UFC on FX 7 Main Card Recap

Belfort finishing off Bisping.
Photo via Sherdog.com

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Thiago Tavares: When you’re talking about future champions, Nurmagomedov is probably one of the first names that come up, especially after this win. I expected this is fight to be similar to his Tibau fight: very close and debatable. That wasn’t exactly the case, in fact, it was the complete opposite. Khabib knocked him down and brutally finished him, and it was an extremely late stoppage. Nurmagomegov knocked him down with an uppercut and landed a solid 15 unanswered  elbows to the temple before Dan Miragliotta stopped it. It was awful for MMA but amazing for Nurmagomedov.

Possible matchups for Nurmagomedov: Following this performance, I literally cannot wait to see what type of fighter that Nurmagomedov will end up becoming. When you talk about him making a step up in competition, he is already just one step away from contention. He’s almost there already. He needs to fight another guy right at his level. With the lightweight division being the most stacked division in MMA, there are so many different choices for Nurmagomedov. TJ Grant and Matt Wiman are fighting next week at UFC on Fox 6 and the winner of that Fight of the Year contender should fight Khabib.

Possible matchups for Tavares: This wasn’t just a devastating loss for Tavares, it was disastrous. Being almost murdered the way he was is horrible for your stock. He’s going to desperately need a rebound fight in order to stay relevant in the UFC’s most stacked division. I’d say a fight with the loser between Paul Sass and Danny Castillo makes some sense as the loser of that fight would be on a cold streak.

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell: What did I say? I said that Gonzaga was going to demolish Rothwell, and that’s exactly what he did. He not only outclassed Rothwell on the ground, but dominated him on the feet. It was flat out embarrassing. Rothwell never had a moment where he looked good in this entire fight. Gonzaga easily landed a right hand and ended up locking in a standup arm-in guillotine then dropped down for the tap.

Possible matchups for Gonzaga: With Gonzaga really starting to fight smart again, he is one of the most solid guys at heavyweight. I’m not sure that he’s ready for title contention yet but I would like to see him fight the winner of Shawn Jordan and Mike Russow, who are fighting next Saturday on the UFC on Fox 6 card.

Possible matchups for Rothwell: With this horribly embarrassing performance, it puts “Big” Ben right down to the bottom of the barrel. When you’re looking for another fighter at heavyweight who’s at the bottom of the barrel, you’re thinking of Dave Herman. This would be a good loser goes home fight.

Daniel Sarafian vs. CB Dollaway: I was surprised that this fight was so awesome. Sarafian looked to be well on his way to a decision win in the first round, nearly finishing Dollaway on a few occasions. The second round was much closer though. Sarafian was slightly controlling the standup but with only about 20 seconds left, Dollaway dropped him and nearly finished the Brazilian. It was so close to being stopped that no one would have been up in arms if it had been. The third round was more Dollaway than any other round. He took down Sarafian on multiple occasions and even though Sarafian gave a valiant effort with a sweep from half guard, if just wasn't his fight. It was an overall close fight but Dollaway ultimately took the split decision win.

Possible matchups for Dollaway: Though not particularly pretty or decisive, Dollaway has now made it two in a row. I would like to see him fight Ed Herman who is coming off of a lopsided first round submission loss for Jacare Souza. Though it will be a guy coming off of a win fighting a guy coming off of a bad loss, Herman is still on a higher level than Dollaway at the moment.

Possible matchups for Sarafian: He may have lost, but Sarafian showed that he has a very bright future. He has a solid ground game and devastating standup. I would like to see him fight the winner of Rafael Natal and Sean Spencer.

Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping: I cannot tell you how happy this fight made me. Though I did predict Bisping to win, I was cheering for Belfort to win, much like in his fight with Jones. But this time was different. Belfort fought smart and didn’t come out too fast; he picked his shots and went in for the kill when the time was right. The first round was very close in the beginning with neither fighter really doing too much. But with ten seconds left, Belfort rocked Bisping with a headkick that nearly put him out. Belfort then came into the second looking to finish what he started in the end of the first round. And boy did he. Vitor landed another headkick and this time put Bisping nearly unconscious. He followed it up with ground and pound and got himself a TKO victory over the top contender. It was a huge win for Belfort that puts him just one win away from a rematch with Anderson.

Possible matchups for Belfort: A lot of people are saying they want him to fight Weidman in a number one contender’s bout, but that’s not what I want. I want Weidman to fight Silva in the summer and have Belfort be the welcoming party to the last middleweight champion of Strikeforce, Luke Rockhold. In my opinion, a win for either man would give them a title shot.

