Jul 21, 2012; Calgary, AB, CANADA; Matt Riddle (blue gloves) celebrates defeating Chris Clements welterweight bout of UFC 149 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Former UFC welterweight Matt Riddle was released by the promotion following his second failed drug test for marijuana in his last three fights. Both of the fights were initially wins for Riddle, but they were overturned to a no contest from the governing bodies. Immediately following his release, Riddle signed on with Legacy Fighting Championship but he has already decided to leave for a new home.

News surfaced late Friday night that Riddle has agreed to join Bellator.

AXS TV’s Inside MMA broke the news:

BREAKING NEWS – Matt Riddle is leaving @legacyfighting for @bellatormma details of contracts are being hammered out.

— Inside MMA (@InsideMMAaxstv) May 18, 2013

Luckily for Riddle, there are reports that Bellator doesn’t drug test their fighters on a consistent basis, so that could end up being a benefit for him while he tries to get a few more wins under his belt. He is very open about his marijuana usage and he smokes legally, as he proved to everyone on Twitter.

However, there is a time and place for everything and the final stages of your training camp is not the appropriate time.

Riddle is a very talented fighter who has just made poor choices leading up to fights, so hopefully he will be able to pass whatever tests he undergoes.

Apr 20, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; Nate Diaz (left) fights Josh Thomson (right) during the lightweight bout of the UFC on Fuel TV at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Nate Diaz made some headlines when he responded to the news that fellow lightweight Pat Healy had his fight night bonuses from UFC 159 taken away because of a failed drug tests becuase of marijuana metabolites in his system. Diaz expressed his opinions on the situation via social media, but it was a derogatory term that he used to describe UFC president Dana White that caught the attention of UFC official.

White was unhappy with the comments and stated that Diaz would be released from the promotion or heavily fined for the homosexual slur.

Luckily for Diaz, White chose the latter punishment.

“UFC lightweight Nate Diaz has received an immediate 90-day suspension and $20,000 fine for violating the UFC’s fighter code of conduct,” the UFC announced in a statement. “The language used in his tweet was regrettable, offensive and inconsistent with the values and culture of the organization, and is not tolerated.

“The money will be donated to charity.”

It could have been a lot worse for Diaz, so he is lucky to get away with only the fine and brief suspension.

Diaz will have to think twice before sending out messages on social media in the future and this will be a warning for all fighters on the UFC roster.

Nov 17, 2012; Montreal, QC, Canada; A wide view of the octagon as Alessio Sakara fights Patrick Cote during their Middleweight bout at UFC 154 at the Bell Centre. Sakara was disqualified for an illegal hit and Cote won. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Weigh-ins were held this afternoon for tomorrow night’s UFC on FX 8 event that is headlined by a middleweight scrap between Vitor Belfort and former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold. The event will be held at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

John Cholish was the only fighter to miss weight, but he has one hour to get under the 156-pound weight limit. The rest of the fighters hit their mark.

Here are the official UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold weigh-in results:
MAIN CARD

• Vitor Belfort (186) vs. Luke Rockhold (186)
• Chris Camozzi (186) vs. Ronaldo Souza(186)
• Rafael dos Anjos (156) vs. Evan Dunham(156)
• Rafael Natal (186) vs. Joao Zeferino (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Hacran Dias (146) vs. Nik Lentz (146)
• Mike Rio (156) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (154)
• John Cholish (156.2)* vs. Gleison Tibau (156)
• Michel Prazeres (171) vs. Paulo Thiago (170)
• Yuri Alcantara (136) vs. Iliarde Santos (134)
• Roger Hollett (204) vs. Fabio Maldonado (205)
• Azamat Gashimov (126) vs. John Lineker (126)
• Chris Cariaso (126) vs. Jussier Formiga (126)
• Jeremy Larsen (155) vs. Lucas Martins (153)

* – Has one hour to make weight

Apr 20, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; Nate Diaz fights Josh Thomson (not pictured) during the lightweight bout of the UFC on Fuel TV at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Diaz Brothers have never been known to keep quiet when they didn’t appreciate something, so it should come as no surprise that little brother Nate is in trouble with the UFC boss after a derogatory comment he wrote on Twitter. Diaz, a very avid marijuana smoker, did not appreciate the UFC taking away bonus money from Pat Healy after his failed drug test because of marijuana metabolites in his system and he wasn’t afraid to share his thoughts.

“I feel bad for Pat Healy that they took a innocent mans money and I think the guy who took the money is the biggest Fag in the world,” Diaz wrote. He followed up that message with an interesting hash tag.

When UFC president Dana White caught wind of the comments, he went to The Underground to respond and it was clear that he wasn’t happy.

“He will be cut or fined for that tweet. [Expletive] ridiculous ,” White wrote.

It would be surprising if the UFC released Diaz, but they have released fighters from the roster because of social media comments before. Bantamweight Miguel Torres was previously released from the organization because of his “rape van” tweet.

Diaz will likely just receive a very hefty fine and stern warning from Dana White. In the end, the two will make up and get past their beef. After all, this is just Nate Diaz being Nate Diaz.

Apr 27, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Bryan Caraway (blue shorts) prior to fighting Johnny Bedford (not pictured) during UFC 159 at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

UFC lightweight Pat Healy earned $130,000 in fight night bonuses after UFC 159, but a failed drug test has forced the organization to reverse their decision to give Healy the bonuses and now Bryan Caraway has been given the $65,000 bonus for Submission of the Night for his finish of Johnny Bedford on the night’s preliminary card.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the decision on Wednesday.

@_royy it’s known up front that checks are held until everyone passes the drug test. Brian Caraway get the SON now. Healy did himself dirty.

— Dana White (@danawhite) May 15, 2013

Healy issued a statement on the failed drug test, which was caused by marijuana metabolites in his system, and he took full responsibility for his actions. He ended up hurting no one but himself and now he must pay up the consequences.

For Caraway, he lobbied to have the fight night bonuses raised to $65,000 at UFC 159 when he was backstage with Dana White, so he will get to receive the benefits of his own politicking.

He finished Bedford with just 16 seconds remaining on the clock.

August 4, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brandon Vera fights Shogun Rua during UFC on FOX at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

At one point earlier in his career, UFC fighter Brandon Vera had hopes of being a two division champion at heavyweight and light-heavyweight. After a brilliant start to his UFC career, Vera stumbled and was never able to find his way. He became dedicated to the light-heavyweight division for a number of years, but now he is looking to move back up to heavyweight this summer.

MMA Junkie is reporting that Vera will be meeting Ben Rothwell at UFC 164 on August 31 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

The loser of this bout will likely end up being released from the organization.

In his last five fights in the octagon, Vera is 1-3 with one no contest, while Rothwell sits at 2-3.

Vera vs. Rothwell is the first fight to be confirmed for UFC 164, but Diego Sanchez has been rumored to be on the fight card along with heavyweight Alistair Overeem. There is currently no word on whether or not the Vera vs. Rothwell fight will be on the main card or preliminary card, but it would make sense to use Vera in a featured fight on the undercard.

