Here are some highlights from an interview Junior dos Santos recently had with Fighters Only: “Look, when a fighter begins either to lose, or not to get satisfactory results, what does he do to promote himself? He talks… He certainly may hit hard… but he also is very talkative. I think I would fight Mir any day – if he qualifies himself to face me… If one day he qualifies, I will fight him with pleasure and will give 100 percent of myself to win the fight and he would feel who would hit harder, right?”

Most of the time, I don’t have that strong of an opinion on Frank Mir, neither positive nor negative. When he’s on, he’s great. When he’s not, he gets humbled pretty badly. He’s hot and cold, and sometimes he says completely stupid things while other times he speaks with a lot of wisdom.

Unfortunately, this is one of the times where Frank Mir put his foot right into his mouth just to try and drum up hype for himself.

Really, all this takes is a simple look at both men’s records. Allow me to save you some time and put the disparity between these two into simple terms.

Frank Mir has been fighting as a professional MMA fighter for at least ten years. Junior dos Santos has been competing for about five. Frank Mir has (T)KO’d three opponents in his entire career, which is less than 1 KO every three years.

In half the time and with six less fights on his professional record, Junior dos Santos has KO’d eight opponents. That number should realistically be nine, because he has a “submission due to punches” victory on his record.

So, simple mathematics states: Junior dos Santos hits harder. Nine stoppage victories due to strikes in five years beats three stoppage victories due to strikes in ten years.

Also, Mir’s argument is even more moronic when you consider the following: Frank Mir has actually lost more times by (T)KO than he’s won! Every single one of Frank Mir’s five losses have all been as a result of a (T)KO.

I’m all for trash-talking to hype a fight or even to hype a potential fight, but Mir’s statements struck me as so ludicrous that I didn’t even feel the need to call him out on it when he initially gave that interview. But since Junior dos Santos has been getting his fair share of cynics lately, I’m proud to say that I agree completely with Junior dos Santos on this issue and that I think that anyone that doesn’t is, quite simply, dead wrong.

Frank Mir does not hit harder than Junior dos Santos… and if he ever fought Junior dos Santos, he’d probably get KTFO’d. And that’s that.

Let’s start out with the basics: first off, Junior dos Santos was already supposed to be facing the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately, the champion would pull out of their upcoming fight with an injury, forcing “Cigano” to either sit on the sidelines for an extended period or risk his guaranteed shot at the championship by fighting one more time.

JDS ended up making the bold move: he decided to stay active and fight again. To reward his eagerness to fight, the UFC gave him a match-up with the man that has quickly become of the highest-drawing fighters in UFC history: former Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. An entire season of “The Ultimate Fighter” was centered on their rivalry.

Unfortunately, Lesnar would also bow out of his fight with Junior, prompting a very late replacement by former Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin. Carwin was a wholly different fighter from Lesnar, with dynamite in his hands and muscles on top of his muscles. Plus, Carwin was making his big return and it looked as if he was a new man.

But none of that mattered, in the end. It didn’t matter that the smart thing to do would have been to sit on the sidelines. It didn’t matter that JDS lost a shot at Velasquez, then lost a shot at Lesnar, and then had to readjust to a completely different opponent in very short order.

All that mattered is that when the time came to put up or shut up, Junior dos Santos did what he does best: he absolutely destroys people, and he absolutely destroyed Shane Carwin.

Brock Lesnar may have given Shane Carwin his first loss, and a humbling loss it was. But JDS practically provided a blueprint on how to defeat Carwin, and his striking was so surgically-precise, his movement so good, that by the end of the fight… Junior dos Santos looked like he had done some light sparring. Shane Carwin, meanwhile, looked like someone had beaten him to a pulp.

And for the most part, that’s exactly what happened: even though Shane Carwin survived all three rounds, that’s all he did. He “survived”. Dos Santos beat the fight right out of him. And in doing so, he re-asserted his dominance in a division that’s brimming with potential and filled with hungry, young, very good upstarts. There is only one Junior dos Santos, he proved just that against Shane Carwin… and I’m never going to bet against him again.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

Let’s begin as we always do, fans and friends: by putting the situation into context.

Coming into UFC 131, Junior dos Santos was the rightful next contender to the UFC Heavyweight Championship. He had ran through six straight opponents in the UFC, finishing five of them. But then Cain Velasquez, the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, became injured. Instead of opting to play it safe and wait until Cain’s return, “Cigano” continued fighting and was scheduled to face Brock Lesnar, the man he had spent an entire season of “The Ultimate Fighter” coaching against.

But the injury bug continued to bite JDS without actually biting JDS, as Lesnar would also pull out of his upcoming fight with the Brazilian wrecking machine. Taking his place on very short notice was Shane Carwin, a fellow wrecking machine and former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.

Ironically, Carwin hadn’t fought since UFC 116, when he lost to Brock Lesnar in a bout that would unify the UFC Interim Heavyweight and Heavyweight Championships. Before that, Carwin was arguably on an even bigger hotstreak than JDS. Carwin entered the UFC a perfect 8-0 and immediately upped that to 12-0 by knocking out four men, all in the first round, all by brutal, devastating punches.

The fight was widely predicted to be a “blink and you’ll miss it” affair, it was even heavily marketed as such. And when the first round began, fans were nearly treated to just that.

In another case of irony, Shane Carwin would end up weathering Junior dos Santos’ first-round storm of huge punches in much the same way Brock Lesnar weathered Carwin’s storm, which led to Carwin ultimately gassing himself out before getting choked out in a gigantic come-from-behind victory for Lesnar. And much like Lesnar, a case could have been made for the fight to have been stopped, but some fans do point out that in the cases of both Carwin and Lesnar, both men did appear to be intelligently defending themselves.

Nevertheless, the damage had been done: Shane Carwin entered round 1 a revitalized man, he left it in pieces. Over the course of two additional rounds, Junior dos Santos would continue to land at will and cause Carwin’s face to become more and more of a bruised, bloody mess. And in an event that featured utterly horrendous judging calls (including one of the year’s worst robberies), no one, not even judges that appeared to have been brain-dead, could have made a case for Carwin. Junior dos Santos would win by Unanimous Decision.

In a way, this victory meant more than any of his first-round stoppages. The two big questions everyone had about Junior dos Santos were “what is he like in the later rounds?” and “can he really hang with the best talent in the division?” Junior answered the first question when he beat Roy Nelson, he answered it again against Shane Carwin: no matter what round it is, Junior dos Santos will have the stamina and power to punch you in the face many, many times. The second question was also answered at UFC 131, with JDS running right through a former UFC title holder. Some moments may have been better in terms of pure excitement, but as a fight fan, I was beyond impressed at JDS’s technique and fighting ability. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he deserves “Performance of the Night”.

5. Joey Beltran and Aaron Rosa’s sloppy-but-entertaining brawl

A lot of people aren’t too high on this fight, and to a certain extent I can understand why. Both men had no technique other than to stand there and swing like madmen. Very few punches connected even while they were exchanging at will. Both men also weren’t physical specimens. But sometimes you’ve just got to appreciate an old-school brawl between two guys that just want to swing leather. It may have been one of those fights that appealed to the lowest common denominator, but sometimes it’s not so bad to sink to the most-basic level and just enjoy two guys throwing haymakers until one of them falls over.

4. Chris Weidman choking out Jesse Bongfeldt

A lot of people weren’t too high on Weidman after he made his UFC debut by beating Alessio Sakara. Some fans even wrote him off as just another “lay and pray” wrestler. But in this fight, Weidman proved that he was a finisher and a potential prospect. Just when we thought the round was over, Weidman saw an opportunity, seized it, and got the first-round tapout. And something like that definitely deserves a spot on this list.

3. Dave Herman battling back from the brink and TKO’ing Jon Olav Einemo

One of the reasons we love come-from-behind stories so much is that they’re just not likely in the fight game. When Einemo had Dave Herman hurt, he had him hurt bad. But Herman dug deep and managed to turn the tide, catching a somewhat-overeager Einemo flush on the chin several times and finally stopping the gargantuan Heavyweight. Like entry number five, this wasn’t pretty, but it was very entertaining and had some great drama.

2. Sam Stout KO’ing Yves Edwards

This is one of those knockout blows that just became painful to watch upon replay. Not simply because Stout connected full-power and flush on the chin, but because Edwards smacked the back of his head very, very hard when he fell to the canvas. It was about as brutal as it gets, with Edwards staring up into the sky with his eyes wide open while his legs twitched and doctors swarmed around him to make sure he was o.k. But if you can get past fearing for Edwards’ safety, you’ve got to realize that Stout probably gave us one of the best KO’s of the year at UFC 131.

And my personal pick for the best moment of UFC 131 is…

1. Junior dos Santos dismantling (in every sense of the word) Shane Carwin.

To his credit, Shane Carwin was a new man at UFC 131. He still had a lot of power, but he had considerably improved his cardio and stamina. He also displayed some tremendous heart throughout the course of this bout, especially during the first round when he was dropped and nearly stopped.  But Junior dos Santos deserves more credit for completely destroying this new, improved version of Carwin. He set a pace that Carwin struggled to keep up with, he avoided just about all of Carwin’s major shots, he landed at will and had Carwin a bloody mess by the time the fight was over. It wasn’t the dramatic KO we were all hoping for, but it was a very complete performance from a man that will undoubtedly one day be a champion. Junior dos Santos quite easily takes the top spot on this list.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from “Dos Santos vs. Carwin”.

Next for Donald Cerrone: Cerrone both needs and deserves a top Lightweight now that he’s firmly established himself as a destroyer in the UFC. I’ve got high hopes for “Cowboy”, and I think he’s going to get a pretty big opponent in his next fight. He may get someone like Anthony Pettis or Benson Henderson, or he could get a UFC product like George Sotiropoulos. Either way, look for Cerrone to continue to take the UFC by storm.

Next for Dave Herman/Joey Beltran: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. Joey Beltran is a sloppy brawler through and through, but I found his bout at UFC 131 pretty entertaining. Dave Herman is more of a technical brawler, but judging on his UFC 131 performance, he loves to throw down as well. So this is really the natural match-up to make.

Next for Demian Maia: Demian Maia is destined to be the next great Middleweight gatekeeper. He’ll probably get a few wins under his belt, he’ll send some hot prospects back down the pecking order, but I don’t think Demian Maia will ever again challenge for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Next for Mark Munoz: What do you do with a journeyman that’s finally stepping out of that role? That’s a tough question. I really don’t know what’s next for Mark Munoz, he’s in too precarious of a position for me to tell. I’ll say this, though: Munoz did take the first step out of his gatekeeper role by beating Maia, but he’s going to need to win a few more before he emerges out of that shadow completely.

Next for Kenny Florian: Kenny Florian looked like a different man at Featherweight. Notice how I said “different” and not “new”. Florian is immensely skilled, and that skill carried him through what looked like an absurdly difficult weight cut. Florian was still Florian, but the added benefits of cutting weight, namely more power and better cardio, just weren’t there. Florian’s cardio has always been great, but his punching power took a major hit at UFC 131 because he’s cutting so much weight. During Florian’s fight at UFC 131, UFC commentator Joe Rogan mentioned that eventually, the weight cut simply doesn’t work anymore and the negatives outweigh the benefits. I think that’s a lesson that Kenny Florian will learn very soon if the UFC does go ahead and give him Jose Aldo.

Next for Shane Carwin: Shane Carwin is far from done, and as I said earlier, he regained some of my respect at UFC 131. I think Carwin would be a great opponent for some of the UFC’s up-and-coming Heavyweights. If Matt Mitrione wins his next fight, if Brendan Schaub wins his next fight, if Pat Barry wins his next fight… I think all three of those fighters would be great opponents for Shane Carwin.

Next for Junior dos Santos: Cain Velasquez and a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. This is the fight we’ve all been clamoring for, and it’s definitely going to happen. I can’t wait for this fight, and to this day I still think it’s too close to call. So all I’ll say is that we’re going to be in for an epic war and an amazing fight.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

Junior dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin by Unanimous Decision. Kenny Florian beats Diego Nunes by Unanimous Decision. Mark Munoz beats Demian Maia by unanimous decision. Dave Herman beats Jon Olav Einemo by TKO (strikes) at 3:19 of Round 2. Donald Cerrone beats Vagner Rocha by unanimous decision. Sam Stout defeats Yves Edwards via KO at 3:52 of round 1. Chris Weidman defeats Jesse Bongfeldt via submission (guillotine) at 4:54 of round 1. Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Mike Massenzio by unanimous decision. Nick Ring defeats James Head by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:33 of round 3. Dustin Poirier defeats Jason Young by unanimous decision. Joey Beltran defeats Aaron Rosa by TKO (strikes) at 1:26 of round 3. Darren Elkins defeats Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

UFC 131 had a very unfortunate start: in one of the worst robberies of the year, perhaps even one of the worst robberies in MMA history, Darren Elkins defeated Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision. One judge even scored the fight 30-27 for Elkins, which is an outright abomination. For just a brief moment, that fight made me question why I bother being an MMA fan if the judges are so inept that they can’t clearly tell who should have won. Luckily, things got a lot better.

I enjoyed the war between Joey Beltran and Aaron Rosa, almost as much as I enjoyed the war between Dustin Poirer and Jason Young. Chris Weidman proved he’s a big can’t-miss prospect with his first-round submission win, while Sam Stout gave us one of the best knockouts of 2011. All in all, this “UFC Prelims LIVE” special definitely lived up to past “sleeper hit” specials, so long as you’re able to look past the all-out robbery that was the Michihiro Omigawa fight.

Much like I predicted, Vagner Rocha just wasn’t prepared for Donald Cerrone. Cerrone seemed a bit upset about his performance, but I thought he put on a great show. As I predicted, only the best will be able to beat Donald Cerrone in the UFC. I also really enjoyed the war between Dave Herman and Jon Olav Einemo. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, and both men could afford to lose a few pounds, but a great brawl is a great brawl even if it’s sloppy.

I think we now have to unfortunately and finally close the book on any hope of Demian Maia’s return to a Middleweight Championship contender. Munoz took him to the limit, and although the fight was close I personally think Munoz definitely deserved the win. It’s strange when you think about it: Mark Munoz has now risen from the ranks of a perennial gatekeeper by beating Demian Maia, and in losing to Mark Munoz, it looks like Maia will be a perennial gatekeeper for quite some time.

Kenny Florian looked like a very different fighter at Featherweight. I think the weight cut did affect Florian’s performance, and to be honest, I think it’s just too much. Florian won, but it wasn’t easy for him. Not by a long shot. That says a lot about Diego Nunes, but it also says that Florian has lost too much power at 145 even though his cardio looked great. I just don’t see how Florian beats Jose Aldo based on what I saw at UFC 131.