Possible matchups for Bisping: Even though Bisping is a grade-A jerk, you still got to feel for the guy. He gets right to a title shot and loses. Right back near a title shot and loses. That’s heartbreaking stuff. You have to give the guy respect for still getting back in there to fight the best in the world. Now before this fight, Lombard wanted to fight Bisping after his win over Rousimar Palhares, but he was matched up with Yushin Okami. Now that Bisping lost and won’t be getting that title shot, win or lose for Lombard, that fight makes sense. 

UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort: This is easily the hardest fight to predict on the whole event. Vitor, who is coming off of a valiant effort in trying to claim the light heavyweight belt from Jon Jones back in September, is looking to put himself back into title contention with a win over Michael Bisping. A win for the Englishmen on the other hand will most likely earn him a title shot at Anderson Silva, a goal in which he has been on the brink of for quite some time. He’s 5-1 in his last 6 with the loss coming via a very controversial decision loss to Chael Sonnen. The reason this fight is so hard to predict is Belfort’s power and Bisping’s chin. Michael is a very tough guy, don’t get me wrong, but his loss to Dan Henderson and his near loss to Brian Stann makes his chin unpredictable. Vitor will most likely win the first round, due to his explosive beginnings to fights but Bisping will ride out a unanimous decision win after that. But Belfort’s power will keep me on edge = Bisping via unanimous decision (48-47x3). My 1st pick for FOTN!

Daniel Sarafian vs. CB Dollaway: Why is this fight the co-main event? Because Sarafian is a future star and the UFC wants to show everyone. Dollaway has name value and Sarafian is a terrible matchup for him. If you watched the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, then you know that Daniel is extremely explosive. Dollaway’s chin is pretty terrible, honestly and Sarafian will exploit it = Sarafian via 3rd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell: To be quite honest, the fact that a lot of people are actually looking at Ben Rothwell as a favorite in this fight is a shock. Going into this fight, I truly feel that Gonzaga is going to demolish Rothwell. He’s simply better then Ben essentially everywhere the fight goes. Gonzaga’s homecoming fight back in the UFC showed he’s starting to fight smart again, which is taking it to the ground and working for the submission from the get go. Rothwell isn’t a very good fighter in the fact that he’s the heavyweight Tim Boetsch; just some guy who happens to be overall mediocre in all facets. Gonzaga will destroy him = Gonzaga via 2nd round submission (kimura). My pick for SOTN!

Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov: Heading into this main card, this is the most intriguing fight for me. How will Nurmagomedov fair against a guy like Tavares, who has been a fighter right on the brink of contender-ship but has never made it there. With both fighters coming off of close decision wins (especially Nurmagomedov), a win should give either fighter a top-10 or top-15 opponent. Tavares’ greatest adversary is constant aggression and a stronger opponent and that’s the way that Nurmagomedov fights = Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision.

Prelims

Godofredo Castro vs. Milton Vieira = Vieira via split decision.

Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes = Markes via 3rd round TKO.

Nik Lentz vs. Diego Nunes = Lentz via unanimous decision. My 2nd pick for FOTN!

Edson Barboza vs. Lucas Martins = Barboza via unanimous decision.

Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre = Alcantara via 1st round KO.

Ildemar Alcantara vs. Wagner Prado = Prado via unanimous decision. My 3rd pick for FOTN!

Francisco Trinaldo vs. CJ Keith = Trinaldo via 1st round TKO.

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort: I’m pumped for this fight. Bisping should take this but his chin cannot handle Belfort’s power. I see Bisping peppering Belfort for 2 rounds and then Belfort landing a power shot that forces Bisping to play the wrestling game and winning the fight there because his wrestling is superior to Belfort’s. The only chance Belfort has is to land a big bomb and hope for the KO. I never vote for the guy that only has one way to win even though I would love to see Belfort win. = Bisping by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Daniel Sarafian vs. CB Dollaway: This fight is pretty much a joke in my opinion. Sarafian looked good on TUF but how much does that really count for? He hasn’t fought a pro fight since July 2011. He has never fought anyone even close to Dollaway’s level. Dollaway has a ton of UFC experience and this is Sarafian’s UFC debut. Dollaway is coming off of a great victory of Jason Miller. I just think it’s safer to go with the proven wrestler. = Dollaway by unanimous decision.

