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MMA Fighter Allegedly Suffers What Sounds Like The Worst Injury Ever, Via … SportsGrid Mixed martial artists are used to suffering brutal injuries — battered eye sockets and broken bones come with the job. But no man is prepared to deal with an injury like the one Michael Waylon Lowe inflicted upon himself when he used the Kama Sutra … Ex-UFC fighter Waylon Lowe sues following alleged penile injuries from sex gelMMAjunkie.com all 4 news articles »

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Although it seems impossible to imagine, Anderson Silva almost walked away from MMA years before becoming the most dominant champion in UFC history.

Thankfully for the sport, the Nogueira brothers talked him out of leaving.

During a Fuel TV interview with MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant, Silva talked about wanting to end his fighting days after the conclusion of his five-bout run in PRIDE, which ended in two submission defeats to Daiju Takase and Ryo Chonan.

As “The Spider” told Fuel TV, his dream was “lost” after competing on the international circuit, where he had “nothing” to show for his efforts:

One day, I talked to Rogerio and Rodrigo—”I no more fight, bro.” The time Rogerio and Rodrigo talked to me, I [had] nothing. My dream [was] lost. Rodrigo talked to me [and said], “Hey, come to my house. I’ll help you. No worry. Come here, train together.”

I finished my contract in PRIDE. I broke the team [up]. The guys talked to me [and said], “Hey, you no fight more in PRIDE.” What? I fight in PRIDE. Good fights. I have no problem in PRIDE. But Rodrigo helped me, for better fights.

Perhaps if it wasn’t for the Nogueria brothers, whom Silva says he loves like his own family, the entire landscape of the sport would’ve been different.

But Silva would eventually return to MMA, with his last fight in PRIDE turning out to be his legitimate loss in the sport (so far).

After a 3-1 campaign between regional promotions Cage Rage and Rumble on the Rock—marred only by a DQ loss to Yushin Okami—Silva found his way to the UFC middleweight division, dominating Chris Leben and starting his road to the title that he’s held ever since.

Fuel TV is currently running Silva’s interview with Byrant in short segments via YouTube, where you can see the pound-for-pound titan talk about being “the black Dana White” and why he doesn’t like to fight Brazilians in the Octagon.

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MMAFrenzy.com

UFC Fan Expo in July to feature first ever MMA Combine Bloody Elbow MMADraft.com came about from the idea that we needed to create opportunities for amateur MMA athletes. We want to document the hard work and accomplishments of amateurs so that when they decide to turn pro, they will have a history of their career. Falling Short: The Stunted Growth of UK MMAMMAFrenzy.com Rankings: Top 25 P4P MMA FightersLowKickMMA Protect cage fighters before it's too lateNew York Daily News SportsBlog.com (blog) -Canada.com -Camel Clutch Blog (blog) all 31 news articles »

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The NFL Scouting Combine has become a staple in the football world where college athletes compete in a series of events hoping to raise their draft stock for potential suitors as they get ready for the NFL Draft.

While it’s never an exact science on how good a player will ultimately do in the NFL, the combine gives prospective teams a chance to see how an athlete runs, jumps and goes through several other obstacles while matched up with the best of the best at their particular position.

For the first time ever in MMA history, a fighting combine will be held at the upcoming UFC Fan Expo on July 6 in Las Vegas for amateur competitors to be tested in a series of events with the eyes of the fight world shining down upon them.

Former WEC champion Urijah Faber and UFC light heavyweight Phil Davis recently started a new amateur led website called MMADraft.com, and in coordination with the UFC Fan Expo they will hold the first ever MMA combine for up and coming fighters in the industry.

“It’s the first time we’re going to do it and it’s going to be limited to 100 people.  We’re going to have a bunch of professional fighters there.  We’re going to have sports psychologists, physical therapists, and strength and conditioning guys.  We’ve got a whole curriculum that we’re going to run through with these prospects and take their time,” Faber revealed about the combine when speaking to Bleacher Report on Monday.  “Some of it will be comparable testing to what they use in football, soccer and basketball combines and some will be unique to the MMA world.  It’s going to be an awesome ordeal.”

Details for the upcoming MMA combine are still being gathered, but Faber did specify that the event is open to amateurs only.  They will have representatives there from his camp at Team Alpha Male as well as trainers and teammates from Davis’ gym as well.

Faber also expects several other top UFC fighters to get involved with the combine, including top featherweight contender Anthony Pettis and former WEC title challenger Scott Jorgensen.

