David Banks – USATODAY Sports

UFC 161 will not be remembered as one of the more dynamic events in UFC history.

The injury-riddled card was advertised to be a battle of hard-hitting heavyweights and light heavyweights. Neither the main event nor co-main event, however, delivered as advertised.

Even worse, the Ryan Jimmo-Igor Pokrajac fight, which was inexplicably placed on the main pay-per-view card, took all the energy out of the sold out Winnipeg crowd. Both Jimmo and Pokrajac elected to hold each other against the fence for the majority of the 15-minute fight, causing the crowd to voice its displeasure for most of the final two rounds.

The lone bright spot, in the otherwise terrible pay-per-view, was the opening fight of the main card. Shawn Jordan was paired off against Pat Barry in a heavyweight fight to kick things off.

Both Jordan and Barry had promised fireworks leading up to this fight and both fighters wasted little time delivering the minute  soon as they stepped in the cage.

After close to a minute of back-and-forth action, Jordan caught Barry with two huge right uppercuts. As Barry went to the mat to cover up, Jordan unloaded almost a dozen left hands to the downed fighter, forcing the referee to intervene.

The victory was Jordan’s third in four fights since entering the UFC. All three of those victories have come by way of knockout.

“I didn’t figure we would stay up too long,” Jordan told a group of reporters at the post fight press conference. “Either way, one of us was going to go down at the end.”

Fortunately, for Jordan, it was Barry who went down. Now, Jordan finds himself in a position to fight a big name in the heavyweight division and cash in on a big payday.

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UFC 161 featured an important light heavyweight bout between heavy hitters Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson. Coming into this fight, both fighters were desperate as both were coming off some pretty poor performances.

The fight started out with both fighters measuring each other, and Evans pressured Henderson. Henderson ended up catching Evans at the end of the round with a stiff jab which sent him to the canvas. Rounds two and three were Evans’ as he was able to land more shots and force Henderson back. The judges ultimately gave Evans the split-decision victory.

It wasn’t the best performance from both fighters because they seemed very timid. However, a win is a win, especially in the sport of MMA where anything can happen within seconds. Evans now has a win under his belt over a very game Henderson, and it will be interesting to see who the UFC matches him up against.

A potential fight with Glover Teixeira seems like the most logical fight at this point. Both are coming off wins, and if the winner can win in impressive fashion, they very well could be next in line for a title shot after Jon Jones defends his belt against Alexander Gustafsson.

For Henderson, it seems like he might finally be slowing down due to age. In his post-fight interview, Ariel Helwani asked if he was still going to fight, and Henderson responded with a quick yes. Who the UFC matches him up against next remains to be seen, but I would personally like to see him rematch Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, which would be a fantastic match up and could see Henderson avenge his loss.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA Today Sports

World Series Of Fighting 3 featured a compelling welterweight bout between Jon Fitch and Josh Burkman. Coming into this fight, Fitch already had a victory over Burkman, where he was able to submit him back in 2006.

Just under a minute in the first round, Burkman was able to land straights, wobbling Fitch, who tried to shoot for a takedown. But Burkman as able to lock on a guillotine, Fitch didn’t defend it correctly, and he was out within a few seconds. Burkman let the choke go as he knew Fitch was unconscious, which is commendable on his part.

Burkman has now won five straight over some durable fighters in Fitch and Aaron Simpson. It’s remarkable to see Burkman putting everything together, and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. Maybe a transition back into the UFC is the most logical move for him, as he has now put two former UFC fighters and in devastating fashion.

This is a demoralizing loss for Fitch, as he has never been submitted prior to this fight. Fitch has always prided himself on his submission defense, but he certainly had a mental lapse against Burkman. He should have defended the choke once it was applied, but instead tried get Burkman to the mat, allowing him to secure the guillotine tightly.

He has now lost three out of his last four fights, and will need to come back stronger than ever if he wants to continue fighting at the highest level.

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In one of the only interesting story lines remaining in a card which has been riddled with injuries, Jake Shields is likely fighting for his UFC career at UFC 161.

Since entering the UFC in 2010, Shields has been a huge disappointment. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion entered MMA‘s biggest promotion riding a 14-fight winning streak and had just dominated UFC-veteran Dan Henderson in a five-round fight.

After being given a quick title shot against UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre, Shields’ career began an unexpected free-fall.

Shields followed an ugly loss to St. Pierre with an even uglier loss to Jake Ellenberger, in a fight which Shields was knocked out in less than a minute by an Ellenberger punch.  Shields Followed that loss with a controversial win over Yoshihiro Akiyama and then grinded out an extremely boring win over Ed Herman. After the Herman fight, however, Shield’s victory was turned into a no-contest after a failed drug test.

