ESPN Mixed Martial Arts

It never matters to Roy Nelson who UFC officials offer as an opponent. He always accepts.

Nelson will fight any heavyweight, anywhere, anytime. He is a throwback: the type who loves mixing it up. He also enjoys putting on exciting fights, which was evident Saturday night in Newark, N.J.

At UFC 159, Nelson delivered a performance fight fans will remember for a long time -- knocking out Cheick Kongo in the first round with a beautifully placed overhand right.

Kongo immediately went down and was unconscious. Nelson delivered one more punch for good measure, but he didn’t throw it with much force. He didn’t want Kongo getting back to his feet, but was compassionate enough to consider the serious damage that might have been done with a very powerful punch.

That’s Nelson, always thinking of others, be it the fighters or fans -- especially fans. Whenever he steps in the cage, Nelson wants his fans to be entertained, which is exactly what he did at Prudential Center.

And the sellout crowd of 15,227 showed Nelson its appreciation by giving him the evening’s loudest ovation. Nelson responded to the cheers by jumping atop the Octagon at several different locations to directly address fans in every section of the arena.

It was a great night for Nelson, but the fun wasn’t quite over with his victory.

In addition to his pleasing fight, Nelson also wants a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. And he figured the best way to put his name in the title conversation was with an impressive performance against Kongo.

Nelson came through big time, which got the attention UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva.

“Me and Joe never talk about next fights on nights of the fights, but we talked tonight,” White said Saturday night. “And we like Roy Nelson versus [Daniel] Cormier, or Roy Nelson, if Mark Hunt wins [at UFC 160], Roy and Mark.

“If [Roy] wants to get close to the title, those are the guys he has to fight. I know he wants a title shot, and I honestly think he deserves to get a fight with one of the top guys to get him closer to that or get him a title shot.”

The words were music to Nelson’s ears. He had a huge smile on his face each time White made reference to his immediate fighting future. Now he’s at least one bout from realizing his goal of fighting for the UFC heavyweight title.

But here’s the kicker: If Nelson is serious about landing his title shot sooner rather than later -- and sooner is always better, because title shots are very hard to come by -- he must do whatever is necessary to make certain that Cormier is his next opponent. A victory over Cormier, especially if it is impressive, will place him among the top three contenders in the heavyweight rankings. No doubt about it.

Both ESPN.com and UFC.com currently rank Cormier as the No. 2 heavyweight contender, right behind former titleholder Junior dos Santos, who faces Hunt at UFC 160 on May 25 in Las Vegas.

“

... if he gets past [Junior dos Santos], that would be great. If he doesn't, I'd still fight Mark Hunt because the fans want to see that one.

” -- Roy Nelson

An upset of dos Santos won’t catapult Hunt into the top contender spot. Hunt will not surpass Cormier in the rankings, nor is he likely to jump ahead of Alistair Overeem or Fabricio Werdum.

As of Monday, Nelson was ahead of Hunt in the UFC.com heavyweight rankings -- Nos. 6 and 9, respectively. Hunt could move ahead of Nelson with an upset of dos Santos, making a showdown between them more intriguing.

The winner of that fight, however, will have a hard sell convincing UFC officials he deserves an immediate title shot. But a win over Cormier and Nelson is right there knocking at the champion’s door.

“I want to fight the best in the world. And fighting Daniel, you know, he’s an Olympian, I’d like to welcome him to UFC,” Nelson said after his win Saturday night. “As for Mark Hunt, if he gets past [dos Santos] that would be great. If he doesn’t, I’d still fight Mark Hunt because the fans want to see that one.

“I’m all about making everybody happy.”

It’s very noble of Nelson to consider the fans, but it would be a mistake on his part to bypass a shot at Cormier. The risk is greater, but so is the reward. And knowledgeable fight fans would be more interested in witnessing this high-profile bout than a slugfest between him and Hunt.

Besides, Cormier has already endorsed the idea of facing Nelson.

“Hey Dana you’re right, Roy Nelson and I would be a damn good fight,” Cormier said on Twitter after hearing White’s fight proposal. “How about it [Roy]?”

White and Silva are likely to put the ball in Nelson’s court in the next few weeks. And it is in Nelson’s best interest not to drop it.

All the UFC 159 promos can't do away with the most basic question: How did we get here?

The first time Chael Sonnen fought Anderson Silva, the original novelty was his utter disregard for Silva's legacy. To that point people had only been reverent of the middleweight champion -- even if Dana White was still fuming that Abu Dhabi had been turned into a stage for bad performance art by him and Demian Maia.

Along came the stock contender Sonnen, a journeyman who was proud of his singlet, the flag and his real estate license. He'd just taken the pestle to top contenders Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt, so he had the credentials. And what a platform it was. Within days of that last victory, he became the game's most infatuating wisenheimer. It was hard to gauge his sincerity, though; did he truly believe he would walk through Silva, the mythological Brazilian who, in Sonnen's active imagination, could speak the King's English?

Turns out he did. And turns out he backed it up for nine-tenths of a five-round fight in Oakland. The other one-tenth, as you now know, is the marker that defines his career.

After the loss, the asterisks piled up as the rematch lolled on the horizon. By the time he made his way back from his suspension for elevated testosterone levels, and made it through mobile obstacles (Brian Stann and Michael Bisping), we were talking about Sonnen-Silva II as the biggest fight in MMA history. It was Ali-Frazier there for a minute. It was Silva's first real rival. It was all kinds of bandstands, bunting and pageantry.

Yet Sonnen lost the rematch, too, this time less spectacularly. He lost his footing throwing a spinning backfist.

But losing your footing is nothing when you've mastered the art of falling forward. Sonnen now faces Jon Jones for the light heavyweight belt on Saturday night. For six months we've debated the matchmaking, with pro wrestling fans calling the protectors of pecking orders anything from "naïve" to "idiots." Either way, the moment has arrived to see what's what.

And unlike in either of the Silva bouts, this time Sonnen feels like a formality between Jones and bright new ventures, things like "heavyweight" and "superfights." Jones just wants to break Tito Ortiz's record for most title defenses at light heavyweight. That number is five; Jones' magic number to tie him is one.

Sonnen is the one.

And so here we are. Sonnen gets the "third time's the charm" treatment for UFC gold. Jones gets a chance to make Sonnen a footnote in history.

FIVE STORYLINES

Bisping in vulnerable spot

In his five-year quest to fight Anderson Silva, Bisping has gotten close three times. Yet in three eliminators, he's ended up being the one eliminated three times. Should he lose to Alan Belcher to make it three losses in four fights, his middleweight title shot may go away for good. It's not a must-win for Bisping in the roster sense, but it is in the gold-plated accessory sense.