“The combine is basically going to see where they’re set, this testing is going to be done by a lot of our professionals and you can kind of see where they stack up,” Faber said.  “It’s going to be an opportunity for guys to stand out.  It’s going to be a real data heavy thing and see where they stack up as an athlete, where do you stack up as a mixed martial artist?  It kind of adds to your rising stars.”

The event is still being organized right now but the plan is to invite media members, fighters, managers and sponsors to watch the next wave of mixed martial artists go through a series of events similar to the NFL combine to test where they are at athletically, physically and mentally.

The MMA combine will come together via MMADraft.com where fighters can register and create profiles and then look to register for the combine, which will come with an entry fee. 

“It’s a limited amount of participants so we’re going to be pretty selective,” Faber stated.  “You have to have a profile on MMADraft.com and just kind of jump through the hoops.  It’s the first of its kind, it’s going to be cutting edge and we’re excited about getting this off the ground.”

The UFC Fan Expo will happen on July 5 and 6 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas during UFC 162 weekend.  The MMA combine is expected to take place on Saturday, July 6 prior to the fights happening later that evening.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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At the end of last year, I wrote an article claiming 2013 would be a breakout year for the featherweight division. And for the most part—at least thus far—that prediction appears to be well on its way to coming true.

While there have been a few twists and turns with Frankie Edgar and Anthony Pettis coming down from the lightweight division and getting title shots, these elements have only served to bolster the depth of a weight class on the rise.

In fact, the current dynamic in the featherweight division is completely opposite of how the 145-pound weight class looked in previous years.

The one constant remains in the form of young Brazilian phenom Jose Aldo still holding court over the division. But outside of “Junior,” where the weight class once struggled to produce worthy title challengers, there is now a collection of featherweights scrapping their way toward a shot at championship gold.

Here is a look at the contenders on the rise and what could potentially come next for them.

Chad Mendes

There is, perhaps, no more curious position to be in than the one Chad Mendes is currently holding. Since suffering the first loss of his professional career via knockout against Aldo at UFC 142 in January 2012, “Money” has blistered every opponent put in his path.

The 28-year-old has disposed of three consecutive challengers in a collected time that tallies just north of three minutes, a feat unheard of in the modern era of mixed martial arts.

Where two of the wins during his current runs may have come over lackluster competition, his most recent destruction of Darren Elkins turned heads in the MMA community.

The Indiana native was riding a five-fight win streak going into his bout with the Sacramento-based fighter, but after the cage door locked and the referee stepped aside, Mendes made short work out of Elkins, casting him to the back of the line in the divisional race.

To be entirely fair, Elkins stepped up on short notice to replace an injured Clay Guida, but with the type of steam Mendes has been showing inside the Octagon, it’s hard to imagine the result would have been different had either man showed up in San Jose at UFC on Fox 7. 

That being said, why isn’t Mendes being touted as the next title contender? 

While some of the reason certainly has to do with the way the bout against Aldo ended, that isn’t enough to explain why the Californian’s stock dropped so far in the public eye. Despite losing to the pound-for-pound great, Mendes has remained one of the very best featherweights on the planet, and his recent work has only served to solidify this notion.

I personally believe Mendes falling in the division had more to do with “new blood’ rising than it did with his loss. When he stepped in against Aldo, the weight class was lacking a true challenger in the “next” position. That situation has since changed, and the division has a batch of ready-made title challengers all waiting to get a crack at the featherweight strap.

What comes next for Mendes will certainly be interesting. While I wouldn’t put the UFC rescheduling the bout with Guida out of the realm of possibility, I believe the former No. 1 contender’s next fight will depend on what happens in July and August.

If Anthony Pettis is able to oust Jose Aldo from the throne during their showdown in August, an immediate rematch is to be expected. This would put the contender race on hold once again, and if this were to materialize, Mendes facing the winner of Ricardo Lamas versus Chan Sung Jung to determine the next title challenger would make perfect sense.

On the other hand—if Aldo defeats Pettis—the winner of Lamas vs. Jung will most likely get the next title shot, and Mendes will once again be treading water.

Ricardo Lamas and Chan Sung Jung

Outside of Johny Hendricks, no other UFC fighter has made a better case for title contention than Ricardo Lamas. “The Bully” has been defeating the best fighters in the division over his recent run, including an impressive smashing of former number one contender Erik Koch at UFC on Fox 6.

Following the victory of “New Breed,” the 30-year-old Chicagoland native’s title opportunity appeared to be a given. That was until Pettis threw his hat in the ring and subsequently granted the title shot which left Lamas hanging in the balance with a chip on his shoulder.

