Can Pettis Finish Thomson?

Prior to his UFC title fight with Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis stated that if he won the UFC Lightweight Championship that he would he the kind of Champion that would look to finish all of his challengers. Since becoming the UFC Lightweight Champion, Pettis has not changed that statement and has stated that he is looking to take out his first challenger in the first round. 

Josh Thomson will be the first man to face Anthony Pettis since the title left Benson Henderson's waist. Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson is an MMA vet with an impressive resume including wins over notable opponents suchal as Rob McCullough, Hermes Franca, Duane Ludwig, Nam Phan, Gilbert Melendez, Pat Healy and Nate Diaz. TJ Grant was originally set to face Pettis before another injury took him out of another UFC Lightweight title fight.  Grant was quickly replaced with Josh Thomson to face Prttis at UFC on Fox 9.

Current UFC Lightweight Champion, Anthony Pettis, holds a record of 17-2. He finished 7 fights with knockouts and 7 fights with submissions. Manthony Pettis is definitely the definition of a finisher if thete ever is one.He holds victories over Danny Castillo,  Ben Henderson, Joe Lauzon, and Donald Cerrone.  Anthony Pettis won histitle impressively against Benson Henderson when he secured a tight armbar in the last half of the first round of their title fight at UFC 164. Benson Hendersonis one of the best guys at 155 lbs and Anthony Pettis was able to prove his stoppages were no flukes when he submitted the champ. Though the championis a proven finisher it leads us to wonder if he can stop someone the caliber of Josh Thomson.Thomson himselfis coming off of an early stoppage of top contender, Nate Diaz, in their recent bout on UFC on Fox.  I think that Josh Thomson has the ability to hang with Pettis and possibly defeat Pettis with a great camp in place, but we will find out in a few months at UF  on Fox 9.

Bellator 101 Results

Main Card

Joe Warren def. Nick Kirk via submission at 3:03 of round two
Tiger Sarnavskiy def. Marcus Davis via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:40 of round one
Will Brooks def. John Alessio via unanimous decision
Ricardo Tirloni def. Rich Clementi via unanimous decision
Saad Awad def. Martin Stapleton via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:46 of round one

Preliminary card

Brent Primus def. Scott Thometz via first-round rear-naked choke
Nathan Coy def. Andy Uhrich via unanimous decision
Marcin Held def. Ryan Healy via first-round KO
Peter Aspinwall def. Jeremiah Riggs via split decision
Austin Springer def. Zach Skinner via unanimous decision
Dave Vitkay def. Tyson Jeffries via third-round rear-naked choke

UFC Releases Okami

It was announced today that the UFC has released longtime Middleweight contender Yushin Okami.

Yushin Okami has been one of the most noteable faces in the UFC's Middleweight Division since his debut in 2006. He has faced both of the UFC's most decorated champions in the form of former champions Rich Franklin and Anderson Silva.  Yushin Okami has been in there with the best 185lbers and beaten the best in the process. He holds victories over some if the best guys in the division.

Okami is coming off of a tko loss to Ronaldo Jacare Souza at UFC Fight night 28. Tushing Okami leaves the organization as the #6 Middleweight in the UFC with a UFC record of 13-5. Yushin Okami was a part of the UFC's first event in Brazil in which he challeneged Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight title.

Machida Replaces Bisping in Munoz Bout

After suffering an eye injury, Michal Bisping is being replaced by Lyoto Machida in his bout with Mark Munoz. Lyoto Machida was originally scheduled to fight Tim Kennedy in his debut at 185 lbs but was instead pulled to take Michael Bisping's place. Tim Kennedy is currently without an opponent for his Main Event fight at UFC Fight for the Troops 3. Time Kennedy has stated that he is heartbroken that he will not get to face Machida, but he is eager to get a new opponent.

Nam Phan vs. Takeya Mizugaki

It has been announced that Takeya Mizugaki will be facing Nam Phan at UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia. Also James Te Huna will be facing Mauricio Shogun Rua on the same card. This card will be held in Australia and headlined by a heavyweight collision between Mark Hunt and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva.

