As of late 2009, Chael Sonnen has become the MMA community’s favorite sound bite, constantly providing entertaining commentary and self-promotion. After testing positive for illegal substances in a post-fight drug screen, Sonnen was forced to drop off the radar and deal with the problem. After a roller coaster of events kept him from returning to the octagon, one might wonder: Is Chael ever coming back?

Chael Sonnen shocked the world after beating the unbeatable Anderson Silva for 23 minutes when many said he didn’t have a prayer against the champion. He then shocked the MMA community again after testing positive for artificial testosterone after the fight. Sonnen appeared before the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to plead his case, claiming the artificial testosterone was doctor ordered to counteract a medical condition that caused his testosterone to be abnormally low.

Sonnen’s case partially held, and his sentence was reduced to a 6-month suspension as opposed to 12-months. The details of Sonnen’s case, and his use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy are hotly debated, as the tests requiring one to undergo the therapy can be fabricated. Regardless of the controversy, measures are being taken to ensure that even individuals undergoing such therapy do not enter a fight with abnormally high levels of testosterone.

Sonnen, poised to make his return to the MMA world at the beginning of 2011, rocked the headlines yet again with news that he was being indicted on charges of money laundering. This prompted UFC president Dana White to temporarily freeze Sonnen’s contract so Chael could “Get his life together.”

The story gets worse, if that’s possible at this point. Details have recently come to light from NSAC head Keith Kizer about some major plot holes in the story Sonnen spent the last year spinning. Sonnen claimed he had spoken to Kizer concerning his therapy, and also claimed Kizer had given him approval on his TRT. Kizer, when made aware of Sonnen’s claims stated he had never spoken with the fighter on any matter, let alone give him approval for the treatment. This and other slight inconsistencies with the truth in Sonnen’s story have put him at odds with the commission, which can only make his life difficult.

Let’s get back to Sonnen’s legal troubles before moving on. In his trial on april 9^th, Sonnen pled guilty to charges of money laundering over a real estate deal. Sonnen was caught offering buyers tens of thousands of dollars on the side to “sweeten the deal” on houses he was selling. The maximum penalty for this crime is 20 years in prison and up to $500,000 dollars in fines. Luckily, 2 decades in the slammer was avoided, he was able to plea-bargain the sentence down to $10,000 in fines and 2 years of probation.

It’s a shame, really. One of MMA’s most charismatic and entertaining individuals is turning out to be a deplorable human being.

That said, I for one am willing to turn a blind eye to Chael’s transgressions and jump right back on his bandwagon, so long as he keeps me laughing! Society can look at him however they like, but on the list of celebrities with a rap sheet, Sonnen’s crimes would barely scratch the surface. I’m not endorsing cheating, if indeed he cheated, but the MMA community was a brighter, happier place when Chael was cracking wise every other day with grade-A material. As long as he stays out of trouble, I’ll be the first to welcome him back with open arms.

Good thing the story is nearing its end. Sonnen is closing in on a return to the limelight once again. Legal troubles behind him, the UFC has expressed interest in having Sonnen coach The Ultimate Fighter opposite british fighter Michael Bisping. For the media hungry Sonnen, this would be a dream come true. The only thing standing in his way is the NSAC who, unfortunately, are not his biggest fans at the moment. Sonnen has to convince them to not only approve the fight with Michael Bisping, but also to grant him a secondary license to coach on The Ultimate Fighter. With a little brown-nosing, however, its only a matter of time before he returns to the MMA community that both loves him, and loves to hate him.

Just a month ago, both “Bones” Jones and “Suga” Rashad claimed they would never fight each other under any circumstances. It’s amazing what 11lbs of gold can do to a friendship.

The first signs of trouble came when Jones broke the non-aggression pact by admitting he would fight Evans if the UFC told him to. Evans was quick to respond, saying he “wasn’t a punk” and would accept the fight if Jones wanted it. You would never imagine these two were calling each other brother only a month and a half prior.

