Six fighters who underwent testing for performance-enhancing drugs and drugs of abuse tested clean following UFC 127. UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner today e-mailed the drug-test results to MMAjunkie. The event was overseen by the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales, though the UFC independently conducted the testing. UFC 127 took place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, and aired live on pay-per-view. Headliners B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch fought to a majority draw in a welterweight bout. The UFC tested both Penn and Fitch, as well as four others at random on the 12-fight card. The names of the fighters tested at random were not disclosed. All tested negative for drugs of abuse (such as marijuana and cocaine), as well as anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancers. The main event ended in disappointment after Penn took an early lead in the opening frame before Fitch charged back in the second. The two then fought a competitive fight, but it was Fitch who dominated the third round and earned a 10-8 score from two judges. Those scores resulted a majority draw. Michael Bisping's TKO win over Jorge Rivera in the evening's co-main event was marred by an illegal – and some would say intentional – knee and a nasty post-fight scene in which he spit in the direction of Rivera's cornermen.

UFC 127 drug tests come back clean

Following an impressive victory over Tim Hague in the co-headliner of this past weekend's "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2" event, Matt Mitrione is pleased he finally is winning over some fans. Admittedly, though, he gave those same fans two reasons to dish out their usual insults. But as Mitrione, a cast member from "The Ultimate Fighter 10" who's now 4-0 in MMA and the UFC, today told MMAjunkie Radio, he had good reason for both actions. Competing on a Spike TV card at Fort Hood in Texas, Mitrione used light feet and quick hands, including an especially effective lunging hook (instead of a traditional jab), to pick up a first-round knockout win over his heavyweight counterpart. But his refusal to tap gloves before the fight – and a post-fight speech in which he thanked his own hands – were the only criticisms in otherwise praised performance. Mitrione, though, said the first was for good reason. The second was a joke that apparently fell on many deaf ears. "I respect the game, and I respect the sport," Mitrione said. "But I don't touch gloves in the first round because of Jon Madsen. In of the first fights I watched live, he faked a touch and then ducked under it and scored a double-leg takedown. Every since then, I've been like, 'No way, man.'" Mitrione, a former NFL player with an admittedly raw ground game, simply doesn't want to give an opponent an easy opening. That was especially the case with Hague, a hard-hitting Canadian whom Mitrione expected to be come out much more aggressively in the opening of their bout. Instead, Mitrione dictated the pace, proved quicker to the punch, and ultimately dropped his opponent with a straight left that set up a victory in just three minutes. But in a post-fight interview, he raised some eyebrows when he seemingly stroked his own ego by thanking his hands. He said he was actually paying homage to former NFL player Freddie Mitchell, a one-man marketing machine known for outrageous quips. After a 2005 postseason game in which he scored a pair of touchdowns, Mitchell attended a press conference wearing over mitts and thanked his own hands "for being so great." "I guess no one got that," Mitrione joked. In fact, the jokes are all part of Mitrione's increasing comfort in the cage...

Matt Mitrione won't apologize for having a good time, wants quick return

Jens Pulver snapped a six-fight losing streak and picked up his first victory since 2007 with a win in the headliner of Saturday's XFO 38 event. Pulver (23-14-1) scored a quick, 49-second rear-naked choke victory over area fighter and one-time WEC competitor Mike Lindquist (6-20). The event took place at Woodstock Harley Davidson in Woodstock, Ill., and streamed online. Pulver previously hinted at retirement following a WEC 41 loss to Josh Grispi and again following a defeat to Javier Vazquez at WEC 47. But Pulver, an early UFC champion and former PRIDE competitor, decided to continue fighting after his WEC release. In August, he suffered a submission loss to Diego Garijo at a regional event in California. It was his fourth consecutive submission defeat, his sixth straight loss overall, and it dropped him to 1-8 going back to an upset to Joe Lauzon at UFC 63 in 2006. But Pulver, a fan favorite who trained with Jeff Curran's Illinois-based team ahead of the fight, got back in the win column on Saturday. He survived an early barrage of punches and subsequent facial cut, took a dominant position when on the mat, and scored the fight-ending rear-naked choke just 49 seconds into the main event. After the fight, the 36-year-old Pulver said he plans to fight again. Up next is a scheduled March 5 headliner with the upstart Chicago Cagefighting Championship promotion.

Former UFC champ Jens Pulver snaps losing streak, wins XFO 38 headliner

Prior to UFC 125, Dong Hyun Kim said he had one goal: to fight UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Following a convincing win over Nate Diaz, the goal remains unchanged. In fact, after outgrappling the grappler and earning the unanimous-decision victory, Kim is even more confident in his abilities to beat the champ. "I can take [St-Pierre] down," said Kim, whose bout was part of the pay-per-view main card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, through a translator. "I don't know when I'm going to fight GSP, but a lot of fighters try and stand with him. GSP takes other fighters down and ground and pounds. I want to do that to GSP." With the win over Diaz (13-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC), Kim (14-0-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remains undefeated in the UFC. (A split-decision defeat to Karo Parisyan a year ago was overturned and recorded as a no-contest because of the Armenian's failed drug test.) More importantly, he implemented his game plan nearly to perfection – even with Diaz expecting it...

UFC 125 win gives Dong Hyun Kim confidence he can beat champ GSP

Leonard Garcia's return to the UFC will have to wait. The featherweight veteran has suffered an undisclosed injury in training and has been forced out of a planned appearance the The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. With less than two-weeks' notice, Ian Loveland now steps in to face Tyler Toner on the evening's preliminary card. MMAjunkie today confirmed that verbal agreements are in place for the matchup, which was first reported by Sherdog.com, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly. Featuring a light heavyweight contest between Stephan Bonnar and Igor Pokrajac, The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale takes place Dec. 4 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The main card airs on Spike TV. A 27-year-old Team Quest product, Loveland comes to the UFC on the strength of six-straight victories. "The Barn Owl" is a three-time IFL veteran who has also competed under the SportFight and King of the Cage banners. In 20 career contests, Loveland has gone to a decision just once. Toner looks to rebound from a September loss to Diego Nunes. The unanimous decision snapped a six-fight win streak for Toner that included a April win over Brandon Visher. Toner's two career losses have both come via decision.

Ian Loveland replaces Leonard Garcia, faces Tyler Toner at TUF 12 Finale

Despite his struggles to maintain his size in the division, World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Joseph Benavidez has found success in the bantamweight weight class and even recently took the current champ the distance. But once the WEC merges with the UFC and a flyweight division potentially is added in 2011, Benavidez could be ready for a drop in weight. After all, as Benavidez told MMAjunkie on Monday, plenty of talent is available worldwide to make the 125-pound division a competitive weight class.

WEC's Joseph Benavidez hopeful for UFC flyweights, sees plenty of world talent

No sooner did Ryan Couture secure an opponent for his second professional fight than he had to pull out of it. A lingering staph infection in Couture's leg has forced him to withdraw from Strikeforce Challengers 12, Strikeforce officials today announced. As MMAjunkie first reported over the weekend, officials recently secured Juan Zapata as an opponent for Couture. It is unknown whether Strikeforce will secure a new opponent for Zapata or scratch the bout entirely. "I was really looking forward to fighting, so this is a big disappointment, but I'll be back," Couture stated. "As soon as I'm cleared, you can bet I'll be back in the gym preparing for my next Strikeforce fight." Strikeforce Challengers 12 takes place Nov. 19 at the Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Miss. The headliner pits lightweight Justin Wilcox against Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro.

Ryan Couture out of Strikeforce Challengers 12 co-headliner with staph infection