ESPN Mixed Martial Arts

Stream-of-consciousness-style thoughts on Jon Jones versus Alexander Gustafsson, followed by a light heavyweight edition of Pretenders and Contenders. Let’s go.

I scored the title fight in favor of Gustafsson 48-47. I gave him the first three rounds, Jones the final two.

After the fight, I posted on Twitter that Jones was being packed in a stretcher for the hospital, while Gustafsson was good enough to conduct interviews. Many followers jumped on that as an opportunity to point out Gustafsson had been robbed, since Jones was in far worse shape. I get it, but that’s not how you score a fight.

Even though I had it for Gustafsson, I’m happy Jones won -- if I’m allowed to say that. The most conclusive rounds of the bout, I thought, were the fourth and fifth for Jones, which also happen to be the “championship” rounds. Jones basically refused to lose when it really mattered.

The best moments were in the fourth round. That has to be Round of the Year. I remember seeing, literally, blood from Jones’ facial cut flying in the air when Gustafsson hit him. Midway through the round, it almost looked like Jones was about to go down. The crowd was going nuts.

Then Jones looked at the clock. And maybe I’m totally wrong on this, but I bet if you asked him about it today he might not even remember doing it. It was just built in -- the way some ninja spy might subconsciously, without knowing it, remember the exits of a building or something. Busted up, swollen, exhausted -- something inside Jones said “Look at the clock; OK, 90 seconds left in a must-win round, throw the spinning elbow, stay on him.” I don’t want to get too dramatic, but come on. That’s crazy.

I haven’t watched it a second time, but sitting here days later, I’m willing to say that was the best fight in UFC history -- surpassing Mauricio Rua versus Dan Henderson and Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard II.

I also see it as the one that solidifies Jones as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He sort of inherited the spot (in my eyes) after Anderson Silva lost to Chris Weidman, but he really owned it here. Had Silva knocked out Weidman in the first round this year, I think I would still rank Jones ahead of him after the Gustafsson fight. He went to the brink of defeat against a very good opponent who basically forced him to fight his fight, and still left with his arms raised.

We knew about his skills, but now that we know about his heart, it’s virtually impossible to pick against him. But let’s look at the division real close and see.

Really talented fighters with no chance: Ryan Bader, Rashad Evans, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Rua. All four have long roads to even get to Jones. Three of them have already lost to him. Rua appears to me, at 31, pretty much done when it comes to winning elite-level fights. A hard realization, but a realization nevertheless. Bader has plenty of career left, but there’s really no reason to think a second fight against Jones would go any different than the first. On Evans, I know he was the only title contender to go the distance before Gustafsson did, but that grudge match was every bit as one-sided as the fights Jones has finished and Evans hasn’t looked great since.

The athlete: Phil Davis. Davis is more than just an athlete, but I call him this because it’s still his best quality -- at least in a fight against Jones. The problem is, he won’t outwrestle Jones for five rounds. It won’t happen. Jones is a good enough wrestler with good enough intelligence to not let that kind of game plan beat him. You hear this sometimes about great fighters; it’s not really a game plan that will necessarily beat them. You have to be capable of beating them in every area on that one given night. Gustafsson almost did that. Davis, even on his best night, can’t be better than Jones.

The old man and the right hand: Dan Henderson. I would not count Henderson out completely in a Jones fight for three reasons. It’s possible he could defend the takedowns, at least early. He’s crafty at getting inside. His right hand can kill a mule. But yes, I will admit it’s a long, long, looooong shot. It’s going to be very difficult for him to get to Jones and if he did, Jones could probably wear him out pretty quickly, take the right hand out of the equation, and finish him before the end of the second round.

The Olympian: Daniel Cormier. Everyone seems to be putting all eggs in the Daniel Cormier basket, completely ignoring the fact that (A) we don’t know whether he can make the weight; (B) we don’t know what he’ll look like if he can make the weight. You can also add in (C) we don’t know whether he’ll beat Roy Nelson. As much as the UFC’s “Height and Reach” marketing ploy was poked fun at heading into UFC 165, truth is, we saw that having size sure doesn’t hurt in a fight against Jones. Cormier is 5-foot-11, with a 72.5 reach. He’s the only real hope at holding Jones down, but he’s at a huge disadvantage on the feet.

The only two, but the best two: Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira. Everyone basically acted like the hardest part was over for Jones at 205 pounds. He beat all the former champs, after all. What challenge could the lesser-known Swede and Brazilian possibly pose? After the whole Silva-Weidman fiasco we really should have known better. Confident, hungry, well-rounded challengers can’t be dismissed. These two have never held the belt, like most of the other men Jones already fought. They are in their athletic primes. They are true light heavyweights. As awesome as Jones has been, he’s never really shown one-punch knockout power. These two are big and athletic enough to stay upright, take a Jones elbow and respond with effective offense. Jones really is impossible to pick against right now, but if you’re willing to do it at 205 pounds, these are your only options.

TORONTO -- The craze from a blockbuster boxing event between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Alvarez last weekend in Las Vegas has followed the UFC north.

UFC president Dana White and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who defends his title against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on Saturday, were asked repeatedly about Mayweather at a media function on Thursday.

Specifically, questions zeroed in on Mayweather’s much-talked about $41.5 million guarantee for the fight and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer’s comments regarding the pay-per-view breaking buy records set in 2007.

White, who attended the fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, said he was flattered the company he’s helped run since 2001 would draw comparisons to boxing, a sport with a much longer history.

“I’m honored we’re always looked at like, ‘Why aren’t you paying people $41 million,’” White said. “’Why aren’t you doing 2.7 million [PPV] buys?’

“What people have to realize, we just started making money in 2007. Do people understand that? This sport is still so young. We’re not even sanctioned in New York, we’ve just been on Fox [Network] for a couple years and we’re talking about doing a $41 million payday. It’s crazy.”

Jones, 26, one of the most marketable stars in the UFC, announced on Thursday he’d signed a sponsorship deal with Gatorade that would feature the brand on his fight shorts this weekend.

On Mayweather’s $41.5 million payday, which, White correctly pointed out, could ultimately become closer to $100 million when final PPV revenue comes in, Jones said he’s happy with his current pay scale but sees room for improvement.

“I’m not even close to that, but I’m grateful,” said Jones, after refusing to reveal his exact compensation for the bout. “It’s nowhere near Floyd Mayweather, but I don’t judge my happiness over somebody else’s.

“I’m really happy with what I get paid. It’s really not on the scale of other professional athletes, but there are a lot of athletes that don’t get paid as much as [UFC fighters]. I know Dana White knows that some of the fighters could be upgraded, especially his top-level guys, but maybe we’ll move in that direction.”

The largest buy-rate ever for a UFC event was reported at 1.6 million, for the landmark UFC 100 card that took place in July 2009. When asked if he thought a UFC event could one day score a buy rate near 2.7 million, White said he hopes so.

“Thirteen years ago, people were asking me, ‘Will there ever be a day UFC will get back on PPV?’” White said. “‘Will there ever be a day UFC is on free TV? Will there ever be a day you’ll be doing things in different countries?’ Here we are now so, yes, I like to believe we will.”

White chickened out on Mayweather wager

Ever since it was announced Mayweather was fighting Alvarez on Sept. 14, White was adamant it would result in yet another decision victory for Mayweather.

He mentioned on several occasions his prediction Mayweather would, “Box Canelo’s ears off.”

White says fans pressed him to put his money where his mouth was during a recent online chat, but admitted that ultimately, he had no action on the undefeated boxer.

