• Chuck Liddell stayed alive on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” The UFC hall of famer made it through week three of the dancing competition and earned some plaudits for his routine, which included him striking his trademark post-fight celebratory pose.
• His return bout may have lacked fireworks, but “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 4 middleweight winner Travis Lutter got back in the win column at Maximum Fighting Championship 22 “Payout” on Oct. 2 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Lutter, who had not fought since an April 2008 loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 83, took two rounds with superior position grappling against fellow UFC veteran Jason MacDonald. Lutter showed little signs of the fatigue that has plagued him, though he did cede ground position to MacDonald in the third round. It was the first loss for MacDonald in the MFC, where the Alberta native built his reputation. Lutter linked up with Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico to prepare for the fight. MFC plans to bring in another UFC castoff, Thales Leites, for its next card on Dec. 4.
Also rather dull was Antonio McKee’s wrestling-heavy win over Carlo Prater, who at 158 pounds failed to make the lightweight limit. That meant McKee’s title was not on the line, and he only had to take down Prater for 15 straight minutes instead of 25. McKee won the unanimous decision.
A series of UFC vets also picked up wins on MFC’s latest HDNet broadcast. John Alessio knocked out Luigi Fioravanti in the third round; Pete Spratt knocked out Nathan Gunn; and “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Mike Nickels and UFC veteran David Heath brought the crowd to its feet with wild punching, until Nickels suddenly transitioned to a rear-naked choke for the third-round submission.
• Hot prospect Chad Mendes, of Team Alpha Male, stayed undefeated by dispatching Mike Joy via unanimous decision at Tachi Palace Fights “Most Wanted” on Oct. 8 in Lemoore, Calif. Also victorious was Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto, as he put away Mike Christensen with a gogoplata for the first-round tapout.