And in the main event, I lived up to my promise to never again bet against Junior dos Santos and I was fully rewarded for doing so. It went a lot longer than I and practically everyone else predicted, but the outcome was somewhat similar: JDS was just too fast, too precise, and had too much power. Shane Carwin was a bloody and beaten mess, but he showed a tremendous amount of heart. Thanks to his performance at UFC 131, I think I’m finally ready to forgive Shane Carwin. It’ll certainly be interesting to see what Carwin does next. And of course, I absolutely can’t wait for Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez.

All in all, I think this was a solid event and I really enjoyed myself at times.

Michihiro Omigawa is currently listed as a top-ranked Featherweight in many popular internet sites, but for the life of me I just can’t remember his fight with Chad Mendes at UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort”. I tend to remember a fighter if he leaves any significant impression on me at all, regardless of whether he won or lost or KO’d his opponent or simply fought a good, entertaining fight. I respect what Omigawa has done overseas, but he’s still got plenty left to prove now that he’s inside the UFC. I think it’ll be very interesting to see if he can rebound at UFC 131 and start living up to his hype.

Is Yves Edwards a possible “dark horse” championship contender? Plenty of people would say “no, he’s just a journeyman veteran that’s on what could be the final hotstreak of his career”. But looking at Yves’ recent record tells a different story: 6-1 in his last seven fights with four stoppages. Even better, Edwards is coming into UFC 131 on the heels of a performance that won him both a “Fight of the Night” bonus and a “Submission of the Night” bonus. The UFC’s Lightweight contender scene is super-crowded right now, but Edwards may have a case for throwing his name into the mix if he’s able to put together a four-fight win-streak with three fights inside the UFC.

I have no idea what to expect out of Jon Olav Einemo. I know that he was Shane Carwin’s original opponent before Brock Lesnar bowed out of UFC 131 due to injury. To get someone like Carwin in your UFC debut is no laughing matter, and yet a certain section of the fanbase seemed very confident in Einemo’s chances. But I’ve never seen the man fight, and I have no idea what kind of fighter will step into the cage at UFC 131. It’s rare that I go into a UFC event not knowing a single thing about a fighter that’s competing on the main Pay-Per-View and was not a late-minute replacement. It’s a strange but not overly unwelcome feeling. Remember, this is the feeling I had going into many Bellator shows before I followed them regularly. And we all know how that turned out: with me as a Bellator super-fan.

I think I’ll end by giving credit where credit is due: maybe I’ve been a bit too harsh on Shane Carwin. But here’s something you may not know about me: I used to be a fan of pro wrestling, that much is known, but most people don’t know why I quit following it.

Simply put: all my heroes were dying left and right due to complications from long periods of steroid use, and I simply couldn’t take it anymore.

To this day, I continue to have not even a fraction of an inkling of sympathy for a fighter that gets caught with steroids, or in Carwin’s case, tied to a steroids conspiracy. I’m able to forgive them over time so long as they don’t do it again, but still… it takes quite a while. So perhaps I’ve been a bit unfair to Shane Carwin.

So I’ll end by saying this: Shane Carwin has a good-to-great chance of beating Junior dos Santos. I’ve seen the UFC 131 weigh-in photos: he looks like a new man. He’s not bulging with muscles, but he looks very toned, very ripped. He looks almost like Junior dos Santos: muscular, but lean. It’s the kind of “best of both worlds” build that most champions have. If this really is “Shane Carwin 2.0”, then we’re in for a very close war that could go either way.

And that’s that, fans and friends! All that’s left is to watch UFC 131 live.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin: I believe in Junior dos Santos. It’s as simple as that. Shane Carwin lost me as a believer when he displayed atrocious cardio against Brock Lesnar, he lost me as a fan when he was tied to a steroid scandal. If Shane Carwin lives up to his promise that he’s a completely new fighter, then I will admit that he can beat “Cigano”. But I think at least part of Carwin’s recent hype is just that: hype. Junior dos Santos is the future of the UFC Heavyweight division, while Shane Carwin will be a perennial contender at best. Junior dos Santos wins by KO in Round 1.

Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes: I’m generally against favoritism, so I don’t like that UFC President Dana White has practically guaranteed that Florian will be next in line for a title shot if he beats Nunes. Then again, this is the type of “contender eliminator” fight that makes a lot of sense: Florian is a multi-time championship challenger, while Nunes is 16-1 with eleven stoppages. But the fact that two of Nunes’ last three wins have come by Split Decision has led me to tip the scales in Florian’s favor. I think Florian is going to win by submission in Round 3.

Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman: Einemo is a bit of an enigma, but I like enigmas. Einemo will be fighting an MMA fight for the first time in over four years when he steps into the Octagon at UFC 131. Still, the man is a master at Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. Herman has a great record of 20-2, though. Call me crazy, but I’ve just got this gut feeling that Einemo is going to surprise a whole lot of people and win by first round submission. The smart money is on Herman winning by Unanimous Decision, but there’s my pick and I’m sticking to it.

Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz: I was a small Demian Maia fan back when he was submitting people with ease, so I do feel a bit bad for what I’m about to say: Demian Maia’s potential has completely eroded. His submission skills are awesome, but everyone knows his tricks now. And his striking game, while improving, was never good. I think Munoz will send a message to just about everyone in this fight. Mark Munoz wins by TKO in Round 2.

Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha: Rocha does have a good record for someone so new to the sport, and he does have large-promotion experience with fights in both Bellator and Strikeforce. But with all that said… Vagner Rocha is not prepared for Donald Cerrone. I’m predicting that only the best fighters in the UFC have a shot of beating Cerrone, and with that prediction comes this one: Donald Cerrone will win a one-sided Unanimous Decision most likely, although it’s possible that he’ll win by TKO in either Round 1 or 2.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

5. Five free fights on Facebook or YouTube. Pick your online video sharing poison.

For the first time, the UFC’s preliminary fights will be available through YouTube as well as through Facebook. And unlike the UFC’s Facebook stream, watching the YouTube stream doesn’t require a YouTube account nor any sort of “like” button. Even better, with several interesting fighters scheduled to compete, these prelims seem like they could be another sleeper hit in the grand tradition of many “UFC Prelims LIVE” shows being sleeper hits.

4. An intriguing match-up between Demian Maia and Mark Munoz.

This fight strikes both men at very interesting points in their careers. After debuting in the UFC and being hyped as the next Royce Gracie, Maia has vanished from the title picture altogether. He’s about as much of a non-entity as it can get. Meanwhile, Mark Munoz is trying very hard to overcome his status as a journeyman. Both men need big wins to revitalize their careers, and if that brings out the best in both fighters, then we’re in for a good fight.

3. The always-entertaining Donald Cerrone.

Donald Cerrone is a very controversial man, but he’s also one heck of a fighter. Cerrone is currently on a three-fight win-streak with two submissions, having successfully made his UFC debut in a “Fight of the Night” fight against Paul Kelly. Cerrone faces the relatively unknown Vagner Rocha, so you’ve got to think that Cerrone won’t take kindly to this step back in competition. Cerrone always turns it up a few notches when he’s angry, and judging by his recent verbal tirade where he accused several fighters of being afraid to fight him… Donald Cerrone is a very angry man right now.

2. Does Kenny Florian choke in big fights?

How many more chances at a championship does Kenny Florian deserve? If you ask some people, they’ll answer “not many” or even “none”. Others say “however many until he finally gets one or gets on a high enough losing-streak to get released”. Florian has fought at many different weight classes and hasn’t found a way to get the gold in any of them. This could be his last resort, and if it doesn’t work out for him, we may see Florian crowned as one of the best lighter-weight UFC fighters to never hold a championship.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 131 is…

1. The main event, of course.

Junior dos Santos has never fought a striker like Shane Carwin, and Shane Carwin has promised that he has undergone several drastic changes and is now deadlier and more focused than ever. Likewise, Shane Carwin has never fought a striker like Junior dos Santos, and Carwin’s big bombs may not add up to much if he can’t find the head of his elusive, lightning-quick opponent. It may not be as big as Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos… but it certainly comes close.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 131.

The Event: UFC 131 “Dos Santos vs. Carwin”, currently scheduled for June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Five free preliminary fights will be shown on both Facebook and YouTube starting at 5:50 PM ET. Two additional fights will be shown on Spike TV starting at 8:00 PM ET. The main Pay-Per-View card will air live starting at 9:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: Several fights on this card have serious championship implications, chief of which is the main event. It doesn’t get much bigger than Junior dos Santos taking on Shane Carwin, with the winner more than likely getting the next shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Kenny Florian also fights at Featherweight for the first time and will likely earn a title shot if he’s able to beat Diego Nunes.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Someone is going down… hard. This is a fight where you’d be surprised not only if it went past the first round, but if it went past the first handful of minutes. These are two knockout artists that are very, very good at what they do. Cardio problems aside, Shane Carwin left a path of destruction on his way to becoming UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. Likewise, no one has been able to stand up against JDS’s excellent striking, superb takedown defense, and incredible hand speed. It’s going to be an all-out war with both men swinging bombs from the get-go.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: This fight will prove once and for all whether or not Kenny Florian chokes in big fights. It doesn’t get much bigger than “win this and you get a title shot”. Part of me wonders if that’s not a sign of blatant favoritism, but a larger part of me is very interested in seeing how Kenny Florian looks and fights at Featherweight. This is a drastic move for Kenny Florian, but it’s a drastic time for him as well. Florian will either show up at his best or Diego Nunes is going to make his name off of spoiling Florian’s Featherweight debut.

Why You Should Watch This Card: The main event is definitely a must-watch, since so many questions will be answered. Is Junior really ready for a title shot? Can Carwin live up to the hype of being a new man and a better fighter? Plus, you’ve got several match-ups that sound pretty interesting on paper.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: Other than the main event, no one fight in particular screams out to be watched, at least in my opinion. Florian/Nunes does have potential, but Florian’s star status has taken several big hits recently. You’ve also got the relatively-unknown Jon Olav Einemo fighting, as well as Demian Maia, who is nowhere near the star status he once held when he was submitting guys left and right. As much as I wish it wasn’t this way, this does seem to be a one-fight show, at least on paper.

Closing Thoughts: UFC 131 isn’t the strongest event I’ve ever seen the UFC put together, but it does have potential. Perhaps it’ll be the breath of fresh air I was hoping UFC 130 would be. That was a show that I said would be good and I ended up being wrong. This could end up being one of those shows where I don’t have any real strong opinion on it except for one or two fights, and then the quality of all the fights ends up pleasantly surprising me. I’m certainly willing to give the UFC the benefit of the doubt, so I’ll be watching this one.

5. Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers

Both men have an avalanche of questions surrounding their careers right now. Is Brett Rogers just a flash in the pan? Is Josh Barnett worth the risk, given his many scandals? The fight between these two should answer all that and more. If Brett Rogers can knock out a skilled wrestler like Josh Barnett, he’ll have given his career the shot in the arm that it so very desperately needs. The same goes for Josh Barnett if he’s able to beat the man who became famous as a wrecking ball on legs.

4. Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo

A lot of people don’t like Cheick Kongo, considering him a journeyman and one-dimensional. Both of those statements are not without merit, but when in his element and when against a certain caliber of opponent, Cheick Kongo is a great and very entertaining fighter. He’ll be in his element against Pat Barry, and Barry is the right kind of opponent for Kongo. Win or lose, it’s going to be a great war of attrition between two powerful strikers.

3. Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin

Something tells me that this fight won’t go past the first round. I would only be slightly, slightly surprised if it went past the third minute. I’d be utterly flabbergasted if it went to a decision. These two men swing with bad, bad intentions, and they’ve left a trail of cracked chins in their wake. Junior dos Santos is an expert striker with smart timing, pacing, and laser precision. Shane Carwin can throw a whole lot of punches in a short amount of time (even if he gasses out immediately afterward), and any single one of them can knock a man out. It should be very violent and it will probably end very quickly, but it’s definitely one of the biggest can’t-miss fights of the month.

2. Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum

I truly believe that Alistair Overeem is unstoppable. He’s a champion in Strikeforce, in the Japanese-based DREAM promotion, and in K-1, which is the largest and most prestigious kickboxing organization in the world. But if anyone could stop him, it’d be someone like Fabricio Werdum, who possesses a tremendous heart, an iron will, and one of the best ground games in MMA, regardless of weight division. Whoever wins this fight has got to be the favorite to win the entire Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

And my personal pick for the number-one can’t-miss fight of June 2011 is…

1. Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Guida

A lot of people, even Clay Guida himself, are already calling this a Fight of the Year contender. Not only am I in that bandwagon, I’m up in front and leading the charge. Clay Guida may be a journeyman, but he’s one of the most entertaining journeyman fighters I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Anthony Pettis is an amazing fighter that has already given me a fight that I consider one of the best of all time. No matter who wins this fight, it’s a perfect match-up between two fantastic fighters. You absolutely must not miss this fight.

5. Travis Browne

In terms of pure fight quality, Travis Browne outperformed Frank Mir at UFC 130. He was in an exciting fight that saw a completely unexpected, incredibly exciting finish. Browne is quickly rising up the Heavyweight ranks, and he remains officially unbeaten for his entire professional Mixed Martial Arts career. This fight doesn’t make as much sense as the others on this list, though, considering that Browne needs at least one more fight, preferably against a divisional gatekeeper, before earning a shot at a former champion. And that’s why he’s starting out this list.

4. Brendan Schaub

Schaub is right on the cusp of breaking out into a major Heavyweight star, and that’s why he outranks Browne. Schaub improves on a fight-by-fight basis, and has looked incredibly dominant in all of his UFC fights except for his UFC debut, where he was knocked out by Roy Nelson. Schaub will be getting his shot at entering the upper echelon when he faces Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira later this year, and if he wants to go from a “bottom of the top” situation to a full-fledged championship contender, he’ll need to face someone like Frank Mir.

3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

But if Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira beats Brendan Schaub, a rematch with Frank Mir not only makes more sense, but it’s got a great story to go alongside it. Mir is the first person that ever stopped “Big Nog”, but fans of Nogueira love to point out that he was dealing with a staph infection at the time of their bout. Despite both men taking different paths in their careers since their bout, the question does remain: could a healthy “Big Nog” beat Frank Mir? If Nogueira does rebound from his recent losses with a big win over an up-and-comer like Schaub, that’s one question I’d love to see answered.

2. Brock Lesnar

There are two main reasons why former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar takes the #2 spot despite Mir and Lesnar having one of the biggest and highest-drawing rivalries in the sport. One is that Lesnar is on the sidelines recovering from major life-altering surgery and will be out until the start of 2012 at the very earliest. The second reason is that Mir was resoundingly brutalized in both bouts, he just took advantage of a controversial point deduction in their first fight. Nevertheless, only one other fight would do a better job of proving once and for all that Mir is ready for another shot at the gold.

And the number-one opponent for Frank Mir is…

1. The loser of the Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos fight.

One of the best ways to get on the shortlist of likely title contenders is to beat the man that just got done fighting in a fight where the winner does get the next shot at the title. Plus, both men would make very interesting opponents for Frank Mir. Could Mir take down Junior dos Santos, who has so far displayed a penchant for only going to the ground when he chooses? Could Frank Mir beat Shane Carwin, the man who brutally pummeled him in humiliating fashion? Mir would prove the most by beating either of these men, and that’s why both earn the top spot.