“I watched all the bull---- leading up to it and I chickened out, so I didn’t bet anything,” White said. “[UFC co-owner] Lorenzo [Fertitta] did really well, though.”

Renan Barao, Eddie Wineland interim title fight will be the last

Whether UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is healthy or not come 2014, the promotion is finished with its “interim” tag at 135 pounds.

Cruz (19-1) hasn’t fought since October 2011 due to several knee operations. The UFC has been unwilling to strip him of the belt, despite the success of interim champion Renan Barao (30-1), who seeks his second defense of the title against Eddie Wineland on Saturday.

White said he’s hoping Cruz could be ready to compete sometime near January. If he’s unable to go, the promotion will make Saturday’s winner the official title-holder.

“If he can’t fight by the beginning of the year, we’ve got to the pull the trigger,” White said.

“It’s been two years. A lot of people think we’re crazy for holding up the title this long, but it’s a tough thing to do to take a title away from somebody. It’s hard to do.”

White has no concern BJ Penn will make 145 pounds

Not too many were surprised when it was announced earlier this week a comeback was in store for former lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn.

The surprise came when it was announced whom he would be fighting and at what weight.

Penn has agreed to coach on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series opposite familiar opponent Frankie Edgar. The two will then square off for a third time -- Edgar won the previous two -- at 145 pounds.

Penn (16-9-2) has fallen to 1-4-1 in his past six fights, four of which took place at 170 pounds. A cut now, after nearly a year off from the cage, down to featherweight has left some scratching heads.

“No,” White said, when asked if he had any worries Penn would miss weight. “He said he wants to do it. He says he’ll do it. It’s up to him now.”

White was then asked if the fight would be a situation where a loss could likely mean the end of Penn’s career in the UFC, to which he responded, “Yeah.”

Sometimes, the "best" fight isn’t necessarily the "right" fight.

During the news conference following UFC 164, a place where president Dana White typically refuses to answer any of the “Who’s next for so-and-so” questions, he was at least willing to admit the obvious.

What is the most tantalizing, intriguing, fun fight he could make right now for featherweight champion Jose Aldo?

"It’s 100 percent Anthony Pettis," White said. "Yeah, 100 percent. That is a sick fight."

So why then, less than 72 hours later, did White announce Pettis would defend the lightweight title against TJ Grant? Aldo’s schedule is open. Expectations are that his foot injury will heal within the same timeframe of Pettis’ knee. What gives?

We can safely assume here that if Pettis is the best fight available for Aldo, then Aldo is the best fight available for Pettis. Fans, media, probably even Grant would admit that absolutely, Aldo versus Pettis is "a sick fight."

The "right" fight though, is the one the UFC is going with. Grant (21-5) has this strange, unflattering quality of being somewhat overlookable -- but that can’t take away from the fact he is (A) The No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, (B) Deserving of the opportunity to achieve his dream and (C) A pretty sick fight against Pettis, himself.

When a belt changes hands, one of the first questions seemingly on everybody’s mind is: How long before it changes hands again? In the case of Pettis, the quality of the lightweight division suggests it will be difficult to hang on to the belt, but the quality of his recent three first-round finishes say he’s up to the task.

We know, however, that styles make fights and interestingly enough, Grant represents perhaps the absolute worst style matchup for Pettis at 155 pounds. And he happens to be up first.

“

If Pettis defends the title and gets that win, we'll probably be looking at Aldo next.

” --Dana White on a feature fight between Anthony Pettis and Jose Aldo.

If you picked Henderson last weekend, you probably did so because the best way to avoid dynamite is to smother it. Henderson tried to contain Pettis’ flash -- couldn’t.

Grant is big, first of all. A welterweight turned lightweight, who has been dominant since dropping weight classes in 2011. He can smother, but in a violent manner. Whereas few expected Henderson to really hurt Pettis (more control him), the same can’t be said in a matchup with Grant.

Does this fight possess the same combustible nature that Aldo versus Pettis would? We basically already answered that it doesn’t. White admitted as much.

Credit the UFC though, for promoting the correct fight, instead of necessarily the easy fight. Grant is the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds. Pettis is the 155-pound champion. Pettis has never fought at 145 pounds. Aldo has never fought at 155.

Also, notice what White told "SportsCenter" on Tuesday.

“If Pettis defends the title and gets that win, we’ll probably be looking at Aldo next,” White said.

Both Aldo and Pettis are 26. Aldo will undoubtedly become a lightweight at some point and Pettis isn’t going anywhere. If these two still haven’t fought each other by the time they’re 30, we can revisit this topic.

For now, "giving" Grant the fight he earned inside the cage was the right call.

From World Extreme Cagefighting's launch in 2001 to its eventual merger with UFC in 2010, the WEC produced a number of memorable bouts, typically in the lower weight classes.

With a number of former WEC fighters competing Saturday at UFC 164 and one of its most infamous fights set to headline the card in Milwaukee, we took a look back at the best fights from the WEC's 10-year history through the eyes of founder and current UFC vice president of community relations Reed Harris.

So where exactly does the "Showtime kick" from Anthony Pettis rank among his favorite moments? Let's take a look back at Harris' top 10, including his personal memories of each one:

10. WEC 9: Olaf Alfonso SD John Polakowski, Jan. 16, 2004

Harris: Both guys broke their noses in the first 45 seconds of the fight. It was a war. In fact, [UFC president] Dana White was at the fight and HDNet was at the fight. And HDNet reported back to [channel owner] Mark Cuban, "We have to get this on our network." Polakowski took the fight on like two days. Really good striker but not very good on the ground. But Olaf was such a stud back then, he was like, "You know what? I'll stand with him." He just stood there for three rounds and they threw bombs.

9. WEC 29: Carlos Condit SUB1 Brock Larson, Aug. 5, 2007

Harris: It wasn't a fantastic fight, but what happened was Brock Larson was one of the strongest dudes I have ever seen. Like when that guy shook your hand, you were like, "Holy s---." He threw a punch at Condit, and Condit armbarred him, and it was so fast that I've never forgotten that moment. Larson was throwing bombs at him, he timed it perfectly and put that armbar on him and it was just, "Wow."

8. WEC 43: Ben Henderson UD Donald Cerrone, Oct. 10, 2009

Harris: A lot of my memories about "Cowboy" are tied to Charles ["Mask" Lewis, Tapout co-founder]. Charles had gone and seen Donald, and he came to me and begged me to sign him -- and Charles was a guy who if he asked you to do something, he would call you every day until you did it. I remember how proud Charles was of [Cerrone]. He loved him.

7. WEC 44: Jose Aldo TKO2 Mike Brown, Nov. 18, 2009

Harris: It was the kind of moment where I really knew how good [Aldo] was. I remember the first time he jumped out of the cage [after knocking out Rolando Perez at WEC 38], I ran him back and I had never yelled at a fighter before. Poor Andre [Pederneiras] was interpreting it and it was basically, "If you ever do that again, I'll cut you." His next fight he won, I walked into the cage and he was running towards the door. He looked at me and smiled, then sat down.

6. WEC 38 and WEC 51: Donald Cerrone vs. Jamie Varner, Jan. 25, 2009 and Sept. 30, 2010

Harris: The fights between Varner and Cowboy [a technical-decision win for Varner followed by a unanimous-decision win for Cerrone] were epic. Those guys hated each other. There was so much going on behind the scenes. Biggest rivalry the WEC saw, by far. When Varner was fighting a year ago [in the UFC], he got sick, and I got a text from Donald saying something like, "You tell Varner to pull up his bootstraps and fight." I thought, "This is still going on and they haven't fought in [almost] two years."

