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UFC 145 takes place later tonight at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The event airs live on Pay-Per-View. The prelims will precede the PPV broadcast at 7pm ET on the UFC’s Facebook Page and 8pm ET on FX or Rogers Sportsnet.

In the main event, light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones finally takes on former friend and longtime rival “Suga” Rashad Evans.

In the co-feature, Rory MacDonald returns to the octagon after an extended layoff to take on Che Mills.

Heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Ben Rothwell meet, as both attempt to get back on track.

In a potential bantamweight title eliminator, Miguel Angel Torres takes on exciting prospect Michael McDonald.

Featherweight Mark Hominick attempts to rebound from his tough loss at UFC 140 as he takes on always tenacious Eddie Yagin

And rounding out the main card, lightweight John Alessio returns to the octagon, where he faces a tough welcoming committee in Mark Bocek.

Results and recap after the jump.

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Log out of your Facebook, change the channel, go to bar, either way, it’s time for UFC 145′s main card. We’ve taken a look at the six fight preliminary card, and following that is the stellar six fight main card. With key bouts in a number of divisions, some exciting scraps, and of course, that one big fight, things are about to get real in Atlanta. Are you ready for some black on black crime?! Here’s a breakdown of the Pay Per View card, which goes down at 10pm ET/7pm PT

-Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio

Mark Bocek is incredibly underrated and often overlooked. He’s a tough, gritty grappler, who is definitely capable of maintaining a high position in the crowded 155 pound division. If you look at his losses, three of his four defeats have come to Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, and Ben Henderson. That’s kind of a tough group of guys to have fought. He takes on the returning John Alessio. The oft-tenacious fighter has had a long, hard road to the UFC, and has earned his shot at the big time once again. Unfortunately for Alessio, Bocek is the real deal. Coming in on short notice and facing such a skilled grappler in Bocek will be Alessio’s demise.

-Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin

Mark Hominick is probably feeling a little deflated, or humbled, even. Following his quick knockout loss back at UFC 140 in Toronto, the Team Tompkins mainstay looks to rebound and fight his way back to the champ, Jose Aldo. With crazy knockout power in his hands, the always crafty Canadian needs a big win. Durability should be Eddie Yagin’s middle name. With heart, tenacity, and hell of a skill-set in his repertoire, Yagin is a tough match-up for anybody. Despite being as tough as he is, Yagin feels like a rebound opponent for Hominick. “The Machine” should have no problem getting his hands all over Eddie, and should the bout hit the ground, Mark is not exactly a white belt. He takes the decision.

-Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

I remember back in the day when Miguel Torres was near the top of the proverbial “pound for pound” list. The once-fired rape comedian, as he seems to be now, is still an incredibly talented fighter, and skill-wise, one of the best in the bantamweight division. Lately, he’s been fighting a lot safer than he used to, but in his defence, when another man disconnects you from your consciousness, things can change quickly. Fast-rising prospect Michael McDonald, who is still but a young man, physically, has shown unlimited potential and is incredibly mature and intelligent. He looks better in every fight, and he’s right on par with Rory MacDonald in terms of fast-rising, extremely talented young fighters. The winner of this fight could absolutely make a good case for a title shot in the near future. I expect McDonald and Torres to put on an unbelievable fight, but I think the experience and technical prowess of Torres will be the keys in this fight, and Miguel will take home a hard fought, close decision.

-Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub

In the main card’s only heavyweight bout, which is fine with me, considering what UFC 146 will be, Ben Rothwell takes on Brendan Schaub. Rothwell has faced some stiff competition in Cain Velasquez, Gilbert Yvel, and Mark Hunt, but his biggest competition has been his hilariously bad cardio. Brendan Schaub wanted to beat a legend in Big Nog, and instead, he took a nap. Looking to rebound from that loss, the Colorado based fighter, whose record consists almost entirely of knockouts, is an athletic dude, whose chin may be his only downfall. I give a clear advantage in this fight to Schaub. I just don’t think Rothwell offers him too much, unless he comes in and can fight 15 minutes without even gassing in the slightest. I suspect this does go the distance, and it’s probably going to be tough to watch in the late second and third rounds.

-Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills

Fast-rising welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald finally returns to the cage after an extended layoff. The British Columbia native, who trains out of Tristar, has absolutely dominated some of the best fighters in the world. Nate Diaz, Mike Pyle, Jordan Mein, and even interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit have all been on the receiving ends of beatings from the 22 year old. His opponent, Che Mills, has kind of been thrown to the wolves. I mean, he has beaten up Marius Zaromskis a couple of times, and that’s always fun, but, there is no way he’s ready for RoryMac. Rory may be underestimating Mills, but if he was, would it make a difference? Submission or TKO for the Canadian.

-Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans

Here is where I get crazy. I expect there will be a lot of discussion on this, and I’m even more positive most of you will disagree. Jon Jones will lose to Rashad Evans. That’s all.

Why? Okay, hear me out. Jon Jones is unquestionably a better fighter, hands down. Having said that, there are several factors that could change the outcome of this fight. Rashad Evans is probably better now than he has ever been. He may not be having these stellar mind-blowing performances like he did against Chuck, but, honestly, he dominated Phil Davis for 25 minutes while barely even breaking a sweat. His wrestling has transitioned better to MMA than just about anyone’s. He also has an unexpected speed to his punches, when he really lets loose. On Jon Jones’ end, Rashad is very much in his head. Watch interviews, videos, he acts confident, but anyone who has a good grasp on the psychological aspect of fighting can see, Jones is not entirely focussed. Also, it’s entirely likely that everyone around him has been blowing smoke up his ass, so perhaps he is overconfident or overly cocky? I don’t think Rashad is going to knock out Jones, in fact, I think Jones dominates him on the feet, but Rashad will show Jones what using striking to set up takedowns is all about, and I think we’ll be looking at a long, exhausting 25 minutes for “Bones”. Am I wrong? Probably.. but these things happen in MMA.

Well, it is now official.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and No. 1 contender Rashad Evans each weighed in successfully Friday afternoon, making their title contest at UFC 145 Saturday night official.

Jones will be looking to defend his title for a third time, having already defeated former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida. For Evans, he’ll be seeking to capture his second UFC light heavyweight title.

In the co-main event, Rory MacDonald and Che Mills will square off, while heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Ben Rothwell collide in another key main card contest.

UFC 145: JONES VS. EVANS WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Main Card (PPV)

•  Jon Jones (205 lbs.) vs. Rashad Evans (204 lbs.) for Jones’ light heavyweight title

•  Rory MacDonald (169.5 lbs.) vs. Che Mills (170 lbs.)

•  Brendan Schaub (237 lbs.) vs. Ben Rothwell (263 lbs.)

•  Miguel Angel Torres (135.5 lbs.) vs. Michael McDonald (135 lbs.)

•  Mark Hominick (145.5 lbs.) vs. Eddie Yagin (144.5 lbs.)

•  Mark Bocek (155 lbs.) vs. John Alessio (155.5 lbs.)

Preliminary Card (FX)

•  Travis Browne (250 lbs.) vs. Chad Griggs (228 lbs.)

•  Matt Brown (171 lbs.) vs. Stephen Thompson (171 lbs.)

•  John Makdessi (158 lbs.)* vs. Anthony Njokuani (156 lbs.)

•  Mac Danzig (155 lbs.) vs. Efrain Escudero (156 lbs.)

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

•  Keith Wisniewski (170.5 lbs.) vs. Chris Clements (169 lbs.)

•  Marcus Brimage (145 lbs.) vs. Maximo Blanco (146 lbs.)

*Makdessi will surrender 20 percent of his purse to Njokuani

Check out Esther Lin’s full UFC 145 weigh-ins photo gallery at MMAFighting.com. Weigh-in highlights via MMA Fighting and the UFC.

Brendan Schaub showed that he could return from a loss by making a strong run in the UFC following a defeat in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter to Roy Nelson.

Now, coming off a knockout loss at the hands of legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira last year, “The Hybrid” will look to get back on track when he meets Ben Rothwell at UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans on April 21 from Atlanta.

Schaub appeared on MMA Junkie Radio recently where he discussed his goal of wearing the UFC heavyweight title before he retires from the sport.

I’m happy where I’m at. I have a lot of growth to do, and I think I can compete with anyone in the world. I think I’m going to be world champ. I think this is a step back. But I think you find out what a guy’s made (of) after a loss.

The defeat to Nogueira ended a run by Schaub that saw him win four straight fights in side the Octagon. In Rothwell, he’ll be facing another veteran, but one with far less of a resume than Nogueira. For Schaub to succeed, he needs to use his conditioning and striking, keeping the fight standing with Rothwell.