Lesnar, the largest pay-per-view draw in the UFC, has recently been sidelined once again with a second battle with diverticulitis, an intestinal disease which previously had him sit out from active competition for just under a year due to the severity of the condition.

Brock was originally scheduled to be taking on Junior dos Santos in a title eliminator at UFC 131 where the two men were to headline the event. Now, Lesnar has since been replaced by former interim champion Shane Carwin, to which current titleholder Cain Velasquez thinks that the promotion made the right decision.

Cain has always been a man of few words. Even in defeating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110 and following up the performance with an impressive first-round TKO victory over the aforementioned Lesnar last October to claim the title, he was still relatively tamed for a man now considered to be the number one guy in his division.

So don’t expect his reaction to Lesnar’s dismissal and Carwin’s ascension to headliner status to be any different.

Once word broke out, MMAFighting.com spoke with the current champion in order to touch base on the many happenings and shuffles that have been made to his division now that Lesnar has exited, momentarily. Cain spoke empathetically about Brock’s situation, however asserted that the promotion did it’s best in finding a suitable replacement for the Lesnar.

“I think (they made the right call), yeah,” said Cain.

What do you think MMA peeps–was Carwin the rightful replacement or could you think of somebody more suitable for the job? Put it this way–UFC President Dana White stated that there would be no cross promotion between the UFC and Strikeforce, despite both organization being under the same banner. However, when Jon Olav Einemo was left without an opponent once Carwin was pulled from their previously scheduled match-up, officials plucked Aaron Rosa from the Strikeforce roster and he is now a UFC fighter. Think about it. Sound off in the comment section below.

“He was next in line, for sure. He’s a tough guy. I think it was a good call.”

I’ve had my fair share of problems with Shane Carwin in the past, so I have to be honest: Shane Carwin hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt in my eyes. There’s a chance that he’ll show up at UFC 131 an entirely different fighter. There’s a chance he’ll show up like the wrecking machine that won the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship. Anything could happen in MMA, so Carwin could come out better than he’s ever been and take down Junior.

I just don’t think that’s going to happen.

I think that for two reasons: Carwin’s flaws are too clear, and JDS’s skills are too high. Allow me to dissect both points.

Shane Carwin fits a certain mold of Heavyweight fighter, let’s be honest. He’s huge, he’s immensely powerful, and he can knock people’s blocks off. But get him past the first round, and the guy can barely stand up. It was almost sad to see Shane Carwin go from an engine of destruction in the first round of his fight with Brock Lesnar… to a man that could barely stand in the second round. We see this happen with these “freak of nature” athletes like Shane Carwin and Bobby Lashley… they’ve got gigantic muscles, but they never learned good cardio.

Good cardio is one of the integral parts of being a UFC champion. A fighter with good cardio can really pull ahead of a fighter that starts gassing. All things being equal, good cardio against bad cardio puts the guy with bad cardio in deep trouble. It just took the Heavyweight division a little longer to get to that point where all things are equal. Now that the UFC’s Heavyweight division is beginning to feature fighters as ridiculously well-rounded as the UFC’s smaller divisions, it’s the small things like good cardio that end up being not so small after all.

And let’s not forget that Junior dos Santos is ridiculously well-rounded. He’s a knockout artist, but he’s also got the stamina and cardio to remain dangerous in all three rounds. He also has amazing takedown defense: no one in the UFC, not a single person, has been able to keep JDS on the ground for long. I don’t have much to say about Junior that I haven’t already said, so allow me to end with this: the only threat I see for Junior dos Santos at Heavyweight is Cain Velasquez. JDS is just too well-rounded for anyone else to seriously have a chance at beating him.

Barring any miracle shots, Junior dos Santos has got to be the favorite to win this fight. Carwin is dangerous in one aspect, Junior dos Santos is dangerous in all areas of the game. It’s no contest. Much like Jon Jones, I once said that I’d never again bet against Junior dos Santos. Shane Carwin of all people certainly isn’t the fighter that will change my mind.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on this fight?

Lesnar, who in the past has battled with diverticulitis, has been diagnosed with the illness once again and will have to face some serious life altering choices in the very immediate future.

Brock could face a subsequent surgery to help combat his battle with the intestinal disease and should he opt for the procedure, it could put a halt to his career altogether.

It wasn’t too long ago where Brock has had to face these same kind of questions before. Lesnar was originally slated to make a title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 106 in November of 2009, though Brock was then forced to pull out of the bout once he was stricken with the disease.

Diverticulitis is defined as a digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches (diverticula) on the outside of the colon. Diverticulitis results if one of these diverticula becomes inflamed.

In Lesnar’s case, the disease had taken a toll on his body to the point where he was bed ridden for a long period of time, lost 40-pounds during his battle with the sickness, however eventually regained his strength through a changed diet and returned to the octagon a year later following his title defense against Frank Mir at UFC 100 in July of 2009.

His comeback bout was opposite of Carwin, whom Brock eventually submitted with a second-round arm triangle choke at UFC 116 on July 3 of last year. The win was short lived, as Lesnar made a quick turn around to take on budding contender Cain Velasquez in October of last year and eventually suffered a first-round TKO defeat to the young American Kickboxing Academy product, relinquishing his heavyweight crown.

Brock was then pitted on this current season of “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite of Brazilian striker Junior dos Santos. The two were expected to meet at UFC 131 this June before UFC President Dana White revealed earlier today that the former world champion is suffering his second battle with the debilitating sickness and has since then been subsequently removed from the main-event opposite of Dos Santos.

“He’s got some serious choices to make in the next couple of weeks whether to fight this thing or to take surgery,” said White, courtesy of MMAJunkie.com.

The surgery will be the determining factor in Lesnar’s longevity in the sport, though by the looks of it, Brock is nowhere near ready to hang it up.

“I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not retiring…this isn’t the end of my fight career.

“I’ve just got to find the right solution to fix this problem”, said Lesnar.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think about the news? It’s his second occurrence with the disease, and though the conditions the second time around are more tamed than the first, the gravity of the situation is still as serious. Sound off in the comment section below.

There, Lesnar was originally slated to face off against top contender Junior dos Santos in a bout that would determine the next title challenger. However, Brock has since been diagnosed once again with diverticulitis, an intestinal disease that had previously seated him just over a year away from the cage.

Now in his place, former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin will now be taking on Junior in place of Lesnar, filling in for headlining duties.

Carwin was already slated for the UFC 131 event, which takes place in Vancouver, Canada on June 11th at the Rogers Arena. Shane was to take on Jon Olav Einemo, a PRIDE veteran that was making his organizational debut with the UFC, however Carwin opted for the bout with Junior in an effort to put him back at the top of the division and possibly warrant him another title opportunity.

Shane was last seen in action when he was submitted by the aforementioned Lesnar in their goliath-like meeting at UFC 116 last July. After an early barrage by Carwin which saw the heavy-handed striker knock down Brock in the early goings, Lesnar was able to capitalize on a fatigued Shane for the inevitable submission win.

Subsequent back and neck injuries forced him out of a more immediate return to action at UFC 125 this past January against Roy Nelson. After a successful surgery, Carwin will now be making his return against Junior dos Santos, a more favorable opponent than a relative unknown in Einemo whom has not competed professionally since November of 2006.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new match-up? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.

Everything Ryan does is for his daughter. Despite having missed some pivotal moments in her life, like her first steps or her second-birthday, McGillivray hopes that his stint on this season of “The Ultimate Fighter” will benefit her life just as much, if not more, than it would benefit his own.

So when Ryan had the opportunity to take out Brock Lesnar‘s number one pick, he took it by the horns and did the impossible in defeating Bentley, regaining control for Team Dos Santos, headed by current UFC contender Junior dos Santos.

Though none of the competitors on this season of TUF had to fight their way on the show, as it has been accustomed to in the past, these guys are all the fighter that you could ask for. Originally, UFC President Dana White had the bright idea of pitting a field of 32-fighters against one another on the show and fighting in preliminary bouts. This would help weed out the weaker guys and thus would provide us with “real fighters”. Though, this season strayed from the format (and we have already become victim to it, ie: Keon Caldwell), Bentley nor Ryan could be mistaken for anything but fighters.

After a contentious first-round that saw both men dropped in the opening moments of the fight, the only thing that kept Ryan going was in fact his daughter. Prior to stepping foot inside the cage, McGillivray asked his coaches to hold a picture of his daughter in his corner in order to help him remember why he’s here.

Well, it worked.

In the end, Ryan was able to draw out a competitive decision win over Bentley, taking out Lesnar’s number one fighter in the process of moving himself further along, into the quarter-final of the welterweight field.

Now, Ryan will sit pretty until his fight is called out next, since there are another five fights that will need to take place before McGillivray will even need to think about the next time he steps foot inside the cage.

With the win, Ryan has helped Team Dos Santos regain control and will now enable his coaches to have the power to control the picks for the upcoming match-up.

Now with arguably the biggest win of his career under his belt–how do you see Ryan competing from here on out? Do you think he is now one of the better prospects in the division, and how fare do you think are his chances to become this seasons “Ultimate Fighter”? Sound off in the comment section below.

Shamar Bailey, a Strikeforce veteran was recognized as one of the top prospects on the show. And while the coaches recognized his obvious talent, it was Brazilian Junior dos Santos which was able to snatch up Bailey as his first-pick amongst the 14 welterweight would-be hopefuls.

And as has been the formula in the past, Dos Santos managed to pit his best fighter against the perceived weak link of Brock Lesnar‘s team in order to get the ball rolling and remain in control early in the competition.

Shamar, a talented wrestler, was pitted against Nordin Asrih, Lesnar’s last pick, and the welterweight bout was underway.

The fight was billed early as a striker versus grappler match, and while every fight begins on the feet, Nordin never had a chance.

Bailey took down the native of Germany seemingly at will over and over again, maintaining top position and often working to side control, mount, and working in short punches and elbows. Eventually, Asrih began to visibly fatigue and was able to mount no offense, though hung tough to the final bell.

In the end, Bailey was the obvious winner on all of the judges score cards and was awarded the unanimous decision win.

Dos Santos was extremely proud of Baily, while Lesnar sat back and admitted that the fight’s finish was inevitable and felt that the fate of the match was sealed from the start. UFC President Dana White was not particularly a big fan of Shamar’s style, as he described as just Bailey taking his opponent down and resting on top of him for the full ten-minutes of the exhibition bout.

And now, Team Dos Santos is control early of the picks, moving 1-0 in the competition.

So, MMA peeps, what did you think of the bout? Sound off in the comment section below.

Former heavyweight champion Lesnar will be taking on contender in dos Santos for the number one contender spot for the heavyweight crown.

The two men are currently filming the thirteenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” which features a full cast of welterweight hopefuls. The season premier’s on March 30 and the series will conclude on June 4 where the finals will take place at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Lesnar recently relinquished his heavyweight title when he took on Cain Velasquez in the main-event for UFC 121, which took place last October in Anaheim, Cali. Brock stormed out early, however the methodical Velasquez weathered the storm and pounced on Lesnar with his superior stand up, rocking the North Dakota native early and finally finishing him off inside of the first-round. The loss was only Lesnar’s second in his mixed martial arts career, which began in June of 2007.

Junior, meanwhile, has yet to be defeated in his career with the UFC. The Brazilian striker, who is training partners of the Nogueira brother’s and middleweight champion Anderson Silva out of the famed Blackhouse camp, has become widely known as arguably the most devastating knockout artist in his division. He recently scored a dominating decision win over former IFL champion Roy Nelson last August for UFC 117. The win secured his number one contender spot for the heavyweight title. It also marked the first time that dos Santos has gone to a decision in his entire career, with all of his wins ending mostly by way of knockout.

Since Velasquez suffered an injury in his title bout with Lesnar which required surgery and will sideline him till the end of the year, the bout with Lesnar and dos Santos eventually came to fruition, and to reiterate will determine the next title challenger for Cain.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the heavyweight match? The two standouts will be meeting in the cage on June 11 for UFC 131, which takes place at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The two men are expected to serve headlining duties for the pay-per-view event. Sound off in the comment section below.

First, the upcoming Thirteenth season was to feature both a middleweight and welterweight field, however UFC officials have made this particular season an all welterweight cast, expelling some top level competitors who tried out in the higher weight-class, including DREAM and Strikeforce veteran Karlo Amousou and now soon-to-be UFC fighter Chris Weidman, to name a few.

Now, the head honcho’s of the largest mixed martial arts organization have revealed the full cast of welterweight’s who will be featured on the upcoming season, which will be coached by heavyweight studs Junior dos Santos and former champion Brock Lesnar.

The UFC has decided to do without the elimination round of the tournament, which has been used in the past in order to determine some of the cream of the crop heading into the TUF house. Instead, 14 fighters will move directly into the house and will be split into two teams, with either Lesnar or dos Santos’ team.

Arguably the most notable of the field, Shamar Bailey will be featured in the upcoming season–a Strikeforce veteran who holds a win over UFC vet John Kolosci.

The series will premier on March 30 on Spike TV.

The full layout comes courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

Name: Nordin Asrih
Age: 32
Trains: Dusseldorf, Germany (Pride Gym)
MMA record: 16-5-1

Name: Shamar Bailey
Age: 28
Trains: Indianapolis, Ind. (Integrated Fighting Systems)
MMA record: 10-3

Name: Len Bentley
Age: 27
Trains: Olympia, Wash. (Victory Athletics)
MMA record: 9-4

Name: Michael “Mick” Bowman
Age: 26
Trains: Liverpool, England (Wolfslair)
MMA record: 7-2

Name: Keon Caldwell
Age: 26
Trains: Moultrie, Ga. (Team Reality)
MMA record: 8-1

Name: Chris Cope
Age: 28
Trains: San Diego, Calif. (Arena MMA)
MMA record: 4-1

Name: Zachary Davis
Age: 26
Trains: Rockville, Md. (Evolve/Team Lloyd Irvin)
MMA record: 4-1

Name: Anthony Ferguson
Age: 26
Trains: Ventura, Calif. (Knuckleheadz Boxing)
MMA record: 10-2

Name: Clay Harvison
Age: 30
Trains: Marietta, Ga. (X3 Sports)
MMA record: 6-1

Name: Myles Jury
Age: 22
Trains: San Diego, Calif. (Victory)
MMA record: 9-0

Name: Ryan McGillivray
Age: 24
Trains: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Legends Training Centre)
MMA record: 11-4-1

Name: Ramsey Nijem
Age: 22
Trains: Orem, Utah (River Academy/The Pit)
MMA record: 4-1

Name: Charlie Rader
Age: 29
Trains: New Orleans, La. (Power MMA)
MMA record: 16-5

Name: Javier Torres
Age: 25
Trains: Las Vegas, Nev. (Team Tompkins)
MMA record: 3-0

He lashed out very publicly in the media, claiming that the new champion sustained no damage in his fight with Lesnar and is stalling–which was later disproved with the torn rotator cuff that Velasquez later had subsequent surgery on that would sideline the American Kickboxing Academy product for approximately 6-8 months.