Bellator 100 Results

Main card
Douglas Lima def. Ben Saunders via KO (head kick) at 4:33 of round two
Brent Weedman def. Justin Baesman via submission (armbar) at 3:20 of round one
War Machine def.Vaughn Anderson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:01 of round two
Rick Hawn def. Herman Terrado via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ron Keslar def. Luis Melo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Undercard
LaRue Burley def. Bubba Jenkins via third-round TKO (3:40)
Clifford Starks def. Joe Yager via unanimous decision
Travis Marx def. Brandon Bender via second-round TKO (4:28)
Efrain Escudero def. Zack Surdyka via unanimous decision 
Liam McGeary def. Beau Tribolet via first-round KO (0:27)
Siala Mou Siliga def. Dan Charles via third-round TKO (0:26)
Adam McDonough def. Johnny Buck via first-round TKO (4:51)

UFC Weigh-in Results

MAIN EVENT – UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexander Gustafsson (204.5) VS Jon Jones (204.5)

PPV MAIN CARD
INTERIM UFC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Eddie Wineland (135) VS Renan Barao (135)

Matt Mitrione (260.5) VS Brendan Schaub (237)
Francis Carmont (186) VS Costa Philippou (186)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (156) VS Pat Healy (155.75)

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS
Myles Jury (156) VS Mike Ricci (155.5)
Wilson Reis (135) VS Ivan Menjivar (136*)
Stephen Thompson (170.5) VS Chris Clements (169.5)
Dustin Kimura (136) VS Mitch Gagnon (136)

ONLINE FIGHTS
Renee Forte (155.5) VS John Makdessi (155)
Michel Prazeres (155) VS Jesse Ronson (155.5)
Alex Caceres (136) VS Roland Delorme (136)
Daniel Omielanczuk (245.5) VS Nandor Guelmino (230)

Official weigh-in are taken directly from the UFC website.

Condit vs. Brown Booked for UFC on FOX 9

After a victory over Marting "The Hitman" Kampmann, Carlos Condit expressed an interest in facing rising welterweight contender, Matt Brown.  Now Condit will get his wish as he and Matt Brown have been scheduled to compete against each other at UFC on Fox 9.

In my opinion both men are a win or two away from facing Georges St. Pierre and what better way to help decide a next challenger than to put two of the best against each other to prove that they are ready.  Though I'd like to see how well Matt Brown's notion that he could out-wrestle St. Pierre would actually work out, I feel that the Condit-St. Pierre rematch would be more entertaining than Brown colliding with the titan known as St. Pierre.

Johnson-Benavidez II Set for November

The UFC has announced today that they are going to be putting Demetrius Johnson and Joseph Benavidez back in the cage to face each other again.  The two will be the main event for the TUF Finale on November 30.  This will be an interesting rematch to watch.  Both men have gotten increasingly better with every fight.  Both men have truly outclassed their opponents since their last fight against each other.  Demetrius Johnson has successfully defended the UFC Flyweight title twice now since they first met last year.  Benavidez has fought three times since their last meeting and beaten all three men.

This is an exiting fight that makes complete since right now considering the state of the UFC Flyweight Division right now.  With Ian McCall still needing a few more decisive victories before he is even in the same conversation as Benavidez or Johnson, this will truly be a battle of the top two guys in the division.  In their last fight "Mighty Mouse" Johnson seemed to be the quicker more technical fighter of the two and it was very noticible even with Benavidez keeping the fight competitive; it just wasn't enough.  The fight was very close and led to a split decision in which Johnson had his hand raised at the end of the bell.

Aldo to Help Penn Beat Edgar

Anthony Pedernieras, Head Coach of Nova Uniao in Brazil, has made it public that he and his team will be aiding BJ Penn his featherweight debut against Frankie Edgar. Pedernieras says that he wants Penn to Join his camp including UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.