Resurgence of Roy Nelson

As one of the more popular heavyweights, Roy Nelson's mullet beefs with Dana White won't keep him from contention. A win over thunder-fisted Frenchman Cheick Kongo would make it three in a row. If he knocks out Kongo in the first round? That would be three emphatic wins in a row. At that point the jokes about Nelson's belt size will be off the hook.

Jones and history

Everything Jones does in this young sport seems to stack neatly into something historic. Now he can pad his legacy by tying Ortiz's record for 205-pound title defenses against Sonnen. He makes it all seem so perfunctory that you forget the guy is only 25 years old.

Careful what you wish for

That Vinny Magalhaes called out Phil Davis is shrouded in mystery for those of us in the fight trade. Yes he's strong and has mad grappling skills, but isn't "Mr. Wonderful" an uber-athlete whose "wrestle first" attitude is meant to nullify limb hunters? (Reading between the lines: Vinny's sense of susceptibility is stronger than our sense of conventional wisdom).

Eye on Sara McMann

Before Cat Zingano came barging into the women's bantamweight title picture from left field (read: the flatirons of Colorado), the big up-and-coming prospect to watch was Sara McMann. Why not? McMann was a silver medalist in wrestling at the 2004 summer Olympics, and is 6-0 as a pro mixed martial artist. She makes her debut against Germany's Sheila Gaff, and a win keeps the contender cupboard stocked for the winner of Rousey-Zingano.

FIVE QUESTIONS

How does Sonnen compete?

Sonnen is giving up 11 inches in reach. Sure, he can wrestle, but in 16 takedown attempts, Jones has been taken down exactly zero times. There might be an existential crisis awaiting for Sonnen in Newark. How does he compete? Can Sonnen be the maelstrom that overpowers Jones? Or, the "Chaelstrom?" Hey, you know what? The gangster from West Lynn will take off his shoes and give it a go.

Last time we see Jones at 205?

Should Jones defeat Sonnen, the question will become: What now? There aren't a lot of desirable title fights to make at 205 right now (given that a Lyoto Machida redux is the best option, and Daniel Cormier underwhelmed last weekend). Could Jones sit back and watch the Chris Weidman-Anderson Silva bout in July, with designs on a "superfight" to commemorate the UFC's 20th anniversary? Or might he bolt for the heavyweight division?

What becomes of Bisping and Belcher?

Between Belcher (12 UFC fights) and Bisping (13), that's a lot of experience in the Octagon. The winner of this bout will again cycle back towards title contention, but will either ever get over the hump? Career stakes are on the line here.

Can Davis break through?

When Davis was charging up the 205-pound ranks, he looked so raw that we kept imagining him with a couple of more years of experience. But after he got worked by Rashad Evans, our minds were no longer as blown. Of course, he spent the last year in the forgettable Wagner Prado series, but here we are a couple of years removed from those halcyon days of catching Tim Boetsch in a "Philmura." Will the Davis we see Saturday night be the one we projected we'd see a couple of years ago at this point?

Is Kongo showing his 37 years?

The answer is, no, not really. Kongo keeps chipping away, and aside from getting knocked out by Mark Hunt he hasn't lost a fight since 2009 (though it still feels like Pat Barry knocked him out before that Hail Mary heave in Pittsburgh). How good would a knockout of Nelson look? Probably enough to get him into the cage with a guy like Alistair Overeem.

WHO'S ON THE HOT SEAT

Steven Siler – Losing to Darren Elkins is one thing, but following that up with a loss to UFC newcomer Kurt Holobaugh is another. It's the way things are during a roster trim -- all deep prelimists have to get used to life on the bubble.

Nick Catone – Tough draw for Catone against James Head in a must-win fight. Yes he's back on his native Jersey soil, but his last big win was against Costa Philippou back in spring 2011. Should he lose his third in a row? Close the drapes.

Cody McKenzie – When he lets his hair down, he looks like he should be shouting "Figaro!" When he lets his hands down, he turns into a punching back (refer to the Chad Mendes fight). A loss against Leonard Garcia would make it four of five, which is short for being "made redundant."

Leonard Garcia – If you were to lift up the cushions to Garcia's couch, you'd find a lot of loose game plans that have fallen through the cracks over the years. We expect him to jettison all that hooey he learned in training when the bell rings, but problem is he keeps getting his bell rung because of it. Dana White loves himself some Garcia, but it's hard to keep around a fun-loving brawler on a five-fight losing streak.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Because "Bones" Jones has out-landed his opponents 330-99 in significant strikes in title fights … because Sonnen is the latest contestant to familiarize himself with the discrepancy … because Bones throws elbows from the pitcher's mound … because Sonnen will move forward until he can't … because Bisping might feel the tattoo of Johnny Cash's face squeezing his trachea ... because it'll be a drinking game challenge to tell Jim Miller and Pat Healy apart…because Magalhaes doesn't see a muscular athlete in Davis, but a dozen miles of workable limbs and neck ... because Garcia's neck is on the line against McKenzie (and in general) ... because Nelson and Kongo have no need for judges' scorecards ... because Jones is "Angry Johnny" capable of animal's grace ... yet he can do it with precision, or he can do it with gourmet taste.

UFC on Fuel TV 8 takes place from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan this Saturday, the sixth time the UFC has traveled to the “Land of the Rising Sun.” The main event sees Wanderlei Silva battle Brian Stann at light heavyweight while Stefan Struve takes on Mark Hunt in a heavyweight bout. Here are the numbers you need to know for Saturday’s fights:

6: Fights Silva has had against an American fighter since his return to the UFC in 2007. He is 1-5 in those bouts, losing his past four (Rich Franklin twice, Chris Leben and Quinton Jackson). “The All-American” has fought just one Brazilian fighter in his career, defeating Jorge Santiago at UFC 130.

Wanderlei Silva, UFC Career vs. American Fighters:
UFC 147 Rich Franklin L, UD
UFC 132 Chris Leben L, KO
UFC 99 Rich Franklin L, UD
UFC 92 Quinton Jackson L, KO
UFC 84 Keith Jardine W, KO
UFC 79 Chuck Liddell L, UD

6: Times Silva has been defeated by KO or TKO in his 48-fight career. Four of those knockouts have come inside the UFC Octagon, while the other two were his last two PRIDE fights against Dan Henderson and Mirko Filipovic. The "Cro-Cop" fight was the last time Silva fought in Japan, which served as the home for PRIDE organization. Stann has nine KO/TKO wins in 17 career fights.

75: Percent of wins by "The Axe Murderer" that have come by KO or TKO (24 of 32). When Silva defeated Michael Bisping at UFC 110 by unanimous decision, it marked his first win not by KO or TKO since November 2003 at PRIDE: Final Conflict.

3: The combined takedowns by both fighters in their UFC careers (Silva 2, Stann 1). Each fighter attempts less than one takedown and one submission attempt per 15 minutes. In other words, it would be shocking to see this fight go to the ground unless one of the fighters gets knocked down.

