Ten-year MMA veteran Phil Baroni makes no attempt to shy away from the situation.

Winless in his past two fights, "The New York Bad Ass" recognizes that victory is imperative at UFC 125 if he hopes to continue his pursuit of octagon success.

And while some fighters often shy away from admitting additional pressures that accompany their matchups, Baroni welcomes the idea of what failure would cost. After all, considering the price of the alternative just makes victory taste that much sweeter.

<B>By MATT BOONE<BR> MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer</B><BR><BR> Dennis Cole sent along the following:<BR><BR> <CENTER><B>The Hit Squad Coltin The Truth Cole</CENTER></B><BR><BR> Hit Squad undefeated Pro Fighter Coltin The Truth Cole will be making his Strikeforce debut on Dec 4th at the Scott Trade Center in St Louis Mo.<BR><BR> Cole will be facing Booker Derousse one of the wrestling coaches out of Jesse Finneys camp in St Louis.<BR><BR> Cole lives and trains at Matt Hughes Hit Squad and is coming off his first Pro win where he defeated 5-0 Matthew Smart back in October.Before turning Pro Cole held a 12-2 Ammy record with his only losses coming by decision. On Dec 4th he steps in the cage against the wrestling phenom from Missouri Booker Derousse.<BR><BR> Cole has never been stopped in the cage and fought for varies organizations in Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri, he was one of the top fighters for 618 MMA which is one of the top ammy building organizations in the United States which brings in ammy fighters from Canada, Sweden as well as some of the top gyms in the United States.<BR><BR> Cole has not just beat the odds in the cage back in 2000 Cole was faced with the toughest fight anyone could ever face. He was fighting for his life. After a near tragic 3-wheeler accident Cole was air lifted to St Louis .Cole was left completely deaf in his right ear and with limited hearing in his left.Cole was riding a 3-wheeler along the rail road tracks in rural Du Quoin Illinois where he grew up when the front brake locked and sent him head first into the tracks. Coles gums where split in half above his front teeth and he suffered hearing loss.<BR><BR> Cole has been able to adapt to his hearing loss and does not wear any hearing device. Cole stated sometimes people think I am ignoring them or not paying attention it makes it hard to listen to your corner men at times so I have to pay special attention in training and really know what to do. I dont consider it a disadvantage at all. If anything it has helped me become more focused. I think God everyday that I survived and I am able to do what I love to do and that train and fight.<BR><BR> Cole has lived at The Hit Squad for year now and stated It kind of feels like I am living a dream and I am waiting for someone to wake me up. I train with a great group of guys Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, Brian Foster, Kyle Watson and so many more. I have got to meet Eddie Bravo who is one of my idols its a little surreal Im not just a fighter I am a huge fan of the sport.<BR><BR> Cole has created a huge underground fan base and looks forward to his Strikeforce debut. I love meeting people and having them tell me they love the way I fight. That is the ultimate pat on the back. And I plan on going out Dec 4th and making Strikeforce a fan. They want fighters and I want fights, I dont ever get into trash talking. I will promise you this I will lay it all on the line Dec 4th losing is not an option and I guarantee when I look in the mirror on Dec 5th there will be no regrets, there will be no I should of or wish I would ofs .Im going to St Louis and I am going to do what Im trained to do. And thats fight.<BR><BR>

("I think it's cool, but do you think the judge will find it as ironic as we do, Lee?")

It looks like Lee Murray will be behind bars longer than he thought.

According to a BBC report, the former UFC fighter who was named as the mastermind behind the 2006 $85 million (USD) Securitas heist in London had 15 years tacked onto his 10 year sentence today following a brief hearing in Rabat, Morocco where he has been held since being arrested in the North African country for importing drugs, whereupon authorities discovered he was wanted in connection to the UK robbery.

Murray fled England with right hand man and fellow MMA fighter, Paul Allen who was sentenced to 18 years in jail two years after being extradited back to London in 2007 when the pair were arrested outside of a mall in Morocco.

"Lightning" managed to avoid extradition because his father was a Moroccan national, but he couldn't avoid the stiffer jail sentence he was handed down today.

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Greg Jackson has found himself in the unenviable position of defending his life's work - against a man to whom he owes his livelihood.

More than a month after UFC president Dana White singled him out as a partial cause of a dud main event at UFC 122, Jackson has broken his silence.