However now, cooler heads have prevailed. He may not exactly have his number contenders spot secured at the moment, however he does have two very interesting opportunities ahead of him. Junior will have the chance to coach the ultra-popular reality series “The Ultimate Fighter”, and will be facing the largest pay-per-view draw in former champ Brock Lesnar later this Summer, both of which have helped satisfy the fan-favorite dos Santos.

“Dana called on New Year’s Day. A few days earlier it was announced that Cain was injured. He said it was up to Junior, does he want to sit and wait for Cain or does he want to fight. Junior said no, he wants to stay busy,” said Ed Soares, dos Santos’ manager who recently spoke with MMAWeekly.com regarding his heavyweight star.

Junior originally claimed top contender status when he deftly defeated season ten winner of the TUF series in Roy Nelson at UFC 117 in August of last year. Considering that Velasquez may not be returning till possibly the fourth-quarter of this year, Soares and the heavyweight slugger thought it was in their best interest to take the opportunity presented to them, which Ed believes will pay off in the long run.

“Our first choice, and he rightfully deserves it, was to fight for the title, but considering that couldn’t happen, I think this is the next best thing that could have happened for his career”, said Soares.

“And in the long run, it might be a better path. To get the exposure that they’re going to get on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and then to fight a guy like Brock Lesnar, who is such a huge draw, I think it’s a pretty good solution to the problem.”

After coaching duties are culminated in June when the all welterweight season comes to a head at the finale show on the 4th at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Lesnar and dos Santos are rumored to be headlining an as-of-yet announced pay-per-view event in Vancouver, Canada. UFC 131 is rumored to be headlined by the two heavyweight dynamos at the Rogers Arena on June 11.

So, MMA peeps, do you think dos Santos made the right decision? While Lesnar is a dangerous opponent, his weakness is Junior’s strongest asset, the obvious punching prowess that the Brazilian holds, having finished five of six opponents in the octagon with strikes. Sound off in the comment section below.

The following comes from a recent interview Nogueira gave where he discussed JDS, strikeforce, and more. Speaking with Bloody Elbow, “Big Nog” recently stated the following: “[Lesnar] doesn’t kick, so Cigano will not need to train too much defensive Muay Thai… he can now rely more on training offensive Muay Thai. And this is the type of fight where he’ll look for the KO, train a lot of wrestling, train the guard… even though Lesnar’s GnP is not as good as Cain’s. But (Cigano) will look for the KO in this fight.”

It’s hard to see any major difference in JDS’s strategy for Lesnar as compared to his strategy for… well, virtually everyone else he’s fought. Then again, there’s a phrase about not fixing what’s not broken that comes to mind and applies pretty well to this situation. JDS isn’t the most imposing specimen ever, but big muscles don’t always mean big power. And while the hulking freak of nature is always a good way to sell tickets, I strongly believe that JDS’s punching power is virtually uncontested at Heavyweight, save for perhaps Shane Carwin, who outweighs JDS considerably.

Although I’ve had my issues with some of the things he’s said in the past, it’s plain to see that Junior dos Santos is a near-perfect mix of the smaller Heavyweight that sets a good pace and the larger Heavyweight who has fists like freight trains and knocks people senseless with reckless abandon. I’m an unabashed fan of Brock Lesnar, but even I can admit that he’s got a whole lot of work ahead of him if he doesn’t want his chin to be added to JDS’s mantelpiece.

There’s still some hope for the former champion, though. Although it was another dominating performance, JDS did show signs of cardio problems near the tail-end of his fifteen-minute fight with Roy Nelson, who absorbed all of JDS’s best shots and somehow remained conscious. I won’t pretend that Lesnar has that type of chin, but there are ways to drain your opponent’s stamina without turning yourself into a punching bag. Lesnar may have a shot if he can keep JDS down and keep him down, or grapple against the cage and grind him out. Even so, that’s still a tall task, given how JDS has shown complete disdain for his opponent’s takedown ability and gotten right back up whenever anyone gets him down, which doesn’t happen often.

I don’t really like admitting it, but Brock Lesnar may be in for an even bigger beating than the one Cain Velasquez gave him, unless the absolute best Brock Lesnar we’ve ever seen steps into the Octagon to fight Junior dos Santos.

And what do you think, fans and friends? It appears that JDS’s strategy is virtually unchanged at this point, so if this strategy remains in place when the two do finally fight, how successful do you think JDS will be?

5. Phil Baroni – The Trickshot Spammer

This is the guy who tries to always do the 360 noscope, or the across-the-map throwing knife/tomahawk, or any number of seemingly-impossible feats of gaming awesomeness.  Nine out of ten times it embarrassingly backfires in a most heinous way, but whenever that tenth time rolls around, the Trickshot Spammer will practically blow your ears out because of how hard they’re screaming into the mic and calling themselves legendary. The same could be said for Phil Baroni, who usually ends up on the wrong side of a bad KO, but once that tenth time rolls around, he shouts “I’m the best eva!” about fifty thousand times.

4. Anderson Silva-– zzirGrizz

If you don’t know who this man is, put his name into a YouTube searchbar along with the words “The Matrix”. To make a long story short, Grizz is the type of player that doesn’t talk, he simply does. And he’s the best he is at what he does. And what he does is come up with amazing ways to kill you, ways so incredibly difficult that you’re almost honored to be on the receiving end of such an ultra-embarrassing kill. The same could be said for Anderson Silva, who’s always coming up with new ways to viciously and dramatically separate his opponents from consciousness. And while both have stumbled along the way, both are generally regarded as being at the very top of their chosen profession.

3. Junior dos Santos – Sandy Ravage

Again, YouTube him if you haven’t heard of him. Sandy is the type of player with the insane score you wish you could have but don’t think is possible, until you see that he’s been able to reach that score. He’s the guy who gets at least fifteen kills for every death, he’s the kind of guy that can enter a losing game and single-handedly proceed to bring his team back from the brink and make it look easy while doing so. Plain and simple, Sandy Ravage is an engine of destruction. And so is Junior dos Santos. I truly, truly shudder to think what would happen if these two were to meet.

2. Shinya Aoki – The Tryhard Crybaby

There are tryhards (those that take the game too seriously), and there are crybabies (those that whine non-stop), and then there is the rare and incredibly infuriating mix of the two. This is the gamer that lives and dies by his highscore, and if you somehow manage to beat him, consider him your enemy for life. That pretty much sums up Shinya Aoki’s abrupt turn into a bad-boy: when the Japanese crowd turned on him, he flicked them off and went out of his way to lash back at them for daring to cheer another fighter. And much like Aoki, it’s hilarious when all of the Tryhard Crybaby’s taunts and boasts ends up backfiring on him, because he’s usually subject to such intense ridicule that he immediately leaves the game and runs crying to his mother.

And finally, we have…

1. Chael Sonnen – GUN1T123

Now and forever, the crowning achievement of both the gamer and the fighter will be mired in controversy. Chael Sonnen’s dominant near-victory over Anderson Silva will be always tarnished by the fact that he was on steroids when it happened, and fans continue to ridicule him for it. Shaggy, a.k.a. GUN1T, will forever be remembered as the YouTube commentator that became famous for getting the “world’s fastest nuke”, which basically means that he got a very high amount of kills in a very short amount of time, only for it later to be revealed that he had faked the whole thing. Both the fighter and the gamer have shown real skill before their scandals, but both have come to be defined by their momentary, albeit incredibly high-profile, lapses in judgment.

And so there you have it, fans and friends: ten MMA fighters and what they’d be like if they played COD. Now that it’s all over, what’s your opinion?

Here are the highlights from a media conference call the notorious UFC head honcho had recently, brought to us by the one and only Sherdog: “There were a lot of different people we were looking at… I was literally driving to work one morning and I said, ‘You know what? This makes sense. Let’s see if we can do this’… To put [Junior dos Santos] on the shelf for a long time is ridiculous, and much credit to him for not wanting to go on the shelf… It’s gonna be a tough season. I know it is.”

The report also states that White responded to the question of whether or not Lesnar was a credible TUF coach by saying that the question was one of the dumbest he had ever heard.

Currently, “The Ultimate Fighter Season 13” is set to premiere on March 30. For my insights into Lesnar vs. JDS, click here. For some great reasons to already be looking forward to this season, click here.

All in all, I’m very pleased with Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos as coaches. I think both men are top-division stars in the most competitive promotion in the world, so I think they’re both fully deserving of a coaching gig. Lesnar is a former UFC champion, JDS is a wrecking machine in human form. Why would anyone want to pass up an opportunity to learn from them?

To be completely honest, though, Lesnar and JDS weren’t my top picks for TUF 13. Although it was a rumor that was quickly shot down, I really would have liked it if Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva had been the coaches for this upcoming season. Then again, with Sonnen’s latest media scandal, he’s probably not going anywhere close to a UFC Octagon for the foreseeable future.

In the end, I think this is going to be a great season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. Lesnar remains one of the most controversial athletes in the UFC despite his recent, more-somber attitude. Fans remain incredibly divided on the man, but they always seem to join together when it comes to paying to see him fight, since Lesnar has quickly become one of the biggest UFC Pay-Per-View draws of all time. Junior dos Santos is a pretty big star in his own right, as well. And, of course, you’ve got all the classic TUF drama we all know and love, as a bunch of young prospects are crammed inside one giant house and left to battle it out week after week in order to determine the next TUF champion.

So while it may not be the most ideal situation, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 should be a season that everyone will be talking about for quite some time. And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on this season and its coaches?

5. I always look forward to another season of TUF.

This one is the most simplest and applies to basically every season of TUF I’ve ever watched, so it definitely makes this list but it does rank the lowest. In general, I’m always excited for another season of TUF. I really can’t remember a season I outright hated, some of the seasons weren’t as good as others, some had stupid drama or bad fight quality, but all in all, I’ve enjoyed TUF for a long, long time now. Unless some utterly drastic and incredibly negative changes are implemented, I just don’t see myself wavering from that stance.

4. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how “Cigano” and company overcome the language barrier.

Please don’t mistake this for some xenophobic statement. But I do honestly wonder how JDS is going to coach a team considering that he can barely speak English. There’s a chance that something will inevitably get lost in translation, there’s even a chance that JDS will only play a small role as a coach and rely mostly on his training staff and translator. Will his team be able to win and win consistently given that unique hurdle? It certainly sounds like it could make for some interesting television.

3. We’ll get a chance to see a side of Brock Lesnar none of us have ever really seen before.

A vast majority of us, including myself, only know Brock Lesnar as the former pro wrestler that became a huge UFC star. We only know the Lesnar that snarls, spits out his mouth piece, and pounds people’s faces in. In his more-recent fights, we’ve also gotten to know a different side of Lesnar, a more humble, soft-spoken side. One of the best things about reality TV is that we’ll be able to get a real, honest look into a person’s life, and when it comes to Brock Lesnar, we’ve really never been given that kind of all-inclusive peek behind the curtain. And that’s a huge reason to tune in.

2. It’s a welterweight-only season.

Do lighter-weight fighters put on more entertaining fights? They do if they’re on “The Ultimate Fighter”. I hate to keep bringing this up, but time and time again I’m forced to recall the atrocious all-Heavyweight tenth season of TUF, which gave us some of the worst fights in TUF history. I’m glad that TUF continues to focus on the smaller weight classes, because I think a cast of hopefuls shine brightest when they have the right mix of strength, speed, agility, punching power, and cardio. As a fan of lighter-weight fighters, an all-welterweight season is a big reason for me to tune in.

And the #1 reason I’m looking forward to the thirteenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” is…

1. There’s probably going to be a whole lot of drama this season.

When I think of the UFC putting Brock Lesnar into a prominent role on a show like TUF, I think of somebody tossing a live grenade into a pile of other live grenades. In short: Lesnar’s going to add fuel to a lot of fires, and there should be some great drama this season. How will Lesnar react to this season’s bad boy? Will any TUF hopeful try to make a name for themselves by calling out Lesnar now that he’s coming off of a loss? It’s inevitable that the coaches will engage in a bit of a rivalry, so that should be well worth watching as well. As a whole, there just seems to be too much potential drama to pass up this season of TUF.

So, that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Are you already excited for TUF Season 13?

The two heavyweight standouts will be featured for the thirteenth season of “TUF” which includes an all-welterweight cast, and at the conclusion of the season finale which is scheduled for June 4 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, both Brock and Junior will meet in a likely pay-per-view main event which is rumored for June 11 in Vancouver, which is anticipated to be dubbed UFC 131.

Though the recent news has only come to light as of yesterday, the Brazilian striker has already come up the favorite over the former titleholder.

MMAJunkie.com caught up with Joey Odessa, an influential odds maker in the mixed martial arts community (Twitter-@MMAOdds) has opened up the lines already between the two goliaths, with Junior the favorite at -155 over Lesnar, who is currently riding with +125 odds. So in short, JDS holds a 61% in defeating Lesnar, according to Odessa.

Who can argue? Lesnar has had lots of trouble in the past with talented wrestlers with a penchant for punching people in the face. In his last successful title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 116 last July, “The Engineer” was able to drop Lesnar with a barrage of punches in the first-round of their heavyweight affair. Carwin gassed once Brock was able to survive and make it to the second-round, where he was able to eventually secure an arm-triangle choke.

In his last fight against Cain Velasquez, there would be no gassing-out for “The Terminator”–which is a moniker bestowed upon him by UFC President Dana White. Velasquez withstood an early barrage of random strikes from Lesnar and eventually connected on several combination’s against the cage, finishing off Brock on the ground for the TKO win at UFC 121 last October, giving the North Dakota native his first loss on strikes and in turn captured the heavyweight crown.

Junior, while he doesn’t hold a wrestling pedigree that a Lesnar, Carwin, or Velasquez hold, he does have some of the best takedown defense in his division. In fact, during his 6-0 stretch inside the organization, he has not been taken down once, and instead knocked out 5 of those opponents, with last fight at UFC 117 in August being his lone decision win since his time spent within the promotion when he defeated former IFL champion Roy Nelson.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think about the early lines on the fight? Can Brock takedown JDS, or will dos Santos (a product of the famed Black House) be able to knock out the NCAA Div. I wrestling champion? Sound off in the comment section below.

I’d like to start by saying something very few fans think is true nowadays, something that even Lesnar fans don’t want to bring up because they think it’ll open the figurative floodgates of negative comments and that they’ll soon get laughed out of the conversation. But if you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’d know by now that I’ll say what I believe no matter how it’s perceived. So here it is.

Brock Lesnar has a good chin.