The folks at Showtime are looking to get back in the mixed martial arts world after losing Strikeforce and it looks like they could have their eyes on a certain promotion that has been generating a lot of buzz. Showtime Sports executive Stephen Espinoza said earlier in the week during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that Showtime was ”figuring a way back into MMA” and all-female promotion Invicta FC was the promotion that Espinoza mentioned by name.

“I definitely want it back,” said Espinoza. “I think we, as a company, want it back.

“If there was an obvious choice or a clear choice about getting back into MMA, we would’ve done it already. But I agree that, probably the highest visibility, probably the most noteworthy promotion that’s distinguished itself out there, other than the ones aligned with TV networks, is probably Invicta.

“The UFC relationship (with Invicta FC) is absolutely not a problem, whatsoever. I still run into those guys, from the Fertitta’s, to part of their management, from Lawrence Epstein to Peter Dropick, and it’s friendly. It was a situation that didn’t work out, but bygones are bygones. It was a strange situation that no one really created in and of themselves, so you move on and look for the next opportunity.”

Invicta currently has no television deal, but they are able to put on incredible events one after another. They have been dabbling with the online pay-per view platform, but a deal with Showtime would be huge for exposure.

The UFC could also be interested in a potential Showtime-Invicta partnership.

With the UFC currently building up the female division and UFC president Dana White saying that more women’s divisions were coming to the UFC soon, the exposure for Invicta would only help build stars within the women’s divisions as they prepare to make the leap to the big show. It would be a win-win.

What do you think of Showtime potentially reaching a deal with Invicta FC? Sound off in the comments section and share your thoughts.

Apr 27, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Roy Nelson (white shorts) celebrates defeating Cheick Kongo (yellow and grey shorts) during UFC 159 at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt is expected to face former champions Junior Dos Santos at UFC 160 next weekend, but visa issues have put Hunt’s status for the fight in jeopardy. UFC officials and the fight participants are hopeful that Hunt will be able to make it to Las Vegas for the event, but if he is not, there is a backup plan.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com reported on UFC Tonight that the UFC has asked Roy Nelson to apply for a license to fight Dos Santos on May 25 if Hunt is unable to go.

Nelson and Dos Santos previously faced off in August of 2010 at UFC 117 when Dos Santos bruised and battered Nelson for all three rounds before earning the unanimous decision victory, but both fighters have grown since then and it would be a very exciting fight.

For Nelson, he most recently fought less than a month ago at UFC 159 in New Jersey where he earned a first-round knockout win over Cheick Kongo. “Big Country” is currently riding a three-fight win streak and a win over Dos Santos would certainly catapult him to the top of the title picture.

We should learn Hunt’s fate in the next few days, so stay tuned to FanSided.com as we keep you updated with the latest developments.

Apr 27, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Pat Healy (black shorts) celebrates defeating Jim Miller (blue and red shorts) during UFC 159 at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

UFC lightweight Pat Healy earned a third-round stoppage victory over Jim Miller at UFC 159 last month, but the result has been overturned to a no contest. The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board does not release names of fighters who test positive for banned substances during an event, but Healy confirmed that he had tested positive for marijuana and failed his post-fight drug test.

Healy took responsibility for the positive drug test and released a statement on the situation:

“I would like to start off by apologizing to the UFC, Jim Miller, the MMA community, its fans, my family, teammates and coaches for my positive testing for marijuana after my UFC 159 fight with Jim Miller,” he stated. “I was fully aware of the UFC and state commission’s drug policies and made poor life choices.

“I stand behind the UFC and state commission’s disciplinary actions. I support efforts to make MMA (and sports) a clean, safe and fair place to compete.

“I made a very poor choice to socially use marijuana and now I must face the consequences of that choice. I can assure you that I will do everything the UFC and state commission asks of me and beyond. I will make a conscious effort to be a better role model within the MMA community.”

Healy earned an extra $130,000 on top of his base salary for the fight because he earned bonuses for ”Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night.” Unfortuantely for Healy, the UFC’s new drug test policy calls for the organization to withhold fight night bonuses if there is a positive test.

The UFC has not yet commented on the situation, but a statement regarding Healy’s full punishment should be released in the coming days.

February 4, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Carlos Condit (left) fights against Nick Diaz (right) during UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Carlos Codit defeated Nick Diaz. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The rumors started swirling that UFC welterweight Nick Diaz was ready to dabble in the promotional business by starting his own mixed martial arts promotion based out of his hometown of Stockton, California. The speculation started when a website for a planned promotion called WAR Mixed Martial Arts at NickDiazPromotions.com popped up, along with a Twitter account.

Now, all of the rumors are becoming a reality.

The California State Athletic Commission told MMA Junkie that Diaz is indeed in the process of applying for his promotional license in the state.

Per their report:

An official with the California State Athletic Commission on Monday told MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com) that Diaz has started the process of applying for a promoter’s license in the state. Diaz, along with his brother Nate, famously are based in Stockton, Calif.

The official cautioned, however, that much still needed to be done before WAR MMA could put on a show. Among the items the CSAC would need to review prior to approving a license include financial statements, resumes and an article of incorporation.

The official did say that a background check on Diaz performed by the CSAC came back clean.

Diaz has said he wants to retire from fighting, but it looks like he has plans to stay in the sport.

The War MMA promotion looks to be in the process of coming to fruition, so it Diaz could go from fighter to business man. One thing is for sure: This has the makings of must-see television and you know Diaz would be able to get fighters to come fight under his banner. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.

Mar 15, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Nick Diaz and his entourage make their way to the stage during the weight-in for UFC 158 at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

UFC welterweight Nick Diaz claims that he has retired from fighting, but it doesn’t look like he is ready to step away from the sport just yet. Rumors are beginning to surface that Diaz could be in the process of starting up his own mixed martial arts promotion based out of his hometown of Stockton, California.

How did the rumors begin? It all started today with the purchase of a domain name (http://www.nickdiazpromotions.com/) and this Twitter account.

There is also this logo that has been attached to both accounts:

Photo via NickDiazPromotions.com

Of course, if the rumor is true, it will likely be a number of months before anything would develop.

Then there is the fact that Diaz has almost no real business experience, so we have to wonder how successful Diaz could really be running a promotion. In order for this plan to succeed, Diaz would need to hire a business guy to run the ins and outs of the business.

On the plus side, Diaz has the type of personality that a number of fighters would be attracted to. He wouldn’t have to work hard to get guys to fight under his banner and he could fight his own battles in the cage.

These rumors are just beginning to surface, so be sure to stay tuned as more information becomes available.

Oct. 28, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Chuck Liddell during weigh ins for UFC 137 at the Mandalay Bay event center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell has been retired from the sport after suffering back-to-back-to-back knockout losses, but he will always be remembered as one of the most exciting fighters in mixed martial arts history and as a fighter that was always coming out to put on a show. If Liddell didn’t score the knockout, he was likely to be on the wrong end of a fight ending punch. That style led to the end of his career, but it also helped build his legacy.

Liddell was able to earn 13 knockout finishes during his time in the sport, but now as a senior VP at Zuffa LLC, Liddell seems to see fighters not fighting with the same killer instinct that helped make the fight popular.