2010: The last time former WEC light heavyweight champion Stann fought at 205 pounds, where he is 8-3 in his career. Stann will be dropping back to middleweight after this fight with Silva, where he holds a 4-2 record.

9: The reach advantage for 7-footer Stefan Struve in his co-main event bout against 5-foot-10 Mark Hunt. Struve’s reach is 83 inches while Hunt has a 74-inch reach. The 83-inch reach for Struve is second behind Jon Jones (84.5 inches) for longest reach in the UFC.

9: Wins for Struve inside the UFC Octagon, tied with Junior dos Santos, Gabriel Gonzaga and heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez for third among active heavyweights. With a win, he would join Frank Mir, Cheick Kongo, Andrei Arlovski and Randy Couture as the only UFC fighters with double-digit wins in the division.

Most UFC Wins, Active Heavyweight Fighters:
Frank Mir 14
Cheick Kongo 11
Cain Velasquez 9
Junior dos Santos 9
Gabriel Gonzaga 9
Stefan Struve 9*
*Four-fight win streak

3.9: Submissions attempted per 15 minutes for "The Skyscraper," fifth highest in UFC history and first among heavyweights. "The Super Samoan" has six submission defeats in seven career losses, all arm-related (three by armbar, two by kimura, one by keylock). Of Struve’s 16 submission victories, only three are by armbar (13 submissions by choke).

2: The main and co-main events are the only fights on the card not to feature a fighter from Japan or South Korea. There are nine Asia versus The World contests on the card. Japan is represented by Takanori Gomi, Yushin Okami, Mizuto Hirota, Riki Fukuda, Takeya Mizugaki, and Kazuki Tokudome. The South Koreans are represented in three matchups by Dong Hyun Kim, Kyung Ho Kang and Hyun Gyu Lim.

Where did UFC 149 go wrong? What was the single, biggest offender?

Oh, where to start. What went on in Calgary was one of those perfect storms.

There was the eccentric that didn’t go eccentric (Brian Ebersole). There was hype that fizzled before our eyes (Hector Lombard). There was a passive observer masquerading as the third man in the cage (Yves Lavigne). There were heavy hands that were never deployed (Shawn Jordan/Cheick Kongo). There were gavels that ruled all wrong (Nick Ring over Court McGee). There was a clear body kick that was mistaken for a groin shot (Josh Rosenthal imagining things with Matt Riddle/Chris Clements).

And there was a perfectly decent main event that suffered the residual wrath.

Urijah Faber and Renan Barao needed to turn the main event into Dan Henderson versus Mauricio Rua to balance this ledger. As it were, it played out like Urijah Faber versus Renan Barao. The bout was doomed by its predecessors.

But the real problem, of course, was this: UFC 149 was a stretch to believe in to begin with, and it required some faith. Or that should say -- UFC 149 became a stretch to believe in by its fifth and sixth iteration.

The injury bug sapped this thing good and plenty before it got off the ground. Jose Aldo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Michael Bisping, on down the line. Bibiano Fernandes wasn’t so much hurt as he was never signed.

Aside from the prelims, the people that the UFC were able to book simply didn’t (or couldn’t) deliver the goods. Shawn Jordan, the former LSU fullback who had a nice glow to his name coming in, was in a battle of leaning pillars with Cheick Kongo. He’s still green and didn’t know what to do in the big spot. Lombard was tentative. Ebersole was intending to move to lightweight when he got the call on a few weeks’ notice to step in. He did. And he looked like a man who wished he didn’t.

Of all the patchwork matches, only Riddle from the main card came correct. His arm-triangle on Chris Clements was cleanly executed viciousness that set a false premise for things to come. The thing that followed was disappointment. Disappointment that Lombard didn’t live up to billing. Disappointment that Kongo played clinch. Disappointment that the UFC played fast and loose with people’s disposable income.

Even the postfight news conference, where Dana White promised to update us on the bearings of the 185-pound weight class didn’t deliver. As for Lombard, who hadn’t lost since that Gegard Mousasi upkick back in 2006? Nowhere to be found. He wouldn’t be made available to scowl at trouble-making media types.

This happens sometimes. Not all cards deliver on the pay portion of the programming. White said it reminded him of UFC 33. Cynics might point to UFC 147. Only difference is, that card was so suspect that most people stayed away from shelling out the $50 to watch it. This time, there was an undercurrent of hope that UFC 149 -- for as cobbled and rearranged as it appeared on paper -- could turn into one of those rare gems. You know, one of those cards where White laughs at the people who criticized it beforehand while holding court with the media afterward.

White himself was certain that this card was going to deliver, appearing in Alberta on Thursday as a man who could barely contain his glee. But it couldn’t, wouldn’t and didn’t, which takes turns being nobody’s fault with being everybody’s fault. When a stinker happens, the people who bought the pay-per-view take it personally, and the crowd on-hand chants “RE-FUND” throughout the main event. The faith of a good product in spite of all the rejiggering came out to $50 and change (more if you ordered in HD). It wasn’t what the UFC wanted, nor what the fans wanted.

Everybody is complaining about the same thing from different perspectives.

But we order these fights knowing there’s a chance things won’t pan out. Look at the response to Clay Guida versus Gray Maynard on a free card. Had that fight been the main event on the UFC 149 PPV, Calgary might have turned into Vancouver after the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.

It’s tricky stuff, this PPV business. The public demands its money’s worth. The UFC demands more of its fighters. The commissions demand competence of its referees and judges (or at least should). Everybody demands entertainment. It’s a demanding public, and it’s a demanding sport, and the UFC is a demanding business.

Yet as we learned on Saturday, demands can be what they want, but there are no guarantees.

Cheick Kongo is convinced people would be wrong to write off his career following the recent loss to Mark Hunt, insisting he will bounce back in his next bout with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. More »

Another day, another hot urine test, another busted main event ... and, alas, another (potential) domino sequence. So continues life in the mixed martial arts.

This time it’s Alistair Overeem who raised the red flag, the very same Overeem who eluded such conflict ahead of UFC 141 by simply skipping a mandatory drug test. If nothing else, this is a man who knows how to poke at the chest of scrutiny. Overeem showed up March 27 for the UFC 146 hype conference in Las Vegas apparently unaware that this could be a perfect moment for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to spring a “random” test on him (part of the deal from the Brock Lesnar fight fallout). Out of six heavyweights tested, only Overeem’s came back positive. His testesterone/epitestosterone registered a 14:1 ratio, more than double the particularly generous threshold in Nevada of 6:1.

So much for the biggest fight of his career. And all that promotional material the UFC was creating, the big pay day, the belt he could have added to his collection? Moot.

As Dana White said upon hearing the news, he doesn’t have a plan B. Meaning, at least at the time of this writing, waiting out Overeem’s “B” sample becomes the plan B by default. Problem is, those results could take a couple of weeks to get back, and “B” samples rarely contradict “A” samples anyway. But the show must go on. White has said that dos Santos will defend his title at UFC 146 whether it’s against Overeem or somebody else.