5. WEC 53: Anthony Pettis UD Ben Henderson, Dec. 16, 2010

Harris: The fight itself was great, even without the kick. I'll tell you, when Pettis did that, I literally said, "What the hell just happened?" I didn't process it. I was watching live, and the angle I had wasn't good. I saw what happened, but I didn't know what he had done -- how he had gotten from where he was standing to all of a sudden, Ben was down. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen someone do in MMA.

4. WEC 34: Urijah Faber UD Jens Pulver, June 1, 2008

Harris: I think we did about 1.5 million viewers, which for a company like WEC -- it's hard to be in that UFC space and command viewers. It was kind of a passing of the torch for Jens. I saw a lot of respect between the two but also a determination with Faber, like he was going to get through this. And I remember him dominating.

3. WEC 48: Jose Aldo UD Urijah Faber, April 24, 2010

Harris: I remember [afterward] Faber being hurt. I gave him a hug and asked how he was. His leg was a mess. Aldo cried in the back. He was so emotional. It was like all the work he had done in his life -- that moment was life-changing to him. I remember when he was standing in that cage before the fight and "California Love" came on, Jose's look was like, "Wow. This guy's got a lot of fans."

2. WEC 40: Miguel Torres UD Takeya Mizugaki, April 5, 2009

Harris: It was such a war. I just remember how excited the crowd was and how brutal the fight was. There's nothing like seeing two guys in the dressing room who have given it everything they got. They had gone to battle. And when Miguel Torres was on, he really was like Anderson Silva. He had this aura about him.

1. WEC 48: Leonard Garcia SD Chan Sung Jung, April 24, 2010

Harris: To have those two guys step up and fight the way they did leading into our pay-per-view -- I know it completely bumped our numbers. Part of the story people don't know is after the fight, I went to the dressing rooms and "Korean Zombie" was crying because he really thought he had won the fight. I was able to tell him he won the fight of the night bonus, which was $65,000, and just the elation on his face was something I'll never forget.

Martin Kampmann celebrated his seven-year anniversary as a UFC fighter this month. Seven years, man. Wow. What is that exactly -- 13, 14 fights?

“Sixteen,” Kampmann interrupts. “Sixteen fights.”

If Kampmann and Michael Bisping ever go out for beers, it’s easy to picture them hugging it out at least once over one brutal similarity. These two have fought consistently well for years in the Octagon but have yet to fight for the title.

How many times has Kampmann pictured a fight against reigning welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre? He can’t give an exact number. But bring it up and he stares at the ground like a kid describing what he’s wanted for the past five Christmases -- and is still waiting.

“I’d love to fight GSP. I’d ... “ He breaks sentence and shakes his head. “I know it wouldn’t be an easy fight, but I feel I could beat him. I’d love to get the chance to fight him -- very much.”

Despite a first-round knockout loss to Johny Hendricks in his last bout, Kampmann (20-6) feels that fight is within his grasp.

To an extent, the UFC must agree. It booked Kampmann to a main event fight against highly ranked Carlos Condit on Wednesday, at UFC Fight Night 27 in Indianapolis.

“I think a loss always sets you back, but I think I’m still one of the guys at the top,” Kampmann told ESPN.com. “I was calling out [Nick] Diaz and Condit. I want to fight those guys coming off losses who are still ranked real high.”

It’s not as though Kampmann gives off a sense of desperation to get to the title, but the veteran understands he’s not an up-and-coming prospect anymore.

Whereas he used to consistently travel to different gyms for different looks when living in Denmark -- including Sweden, Brazil and Thailand -- these days he remains relatively grounded thanks to his wife and two sons.

While younger fighters typically return to the gym quickly following a tough loss or a rough sparring session, Kampmann has been cognizant of the need to let his body heal in between fights.

Even though he’s still confident in his chin, Kampmann knows he’s now suffered four knockout losses in his career.

“Of course I’m worried [about that],” Kampmann said. “It’s not going to make me any smarter getting punched in the head, but that’s the sport. That’s the risk. I think after the [Jake] Ellenberger fight I took a long break. It’s definitely something I’ve gotten more aware of in my career.

“I feel I have a good chin. I’ve had a good chin my whole career. If you get rocked too many times, though, and don’t respect it, I think that’s the problem.”

This week’s bout against Condit (28-7) is a rematch of a bout that took place in April 2009 that resulted in a split decision victory for Kampmann.

Kampmann doesn’t have a long history of fighting opponents multiple times. It’s happened once, against British welterweight Matt Ewin. It went well for him.

“In the first fight, I got on top, elbowed him, and I think I broke his orbital bone,” Kampmann said. “He didn’t come out in the second round. The second fight, he shot in, I sprawled and started elbowing him again, and he tapped out.”

If Kampmann can be as successful in the second rematch of his career, he’ll be once again in striking distance of that Christmas he’s spent seven years working toward.

UFC Fight Night 26 suffers from the same ailment nearly every UFC card will suffer from the rest of the year: It's not UFC 168 … or 167 … or 166.

Chris Weidman versus Anderson Silva is a fighting fan's Christmas. Georges St-Pierre versus Johny Hendricks is Thanksgiving. And Cain Velasquez versus Junior dos Santos III will feel like a second birthday to us all this year.

Chael Sonnen versus Mauricio Rua this weekend at TD Garden in Boston sort of feels like Flag Day in comparison.

But that said, there's a lot to like about Flag Day. Top to bottom, this is one of the stronger UFC cards fans will witness this year. Some events are structured around one fight and one fight only. Boston, on the other hand, features plenty to watch for.

FIVE STORYLINES

The legend of Conor McGregor

We are all getting way too carried away about McGregor -- but it's impossible not to. Simplest way to put it: When McGregor fights, you want to watch, and when he talks, you want to listen. It's not just that he's entertaining; he has this contagious passion about what he does. During a recent visit to Las Vegas, McGregor said he was so excited he stayed up shadowboxing in his hotel room until 5 a.m. He's in a hurry to be at the top, and Max Holloway wants to slow him down.

The curious case of Uriah Hall

You hear all the time how important the mental aspect is in martial arts. Hall has shown he has the physical tools, and on the surface, nothing seems out of sorts for him mentally. But that loss to Kelvin Gastelum in The Ultimate Fighter Finale was awkward. His team said he liked Gastelum too much to hurt him. Many of those watching called it cockiness. Neither is really an acceptable excuse for a fighter as talented as Hall. Expectations are high for him against John Howard.

The resurgence of Mike Brown

Brown hasn't really been under the spotlight for years, but for longtime martial arts observers he'll always be a name that jumps off the page. Two wins over Urijah Faber in the WEC put him on the map, but truth is Brown was just one of those guys who was always fun to watch. Something went wrong along the way, and the now 37-year-old endured a 2-4 stretch amid rumors of distractions in his personal life. He's back on a two-fight win streak coming into this fight against Steve Siler.

The quiet contenders

Since 2011, Matt Brown and Mike Pyle are a combined 11-2 in the Octagon, yet you won't find them on any top 10 welterweight rankings. Neither is willing to make a big point of that publicly, but there's no question both are getting a little anxious. After his last win, Brown said, "Just because a bunch of media people don't believe I'm good enough for a title shot doesn't mean it's true." Pyle, winner of four in a row, is itching to sign a fight against a top-10 opponent.