Instead, Liddell seems fighters playing it safe and just hoping to get another fight.

For the current crop of fighters who are looking to make a major impact and make their mark on the sport, Liddell has some great advice on how to get noticed and make a splash on the scene.

“I’d really have to talk to the guys to see if that’s really what they’re doing” Liddell said, via U-T San Diego. “I see it like guys are trying a lot more to just get their win so they can get their next fight. When we were doing it, it was a lot more about just going out and fighting. I hate hearing in a UFC corner ‘you won the first four rounds, just stay away from him this round.

“The guy doesn’t have a knockout punch, hasn’t taken you down the whole fight, why do you have to go be afraid of him?” Liddell said. “Go out and win! Make it exciting, go knock him out, finish the fight.”

Most mixed martial arts fans would have to agree.

Point fighting has resulted in a number of stale fights that litter the fight cards and it has lead to a watered down and less appealing product in the octagon.

UFC president Dana White has done his best to reward fighters who go out their and actually fight and he urges them to put on stellar performances, but some fight camps and coaches tend to take the safer approach and extend their career despite losing fans in the process.

If current fighters are listening to Liddell, let’s hope the Hall of Famers words are enough to motivate them and get them to go into their next fight looking to score a finish and fight night bonus.

Apr 26, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Leonard Garcia weighs in for his featherweight bout against Cody McKenzie (not pictured) at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Former UFC featherweight Leonard Garcia was released from the promotion following his loss to Cody McKenzie at last month’s UFC 159 event. In an interview with MMA Sentinel, Garcia said that he is already receiving offers from multiple organizations. He has no plans to join Bellator because of their feud with the UFC, which he hopes to return to after getting a few quality wins under his belt.

The organizations that Garcia mentioned as potential suitors were ONE FC, World Series of Fighting and Legacy FC.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the interview came whenever Garcia mentioned his future plans for his training. Garcia said that he hopes to split time between his usual home at Greg Jackson’s and Team Alpha Male in California.

“This had to happen for me to make some type of change. Of course, I’ve got my cousin, Duane Ludwig, out there with Team Alpha Male, and he’s been texting me like crazy,” Garcia said during the interview. “He’s like, ‘Hey man, the problem is that guys can take you down and hold you down. I’ve got a room full of people that can take you down and hold you down. You need to get up here and do what you’ve got to do to get back to the UFC.’

“Greg (Jackson) agreed. He said, ‘Yeah, let’s send you out there for a little while and see how that fits. Maybe do half your camp up there and half your camp down here, and we’ll figure it out.’”

If Garcia could have the same kind of success training with Ludwig at Team Alpha Male as the rest of the fight team’s fighters have had in their recent fights, it could be a career revival that will set him up for a few more good years before he calls it quits on his career.

Jan, 20 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; UFC welterweight Duane Ludwig boxes with Josh Neer during a bout in the UFC on FX 1 event. Neer defeated ludwig. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Since Duane Ludwig hung up his gloves and turned his attention towards coaching, his pupils at Team Alpha Male have been on a roll with some incredibly improved striking. Ludwig has had an immediate impact on the fighters and it could be his unique approach to coaching and cornering.

During an interview with MMA Mania, Ludwig shed some light on his coaching techniques and he has a somewhat unorthodox approach that could raise a few eyebrows.

From MMA Mania:

So what’s Ludwig’s secret weapon helping him take these already talented fighters to the next level? His answer (taken from part two of tonight’s exclusive interview with “Bang”) may surprise you.

“It’s freakin legal. Let me address this issue. When I watch film, I watch film normal how I am now. Then I watch film when I’m high on marijuana. I also watch the film again when I have Alpha Brain in my system. I watch film from three different states of consciousness just to get different looks at things. Just to see if maybe I missed a step or a nice little detail just to get different looks on things. I take this serious as hell.”

It is definitely a unique approach and it is hard to knock Ludwig because it has obviously worked.

Some of the most successful figures in combat sports have used marijuana to influence and enhance their work. Just look at Eddie Bravo, who formed an entire system of jiu jitsu — 10th Planet — that was influenced by his marijuana usage.

Ludwig needs to continue doing what he is doing and looking at the film from the different states of mind. If he continues to be successful as his coach at Team Alpha Male, the likes of Urijah Hall, Joe Benevidez, Chad Mendes, TJ Dillashaw and Danny Castillo will continue to rise back up the UFC rankings.

Nov 17, 2012; Montreal, QC, Canada; A wide view of the octagon as Alessio Sakara fights Patrick Cote during their Middleweight bout at UFC 154 at the Bell Centre. Sakara was disqualified for an illegal hit and Cote won. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin announced late Tuesday night on Twitter that he has decided to walk away from mixed martial arts. He officially announced his retirement after a nearly two year layoff.

Officially retired 2day:-) thank you to my family, friends and fans! #dreambig GOD BLESS!!!

— Shane Carwin (@ShaneCarwin) May 8, 2013

Carwin was a fan favorite who began his career with a 12-0 record, with all wins by way of stoppage. He was able to score a knockout over Frank Mir to earn the UFC interim heavyweight championship, which earned him a shot at then champion Brock Lesnar.

Unfortunately for Carwin, he came close to unifying the title and becoming the undisputed champ, but Lesnar was able to recover and dominate Carwin to retain his title. Following the loss to Lesnar, Carwin was bloodied and battered in a lop-sided decision loss to future champion Junior Dos Santos. That was the last time we would see Carwin in the cage.

Carwin spend nearly the next two years recovering from back surgery and then was supposed to face off against Roy Nelson after a coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter, but he suffered a serious knee injury that ultimately led him to the decision to hang up the gloves for good.

He may end his career on a two-fight losing streak, but Carwin will always be remembered as a tough, gritty fighter that always put on a show for the fans.

Apr 27, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Jon Jones during a press conference after UFC 159 at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Every time Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, or Georges St-Pierre win a fight, the discussion among fans and media always turns to the exact same question:

Is now the time to have Jones/Silva/St-Pierre take on Silva/St-Pierre/Jones?

Now I’m not talking about some crazy triple threat match (though how cool would that be?), nor do I think anyone’s really calling for a Jon Jones vs. GSP “superfight” (it would be “super” in that St-Pierre would need to “super” size all his meals just to get up to Jon’s weight).

But you get my point: whenever any of these guys put on a dominant title defence, the first question out of every fan’s mouth is “When are we going to see you fight the champion in another weight class?”

Last night, Jones turned in as crushing a performance as we’ve seen from him – and we’ve seen some pretty crushing performances from the UFC’s light-heavyweight champion, so that’s truly saying something. He completely blew an over-matched Chael Sonnen out of the water in a way no one has before (including Anderson Silva, who beat him twice). In less than a round, he took the “Oregon gangster” and showed him what positional control and strikes from the top position was really all about.

In a “normal” Jones fight, he breaks his opponents bones (the “elbow of doom” to Brandon Vera’s orbital bone comes to mind). Against Chael Sonnen last night at UFC 159 he was so impressive that he broke his own bone, namely his left big toe, which dangled off him quite humorously/nauseatingly during his post-fight interview.