"To say (that) everybody doesn't try to finish and that it's a consistent problem with us when the exact 180-degree opposite is true - I don't think there's another team that can claim half of all bonuses given by the UFC," Jackson today told MMAjunkie.com.

In lieu of a planned bout with Jon Fitch, Jake Ellenberger instead is expected to meet welterweight prospect Carlos Eduardo Rocha on the televised main card of UFC 126.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com verbal agreements are in place with contracts on the way.

UFC 126 takes place Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view.

(The CSAC's "Dear Chael" letter, and proof that he listed testosterone in his medicals, not that it will help him much. Click images for larger versions.)

That eerie silence you've been noticing for the last couple months? That's the sound of Chael Sonnen not talking. The formerly-outspoken middleweight contender has been mute since his UFC 117 drug test came back funky. That will change on Thursday morning, when Sonnen visits Sacramento to appeal his license suspension with the California State Athletic Commission; coincidentally, Sonnen's case will directly follow Josh Barnett's long-delayed license reinstatement hearing.

FightOpinion found the entire 158-page agenda for Thursday's session on the California Department of Consumer Affairs website, which you can see in its entirety right here. Chael-related documents take up the majority of the packet, spanning pages 33-144. A couple of noteworthy details...

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An intriguing light-heavyweight bout between Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera has been salvaged from untelevised purgatory.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com the onetime preliminary-card bout has been promoted to the pay-per-view main card of "UFC 125: Resolution."

The event takes place Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard.

Greg Jackson has finally responded to recent criticism from UFC President Dana White regarding his camp's tendency to fight cautious and fightong to win instead of fighting to entertain the fans.<br><br> Following Nate Marquardt's loss to Yushin Okami, White came down on the Jackson Camp and now Jackson has taken offense to the remarks and has gone on the defensive:<br><br> "Here's a quick stat for you. So there's been 22 [UFC events] this year? We had 12 bonuses so far this year. So one out of every two, one of my fighters got 'Submission of the Night,' 'Knockout of the Night,' or 'Fight of the Night.' [Dana] wants to say there's a consistency? Okay, let's look at statistical consistencies. Let's look at Jon Jones, who has finished every fight with me in the first round, except for that Matt Hamill one, which would have been a first-round stoppage anyway if he hadn't thrown that illegal elbow. Let's look at Carlos Condit, who had Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night. Even people on the undercard who people don't really know yet. Kyle Noke, two finishes, both in the second round. Almost everybody on our team finishes consistently. It didn't bug me until Dana said it. Fans are fans, but Dana said that and, you know, I've worked really hard in his organization. If you look at my stats, they're insane. Imagine you give your life to something and then your boss comes up and says, 'Man, you suck.'"<br><br> Props: MMAFighting.com

Paul Daley has an important fight on his hands this weekend at Strikeforce: St. Louis when he takes on the dangerous Scott Smith as Smith makes his debut in the welterweight division following a stint at middleweight and with a couple of come from behind knock outs on his record, Daley knows he'll have to be careful against "Hands Of Steel" and get the finish early:<br><br> "The dude knocks people out, a man after my own heart. He likes to go in there and leave people lying on the floor, receiving oxygen. It is going to be a great fight. I have trained hard. I expect it to be a short but exciting fight. He’s had some crazy fights where he comes back Rocky style, but I am very good at finishing fights. When I hit people they stay hit. Both of us are knockout punchers, so from my point of view there has to be some caution to the way I approach things compared to the way I approach a standard fight. There are some tactics that I have been working on because of Smith’s fighting style. I have been working everything, but I am slightly more cautious about working on other things when it comes to stand-up."<br><Br> Props: MMAWeekly.com

UFC President Dana White called him a "choker" following a title eliminator bout against Yushi Okami at UFC 122 and now Nate Marquardt wants to try and change White's tune by <a href=http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=5693>calling out</a> "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva and hoping for a bout where one or the other is going to sleep:<Br><br> "In order to re-establish myself as the number one contender, my next opponent needs to be an elite fighter who will stand and bang with me in the center of the Octagon until one of us is knocked out. The fight that makes the most sense to me is Wanderlei Silva. I have a ton of respect for Wanderlei and have wanted this fight for years, the fans have wanted this fight, they deserve to see two of the best fighters in the world in an all out war. Wanderlei is an amazing fighter who is very aggressive, I will pursue him with unwavering tenacity, then I will knock him out! I promise the UFC, Dana, my fans, my team, my coaches and most importantly myself that never again will there be a question about my cage aggression."<br><br>