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell: If Gonzaga keeps fighting smart he could beat almost anyone at heavyweight but the fact he hasn’t fought in a year scares me a bit. Rothwell is a big strong guy and so when he punches he has power. That is all Rothwell brings to the table. Gonzaga has better striking technique and more power but where Gonzaga easily takes it is the ground game. If Gonzaga takes this fight to the ground he could end it within minutes. I think Gonzaga will fight like he has in his last two fights and take it to the ground and find the submission. = Gonzaga by submission in round 1. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov: Khabib is the real deal. He has been a human steamroller since his career started. His UFC career has been great so far as well. Tavares has been doing decent lately but against competition at a much lower level. I see Khabib coming in and putting pressure on Tavares and just being too much in every area. But Khabib should be careful on the ground. = Khabib by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Godofredo Castro vs. Milton Vieira = Vieira by split decision.

Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes = Markes by 2^nd round KO. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Nik Lentz vs. Diego Nunes = Nunes by split decision.

Edson Barboza vs. Lucas Martins = Barboza by unanimous decision.

Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre = Alcantara by 2^nd round TKO.

Ildemar Alcantara vs. Wagner Prado = Prado by split decision.

Francisco Trinaldo vs. CJ Keith = Trinaldo by 2^nd round TKO.

CR's 2012 MMA Awards!

 We are doing an end of the year award post for this amazing year of MMA in 2012. We cover a variety of subjects and give you our take on what was the best of the best. Let us know your choices in the comments section below!

Sam’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Ronda Rousey: MMA had a rocky 2012, this is something that the UFC will try to change in in the year 2013. But when men’s MMA had a rocky year, women’s MMA had the best year in its history and it’s all due to one women: Ronda Rousey. Being a former Olympic bronze medalist, she smoothly made her transition into MMA with seven first round armbar finishes heading into 2012. After snapping Miesha Tate’s arm in half and doing much of the same to Sarah Kaufman in her first title defense, Rousey became a star. Her natural sex appeal, aggressive personality, and dominant fighting style put women’s MMA in the mainstream light. With what Rousey has done in only 365 days is what makes her the Fighter of the Year.

Fight of the Year – Chan Sung Jung def. Dustin Poirier via D’Arce choke at 1:07 of round 4: The equation for a fight of the year candidate consists of a back and forth brawl, people being dropped, submission attempts, and an exhilarating finish. This fight had that and a little more.  They slugged it on the feet, Jung went for multiple submissions in the second with almost getting a few, and ended up finishing Poirier with Poirier’s favorite technique. There was only one other fight that could be considered better and Dave picked it.

Round of the Year – Dustin Poirier def. Jonathan Brookins via D’Arce choke at 4:15 of round 1: Apparently Poirier loves to be in amazing fights. After he lost in his Fight of the Year bout against Jung, he was looking for a rebound fight against TUF winner, Jonathan Brookins. Brookins came out strong and aggressive, pushing Poirier against the fence and swinging for the fences. Poirier returned and eventually caught Brookins, dropping him into a sloppy takedown attempt. Poirier countered with a D’Arce choke and finished him off.

Submission of the Year – Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate via armbar at 4:27 of round 1: When picking a submission or knockout of the year, it will typically be a comeback win, the first of its kind, or a win with huge implications. This is the third, but we didn’t know it at the time. Rousey won the fight, but the huge explosion for women’s MMA is what causes this win to be my submission of the year. Also the arm snapping didn't hurt, well, except Miesha Tate.

KO of the Year – Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via KO (Spinning wheel kick) at 2:02 of round 3: Did you really expect anything else? This knockout was insane. I couldn’t stop watching it for weeks. Remember the three different things a “Finish Of the Year” would need? This was the first of its kind. No one has ever knocked anyone out with a spinning wheel kick in the UFC. And Etim just happened to be frozen in time while falling unconscious.

Upset of the Year – Jamie Varner def. Edson Barboza via TKO (punches) at 3:23 of round 1: Varner’s return was a very unexpected surprise but he was supposed to be absolutely blasted by Edson Barboza, who was coming off his win over Terry Etim. Varner was about a 5-1 underdog in the betting lines heading in, but an even bigger one in people’s opinions. Varner bum rushed him and easily finished him in the first round.

Event of the Year – UFC 144: With a card filled with brutal knockouts, awesome submissions, stunning upsets, insane comebacks, and all out wars, this card was absolutely nuts. Sure there were one or two fights that weren’t that great but seriously this card was one of the best in UFC history.