That’s Jon Jones for ya – the sort of fighter who breaks a bone before he breaks a sweat.

So of course, Jones turns in another dominant title defence in the UFC’s marquee division, and the first question is obviously “when are you fighting Anderson Silva?”. Silva vs. Jones has, over the past year, overtaken Silva vs. GSP as “the fight” fans want to see. With Jones finally admitting that this fight will “obviously happen” (before, both he and Anderson remained quite coy about the possibility of this fight being made) and GSP once again throwing cold water on the possibility of Silva/St-Pierre, you can understand why fans are leaning this way.

And it makes even more sense when you consider Jon’s schedule of late. In the case of a GSP, moving up in weight to chase Anderson Silva seems kind of silly, continuing how stacked his division is. Look at GSP’s schedule over the last few years. He’s basically fought two kinds of opponents: the absolute elite of the division, and Dan Hardy (sorry Dan). And Silva has been much the same way, the Stephan Bonnar fight notwithstanding.

But Jones? He’s faced Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen, two natural 185′ers with no legitimate claim to a title shot at 205 besides the word of Dana White and the cruel hand of fate. In Jon’s case, it’s easy to see why fans want to see him in a “superfight” – because fighting washouts from another division sort of makes it seem like you’ve cleaned your own division out.

Only that’s not true. And before we start salivating at the prospect of a “Bones” vs. “Spider” rumble, here are a few things for Jon to consider first:

His toe: Oh dear God that was nasty. If you’re one of the eight MMA fans who hasn’t checked out a picture of Jon’s gnarly toe, you can do so here. An injury like this probably won’t “derail his career” or “hurt his potential” or anything silly like that. We won’t be sitting around in ten years wondering what Jon Jones could have been if his toes were only 100%

What it does do is put the normally busy Jones on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Give it three months for healing/rehab, and another three months of training and preparation, and you’re looking at a October/November return at the earliest. A lot can happen between now and then, and not just for Jones. Remember that Chris Weidman awaits Anderson Silva this summer, and an upset there would pretty much kill any chance of Silva vs. Jones ever happening.

Alexander Gustafsson: Before Jones goes looking to pick a fight with yet another middleweight, he should consider truly cleaning out his division first. If you asked many MMA fans, they’d tell you he already has, same as Silva and GSP already have. But that’s wrong on all counts. GSP is set to face Johny Hendricks, his most dangerous title challenger in years. Anderson, as stated above, is facing off with Chris Weidman, who’s untested but also undefeated. And for Jones – Gustafsson is waiting in the wings.

In his last four fights, Gustafsson has downed Matt Hamill, Vladimir Matyushenko, Thiago Silva, and “Shogun” Rua. Sound familiar? With the exception of Silva (a tough and dangerous LHW contender) those are the exact guys Jones himself ran through on the way to his title. Gustafsson possesses the height, range, and overall MMA versatility to test Jones. It would truly be a shame to see Jon bolt the division without facing the ultra-talented Swede first.

Daniel Cormier: I debated putting Phil Davis on this list, because he did turn in a win last night (the fight wasn’t great, but Davis looked good in it). But I think Phil’s still too raw and undeveloped to be considered right in the title picture. A few more years, and he could be the guy to dethrone Jones. Right now, though, when it comes to ultra-athletic, elite-wrestlers with the size, power, and style to defeat Jon Jones, only one names comes to mind.

Daniel Cormier would, in my mind, represent the greatest challenge of Jon’s career. He brings an absolutely impeccable amateur wrestling background, including an NCAA Division I national championship. That is worlds beyond anything Jon’s done (outside the cage, anyways). Jon’s normal mammoth size advantage would be negated against Cormier, a natural heavyweight. And Cormier has the power in his hands to give anyone he connects with problems.

This would be a great fight for Jon to test the waters of heavyweight without actually moving up (Cormier has said he would drop to 205 for this fight). It would also be a clash of two of the freakiest athletes in all of MMA, and the first time in a long time a Jon Jones fight didn’t seem to have a foregone conclusion. Hell, I’d tune in just to see who would win the position battle once these two bulls locked up.

Bottom line: Jon Jones has plenty of work to do before a fight with Silva should even be considered.

Apr 26, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Jon Jones (left) and Chael Sonnen face off after the weigh-in at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Chael Sonnen is now 0-2 against current UFC champions after Jon Jones blew him out of the water at UFC 159. What’s worse – at some point in the fight, Jones broke his foot.

Sonnen, as he always does, came right to start the fight, opening with a lead leg kick. Jones quickly responded with an authoritative takedown, but Sonnen bounced back up. Jon shot for another takedown, but this time he was stuffed. He went back to the well again, and this time dragged Sonnen back to the mat, landing an elbow. Sonnen worked back up again, and the two men jockeyed for position against the fence. Jones missed a signature spinning elbow, but he definitely didn’t miss a HUGE takedown moments later. This time, the champ didn’t let Sonnen get back to his feet, and absolutely unloaded on him with punches and elbows. Sonnen tried to turtle up against the fence, but the champion was relentless, and the referee had no choice but to stop it.

After the fight, Jones, Joe Rogan, and the viewers made a horrifying descovery: at some point in the fight, Jones had broken his big toe. He was clearly in tremendous pain during the post-fight interview, which was one of the weirdest in recent memory, with Rogan interviewing Jones on a stool while doctors worked him over.

For those of you with strong stomachs, you can check out this narly picture of Jon’s broken toe. Ouch.

Chael Sonnen said what everyone already knew: tonight was probably his last chance at a UFC title.

Apr 27, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Michael Bisping (red gloves) competes against Alan Belcher (blue gloves) during UFC 159 at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

An increasingly one-sided fight ended in sudden disappointment, as Michael Bisping’s thumb found Alan Belcher’s eye late in the closing round. As the blood began to flow from Belcher’s eye, the officials decided to stop the fight, ruling it an accidental foul and going to the judges scorecards. We were then given the decision that should have rightfully been read only minutes later: Bisping via Unanimous decision.

Belcher had the latest of many moments of weirdness tonight when referee Kevin Mulhall cut off his ankle wraps as the pre-fight announcements were being made. According to UFC commentator Joe Rogan, the wraps had been signed by commission officials, so there was no reason to remove them. Weird. Belcher caught Bisping low early, but the Brit waved the referee off and the fight continued. Both men had a tentative first round, feeling one another out. Crowd chanting “USA! USA! USA!” so you can check that off your UFC night bingo card.

Both men picked up the pace to start round two. A nice kick from Bisping stumbled Belcher. Bisping started to open up in the second frame, landing speedy combinations and using good movement to pick and choose his shots. Belcher with his hands down, not respecting Bisping’s power. Bisping closes the round strong with a couple of solid punches that land hard.

Belcher taunts Bisping early in round three, and Bisping tags him with a jab in return. Bisping clearly has the superior cardio, as he’s still light on his feet while Belcher has clearly lost a step. Belcher tired a takedown but it’s easily stuffed by Bisping. All of a sudden, an errant Bisping thumb finds Belcher’s right eye during an exchange. Belcher collapses to the canvas, and as the blood begins to flow from the eye the doctors call the fight.