That Faber guy is back again

You can almost see the bile form in Faber's throat when forced to answer the same questions over and over leading up to these nontitle fights. "How much you got left in the tank, champ?" "Getting close to another title shot, Urijah, what's that feel like?" "Is the belt still the goal, buddy?" We should all come to this understanding that Faber feels great, he's excited to fight, and he wants a title shot, but the UFC won't give him one yet so he needs to keep winning. This fight against Yuri Alcantara might not feel big, but it's big for Faber. Any loss is a major setback.

FIVE QUESTIONS

What does Alistair Overeem look like?

He was Superman against Brock Lesnar and Clark Kent against Antonio Silva. No stranger to performance-enhancing drug accusations, Overeem is in a critical spot. He didn't look the same in February, his first appearance since producing a high testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio in Nevada last year. He told ESPN.com he would never apply for testosterone-replacement therapy, despite tests that showed low levels after his last fight. There are a lot of variables floating around. Can Overeem be Superman again in the midst of them?

Is Travis Browne for real?

Browne passes the eye test. He moves. He has heavyweight knockout power. His grappling is underrated. He seems like he's in shape, and his only loss came after his hamstring busted in the opening minute of a fight. Overeem -- whether he's at his best or not -- is going to test him, though. If Browne is spectacular, he could be the biggest winner of the entire night.

Is 'Shogun' still elite?

Rua is slowing down. It never really felt as though he was going to lose to Brandon Vera last August, but we were sort of expecting a windmill dunk and got a weak layup instead. Then in December, it seemed like he was operating on fumes against a physical Alexander Gustafsson. Three of the last five men Shogun has defeated are now retired. How worried should we be about this?

Is the self-proclaimed 'Gangster' going to lose three in a row?

Whether you like Sonnen or not, this is a man who does not avoid tough fights. He has gone from Silva to Jon Jones to a light heavyweight contest against a former champion in Rua. Sonnen is undersized for this division -- a fact made obvious by his decision to return to middleweight regardless of what happens in Boston. Sonnen can survive a loss if it comes to it, but a proposed fight against Vitor Belfort can't.

Is Michael McDonald the third-best bantamweight in the world?

Both ESPN.com and UFC rankings still have McDonald trailing Faber. Both fight on this Boston card. No doubt, a certain contingent of MMA fans would rank McDonald ahead of Faber heading into this weekend, but it's close. If the 22-year-old runs through Brad Pickett, it will be difficult not to bump him up.

WHO'S ON THE HOT SEAT?

Michael Johnson

The once promising career of a TUF runner-up has hit a major crossroads. Johnson looked like a tough matchup after disposing of Shane Roller and Tony Ferguson, but he was nearly knocked out by Danny Castillo before suffering back-to-back losses. He's still not out of his league against Joe Lauzon -- at least we think.

Manny Gamburyan

Seems like a lifetime ago that Gamburyan fought his way to a WEC title shot against Jose Aldo. Fighting Gamburyan is like fighting an angry fire hydrant; he's compact and seemingly made of metal. He also has a long history with the UFC, although a 1-3 record in his last four fights is tough to look past.

Cole Miller

Might as well discuss Gamburyan's opponent as well. These two know each other well from their days on the TUF 5 reality set on Team Jens Pulver. Now, Miller needs a win just as badly as his former teammate, having gone 1-2 since his drop to featherweight last year.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Because there's still more to 2013 than a middleweight rematch, even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes … because over the course of his career, Shogun is 6-for-6 when it comes to knocking out opponents following a loss … because two of the most explosive heavyweights are incredibly hungry going into the same fight … because Brown and Pyle are fighting each other with the exact same chip on their respective shoulders … because McGregor might be the most fun athlete the UFC has on its roster.

LAS VEGAS -- UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has echoed recent comments made by his teammate Rory MacDonald that the two will never fight.

Speaking to reporters at the MGM Grand Hotel on Monday, St-Pierre shrugged off questions regarding a future fight between them as nothing more than media nonsense.

“You guys want a story,” St-Pierre said. “Make conflict happen with me and Rory. It’s not going to happen. Rory and I are tight. We’re friends.”

St-Pierre (24-2) and MacDonald (15-1) are longtime training partners at Tristar Gym in Montreal.

St-Pierre is scheduled to defend his title for the ninth time against Johny Hendricks (15-1) at UFC 167 in November. MacDonald, meanwhile, is coming off a heavily criticized decision win over Jake Ellenberger at a UFC on Fox event on Saturday.

Last week, MacDonald plainly stated to media he and St-Pierre had no intention to fight each other. MacDonald has climbed to No. 3 in the UFC’s division rankings.

UFC president Dana White responded that he didn’t believe MacDonald’s comments. St-Pierre was there to back him up on Monday.

“

You guys want a story. Make conflict happen with me and Rory. It's not going to happen. Rory and I are tight. We're friends.

” -- Georges St-Pierre, on why he won't fight friend and fellow contender Rory MacDonald

“Rory and I, we’re friends, you know?” St-Pierre said. “I don’t know what to say. I’m friends with Rory. We text, we call each other.

“There are many ways of doing things. Maybe I want to go up [in weight]. Maybe he might go up. There are many other options. I have a plan for my career. I can not tell you everything, guys, but there are other ways of doing things.”

St-Pierre currently sits second all-time in consecutive title defenses with eight. He trails only former middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who defended the 185-pound title 10 times in a row before losing it to Chris Weidman earlier this month.

When asked if St-Pierre would remain in the weight class long enough to take that record from Silva, his response was unclear.

“It’s a good question now that you say it,” St-Pierre said. “I don’t know.

“I’m taking it fight by fight. I don’t think about records because every fight is different and has its own problems.”

The champ also defended MacDonald’s conservative approach against Ellenberger, which led to the unanimous decision victory.

“The truth is, it’s not only because Rory is my friend, the truth is we all knew by watching the fight Rory was winning,” St-Pierre said. “It was up to Jake Ellenberger to take the risk to change the momentum of the fight, not Rory.”

So I’m just going to come right out with this ... I saw nothing wrong with the way UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald fought on Saturday in Seattle.

I didn’t even find his decision win over Jake Ellenberger to be all that particularly “boring.” Seeing MacDonald shut down an opponent as good as Ellenberger with feints, jabs, front kicks and footwork was actually very watchable to me.

That’s not the point here, though. If you found the fight boring, fine. There’s really no right way to see a fight. Either you liked it or you didn’t.

The way in which many perceive MacDonald’s performance, though -- I have to say I just don’t agree with it. You always see plenty of comments on Twitter after a high-profile UFC fight. In this case, an extreme one sent to me suggested the win shouldn’t even count. Those kinds of outbursts are expected, but reactions to this performance have gone beyond Twitter.

A lot of that can be attributed to UFC president Dana White, who influences the opinion of countless others. White accused Ellenberger of doing “nothing,” and said “Rory is one of the best in the world, but he didn’t look it tonight.”

White also said he encourages fighters the day before an event to go after "Fight Night" bonuses. “You want more money?” he said. “It’s right there, go get it.”

It’s important to remember that White is a fight promoter. This was the most highly anticipated bout of a Fox Network event and it failed to produce drama. You expect this kind of reaction from him, but there’s a lot to disagree with in his comments.

MacDonald, 24, was in the biggest fight of his career against a major knockout threat in Ellenberger. Before the fight, I wrote that standing and trading in the pocket would be dangerous for MacDonald, and I believe many of you would have agreed.

Why are we all so shocked then, that MacDonald remained conservative once he realized he could easily outpoint Ellenberger from the outside? And even to say it was “easy” isn’t accurate. MacDonald may not have been entertaining, but he dominated the No. 4 fighter in his division and that's not really easy, regardless of how it’s done.