Photo credit: Sherdog

Brendan Schaub’s next fight is set.

The UFC announced yesterday that Schaub will meet Ben Rothwell in a heavyweight bout at UFC 145.

Two heavyweights have verbally agreed to go to war March 24 in Montreal, Canada as Ben Rothwell will take on Brendan ‘The Hybrid’ Schaub.

Both fighters will be looking to bounce back from recent losses. Rothwell most recently dropped a decision to Mark Hunt at UFC 135 while Schaub was literally dropped by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s fists at UFC 134.

Other known fights for the UFC 145 card include Chad Griggs vs. Travis Browne and Che Mills vs. Rory MacDonald. It’s still unknown who will headline the card.

Image via Sherdog

A few observations from UFC 135: “Jones vs. Rampage”:

-I love Aaron Riley and do remember his Hook’n’Shoot wars with Yves Edwards (from “back in the day”).  But there comes a time when a fighter needs to stop fighting – especially when that fighter likes having a functional jaw for eating and speaking purposes – and it may be time for Riley to call it quits.

-We knew going in that Tony Ferguson was going to punch to the face and punch hard.  I say enough with the “gimme” fights for this TUF winner.  Release the hounds!  (And by hounds, I mean let’s see how he likes Jim Miller or Don Cerrone punching him back.)

-I like this 185-pound version of Tim Boetsch.  Very strong, very dangerous and very fun.

-If Nate Diaz continues looking like he did last night, he might finally become a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division.  The kid was straight-up flawless.

-If we never see Rob Broughton or Travis Browne again I’d be happy.

-Say what you will about Ben Rothwell – he had zero cardio, looked sloppy, blah, blah, blah – but coming out for Round 3 when he was completely spent took a ton of heart.  He was even trying to finish while the final seconds of the bout were ticking away.   Bravo, dude.

-Matt Hughes was kicking ass up until he wasn’t.  He may not have gotten a “Chris Lytle” ending to his career, but he has nothing to be ashamed of.  He was, and always will be, the man.

-Honestly, Jon Jones beating Rashad Evans is a forgone conclusion.  Now, the only match-ups to seriously challenge him would be against Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

UFC 135 takes place later tonight at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado and will air live on pay-per-view at 9pm ET/6pm PT. The pay-per-view will be preceded by prelim specials on Spike TV at 8pm ET/5pm PT and Facebook at 6pm ET/3pm PT.

In the main event, Jon Jones puts his UFC light heavyweight title on the line against Rampage Jackson.

In the co-main event, Josh Koscheck steps in on short notice to take on Matt Hughes.

Travis Browne meets Rob Broughton in a heavyweight match-up.

Takanori Gomi faces Nate Diaz in a lightweight bout.

Mark Hunt looks for his second UFC win against Ben Rothwell.

Results, recap and bonuses after the jump.

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The UFC 135 weigh-ins took place this afternoon at the Wells Fargo Theater at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.

All fighters made weight. Surprisingly, most of the fireworks happened on the undercard. Must be something in the water up there in Denver because it seemed like everyone wanted to get in each other’s face for the staredown. Heck, Junior Assuncao pretty much charged Eddie Yagin, forcing Dana White to immediately step in and separate them. Then Nick Ring gives Tim Boetsch a mini-headbutt, once again forcing Dana to break it up. Nate Diaz of course invaded Takanori Gomi’s space with a little Stockton mean-muggin’. Ben Rothwell tried to coax an uninterested Mark Hunt into a staredown, but the K-1 vet didn’t seem to notice. Funny enough, Josh Koscheck was one of the most respectful on stage today as he stood in front of Matt Hughes.

Then of course came Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson. With the way things have been going it wouldn’t been surprising to see a shoving match break out between them, but they kept it pretty civil. After shaking hands, Rampage actually coaxed Jones into looking him straight in the eye, something Jones never does with his opponents, before promising he would knock him out tomorrow.

And yes, the Denver crowd booed the hell out of Jon Jones.

The weigh-in results:

• Jon Jones (204.5) vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (204)
• Josh Koscheck (170.5) vs. Matt Hughes (170)
• Ben Rothwell (263) vs. Mark Hunt (261)
• Travis Browne (255) vs. Rob Broughton (261)
• Nate Diaz (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
• Aaron Riley (155) vs. Tony Ferguson (155)
• Tim Boetsch (186) vs. Nick Ring (185)
• Junior Assuncao (145) vs. Eddie Yagin (145)
• Cole Escovedo (135) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (135)
• Ricardo Romero (205) vs. James Te Huna (205)

Fighters in non-title fights are allowed to weigh in one pound over the weight class limit.