Now, at UFC 161, Shields finds himself fighting for his UFC career against Tyon Woodley.

In contrast to Shields, Woodley has found early success in the UFC. In February, Woodley entered the Octagon for the first time and quickly finished Jay Hieron by way of a devastating knockout punch. Woodley’s dynamic debut lasted only 36 seconds.

Shields, whose chin appeared suspect in the Ellenberger knockout, must find a way to cope with Woodley’s power. Shields must use his superior grappling to grind out a win against the powerful welterweight.

If Shields fails and gets knocked out again, he will find himself without a job by the time his medical suspension expires.

David Banks-USA Today Sports

A pivotal featherweight title fight was expected to take place between current champ Jose Aldo and top-contender Anthony Pettis.  This fight was pegged to be a super-fight, as Pettis was arguably the best lightweight in the UFC save for Ben Henderson, who he holds a win over back in the WEC promotion.

However, an injury suffered from Pettis has forced him out of the bout, leaving him and many fans distraught.  Now, Chan Sung Jung, Korean Zombie, will take his place for UFC 163.  Here is Dana White on Twitter earlier today: 

Pettis hurt his knee, Korean Zombie will now face Jose Aldo for the title on the Aug card in Rio Brazil.

Jung, who sports an overall record of 13-3, was originally scheduled to Ricardo Lamas, which would determine the next No. 1 contender in the division.  Instead, the UFC opted to give Jung a shot at the belt, and it will be interesting to see if he can make the most out of his title shot opportunity.

This is devastating news for Pettis, as he was looking to be the first man to dethrone Aldo in the UFC.  Now, he will have to rehab is injury, and he more than likely is going to be fighting in the lightweight division again, where he is one of the best fighters.  Injuries are a part of the sport, and hopefully Pettis can heal up quickly and get back to his training.

So will The Korean Zombie pull off an incredible upset, or will Aldo demolish Jung like he has done to all of his other opponents?  Stay tuned!

Joe Nicholson-USA Today Sports

A light heavyweight title fight is in the works for UFC 165 between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. This news comes via Ariel Helwani on Twitter:

Dana: Jones vs Gustafsson is going down in Toronto in September.

This will be the first-ever title shot for Gustafsson, who has looked incredible as of late. He is currently on a six-fight winning streak, sporting a 15-1 overall record. His lone loss came at the hands of Phil Davis, who is a competent MMA fighter in his own right. In his UFC tenure, he has beaten the likes of Thiago Silva, Shogun Rua, James Te Huna, and Cyrille Diabate.

Jones comes into this fight with an incredible record of 18-1. He has defeated tough fighters in Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua, Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson. No one has been able to figure him out, and he is one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. Many consider him to be top three on the pound-for-pound list, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against Gustafsson, who shares a similar reach advantage over many opponents he faces.

In terms of the style match up, Gustafsson is just as big as Jones, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out when they square off. Jones is the superior wrestler, which has been his bread-and-butter in his most recent fights. Regardless of the outcome, it’s an excellent title fight, which should take place around September.

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UFC 161 features a pivotal light heavyweight bout between heavy-hitters Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson. Both fighters are fighting for their relevancy in the division and are coming off losses, so their will to win will be at an all-time high.

Coming into this bout, Evans sports an overall record of 17-3-1. In his UFC tenure, he has beaten the likes of Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz and Phil Davis. He is a former light heavyweight champion, and is coming off of two deflating losses to Jon Jones and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. If Evans wants to remain relevant in the division in hopes of getting another shot at the belt, then he will need to have a sterling performance this weekend.

Henderson comes into this bout with a record of 29-9. He is a former Pride and Strikeforce champion, and has beat notable fighters in Fedor Emelianenko, Shogun Rua, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort. Despite being 42 years old, he has been able to hang with the best of them, and still has been able to show his knockout power. The question is, can he land his heavy punches on Evans who also has power in his hands?

Evans is one of the best MMA wrestlers in the division, and he will need to use his speed to force Henderson off his game. If he can do this, then he has a very good shot at winning. For Henderson, he needs to keep the fight standing and look to land power shots on Evans, who has been knocked out in the past.

Ron Chenoy-USA Today Sports

A pivotal welterweight bout takes place this weekend for UFC 161 between Jake Shields and Tyron Woodley. Both of these fighters are vying to move up the welterweight rankings, where Georges St. Pierre is currently at the top.