I understand the idea that this is a fight -- it’s not a baseball game where 1-0 means the exact same thing as 20-0. Style counts in martial arts. But I would also say there is a right time for style, and Saturday wasn't necessarily it for MacDonald.

What real incentive did he have to take a risk and look to finish the fight?

Some would say a "Fight Night" bonus. Knock him out, take home an extra $50,000. Nothing is even close to guaranteed when talking about those bonuses. Robbie Lawler turned in arguably one of the best knockouts of the year against Bobby Voelker on Saturday and watched the KO bonus go to Melvin Guillard.

Others would say take the risk because of the stage. It was a high-profile fight. A spectacular win could mean -- what? Where would a spectacular win have gotten MacDonald? He was already the No. 3-ranked welterweight in the UFC standings headed into the weekend. I’m pretty sure the win didn’t drop him a spot.

Would it have got him a fight against Georges St-Pierre? A fight he says he doesn’t even want? One thing I do agree with White on is that secretly, MacDonald wants to fight St-Pierre (only because he has the title).

If that’s really true though, think about it: All MacDonald has to do is pipe up and say it. Teammate versus Teammate? The student challenges the master? Come on. The UFC will jump behind that idea any time MacDonald chooses to push it.

No. This was about MacDonald recognizing a dangerous opponent and securing a win, which he did. He didn’t look like one of the best in the world? He owned Ellenberger. In interviews for the UFC before the bout, he said he wanted to “embarrass him, technically.” He did that.

And this idea that Ellenberger wasn’t right in the fight, that he did “nothing” -- I just don’t buy that. He tried to get to the inside on MacDonald and couldn’t. Maybe he could have turned to his wrestling earlier when his striking failed, but ultimately he just ran up against a superior opponent with a better game plan that night.

It’s not lost on me that a fight like MacDonald-Ellenberger isn’t great for television and certainly not great for casual fans tuning in to watch for the first time.

In this scenario though, you lose the big picture if that’s what you focus on. MacDonald went into one of the biggest tests of his career and emerged without a scratch and two 30-27 scorecards.

If straight violence is your goal, there are limitless sources of it to be found. But one attraction of the UFC is that it showcases technical martial arts at its best. I thought MacDonald’s jab was a good example of that Saturday, and it deserves more than only criticism.

John Moraga didn’t get into mixed martial arts for fame and quite frankly, he really didn’t get into it to satisfy any real hunger for competition, either.

Moraga started training to fight in 2009 with one thing in mind: Money.

“I didn’t get into this sport to be on posters or be a household name,” Moraga told ESPN.com. “Money. Let my kids grow up with everything I didn’t have.”

That’s not to say Moraga (13-1), who faces Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title this weekend at a UFC on Fox event in Seattle, doesn’t enjoy what he does. A former collegiate wrestler, Moraga is a lifetime competitor.

But the reason he trains multiple times a day and makes sacrifices in his lifestyle so he can weigh 125 pounds before a fight is to provide for his two sons.

“When my girlfriend got pregnant, that’s when I decided to get in the gym and see what I could make of it," he said. "There wasn’t much opportunity when I started, but I had faith that I would have an opportunity to make a living out of it. It’s worked out.”

Money has been a major talking point in the UFC in 2013, with several former and current fighters publicly criticizing the promotion’s current pay structure.

Moraga is an interesting case study in the discussion. Since signing with the UFC in mid-2012, the 29-year-old has fought twice, both times on the undercard.

His most recent performance, a submission win over Chris Cariaso at UFC 155 in December, was the opening fight of the event. Most of the Las Vegas crowd didn’t show up to see it. The UFC paid Moraga a salary of $22,000, according to Nevada.

Had Moraga lost, he would have made just $11,000. Half of the salary came from a win bonus, which is included in the majority of UFC contracts. Also, he would have been 1-1 in the UFC. Fighters who fall to 1-2 are routinely cut from the UFC roster.

That may seem, in Moraga’s word, “cutthroat” -- but so far, he has made the UFC pay system work for him. Shortly after his first UFC win, a first-round knockout over Ulysses Gomez, the company sent him a discretionary bonus in the mail.

When he submitted Cariaso at UFC 155, Moraga also was the recipient of a $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus. Just two fights into his deal, he’s in a position to win a UFC belt and possibly headline a pay-per-view event in the future.

Moraga’s view on UFC pay is that the company forces him to earn his money. If he performs to its expectations, they take care of him.

“I feel the UFC wants exciting fighters. If you go out and put on an exciting fight, if you put enough effort out there, then they’ll take care of you," he said. "I think they let their fighters earn their money, and I’m cool with that.”

Moraga is in a terrific spot now, but acknowledges things could have gone south just as easily.

In that UFC debut, the one where he knocked out Gomez and was awarded an extra check, Moraga was originally scheduled to fight Ian McCall. McCall, ranked the No. 3 flyweight in the world at the time, withdrew with injury.

Moraga’s guaranteed paycheck for that debut was only $9,000, with a $9,000 win bonus. Obviously, he would have gone into the bout against McCall with confidence, but it clearly would have been a much tougher fight than the one he ended up with.

Prior to McCall’s injury, Moraga was looking at a situation in which he was scheduled to face the No. 3 fighter in his division, potentially for a mere $9,000 -- and on top of that, a potential loss in his promotional debut.

“It’s definitely a gamble,” Moraga said of being an undercard fighter. “That’s what we sign up for. But that’s how I saw it. I saw [my undercard fights] as a little amount of money to get me on my feet and I saw it as an opportunity.

“I was supposed to fight Ian McCall. That’s a little different than your average UFC debut. At the same time, I knew I just had to prove myself.”

Moraga admits to not knowing “what the UFC makes” per event or “how much it costs to keep business going.”

Those two issues have long been arguing points in the UFC fighter pay discussion. Disgruntled fighters have complained about UFC revenue split, as the company refuses to release figures to the media on the subject. The UFC responds that it absorbs its own production costs and spends millions of dollars on advertising and promoting the sport, which opens sponsorship opportunities for its fighters.

From a personal sense, Moraga doesn’t have the time to inmmerse himself in that discussion. In his mind, if he continues to perform and fight in an entertaining style, the money will come.

That’s far more than he can say regarding other times in his career. When Moraga first started off, he says his pay was based on the number of tickets he was able to sell to friends and family, many of whom didn’t have the funds to help him out.

“I made like, ticket-sale money,” Moraga said. “Selling tickets was hard. Everyone I know is from the hood. They were like, '30 dollars? Tell me how it went, player.'

“I think the most I was ever paid for one of my fights [before the UFC] was $1,000, maybe $1,200. Before that, it was $400 here, $600 there.”

Moraga was also involved in the well-known Nemesis Fighting MMA promotion, which produced bounced checks to fighters after an event in 2010.

Moraga suffered the only loss of his pro career at that event to fellow UFC flyweight John Dodson, but was supposed to collect his largest payday. He collected nothing.

“I didn’t get paid for that fight,” Moraga said. “It was supposed to be online PPV. It ended up being a total scam of a show.”

Of course, Moraga has no concern of that happening in the UFC and now, as was the case when he first started training, he’s optimistic regarding his financial future.

Regarding his upcoming fight against Johnson, Moraga says he views it as life and death. In his mind, it may be his only chance ever at real, life-changing money.

In the current UFC pay structure, that mindset probably has a lot to do with Moraga’s success so far.