Damn. Thoughts go out to Alan Belcher on a speedy recovery. God knows he’s had his fair share of bad luck when it comes to eyeball problems. Mike Bisping, on the other hand, gets exactly the sort of unconvincing win he didn’t want.

Apr 26, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Roy Nelson (left) and Cheick Kongo face off after being weighed in for their heavyweight bout at the Prudential Center Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Roy Nelson continues his streak as the most unlikely knockout artist in MMA with a sudden and vicious first round KO of French kickboxer Cheick Kongo at UFC 159.

The two men clinched up to start the fight. Cheick Kongo landed some good knees, but Roy got double underhooks against the fence. Referee Kevin Mulhall seperated the two men at that point, which UFC commentator Joe Rogan did not like (have to agree with him there). The two men circled a bit longer, before a HUGE Roy Nelson right hand floors Kongo. And that, as they say, is all she wrote.

At 2:03 of round 1, Roy Nelson is your winner, and adds another notch to his very large belt.

Apr 27, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Phil Davis (red shorts) competes against Vinny Magalhaes (black shorts) during UFC 159 at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It was billed as a clash of promising light-heavyweights. And with an elite wrestler taking on a BJJ black belt, it should have been a ground classic. Instead, Phil Davis used his length, his gas tank, and his submission defense to completely dominate Vinny Magalhaes en route to a unanimous decision.

Both men came out striking to start the fight. Vinny worked a leg kick early, but it was Davis who rocked Vinny with a big headkick. Instead of covering up, Vinny continued to engage, and as such Davis was able to land repeated jabs. Vinny caught a kick and turned it into a takedown before taking Phil’s back. Magalhaes threatened with submissions momentarily, but Davis managed to escape. The round ended with Davis taking it to Vinny with repeated jabs.

Vinny rocked Davis momentarily to start the fight, and both men began to exchange. Davis changed levels beautifully to hit a takedown, but opted not to press the advantage on the ground against the submission ace. Vinny still working a good leg kick, but everything else is Davis. Really working the jab. Davis starts picking Vinny apart with his jab.

The third round was more of the same, with Davis landing almost at will against an increasingly tired, increasingly hopeless, increasingly sad Vinny Magalhaes. At times, Davis hits a 1-2 jab combo with such regularity that it looks like someone is playing as him in “Undisputed” and spamming the buttons.

Terrible fight from Vinny, and a solid victory from Davis.

Apr 26, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Jim Miller (left) and Pat Healy face off after weighing in for their lightweight title bout at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Lightweights Pat Healy and Jim Miller opened the show at UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen. And while the partisan New Jersey crowd was in Miller’s corner, everything else was in Healy’s favor as he submitted the Garden State native in the third round.

HUGE hometown (home state, actually) pop for Jim Miller, who also happens to have one of the best entrances in UFC history with “Bad Moon Rising” by CCR. Both men landed early to start this fight. Miller got a big trip and worked from the top. He tried for a crucifix, transitioned it to a tight armbar, but Healy escaped. Pat got another takedown, and the round ended wth Healy feeding Miller shots.

That continued a trend that defined this fight. Both men came out swinging once again, but Pat once again got the better of the takedowns and the scrambles. Healy controlled much of the second frame from top position, landing plenty of ground and pound. He almost sunk in a rear naked choke as the round ended, but the durable Miller escaped.

Miller opened the third round with a huge right hand, his best shot of the fight. Healy appeared gassed, until he suddenly answered back with a big combo of his own that stunned Miller. Healy got another TD, and absolutely worked Miller over from half guard, before transitioning to the back. Healy worked for a rear naked choke, and this time he got it.

It was a statement fight from Pat Healy. Like he said in his post-fight interview, the lightweight division just got put on notice.

And speaking of the post fight – Bruce Buffer had a bit of a snafu post-fight when he announced Miller, instead of Healy, as the winner. It would’ve been more understandable if the fight had been a razor thin split decision or something, but Healy literally choked Jim Miller unconscious. Weird (but hilarious) moment.

Apr 26, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Jon Jones (left) and Chael Sonnen face off after the weigh-in at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

There comes a time in the life of every combat sports fan when he’s forced to be honest with himself.

We all like to pretend that we’re discerning connoisseurs, only selected the finest cards and most worthwhile main events to pluck down out $49.99. As long-time, intelligent fans – not those lowly “bandwagon” or “casual” fans – we can separate the pre-fight hype from the real deal, the overly-promoted hype shows from the actual, interesting main events.

That’s what we tell ourselves, anyways. But it’s not true. When the moment of truth arrives, even the most “hardcore” combat sports fan can be swayed to go against his own instincts by the allure of hype and “what if?”.

After all, how did Mike Tyson have the latter half of his career? How did Kimbo Slice ever headline big-time MMA cards? How did James Toney ever get a headlining fight in the UFC? How does Bob Sapp still have a career?

Because hype sells, even to those who know better. I’m guessing most MMA fans know Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen is neither a “legitimate” title fight (by that, I mean the champion facing off against the clear-cut #1 contender) or a closely-matched contest (on paper, at least). If social media, Las Vegas bookmakers, and every MMA site on the planet are to be believed, we’ll all be paying for a squash match main event tonight.

And it won’t matter one bit, because I’m guessing we’ll all be watching. That’s what happens when the sport’s most polarizing champion faces off against the sport’s most polarizing figure, period. Dana White gets to pull a rabbit out of his hat, and we all eagerly tune in to see Jon Jones face his second middleweight challenger.

But there’s more – much more – that just Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen on tonight’s card. Let’s break down the night’s fights, shall we?

Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy

Opening the night is an extremely interesting clash of lightweight contenders at opposite ends of the career spectrum.

Jim Miller is one half of the legendary “fighting Millers” of New Jersey. Ok, they’re neither legendary, or known as the “fighting Miller”, but brothers Jim and Dan Miller are still some of the toughest SOB’s to ever grace the garden state. They’re also, by all accounts, fantastic people and more importantly than that – they’re rarely ever in a boring fight. Case in point: Jim Miller’s last fight against Joe Lauzon was 2012′s “Fight of the Year”.

Still, that shouldn’t overshadow the point that Miller has hit a bit of a rough patch career-wise. He’s 2-2 in his last four fights, with wins over Melvin Guillard and Lauzon and losses to current champ Ben Henderson and Nate Diaz. That’s a damn tough foursome to have to fight back-to-back-to-back-to-back, so I give Miller some credit. Still, this is a guy who was once viewed as a sure-fire #1 contender and future title challenger – going .500 in his last four fights can’t be what he had in mind for cementing that reputation.

On the other hand, Oregon native Pat Healy is riding a huge surge of momentum coming over from the defunct Strikeforce promotion. He’s currently riding a six-fight winning streak, and has only lost once since dropping to lightweight (to Josh Thompson, who had a huge “coming out party” at last weekend’s UFC on FOX card). The former MCF welterweight champion up in Canada, Healy brings an underrated wrestling and submission game to the cage, as well as the sort of experience that comes with 45 professional fights.