UFC on Fox 9 Set for December 14

The UFC has announced that Anthony Pettis will be defending his newly acquired UFC Lightweight Championship against Strikeforce vet Josh Thomson on December 14 for UFC on Fox 9.

This fight will also feature more fights from the lighter divisions as former WEC Featherweight Champion, Urijah Faber, is scheduled to meet with Michael MacDonald. Also on the card is a bout between Ian McCall and Scott Jorgenson, who will be making his Flyweight debut.

Thomson Gets Pettis First

Minutes ago it was announced that Josh thomson would be the first man to get his hands on newly crowned UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis on December 14.

TJ Grant was originally scheduled to face Pettis first, but Grant is still not 100% health wise so the fight could not commence.  Josh Thomson was then moved in to take his place.

UFC 167 Keeps Getting Better

UFC 167 is already one the most stacked cards in UFC history, but has been announced that two of the UFC's most entertaining middleweights will will be squaring off in the octogon.

Rafael Natal and Ed Herman will be going to war on the UFC 167 card in Las Vegas for the UFC's 20th anniversary card. Rafael Natal is coming off a spectacular Fight of the Night performance against Tor Troeng at UFC Fight Night 28. Rafael Natal won his hard-fought battle with the Swedish TUF 18 alumni via decision.

Ed Herman is also coming off of a Fight of Night victory in his last bout against Trvor Smith back in July at UFC on FOX.

This will be an excellent fight bewtween two entertainers. I give the edge to Rafael Natal in this bout.

WSOF 6 Set for Oct. 26

WSOF has announced that they will be holding the WSOF's firsst ever title fight which will be between Josh Burkman and Steve Carl for the WSOF's Welterweight Championship.

Also the card will feature Jon Fitch in a welterweight bout against Marcelo Alfaya.

WSOF Results

Main Card Results

Andrei Arlovski def. Mike Kyle by Unanimous decision

Dave Branch def. Danillo Villefort by Unanimous decision

Derrick Mehmen def. Rolles Gracie by KO (Punch), 2:40 of Rd. 2

Georgi Karakhanyan def. Waylon Lowe by Submission (Guillotine choke), 3:37 of Rd. 1

 Undercard Results

Rick Glenn def. Artur Rofi by Unanimous decision

Jimmie Rivera def. Sidemar Honorio by Unanimous decision

Richard Patishnock def. Gregor Gracie by Unanimous decision

Ozzy Dugulubgov def. Andrew Osborne by Submission (Achilles lock), 1:12 of Rd. 2

Neiman Gracie def. Darren Costa by Submission (Armbar), 3:57 of Rd. 1

Bellator 99 Results

Main Card

• Featherweight Quarterfinal: Patricio Freire def. Diego Nunes via KO (punches)
• Featherweight Quarterfinal: Fabricio Guerreiro def. Des Green via unanimous decision
• Vladimir Matyushenko def. Houston Alexander via unanimous decision
• Featherweight Quarterfinal: Justin Wilcox def. Akop Stepanyan via submission (rear-naked choke)
• Featherweight Quarterfinal: Joe Taimanglo def. Andrew Fisher via unanimous decision

Preliminary Card

• Virgil Zwicker def. Nick Moghaddam via TKO (punches)
• Blagoi Ivanov def. Manny Lara via submission (guillotine choke)
• Goiti Yamauchi def. Musa Toliver via submission (rear-naked choke withomoplata)
• Catchweight (173): Gavin Sterritt def. Andy Murad via split decision
• Hector Ramirez def. Savo Kosic via unanimous decision

Bellator 99 Weigh-in Results

Main Card

Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Patricio Pitbull (145.5) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Justin Wilcox (146) vs. Akop Stepanyan (146)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Des Green (146) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (145.4)
Bellator Featherweight Opening Round: Joe Taimanglo (146) vs. Andrew Fisher (145.4)
Vladimir Matyushenko (205.8) vs. Houston Alexander (204.6)