Everyone is talking about how Junior dos Santos may end up eating Lesnar alive if the fight stays on the feet for any length of time. It’s true that JDS’s striking is leagues above Brock’s, but fans are going too far by insinuating that Lesnar has a glass chin. Lesnar has been subjected to some brutal punishment by some of the best strikers the UFC’s Heavyweight division has to offer. His chin has taken the best shots of both Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, only Cain was able to seal the deal and put Brock away.

I honestly think Lesnar’s main problem is his inability to keep his composure when he starts getting hit.

Even though he has a good chin, Lesnar has no earthly idea what to do when he starts taking a beating. And I think that, above all else, will dictate who wins this fight.

Lesnar has all the physical tools necessary to achieve UFC superstardom, that’s a proven fact that I don’t think anyone can argue. He hits hard even if his technique is sloppy, his ground and pound is vicious, his takedowns are great, his cardio is off the charts for a man his size. What Lesnar needs is to focus on the mental aspect of the fight game. I truly think Lesnar fumbled against Carwin and Velasquez simply because nobody had ever really kicked his ass before.

If Lesnar keeps his composure, he’s going to win this fight and may win it in dominating fashion.

It’s true that no one has been able to keep Junior dos Santos on the ground, but JDS has never fought a dominant powerhouse and highly prestigious wrestler like Lesnar. Cain Velasquez was also a dignified wrestler and he still trained for months with huge Heavyweight fighters to best replicate Brock’s ferocious takedowns, and not only that, Velasquez trains with the single best MMA camp for wrestling-based fighters, the American Kickboxing Academy. Junior dos Santos does train with the Nogueira brothers, but Lesnar has shown considerable improvements in his submission defense. If it goes to the ground, Lesnar should be able to control JDS.

If it stays standing, of course the fight favors JDS. His striking is virtually unparalleled  in the UFC. Lesnar will have to be at his absolute best both physically and mentally in order to survive JDS’s onslaughts. I truly believe that quite a lot of this fight focuses on Lesnar’s mental state. Can he lose a striking exchange without flopping and flailing around? Can he keep himself composed when he starts getting hit, rather than literally running away? If he can, he should be able to survive long enough to keep trying to take JDS down and bring the fight into his element. If he can’t, we’re in for a mirror-image of Velasquez/Lesnar, except this time Lesnar will probably be outright KO’d.

This fight isn’t about Lesnar’s glass chin. It’s about his weak heart. It’s very clear that Lesnar had no way of coping with the pressure both Carwin and Velasquez put on him. But if he can find that fighter’s spirit, if he can find that will to survive, he’s got a great shot of taking down Junior dos Santos.

Ultimately I’m picking JDS to win this one. But as a Lesnar fan, I wanted to point out that Brock has much more of a chance than most people are giving him. It’s not a remote possibility that Lesnar will beat JDS. But in the here and now, Junior dos Santos has all the tools necessary to beat Brock even at his absolute best. I’ll never count out Brock Lesnar, but I also said that I’d never again bet against Junior dos Santos. And while I plan to break that promise when JDS inevitably faces Cain Velasquez, I really have no choice but to join the majority and call for an early-round (T)KO victory for Junior dos Santos. Part of me sure wishes I’m proven wrong, though, and another part knows that I just might be by the time it’s all said and done.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of this fight?

Here’s what these fighters bring to the table.

Brock Lesnar: On one hand, Lesnar, not dos Santos, has held the UFC Heavyweight Championship belt.  On the other hand, we’re talking about a guy with only seven professional MMA bouts to his credit and a 5-2 record.  Many of us (this writer included), jumped on the Lesnar bandwagon after he defeated Heath Herring, Randy Couture, Frank Mir, and Shane Carwin consecutively perhaps a little too quickly.   Though he started his career by putting the hurt on opponents with some big punches on his feet (Herring, Couture, and even knocked Mir’s equilibrium a tad in their first fight), his recent bouts against Carwin and Cain Velasquez have left something to be desired in the striking department.  More specifically, when he’s been tagged his defenses have faltered pretty badly, seeming to get confused and disoriented all too quickly.

But to forget Lesnar’s strengths would be a mistake.  First, he’s a physical marvel.  When it comes to a combination of power, sheer size, and athleticism for someone so big, Lesnar is unrivaled.  What’s more, he is an elite wrestler, a man that once took home both the 1998 NJCAA Heavyweight and 2000 NCAA Heavyweight Championships. All told, Lesnar managed a 106-5 wrestling record over four years in college, all of which he achieved All American status during. 

Which lends to the notion that you do not want to be underneath Lesnar for any length of time on the ground.  By the way, he’s also learned a lot about submission defense, as he proved in his second fight against Mir. 

Junior dos Santos: No, dos Santos is not nearly as well-known as Lesnar is; and no, he hasn’t held the UFC heavyweight belt.  But he has competed in more professional fights than his adversary, posting a 12-1 MMA record.  Dos Santos holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and benefits from the tutelage of MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  That said, beyond demonstrating some pretty impressive takedown defense against Roy “Big Country” Nelson in his last fight, we haven’t seen much in the line of ground fighting from the Brazilian, as he doesn’t tend to end up there.

What we have witnessed is some amazing striking, which isn’t so surprising considering dos Santos also has a kickboxing background.  In sum, he hits very hard and uses his hands, particularly those uppercuts of his, like few in the game today.  Dos Santos is simply an elite striker.

The Final Word on Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos: This fight can probably best be broken down in simple grappler vs. striker terms.  Though dos Santos sports a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has trained with Nogueira, one still has to figure that if Mir couldn’t last long on his back against Lesnar, dos Santos will have trouble if he ends up in that predicament.

On the flip side, if Lesnar couldn’t handle Velasquez’s striking- which is good- then dos Santos’s stand up will likely put the hurt on him pretty quickly, even if we do assume he improves in that regard. 

In the end, I don’t think if dos Santos gets wrapped up by Lesnar he’ll be able to continue to stand or get back up easily, as Velasquez recently did.   Nope, the real questions in this fight are the following:

1. Can Lesnar take dos Santos down before he gets tagged and submit/TKO him?

2. Is dos Santos savvy and tough enough on the ground to survive that initial onslaught, if that’s where he ends up?

3. If dos Santos does survive, will Lesnar’s wrestling advantage and cardio allow him to continually take his opponent down through three rounds?

4. Can Lesnar survive on his feet against dos Santos for a significant length of time (I don’t think he can)?

Got to say that this fight is interesting on numerous levels.  Looking forward to it.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is not visiting the WWE anytime soon, since he will now be one of the featured coaches for the thirteenth season of the ultra-popular reality show. The North Dakota native will be pitted against current number one contender Junior dos Santos for the all-welterweight season of “TUF”.

The show will wrap in the coming months and the debut episode will air on March 30, not on March 26 as previously expected. UFC Fight Night 24, which is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown matching former champ Tito Ortiz against Antonio Rogerio Nogueria, was originally expected to serve as the lead in for the new season of the reality show, however UFC President Dana White revealed during a teleconference earlier today that such will not be the case.

Junior gained the number contender position when he bested former IFL champion Roy Nelson last August at UFC 117. The win, his first decision of his UFC career, marked his sixth straight inside the octagon which includes notable knockout victories over Mirko “Cro Cop”, Gabriel Gonzaga and Gilbert Yvel. The Brazilian striker was slated to meet current champion Cain Velasquez at a later date, however the title holder will be going under the knife to repair a torn rotator cuff and will be sidelined for the better part of 2011.

So, in steps Brock Lesnar. The former WWE star-turned-mixed martial artist recently relinquished his heavyweight crown to Velasquez at UFC 121 last October, however before the brutal encounter the former NCAA wrestling star rattled off a four-fight win streak over the who’s who of MMA talent, counting wins over Randy Couture, Frank Mir, and Shane Carwin–all by some of stoppage.

After a few implications that Lesnar may be interested in returning to his WWE roots for a future Wrestlemania show, all the rumors could now be put to rest as the two men will now fight at the culmination of “The Ultimate Fighter” in June, for an as-of-yet-announced show, which is expected to be UFC 131. The pay-per-view event has been talked about for the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada–most likely JDS and Lesnar will be serving headlining duties, though nothing has been set in stone.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Lesnar has struggled in the past with great defensive-wrestlers with a good striking acumen, and in dos Santos he’s arguably the best of both worlds in the heavyweight division. Though he doesn’t hold any specific wrestling credentials, the Brazilian has great hips on the ground and is able to pop right back up once hitting the mat. Interestingly enough, the Black House fighter has yet to be taken down in the UFC. Will Brock be able to take it home–and more importantly, how do you think both will fare as coaches? Sound off in the comment section below.

In a new interview with Portal Vale Tudo, with translations courtesy of Fighters Only, “Cigano” recently said the following: “I’m really outraged. How does a person leaves a fight versus Brock Lesnar in perfect physical condition and then get hurt without being in training? …How did he get injured? …Fighting is my life, not just because I love doing it, but also because I need to fight for a living. I don’t make as much money as the top fighters, so I really need to work… I do think what would be most fair, would be Dana gives me the opportunity to fight for an interim belt.”

Before I start, I’d just like to say that I’ve been a fan of Junior dos Santos for some time. I’ve loved watching him compete, I think JDS is one of the best the UFC has to offer. His uncanny striking ability mixed with his outright inability to get taken down and kept down makes him easily one of the most marketable, entertaining fighters in the entire UFC. JDS has earned his shot at the championship, of that there can be no doubt.

But the man is a moron and an incredibly insensitive jackass to insinuate that Cain Velasquez is ducking him by faking an injury or even purposely getting himself injured.

Cain Velasquez has done absolutely nothing to warrant such an accusation. Velasquez has fought hard and fought some of the best the UFC has to offer in order to win the championship, and he’s done it all with an incredible amount of humility and respect for the sport. I understand that Junior dos Santos is frustrated, believe me I do. Simply as an MMA fan I’m frustrated at this, I can’t imagine what it must be like for the man that’s been training for the biggest and most important fight of his life to hear that it’s being postponed for at least six months.

But Cain did not go out and purposely injure himself, the notion is absurd. Especially given how serious rotator cuff surgery is. Do a little research on this one, fans and friends: MMA Junkie in particular wrote a fantastic article detailing how difficult it is to recover from this type of injury. Velasquez’s punching power could be severely diminished, his fighting ability may never be the same.

Attacking him as a person is completely cruel and unquestionably uncalled for.

While I still admire him as an incredibly skilled fighter, I just lost a whole lot of respect for Junior dos Santos, the man. This interview was inexcusable, JDS should have kept his feelings to himself rather than quite literally adding insult to Cain’s very serious injury. I’m still looking forward to seeing Cain tangle with JDS, but now I’m planting my flag firmly in Cain’s camp. I guess it’s true what they say about never saying never, because I once said that I’d never again bet against Junior dos Santos.

And if JDS does fight for an Interim Championship, it’ll be just as meaningless as the two Interim Heavyweight Championships that came beforehand. I can certainly respect JDS for wanting to remain active and not wait for Cain to recover, but if he does fight for and win an Interim Championship, the only person thinking that that belt would hold any kind of relevance or prestige… would be the man holding it.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on JDS’s controversial stance on Cain’s injury?

For those of you that need a crash course, the UFC’s Heavyweight division has developed quite an interesting history over the last few years when it comes to its recent champions. It all started when Randy Couture became embroiled in contract negotiations that kept him out of the UFC for quite some time. An Interim Champion was crowned, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and then the Interim Champion was kept out of the Octagon for almost a year. Things were on the upswing when a mini-tournament resulted in Brock Lesnar becoming the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion… then Lesnar famously battled a potentially career-ending bout of diverticulitis that kept him out of the cage for so long that another Interim Champion, Shane Carwin, was crowned. Lesnar would beat Carwin and then go on to face and lose to Velasquez.

And now we find ourselves at the main part of today’s story, as the one and only Sherdog reports that Cain Velasquez has suffered a shoulder injury. The injury was confirmed by UFC President Dana White, and it is being said that Velasquez will be out of action for six months at the least and eight months at the most. It was thought that Velasquez/JDS would fight at the pivotal upcoming UFC event in Toronto, in front of what could end up being over 60,000 fans, but the timing of the injury effectively nixes this idea. According to other various reports around the internet, Junior dos Santos does not intend to wait for Velasquez and is currently pursuing a suitable replacement fight.

I think it’s highly ironic that the UFC Heavyweight division continues to evolve while its championship continues to be mired in controversy and plagued by injuries. There was a time where the UFC’s Heavyweight division was basically an afterthought, no one really took it seriously and PRIDE FC fans in particular knew that the big boys stepping into the Octagon probably couldn’t hold a candle to the Heavyweight warriors stepping into the ring. Now the Heavyweight division is arguably one of the UFC’s best.

As a UFC and MMA fan I’m frustrated that the UFC Heavyweight Championship continues to hit so many bumps in the road now that it’s becoming a lot more prestigious than it once was. But in the end, there’s really no one to blame for it. Even though it sucks that we’re going to have to once again play the waiting game, the simple fact of the matter is that injuries happen.

So I won’t be holding this against Cain Velasquez, and neither should you, fans and friends. We really have no reason to, even though it sucks that we’re once again going to have to wait for a champion to defend his championship. I’m really looking forward to seeing Cain Velasquez defend his championship, because I think Cain is an amazing fighter and I very much believe that the best is yet to come when it comes to Cain Velasquez.

I don’t want to wait to see Cain back in the Octagon. I don’t want to wait to see Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, because I know, I just know, that it’s going to be one of the best fights of the year.

But unfortunately, I don’t have a choice.

And what about you, fans and friends? Are you as deflated by this injury as I am? What do you think the future holds for the UFC’s Heavyweight division?

The proud Mexican-American recently claimed the heavyweight strap when he defeated former champ Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 this past October in Anaheim, Cali. Velasquez battered the South Dakota native with stinging punches in bunches that eventually left Lesnar unable to properly defend himself, which called for the TKO stoppage in the waning moments of the first round.

Cain now has a new challenger on the wings in Junior dos Santos, and the two men could be meeting as soon as April, just in time to fight before a ruckus crowd in Toronto, Canada.

Junior has been anything short of awesome since his inception in the octagon in 2008. In his debut, dos Santos defeated the highly touted, current top-3 heavyweight star in Fabricio Werdum with a rousing first-round knockout victory. The upset-win set the tone for his next performances inside the cage, as he would go on to rattle off five wins in a row, all coming by some form of knockout. In his sixth fight inside the octagon, “Cigano” met with former IFL champion Roy Nelson, and though the Brazilian dropped him twice in the first round, he could not capitalize and eventually settled for a clean sweep-unanimous decision victory.

TATAME.com, a Brazilian media forum has kept tabs on their future title challenger through his boxing trainer Luis Carlos Dorea, who stated that no official word has come down from the UFC brass concerning a definitive date for their heavyweight tilt, however has relied on some rumors in order to speculate when it might all be going down.

“I’ve heard some speculations, people said maybe it’ll be at the end of April in Canada (Toronto), but nothing has come to us yet”, said Dorea. “We’re doing the basic work, the technical part, and now we’re only waiting to know when it will happen”.