In other words, it’s time to speculate into these somebody else’s, and -- just for theatrical value -- assess their chances in carefully considered odds.

Frank Mir

The NSAC’s Keith Kizer sent out the mass email at 4:40 p.m. ET with the results of the UFC 146 news conference tests. Twitter went wild. At 6:15 ET, Mir released a statement via email saying, “I would be excited if given the opportunity to compete for the UFC’s heavyweight title at UFC 146 if the reports released earlier today regarding Alistair Overeem failing his "A" sample drug test are true.” Mir went on to say it’s a dream of his to be the first three-time champion. He swooped in quicker on a dangling title shot than he did on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s ill-placed limb.

His case: How many times have we heard Dana White say he admires it when guys step up? That’s what Mir’s doing. A no-hesitation lobby job, knowing that out of the full panoramic spectrum of heavies he has the best credentials to get the shot, having won three in a row. He also snapped dos Santos’ friend Big Nog’s arm, which makes him a sort of dark cloud gathering over the champion.

Chances of him getting it: 2-1

Cain Velasquez

Velasquez had the belt for 13 months, but lost it in the 64th second of his first title defense against dos Santos. How’s that for anticlimax? Though a rematch between Velasquez and dos Santos might appear sort of uninspired, the fact is, there were conditions.

His case: Velasquez was dealing with a bum knee that night in November, but couldn’t back out of a fight that was hyped as the biggest thing since Frazier/Ali across FOX platforms. It was a red carpet affair, the long-stemmed aperitif to the seven-year network deal, the bonus bout meant to tempt the semi-curious masses into peeping. Whether coaxed or not, he went through with it, and lost. Everybody knows we didn’t see the best Cain Velasquez that night, just as everybody knows we probably would this time through.

Chances of getting it: 3-1

Mark Hunt

It seems ridiculous to even type Mark Hunt in this space, but Hunt is a fan favorite and a surprisingly popular choice for the gig. Have people lost their marbles in wanting to see a resurrected 38-year old New Zealander step in there with the champion? Is this not a meritocracy? The answer is no: This is a pinch. And so long as Hunt is a nice guy, a long-shot Cinderella and a bad basher to boot, he’ll get the sentimentalist’s vote. We’re a nation of softies.

His case: Hunt was a liability to the UFC when he came over, a barnacle on the Pride purchase. Hunt lost to Sean stinking McCorkle in his Octagon debut, further exacerbating the situation. Then the unthinkable started happening. Hunt knocked out Chris Tuchscherer, decisioned Ben Rothwell, and then flattened Cheick Kongo. Talk about resuscitation! And here we thought we had lost him.

Chances of getting it: 15-1

Dan Henderson

Henderson as a candidate sort of slowly dawned on people. It went like this -- “Henderson? LOL!” to “isn’t he waiting for Jon Jones-Rashad Evans to play out?” to “you know something, that dude’s batty enough to do it” to “Hendo would plant JDS into the soft earth!” The truth is, Henderson has flirted with the idea of fighting at heavyweight -- which he’s done before, most recently against Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce -- and he doesn’t concern himself with the usual neuroses of modern day fighters (short notice, size discrepancies, JDS’s mangling hooks). Why? You tell Henderson he can’t do something, he gets defiant. It’s his most admirable trait. And he likes money, which is his more cliché one.

His case: Besides willingness? He wouldn’t have to cut weight. He could still feasibly keep his spot in line at light heavyweight regardless of outcome with the relative meshing of schedules and the dearth of viable contenders behind him. Remember that he fought Quinton Jackson (205) and Anderson Silva (185) in back-to-back title challenges in 2007-2008.

Chances of getting it: 12-1

Fedor Emelianenko

This is more of a fan’s choice than a UFC one. Dana White reluctantly gave into the idea of signing Emelianenko a couple of years ago, offered him wheelbarrows of cash that would turn other comparable fighters faces purple with rage, and was rebuffed. White’s assessment then -- that Fedor's people were crazy and crooked -- is probably his assessment now. Negotiations between M-1 and the UFC ride along the Cold War divide. But given that White’s running refrain has always been to give the people the fights they want to see, you can’t just accept it as impossible. Fedor still has his legions. He still sells.

His case: What, beating Jeff Monson over the course of three rounds doesn’t say it all? Flattening Satoshi Ishii doesn’t carry the right momentum? The “Last Emperor” and a million loyalists care what you think. And besides, the idea of Fedor against Junior dos Santos has something beyond novelty appeal. In the spirit of a fight, it has actual curiosity.

Chances of getting it: About the same as the Ukraine opening up Chernobyl as a tourist attraction next week.

If, locked away somewhere deep inside the Richmond, Va., home of UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, there is a secret whiteboard bearing a rough sketch of the fight company’s future plans, it's a good bet there are two names that definitely aren’t on it: Tim Boetsch and Mark Hunt.

At least they weren’t on it before Saturday night at UFC 144, when Boetsch and Hunt pulled off two of the card’s longest long shots. Now, the promotion better hope those plans were written in dry-erase marker.

The UFC’s first trip back to Japan in more than a decade was a good night all around for underdogs, with seven of the card’s 12 bouts ending in wins for guys on the plus side of the ledger.

Two-to-one 'dogs Ryan Bader and Issei Tamura were each victorious -- Bader over Quinton Jackson, Tamura against Tiequan Zhang -- while Vaughn Lee trumped 3-to-1 odds and scored a "submission of the night" bonus for his first-round armbar of Kid Yamamoto. Chris Cariaso (+160) upset Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision and it bears mentioning that Yoshihiro Akiyama (+230) very nearly did the same in his welterweight debut against Jake Shields.

Even Ben Henderson went off as a slight underdog to champion Frankie Edgar, before claiming the UFC lightweight title by unanimous decision in the evening’s main event.

None, though, could quite stack up to what Boetsch and Hunt accomplished. Though both guys had already crafted some unlikely success in recent appearances, they came into this event as nothing more than afterthoughts in the UFC rat race. When it was over, Boetsch and Hunt left Japan with matching victories over top-10 opponents, matching three-fight win streaks in the Octagon and matching statements that they can no longer be ignored in their respective weight classes.

Against Yushin Okami, Boetsch’s 3-to-1 stakes matched Lee’s as the most lopsided on the card and for just over 10 minutes, it looked like the prognosticators had it exactly right. Okami, who came into the bout ranked No. 5 on the ESPN.com middleweight power rankings, bullied Boetsch around the cage, bloodied him up, took him down, mounted him and by any measure appeared on the verge of a dominating unanimous decision win.

With 4:30 on the clock in the final round, though, Boetsch stumbled Okami with an overhand right and then rushed him, using a series of uppercuts against the fence to drop him and force referee Leon Roberts to call for a TKO stoppage.