The root of Jones and Evans prior loyalty was undoubtedly due to the policies of mutual trainer Greg Jackson: At camp Jackson, fighters agree not to accept fights against each other under any circumstance. Jackson runs a tight nit group, many of the fighters describing it as being part of a big family.

Greg Jackson hasn’t responded well to the news, stating he would sit this fight out, training neither fighter. The news of the fight visibly upsets Jackson as he considers both Jones and Rashad as some of his closest friends. In an interview with Sherdog.com’s Jordan Breen, Jackson makes his feelings perfectly clear.

‘Fans think it’s great that these teammates are going to fight each other, but for me it’s like if I asked you, hey, wouldn’t it be great if your Mom fought your Dad? Wouldn’t it be awesome to see your Dad knock out your Mom’s teeth, wouldn’t that be great?’

It’s hard not to feel for the guy, he’s worked hard to create an environment where fighters can trust the people they train with. However, In a sport where guys beat each other for a living, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. Even as unstable as the fight business is, the fight between Jones and Evans almost seemed predetermined. All it took was the right circumstances, and a little prodding from the media.

Writers, reporters and analyzers have been blasting every sound bite these two drop about each other, and Evan’s hasn’t shirked from the call. Rashad blasted both Jones and Jackson in an interview with Bloodelbow.com.

“You can’t say you are not going to have anything to do with it when you are a big part of the reason why the situation originated. That’s like spilling a glass of milk and then walking away and saying that you don’t want to have anything to do with it. You f**kn spilled the milk…so you’re at least going to help clean it up right? When Jon Jones came to the gym over a year ago Greg Jackson came to me and said, “listen, what do you feel about having this kid on the team?” I told him straight up that I didn’t like it. I told him that the kid was talented and that the sky was the limit with him but that was the type of guy I wanted to fight not train with. Greg came back saying, “No, no, no this will be just like you and Keith where he will be just like a brother.” I still told him that I didn’t want to do that. Then Greg said if that situation ever did arise between Jones and I that he would have to turn the fight down because that’s how it works. He would have to turn down the fight with me so that way I wouldn’t be put in a position where I looked like a punk. That’s how it works in the Greg Jackson system. After a while Greg was so high on this kid coming in and I met Jon Jones and he was a very nice and very sweet kid, so eventually I said f**k it, let’ s bring him in. After he got there and I trained with him and tried him out a little bit, something didn’t feel right so I moved my camp up to Denver to train at Grudge for awhile. That is where I spent the majority of my time over the past two fights… Then he comes across on national TV and says that he will fight Rashad if Dana White tells me to and I felt so f**cking utterly disrespected… I mean it’s one thing to say something in an interview but the least you could have picked up the phone and been like, “man I did an interview today and they kind of put me on the spot with a rough question and I answered it this way.” At least give me the heads up so that way I know and not look at it if he’s Judas or something. You know who Judas is? That interview was some backstabbing s**t but now it’s like whatever because now I know the game he is playing. Then for Greg to sit back and say he doesn’t want to have anything to do with it….why not? You f**kn created the situation. Be his coach and be in his corner. That’s what you want so do it. I don’t care if coaches against me. It doesn’t even matter… I feel disrespected by Jon because when I think about when we trained or when we were chilling, was the s**t even real? Or was he just trying to be a master manipulator and try to manipulate the situation so he could get what he wanted out of it? I don’t know and that is a question that I have in my mind but when I get down to it…that doesn’t even matter because we are going to get in there and we are going to fight.”

Evans has called for Jackson to “choose sides” and train either him or Jones, but Jackson will have none of it. Whatever happens between the two champs, it will be without Jackson in their corner. For the more inexperienced Jones, this could pose a problem for his preparation, as he has relied heavily on Jackson in all his
previous UFC wins, while Rashad has been training outside camp Jackson steadily for his last few fights.