Toronto has been a newly acquired market for the UFC, with the Canadian province having just embraced mixed martial arts as a sport that will be governed by the Ontario Athletic Commission. The UFC has been rumored for an April inception into Toronto, and if director of operations Tom Wright, who heads the Canadian forefront, has anything to do with it, he’d like to see a championship double header for April, which could include Junior and Velasquez in the equation.

“What I’m lobbying for, I’d like to see two championships, a UFC 100 type of card”, said Tom who spoke with MMAWeekly.com recently.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the possibility of dos Santos and Velasquez meeting in April? Of course, if right had it his way, Canada’s favorite son in Georges St. Pierre would be the perfect fit in the equation. Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s the latest on the entire mini-scandal courtesy of an interview the former IFL champion had with MMA Fighting: “As far as I know, I’m fighting in 2011. That’s my plan… I guess from a lawyer’s stand point or even a jury’s stand point, I think it’s kind of hard to say if you have any claims if you’ve never put on another MMA event ever in your whole entire life that I know of… At the same time I look as a plus that my knee got better faster and I’ll be ready anywhere in 2011.”

Nelson is referencing his previous contract deal with Square Ring Promotions, owned by boxer Roy Jones Jr. SRP signed Nelson to compete on its first-ever MMA event, “March Badness”, back in (you guessed it) March 2009. The event saw Nelson lose a highly controversial Unanimous Decision to Jeff Monson.

This is why I think Jones and SRP don’t have a leg to stand on and are just trying to get some money out of the UFC. It’s one thing for a promotion to steal talent, that’s a dirty deed to do and if there’s a contract that should have prevented that from happening, then the promotion holding said contract owes it to themselves to try and get compensated. But that’s simply not the case.

What happened is this: SRP booked one event, a decent little event, featuring a nice mix of fighters. But of course, they lost money. There are no overnight successes in this business; you’d think people would have caught on to that by now. SRP briefly fired a salvo onto the MMA radar and was then never heard from again. And to tell you the truth, I personally forgot that the folks behind “March Badness” even existed until they showed up knocking on the UFC’s door and looking for a handout.

I don’t care how harsh this sounds: I’ve got absolutely no sympathy for SRP or the people behind it. This is a cheap ploy to get some money, any money, back from their failed investment. Worse yet, it keeps Roy Nelson out of the Octagon where he belongs. I’m a huge and unabashed Roy Nelson fan, and I hate to think that he’s wasting his time trying to get this frivolous lawsuit figured out when he should be taking his first steps on the comeback trail following his recent loss to Junior dos Santos. I look forward to the day where this is all swept under the rug and Roy Nelson can get back to doing what he does best. I can only hope that day comes sooner rather than later.

And what about you, fans and friends? Where do you side on this matter?

There are several reasons why I think Lesnar vs. Nelson would be a great match-up. First and foremost, Roy Nelson is ready for the best and he’s hungry to get back inside the Octagon now that his bout with Shane Carwin has fallen apart. And Lesnar finds himself in almost the exact same spot as the man he so famously submitted: with his back against the wall, needing to prove quite a lot in his next bout. If Roy Nelson fit the mold as the best opponent Shane Carwin could face to both get a huge win over and prove himself against, and Brock Lesnar fits Shane Carwin’s mold, then Lesnar/Nelson is more common sense than fantasy match-making.

Plus, let’s be honest here, it’s a fantastic aesthetic. These two couldn’t possibly be more different. It would be quite a spectacle to see the hulking Viking goliath take on the curly-haired big-bellied brawler. I wouldn’t call this a “freakshow” match despite the huge difference in the physiques of both men, though. I think both Lesnar and Nelson have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they belong in the UFC. This has the potential to be a fantastic fight based solely on the strengths of both men, seeing the disparity in body builds between the man that’s seemingly carved out of granite and the man who carves a path through Burger King would only be a bonus.

Another interesting thing about this match is that both men have all the tools necessary to win and win big. If Lesnar can avoid Nelson’s stand-up, he could probably take Nelson down through sheer force alone. Nelson doesn’t come from a wrestling background, and he certainly doesn’t have the wrestling pedigree that Cain Velasquez has. Lesnar’s takedowns only looked so bad against Velasquez because Velasquez himself is such an amazing wrestler, against Roy Nelson Lesnar’s dreaded Ground and Pound could end up working beautifully and scoring him a major and dominant win.

However, Roy Nelson has good stand-up and a vastly under-appreciated ground game. He also has an extremely solid chin, as seen in his recent bout with Junior dos Santos. I think Nelson has proved that he does have KO power, and I also think that Lesnar has proven unable to cope with the pressure of being rocked. If Nelson can clip Lesnar, I think “Big Country” may actually have it in him to take out the Vanilla Gorilla. Also, Lesnar would be wise to not sleep on Big Country’s ground game. Lesnar’s ground game is so effective because he can put so much weight on you, but the same holds true for Nelson. And if Lesnar tries to power out from underneath Nelson’s girth through sheer force alone, he may leave himself open to a submission.

Ultimately, I think this fight would be too close to call and that’s why I’d love to see it. It’s not a matter of me giving Lesnar more credit or Nelson more credit, I think it’s more about me giving both men the credit they deserve. Both men are highly gifted and very competitive athletes. Styles make fights while personalities sell tickets, and this match-up has the potential to be one of the best and biggest of 2011.

But what do you think, fans and friends? How interested would you be in a Brock Lesnar vs. Roy Nelson fight? And what do you think would win?

Perhaps the craziest thing about this match is the realization that both men are so young both as human beings and as Mixed Martial Artists. Both men are in their twenties: Velasquez is 28 while Dos Santos is 26. Dos Santos has barely entered double digits in his MMA fights (he’s 12-1) while Velasquez’s fight with “Cigano” will be his first double digit fight (Cain is now 9-0). I think the one thing you can say for certain about this fight is that neither man is going anywhere anytime soon. Look for both fighters to remain in direct title contention for the foreseeable future, regardless of who wins the UFC Heavyweight Championship when the two meet in the Octagon.

Now, let’s focus on both men’s striking, because this is where it gets interesting. Both men seem to be very evenly matched in terms of striking power, Cain has huge power in his hands but Dos Santos is the definition of an explosive Heavyweight. Neither man has ever been knocked out, but let’s be perfectly honest here: Cain has come a lot closer to the land of dreams while in the middle of the Octagon than Dos Santos. Despite the incredible performance he put on last night, I just don’t think Cain Velasquez has the striking advantage over Junior dos Santos. Cain fights smart, picks his shots, and knows when to explode. Junior dos Santos does that, and I honestly believe that he does it better. But it’s going to be close. Very, very close.

It’s also going to be close on the ground for one simple reason: Junior dos Santos has shown complete disdain for the ground game and no one has ever been able to hold him on the ground for long. Then again, Junior dos Santos has never faced a high-level wrestler like Cain Velasquez. If Velasquez can get this to the ground and keep it on the ground, he’s got a massive advantage. I know that “Cigano” fans will counter this by saying that he trains with the Nogueira brothers, but let’s be perfectly honest here: we all know where he butters his bread, and the ground game is absolutely not Junior dos Santos’ strong point.

Right now I honestly believe it’s too close to call. But I can say one thing: even though I can’t pick a definitive winner, I know this fight is going to be amazing. Both men have proven themselves beyond a shadow of a doubt, and this fight has all the makings of an explosive, wildly entertaining encounter. If either man wins this one decisively and easily I’d be incredibly shocked. We’re in for a war with this one, and I can’t wait to see it happen.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your early thoughts on Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez?

Carwin himself, in fact, made the news of his return on his official Twitter page (@ShaneCarwin), and since then many have speculated who the former title challenger will be facing.

In his last outing, Carwin attempted to unify his interim heavyweight title, which he earned with a first round knockout of former champion Frank Mir at UFC 111, when he tangled with the current title holder in Brock Lesnar, at UFC 116 last July. After a dominant first-round turned in, where “The Engineer” was able to drop Lesnar with a barrage of punches, eventually gassing himself when he unloaded a heavy dose of ground and pound that had left Brock on the ropes, but otherwise still in the fight.

Lesnar survived the first round scare to turn it all around in the second, eventually taking down the former Division II All-American collegiate wrestler, working to mount, before submitting the 265-pound Goliath with a an arm-triangle choke. The loss snapped an undefeated streak of 12-wins in a row for the Greg Jackson product.

Now returning to action after the disappointing loss, Carwin will tangle with former IFL heavyweight champion and “The Ultimate Fighter” season 10 winner, Roy Nelson.

“Big Country” himself, is coming off a loss of his own. After going 2-0 inside the promotion with a win over hot prospect Brendan Schaub, to claim the TUF title last December, and an additional win over up-and-comer Stef Struve (UFC Fight Night 21, in March of this year)—both by way of knockout, Nelson’s run to the top was derailed when he met Brazilian striker, Junior dos Santos.

Though competitive throughout the whole bout, unfaltering even after being knocked down twice inside of the first round, Nelson walked away from the bout the loser, when a unanimous decision went the way of the Team Nogueria product, who trains alongside the Nogueria brothers (of course) as well as champions Rafael “Feijao” of Strikeforce, and current UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

Junior and Nelson were vying for a number one contender’s spot, against the winner of the Brock Lesnar/ Cain Velasquez showdown, which is going down at UFC 121 on October 23.

Nelson and Carwin, though not officially confirmed, will likely serve on the main card for the January pay-per-view card, which is taking place in Las Vegas, Nev. The news was first broke by MiddleEasy.com.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the match up? Who do you think will walk away the victor? Sound off in the comment section below.

Beginning to make noise in the heavyweight division, “Skyscraper” will meet with perhaps his most well-known opponent to date, when he tangles with internet sensation, Sean McCorkle.

Perhaps still largely unknown to the main stream mixed martial arts audience, “Big Sexy” has become a true hardcore favorite with his infamy which has been derived from the popular Underground Forums, of MixedMartialArts.com, where his zany antics and outlandish claims have eventually landed him in the big show of the UFC. Obviously, his talent has had something to do with that.

An undefeated giant, standing at 6’7 and cutting down to the 265-pound limit, McCorkle made his UFC debut most recently at UFC 119 in Indianapolis, Indiana before a hometown crowd. The unblemished prospect made short work of former PRIDE star, Mark Hunt. The action unfolded quickly when the reinvigorated Samoan quickly closed the gap with punches, which is indicative of his K-1 background. Sean took control, bringing the fight to the ground where he was eventually able to lock on a fight-ending arm bar, at just 63 seconds inside of the first round.

With the victory, McCorkle is successful in his UFC debut, and has pushed his record to a perfect 10-0, launching him into the big time.

Hoping to derail the momentum of the UFC rookie, Stefan Struve is looking for his second-straight win, when the two giants meet in the cage on December 11, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for UFC 124.

The news of the bout was first reported by MMAJunkie.com, which will most likely serve preliminary duties on the pay-per-view card, which is headlined by a title fight pitting reigning and defending champion, Georges St. Pierre against rival “The Ultimate Fighter” season 12 coach, Josh Koscheck.

Struve, 22, brings a wealth of experience into the cage at a tender and young age. At 20-4 (4-2 in the UFC), Stefan’s age and experience are unrivaled in the heavyweight division. Let alone, the fact that “Skyscraper” stands as the tallest fighter in the UFC, at a staggering 6’11, which rivals any other fighter in the promotion.

The Dutchman is coming off of an exciting slug fest with the previously undefeated Christian Morecraft, at UFC 117 last August. The early goings of the bout saw Christian largely in control, punching Stefan on several occasions standing, before bringing the action to the ground, mounting, and finishing strong, arguably earning a lopsided 10-8 round. A dejected Struve came back storming in the second. The two heavyweights traded punches against the cage before Struve landed a right hand to the chin in a wild exchange, dropping Morecraft to the ground, polishing it off with a few additional strikes before referee Herb Dean called a halt to the bout in just 22 seconds into the second round.

The win moved Struve improved his record to 20-4 overall, and garnered the Holland native 4 wins in his past 5 fights inside the octagon.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match up? Who do you have pegged as the early favorite? Will McCorkle’s size match with “Skyscraper’s”? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what the man himself had to say courtesy of MMA Mania: “I don’t go in there expecting to finish [opponents] really quick – it’s just happened. Right now, they got me on that Carwin track. You know, he beat two guys, knocked them out really quick, and then he got Gabe Gonzaga. So, am I ready for it? No doubt. I can compete with, I think, anyone in the top five in the world. As far as growing and becoming a better fighter, man, everyone has their plan. I can definitely beat Gabe. If I fight to my highest ability and he fights to his highest, I beat him every time. So, that’s the plan… I’m sick of fighting these fat wrestlers, man. I gotta be honest with you. I’m ready for a challenge and I think this is the right step. I’m sure as heck not gonna argue with it or put up a fight. It’s such a great opportunity.”

If Schaub thinks he’ll have it easy in the UFC’s Heavyweight division, Gabriel Gonzaga should be more than capable of giving him a harsh lesson in humility. It’s true that “Napao” has mostly cemented himself as a Heavyweight gatekeeper, but he’s still an opponent to be feared. He’s fought over ten times in the UFC and has far more experience than Schaub when it comes to going up against top-level competition. He’s even challenged for the UFC Heavyweight Championship before. Gonzaga has good striking and an excellent ground game, so even if most of the current top-ranked Heavyweights have used him as a stepping stone, most of the time he’s still a tough stone to step over.

I also think Schaub makes an interesting parallel when he compares himself to Shane Carwin. Carwin was and remains a wrecking machine, but his flaws have already been exposed. The man simply can’t go past the first round, his cardio just isn’t there. Carwin was basically dead on his feet by the time Brock Lesnar took him down and submitted him. I still think Carwin is a good fighter, but my point is that he was built up as a monster and was incredibly humbled in his first loss. Perhaps the same is in store for Schaub if he keeps this better-than-everyone attitude.

Now, don’t get me wrong fans and friends. I love a little cockiness. But only when it’s earned. Schaub hasn’t beaten anyone of note in the UFC, Roy Nelson TKO’d him, and he still hasn’t proved himself as a top-division athlete. His fight with Gabriel Gonzaga will do the job nicely, but as it stands right now, if you asked me who would win if Schaub faced competition like Junior dos Santos or Cain Velasquez, you’d see me pick Cain and “Cigano” with relatively little forethought.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you think Schaub’s boasting is justified? And do you think he’ll beat Gonzaga?

after debuting in a losing effort to now UFC top contender Junior dos Santos at UFC 95, back in February of 2009, “Skyskraper” has been climbing the heavyweight division, winning 4 of his last 5 bouts en route to contenders status in the now ultra competitive weight class.

In his last bout, Stefan found himself against the ropes once again. After succumbing to a knockout loss to “The Ultimate Fighter” season 10 winner Roy Nelson at “UFC Fight Night 21″, Struve again found himself in trouble again when he locked up with undefeated heavyweight prospect Christian Morecraft, at UFC 117 last August. After an early going, which witness Morecraft batter Struve with punches in bunches, even mounting the submission specialist, things didn’t look like they were going Stefan’s way.