Comeback of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 3: Heading into this fight, Boetsch was meant to be a rebound win for Okami, who was coming off of his failed title shot. Okami was well on his way to a possible 30-26 or 29-27 decision win but Boetsch came out into the third round a different man. He completely demolished Okami in seconds into the third round, pulling off one of the best comebacks of all time and best upsets of the year.

Prospect of the Year – Max Holloway: At only 21 years old, Max Holloway has already amassed a 2-1 record in the UFC. He possesses some of the most technical striking in the UFC’s featherweight division. His last two wins over Justin Lawrence and Pat Schilling are just the beginning of what this young prospect can do.

Most Improved Fighter – Matt Brown: Heading into 2012, Matt Brown was on the brink of being released from the UFC. He was 1-4 with all his losses being submissions in the second round. His New Year resolution was apparently to become a better fighter, and boy did he succeed at that. He ended up going 4-0 in 2012 with two big upsets and three T/KO finishes. That is the definition of improved.

Moment of the Year – Jose Aldo Celebrating with Brazilian Crowd: At UFC 142 in Brazil, the featherweight champion Jose Aldo capped off the night with a first round KO win over Chad Mendes. After his win, he ran into the wild crowd. At first, I was worried because it seemed as though he was being mauled. But then he was put upon the shoulders of a fan and was carried while swinging the Brazilian flag. It was a very emotional and amazing scene.

Story of the Year – UFC 149 Injury Bug: Not only is this the story of the year because it’s insane, but because it’s extremely comical. The amount of injuries that this card sustained is absolutely mindboggling. I will give you a quick rundown of what happened: Bisping was replaced by Lombard against Boetsch. Yoshihiro Akiyama was supposed to fight Thiago Alves but pulled out, Siyar Bahadurzada filled in. Alves pulled out and Chris Clements filled in. Bahadurzada pulled out and Matt Riddle filled in. Thiago Silva was supposed to fight Shogun but pulled out and Shogun left the card to fight Brandon Vera later on. Jose Aldo, originally headlining against Erik Koch, pulled out and Urijah Faber and Renan Barao ended up headlining after Dominick Cruz pulled out of his fight with Faber. George Roop was supposed to fight Antonio Carvalho but pulled out and Daniel Pineda filled in. Big Nog, originally fighting Cheick Kongo, was still healing from his broken arm he got from Frank Mir. And last but not least, Claude Patrick was going to fight James Head but pulled out and Brian Ebersole filled in. It not only was terrible but led to one of the worst cards in MMA history.

Dave’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Matt Brown: Yes, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Brown went 4-0 with 3 of those being finished by (T)KO. He destroyed one of the most highly touted prospects in MMA in Stephen Thompson. And put a screeching halt to Mike Swick’s comeback ride. Brown not only did all of this in a dominating fashion but also made each fight incredibly fun to watch. Matt Brown is why I watch MMA. He is talented and fun to watch. And in 2012 Matt Brown was the best.

Fight of the Year – Joe Lauzon def. Jamie Varner via triangle choke at 2:44 of Round 3: This fight was freaking insane! Everyone watching this around me lost their minds on at least 5 different times. It was a back-and-forth affair that ended with a fantastic scramble that summed up the fight as a whole and got Lauzon back in the win column.

Round of the Year – Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert via RNC at 3:45 of Round 1: This round was my favorite because I was certain it was over 2 times and each time the other guy pulled it out somehow. Albert came at Menjivar like a wild animal. Albert was destroying him but Menjivar, the wily vet, kept his cool and somehow came back and won in one of the most fun fights you’ll ever see.

Submission of the Year – Wolfgang Janssen def. Aaron Armstrong via Flying Reverse Triangle at 1:57 of Round 2: This fight didn’t mean much and it was in a small promotion but it is one of the most amazing technical grappling maneuvers I have ever seen. He didn’t get lucky in a scramble and run with it. Janssen was looking for it and got it. Please go watch it on YouTube NOW!

KO of the Year – Johny Hendricks def. Martin Kampmann via KO at :46 of Round 1: Both of these guys had a ton of steam coming into this fight and it lived up to the hype. Most people thought Hendricks would outwrestle Kampmann but he instantly put a big left hand on Kampmann and Kampmann went flying back like a punch from Superman in a comic book. 46 seconds in and we found the scariest man at 170. Watch out GSP!

Upset of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO at :54 of Round 3: This fight was supposed to be a one sided beating, and for 2 rounds, it was. Most people thought Okami would just throw Boetsch around and blanket him, and for 2 rounds, he did. But then Boetsch decided to take Okami’s head off and he did. Incredible.

