Welcome back fans and friends to another entry into my new “maxi-series” entitled “ufc 129 Complete Collection”. UFC 129 is one of the can’t-miss events of the year, and in a rare move, all twelve fights will be available to fans over three mediums: Facebook, Spike TV, and Pay-Per-View. Even better, all twelve fights have their own interesting stories, backgrounds, and dynamics. It just might be the best MMA event of 2011 and even of the last several years, so I’m going to take the time to cover all twelve fights in full-length articles. For the previous entry in this series, click here. Now it’s time to focus on the fourth of five free Facebook preliminary fights: Charlie Valencia vs. Ivan Menjivar. ...

Beginning as a welterweight earlier in his career, it's incredible to see Ivan Menjivar eventually pair down to the bantamweight division at 135-pounds. My earliest memory of the Canadian was when he battled Georges St. Pierre in the champion's professional debut years ago in a 170-pound affair, actually coming in a pound over the required weight limit. And now, he just fought one of the toughest, grittiest fights of his career when he was paired up against a five-foot-six-inch Brit named Brad Pickett. Though he lost in the "Fight of the Night" contender bout at the WEC's final show last December, he was still picked up by the Zuffa organization and will be making his reentry into the UFC following a near seven-year absence. ...

Former top contender Brad Pickett, who is most likely remember from his all out war he had with current title challenger Scott Jorgensen which garnered "Fight of the Night" honors last August at wec 50, will be returning to the cage during the last official WEC event. The organization will now be merged with it's sister promotion, the UFC, which will now include both the bantamweight and featherweight division's as well as assimilating the WEC's lightweights within it's ranks as well. Pickett, a longtime figure in the UK MMA scene made his way to World Extreme Cagefighting in December of 2009, and immediately made waves within the promotion with a top-notch ground game which is not topically stereotyped along with British fighter's. Even on the heels of his first loss in the bantamweight division, Pickett is still seen as a viable contender after a close unanimous decision loss to "Young Guns", however he might meet his most difficult to date when he meets a scrappy veteran in Ivan Menjivar, who is not unfamiliar with big named opponents or large venues. ...