Then, out of nowhere, when the second round came about, the two were trading blows against the fence, and the 22-year-old Dutchman connected on a big right hand, which lead to an eventual ground-and-pound assault which resulted in the TKO victory in his favor.

With that, Struve picked up his most impressive win to date, and helped him secure a new 4-fight deal with the promotion when his new management company, Alchemist Management (which is headed by former rapper MC Hammer), were able to secure a new proposition with the UFC for Stefan.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? How far do you think the 22-year-old Struve can make it into the UFC heavyweight picture? At 6’11, 247, he should prove formidable for anyone. Sound off in the comments section below if you agree or you believe otherwise.

5. Marius Zaromskis vs. Dan Hardy

It’s a shame that people have mostly forgotten about Marius Zaromskis, since I became a huge fan of his due to his destruction of several people in the Japanese-based DREAM. Zaromskis hasn’t been heard of since he was TKO’d at the hands of Evangelista Santos, but he’s still a very tough fighter with incredibly powerful high kicks. Against Dan Hardy he’d face another strong-willed power-striker, and this one would likely see both men absorb a lot of damage before somebody gets knocked out.

4. Ronaldo Souza vs. Chael Sonnen

Now this is a fight that fans can really sink their teeth into. Souza fights out of the same camp as UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, so you have a guaranteed rivalry right there. Both men have good-but-not-great striking, but since they’re evenly matched, it would be pretty entertaining to see them trade blows. If it goes to the ground, Souza is nicknamed “Jacare” (Alligator) for a reason, while Chael Sonnen’s ability to dominate on the ground needs no introduction, based on his near-total shutout of Anderson Silva at UFC 117. It would simply be a highly, highly competitive match.

3. Shinya Aoki vs. George Sotiropoulos

This one would have to take place in Japan, though, so both men could utilize their magic submission pants. There’s no doubt that George would have the advantage striking, since Aoki’s stand-up has always been atrocious. But if/when it goes to the ground, this has the potential to be one of the most entertaining ground battles in years.

2. Junior dos Santos vs. Antonio Silva

It’s the technical striking of JDS going up against the power of “Bigfoot”, and I think both men would turn in a great performance. Antonio Silva wants to be taken seriously so badly that I think he would show up in great shape and with a great gameplan for this fight, while Junior Dos Santos has quickly become the best pure striker in the Heavyweight division of MMA as a whole, not just the UFC. Someone is going to sleep in this fight, and it would be quite a spectacle to see the super-fast and super-slick JDS trying to cope with Silva’s massive frame, long reach, and serious punching power.

And the #1 spot goes to…

1. Muhammed Lawal vs. Rashad Evans

Both men have awesome wrestling skills, with striking that is good for the most part and great on occasion. As talented as both men are on the ground, I have a feeling that their impressive wrestling backgrounds would basically cancel each other out and force this into a stand-up brawl. Both Lawal and Evans have a lot of power in their hands, and I can see this one getting quite vicious before all is said and done. And if someone does get an advantage on the ground, look for some very harsh Ground and Pound. It’s not a traditional choice by any stretch of the imagination, but I would love to see this fight.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Other than the obvious, what are some UFC vs. Strikeforce fights you’d like to see?

5. The WEC in general, Jose Aldo in particular.

With their star-studded cards and penchant for delivering amazing fights, the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion has quickly become one of my favorite MMA organizations. The WEC gave us so many Fight of the Year and Event of the Year contenders in 2010 that I think 2011 will be one of their biggest and best years ever. In particular, I can’t wait to see where 2011 takes current WEC Feather Champion Jose Aldo. Aldo has looked phenomenal in every single one of his fights, and looks primed to embark on a career-defining win streak that hasn’t been seen in the WEC since the glory days of Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres.

4. The ascension of Junior Dos Santos

I think that by the end of 2011, Junior Dos Santos will be wearing Heavyweight gold. He’s proven time and time again that it’s almost impossible to take him down, and when he does get taken down, he immediately gets back up. His punching power is unquestioned, and even if his recent fight with Roy Nelson dispelled the myth that there was no one in the Heavyweight division he couldn’t KO, Dos Santos still looked unbelievably dominant. Dos Santos won’t likely run right over people like Cain Velasquez or Brock Lesnar, but history has taught me to never again bet against “Cigano”.

3. The future of Fedor.

For the first time in his life, Fedor Emelianenko has been humbled. People have begun to question his heart and ability, and many Fedor detractors are forecasting doom on Emelianenko, saying that he was never all that good and that his time as an elite Heavyweight has passed. I personally think Fedor can work his way back to the top and stay there for years to come, but we’ll never know until he tries, right? Quite a lot hinges on Fedor Emelianenko’s next fight, perhaps more than any of his legendary fights in PRIDE, so I can’t wait to see both who his opponent is and how he deals with him.

2. The Return of Shogun

I’ve voiced my opinion already in my controversial “Shogun Will Fall” piece, but I would just like to re-iterate that I can’t wait to see if I’ll be eating a big slice of humble pie in 2011, or if I’ll be the one leading the “I told you so” charge. Whatever happens, the return of Mauricio Rua should be quite eventful.

And my #1 pick is…

1. Anderson Silva: The Neverending Reign

Despite all the damage inflicted on his aura of invincibility when Chael Sonnen dominated him for twenty-three minutes, Anderson Silva is still the UFC Middleweight Champion, and once again fans have to ask themselves: who the hell can beat this guy? The answer? Nobody. Anderson Silva fought with a broken rib against a world-class wrestler and still found a way to win. When he’s injury-free, nobody has even come close to putting a dent in his armor. Fans and fighters alike may think that the blood is in the water now that Sonnen proved that Silva is human, but trust me: seeing Silva get back to his dominating ways will be the most fun you’ll have in 2011.

So that’s my list, fans and friends. What are you looking forward to for next year?

After Anderson pulled out a Hail Mary, fifth round submission, after challenger Chael Sonnen dominated the Brazilian for the better part of 4 and half rounds, the Blackhouse teammate was able to pocket “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” honors, on top of a hefty payday.

The figures below, which is formatted from MMAJunkie.com, were originally disclosed by the California State Athletic Commission, following the bout on August 7.

Anderson Silva: $200,000 (no win bonus)
def. Chael Sonnen: $35,000

Jon Fitch: $108,000 (includes $54,000 win bonus)
def. Thiago Alves: $60,000

Clay Guida: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus)
def. Rafael dos Anjos: $12,000

Matt Hughes: $200,000 ($100,000 win bonus)
def. Ricardo Almeida: $35,000

Junior Dos Santos: $80,000 ($40,000 win bonus)
def. Roy Nelson: $15,000

Rick Story: $22,000 ($11,000 win bonus)
def. Dustin Hazelett: $18,000

Phil Davis: $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus)
def. Rodney Wallace: $6,000

Johny Hendricks: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
def. Charlie Brenneman: $8000

Tim Boetsch: $32,000 ($16,000 win bonus)
def. Todd Brown: $6,000

Stefan Struve: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Christian Morecraft: $6,000

Dennis Hallman: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Ben Saunders: $12,000

So, Anderson and Matt Hughes were the night’s top earners, deservedly so, but…is anyone surprised by the numbers? For a long time, Anderson has been coveted by UFC President Dana White, as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, however his numbers don’t represent that. 6 figures, yes, however, a 12-0 i run in the UFC, and moves to light heavyweight would attract a larger base pay and win bonus for the Brazilian, should GSP rack in larger numbers.

Some can make the argument that yes, Georges St. Pierre is a much more popular fighter than Silva of course, at least with Anderson’s most recent performances (aside from UFC 101 and 117), but should popularity or credentials be more decisive come contract time, and a fighters due?

It’s something I run back and forth with, and can’t really decide. I guess that’s why they leave it up to head honchos to figure that kind of stuff out, but what do you think? Performance vs Popularity, which is greater?

The card features a light heavyweight title fight against newly crowned champion “King Mo” Lawal against top contender Rafael “Feijao”, out of Team Blackhouse, who trains alongside the likes of the Nogueria brothers, Anderson Silva, and Junior dos Santos.

The preliminary card, which can easily headline any challenger series with it’s depth, will go as such.

Strikeforce: Houston Preliminary Bouts:

Daniel Cormier vs Jason Riley
Andre Galvao vs Nate Moore
Vinicius Magalhaes vs Rocky Long
Adam Schindler vs Kier Gooch
Jose Santibanez vs Reynaldo Trujillo
Chad Robichaux vs Humberto Deleon
Chad Cook vs Arteneus Young

Some notables there include Daniel Cormier, who has been anything short of impressive since his inception into the sport. He’s recently picked up two new heavyweight titles in his last two outings outside of the promotion, with a TKO win over seas against Lucas Brown in Australia, and then last Saturday at King of the Cage against former heavyweight champion Tony Johnson. Both men were undefeated before they tangled with the former wrestling olympian and American Kickboxing Academy standout.

Cormier will be in action against Jason Riley, who some might remember was on the losing side of things against former UFC champion Tim Sylvia in September of last year. He has since split his last two contests, with a TKO win over Joel Wyatt, and a loss to Devin Cole in his most recent performance.

Vinicius Magalhaes, though, should not be confused with season 8 competitor of “The Ultimate Fighter”–not the same guy.

Andre Galvao, a DREAM veteran who submitted long time veteran John Alessio in his debut with the Japan-based promotion last year, will look for his second win under the Strikeforce banner. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion also trains with the aforementioned Blackhouse team.

The card is set for the Toyota Center, which at full capacity, can hold up to 19,000 at a time.

Emelianeko, legend and former Pride and WAMMA heavyweight champion, is apparently in good standings with his new home with Strikeforce.

Just two month’s removed from his first “real” loss as a professional to then heavy-underdog Fabricio Werdum, who submitted the sambo specialist with a tight, tight triangle choke, just 69 seconds into the first round, Emelianenko spoke with m-1global.com (owned by M-1 Global, Fedor’s management company) and hinted to a possible contract extension with Strikeforce.

After making his debut in devastating fashion over the hard-hitting Brett Rogers, Fedor would eventually lose to Werdum some months later, halting an impressive 27 fight win streak which dates back to 2000, when Fedor lost to Tsuyoshi Kohsaka via TKO (cut), in what was considered controversial since elbows were not allowed in the tournament format Fedor was competing in.

While many speculated when the former consensus number one heavyweight fighter would eventually make his UFC debut, where arguably the best competition exists with current heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, and challengers Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, and Shane Carwin exist, it appears that we will all have to wait a little bit longer.

Though his next move is still uncertain, Strikeforce is seemingly securing the heavyweight star while still under contract, extending the 33-year-old contract.

“As far and I’m concerned we should discuss the possibility of signing another contract for four to six fights”, said Emelianenko to m-1global.com.

And outside of Fedor himself, M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan, wants to reciprocate those same intentions.

“The relationship between ourselves, Strikeforce and Showtime is a good one,” he said. “We had a great event in June in San Jose, and we look forward to more good events with our partners.

“(M-1 Global and Strikeforce) are in talks to extend the contract for Fedor and at the same time to settle on who, when and where he is fighting next. These talks are going smoothly, and we are hopeful of a full resolution very shortly.”

While the UFC offers a bevy of dream matches for the Russian, and much stiffer competition with the aforementioned UFC fighter’s, Strikeforce does have some notables to offer.

Bret Rogers, though tough, is largely irrelevant, unfortunately, in the Strikeforce heavyweight division, following losses to Fedor and current champion Alistair Overeem.

Overeem himself would be an excellent match up, though said fiight has lost some of it’s allure following Fedor’s loss, and Alistair’s impressive run in the past couple of years in both the MMA and Kickboxing circuit.

A rematch with Werdum would be a logical choice for the promotion, in order to get the Russian back in good standings in the heavyweight division and erase the setback the Brazilian presented. However, following the fight last June, the Abu Dhabi Grappling veteran has since received surgery on a nagging elbow injury, and will be out for the rest of 2010.

So, the next logical conclusion may be Antonio “Big Foot” Silva. The American Top Team product made his debut in a losing effort to the top-5 heavyweight Werdum, when the fight went to the judges score cards.

However, “Pezao” bounced back in a big way, when he nabbed a unanimous decision over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski last May.

I’m personally vouching for a fight with Silva, and then possibly a rematch with Werdum, where then with two “hypothetical” wins underneath his belt, Fedor might have gained some notoriety back and challenge Overeem, in what has been discussed as a possible headliner for Strikeforce’s first Pay Per View card.

So, outside of the UFC, what is the next match up that you, the fans, would like to see for Fedor?

Is everyone disappointed that the Russian may end up lock-and-sealed with Strikeforce?

Voice your opinion.

And while he claims there is no pressure going into the fight with Nelson, which serves as a number one contender bout after the Brock Lesnar-Cain Velasquez title bout takes place at UFC 121, Dos Santos acknowledges that Nelson is a formidable opponent and it will make his perform at his best, since this fight has so much riding on the line.

“I’m happy for this (opportunity to face Nelson in a number one contender bout). It brings me more confidence, because if I win the fight, and I will win, I will fight for the title. It’s very good for me and I am happy for this news”, said dos Santos, using a new and improved English-repertoire, while speaking with Danny Acosta of Fight! Magazine.

“Everybody can watch, that these guys are amazing fighter’s”, said Junior in regards to his training partners Anderson Silva and Minotauro Nogueria.

“It’s good for me to train with them, and I just want to say ‘thank you’ for them, for training with me and helping me”, said the grateful heavyweight contender.

Nelson, though he has been knocking people out as of late in the UFC, beginning with Brendan Schaub in the finale of the 10th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and following up his performance with another first-round knockout to heavyweight prospect Stefan Struve, many people may forget of his obvious ground prowess.

Roy is a black belt under Renzo Gracie, and has legitimate skills on the ground, holding a victory over Frank Mir in a grappling exhibition some years ago, though dos Santos is unperturbed and equally unimpressed, since he thinks his brown belt and ever evolving ground game may come as a surprise to “Big Country”.

“I’m just training a lot, training my Jiu-Jitsu too, there in Bahia, Brazil. I feel very good for this fight, (with my) confidence, and I have my strategy, and I will follow my strategy.”

However, the one thing he seems to be impressed with, is his size.

“He has a big belly. I’m going to put some punches there”, said the Brazilian, with a smile.

“Watch this fight, UFC 117. Some very good fighters are participating in this event, and I feel good. I promise a good show for you guys.

5. Forrest Griffin

Griffin has got an impressive track record for pulling victories seemingly out of nowhere, and he’s done it by utilizing nothing more than a hard chin, an ability to absorb crazy amounts of punishment, and the willingness to stand and bang with reckless abandon, smiling all the way. A former Light Heavyweight champion, I think it would be very interesting to see how Jones would measure up in a brawl against one of the best brawlers in the game. If Griffin can nullify the explosiveness of “Bones” with the same vicious leg kicks that led to the downfall of then-champion Quinton Jackson, Jon Jones may be in for the toughest test of his career so far.