Despite that seeming disadvantage, Evans is a heavy underdog. It would truly be a shock to the whole MMA world if he is able to dethrone the new light heavyweight king Jon Jones. Rashad has chosen to be offended and turn this into a grudge match, but the odds are very much in the favor of his younger, bigger more explosive former teammate.

While the falling out behind the bought is unfortunate, and the fighters futures at camp Jackson uncertain, none of it will matter in the fans minds come fight night. They clamored and pushed for this fight to happen and they’re going to get it.

Nik Lentz defeats Waylon Lowe via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:24 in Round 3

Johny Hendricks defeats T.J. Waldburger via TKO (Punches) at 1:35 in Round 1

-Hendricks returns to his winning ways after dropping his first fight against Rick Story in January. Hendricks won knockout of the night for an extra $55,000.

Aaron Simpson defeats Mario Miranda via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

-World class wrestler Simpson picks up a much needed win after dropping his last two to Munoz and Leben.

Christian Morecraft defeats Sean McCorkle via Submission (Standing Guillotine Choke) at 4:10 in Round 2

-Twitter warrior Sean McCorkle can’t seem to back up his talk, losing his second consecutive fight. McCorkle is on thin ice in the UFC, despite being previously undefeated.

Michael McDonald defeats Edwin Figueroa via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-At 20, McDonald is one of the youngest fighters in the UFC, and an exciting prospect. McDonald got the win, but both fighters walked away with an extra 55K for fight of the night.

John Hathaway defeats Kris McCray via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

-British phenom Hathaway rebounded from his first-loss trouncing at the hands of Mike Pyle by taking down TUF 11 finalist McCray in a tightly contested split decision.

Mike Russow defeats Jon Madsen via TKO (Doctor’s stoppage – eye) at 5:00 after Round 2

-Russow is making a habbit of taking down rising stars. After his miracle knockout against undefeated Todd Duffee, Russow forced a stoppage by opening up a cut on Madsen that the doctor said he could not continue with.

Mackens Semerzier defeats Alex Caceres via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:18 in Round 1

-Bruce Leeroy couldn’t get it done in his UFC debut. After making it to the semi-finals in TUF 12, it took Semerzier less than 2 minutes to tap him out. A fan favorite on TUF 12 due to his eccentric personality, Cacares will have to rely on his fan-base to get another shot in the UFC.

Chan Sung Jung defeats Leonard Garcia via Submission (Twister) at 4:59 in Round 2

-In a rematch of 2010’s fight of the year, “the Korean Zombie” vs. “Bad Boy” Garcia was highly anticipated as a barnburner. Unlike their first meeting, neither fighter seemed eager to get into a slugfest. Jung’s technical ability exceeded Garcia’s, so this played into his hands. Garcia was picked apart by superior striking, while unable to trap Jung in a brawling exchange and land one of his brutal haymakers. Jung’s clear advantage came with the ground game, as he gained mount at the end of the first and took Garcia’s back at the end of the second. Jung tapped out Garcia with 1 second left in the second round with a “twister” neck crank, the first time it’s ever been successfully used in the UFC. many expected these two men to get fight of the night, but Jung was just as happy walking away with a submission of the night bonus of $55,000.

Amir Sadollah defeats DaMarques Johnson via TKO (Punches) at 3:27 in Round 2

-Props to DaMarques for taking the fight with two weeks notice, and props to Sadollah for not dropping the ball and taking him out. Sadollah dominated Johnson on the feet and on the ground, landing some devastating body shots to soften him up before DaMarques tapped out due to being repeatedly elbowed in the face from mount.

Anthony Johnson defeats Dan Hardy via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-In the prefight hype for their fight, Johnson and Hardy both claimed they would keep the fight standing and give the fans the brawling striking war they love. Turns out both men are liars. Johnson, for repeatedly taking it to the mat, and hardy for not having the takedown defense to keep it from going there. Ring rust was not a factor for “Rumble” Johnson, and he looked explosive in his return to the octagon after recovering from surgery. “The Outlaw” still can’t seem to plug a gaping hole in his game,  and got dominated again due to his weak wrestling. His only answer for being taken down by Johnson was several weak attempts at a kimura.