Event – UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort: I’m a little biased because I was there close to the action but the action was nonstop during this one. The night started out with 3 straight 1^st round finishes. Then there was Grant vs. Dunham which could have been Fight of the Year. Then Vinny Magalhaes’ submission over Igor Pokrajac was a thing of beauty. A few fun fights later and you get two amazing title fights! The first ever Flyweight Title fight which was a back-and-forth technical battle and then Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title against legend Vitor Belfort. That fight alone was amazing. All in all it was the best time I had watching MMA this year.

Comeback of the Year- Martin Kampmann def. Jake Ellenberger via TKO at 1:40 of Round 2: I thought Jake was going to destroy Martin. And he was well on his way to doing so until Martin somehow landed a knee out of nowhere that sent Jake to the ground in a heap. I was speechless at the time. I truly felt that Ellenberger would easily win that fight, but you can't ever count out Kampmann.

Prospect of the Year – Erik Perez: Perez is only 23 years old, is 2-0 in the UFC and both of those wins came against quality opponents. Not only that, but both of those wins ended in the first round. On top of all of this, he trains at Jackson’s camp. This kid has a huge chance to do something amazing at 135 pounds.

Most Improved Fighter – Cub Swanson: Cub has always been good but if you were to tell me a year ago he would go 3-0 against great competition and all of those wins coming by way of KO, I would think you’re nuts. He got manhandled by Chad Mendes, barely won against Mackens Semerzier and then got destroyed by Ricardo Lamas. But Cub went on a rampage in 2012 and most recently destroyed fellow rising star, Charles Oliveira in just under 3 minutes. The sky is the limit for Cub.

Moment of the Year – Vitor Belfort’s armbar attempt on Jon Jones at UFC 152: This fight was a joke to begin with. You had the scariest man alive, Jon Jones, taking on aging and undersized Belfort squaring off on short notice. It was ridiculous and you could tell from the ring of the bell that Jones was going to destroy Belfort. Jones took Belfort down immediately and started to land vicious elbows. But then out of nowhere, Belfort locks on an armbar that made Jones wince in pain and the Air Canada Centre arena erupted in a noise like no other. I’m a huge Jones fan and even I wanted to see Belfort pull it off. It was incredible and even though Jones defended it off, it was an amazing moment in MMA history.

Story of the Year – Women’s MMA makes it to the UFC: This was a huge moment for MMA history as women will now be able to fight under the UFC banner. It was a long time coming and I am so glad it has happened. I just hope that they sign a ton of fighters and handle the women’s divisions better than they have handled the 145, 135 and 125 divisions for men. Dana needs to keep them off of Facebook and feature them often. I can’t wait  for this chapter in UFC’s history to begin.

UFC 152 Main Card Recap

Jones applying the fight ending Americana on Belfort (Photo by bleacherreport.com)

Cub Swanson vs. Charles Oliveira: This was one of the fights that people we're looking forward to the most. Both of these guys have recently hit their stride in their careers and were looking to make themselves top title contenders at 145 pounds. Oliveira took Swanson down early but Cub has a highly underrated ground game. He got up almost instantly and started to land some solid shots on Oliveira. He eventually landed a sick liver punch that stunned "Do Bronx". He followed it with a monstrous overhand right. It took a second, but Oliveira eventually fell down unconscious. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if it turned out he got a broken orbital bone and was unable to continue.

Possible matchups for Swanson: This win easily makes Cub a top-10 featherweight. Three (T)KO's over 3 really good fighters equals at least top-10 status, if not top-7 or 5. A top fighter that has yet to rebound from his most recent loss is BJJ expert and Japanese star, Hatsu Hioki. Due to the fact that Hioki is still a top-10 featherweight, he will continue to fight top-10 featherweights. If Cub can continue his hot streak against Hatsu Hioki, he could even receive a title shot afterwards.

Possible matchups or Oliveira: Despite the fact that all of his losses in the UFC have come in the first round, you have to remember, Charles Oliveira is only 22 years old still. He still has a lot of time to grow and to mature as q person, not just a fighter. Another fighter that is also just 22 years old is Justin Lawrence. He is coming off a brutal TKO loss at the hands of arguably the most promising fighter in MMA, Max Holloway. Therefore, they are both looking for rebound fights, and this fight could very well be awesome.

Matt Hamill vs. Roger Hollett: Sigh, I really, really don't want to talk about this fight. Absolute garbage. Hollett had no business being in the Octagon. His standup is rudimentary, his wrestling is weak, and he has no submission skills. Like I said, he has no business in the Octagon. Hamill should retire now that he has that last win and Hollet should be immediately cut, if that isn't already clear.

Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann: I have to admit, this fight surprised in more ways than one. The main thing that surprised me was the fact that Brian Stann did so well. He easily won the first round, which was something that I really didn't expect. When Stann landed that huge right hand at the end of the first that almost finished Bisping, I went crazy and so did the Toronto crowd surrounding me. After that though, Bisping utilized his highly underrated wrestling to land some huge double legs and score a tough unanimous decision win. Brian Stann did a lot better than people were expecting.

Possible matchups for Bisping: I felt that Bisping would dominate this fight and earn a title shot against Anderson Silva. Bisping wasn’t impressive enough. It's too bad though, because Bisping has been doing so well and has been with the UFC for so long. The fight that honestly makes the most sense at this point is Bisping fighting the winner of Chris Weidman and Tim Boestch. That winner will get their shot at Silva.

Possible matchups for Stann: Brian Stann looked great against Bisping. Seriously looked awesome. You could possible even make a case for a decision win for him. He is still one of the top middleweights in the UFC. If Bisping fights the winner of Weidman and Boestch, Stann should fight the loser.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez: This fight could end up going down in history as the most underrated fight of all time. I personally thought that this fight was amazing. The technical prowess was incredible, the mistakes were few and far apart, the action was constant, and the speed was blinding. Joseph Benavidez was the highly favored fighter heading into this championship bout and was even in the top-10 of most people's Pound-for-Pound list. I thought that Benavidez would dominate everywhere that the fight went. I thought he had superior striking, wrestling, and submissions. The one thing that I didn't take into account was the speed advantage in which Johnson would have. He would easily go in and out with strikes and dodge Benavidez' attacks. I scored every round for Johnson minus the 3rd round. That round, Benavidez almost finished Johnson with a mounted guillotine. But Johnson used amazing defense as he did this sweep I have never seen before, maybe cricket legs or something. Anyway, Johnson looked amazing and he deserves to be the first ever UFC flyweight champion more than anyone.

Possible matchups for Johnson: Now that he has the belt, he needs to defend it against the best (obviously). John Dodson and Jussier da Silva are fighting at UFC on FX 5. That fight has to be a number one contenders bout.

Possible matchups for Benavidez: The final decision for the championship fight was a split decision, even though I thought Johnson definitely won the fight. The Team Alpha Male fighter should be immediately put in a number one contenders bout with Ian McCall. That fight would be a brawl.

Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort: Who would have ever thought that the biggest underdog to fight Jones would actually be the fighter that came the closest to beating him? The 30-45 seconds in which Vitor had that armbar, the arena went absolutely bonkers. There were a couple Brazilian guys in front of us and I thought they were going to go insane. The armbar was so close to finishing the fight that his arm was actually cracking and popping, but Jones showed something that we have yet to see from him (mainly because there was never an opportunity) and that was the heart of a champion. Most fighters would tap out if they felt that their arm was breaking. But once Jones shook his way out of the armbar, he started to dominate the fight. Vitor kept on pulling guard, much to the Brazilian fans in front of us' chagrin, and it added to our confusion. He did it again in the 4th round and was almost immediately submitted by an Americana that looked like his arm was about to be ripped off. Jones truly is one of the best fighters in the world and of all time.

Possible matchups for Jones: This is the next big question. Who is the next number one contender at light heavyweight? Dana announced that Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida have to fight one more time before they get a crack at the 205 belt. But the next big light heavyweight fight that is coming up is between Alexander Gustafsson and Shogun Rua. I feel that the winner of that should fight Jones.

Possible matchups for Belfort: I really highly doubt that Vitor will stay at 205. He was really starting to hit his stride down at 185. Before he accepted his fight with Jones, he was scheduled to fight Wanderlei Silva but had to pull out due to an injury. Although the fight doesn't make sense, it didn’t before and I think that fight could be extremely fun.

For Prelim Recap click here

UFC 152 50% off Ticket Giveaway!!!

We have an extra ticket for Saturday’s fights. It is only $120 which is half off the original price paid. The seat is in section 104, so the seat is amazing! You will be sitting with us, the writers of CR!

If you want the ticket contact us in the comments section! We will accept cash only (no change, exact amount only). We will be getting there very early so, if you can’t make it on time (5:30pm) then don’t bother.

Once it is all settled we will let you know where to meet us at Air Canada Centre.

You only have one day to let us know and we already have people interested so hurry up!!

(FYI once it is sold we will let you all know on here)