Was the stunning comeback a fluke? Not according to the social mores of MMA, where we’re taught that finishing fights is the gold standard of determining an athlete’s worthiness.

It’s true that prior to his cut to middleweight in 2011, Boetsch had been a lower-middleclass 205-pounder who’d been in and out of the UFC while posting a 3-3 record. Now at 185 pounds, though, Boetsch has put together a string of victories that -- while people continue to doubt him -- has him positioned for another high-profile fight against a top 10 opponent. He wins one more and you might not be able to keep him out of the expanded middleweight title picture.

Hunt had a slightly more cut-and-dried time with Cheick Kongo. Kongo, previously ESPN’s No.10-ranked heavyweight, had been dogged by questions about his chin in recent outings.

Unfortunately for him, Hunt answered those questions in short order, flooring him with a counter left hook and then following with a barrage of rights that ended things in just 2:11.

At 37 years old, Hunt may currently be on the UFC’s most unlikely tear after losing six consecutive MMA fights between 2006-10. The company only even elected to give him a couple of fights in the Octagon to fulfill the requirement of his previous contract with Pride.

Now, it feels like matchmakers won't quite know what to do with him. For that matter, it seemed like maybe nobody even bothered to tell Hunt (who was +230) he’d get interviewed inside the cage if he won, as the former K-1 striker looked befuddled by Joe Rogan’s attempts to elicit some kind of verbal response into his microphone.

Boetsch and Hunt certainly led the charge of the underdogs at UFC 144. They sent Kongo and Okami (and maybe UFC brass) scurrying back to the drawing board. They probably ruined a lot of betting parlays, too.

Will either of them be able to push their UFC successes any further? Conventional wisdom says no; that both guys are probably too limited athletically and skill-wise to compete with the true cream of the crop in their divisions.

Then again, conventional wisdom said they weren’t even supposed to make it this far, so perhaps the surprises will keep coming. Perhaps Boetach and Hunt can keep erasing guys from the UFC’s future plans.

Editor’s note: Next week, the ESPN MMA page will roll out its official end-of-the year awards. With winners in each of the most popular categories seemingly pretty clear cut, however, ESPN staffers Chuck Mindenhall and Chad Dundas will take the final week of 2011 to offer up a few “alternative” choices.

It used to be, you could win “Knockout of the year” with a punch. Or maybe, if you were feeling fancy, a high kick.

In 2011 however, the game changed considerably. This year, you likely weren’t even going to be a legitimate contender for a KOTY award without doing something to bend the rules of space and time. Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida saw to that with their respective front kick knockouts of Vitor Belfort and Randy Couture and the two Brazilians will probably fetch most votes on mainstream KO of the year ballots for those highlight reel finishes.

Truth is though, this is perhaps the most competitive of all end-of-the-year MMA awards. With apologies to Silva and Machida, there was Carlos Condit’s flying knee KO of Dong Hyun Kim to consider. There was John Makdessi’s spinning backfist on Kyle Watson. There was the time in Bellator that Hector Lombard hit Falaniko Vitale so hard that Lombard knew it was over before Vitale’s brain gave his body the memo.

In addition to those gems, there were any number of spinning, flipping kicks on the independent circuit.

It was, in short, a good year for head trauma. With such a wide array to choose from, here are our selections for best alternative knockouts of the year ...

Chad Dundas’ pick: Adam Khaliev versus Alexei Belyaev, League S-70 Fight Nights, Russian Championship First Round, Dec. 22, 2011 in Volgograd, Russia.



Look, I’m not going to sit here and try to tell you that prior to a few days ago I had ever heard of Adam Khaliev or Alexei Belyaev, of something called League S-70 Fight Nights or -- for that matter -- the Profsoyuzov Sports Hall in Volgograd, Russia. The truth is, I had not heard of any of them and even as I sit here today I’m not sure what many of those words mean.

What I do know is this: Khaliev’s “tornado kick” KO of Belyaev is simply too unbelievable to be left out of any knockout of the year discussion. It is so amazing that not much context is needed – which is good, because we don’t have much – except to say that Khaliev caught Belyaev against the ropes two minutes, 26 seconds into their middleweight bout and made him pay with a kick that must absolutely be watched in slow motion to be fully appreciated.

After viewing the video numerous times, I’m still not sure if my favorite part is the pinpoint accuracy of the kick itself or the way Khaliev (whose personal style can best be described as “high school janitor”) nonchalantly walks away after it happens as if to say, “No big deal.” In any case, Khaliev is reportedly now 2-0 in MMA so, yeah, watch out for that dude.

(Credit to the guys at MiddleEasy.com for reportedly being the first to dig this up.)

Chuck Mindenhall’s pick: Cheick Kongo versus Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 4, June 26, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Penn.

The fight between Kongo and Barry was a co-main event that was forced into the main event spot when the whole Nate Marquardt fiasco went down in Pittsburgh. How did the heavyweights handle the spotlight? Let’s just say you know it was a banner year in MMA when this fight isn’t mentioned as Fight of the year. And if there were such a thing as Round of the year (and in some corners there might be), this one would be it.

Everybody knew that it wouldn’t be pat-a-cake with these guys, and Barry moved forward from the opening bell to drop some bombs. Though he was giving up over eight inches of reach, Barry cocked back and threw a big looping right midway through the round like a pitcher delivering a hanging curveball. It hit Kongo square behind his left ear -- traditionally the “black spot” for knockouts -- and Kongo collapsed backwards on himself.

Kongo was out. It was over.

But it wasn’t. Kongo groped for a single leg and avoided the followup damage enough to get back to his feet. For a split second, anyway. Just as soon as he got there, Barry landed another big right to the temple that dropped the Frenchman again, who by now was flailing through the air, windmilling in trouble. If referee Dan Mirigliotta’s stomach was weaker, this fight would have been over.

But again, it wasn’t.

Kongo scrambled to a knee, and latched onto a single leg again, before improbably staggering back to his feet. Then he retreated toward the fence, and Barry came forward again for the finish, remembering the job he left undone against Mirko Filipovic a year earlier. That’s when Kongo, out of nowhere, wits restored from his own deep reserves, planted and countered with a right hook that grazed Barry. Then another right while standing in the pocket landed on Barry’s jaw, dropping him unconscious. Barry’s knee bent under his weight like he was sliding into second. Barry, like the crowd that night in Pittsburgh, never knew what hit him.

Not many fights have three knockouts in a single round, but this one did. And Kongo’s counted most.

Previously: Our picks for alternative Fight of the year and alternative Submission of the year.

Up next: Alternative fight card of the year.

Before Matt Mitrione fought Cheick Kongo, there were directional advisories. Mitrione said he was going to come forward and put Kongo on his heels, even though Kongo is traditionally the one doing the advancing. Kongo warned that he would not be made to back peddle.