On a side note, Johnson made his target weight of 170lbs after weighing 235 only 8 months before. One of the more monstrous specimens of physicality in the welterweight division, Johnson claimed to weigh 195lbs on fight night. He has missed weight by several pounds on two occasions. Dana White has threatened to move him up to middleweight, but if he can consistently make 170lbs his size and athletic ability will greatly benefit him against the divisions smaller competition

Phil Davis defeats Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-Mr. Wonderful remains undefeated in his MMA career, and “Lil Nog” dropped his second fight in a row to an unbeaten prospect. Davis is being heralded as the biggest threat to the new LHW champ Jone’s throne, but this win did not come easily for him. He landed some big shots on Nogueira, but absorbed his fare share as well. The biggest story of the fight was Nogueira’s takedown defense. Davis shot low and hard for his favorite takedown many times, but it took him a whole round and a half to finally take Lil Nog to the mat. Once there it was the beginning of the end for Nogueira as he was held down for half the second round and most of the third.

Davis is skilled, there’s no denying it. You can’t get any better than undefeated. It’s too soon to compare him to Jon Jones however, their respective levels of dominance against similar opponents is far separated. Only time will tell where the next threat to Jones’ reign will come from.

UFC 128 brought a stacked card of exciting fights to Newark, NJ last Saturday. Highlighting the night was a championship bought between Jon  ‘Bones’Jones and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua that will go down in history as the beginning of a new legend.

Erik Koch defeats Raphael Assuncao via Knockout at 2:32 in Round 1

-In a knockout of the night performance, Koch defeated Assuncao with a brilliant right counter hook while moving backwards. Assuncao took a long time getting up, but walked out of the octagon on his own function.

Nick Catone defeats Costantinos Philippou via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-Jersey native Nick ‘The Jersey Devil” earned the decision against Philippou after three hard fought rounds.

Joseph Benavidez defeats Ian Loveland via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

-“Jobi Won Kenobi” clinched a decision against the much bigger “Barn Owl” Loveland.  Despite having two of the most bizarre nicknames on the card, these two fighters put on an exciting fight. Loveland seemed to have injured his right leg at the end of the second after a Benavidez takedown, but gutted his way through the third.

Gleison Tibau defeats Kurt Pellegrino via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

-In a back and forth battle, Tibau defeated NJ native Pellegrino. Tibau’s size and wrestling won him the fight, outpointing Pellegrino in the first and third with takedowns and dominant positioning. Tibau was rocked in the second with a right from Pellegrino, and slammed to the ground, but Pellegrino could not finish the fight.

Mike Pyle defeats Ricardo Almeida via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

-Pyle and Almeida went to war, putting on an exciting show for Almeida’s home-state crowd. While Pyle seemed to take Almeida down at ease, he opted to keep the fight standing, refusing a number of times to engage Almeida on the ground.  The decision was definitely closer then unanimous, both fighters scoring points with takedowns, clinch-work, and some brawling exchanges. In the end it was Pyle’s technical edge that won him the fight.

Edson Barboza defeats Anthony Njokuani via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

-Barboza and Njokuani showcased their muay thai skills in a fight-of-the-night winning performance. Both fighters pushed the pace and landed some big shots that rocked their opponent. Each displayed their lightning quick hands and reflexes and nullified the others game for an edge-of-your-seat fireworks show. Barboza seemed slightly ahead for the whole fight, and clinched the decision in the final seconds with a devastating spinning back kick to the head of Njokuani, a blow that sent him reeling, but would have knocked out many other opponents.