UFC 135 “Jones vs. Rampage” will take place tomorrow, Sept. 24, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado and will air live on pay-per-view at 9pm ET/6pm PT. The pay-per-view will be preceded by prelim specials on Spike TV at 8pm ET/5pm PT and Facebook at 6pm ET/3pm PT.

More UFC 135 weigh-in pics at CombatLifestyle.com. Video highlights via MMA Fighting

We’ve got a full weekend of MMA ahead of us, what with Bellator, Strikeforce Challengers and DREAM all poised and ready to go with a bit of the old ultra-violence.  But there’s no doubt what the main course will be: UFC 135 on Saturday night, which will have light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones defending his belt against Quinton Jackson in what promises to be either something thrillingly competitive or just a straight-up murder.  Ah, who am I kidding?  Did you see the way Jones beat Shogun into putty?  Rampage is going to wind up a statistic on an FBI violent crime analysis chart.  Anyway, there are some other interesting pairings at UFC 135, including what may be the last hurrah of a welterweight legend and a fallen Japanese superstar’s shot of redemption (sort of).  So.  Preview.  Check it out.

Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson – Jones’ meteoric rise to the top is marked by “Holy crap!  Did you see that?” moves and utter destruction visited upon whoever has stood in his way.  In the last two years, Rampage has either been squeaking by opponents with decisions or losing via those same means.  Now, sure, Jackson’s still got a dangerous hook that can put people away, but Jones has been in there with some knockout strikers (Mauricio Rua, Ryan Bader, Brandon Vera) and no one even came close.  The bottom line is the champ is going to have to slip on an awful lot of banana peels – plus stumble on an oil slick and choke on a handful of half-chewed olives – before Rampage can touch him.  Yup, this one is going to be ugly.  Like, “Godzilla stomping Tokyo into rubble” ugly.

Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck – This is the last fight on Hughes’ contract, and his wife has stated “No mas, mister”, so when the former champ steps into the cage against TUF 1 veteran Koscheck on Saturday, we might be seeing the finale of the great Matt Hughes.  In terms of comparing their skills and abilities, both men are proven wrestlers with competent stand-up – maybe Hughes hits a little harder and has the edge in experience, maybe Koscheck will have the edge in youthful vitality (he’s about four years younger).  But you know what?  When someone like Hughes says he’s on the verge of hanging up his gloves, you just have to root for him.  Chris Lytle went out with a win; hopefully, Hughes can do the same.

Rob Broughton vs. Travis Browne – Broughton is a big Brit whose most notable win was over Neil Grove a few years ago; Browne went the distance with Cheick Kongo and knocked out Stefan Struve easily.  Can you guess which one of these guys has a future in the Octagon and which one will be back fighting in the UK circuit soon?

Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz – Once upon a time Gomi was one of the best fighters coming out of Japan, and his explosiveness saw him putting away a lot of people.  But back in 2007, Nick Diaz tapped him out with a gogoplata, and things sort of went downhill from there.  Nate Diaz, on the other hand, peaked right around when he won TUF 7, and has since amassed a mottled record in the UFC (in other words, he isn’t his older brother Nick).  Can Gomi get some modicum of revenge by defeating the sibling of the man who submitted him back in the day?  Or will Nate catch him like an errant trout and make him gasp for air?  If I bet, it would be on Gomi punching Diaz.  Real hard.

Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt – Rothwell is an interesting guy.  He’s had about a million fights outside of the UFC, sometimes against less-than-stellar competition, sometimes against some solid guys, and his losses have only come to the best (a prime Andrei Arlovski, Cain Velasquez).  But all those fights wear on you, and for the past year he’s been sidelined with a torn ACL.  Does he have any “umph” left in him?  It might not matter, as his UFC 135 opponent is Hunt, a New Zealander with world-class kickboxing (circa 2002) who’s aged about as well as a carton of milk left on the side of a desert highway.  All Rothwell needs to do is avoid Hunt’s striking, get him to the ground, and whisper sweet-nothings in his ear.  The only question mark is the American’s knee and if it will hold up.

MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani caught up with Rampage Jackson, Jon Jones, Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, Travis Browne, Rob Broughton and Ben Rothwell to talk about their upcoming fights this weekend at UFC 135.

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