Storm clouds.

What we had was a potentially explosive impasse, where the two would collide in the middle of the cage and one would drop trailing a line of zzz’s. If only things had worked out that way.

It ended up being an anticlimactic co-main event -- instead of a coming-out party for Mitrione -- where both guys struggled to open up. It was the previously unbeaten Mitrione who ultimately went backwards with the loss, while Kongo came forward with the usual smoke and mirror suspicions. The thing that refused to budge in all of this was the UFC’s heavyweight division. It remains exactly as it was -- that is, bottom heavy.

This has been the way things go of late. Prospects like Mitrione can’t get over the last hurdles to heavyweight contention, and the gulf widens between the rarified top -- Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem -- and the rock-paper-scissors middle, which is everybody else. The everybody else boils down to the round robin being played between Roy Nelson, Frank Mir and the now-retired Mirko Filipovic. Shane Carwin was there, but he’s now shelved until 2012 after another surgery (and he’ll be 37 when he does come back, riding a two-fight losing streak).

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira needs a time machine. Stefan Struve and Pat Barry, the technology to morph.

That’s why we’re raising our eyebrows at what Travis Browne might do and building Stipe Miocic into a Cleveland State chimera. There aren’t a lot of threats waiting in the wings behind those big four on Zuffa’s varsity roster. Strikeforce’s Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier are out there, but they are off-limits currently (mostly), with Dana White now on fraternity terms with Showtime to negotiate a deal. Had Mitrione walked right through Kongo, we’d have at least that guy bleeping on the radar beneath the others, a sort of Donald Cerrone for the heavyweight class. An undeniable.

But Mitrione was the latest to lose his bearings, and there isn’t really another someone right now behind him.

As the heavyweight division showcases on network TV in a couple of weeks, with a huge bout between Dos Santos and Velasquez, we’ll be watching the undisputed best in the class. Then there’s Overeem and Lesnar, each of whom have their question marks. They are the definitive next best. After that, it’s a little murky. If Mir loses to Big Nog at UFC 140, it gets a little more murky. Whatever’s compelling beyond that is hard to find.

And it might stay that way until the Strikeforce guys are brought in, or Jon Jones cleans out the light heavyweight division, both of which could happen -- or be made to happen -- sooner than we think.

Heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione have not stepped in the Octagon since June 26, when each won in Pittsburgh.

Mitrione waltzed through a sloppy Christian Morecraft, an unremarkable tough guy, before punching out a finish in the second round. Kongo, you remember, orchestrated (with Pat Barry) one of the most memorable half-rounds ever. Seared in the collective consciousness of MMA fans are images of Kongo, surviving on instinct as Barry assaulted him, scoring a jarring end with a flush combination.

Although the arcs of their victories that night were as different as it gets, the results nonetheless led UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to put together this fight for Saturday's pay-per-view portion of UFC 137 in Las Vegas -- one Mitrione believes will be a "test” of where he stands.

Mitrione, 33, formerly of the NFL's New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, is correct. Entering his sixth professional mixed martial arts contest since turning pro in 2009, the fast-talker is up against his most difficult opponent yet.

"I've fought middle to bottom end of the talent -- not to rip on the people I've fought -- and I've done well against them. Now it's time to fight somebody that's worth his salt," Mitrione said of Kongo. "He's proven he's worth his salt time and time again. He always comes to scrap. He's always in great shape, and he brings it."

Kongo, 36, excelled against the kind of competition Mitrione has feasted on. When asked to step up, though, he's produced mixed results. In all, the chiseled Frenchman is 9-4-1 since joining the UFC in 2006. It's impossible to say where Mitrione slots on Kongo's list of opponents, which range from Cain Velasquez to Mostapha al-Turk, until they meet this weekend.

For his part, Mitrione said he's swimming upstream in this one. When the UFC offered him the bout, he asked for the latest open date to have more time to continue honing his skills as he makes the transition from pro football player to fighter.

"I need to really play catch-up on the fly," Mitrione said. "UFC has been good with me on that."

Kongo (16-6-2 overall) understands what that's like. Five years ago he wasn't much of a wrestler, and it didn't take long before he found himself exposed against a middle-of-the-road grappler like Carmelo Marrero. In time, the strong kickboxer improved his takedown defense and actually began formulating and implementing ground-based game plans.

This kind of progression will come for Mitrione, and he acknowledges that: "I try to take it into consideration and take it all in stride that things Cheick was good at four years ago, I haven't learned yet or I'm just starting to learn.”

For now, Mitrione's athleticism has allowed for a quick development in the striking department, which through five contests has rendered four finishes. Working with the likes of Ray Sefo, Randy Couture and Neil Melanson at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and for this camp Rashad Evans and Tyrone Spong in Florida, Mitrione says he's prepared for the step up. Or at least he thinks he is.

A victory over Kongo would make three wins for Mitrione in 2011, sending a clear signal that his transition from defensive tackle to MMA fighter is further along than some might have thought.

It won’t be easy, of course. Nothing against Kongo ever is. The Frenchman has business to conduct, and Thursday he said he wishes to have his “path in the right way.” Presumably that leads to the top of the division, where perhaps now he’s equipped to compete. That also could deliver Kongo a spot on the UFC’s debut card in his home country, a scenario nearly realized because UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta is close to locking down a date and venue in France.

"If Cheick beats me, he beat the best possible product I can give him," Mitrione said. "Good for him. He was a better man that night."

Such was the case when Brendan Schaub, a similar football convert, stepped it up and went after a veteran heavyweight in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Is Mitrione ready for the next step? He’ll find out like the rest of us.

PITTSBURGH -- Once again UFC picks itself off the mat and scores a knockout.

Rarely does the promotion put as much stock in one fight as it did for UFC on Versus 4 on Sunday night at Consol Energy Center.

Arguably the most important fighter on the card was former middleweight contender Nate Marquardt, who was scheduled to make his UFC welterweight debut against Rick Story. But Marquardt failed his prefight medical examination and was not cleared to participate on the card by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission.

That forced UFC president Dana White to look elsewhere for a main event. In stepped heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry. The heavy hitters entered the cage promising to inflict bodily harm on one another and they delivered on their promises to throw power shots. Kongo would stop Barry at 2:39 of the opening round to earn "Knockout of the night" honors.

An aggressive Joe Lauzon needed less than a round to grab "Submission of the Night," applying a kimura on fellow lightweight Curt Warburton at the 1:58 mark.

"Fight of the Night" went to lightweights Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz. The win went to Oliveira, who finished the contest with a rear-naked choke at 1:48 of Round 2. Oliveira’s win might not stand, however, as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission plans to review the fight after it appeared that Oliveira landed an illegal knee moments before putting the finishing touch on Lenz.

Kongo, Lauzon, Oliveira and Lenz each walked away with an additional $50,000 for their performances.