Luiz Cane defeats Eliot Marshall via TKO (Strikes) at 2:15 in Round 1

-“The Fire” Marshall was extinguished in his return to the UFC by MMA vet Luiz Cane. Cane quickly knocked Marshall to the ground, delivering uncontested ground and pound before the official mercifully put an end to the beating.

Jim Miller defeats Kamal Shalorus via TKO (Punches) at 2:15 of Round 3

-NJ standout Jim Miller stuffed WEC superstar Shalorus in his UFC debut. Miller, as always, never stopped attacking, wearing Kamal down with punches and submission attempts. The fight was nearly finished in the second when Miller locked in a body triangle on Shalorus, but he could not sink in the rear naked choke before the round ended. Miller exploded in the third, finally landing a huge uppercut that wobbled Shalorus, and finished the fight with a devastating knee and punches on his downed opponent. Miller continues his dominance in the UFC, extending his winning streak to 7.

Brendan Schaub defeats Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic via TKO (Strikes) in Round 3

-Rising star Brendan Schaub put the lights of MMA legend Cro Cop out after an exciting back and forth battle. Schaub changed his tactics throughout the fight, surprising Cro Cop by alternating between striking, takedowns, and clinch game. In the clinch, Cro Cop employed some nice dirty boxing to bloodied up the younger, bigger fighter, and Schaub got deducted 1 point for grabbing the shorts of Filopovic. The point deduction my well have decided the fight, but luckily for him it didn’t go the distance. Schaubs unpredictable gameplan paid off in the third when he caught Cro Cop coming in for a punch with a solid right hook to the temple. Cro Cop was done before he hit the ground. Schaub landed a punch for good measure on the ground, but the ref stopped the fight before any more damage was done.

Nate Marquardt defeats Dan Miller via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-After Akiyama dropped out due to the disaster in Japan, the UFC was in a bind, having nobody to fight Marquardt with only a week until the fight. Luckily, the Miller brother policy is to fight anyone the UFC wants, anywhere, any time. Miller was scheduled to fight on the undercard, but welcomed the opportunity to move up the Middleweight ladder early and fight on of the top fighters in the division, Nate Marquardt. Miller displayed his heart, toughness, and conditioning in a hard fought battle. In the end, Marquardt was too skilled for him, landing dozens of power shots to the face of Miller, and controlling him on the ground.

Urijah Faber defeats Eddie Wineland via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

-Faber and Wineland, top featherweight division contenders, battled it out in the night’s co-main event. Wineland had a slight edge in the first, holding Faber against the cage and scoring a takedown. Faber adjusted in the second, landing some solid punches and taking Wineland to the ground multiple times. The third was much like the second, and Faber ended the fight on top, picking Wineland up while in guard and slamming him twice. Faber wasn’t satisfied with his performance, wishing for a finish, but he was dominant enough to win a title shot against Dominick Cruz, who he beat at Featherweight in 2007.

Jon “Bones” Jones defeats Mauricio “Shogun” Rua via TKO (Knee) at 2:37 of Round 3

-The hype around Jon Jones was overwhelming, but he lived up to every bit of it. From the very beginning of the fight Jones dominant, landing a flying knee and tripping the champ to the ground in the first few seconds of the fight. Rua was on jelly legs for three rounds, but showed he had the heart and toughness of a true champion, pushing through the barrage of knees, punches and elbows landed by Jones. Shogun’s determination was inspiring, but in the end he succumbed to the superior reach, skill and athleticism of Jones, crumbling against the cage after a knee to the face.

UFC 128 saw the fall of two MMA legends, Cro Cop and Shogun, but also heralded the rise of two young stars, Jones and Schaub. Die-hard fans were dissapointed at the results, but the MMA world only gets more exciting with young talent coming onto the scene. The changing of the guard has begun, and a new generation of MMA fighters are staking their claims on the title of world’s best.

Jones, to date, has destroyed all opposition in his path. Despite the fickle nature of the light heavyweight belt, “Bones” may be the first in 4 years to hold on to it for more then one defense. He may go down as one of the all time greatest.