Preliminary Card

Savio Kosic (204.4) vs. Hector Ramirez (203.6)
Catchweight Fight : Andy Murad (172.1) vs. Gavin Sterritt (169.3)
Musa Toliver (145.3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (145.6)
Manny Lara (246) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (251)
Catchweight Fight: Nick Moghaddam (208.8) vs. Virgil Zwicker (206)

New TUF Coaches are Rivals BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar

Just when you thought that BJ Penn was becoming irrelevant in the UFC, the you find out that he has resigned with the UFC.  Former UFC Welterweight and Lightweight Champion, B.J. Penn's first challenge will be to coach opposite of the man who stopped his title reign at lightweight in April 2010, Frankie Edgar.  The UFC is expecting to begin airing the new season of the Ultimate Fighter in April 2014.

The two of them first met in April 2010 at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi for the UFC Lightweight title.  This was a fight in which Frankie Edgar won the title by a close decision that some of the experts could argue could've went either way.  In the second fight Frankie Edgar won undoubtedly to retain his title.

The original plot for the show was to have Frankie Edgar coach against Uriah Faber, but it was impossible to get the two men to move out of their current weight class and agree on one class. Concurrently B.J. Penn had stated that he had wanted a fight with Benson Henderson in hopes of getting a rematch with Edgar with a victory over Henderson.  Instead of fighting Henderson, White and Penn are able to get him on the show and a featherweight to follow.

Jacare's Camp Interested in Bout with Davis

After his recent victory at UFC Fight Night in Brazil, Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza stated that he will take any fight that his employer the UFC puts in front of him.  Though he will do what his employer tells him to do, he expressed some interest in the UFC's 205lb weight class to take on some new challenges.  The name that his camp has expressed the most interest in is Phil Davis, the UFC's #3 Light Heavyweight.

So far there has not been a response from Davis' camp.

I think that this yet another good fight to test both athletes.  It will be a good fight for Souza if he wants to move up to 205 for a fight.  Davis is a little larger than Souza at 205, but not too large where it will be a huge problem.  Also if Davis can beat Souza, who is an elite UFC Middleweight, he can probably erase the doubt that he has left in the MMA community that his judges' decision over Machida was inaccurate.  It is a HUGE statement of one man can beat the other.  Both men are excellent at grappling and use their superior grappling to overwhelm their opponents.  I personally think that the UFC could've put Glover Teixeira against Davis and let the two of them battle it out for the next title shote, but that's another story for another day.

UFC Fight Night Hunt vs. Bigfoot Dec. 7

The UFC has announced that Mark Hunt and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva will be headlining an event in Brisbane, Austrailia on December 7.

Former Title Challengers Fight Again

It has been announced that former UFC Lightweight title challengers, Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard will meet again at the Ultimate Fighter Finale.  The two gentlemen have both fought recent Lightweight Champions, Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson.  The two originally fought in the TUF house with Nate Diaz beating him in the semifinals and eventually winning the whole tournament.

They later fought in the UFC as the main event of a UFC Fight Night card with Gray Maynard winning a decision over Diaz.  Maynard is coming off of a loss to UFC Title contender T.J. Grant whikle Diaz is coming off of a loss to Josh Thomson.

September 27 Kongo Invades Bellator

Mark the date, September 27.  On September 27, former UFC Heavyweight fighter, Cheick Kongo will make his Bellator debut at Bellator 101 against Mark Godbeer.  This match will not be a part of the coming Bellator heavyweight tournament.

Kongo will truly become a big fish in a small pond when he steps into Bellator.  There will not be anyone in the heavyweight division that will have the level of experience that Kongo has.  Kongo has faced some of the top challengers in the UFC division for years and had many successes inside the cage.  I see Kongo destroying all men that he faces in the Bellator cage.

Bellator heavyweights, you have been warned.

