late replacement against Palhares in Brazil? His opponent, Karlos Vemola, beat Seth Petruzelli into the mat, but he didn’t fare so well afterwards. Vemola should win this fight, by all means, but the fact that he’s making a big weight cut, and has as much gas in his tank as a hoverround, I have to pick Massenzio.

-Roland Delorme vs. Nick Denis

I love Nick Denis. Not only is he from my hometown, he also has the best nickname ever, and is a bad, bad man. Delorme, aka the Ferguson Family killer, made his way to the UFC after beating Josh Ferguson at the TUF 14 finale. This fight to me ends one way, with violence. Nick Denis will win, and he’ll do it impressively.

-Pablo Garza vs. Dennis Bermudez

Pablo Garza was on the rise before he ran into the wrecking ball known as Dustin Poirier. With innovative striking and really fantastic submission skills, “The Scarecrow” is likely here to stay in the UFC. His opponent, Dennis Bermudez, ran into a wrecking ball of his own, named Diego Brandao. Bermudez looks for his first official win at featherweight. Despite losing three straight, I like Bermudez here. Garza hasn’t impressed me nearly as much as he has others, and the holes in his game are glaringly obvious, and Bermudez is the kind of fighter who will exploit them.

-John Cholish vs. Danny Castillo

Team Alpha Male standout Danny Castillo returns to the octagon after narrowly defeating Anthony Njokuani. Castillo is an incredibly persistant wrestler, and he’s more than capable of being a headache for anyone. John Cholish is a Renzo Gracie trained grappler. A solid finisher, Cholish has a shot at actually making an impact in the division. Having said that, I have a hard time seeing him win this. While his submission skills will likely keep Castillo guessing, “Last Call” has some stiffling wrestling, and will likely win another decision that will draw the ire of the crowd.

-Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker

This could very well be the best fight of the night. Despite his piss poor showing against Johnny Bedford, Louis Gaudinot is still a solid flyweight, who returns to his natural weight class for his second UFC fight. His opponent is a violent, violent man. John Lineker always leaves it all in the cage, and is on a 13 fight win streak right now. I really am a big fan of Gaudinot, but he has to bring his A game, and even then, he’s likely getting finished in a brutal fashion.

-Pascal Krauss vs. John Hathaway

I’m not a big fan of this fight, so I won’t spend much time talking about it. John Hathaway is a solid wrestler, but the more I see of him, the less I am impressed. It’s starting to look like his win over Diego Sanchez was a fluke. Krauss is undefeated, and actually looks more improved every time he steps into the cage. While his gas tank in the later parts of the fight might be questionable, I think he flattens Hathaway.

-John Dodson vs. Timothy Elliott

As a bantamweight, John Dodson was a killer, moving back to flyweight, he should be a beast. Tim Elliott is a good fighter, but he’s facing John Dodson. Technique, power, aggression, all of these things are on Dodson’s side. Dodson beats Elliott handily, and don’t be surprised if he’s fighting for the flyweight title in early 2013.

-Michael Johnson vs. Tony Ferguson

The Blackzilians are not doing so great. With all their recent losses, perhaps Michael Johnson is their last hope? He’s a solid wrestler, who looks improved every time he steps into the cage. I didn’t expect him to beat Shane Roller, but he did. I don’t expect him to beat Tony Ferguson though, and he won’t. Tony is just too good.

The NSAC has released the fighter payouts for the TUF 14 Finale. Keep in mind, these figures represent the base contracted pay the fighter receives from the promotion. These figures do not include any additional undisclosed bonuses or sponsorship money, which in many cases exceeds a fighter’s base pay. These numbers also do not account for taxes, insurance, and license fees.

Michael Bisping far and away made the biggest payday at the TUF 14 Finale with a $425,000 purse after his win bonus. Bisping’s last two purses weren’t released since both those fights took place overseas, but it is a huge jump from the $190,000 he made at UFC 114 last year. His opponent, Mayhem Miller, only made a fraction of Bisping’s $275,000 show money with a $45,000 purse. All TUF 14 cast members on the card fought under a $8,000/$8,000 contract, however Diego Brandao brought home an additional $80,000 in Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night bonus money for what nearly became a six-figure payday. Dennis Bermudez and John Dodson also made out well with their $40,000 bonuses.

Payouts

Courtesy of MMA Junkie:

• Michael Bisping: $425,000 ($275k + $150k win bonus)
  Jason “Mayhem” Miller: $45,000
• Diego Brandao: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  Dennis Bermudez: $8,000
• John Dodson: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  T.J. Dillashaw: $8,000
• Tony Ferguson: $30,000 ($15k + $15k)
  Yves Edwards: $16,000
• Johnny Bedford: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  Louis Gaudinot: $8,000
• Marcus Brimage: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  Stephen Bass: $8,000
• John Albert: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  Dustin Pague: $8,000
• Roland Delorme: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  Josh Ferguson: $8,000
• Steven Siler: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  Josh Clopton: $8,000
• Bryan Caraway: $16,000 ($8k + $8k)
  Dustin Neace: $8,000

Bonuses

$40,000 bonus to each fighter.

• Knockout of the Night – John Dodson
• Submission of the Night – Diego Brendao
• Fight of the Night – Diego Brendao vs. Dennis Bermudez

Total Payout

A disclosed total of $868,000, including all bonuses, was paid out to the fighters.

A few observations from the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale:

-Louis Gaudinot was simply too small to be facing someone as big as Johnny Bedford. When the flyweight division opens up, he’ll fit right in just fine, but watching him take on Bedford was like watching a boy fight a man.

-Yves Edwards was robbed. No way did Tony Ferguson take all three rounds (as two judges had said), and no way did Ferguson land more effective strikes. I guess the judges count whiffing a punch as a point…

-John Dodson = exciting. TJ Dillashaw = that fighter who is great at wrestling, but throws reason out the door to fight in the realm where his opponent is superior.

-Diego Brandao versus Dennis Bermudez was fun as hell, and both men will make great additions to the UFC’s featherweight division. And I’m actually pretty eager to see them fight again.

-Props to Michael Bisping for getting the job done. Jason “Mayhem” Miller looked like absolute ass, though. Quite a few guys got their butt kicked at the TUF 14 Finale, but he wins the prize.

The TUF 14 Finale takes place later tonight at the The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event airs on Spike TV at 8pm ET. The prelims will stream live on Facebook at 5:15pm ET.

In the main event, Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller meet in the TUF 14 coaches battle.

Dennis Bermudez and Diego Brandao face off for the TUF 14 featherweight crown.

John Dodson and TJ Dillashaw meet in the TUF bantamweight final.

Yves Edwards takes on TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson in a lightweight bout.

TUF 14 cast members Louis Gaudinot and Johnny Bedford meet in a bantamweight match-up.

Results, recap and bonuses after the jump.

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