The new light heavyweight champion has shocked and amazed fight fans both in and out of the octagon. Jones posted to his Twitter account that he and coaches Jackson and Winkeljohn chased down and restrained a car thief in Paterson hours prior to the fight. UFC president Dana White commented that the only thing he had left to do was deliver a baby to complete his amazing day.

Congrats to Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, and we all look forward to your next fight in the octagon!

The MMA world has just been rocked by some extremely unexpected news.

The UFC, under ZUFFA, has just bought Strikeforce!

In this video interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, UFC president Dana White explains the ins and outs of the deal that brought their biggest rival promotion into the ZUFFA fold.

Some important details about the deal between ZUFFA and Strikeforce:

Strikeforce will remain intact.

The UFC’s reasoning behind acquiring Strikeforce is that it’s a successful and prosperous company. Fans are interested in the fights they’re putting on and they’re getting good ratings on strikeforce.

This is not an evil takeover.

The UFC, as of yet, has not made any changes to the structure of Strikeforce’s workforce. Scott Coker will remain in charge, and as per Dana White, business for them will go on as usual. There were no sweeping infrastructure changes that put Strikeforce workers out on the street. White insisted that he would have no part in the running of operations, the signing of fighters, or any other administrative actions.

Strikeforce fighters will not cross over to the UFC.

Don’t get your hopes up, this doesn’t mean we’ll see Cain Velasquez/Alistair Overeem any time soon. When Dana said business as usual, he meant it. The acquiring of fighters for either promotion will be no different then it was in the past.

No super fights.

Another minor downer… The possibility of a super fight between champions of the two promotions has been on the minds of fans for years, but it doesn’t look any closer to becoming a reality. This policy may change in the future, but as of now, Dana White says it’s not a possibility.

Needless to say, this is a step in the right direction in the minds of fans. All we want to see is the best fights possible, and this move by the UFC gets us one step closer to that reality.

Here are two great videos featuring the next ufc pair to fight for a title in their first pro MMA fights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0BniIAkA2Q&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVooqArjV9E&feature=player_embedded

Jones beat his opponent in dominating fashion typical of him. Shogun destroyed his opponent in the end, but seemed to have faced a bit more of a challenge in his first fight… Is everybody in Brazil a badass?

Both fighters were phenoms at an early age, both got a shot at a major title at the age of 23. The only difference is nearly a decade of experience. This is Jones first crack at a major league light heavyweight, but Shogun has been fighting the elite in the division since 2005. That experience, and knockout power which Jones seems to lack, will be Rua’s biggest weapon in his first UFC title defense.

Jones is one of the best wrestlers in the division, using it effectively in all his fights and owning an incredible highlight reel of throws and slams. His freak athleticism and training with some of the elite at camp Jackson has certainly cultivated a monster. Shogun will be hard pressed to keep his back off the mat, and the attention that takes might leave an opening for the knockout blow Jones is missing from his highlight reel.

This is an excellent matchup of young rising stars, past and present, and is one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

If you have a spare 20 minutes here’s a great radio interview with Rashad Evans giving an update on whats been going on with him recently. He talks about Rampage, Jon Jones, Andrei Arlovski, Greg Jackson and more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ3VRJkYG3c&feature=player_embedded

If you don’t have time or can’t listen here’s the sum up.

Evans is still on injury leave due to a strained MCL. According to him he’s undergoing stem cell and TPR therapy, and the recovery is going well. He aims to be fighting again by June this year.

Evans was rumored to be replacing Thiago Silva in UFC 130 against Rampage Jackson. Rashad said his management was pushing for the fight to happen, and it was a close thing. In the end, however, Dana White and Joe Silva weren’t ready for the rematch, and schedule Matt Hamill for the fight.

Rashad was also offered a fight against the younger Nogueira brother, but turned the fight down.  After being a top contender before the injury, he felt like the fight would be a “step back” in his career, and took his chances by passing the fight up.