“I take it as survival,” Moraga said. “I see it as my one chance. That’s how I have to see it. Who knows what can happen? I might never get this chance again if I don’t make the most of it.”

In January 2010, Marloes Coenen went into a featherweight bout against Cris Justino (then Cris Santos) convinced that her opponent was using illegal supplements.

A positive drug test by Justino nearly two years later in California did little to change Coenen’s mind. Thing is, though, she doesn’t care.

“When I was fighting her, I expected her to be on something,” Coenen told ESPN.com. “I know how I look and how hard I train and I know how she looks. But it’s up to the media and the fans to judge her. I’m not going to do that.”

No one can be certain whether Justino (11-1) benefited from any illegal substance leading to her third-round TKO win against Coenen -- except for Justino herself.

What we do know, for certain, is the former Strikeforce champion tested positive for stanozolol metabolites following a 16-second knockout over Hiroko Yamanaka on Dec. 17, 2011, in San Diego.

Justino claimed innocence, pointing to a diet pill given to her by a teammate as the source of the positive test. Despite her stance that she ingested the steroid unknowingly, the California commission suspended Justino for one year.

As Coenen (21-5) prepares to meet Justino for a second time in the main event of this weekend’s Invicta FC 6 event in Kansas City, isn’t she angry with her? Based on the belief Justino was cheating the first time they fought?

“Of course it makes you mad,” Coenen said. “The thing is, if you lose, you shouldn’t come up with excuses. It doesn’t matter how good your excuse is. You can’t say, ‘Oh I lost, but she’s on steroids.’ Well then don’t step in the cage, you know?

“If someone makes a mistake, you should give them a second chance -- and that’s what I’m giving her right now.”

Justino returned from suspension at Invicta FC 5 in April, finishing Fiona Muxlow in the first round via TKO. The inaugural Invicta 145-pound title will be on the line in her rematch against Coenen, but she still considers herself a champion, having never suffered a loss as the Strikeforce titleholder.

The one-year suspension and the negative connotations that come with a failed drug test, however, have been hard on the 27-year-old.

Ultimately, she says she’s been able to turn it into a positive for her career. In addition to finding out who her “real” friends were during the difficult time, she says she’s done seminars in Brazil to discourage kids from using performance-enhancing drugs.

“Bad things happen in your life but you learn something,” Justino said. “I learned a lot of things. I learned who my friends were -- who the good people behind me are.

“I have 1,000 kids training MMA in Brazil. Me and the other partners opened a big place in Brazil. I want to show the kids this sport can change your life and you can’t use drugs for training.”

The rematch will mark Invicta’s debut on cable and satellite pay-per-view. It’s the second time Coenen is set to headline a card for the promotion. She defeated Romy Ruyssen in the inaugural event in April 2012.

Coenen admits she’d like to avenge every loss of her career (she has actually avenged one) and is confident in her ability to make adjustments against Justino.

In the first meeting, Coenen says, she was caught off guard by the punching power of Justino. Way off guard.

“I don’t remember that much about the fight,” Coenen said. “The only thing I basically remember was that I had never been hit that hard in my life before.

“I didn’t have a good strength program for that fight. She really outpowered me with her strength. This time I did a really good strength and conditioning program. I will have to actually cut weight now. I know what’s headed toward me.”

Justino, who has never been involved in a rematch, says she’s held high respect for Coenen ever since their first bout, mostly because she is the only opponent ever to strongly request a second fight.

“She said it right after the fight,” Justino said. “I saw her in the lobby at the hotel and she told me -- she’s very friendly, very nice girl -- she wanted to fight me again. She said, ‘Before I retire, I will find you again.’ She is a true fighter.”

"Anything can happen in mixed martial arts." -- They.

You know, I agree -- four-ounce gloves and such -- and we've certainly been surprised here and there this year by MMA, but hasn't it also been somewhat ... predictable so far?

It's as if even some of the unpredictable stuff was pretty predictable.

If a friend had told you at the start of the year, "Antonio Silva will knock Alistair Overeem out cold, but only after 'The Reem' techno dances to the Octagon and gasses in the second round," wouldn’t at least part of you have thought it made sense?

What about: "Nick Diaz will accuse Georges St-Pierre of steroid use, get outwrestled for five rounds, admit tax evasion, retire and start his own promotion branded WAR." (You nodding). "Yeah, that actually sounds about right."

On that note, let's call some shots for the rest of the year. The key here might be as simple as, "don't think too much." Just let them fly.

Fighter of the Year: Johny Hendricks. Thanks to a knockout victory over St-Pierre in the UFC's biggest card of the year. All the unfair criticism St-Pierre gets for not finishing fights will actually work against him here. Biggest concern for this prediction is Hendricks might actually want it too much, which can make a fighter gas early. Nevertheless, Hendricks in Round 3 or 4.

By the way, Hendricks barely squeaks by Jon Jones and Anthony Pettis for the award. Jones is in "clean your division" land. He beats Alexander Gustafsson and another top contender (not Daniel Cormier) to cap a superb year, but not enough to dethrone Johny. Pettis, meanwhile, gets in the cage in Milwaukee, stares down Ben Henderson after he narrowly decisions T.J. Grant, then takes the belt late in the year.

Breakout Fighter of the Year: So many candidates. In the end, it's a four-victory year that seals the deal for Ronaldo Souza. He already has two first-round finishes over UFC-caliber competition. He beats Yushin Okami in September, comes out unscathed and requests a spot on the New Year's show. Hashtag: Alligator crawl.

Leading the honorable mentions, welterweight Erick Silva. A matchup against Rory MacDonald, win or lose against Jake Ellenberger in July, would be top-shelf, but he draws a "fading veteran" type of fight instead.

Also in the running: Michael McDonald, who beats Brad Pickett in August, then fights Urijah Faber by the end of the year. Josh Thomson, who wins one more high-profile fight and posts at least 17 more dumb things to his Twitter account. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gunnar Nelson, Cub Swanson and Stipe Miocic.

Comeback Fighter of the Year: You know what? I said I wasn't going to think too much and just roll with the first thought. So let's do it: Dominick Cruz. Cruz is the kind of guy you picture shadow boxing while brushing his teeth. Nobody in the UFC wants to sign a fight right now more. People are talking about how good Renan Barao is and wondering how Cruz will look after so much time off. But if there's one guy who comes back before we think he will and looks better than we expect him to, it's lil' DC.

Free-Falling Fighter of the Year: The award you don't want to win. Don't be mad Hector Lombard, but looking at you on this one. The move to welterweight will not do what it did for Demian Maia. The cut itself doesn't figure to be an easy one. Lombard doesn't have a huge frame but it looks like he's just a naturally stocky guy. On top of that, his current problem has nothing to do with a need to be the bigger guy in the Octagon. If anything, speedier opponents will make him look worse.

Fight of the Year: Impossible to predict, but these already announced bouts look pretty good: Andrew Craig vs. Chris Leben, Ellenberger vs. MacDonald, Thiago Alves vs. Matt Brown, Henderson vs. Grant, Clay Guida vs. Chad Mendes, Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier, Tim Elliott vs. Louis Gaudinot, Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos III.

The first adjective Matt Grice uses to describe that grueling, split-decision loss to Dennis Bermudez on Feb. 23 at UFC 157 in Anaheim, Calif., is “fun.” Awesome time.

“One of the most fun fights I’ve ever been in,” Grice said. “Just competing with a person of that caliber. We’re all there to test ourselves, and I feel that fight tested me a lot -- my willingness to continue and keep going. To me, that’s fun.”