When a fighter is in these types of situations, the decision on what to do next can be a tricky one to make. Oftentimes, there isn’t a sensible opponent to match up with and a fighter has to enter a high-risk/low-reward type bout. Fortunately for the Lamas, there was a challenger in the wings that made sense as Chan Sung Jung would be returning from a lengthy layoff due to injury this summer.

Before “The Korean Zombie” hit the sidelines, he was all but guaranteed a title shot. The 26-year-old South Korean had put together three consecutive victories over top-tier talent, including an impressive submission stoppage of Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 3.

Unfortunately for Jung, the victory over Poirier came with a price as he suffered a shoulder injury in the scuffle. The injury would require surgery and put the WEC veteran out of action for the rest of 2012 and the first half of 2013.

The most interesting aspect of Jung’s current situation is, despite his absence, his status as a top featherweight has remained in tact. When he returns to action in July to face Lamas in the co-main event of UFC 162, there is a good chance there will be a title opportunity on the line.

With that being case, the bout will provide excellent motivation, as both Lamas and Jung have been hunting for a title shot for some time.

Cub Swanson

There is, perhaps, no better story in the featherweight division than Cub Swanson. As the longest tenured featherweight under the Zuffa umbrella, the Palm Springs native has experienced his fair share of ups and downs in the fight game.

For years, Swanson has been a fighter looking to live up to the potential others have placed on him, and his recent run of four consecutive victories provides solid evidence “Killer Cub” has finally turned that corner.

While there may be other fighters ahead of him in the divisional hierarchy, Swanson is determined to reach the top of the mountain in the 145-pound weight class. The 29-year-old was originally slated to face German striker Dennis Siver at UFC on Fuel TV 7, but an injury to the former lightweight forced him out of the scrap, and Poirier stepped in.

After Swanson defeated “The Diamond” in the co-main event in England, the UFC rescheduled the bout with Siver for UFC 162 in July. Should the Jackson’s/Winkeljohn-trained fighter defeat Siver in Las Vegas, it will undoubtedly earn him a fight in the contender’s tier of the division.

And while there is no telling exactly who that opponent would be, a potential matchup with Mendes toward the end of the year would seem fitting. 

Then again, there are a few different ways this divisional picture could shake out, difficult to pinpoint how things will look in September. But regardless of what happens with the other moving parts, if Swanson can pick up his fifth consecutive victory at UFC 162, he will cement himself as a major player in the 145-pound weight class.

Frankie Edgar

After losing his featherweight debut to Jose Aldo at UFC 156, talk swirled of Frankie Edgar dropping down to compete in the bantamweight division. But if there is one word to describe Edgar it is resilient, and “The Answer” committed to making another run at the 145-pound title.

The Toms River native will return to action in July when he faces Charles Oliveira at UFC 162. The bout with “Do Bronx” will be Edgar’s attempt to bring a three-fight skid to a halt and put his career back on track.

It has been an unfortunate run for the former lightweight champion as he has come out on the losing end of two razor-thin, albeit controversial decisions against Benson Henderson, followed by a unanimous decision loss to Aldo in his next outing.

Edgar’s current position is a far stretch from the champion status he has enjoyed over the past few years. And while having lost three straight would be enough to shake the majority of fighter’s confidence into shambles, the 31-year-old isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill competitor.

The undersized fighter with an oversized heart is determined to reclaim UFC gold, and his current losing streak has provided a unique brand of motivation for him to re-ignite his career. Edgar recently told Bleacher Report that pressure brings out the very best in him—and make no mistake about it—the pressure is certainly on going into his bout with Oliveira. 

With a win, Edgar will catapult himself right back into the contender’s mix in the featherweight division. Where on the other hand a loss would be disastrous. Should the New Jersey-based fighter emerge victorious from his bout with the Brazilian submission artist, a potential bout with either Swanson or Mendes could be on the horizon.

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Once again, Benson Henderson has managed to retain his coveted UFC Lightweight Championship in extremely controversial fashion.

Poor Gilbert Melendez.

Despite saying for years and years that he was the absolute best 155-pound fighter in mixed martial arts, “El Nino” just came up short when it most counted, dropping a razor-thin split decision to Henderson in a very heated five-round brawl at UFC on Fox 7.

Naturally, it begs one simple question—was Melendez overrated all along?

Of course not. Are you joking? No way.

At least, not as long as you take Melendez’s own “No. 1″ claims out of the argument.