This is a tough one to call – Miller has stumbled of late, while Healy has looked fantastic. Still, I just can’t bet against the grit and toughness of a Miller brother. And as good as Pat’s ground game and tenacity may be, I think Miller is just slightly superior in either department.

Jim Miller via Decision

Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes

Every so often, an outstanding and intriguing fight manages to sneak up on me. Case in point: this fight, which features perhaps the most intriguing pure style match-up on the entire card.

At some point, both Vinny Magalhaes and Phil Davis have been called “the future” of the light-heavyweight division, and with good reason. Phil Davis is an elite-level wrestler in every sense of the word, an NCAA Division I All-American all four years of college, and national champion in 2008. Combine that with years of MMA training at Alliance MMA (home of UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and heavyweight Brandon Vera) and BJJ instruction under Lloyd Irvin, and you see why so many people had Davis pegged as “the future”.

That being said, his hype train has hit a bit a stumbling block recently. He suffered a setback last year in his first-ever MMA loss to Rashad Evans in a fight where he didn’t look particularly good. He’s followed that up with back-to-back fights with Wagner Prado, because an eye-poke ruled their first fight a No Contest. Bottom line: he needs to get back on the winning track against serious contenders.

Vinny Magalhaes brings one of the strongest ground games in the UFC light-heavyweight division. He was a 2011 gold medalist at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Championship, considered the most prestigious no-gi grappling event in the world. He has also won multiple times at the Mundials, Brazil’s world BJJ championship. Still, his UFC track record isn’t particularly sterling: after failing to win his season of TUF, Vinny went 0-2 before being bounced from the promotion.

Since then, however, Vinny has rebounded with right victories, one of which netted him the M-1 Global light-heavyweight championship (for whatever that’s worth). Unfortunately for him, we’ve seen how the “elite BJJ player vs. elite wrestler with submission defence” narrative plays out: with the wrestler grinding the Jiu-Jitsu player into the mat like a cigarette for 15 minutes. I’m thinking that’s what happens here, but honestly nothing would surprise me.

Phil Davis via Decision

Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo

So after predicting two straight decisions, I’m going to go on a limb and say that in this fight, someone’s getting slept.

Roy Nelson and Cheick Kongo is a battle of two extremely hard-hitting heavyweights. It’s also, in many ways, a battle of seeming opposites. Cheick Kongo is a former kickboxer with excellent technique and power. He also looks like a living comic book character, 250-pounds of pure sheet muscle. And finally, he’s a bit chinny, he can gas despite his impressive physique, and he sometimes has a tendency to rely on his ground game too much. This works when his opponent is even worse on the ground than he is, but it can get him into trouble against elite grapplers.

Roy Nelson is also in the 250-pound range – only “pure sheet muscle” isn’t exactly how I’d describe his physique. Basically, the guy looks like he slid off the stool at the local Boston Pizza and decided to give this MMA thing a try. Looks can be deceptive, however – Nelson is an elite BJJ black belt under Renzo Gracie. He’s also surprisingly durable cardio-wise, for a guy dragging around a small horse’s weight in body fat. He’s got the strongest chin in the division, surprisingly strong hands, and a tendency to get into firefights on the feet when going to the ground would serve him much better.

I’ll be as direct about this as possible. Kongo doesn’t have the skills to submit or stop Nelson on the mat. This fight stays standing up, and one guy is getting knocked out. Roy Nelson has never been knocked out in his career, and he’s fought Junior Dos Santos, Mirko Cro Cop, and Andrei Arlovski.

Roy Nelson via (T)KO

Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher

Yesterday, I wrote about how this fight too had surprisingly flew under the radar. This is a surprise considering the name “Bisping” on a card usually entails lots of trash talk, pre-fight hype, and buzz from fans.

At the UFC 159 press conference, Mike told us why that was: no one cared about this fight because he was facing “some retard from Mississippi”. Ah Mike, it’s good to have you back.

This middleweight clash features two fighters who are extremely well-rounded, and can get the job done on the feet or on the floor. Bisping, as is becoming something of a theme to his career, is coming off a crushing loss to a top-10 opponent that would have guaranteed him a title shot. Now he’s back to the drawing board – again – to fight another tough contender at 185-pounds. The question now becomes what’s next for Bisping even if he wins? He’s a couple fights removed from the title picture (here’s hoping, anyways) yet still a big enough “name” where he can’t be given gimme fights. It’s an interesting problem.

Alan Belcher could seriously use a name like Michael Bisping on his resume. In his last fight, Yushin Okami helped to halt a four-right winning streak for Belcher in the UFC, and “The Talent” needs this win to regain some of that momentum. He’s an extremely versatile fighter who has shown flashes of brilliance, such as when he absolutely handled submission expert Rousimar Palhares on the ground. But he’s also shown moments of regression, like when he was himself handled on the mat by Jason Day (who was bounced from the UFC after dropping his next two).

Who takes it? Well seeing as how this isn’t a title fight or #1 contender’s fight, I see this fight following the usual Bisping formula: at some point he’ll get dropped, and all the questions about his shaky chin will get brought up again. But he’ll still be the busier, more versatile fighter, and eventually he’ll get his hand raised.

Michael Bisping via Decision

Jon Jones(c) vs. Chael Sonnen – UFC Light-Heavyweight championship

We’ve been over this fight a hundred times. We went over it back when UFC 151 was cancelled, we went over it all this season of TUF, and we went over it all this past week. By now, even the average fan must feel inundated by coverage of a fight that, at its essence, features the LHW champ and top-five pound-for-pound fighter putting his belt on the line against a middleweight coming off a loss.

Can Chael Sonnen win this fight? Absolutely he can. In fact, it’s a good idea never to count out someone with Sonnen’s Greco-Roman wrestling, gas tank, and sheer dogged determination in any fight. And in some ways, Jones presents an easier challenge than Anderson Silva did. Jones doesn’t have quite the one-hit-quit power that Silva has (though he’s just as rangy and creative). He’s also not nearly as effective off his back, should Sonnen get him down.

But that’s the rub right there: getting Jones down. Because unlike Silva, Jones is an absolutely phenomenal MMA wrestler who bring a 100% takedown defence record into this fight. That’s right: Jon Jones has been taken down exactly never. To say Chael Sonnen has his work cut out for him is a titanic understatement.

And what if this fight stays on the feet? Sonnen is certainly no slouch there (he dropped the legendary Silva twice in their first fight) but Jones is simply a sniper in the stand-up department. The guy who picked apart “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto Machida, “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans should have no problem finding a way to put his fist on Chael Sonnen’s jaw.

Really, this fight is as predictable as they come. But the last time we said that, Matt Serra absolutely steamrolled GSP in under a round. This is MMA folks – anything can happen. It just probably won’t.

Jon Jones via (T)KO

Apr 26, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Jon Jones (left) and Chael Sonnen face off after the weigh-in at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Every Friday, FanSided’s fight guy Elton Hobson breaks down some of the top MMA stories and news from the week that was. This week: we look at the future of light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones, another snit involving Michael Bisping, another snit involving Dana White, and ponder the way some things in life keep repeating themselves. Oh, and we’ve got a question for you as well.

Are you buying UFC 159?