ESPN.com’s fight of the midyear was a landslide win for Grice and Bermudez. It’s a funny thing, “Fight of the nights.” Sometimes, stylistically, you can predict them. Oftentimes, however, they appear totally random -- as was the case with Grice and Bermudez.

Grice, for one, has no idea how to describe exactly what happens between two fighters that can turn a technical martial arts contest into a spirited brawl. He does know, however, that physical and mental endurance are involved.

“That definitely wasn’t in the game plan, you know?” Grice said. “Take a bunch of punches and give a bunch of punches. You just get in the zone."

Bermudez got full mount on Grice in the first minute of the fight. The two exhausted one another against the fence throughout, fighting for underhooks and throwing knees and punches to the body. It continued like that for the next 14 minutes.

One of the most incredible things about the fight was that both had enough left to stand and trade punches in the final minute. The pace of this featherweight bout was insane from the beginning.

Grice dropped Bermudez with a perfect left hook in the first round.

Bermudez’s corner told him, “We need this round, you’ve got to go for it,” as he came off his stool for the final round. Across the Octagon, Grice’s corner’s last words were, “Don’t stop. Don’t relax.”

“I think more than anything in that third round, it was survival tactic, Grice said. He hurt me right off the bat in that third round. Every time I would recover a little bit, he’d hit me with another one that would put me out. He was in great shape, too, because he threw a lot of punches in that last round.”

Grice appeared out on his feet at least three times in the final round.

“I looked up at the clock with 47 seconds left and thought, ‘Man, where did the rest of this round go?’” Grice said. “I came off the cage and hit him with a left hand and for the last 30 seconds or so we flurried.”

According to FightMetric.com, Bermudez landed 120 total strikes to Grice’s 82. It was, by far, the most times either had been hit in a UFC bout.

---

No. 2: Johny Hendricks UD3 Carlos Condit, UFC 158 (March 16). This was an angry Hendricks. The kind of Hendricks you get when you give away his title shot to a recently suspended welterweight, coming off a loss. Condit wasn’t backing down, though. Amazing fight.

No. 3: Wanderlei Silva KO2 Brian Stann, UFC on Fuel 8 (March 2). Stann may have been able to play this safe and gone after Silva late -- but we’ll never know because he chose to do the opposite. One would have thought Stann’s chin would have held up better than Silva’s, but that wasn’t the case, as it was the Axe Murderer left standing after a firefight.

No. 4: Cat Zingano vs. Miesha Tate, TUF 16 Finale (April 13). Tate will give you a fight. She’s relentless and for two rounds, it worked against Cat Zingano. In the third, with a reality show and title shot on the line, Zingano delivered a highlight TKO.

No. 5: Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve, UFC on Fuel 8 (March 2). The weigh-in photo of these two ranks among the most comical in UFC history. The actual fight ranks among the best of the year. For Hunt to get inside that reach, chances were he’d have to absorb a little punishment along the way. That’s pretty much what happened, until Hunt delivered the walk-off home run shot.

Roger Gracie lives in a different world than the previous members of his family.

When Roger’s grandfather, Carlos Gracie, helped found Brazilian jiu-jitsu with his brother Helio, there were, obviously, no tournaments to compete in. The only way to actually use their craft in competition was to test it against others.

That is, of course, what happened so famously at UFC 1 in November 1993 -- when another member of the Gracie family, Royce, submitted three men in one night to win the first UFC tournament.

While that might be the most well-known instance of a Gracie family member legitimizing the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it was hardly the first. Royce showing off the rear-naked choke that night was just the latest detail in a long family tradition.

That tradition is what has led Roger (6-1) to the UFC, where he’ll make his promotional debut against Tim Kennedy next month in Las Vegas.

Unlike other members of his family, Roger never “had” to fight. There are plenty of world grappling tournaments to compete in, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu has grown in popularity enough that his academy in London more than pays the bills.

To never compete in MMA, though, would have been un-Gracie -- in his mind at least. He discussed that and more with ESPN.com, heading into his UFC debut.

You seem like a fighter not really into MMA for the belt, just for the ride. Is that accurate?
I think that’s pretty accurate. I don’t have a goal to have the belt. My goal is to improve in every aspect of MMA. That’s what I was doing in jiu-jitsu, and suddenly there was a moment like, "OK, now I need to do this in MMA."

Why was MMA always in your future? Why is jiu-jitsu alone not enough?
It goes back to the first Gracie, my grandfather Carlos. He had five younger brothers he taught jiu-jitsu, but back then, they were the only ones doing it. There wasn’t a jiu-jitsu world championship. They had to fight to prove how good jiu-jitsu was. With the sport growing, suddenly there were jiu-jitsu tournaments -- but by then, that was how it had always been. Royce, when he was younger, he competed in jiu-jitsu, and then when they created the UFC, he did MMA. Renzo got his black belt and then boom, he was in MMA. I used to look at all of them and say, "That’s what I have to do." Even before I got my black belt, I knew. If I really wanted to follow the Gracie way. It was never a conscious choice.

So there is an expectation in the family to eventually transition to MMA?
Not really. It’s actually the opposite. I’ve had a lot of pressure in my family from uncles and cousins telling me not to do MMA because the sport now it not what it used to be. Now they have massive strong guys and everybody knows jiu-jitsu. They were telling me there is nothing more to prove -- everything has been proven already. But I think each one follows his own path and this is mine.

What does the future of the Gracie family in MMA look like? Are there more on the way after you?
I think the one thing we’ve proven is we have numbers. We’re a pretty big family. So, I’d always expect there is a Gracie popping up somewhere. The family is very spread. It’s not like everybody is in the same place. It may be a cousin in New York or somewhere in Brazil is becoming very good and suddenly, boom he is the next generation. I think that is what’s going to happen forever.

You expect Kennedy to avoid grappling with you?
It’s hard to say. I’ve seen his fight against "Jacare" [Ronaldo Souza], who, in my opinion, is a much better grappler than he is but he took Jacare down twice. That showed he’s not really afraid to grapple with Jacare. If he tries to grapple with me, though, I will be very surprised. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to take me down, but I don’t think he’ll try to grapple with me on the ground.

You’re fighting on the same card as Anderson Silva versus Chris Weidman. Give us your thoughts on that fight.
I think [Weidman] is very, very dangerous. His grappling is at a very high level. He can submit any world-class grappler. I think he’s really that good. He can tap anyone, even me. It’s just a matter of if he can put Anderson in those situations. I would still put my money on Anderson but I think Chris Weidman is dangerous and can surprise him.

The UFC lightweight division is the deep end of the pool. It’s nondebatable.

According to the new ESPN.com rankings, a well-rounded talent like Jim Miller no longer cracks the Top 10. Same for Nate Diaz -- and he fought for the title six months ago. Athletic knockout artist Melvin Guillard is facing potential unemployment.

With as loaded as the division is, it’s pretty unbelievable Benson Henderson has already tied BJ Penn's record for all-time wins in a UFC lightweight title fight. Breaking that record in his next fight against TJ Grant is far from a given.

In 2011, I wrote a similar column to this, laying out the qualities it would take to beat Frankie Edgar. I ultimately said Henderson was the guy. I feel about 75 percent correct today. Edgar won that rematch, but you know. Spilled milk.

Question now is, who beats Henderson -- if anyone? Here are the lightweight contenders and pretenders, revisited.

The best of the rest: Mark Bocek, Guillard, Joe Lauzon, Miller, Ross Pearson.