While the San Francisco-based member of the Scrap Pack was really never the pound-for-pound best lightweight MMA fighter in the world, he’s been one of the top talents for years.

Besides, just looking back at his title fight with Henderson says it all.

Melendez came closer to defeating the champion than anyone else in the UFC, winning a handful of exchanges on the feet and skillfully staving off Bendo‘s grappling game.

Unfortunately, El Nino fell prey to one-too-many leg kicks, but that’s nothing to be ashamed about.

Moreover, calling Melendez overrated greatly takes away from Henderson’s own status as the best lightweight in the sport, and possibly the greatest 155-pounder in MMA history, given some more time with the belt.

Bendo may have given up more than he should against Frankie Edgar and Melendez in his last two fights, but no amount of booing changes the fact that he’s still beaten extremely worthy competition in his undefeated UFC career so far.

Against the likes of Edgar, Nate Diaz and Melendez, that’s a feat.

And while Strikeforce’s former lightweight champion is definitely a great fighter, Saturday night merely proves that he was simply never the best.

Melendez wasn’t the greatest when B.J. Penn was the champion, and he still wasn’t the best when Edgar took the division’s throne.

But with a fight as close as that, Melendez is more than good enough to earn himself another title shot before the year is out, provided that he can thrive in the deep waters of the UFC lightweight division after swimming in Strikeforce’s shallow shores.

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania and the L.A. Times.

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Jon “Bones” Jones has been perched atop the UFC’s light heavyweight division for a little over two years.  With a victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 159, he will have successfully defended his belt five times in a row, tying the mark set by former champion Tito Ortiz—which has stood for over 10 years.

Jones is currently sharing second place with two of the all-time greats: Frank Shamrock and UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell.  Should Jones secure a sixth straight title defense, would that make him the greatest UFC light heavyweight ever?

I am not necessarily saying no.   Yet, I am not immediately compelled to say yes, simply for the fact that anointing a fighter as the greatest ever in their respected division requires more of an archetype than just title defenses.  More on that later, but first the subject in question.

Jones has finished three out of his four title defenses, submitting the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort.  All of those were extremely impressive.  Were they as impressive as Chuck Liddell’s four straight knockouts in his title defenses?   Maybe that depends on your subjective flavor of violence. 

Jones, in many pundits’ opinions, gets the nod in level of competition on his current streak, yet Chuck Liddell took out UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz in his four-fight reign.  No other light heavyweight champ can lay claim to that feat.

Keep in mind this is still a comparison of title-defense streaks, not overall careers.  Look at it this way: Tito Ortiz, who currently owns the record of five straight, would never be considered a greater champion than Chuck Liddell, or even Frank Shamrock, since “The Legend” defeated him the only time they fought and vacated the belt afterward.  Had he not done so, we could be talking about Jones trying to surpass his record of maybe even more than five straight. 

Liddell and Shamrock both defeated Ortiz, but never fought each other.  We can only assume how Jones would fare versus either of the three, but we will never know for sure. 

Judging who the best ever is never exactly, well, an exact science.

Since Jones is only 25 years old and still has plenty of time left in his career, he could very well end up being the best light heavyweight of all time.  Even if he breaks Ortiz’s record, it’s still too early to anoint him as the greatest.  Winning 16 fights inside the division with 10 career knockouts in your career like Chuck Liddell, those are some examples needed to meet the criteria of an all-time light heavyweight king, in this writer’s opinion.

Jones’ rise to prominence as the currently ranked No. 2 pound-for-pound UFC fighter is indeed a distinct and special era in the history of the UFC.  Let’s face it, the UFC was begging for someone to stay at the top of the division for more than one fight after Liddell lost his invincibility and his title to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. 

From “Rampage” on through Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, the light heavyweight division was a revolving door that featured five champions in six fights.  There were only two successful title defenses out of the five fighters combined, and the oft predicted “Machida era” never materialized.  Jones rose to great heights in a short period of time, and brought forth a name and a mystique along with a skill set and dynamic fighting style not yet seen in MMA.

We’ve only seen a glimpse of his career.  He could go on to break Ortiz’s streak, win the rest of his fights and retire with never being truly defeated.  However, with so many ways to lose in MMA, there may also be a day where we have to talk about how he lost his last three fights by knockout like Chuck Liddell and should call it a day.  By that time, there may be another phenom who has entered the discussion of greatest ever.

If there was a Mt. Rushmore of the greatest light heavyweights in UFC history, Jon Jones face would be etched in stone.  He is already the best of his era.