Condit Interested in Fight With Matt Brown

"The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit has recently expressed interest in fighting Matt Brown who is currently running through the welterweight division like a train.  Former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit, is coming off of a TKO victory over Martin Kampmann in their rematch from last month at UFC Fight Night 27.

Condit sees the opportunity as a way to get back into title contention by taking out a man who is practically knocking on the door of a title fight.  Condit says that the fight would be a war and he likes fighting other competitors that are willing to stand and trade with him.

I think that this fight would be an awesome fight between two exciting fighters who would put on a definite show for the fans.  Both men have the ability to end fights in devastating fashion.  If the fight were to occur it would be Matt Brown's toughest challenge to date.  I think that this would be a match that I would love to see and I'm sure any fight fan who knows what these men are capable of would like to see.  I would give the edge to Carlos Condit if these two men were to fight.

Cerrone-Duhnam at UFC167

Donald Cerrone has been scheduled to fight Evan Dunham at UFC 167 in Vegas. Both men share a common decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos.

Boby Green vs. James Krause Heads to UFC Fight for the Troops 3

Strikeforce Lightweight standout, Bobby Green is scheduled to meet  James Krause on the UFC Fight for the Troops 3 in November. This card is being headlined by a fight with Tim Kennedy facing Lyoto Machida in his Middleweight debut since his decision loss to Phil Davis.

UFC Fight For the Troops adds Carmouche and Davis to Card

It has officially announced that Liz Carmouche band Alexis Davis will be set to face each other at UFC Fight for the Troops 3. Both women are coming off of victories in the UFC this year.

Bellator Signs Johnson

Bellator has announced the new signing of Lavar Johnson to their roster of heavyweights.

Lavar Johnson last fought in the UFC back at UFC 157 in which he lost to TUF almni Brenden Schaub by TKO.  Johnson was released from the UFC after high elevations of testosterone was discovered after the fight.  Bellator looks to have Johnson placed in their heavyweight tournament with recent former UFC Cheick Kongo.

Overeem to Face Mir at UFC 167

The UFC has announced that Frank Mir and Alistair Overeem will join the stacked card at UFC 167 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is headlined by the UFC Welterweight title clash between Georges St. Pierre and Johnny Hendricks.

What Should Happen Next For Henderson

After Ben Henderson's title loss to new UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis we are left with the question of who Benson Henderson should fight next.  I think that there a few fights that make sense for the UFC to put together.

I think that a fight with current #4 ranked UFC Lightweight Josh Thomson would be the fight that I want to see the most.  Josh Thomson is coming off of a knockout finish over Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7 in April.  Josh Thomson has been considered an elite lightweight fighter for many years.  In his UFC return he proved that the bright lights of the UFC place no extra pressure on the MMA vet.  I think that this match up is one that makes the most sense.  Thomson is on his way to the top and knocking on the door of his title shot and a win over Henderson would be a good way to secure a shot.

On the inverse it is also a beneficial match for Henderson as well.  Henderson has demolished most of the UFC's top lightweights upon his entrance into the UFC.  Now that Strikforce has been absorbed  by the UFC there are more options out there for Henderson to face.  If Henderson could defeat Thomson he could cement his elite status by defeating a very respected MMA vet who still has a lot of fight left.  Josh Thomson has many victories in Strikeforce and has challenged for the Strikforce title on three occasions.  Josh Thomson could arguably be considered the second best Lightweight fighter to come out of Strikeforce, following Gilbert Melendez.  If Henderson wins it means that he can still beat the UFC's best-of-the-best in the 155lb weight class.

Another option is the possibility of a Henderson-Cerrone III.  There's nothing that fans love more than a good trilogy.  Both men are coming off a defeat within the last two weeks and need a win.  Like Thomson, Cerrone has been a long time contender in the Zuffa organization.  Donald Cerrone has fought for the WEC Lightweight Championship on three occasions.  His first title fight was with Jamie Varner and his next two were with Benson Henderson.  Cerrone is a one of the UFC's best lighweights and a great match up for Henderson to produce a war.