Overall, it was a decent night for UFC. The announced attendance was 7,792, while the gate generated $562,310.

As for Marquardt, his future as a mixed martial artist is in limbo.

“He’s on indefinite suspension,” PSAC executive director Greg Sirb told ESPN.com. “And that will apply throughout the country.

“He cannot fight until he gives us medical clearance for his medical records. When the clearance comes in we will take him off suspension. And it is a medical issue.”

Sirb would not reveal the nature of Marquardt’s medical condition.

PITTSBURGH -- There are good performances that end up ugly, and then ugly performances that come up epic.

That’s what happened with Frenchman Cheick Kongo, who teetered on the verge of becoming a TKO victim early only to pocket $50,000 for landing a perfectly timed right cross that folded Pat Barry like a lawn chair.

He was this close to falling considerably in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Instead, he pulled a Scott Smith by sounding the timely KO knell, and today people are discussing him for "Knockout of the year honors" after a genuinely crazy turn of events.

“I had no idea about the image I make for people,” Kongo told ESPN.com after the improbable comeback knockout. “If I was really out or not. But the thing was I came back, I just survived, and that’s a good thing.”

It is a good thing. Before he cracked Barry with that shot, Kongo was getting thrashed for much of the round. On two separate occasions referee Dan Miragliotta came close to waving off the swarming Barry, who was out to show he learned his lesson about killer instincts after falling to Mirko Filipovic at UFC 115.



So Barry pounced and tried to finish. Incautious? Maybe, but for Barry it’s become a damned if you do, damned if you don’t proposition.

“As far as I can remember, the second time [I dropped him], when he folded back over his legs I can almost recall Dan Miragliotta’s leg touching my arm he was so close,” Barry said in the postfight presser. “So for a split second I thought that this was it.

“I’ve seen fights get stopped before, and this looked like a fight that would get stopped. The second one, in my head I thought it was going to get stopped but that didn’t cause me to stop hitting him. From all the preparation, all the training and all the fights I’ve been in before you keep hitting until the referee steps in.”

What was already a gem in the rough type of card with all the turmoil surrounding the last minute main event change and the Marquardt Mystery, the heavyweight fight that many people were dismissing as anything worthwhile ended up punctuating a wild, unpredictable night. First Charlie Brenneman derailed Rick Story’s title hopes (at least in the short term) as a 5-1 underdog, and then Kongo throws up a Hail Mary that gets answered.



As it turns out, the main event boiled down to a split second decision by Miragliotta, who rushed in to stop the fight and hesitated just as his arms were about to signal the helicopter. And Kongo was appreciative of the fact, because he says he was never in deep trouble.

“No no, when he hit me, it was like out for one second, but I recovered fast,” he said. “Barry’s good. Not to be disrespectful, he hit really well. But I was very confident. I took some shots, I said ‘OK, that’s what he’s got. I will attempt to kick him and punch him,’ and he had the good reflex to block it. I said ‘OK, alright, so he just showed me the pressure, so right now it’s going to be exciting.’ I was surprised he tried to do the same thing that Frank Mir did to me when I fought him in Memphis. I said, okay, good.”

So in the end, there were a lot of old memories crowding over the “exciting” crescendo moment of the fight. Barry wanted to finish to avoid what happened against Cro-Cop (where he was submitted after early domination), and Kongo was astonished at the parallels between this fight and the Mir fight. It all came together for a split second when Barry moved in and Kongo planted and delivered a shot right on the button.

Epic? For those few seconds it was. And it’ll stand as one of the crazier knockouts of 2011.

Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione both recorded spectacular finishes at UFC Live 4 on Saturday in Pittsburgh, as Kongo flattened Patrick Barry in an unlikely comeback and Mitrione knocked out Christian Morecraft in a one-sided drubbing. Could they now find themselves on a collision course with one another? More »

You can trace mixed martial arts back to Brazil, Japan and Rome, but the modern-day site of this country's first bare-knuckle, anything-goes elimination tournament was Denver in November 1993. The UFC hosting events in that state is the closest they'll ever get to the league playing at home.

UFC on Versus 1, the awkward label for Sunday's first live card outside of Spike, was a lightning-paced assembly that put two contenders on the fast track to title contention.

Jon Jones looked better than any 22-year-old has any right to against Brandon Vera, delivering elbows from the top position that should quickly become a major source of anxiety in the 205 division; Junior dos Santos proved he could handle a brick-necked BJJ player in Gabriel Gonzaga.

Dos Santos and Jones are unusual in that they haven't yet displayed any weaknesses in their games. Fights end when they want them to, and nobody has put them in any real trouble. Invincibility is a myth in MMA, but the fun is in seeing how far certain athletes can stretch the idea.

Next for Jones: No backward steps: perhaps the loser of May's Quinton Jackson-Rashad Evans fight.

Next for dos Santos: A test against one of the division's monster wrestlers: Shane Carwin or Cain Velasquez.

Next for Cheick Kongo: Continued almost-relevance in the division, beating shaky fighters and losing to contenders.

Awards

The missing-the-point award: The UFC, for failing to use their brand identification to play up the WEC on Versus. The promotion got only fleeting mentions during commercial breaks for their April pay-per-view event, a big blank for users of DVR recorders that speed through ads; UFC 111, a show that doesn't need the help, was the beneficiary of several spots. Nonsensical.

The exaggerated hype award: James Irvin, for indicating that his fight with Alessio Sakara was up first because "everyone is looking for this to be a bloodbath." Kids under 12 admitted free!

The inkwell award: Irvin-Sakara, a fight in which both athletes were heavily tattooed, and referee Josh Rosenthal had sleeve work, too.

The toughman award: Paul Buentello, for jamming up his pinky finger and then allowing a doctor to tug it back into place. Buentello would've done just fine in the Civil War.

The "You try it, genius" award: Anyone giving Buentello grief for tapping to elbow strikes to the thigh courtesy of Cheick Kongo after getting worked over for two-plus rounds. Buentello is tougher than most humans: If he says Kongo's strikes to his legs were that bad, you believe it.

The 13th annual Goldberg Award: Mike Goldberg, for declaring Sakara a figure in "pro baxing" and then fooling us into thinking he could go an entire telecast without using the phrase "meteoric rise." (He waited until the closing seconds.)

New questions

Q: Which base is going to give Jones the most trouble?

A: In his career to date, Jones has had answers for everything from quality Thai boxing (Vera) to formidable wrestling (Matt Hamill, Jake O'Brien) to jiu-jitsu (Stephan Bonnar). Putting him in trouble may have to involve a striker that can dig into the mat for power shots (Quinton Jackson) or a wrestler that won't abandon his base for striking.

There is probably going to be interest on the part of promoters and fans to see him against a killer soon. After Vera, it's hard to argue he won't be ready.

Q: Can Vera right the ship?