4. Junior dos Santos

That’s right, fans and friends: “Cigano”. There have been off-and-on talks of Jones moving up to Heavyweight for a mega-fight, and I think the best possible opponent in the UFC’s ever-expanding Heavyweight division would be fellow knockout artist Junior Dos Santos. The concrete hands of Santos mixed with his impressive ground training at the hands of the Nogueira brothers could put Jones somewhere he’s never been: forced to play his opponent’s game instead of forcing an opponent to play his. How Jones would adapt to such a scenario would be can’t-miss TV.

3. Quinton Jackson

This has “all-out war” written all over it. If Rampage really wants to hit the comeback trail, he couldn’t possibly make a bigger statement than being the first man to legitimately beat Jonny Bones. Rampage has always had excellent wrestling, but who knows what would happen if it was put against one of the most explosive, never-know-what-he’s-going-to-hit-you-with wrestlers in the entire UFC? And if it remains on the feet, we’re practically guaranteed to see fists flying non-stop, with both men swinging for the fences. It may not have the raw hatred of the Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans super-fight, but it has all the potential.

2. Lyoto Machida

This one gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Despite all the detractors saying that the Machida riddle has been solved, I think Lyoto Machida is destined for another reign as Light Heavyweight Champion. His elusiveness and his ever-improving stand-up would be a perfect foil for Jones’ dominant grappling and unpredictable striking. If it ever happens, I fully expect both men to pull out some of the craziest things we’ve ever seen in the Octagon.

But my number one spot just has to go to…

1. Anderson Silva

Talk about a dream-match. So long as we get the “fighting” Silva and not the “dancing” Silva (even a hardcore Silva fan such as myself will admit that there are seemingly two sides to the suddenly-controversial long-reigning UFC Middleweight Champion), this has the potential to be one of the greatest MMA fights of all time. I can’t even imagine how awesome it would be to see Jon Jones try another one of his crazy strikes or throws, only for Silva to land an even-crazier dodge or counter-strike. This one would be all over the place, but every single second would be one to remember. If it ever happens, this fight would go down as the toughest fight of Jon Jones’ career, and I’m not talking about “up to that point”, I’m talking about his toughest fight ever, period, regardless of who he faces in a career that looks so bright, has so much potential, and could last for quite some time.

So that’s my picks, fans and friends. Who do you want to see try and solve the enigma that is Jon “Bones” Jones?

5. Junior dos Santos

This should be simple enough: mix a couple dozen decaying fleshbags with two big fists, and you’ve got a recipe for getting out of a close-quarters worst-case scenario relatively unscathed. The problem here would be minimizing splatter, so as not to infect those around you. The process would be simple enough: loot a sports hardware store for some boxing gloves. Loot a local police station for some riot gear, especially the helmet. Add the two together, make sure there are no open wounds on him, and then let JDS loose to knock some heads off of some shoulders. When he returns covered in gore and with a giant sack of gurgling zombie heads ready to be disposed of, be sure to thank him.

4. War Machine

The fighter formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver seems to continuously redefine the term “rock bottom” on a month-to-month basis, whether it’s busting some skulls at a porn party or heading off to serve a year’s hard time. Having no brain to speak of, in a zombie apocalypse Mr. Machine would be a Holy Grail of stupid. Just send him into a crowd of zombies, make him grunt and shamble away aimlessly as if in search of food, and revel in your good fortune as the undying hordes turn tail and leave you alone, having been thoroughly convinced that Mr. Machine is just as brainless as they are, and therefore just as reliable when it comes to tracking food. There should be plenty of booze left over now that the world has ended, so just keep that liquor pumping through his veins and he’ll be the gift that keeps on giving.

3. Lyoto Machida

If you made a list of people that would not only survive but actually thrive in a zombie apocalypse, “The Dragon” would have to be near the top. First and foremost, Machida is a survivor. If your water supply is suddenly cut off, Machida would be the first in line to go into the bathroom and come out with a tasty, life-sustaining beverage. Plus, he could probably weave in and out of a crowd of zombies and emerge without a single bite-mark or even a scratch, giving you ample time to run in the other direction

2. Wanderlei Silva

I know what you’re thinking…it’s because of the whole “Axe Murderer” thing, right? Not so. Wanderlei Silva would survive a zombie apocalypse simply because I’ve only met a handful of people that have ever had a bad word to say about Wanderlei Silva. Even in their newfound unlife, the necrotic masses will likely find Wanderlei’s charm and good-natured attitude irresistible. Expect to see Wanderlei signing pictures and posing with fans even as a zombie-fan’s arm falls off after attempting that weird twisty-spin thing Wanderlei always does with his hands.

And the #1 pick, as if you were expecting anyone else, is…

1. The Korean Zombie

If I was a betting man, and the wager was an army of zombies versus Jung Chan Sung, I’d put everything I ever owned on The Korean Zombie. Not only am I convinced that he would absorb everything the zombies could throw at him, I’m almost positive that whatever’s left of their feeble little brains will recognize how impossible their task is and actually become followers of the Zombie. A zombie apocalypse would be his dream and our nightmare. Always marching forward with his ever-growing army of the damned, Jung Chan-Sung would be the death of us all.

So don’t pretend like it couldn’t happen. Because it’s coming, sooner or later. But what about you, fans and friends? Which fighters do you think would survive in the land of the living dead?

Should Dos Santos find himself staring across the Octagon at Cain Velasquez, Junior’s best bet is to pace himself and fight smarter, not harder. However, if he can rock Cain the way Cheick Kongo rocked Cain, he may have to throw it all out there and go for the kill. If Dos Santos finds himself on his back, people seem to forget that Dos Santos trains BJJ with the Nogueira brothers. I don’t see Dos Santos dominating Cain on the ground, but I do see him being able to get the fight standing after absorbing minimal damage. I think Cain may find it hard to even get Dos Santos down, since “Cigano” looked almost insulted and easily blocked the takedowns of Gabriel Gonzaga in their recent fight. So long as the fight remains standing and Dos Santos picks his shots while possessing the cardio to last five rounds, Junior Dos Santos would have a great shot at winning via KO or TKO.

Against Brock Lesnar, Dos Santos wins this one so long as he is once again able to keep it standing, and this will be a tall order against someone that possesses one of the fiercest takedowns in the business. This would simply be a case of a regular-sized Heavyweight going up against the freakishly athletic behemoths that are quickly becoming the norm for the UFC’s Heavyweight division. Even with his BJJ background, I think Dos Santos would be taken down at will in a fight with Brock Lesnar. Junior’s best bet would be to make Lesnar pay each time he tries a takedown: even if it results in him still getting taken down, Dos Santos needs to knee Brock in the face or land an uppercut before inevitably getting dragged to the ground. Constantly getting taken down will likely be Dos Santos’ downfall if the fight goes to the judges, but if he can land just one good counter, Dos Santos has a shot at knocking Lesnar out or TKO’ing him.

If it’s Roy “Big Country” Nelson that takes on Cain Velasquez, Nelson would actually be better suited taking Velasquez to the ground. If Nelson trades with Velasquez for too long, he could find himself getting TKO’d by a superior striker, which is exactly what happened when Nelson met Andrei Arlovski. The Arlovski fight suffered from a clearly biased judge that stood the fight up right as Nelson was making his way into a dominant position, and since then, people seem to have attached this stigma of Roy Nelson just lying on his opponents whenever the fight goes to the ground. If Nelson can remain active on the ground, I don’t see Cain having the power to brute-force Nelson off of him. Nelson needs to advance to his beloved Crucifix position and rain down enough blows to force a stoppage. It’s worked wonderfully in the past, and if he can get it on Cain Velasquez, it’ll work again.

Nelson’s gameplan is almost entirely reversed when it comes to fighting Brock Lesnar instead of Cain Velasquez. Lesnar has enough freakish strength to both take down Nelson with relatively little struggle, and to also shove Nelson off from on top of him through brute force alone. Nelson should only take this one to the ground if he’s close to scoring a TKO, otherwise I see Lesnar getting the better of him. Big Country’s striking has never looked better since he came into the UFC, and Lesnar’s striking has never looked as bad as it did during his recent fight with Shane Carwin.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you think Junior Dos Santos or Roy Nelson have the ability to beat Cain Velasquez or Brock Lesnar? Also, who do you see winning the fight between Dos Santos and Nelson?

The first and perhaps most obvious choice is Cain Velasquez. Velasquez is seemingly the perfect amalgam of Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin: Cain possesses both brutal ground and pound and vicious one-hit knockout power. Cain is also relatively new to the sport of MMA, and like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, his quick and relatively painless run to the top leaves the door open for years of domination. Velasquez is also one of the UFC’s most marketable stars. The son of an illegal immigrant, Velasquez will likely be a key figure in developing and continuing any sort of UFC deal with Mexico, up to and including an event in Mexico or even coaching a “Team Mexico” for The Ultimate Fighter. Even without his heritage, Velasquez’s seemingly unstoppable mix of grounding, pounding, and striking makes him one of the best Heavyweights in the world, a fact that I don’t see changing for quite some time.

Another choice that will likely come as a shocker to none is Junior Dos Santos. I’ve said it in the past, and it bears repeating: I’ve learned to never again bet against Junior Dos Santos. For all the MMA purists that swear up and down that a good ground fight is just as good as and even better than two guys sloppily swinging for the fences, nobody can deny that the chance to see a highlight-reel KO is one of the main reasons we all tune in to this sport of ours. And Junior Dos Santos has delivered at least one highlight-reel moment in every single one of his UFC fights to date. Most fans are well aware that his ground skills have yet to be truly tested, and while I think he will have his hands full if he takes on wrestling powerhouses like Lesnar and Velasquez, I truly believe that Dos Santos could separate any and every man currently competing in the UFC’s Heavyweight division from his consciousness. The UFC Heavyweight Division has lacked a championship-level “pure striker” since the days of Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, and Junior Dos Santos fits that mold perfectly. Even if he won’t be able to stand up to the ground game of some of the Heavyweight elite, I see Junior Dos Santos consistently near the top of the cards for the next several years.

My final choice may shock a few people, it may not. But here it is: Roy Nelson. I’ve been a fan of “Big Country” since his days in the IFL, and his performances inside the Octagon have got me thinking that Roy Nelson has only just begun to realize his potential. His striking has never looked sharper, and his ground game continues to evolve and improve. Plus, he’ll always have the appeal of being a non-standard Heavyweight. Seeing Big Country rub his big belly after turning in another exciting performance will likely never get old. While it’s anyone’s guess as to if he can get past Junior Dos Santos in their upcoming fight, I think Nelson has more than enough skill to consistently be “in the mix”. He may not reach the same heights as Junior Dos Santos or Cain Velasquez, but if he continues to improve, the top-tier better be ready to handle the weight of Big Country.

So what do you think, fans and friends? Who do you see sitting atop or consistently being contenders to the UFC Heavyweight throne?

For Fighters.com and UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (5-1) it’s been a three-year roller coaster from MMA novelty to undisputed heavyweight champion.  But, after former top-ranked “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko’s (31-2) stunning loss to “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1)  at Strikeforce/M-1 Global in San Jose June 26 and Lesnar’s arm triangle submission of Shane Carwin (12-1) at UFC 116 Saturday, there can be no dispute among any rational fan, fighter, journalist, or promoter that indeed Lesnar now sits atop the mountain in the world heavyweight rankings.

The debate is over, for now.

Lesnar already has second-ranked Cain Velasquez’s (8-0) name on his dance card to defend his new status.

Throughout the last year’s Emelianenko-Lesnar debate, UFC President Dana White repeated “the best fighters in the world fight the best three times per year.”  Yet, Lesnar has never passed that threshold.  Of course, Lesnar suffered from diverticulitis for several months, which postponed his UFC title defense until Saturday.  However, even without the illness, Lesnar would’ve only fought twice in 2009.

Fighters.com challenges White to make good on his promise to keep Lesnar on a four-month fight schedule, which would perch the Lesnar-Velasquez matchup at the top of the UFC 121 card rumored to be heading for Oberhausen, Germany.  More likely though, White will end the year with the matchup at UFC 122 in Las Vegas.

At UFC 117 in Oakland August 7, it seems the next top UFC contender will be decided betwen third-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (11-2) and The Ultimate Fighter 10 champion “Big Country” Roy Nelson (15-4).

Werdum ascends to the fourth spot with his submission of Emelianenko in the matchup promoted to determine the next Strikeforce title challenger to ninth-ranked “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (33-11).  However, it seems that was only if Emelianenko had won. Since the inconcievable Werdum victory, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has thrown just about every potential matchup at the wall to see what sticks except the natural Overeem-Werdum title fight to crown a clear Strikeforce champion.  Maybe Werdum and Emelianenko will rematch.  Maybe Overeem and Emelianenko will fight for the title to determine who gets the next crack at higher-ranked Werdum.  It’s all confusing and Fighters.com encourages Coker to go with plan A and match the champ Overeem with the top contender Werdum.

Carwin drops to the fifth spot with his loss to Lesnar.  Carwin…dare I use the word…dominated Lesnar in round one, but exposed a weakness on his back in round two that must be fixed if 35-year old Carwin expects to make another run to the top.

Emelianenko drops to the sixth spot.  I’m willing to have a reasonable discussion about where Emelianenko ranks, but not with anyone who’ll continue to rank Emelianenko first.  You’re delusional.  Part of Emelianenko’s ranking is just circumstantial.  For right now, Werdum is a better fighter than Emelianenko as evidenced by the actual fight in which Werdum defeated Emelianenko.  There’s no would’ves, should’ves, or could’ves to discuss after two fighters fight.  Therefore, Werdum must rank above Emelianenko.  Similarly, Werdum was knocked out by dos Santos at UFC 90 west of Chicago in October 2008.  In an effort to rank fighters presently and not historically, Fighters.com limits the considered record of fighters to their work in the previous two years.  Therefore, dos Santos must rank above Werdum who must rank above Emelianenko.  That’s Fighters.com’s method and why Emelianenko ranks sixth after losing to Werdum.

Neither seventh-ranked Frank Mir (13-5) nor eighth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1) have any scheduled or rumored fights on their calendars.

Though Coker had mentioned rematching tenth-ranked “The Grimm” Brett Rogers (10-2) and former UFC heavyweight champion “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (15-8), Fighters.com has confirmed both with Rogers’s camp and Strikeforce that the rematch has never been officially offered to Rogers.

Fighters.com’s July Heavyweight Top Ten

1. Brock Lesnar (5-1)
2. Cain Velasquez (8-0)
3. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (11-2)
4. “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1)
5. Shane Carwin (12-1)
6. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-2)
7. Frank Mir (13-5)
8. “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1)
9. “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (33-11)
10. “The Grimm” Brett Rogers (10-2)