In October at UFC 166, the king of the Strikforce Lightweight Division, Gilbert Melendez, will be facing the original Ultimate Fighter, Diego Sanchez.  If Ben Henderson were to face the winner of the Melendez-Sanchez it provides UFC fans with two beautiful options: a rematch that allows Gilbert Melendez to avenge his split decision loss to Henderson earlier this year or a fresh match between two of the UFC's biggest stars whose paths have yet to cross.

Other options: Rafael dos Anjos, Gleison Tibau, Gray Maynard and BJ Penn if he chooses to pursuit his fight career again.

UFC Fight Night 28 Results

Main Card:

Glover Teixeira def. Ryan Bader via TKO
Ronaldo Souza def. Yushin Okami via TKO
Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO
Piotr Hallmann def. Francisco Trinaldo via submission (kimura)
Rafael Natal def. Tor Troeng by unanimous decision
Ali Bagautinov def. Marcos Vinicius via third-round TKO

Undercard:

Kevin Souza def. Felipe Arantes via split decision
Lucas Martins def. Junior Hernandez via submission (rear-naked choke)
Elias Silverio def. Joao Zeferino via unanimous decision
Ivan Jorge def. Keith Wisniewski via unanimous decision
Sean Spencer def. Yuri Villefort via split decision

UFC 167 Co-Main Event added--Sonnen vs. Evans.

It has been made official that the UFC and Dana White have put together Top Ten competitor in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Contender, Chael Sonnen and Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Rashad Evans in as the Co-Main Event at UFC 167.  This fight has been rumored and talked about for a little while and now it officially joins the UFC's 20th Anniversary Show in Vegas.

Both men are amazing wrestlers who can use their wrestling as an offensive attack as well as takedown defense.  It will be interesting to see who will get the better of the wrestling if this match becomes a grappling war.  I believe that Rashad Evans has the better striking between the two of the fighters. One thing that Chael has that could be a major factor in this fight is the ability to pressure his opponents during fights.  It's too soon to try and even guess who will be the winner of this bout, but it has the potential to be an awesome fight.

This fight joins UFC 167 which is being headlined by Georges St. Pierre defending his title against top contender Johnny Hendricks.  Fights also on the card are Robbie Lawlor vs. Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley vs. Josh Koscheck.  This is shaping up to be yet another stacked card for the UFC.  Let's pray that injuries do not ruin this amazing card.

Pettis Gets Grant, Not Aldo

After UFC Champions Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis have both expressed extreme interest in facing each other, Dana White and the UFC have other plans for Pettis. It has been announced that Anthony Pettis will be facing the man who was originally scheduled to fight this past weekend at UFC 164,  TJ Grant. Athony Pettis has suffered a sprain knee from his bout with Benson Henderson this past weekend.  Upon his return he will have have a hungry Grant waiting to snatch the title from Pettis. I think that this decision makes since and that Grant had definitely earned his title fight.

TJ Grant has won five straight victories since he has joined the UFC Lightweight Division including a win over former title challenge Gray "the Bully" Maynard at UFC 160. There is no one else in the division who can cjallenge Grants position at the top of the 155lb weight class.

Anthony Pettis Still Wants Aldo

New UFC Lightweight champion, and recent Pound-for-pound entry, Anthony Pettis announced after his fight that he is still interested in fighting UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo. It makes one wonder if we still want to see that fight now that he has earned a UFC title on his own weight class. The fight would still be a good fight but I think that now is not the time.

With TJ Grant still waiting in the wings, I think that it is safe to say that Pettis needs tp face TJ Grant next and pursue more fights in his primary weight class first before pursuing any endeavors eleswhere.  I dont beleive that fight between he and Aldo would make any sense.  When he was title-less challenger moving down to featherwieght it made sense even though he was jumping the line. Now that he has the belt he must cement his status as the UFC Lightweight Champion before the fight becomes a super fight or even makes sense.