These guys deserve to be in the conversation, but stars would really have to align for them to go all the way. Miller is terrific, but the evidence is there: When he runs into big, athletic lightweights he can’t push around, he struggles. I’d love to see him take his style to the featherweight division, which could use a mean, durable, bearded former lightweight willing to wear a farmer’s tan around. But Miller has long resisted the idea. We know Guillard is good for a handful of knockouts and an equal number of face palms Pearson could still develop, but he’s been beaten at his own game twice in his past five fights. Never a good sign.

That somebody that you used to know: Nate Diaz

Someone should probably stage an intervention for Diaz. Going back to his title fight against Henderson in December (not that long ago!), Diaz has tanked in back-to-back fights, talked about a return to welterweight (makes sense, given his vulnerability to bigger, stronger opponents) and been suspended for using a gay slur in a tweet (which he then said he wasn’t sorry about). How confident are you right now the Diazes aren’t at least thinking about a future WAR MMA card headlined by Nate? Not very, right?

The fantasy keeper league: Edson Barboza, Rafael Dos Anjos, Rustam Khabilov, Jorge Masvidal, Khabib Nurmagomedov

Every one of these guys is under 30 years old. Say you set up a fantasy keeper MMA league, where wins are worth one point and title wins are worth three. What order are you drafting these guys in? Tough call.

Barboza, Khabilov and Nurmagomedov are the Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson of the UFC lightweights. Of the three, there’s something I really like about Khabilov. Even without the first-round finishes, you can just tell this guy does everything well and he’s on opponents from start to finish. Barboza has made that weird jump from slightly overrated to underrated, thanks to a TKO loss to Jamie Varner. It seemed like everybody wanted to talk about this guy, despite the fact he barely, barely squeaked by Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson. Now, I don’t think we’re talking about him enough. It’s tough to pick a future champion in this very young group, but I like Khabilov’s chances the best, then probably Barboza.

The head case: Donald Cerrone

It’s possible nobody beats Cerrone when it comes to looking awesome in a win and then fairly terrible in a loss. Cerrone referenced a sports psychologist after his latest win over KJ Noons -- if you’re unaware, that’s been going on for a while now. When he’s on, he’s similar to other Greg Jackson fighters Jon Jones and Cub Swanson. He mixes it up, he reacts, he doesn’t think. Other times, it’s like he’s trying to solve for “x” out there and he seizes up.

At this point, I admit I’m skeptical of Cerrone ever holding the belt. He doesn’t fight particularly well in the big moments and quite frankly, he’s never been that guy who expresses a burning desire to be a champion anyway. Worth mentioning though, I thought he beat Henderson at WEC 43 in 2009. As far as controversial Henderson decisions go, that’s right up there.

The threats: Grant, Pat Healy, Gray Maynard, Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson

These guys are somewhat close to a title shot (with the exemption of Maynard, but I’m not willing to count him out). Thomson is going to make a lot of noise. He’s not afraid to ask for things right now because at 34, his window at a title is smaller than it used to be. Melendez will be around. He’s well-rounded, consistent, mentally tough and we know he can go five rounds, let alone three. I like Grant a lot. He’s got the power to hurt Henderson and change the fight. As good as Healy is, and I like the welterweight-to-lightweight move right now, he’s not quite as good as Grant, so if Grant falls to Henderson, it’d be tough to pick Healy over him. Interesting that these are some of the bigger guys at 155. Did small ball pack up and leave with Edgar?

The future champ: Anthony Pettis

What just happened? Pettis had been waiting around for a title shot forever. For various reasons, mostly Edgar rematches, it never happened.

So in a move to speed up his title hopes, he called Dana White and asked to drop to 145. He fights Jose Aldo on Aug. 3. It’s possible (not official) Henderson will defend the lightweight title against Grant 14 days later in Boston on Aug. 17. So basically, Pettis agreed to drop to a weight class he’s never fought in to earn a title shot just two weeks sooner, and the UFC signed off on it. Seems like we all could have handled that better.

Anyway, win or lose, I don’t think Pettis is long for 145 pounds. He has always seen 155 as his division and he’s confident he has Henderson’s number. I’ve always believed Henderson’s claim he got caught up in the moment of the last WEC fight ever and strayed from his game plan against Pettis. I think that’s real. I just don’t think it matters. Even if Henderson goes into a rematch with a strategy more reliant on his size and pressure, Pettis beats him. Bold prediction time: Pettis is your UFC lightweight champion at some point in the next 12-18 months.

Vitor Belfort’s knockout win over Luke Rockhold on Saturday in Jaragua Do Sul, Brazil, was almost a perfect story.

The “old dinosaur,” as Belfort calls himself, tamed the “young lion” with a spinning wheel kick in the first round that was really more fine art than it was athletic feat. All professional sports move quickly, but none are as unforgiving as a fight. It’s one of the best characteristics of martial arts, and it was on display Saturday.

That kick, though, was tainted before Belfort ever threw it -- and you’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. After one of the best knockouts of the year, Twitter exploded with three letters: TRT.

Belfort became so incensed at the postfight news conference by questions regarding his testosterone-replacement therapy, he refused to give answers completely.

The fact that a highlight-reel knockout would produce that sort of response is really quite sad when you think about it, and it leaves no doubt about one thing: Belfort’s next fight has to be in the United States.

Belfort is 36 years old. He complains of a naturally low level of testosterone. The newly founded athletic commission in Brazil, which oversaw its first event this year, has approved Belfort’s use of testosterone-replacement therapy.

He has not received that approval in the U.S., and according to Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Belfort would likely have trouble earning a use exemption for TRT based on a positive test for anabolic steroids he submitted after a fight in 2006.

Testosterone-replacement therapy does not teach you how to land a gravity-defying spinning back kick like the one Belfort threw on Saturday. It does, however, increase a fighter’s ability to recover, among other things, while preparing for a bout.

The only way the UFC can ensure Belfort’s next performance isn’t questioned is to force him to go through the process of acquiring a therapeutic use exemption for TRT in its home base of Nevada.

That really shouldn’t be a problem for UFC president Dana White, who took a harsh stance on TRT this year. White has even said he’d like to see athletic commissions ban it entirely -- a ban he doesn’t feel the UFC should have to implement itself.

White publicly promised the UFC would "brutally" test any fighter who receives an exemption in order to prevent abuse.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner told ESPN.com last week the UFC did not test Belfort during his recent training camp, deferring that responsibility to the Brazilian commission.

“The Brazilian commission is handling this fight and all subsequent fights in Brazil,” Ratner said. “They have tested Vitor, who is within legal limits, and will be testing him at the fights.”

Turning Belfort’s TRT exemption completely over to a Brazilian commission handling its second UFC event is a far cry from “testing the living s---“ out of him -- which is what White promised to do, verbatim, earlier this year.

There’s no guarantee Belfort would be denied an exemption in Las Vegas despite the comments made by Kizer. Should he provide medical documentation that proves his natural testosterone levels are low, he would still face the hurdle of the positive steroid test in 2006 -- but it’s possible he would be approved.

Were that to happen, fine. If the NSAC approved it and took charge of monitoring Belfort’s levels, it would be a fairly satisfactory result.

There would still be those against Belfort’s use exemption entirely, but at least it will have gone through the proper channels at that point.

The UFC needs to address this issue in Belfort’s next fight. Seeing an old dinosaur turn back the clock in front of a frenzied Brazilian crowd is terrific, but if we’re all left wondering whether Belfort is truly an inspiring story or merely a product of modern science, doesn’t it take away from the appeal of watching at all?