So again, if Jon Jones breaks Tito Ortiz’s streak of five straight title defenses, is he the greatest light heavyweight ever?  I say no. Even if he breaks it, we still need to see more.

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Even before TUF 17 got underway and fans had been given a glimpse of a single contestant, such as middleweight Uriah Hall, we were being told that one man was widely feared in the house.

Eager journalists suggested that the mystery man could be Swedish talent Tor Troeng, who in the end failed to get passed the first round. But now that the dust has settled on the first season, and four men lay in the hospital, it is unquestionable that UFC president Dana White was referring to Hall himself.

Hall has walked through everybody over 12 weeks of the show, breaking his first opponent’s arm, brutally knocking out the second two, and destroying his final opponent, Kiwi Dylan Andrews, via TKO.

With the airing of the season now over, White continues to lavish Hall with praise only worthy of a potential title contender.

“Every guy Uriah fought wound up in the hospital,” UFC President Dana White told USA TODAY Sports (h/t MMA Junkie). “That’s never happened in the history of TUF… He is without a doubt the most-feared guy coming out of TUF. Ever.”

That is a remarkable statement for a show that’s been running for 17 years and has produced such athletes as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck.

Hall has been fighting as a pro since 2005 and his two losses in that time have come at the hands of Chris Weidman and Christina Phillipou—two top-ranked UFC middleweights, one of whom (Weidman) is preparing to meet champion Anderson Silva this July.

During the show Hall demonstrated his devastating power, including one of the scariest knockouts ever seen in MMA—a wheel-kick KO of Adam Cella inside the first round.

His performances already have fans talking about him as a potential title contender. In fact, Weidman is said to be training with Hall in his preparation for his title fight against Silva. No TUF contestant has emerged out of the house so highly regarded, and that’s something White sees too.

“People are on my Twitter saying, ‘This guy should go right to a title shot’… All of the fans have super-high expectations for Uriah,” said White.

But before any of that can happen, Hall will have to face the other TUF finalist, Kelvin Gastelum, at the TUF 17 Finale this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Should he send Gastelum to the hospital, as well, then Hall may be given the quickest route to the top tier of the UFC’s middleweight division we have ever seen.

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The current era under the UFC banner is one of dominant champions.

Of the nine weight classes currently operating in the organization, at least four of the titles have been in the possession of their respective champions for over two years, with the middleweight and welterweight crowns being held for five years or longer.

The UFC’s 185-pound king, Anderson Silva, has destroyed the record books since claiming gold in 2006, putting together an astounding string of 10 successful title defenses. Shortly behind “The Spider” in the realm of consecutive defenses is 170-pound champion Georges St-Pierre, as the Tri-Star-trained fighter has collected eight straight victories with his title on the line and solidified himself as the greatest welterweight fighter of all time.

The championship runs of Silva and St-Pierre have not only served to definite their respective careers, but carved out the legacies of both fighters.

While Silva and St-Pierre are exceptional cases, Jose Aldo and Jon Jones have been displaying dominance in their own right. The 145-pound Brazilian phenom has defended his strap on four occasions under the UFC banner, making a grand total of six when his two defenses as the WEC champion are tallied in.

Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history when he defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128. This feat alone is a tremendous accomplishment, but when the 25-year-old’s four successful defenses are factored in, it becomes easy to see why “Bones” is highly regarded as the future of mixed martial arts.

In the process of solidifying himself as the man to beat at 205 pounds, Jones also brought to an end a merry-go-round for the light heavyweight title. After defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in December of 2011, Jones became the first fighter since Chuck Liddell to successfully defend the strap more than once. 

Nearly five years passed between from “The Iceman” losing his title to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 71 to Jones besting Rua to become champion in April of 2011. Over that stretch, five different fighters (Quinton Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua) held the title, but none were able to earn more than one successful defense— a song the heavyweight division knows all too well.

Where Jones brought a turbulent run of champions to an end in the 205-pound weight class, the chaos in the heavyweight division has never been subdued. Since Mark Coleman became the organization’s first official heavyweight champion by defeating Dan Severn at UFC 12 in 1997, no title holder has been able to successfully defend the belt on two consecutive occasions. 

In the 16 years which have passed since “The Hammer” defeated “The Beast,” 15 different fighters have held either the legitimate title or an interim version of the heavyweight crown. And the situation becomes all the more compounded when the current state of the division is examined.

The Revolving Door of the Heavyweight Title

More so than any previous point in UFC history, the heavyweight division is stacked with high-profile talent, and the weight class is more competitive than it has ever been. With a collection of top-ranked fighters all battling for title opportunities, it would seem the trend of the title changing hands in rapid fashion would continue.