Following the recent hype around Jon Jones, many have speculated that Evans could very well have to fight his teammate if Jones wins the title next week against Shogun. In past interviews, they have both stated they would never fight each other, but recently that line has become hazy. Rashad explains his reasoning behind not fighting Jones, saying it would put one of them at a disadvantage, as they would have to change camps for the fight. It doesn’t seem like the fight is totally out of the question, but it would be difficult.

Possible fights aside, Rashad is confident in his teammates chances against the champion Maurcio “Shogun” Rua. Evans says that, no disrespect to Shogun, Jones is just too athletic and dynamic for him, and proves it every day in the gym.

Rashad states he could make the cut to middleweight so he wouldn’t have to face his teammate, but that it is not his desire to do so. It would throw off his game too much to have to cut weight right before a fight. He did say, however, that if an interesting enough matchup were presented to him at middleweight, he would consider it, but the chances of it happening seem purely circumstantial.

UFC fight night on Vs 3 results

Igor Pokrajac defeats Todd Brown via TKO (Knee) end of Round One

Rousimar Palhares defeats Dave Branch with his trademark kneebar submission in Round Two

Dongi Yang defeats Rob Kimmons via TKO (Strikes) in Round Two

Takeya Mizugaki defeats Reuben Duran via Split Decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)

Shane Roller defeats Thiago Tavares via Knockout in Round Two

-Tavares was picking Roller apart on the feet until the fight was ended with a single devastating right hand.

Cyrille Diabate defeats Steve Cantwell via Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)

Danny Castillo defeats Joe Stevenson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

-Despite some nice looking submission attempts and slams, Stevenson was outworked and dropped his third straight fight in the ultra-competative lightweight division. Is this the end of JDS’ (Joe Daddy Stevenson) run in the UFC?

Brian Bowles defeats Damacio Page via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in Round One

-The odds of Bowles winning the fight weren’t low going in, but winning with the same submission at the exact same time frame in the first round? A bit higher… An exciting back and forth brawl, but Bowles proved more effective, knocking Page to the ground and taking hold of his exposed neck as he tried to stand back up.

Chris Weidman defeats Alessio Sakara via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-Matt Serra’s protégé Weidman won his first UFC fight through great adversity. After entering the fight as a heavy underdog and getting rocked in the first round by the dangerous striker, Weidman ground out a bloody victory over the veteran Sakara.

Mark Munoz defeats C.B. Dollaway via TKO (Strikes) in Round One

-Dollaway scored a nice takedown early in the fight, but opted to stand the fight up himself from top position over Munoz. This turned out to be a mistake, as the fight ended soon after with a vicious right hand.

Diego “the Dream” Sanchez defeats Martin “the Hitman” Kampmann via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Yes, Diego changed his nickname from “the Nightmare” to “the Dream.” Cute.

-This isn’t the first fight where you could say Sanchez’s face was punched off. It was literally hanging on by a thread. Kampmann picked apart Sanchez with his more technical striking throughout the first round, knocking down and bloodying him in the first few minutes.

Sanchez rallied through the crisp striking in the second, cornering Kampann against the cage and landing some nice shots in a brawling exchange. More of what happened in the first however, Kampmann picking Sanchez apart and easily stuffing his take-downs.

The third round saw a little more success for Diego, pressing Kampmann into the brawl that Sanchez prefers. As in the first two round, however, Sanchez ate a lot of big shots, turning his face into mangled slop. (seriously. It was bad…)

Despite Kampmann’s dominant performance, he lost in a heavily controversial split decision. The hits keep coming for the UFC with bad judging.To his credit, Sanchez showed tremendous heart and finished the fight strong after taking heavy damage. “The Dream” is still one of the most durable fighters in the UFC, and deserves all the respect in the world, but he certainly did not do enough to win the fight.

It would seem that Michael Bisping has benefited a great deal from actions that can best be described as cheating and poor sportsmanship.