Coming into this bout, Shields sports an overall record of 27-6-1-1. He is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, holding notable victories over Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, and Robbie Lawler. A win over Woodley would be a huge feather in his cap, and would put him right back in the mix in this heavily competitive division.

Since coming into the UFC, Shields hasn’t been too consistent. His worst defeat to date was against Jake Ellenberger, where Ellenberger was able to knock him out in the first round. He will be looking to put all of the losses and controversies behind him when he squares off against Woodley.

Woodley comes into this bout with an overall record of 11-1. His lone defeat came at the hands of Nate Marquardt, who was able to KO Woodley in the fourth round. Soon after this loss, Woodley made his UFC debut, where he would end up getting the KO against a very game Jay Hieron. Woodley has always been an incredible wrestler inside the cage, but his hands look to be improving with every fight. He has knockout power in his hands, making him a stern test for any fighter in the division.

Both fighters have well-rounded grappling games, where Shields likes to use his American jiu jitsu style to stifle his opponents. Similarly, Woodley likes to smother his opponents from the top, and it will be interesting to see if he can avoid the submission attack of Shields.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

UFC on Fuel TV 10 kicked off this weekend and featured an important heavyweight bout between TUF 2 Brazil coaches Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  This card was historic in that there were over eight submissions on the card, showcasing some amazing jiu jitsu and grappling skills from elite level fighters.  Let’s now take a look and see who the winners and losers of the card were.

Winners

Fabricio Werdum: Werdum is the biggest winner coming out of the event.  He had a lot to lose in this bout against Nogueira and not a lot to gain.  Werdum seemed to fade in the first but battled right back in the second, locking on an armbar that forced Nogueira to tap out verbally.  It was a huge feather in his cap and solidified his status as being the next number one contender in the division.  Now he will more than likely face the winner of Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 3.

Erick Silva: Coming into his bout with Jason High, Silva was looking to make a statement.  Prior to this fight, Silva was beaten down badly by Jon Fitch, who is now fighting under the World Series Of Fighting banner.  In the first round, High looked to shoot, which proved to be costly as Silva was able to take the back.   Then, he would lock up an impressive armbar, finishing High in the first round.  It was a much-needed win for Silva, and he is right back in the mix of things in this heavily competitive welterweight division.

Losers

Rafael Cavalcante: Rafael is one of the biggest losers from the event.  In his bout with Thiago Silva, he started off strong, landing some good combinations that kept Silva at bay.  However, he seemed to gas after a while, which allowed Silva to press him up against the cage.  From there, Silva landed a devastating uppercut that sent Rafael to the canvas.  This was Rafael’s first fight under the UFC banner, and he will need to work on his cardio if he ever wants to make his mark in the division.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira:  This is a pretty disappointing loss for Nogueira, especially in his home country of Brazil.  Nogueira has always been one of the best heavyweights in terms of jiu jitsu, and it’s tough to see him get submitted by an even better jiu jitsu practitioner.  This is more than likely his last fight, which is a shame as it would have been nice to seem him go out with a win.

Kyle Terada-USA Today Sports

Home field advantage is often talked about in team sports. MMA is no different.

Jason High, Eddie Mendez, and Anthony Smith were the only Americans featured on UFC on Fuel TV 10. The three promising American fighters entered into Saturday’s event with a combined record of 39-15-1.

All three hot prospects, however, were submitted in less than three minutes by their Brazilian opponents.

High, Mendez, and Smith were not alone in their struggles on foreign soil. The other four non-Brazilians on the card were all defeated, including heavy-hitting middleweight Karlos Vemola.

This was not the first time Americans have struggled fighting in Brazil. In May, UFC on FX 8 was held in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. That event featured three American contenders in the main card: Luke Rockhold, Chris Camozzi, and Evan Dunham. In that event, all three Americans were also defeated by their Brazilian opponents.

For American fighters fighting in Brazil, the strain of the long travel and unavailability of specific dietary needs certainly prove to be hardships. The native Brazilian crowd, however, is the main disadvantage for foreign fighters. The crowds are electric and consistently provide the home fighter extra motivation. Brazilian arenas are intimidating places for American fighters to enter.

The UFC travels back to Brazil for UFC 163. This time, three of MMA’s most prolific Americans will be featured on the main card. If rumors are accurate,  Anthony Pettis, Phil Davis, and Josh Koscheck will all be featured on the event’s main card. All three are contenders in their weight classes, and all three are fighting tough Brazilian opponents.

If the recent trend of Brazilian domination on home soil continues, Pettis, Davis, and Koscheck will soon regret their decisions to agree to fight in Brazil.