Under normal circumstances, this would be a silly question. Imagine I went up to you on the street and asked if you were planning to buy an event featuring a UFC light-heavyweight title fight, that’s also the culmination of a season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, that’s also (by all appearances, anyway) a legitimate grudge match.

You’re first thought would probably be “why is this stranger coming up to me on the street and asking MMA questions?” But your second thought would be “Of course I’m ordering that fight.”

Yet in the week leading up to UFC 159, we’ve seen plenty of writing in the MMA media and blogosphere wondering about the real value of UFC 159’s main event. Jon Jones is a phenomenal talent, a once in a generation fighter. And Chael Sonnen can sell a fight like none other. But something about the pairing of the two rubs some fans the wrong way.

Never before has the UFC so brazenly declared “we’re selling a fight based on drawing power alone – rankings be damned!” Chael Sonnen hasn’t had a fight at light-heavyweight since George W. Bush was in office. His run in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division was uneven at best. And he’s coming off a loss to the champion in a lighter weight class.

I suspect that for most fans, none of that means a damn thing. Chael Sonnen can sell a fight. Jon Jones gains more haters by the day. And they have a season of reality TV fuelled “drama” to give them momentum. It doesn’t matter if Jones seems totally uninterested in promoting this fight, or Sonnen is now directly ripping pages out of the 1980’s pro wrestling playbook (like he wasn’t before).

As usual with a Chael Sonnen fight, he’s raised the stakes so high that most fans can’t help but watch – especially after Jones nearly got armbarred by another middleweight, Vitor Belfort, in his last fight.

The future of Jon Jones

Speaking of Jones, what the heck is his next fight going to be, anyways?

That’s assuming he wins against Chael Sonnen on Saturday. If he loses, his next fight will almost certainly be a rematch with Sonnen. But if he wins, it does beg the question: where does he go next?

A couple of interesting options presented themselves this week.

The first comes in the form of Daniel Cormier, the undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight import who recently defeated Frank Mir. UFC President Dana White confirmed this week that Cormier would get an instant title shot if he decided to move down in weight, something he has discussed doing in the past. With Cormier’s elite-level wrestling, powerful striking, and presumed size advantage coming down from heavyweight, many feel he could be the guy to finally solve the Jon Jones puzzle.

Speaking of unsolvable riddles, how does Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones sound?

In an interview with a Vancouver, Canada radio station, Jones said the big superfight would happen “one day” but it would “happen for sure”. This is a stark contrast to the tone both Jones and Silva have struck in previous interviews, when neither man really sounded like they wanted the fight all that much. With GSP once again throwing cold water on a proposed Silva vs. GSP superfight this week during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, maybe the time is right to see “The Spider” and “Bones” go at it.

Bisping’s back

By this point, Michael Bisping getting into a verbal sniping match with a future opponent is almost par for the course. The outspoken Brit had gone most of the last several weeks flying under the radar, his fight with Alan Belcher at UFC 159 notwithstanding. For months, he and Belcher have taken shots at each other in interviews, and over social media. So the lack of pre-fight trash talk was curious in it’s absence.

Well, that’s all over.

At the UFC 159 press conference this week, Mike Bisping absolutely blasted Alan Belcher, calling him a “retard from Mississippi” and stating he doesn’t believe belcher has faced nearly the same level of competition as he has. Then, he completed the trash-talk trifecta by guaranteeing a victory Saturday night.

“I know I’m going to win. It’s as simple as that,” Bisping said. “This is very different from fighting Rashad Evans or Vitor Belfort or something like that. Alan Belcher. Ok? A bit different, guys.”

Statements like this are the reason fans love to see the otherwise talented and entertaining Michael Bisping get his butt kicked. Of course, it’s also the reason they tune in in the first place. It’s a double-edged sword that worked wonders for guys like Sonnen, Nick Diaz, and Brock Lesnar.

In other words: it’s good to see the Mike Bisping of old. Hope he can back up all his talk Saturday night. It wouldn’t be the first time his mouth’s written a cheque his body couldn’t cash.

Dana White vs. Boxing, round six million

As a last bit of news, UFC President Dana White is once again going at it with a member of the boxing world. This time, it’s with undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury, which sounds like the sort of made-up name you’d see in a video game.

According to Fury, he’s long been campaigning for a fight against UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, but he’s been denied at every turn. In response, White extended an open invitation for Fury to “come on over” and promising that he will “get smashed”.

Here’s looking forward to James Toney the sequel, another big payday for Mr. White, and plenty of face palming from MMA fans everywhere.

UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson is clearly a big part of the UFC’s plans for their FOX shows. He defends his belt against Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez tonight on UFC on FOX. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the HP Pavilion in San Jose,  California, with a local favourite headlining the main event.

More than that, though, the UFC is back on FOX, and they’ve brought a lightweight title fight, a fun heavyweight clash, a meeting of welterweight scrappers, and a Diaz brother. Sounds like a party to me.

It’s clear the UFC is starting to build a brand identity for their big time network shows on FOX, and a big part of that identity is lightweight champ Benson Henderson. Bendo has now fought on two FOX cards, including headlining a network card in his last outing against Nate Diaz. Both times, his fights have been absolute fan favourites. When you factor in his youth, charisma, overall marketability – well it’s easy to see why the UFC wants to make these FOX shows the “Benson Henderson Experience.”

In his last outing, Henderson defended his title against Nate Diaz in a great fight. And wouldn’t you know it – Nate Diaz is on this card too, another example of an exciting young fighter the UFC is building through these FOX shows. Throw in the clash of trash-talking heavyweights, and an opening fight between two go-for-broke welterweights, and you have all the makings of an extremely “casual fan-friendly” card.

Let’s break down the night’s action, shall we?

Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein

The opening fight on the card should be like the appetizer at a nice restaurant: it should be overpriced, under-sized, and contain a fancy lettuce like Arugula or something.

Wait, I think I messed up that metaphor. Let’s try again – the opening fight on a card should be like an appetizer: it should be light, easy to digest, and guaranteed to please (and thus set the tone for the rest of the meal). The UFC is outstanding at picking “curtain jerking” fights (most of the time, anyways) and they’ve done it again with Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein.

Originally, this fight was going to pit Brown against British slugger Dan Hardy, in the biggest battle of “really fun but title irrelevant” welterweights you could possibly feature.

Mein coming in as a substitute only hurts this fight a little bit, as Mein brings slightly less name value, but slightly greater recent success, than the mohawked Brit. Mein is a veteran of Strikeforce and The Score Fighting Series in Canada, where he holds victories over Forest Petz and “Cyborg” Santos (Evangelista, not Christiane, although either would impress me). His only loss in the last three years came at the hands of Strikeforce welterweight title challenger Tyron Woodley in an extremely close split decision. In his last fight, he upset the tough-as-nails Dan Miller, taking him out with a stunning first-round TKO.

Mein is riding a bit of momentum at the moment, but Matt “The Immortal” Brown is used to derailing guys who look to be building a head of steam. One of the most well-rounded and durable veterans in the welterweight division, Brown’s career was on life support until, recently, he finally seemed to turn a corner. After going 1 for 5 in his previous fights, Brown rattled off four straight wins in 2012, finally righting his ship and putting him back on the road to the upper echelon of the division. In his last fight, he thoroughly dominated fellow veteran Mike Swick, putting him back on every fan’s radar screen.