Bisping has found himself to be the center of a great deal of attention in the MMA world. No press is bad press, as they say, and it would seem to ring true. Top contenders in the middleweight division are lining up to fight Bisping by name.

The last two men to fight Anderson Silva for the middleweight title, both top 10 middleweights in the world, have publically requested Bisping for their next fight. Vitor Belfort, via twitter, and the always outspoken Chael Sonnen. In Sonnen’s case he actually emailed Joe Silva personally asking for the fight, as reported by MMAweekly http://mmaweekly.com/chael-sonnen-wants-to-face-michael-bisping-next-in-the-ufc

The cause for Bispings sudden leap in fame is due to what can be considered his most embarrassing fight as a professional against a newfound nemesis, Jorge Rivera.

It all started in the second round when, on the verge of being swept from a dominant position over the downed Rivera, Bisping grabbed the fence to keep his balance.  Grab doesn’t quite do the action justice; he clung to the fence like you might cling to front row tickets to UFC 129 in Toronto.

The real crime, however, came minutes later. Rivera, scrambling to gain his feet after being taken down, was nailed with a devastating illegal knee. And this wasn’t a Koschek oscar winning illegal knee either. This was a full on, fight ending, Thai clinch knee to the face. Some might argue that Rivera seemed to recover after a short break, but the fight was essentially ended right there. Rivera soon after seemed to gas out completely and succumbed to a flurry of punches that drove the ref to stop the fight.

As if that weren’t enough Bisping cursed out Rivera and his cornermen, spitting at one of them from behind the fence.

While shocking, there was a good deal of history behind Bisping’s sudden fall from grace. Rivera and his camp, three weeks prior to the fight, unleashed a vicious campaign of videos mocking everything about the Brit, from his fight history to his personality quirks. Bisping’s manager also reports that the driving force behind the videos, Rivera’s boxing coach Matt Phinney was in their corner cursing and taunting Bisping throughout the fight. http://www.wolfslairmma.co.uk/2011/03/the-wolfslair-mma-academy-issues-a-statement-regarding-what-went-down-at-ufc-127/

These are definitely a set of extenuating circumstances, but this does not excuse Bisping’s behavior. Without knowing the history, all anybody watching the Pay Per View would see is an overgrown child spitting and cursing at an opponent cheated into defeat, and would ask themselves how this type of behavior is allowed?

Dana White, president of the UFC, knows this full well, and has promised disciplinary action will be taken on Michael Bisping. Many fans, however, ask if this action will be enough.

While he claims the knee was unintentional, and apologized profusely for his behavior after the fight, Bisping has proven that cheating and poor sportsmanship can be a very profitable endeavor­. He scored a much-needed finish over an opponent, and his post-fight antics jumped him straight to the top of the middleweight divisions top ten’s hit-list.

It’s true, he probably would have won anyway, if his dominant wrestling in the first round was any indication. He was able to take Rivera down seemingly at will, and while the illegal knee ended well for Bisping, a point was taken that could have changed a decision, and Rivera had the option to not continue the fight to seal a victory. All the risks aside, it seems Bisping came out of the fight better off then he would have otherwise (if we’re not counting his fan’s opinion of him.).

No sport is perfect, MMA cannot afford to have incidents like this occur. While already huge, and growing fast, the UFC is still in a crucial stage of its development and acceptance as a legitimate sport. Athletic commissions in places such as New York use random acts of temper and ‘accident’ as fodder for arguments to keep the sport banned under their jurisdiction.

A fine and/or suspension looms in the future for Bisping, but how badly would said penalties really affect his career? He’d lose a percentage of his purse, and couldn’t fight for a few months, which he wouldn’t be doing anyway.

What fans want is true justice. In the fight business, this could easily come at the end of a fist, but that would only benefit Bisping in the long run. The only hope is that the penalties Dana impose on him suite the severity of the crime, dissuading the occurrence of similar acts in the future.