After winning the WEC title and then losing his UFC debut in the following match, his title reign only counts if he can follow up with a successful title defense. Without that title defense, his UFC belt will mean as much as his WEC title--nothing. Both Aldo and Pettis have title defenses that need to be made. Aldo vs Lamas or Swanson and Pettis vs Grant. If Aldo were to finally move up to 155 lbs that fight for Pettis' title would be priceless after a few title defenses out of Pettis.

Sean Sherk Retires at 40

Former UFC Lightweight Champion and longtime welterweight contender, Sean Sherk announced his official retirement today.

UFC 164 Results

Last night was definitely a night of thrills that truly entertained. From the the prelims to the main event there was not a single dull moment. Lots of stars rose to the occassion at UFC 164 which was headlined by UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson taking on charismatic challenger Anthony Pettis. 

The main card was kicked off with a phenomenal featherweight fight between two of the sport's youngest rising stars and Top 10 contenders. In a fight in which Erik Koch was the favorite over Dustin Poirier, Poirier came out into that fight showing a very skilled grappling game to go along with his impressive standup striking skills. Early in the fight Koch snapped in a tight triangle that looked like it would quickly end the fight but Poirier endured and was one step ahead of Koch for the remainder of the fight. Poirier earned a much deserved unanimous decision. 

 The next fight featured the heavyweight return of Branden Vera in a tough match with longtime MMA fan favorite."Big" Ben Rothwell. Vera was relatively large in his fight last night opposed to his recent fights at 205. Vera did a good job at staying on the outside and throwing kicks from the outside and avoiding damage. Vera was able to land clean shots for the entire first two rounds. In the third round, Rothwell came into the third round knowing that he needed to go for broke and so...he did. "Big Ben" came out like a hyped up wildman out for revenge. Rothwell swung to the fences and put Vera on the mat to earn the tko victory. 

 Chad Mendes faced off with Clay Guida in another exciting Featherweight fight that was a long time coming. After injuries.had.postponed this fight for months, this fight finally happened. Clay Guida fought in his usual style of dancing around to throw off his opponent. For the most part it seemed to be working but Mendes still managed to put off some great shots on Guida. The fight was stopped in the third round when Chad put together a series of strikes that were able to stun Guida and stop him by strikes for the first time in his career in the third round.

Frank Mir and Josh Barnett were the co-mainevent fight of the evening. Frank Mir showed up in the best shape that he appeared to be in in years. Frank Mir and Barnett clinched early in the fight with Barnett getting Mir backed into the cage with Barnett controlling Mir while they were both striking in tight quarters. Barnett was definitely getting the better of the exchanges in the clinch. Within two minutes of the fight, Barnett landed a clean knee to the face that put Mir into enough trouble for the referee to stop the match.

Finally the event that we all were looking to see was the Pettis vs. Henderson. Henderson came out strong controlling Pettis against the cage using a unique calf kick to help stifle Pettis' offense. Pettis was able to break away from the cage and attack Henderson with a series of kicks to the body. Henderson took Pettis to the ground which proved to be a mistake when Pettis was able to catch Henderson in an armbar which forced Benson Henderson to verbally submit. Henderson admitted to his arm snapping during the fight. Anthony Pettis became the new UFC Lightweight Champion.

Anthony Pettis def. Benson Henderson via verbal submission (armbar) - Round 1, 4:31

Josh Barnett def. Frank Mir via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:56

Chad Mendes def. Clay Guida TKO (punches) - Round 3, 0:30

Ben Rothwell def. Brandon Vera via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 1:54

Dustin Poirier def. Erik Koch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

Gleison Tibau def. Jamie Varner via split decision (29-28, 27-29, 29-28)

Tim Elliott def. Louis Gaudinot via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

Hyun Gyu Lim def. Pascal Krauss via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:58

Chico Camus def. Kyung Ho Kang via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Soa Palelei def. Nikita Krylov via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 1:34

Al Iaquinta def. Ryan Couture via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Magnus Cedenblad def. Jared Hamman via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 0:57