UFC 141 Results: Lesnar Retires

Friday, December 30^th marks the last fight of Brock Lesnar’s UFC career (according to Brock Lesnar.) At UFC 141, Alistair Overeem (heavyweight champion of StrikeForce, K1, DREAM, and several other promotions scattered throughout the lesser known Indonesian and Laotian provinces) scored a TKO victory after a series of knees to the guts, followed up by a kick to the midsection, and finally a flurry of strikes to the grounded Lesnar. During the post-fight interview, a polite and gracious former UFC Heavyweight champion (5-3) announced his retirement to Joe Rogan (Fear Factor, NewsRadio, stand up “comedy”.)

The Ruffo Brothers

Up until yesterday I didn’t know they had names. I’d seen them before of course while watching UFC events. The pair of five or six-year-olds they show in the cage,  pounding the mitts during TapOut commercials. I’d always assumed they weren’t actual human beings but rather some experiment like that time Stalin tried to make soldiers out of chimpanzees with numbers instead of names (4325 and 4326).

Chael Sonnen – Holding Out for a Hero

Chael Sonnen will fight next on January 28th on UFC on FOX 2 against Mark Munoz. The following is a look back at some of Chael’s greatest hits.

Jon Jones – Misery

A highlight video in honor of Jon Jones’ recent title defense, featuring soundtrack by Maroon 5:

The Growing Unpopularity of Jon Jones

When Jon Jones made his entrance at the weigh-ins for UFC 140, he was booed by the Canadian crowd. Come fight night, he faced a similar reaction, as the people were firmly, and vocally, in challenger Lyoto Machida’s corner. And it’s not just a Canadian phenomenon, it seems UFC fans the world over are turning against Jon Jones. Why?

What’s Next After UFC 140?

Jon Jones choked out Lyoto Machida. Frank Mir broke Big Nog’s arm. Little Nog broke Tito’s ribs. And The Korean Zombie knocked out Mark Hominick in 7 seconds. This was UFC 140. So, what does it all mean for the company moving forward?

First off, there’s Jon “Bones” Jones. Who’s next for the seemingly unbeatable Lightheavyweight champ? Not since the heyday of Bill Goldberg has the question proved so persistent. He could face the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis (UFC on FOX 2), but somehow either prospect sounds underwhelming. And beyond those two (perhaps even including those two) there isn’t anybody else in the division that poses a real threat. That said, there is only one option. Jon Jones must face Anderson Silva. To not make this fight would go against everything the sport represents.

Miguel Torres Tweeted Out of UFC

On Thursday, December 8^th, Miguel Torres (former WEC Bantamweight Champion) was fired from the UFC. His offense? According to UFC President Dana White: Distasteful Tweeting.

 The heinous Tweet in question read: “If a windowless van was called a surprise van, more people wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises.”

 White, an avid Twitter follower of all his contracted fighters, was said to have grown violently ill after reading the Tweet and immediately contacted SI.com to say:

UFC to Make Network Debut on FOX

On Friday, September 2nd, UFC President Dana White announced that UFC’s first event on FOX will feature the heavyweight title bout between champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos. This will undoubtedly garner the UFC unprecedented exposure with a mainstream audience, but is sacrificing the year’s most lucrative PPV fight on free TV a risk worth taking? Not only is it worth it, but it’s absolutely necessary…

Cro Cop Ko’d, Cut from UFC

If Jon Jones’ title win wasn’t enough to solidify MMA’s change of guard, Brendan Schaub’s knockout of legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovik emphatically drove the point home. Filipovik was released from the company shortly thereafter.

Cro Cop spent the first half of his career doling out highlight real knockouts and the second half on the other end of them. For many fans, it was hard enough to stomach the head kick KO loss to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70. After all, it was the very maneuver that made the Croatian famous.

Jon Jones Becomes Youngest UFC Champ Ever

Last night, at UFC 128, 23 year old Jon Jones defeated reigning light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by TKO in round 3. Rua, who had never even been knocked down in the UFC prior to his match with Jones, was dropped by a shot to the body and a follow up knee. As the ref rushed in the stop the fight, Shogun could be seen tapping out, putting an exclamation point on Jones’ dominance.

UFC 128 certainly did seem to signal the changing of the guard in MMA. Young fighters like Jones are supremely athletic and incorporate a wide range of skillsets. No longer are fighters classified as jiu-jitsu, judo, wrestling, or kickboxing experts.