A: Vera looked good early on, dispatching lumbering heavyweights and backing up ego-talk with substance. Since 2007, he's been wildly inconsistent, toppling mid-tier athletes like Reese Andy while stalling out against Keith Jardine and Randy Couture. (In fairness, the latter was a fight he arguably won.) A sports psychologist might be in order.

Q: Will the UFC's presence on Versus aid the WEC?

A: There were no mentions of the WEC during the UFC's broadcast Sunday, but whether that was a mistake or not depends on why fans run so hot and cold to the lighter-weight promotion. If it's lack of awareness, plugs would help; if it's disinterest, there's not much of a cure. Fighters below 155 pounds often appear to be more well-rounded than their heavier counterparts, which means fewer of them have a distinctive style that can create audience intrigue. Traditionally, combat sports fans have preferred the bigger men causing concussions than the smaller men finessing their way to decisions.

Q: Are referees getting the training they need?

A: While the veteran UFC officials (Herb Dean, Josh Rosenthal) performed to expectations Sunday, newer faces local to Colorado proved disappointing. An official overseeing the Daniel Roberts-John Howard bout allowed Howard to land multiple blows after Roberts had clearly suffered a power outage already. While it's not likely those kind of unnecessary blows could wind up being lethal, they could potentially result in more severe concussion in athletes. The official's mistake was being several feet away from the action instead of right on top of it. If that's an indication Colorado needs to better inform its employees, they'd better make arrangements.

If you had stuck Diego Sanchez in B.J. Penn's face circa 2005, it's very likely he would have taken the challenge as a slight. Training would have been lax, a high-fat diet would have been involved and we might have seen a wheezing Penn fading in the later rounds.

But in preparing for both the Sanchez fight Saturday and the Kenny Florian fight in August, Penn has proved that he gets it: that training for yourself, and for the own mark you leave on the sport, is the way. You have to fight at your maximum potential, not the minimum you think is required. He might well have beaten Sanchez with his old, easily bored attitude. But would that be remembered with the same enthusiasm as Penn's complete and utter shutdown of a tough, determined maniac who looks like he gets infected with rabies before every fight?

FightMetric believes Penn landed 150 strikes to Sanchez's eight, and stuffed all 27 of his takedown attempts. This is the kind of record that's talked about long after the hype of a fight weekend has died down.

It was theme night for career maturation: Frank Mir, who created some doubt when he packed 20 pounds onto an already large frame, absolutely decimated Cheick Kongo in a style exclusive to MMA, putting him down with strikes, then finishing with a constrictor submission.

I had doubts about Mir's game. His takedown ability, his wind and whether the hands-on display versus Antonio Nogueira were just opportunistic violence against a very sick man. But he nailed it Saturday. Neither he nor Penn is taking it one fight at a time anymore. They're training with designs on the bigger picture.

Next

Next for Penn: Crickets. There are no challengers available to the UFC that would create much suspense; Gray Maynard might be the last deserving contender. Penn should consider putting on some quality mass and starting a proper run at the 170-pound title.

Next for Mir: With his goblin Brock Lesnar out indefinitely, Mir should be looking at Shane Carwin; winner meets the Cain Velasquez/Antonio Nogueira survivor for the title.

Next for Florian/Sanchez: Each other.

Awards

The literal hole-in-the-head award: Clay Guida, for getting a sink installed in his skull by Florian's elbow. (If Florian had the heart, he'd get that thing shaved down to a point and start directing his own horror movies in there.)

The communal corner award: The Memphis crowd, for catching on quickly that Sanchez shooting a single on Penn was the very definition of insanity: doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

The Zen master award: Mir, for talking all kinds of philosophical smack before the Cheick Kongo fight -- and backing every up every antagonizing word.

The sports dentists' fund award: Stefan Struve, for calmly allowing the referee to pluck a tooth chip from his mouth guard before continuing.

New questions

Q: Where's the blueprint to beat Penn?

A: In his nine-year career, the only men to stifle Penn have been wrestlers who weigh 185-odd pounds come fight night: Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. Unless radical new weight-cutting techniques are developed, no wrestler at lightweight is likely to best him. (I'd bet money Strikeforce's Josh Thomson could get him down at least once, though.) That leaves outstriking him. What's Ray Sefo up to?

Q: Do camps make the fighters, or do fighters make the camps?

A: In a battle of peripheral faces, Guida seemed to have a leg up on Florian: Florian had recently split from the respected Mark DellaGrotte -- who had brought him to two title shots -- while Guida had enrolled in Greg Jackson's Albuquerque dungeon/dojo. None of it mattered much: Florian stuffed him, cut him and rolled him. What a trainer can do after a certain level has been reached -- and certain habits are ingrained -- is a question for the oracle of any postfight contemplation: the slop bucket.

Q: Should Brock Lesnar be forgotten for the time being?

A: Mir's recent physical changes, he says, are attributable to the revenge he's searching for against Lesnar. Unfortunately, Lesnar's intestinal problems have no expiration date, and the idea of vague interim titles only serves to confuse fans and dampen the accomplishments of active talent. If Lesnar can't return anytime soon, the fair thing for the division is to strip him. (Imagine how angry he'll be when he gets back.)

Q: Is Penn versus Jose Aldo a reasonable request?

A: Nothing beyond a heavy lunch is keeping Penn from dropping another 5 pounds to meet 145-pound champion Aldo in a catchweight fight; promoters could probably sell him on the idea by giving him a glimpse of a legacy that holds an unprecedented three titles in three separate classes. Aldo, though, has two strikes against him: Toiling in the WEC, he's largely out of view of the UFC's core diehards, and he's been the 145-pound champion for about 15 minutes. Give Aldo a year or more; if he dominates, it's a fight worth making.

This and that

• Consolidated action between Alan Belcher and Wilson Gouveia earned them a $130,000 split for fight of the night; DaMarques Johnson earned $65,000 for submission of the night, a triangle on Edgar Garcia, which rightfully should have gone to Mir subbing Kong for the first time in Kongo's career …

• Penn's trainer, Rudy Valentino, told Japanese submission machine Shinya Aoki to "come on down" after Penn's win over Diego Sanchez. This will never happen, as Aoki is a prop in the DREAM/Strikeforce partnership. Even if that dissolves, Zuffa would never give anyone a title shot without a suffocating contract …

• Some 13,896 attendees were at the FedEx Forum in Memphis for the show; at least 3,800 were disappointed at the lack of Jerry Lawler …

• Talk about media baiting: According to the Las Vegas Sun, Dana White sported a Tiger Woods baseball cap for the postfight press conference. When asked about the significance, he said that the coverage over Woods' infidelity "gets old" and to "leave him alone." Following White's defense of former dogfighting kingpin Michael Vick, you have to wonder what's going on in this guy's free time …

• White also mentioned Hawaii was on tap for 2010. Considering the tumbleweed landscape of the 155-pound division, it may be the only thing that gets Penn excited …