Nevertheless, current belt holder Cain Velasquez is getting ready to begin his second stint as champion when he squares off with Antonio “Big Foot” Silva next month at UFC 160, and the AKA-trained fighter will be looking to establish his dominance in the division.

The 30-year-old’s initial run as champion was stopped after a big right hand from Junior dos Santos found its mark at UFC on Fox 1. But the former Arizona State University wrestling standout found redemption in impressive fashion when he pounded “Cigano” for five rounds in their rematch at UFC 155 last December.

The victory over Dos Santos proved a healthy Velasquez is an absolute beast, as he worked the former champion in every aspect for 25 minutes. Velasquez used his wrestling to repeatedly dump Dos Santos on the canvas, then relied on his legendary cardio to keep relentless pressure on the heavy-handed Brazilian. 

The end result was a lopsided, unanimous-decision victory over a fighter who had barely been challenged throughout his first nine showings inside the Octagon. To sweeten the pot, not only did Velasquez reclaim the title “JDS” took from him a year earlier, but redeemed the only loss of his professional career at the same time. 

While Velasquez’s brutal beating of Dos Santos was certainly impressive, does it hold any bearing on whether or not the champion’s second title reign will be any different than his first? Will Velasquez become the division’s first dominant title holder, or is he simply taking his turn at holding the belt?

A Puncher’s Chance 

A commonly used saying in mixed martial arts is that “one punch can change a fight.” While it might sound cliche, that doesn’t make it any less true, and no weight class highlights this possibility better than the heavyweights. 

It only took one well-placed hammer from Dos Santos to put Velasquez on the canvas during their first fight, and the Brazilian slugger is far from the only power puncher in the division. Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt, Antonio Silva and Roy Nelson all have proven one-shot knockout ability.

Of course, the equation cannot be accurately assessed without taking into consideration the areas of Velasquez’s game where he overshadows the rest of the fighters in the division. But for the sake of the “one punch changes everything” theory, several of the division’s best fighters have the ability to become champion with one bomb.

It also needs to be said that catching a power shot from a knockout artist like Dos Santos doesn’t mean Velasquez is without a chin. Despite there being multiple exchanges that left Velasquez wobbled during a bout earlier in his career against Cheick Kongo, there is no solid evidence which points to the champion being unable to take a punch. But at the same time, therein lies the issue at hand.

With the power and size the elite heavyweights are bringing to the table, one clean shot can end a fight abruptly, and it happens with regular frequency in the heavyweight division.

The possibility of a knockout will always be a factor in any heavyweight tilt, and perhaps this makes the heavyweight division’s lack of having a dominant champion somewhat unfair by comparison. Velasquez has all the physical and mental skills necessary to make a long run as champion, but one punch could neutralize an entire set of attributes in a quick and violent turn.

This is a reality the heavyweight fighters have come to embrace, and a problem with which the lighter weight class doesn’t have to deal. While knockouts can and do happen at every weight class, the severity to which the potential of a big shot landing affects a heavyweight bout is far more than what any of the lighter weight classes experience. 

Then again, the hovering potential of a brutal knockout coming at any time is a large part of the heavyweight appeal. It is a difficult stretch to get a grasp on the unpredictable, and a fighter’s failure to do so more than likely plays a large role as to why 16 years have passed without a dominant champion holding court in the UFC heavyweight division. 

Whether Velasquez will be the man who breaks the cycle remains to be seen, but he’ll certainly do everything in his power to keep his championship reign alive and carve out his place in the history books.

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Since the days of gladiators gracing the sands of the Coliseum and competing for throngs of cheering plebs, fight sports have always been about spectacle.  

Audiences relish seeing the outlandish. In ancient Rome, it might have been watching a gladiator armed with nothing more than a net and trident take on a man-eating tiger. And as much as we might hate to admit it, our human curiosities and interests really haven’t changed in 2000 years.

While MMA is tame in comparison to gladiatorial combat (no one is executed on a whim), it still operates on the same principles. Fans buy tickets and order expensive pay-per-view events hoping to witness something amazing or better yet…crazy. That’s why you’re reading this article.  

So with that I’ll end the anthropological musings and allow you to sit back, relax and read about these six fights guaranteed to satiate your appetite for crazy MMA action. These fights are brimming with so much awesomeness that they would have left our ancient Roman brethren slack-jawed.

Enjoy. 

Begin Slideshow

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