Remember when I said this fight was “title irrelevant”? Yeah, maybe not so much as it turns out. Both these men have been on an absolute tear through the lower levels of the division. Tonight, one man will have to make the statement that he’s ready to start challenging the division’s elite. My money’s on Mein because he’s Canadian, and I’m a homer like that.

Jordon Mein via (T)KO

Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thompson

There’s something about the Diaz brothers that Dana White just can’t get enough of.

No matter how much he complains about their antics, their choice of language, their spotty attendance record at press events, or their choice of, um, “supplementation”, he can’t stop booking them on big cards. And that’s true for fans as well. No matter how much we may complain about the Diaz brothers, there’s something about them that is undeniably compelling – and that goes double when the cage door slams shut, and it’s time to watch them fight.

It might be unfair to tar the younger Diaz with some of the crimes of his older brother, considering Nate has been much more reliable in his outside-the-Octagon responsibilities than Nick has. Nate is coming off a loss against Benson Henderson for the UFC lightweight championship, and needs this fight to firm up his place in the division’s top-5. Fans wondering if they’re going to get a good fight shouldn’t worry – his last four fights, he’s won “Submission of the Night” twice, and “Fight of the Night” once. The one fight he didn’t win an “…of the night” award was the universally-acclaimed fight with Henderson.

He’s been given an interesting opponent in long-time Strikeforce contender Josh Thompson. Thompson is well-known for his trilogy with Gilbert Melendez, which was extremely well-fought but ultimately went against Thompson two fights to one. It’s a bit strange to see Melendez’s greatest Strikeforce opponent take on the last man to challenge Melendez’s opponent tonight. This would seem to be a serious litmus test for both fighters going forward.

I’m taking Nate in this one. I think he’ll give Thompson problems for the same reasons he gives all his opponents problems – his reach, his boxing game, he toughness, and his elite-level BJJ. The proven way to defeat a Diaz brother is to be an aggressive wrestler who can dictate the pace of the fight, avoid submissions, and prevent them from working their high-volume striking style. I just don’t see Thompson having success with this gameplan.

Nate Diaz via Submission

Frank Mir vs. Daniel Cormier

No big card would be complete without a clash of heavyweights. It’s something the casual fan just demands. And if those heavyweights can hit hard (most can) and talk some trash, well, it only sweetens the pot.

I’d call Daniel Cormier “the future” of the heavyweight division if it wasn’t such an absurdly silly thing to say. The current reigning heavyweight champ has exactly zero title defences to his credit, so it seems pointless to look to “the future” of the division when the present is so fluid and exciting. Cormier brings a perfect 11-0 record into this fight, along with one of the strongest amateur wrestling pedigrees of any fighter in the game. He also won the Strikeforce heavyweight Gran Prix as an alternate, which started off as one of the most anticipated tournaments in MMA history and ended, well…as a bit of a joke, really.

Still, Cormier won said tournament, and he beat some damn good guys to do it. Anyone who doubts that DC is one of the elite fighters in the division will likely get their answer tonight.

Then again, Frank Mir is a master of spoiling other people’s plans for greatness. He submitted Brock Lesnar in his first-ever UFC fight, and handed the legendary Minotauro Nogueira his first-ever TKO and Submission losses. In his last fight, Mir came up short against then-heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos, who exposed Mir’s deficiencies in both wrestling and striking.

Still, Cormier is a much different fighter than Dos Santos, and I can’t wait to see how these two stack up. On the feet, both men possess underrated striking skill as well as proven KO power. On the mat, it’ll be Cormier’s world-class wrestling against Mir’s battle-tested BJJ skills. Cardio, preparation, and gameplanning will all be huge factors in what could be a very evenly-matched fight.

So who takes it? The BJJ-lover in me wants to say Mir, but it’s tough to overlook how much of a beast Cormier is. We’ve seen Mir has a tendency to take his foot off the gas when pressured, especially if the guy doing the pressuring is a solid wrestler (Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin). I see Daniel following a similar gameplan to victory.

Daniel Cormier via (T)KO

Ben Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez

There’s been plenty of debate over whether Gilbert Melendez deserves a world title shot in what will be his debut bout in the UFC. After all, if he is getting a shot based solely on his Strikeforce title, why isn’t every champion afforded the same opportunity? Last time I checked, Tarec Saffiedine wasn’t getting a shot against GSP any time soon.

This argument overlooks the fact that Melendez was undoubtedly the most “elite” of Strikeforce’s champions. Even while guys like Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, and Dan Henderson were holding Strikeforce gold, it was clear Gil was the promotions most stable, dominant champion. During his run in Strikeforce, Melendez put together 12 wins in 13 fights – and only one of those fights wasn’t for a title. That’s a run of success that no one can overlook.

So now, in the familiar confines of San Jose (Strikeforce’s “home base” for years), Melendez will try to prove his amazing success in Strikeforce can translate into the UFC. And in Benson Henderson, Melendez has an opponent that should test him in every area. Bendo’s pace and conditioning is second to none, and he’s one of the most determined, “game” fighters in MMA. On top of that, his striking, grappling, and overall MMA ability have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years.

I have no idea who takes the advantage in every area this fight will be contested (and you can believe it will be contested in every area). Striking-wise, they’re roughly even, with both men possessing excellent technical striking skills (if not one-hitter KO power). On the mat, it’s the battle of Melendez’s Cesar Gracie BJJ against Bendo’s well-nigh unsubmittable neck, arms, legs etc. Both guys are monsters in the scramble, and both men have gone the distance many times in their career.

Bottom line: this one should be a classic. I see Bendo’s pace, tenacity, and inability to get tapped out seeing him through to victory here. But I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if either guy won this one. It’s that close.

Henderson via Decision.

Oct. 29, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC referee Josh Rosenthal during a lightweight bout in UFC 137 at the Mandalay Bay event center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

I always knew Josh Rosenthal had a soft spot for the Diaz brothers. Veteran MMA referee Josh Rosenthal recently plead guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute. Rosenthal is set for a date with the U.S. District Court on May 17.

How did Rosenthal get himself in trouble? Here is a brief description via MMA Junkie?

One year ago, federal agents raided an Oakland, Calif., warehouse owned by Rosenthal and an associate that contained 1,356 marijuana plants, according to a copy of the agreement, which MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com) obtained from the U.S. District Attorney’s office in Oakland.

The drug’s street value was estimated at more than $6 million.

Man, that’s a lot of weed.

With his plea deal, Rosenthal would face 37 months in jail, fines and five years of probation. That is much better than the 10 years to life in prison, $10 million fine and a minimum of five years’ probation that he would have faced without the plea deal.

Rosenthal was very recognizable by MMA fans and was the referee for a number of notable matches — specifically the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin bout where he did an admirable job — throughout the sport. He hasn’t been seen lately while he deals with his legal troubles.

As for Rosenthal’s future, he did the crime, will serve his time, and will surely be welcomed in the 209.