But perhaps even more frustrating for the UFC light heavyweight contenders, Jones didn’t cower in the face of adversity as many though he may.

After taking his first significant damage in a UFC fight in the result of a collection of straight punches from Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC 140 on Saturday, Jones rallied and finished off another opponent in the second round to retain his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Jones looked a little unsure of himself in the first round against Machida, as the challenger landed some nice counter punches that staggered the champion. Machida looked confident and won the first round in my book.

However, in the second round, Jones closed the distance between the two and used his wrestling to take Machida to the ground. From there, he landed a devastating elbow that opened up a big gash on Machida. Moments later, the two simultaneously threw left hooks, but Jones’ landed first. Machida crashed to the ground and Jones got a hold of his neck and finished him with a modified standing guillotine that choked him out cold.

Jones looks to be the real deal, as he overcame a slow start to still put on a dominant finish. Rashad Evans has to be the only man in the division to possibly stand a threat to Jones’ title, and even that seems doubtful.

In the co-main event, Frank Mir earned something even more rare than a UFC title, he submitted Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

After being the first man to finish him by TKO back at UFC 92, this time Mir broke the arm of the legendary jiu-jitsu master. Big Nog seemed to be on the verge of knocking out Mir as he landed a series of big punches, but Mir managed to keep his senses and eventually locked in a kimura. Nogueira tried to roll out of it, but Mir held on. When Big Nog refused to tap, Mir had to break the arm and force the stoppage from the ref.

For the full results for UFC 140, check out the jump.

UFC 140 Results

Air Canada Center – Toronto

Jon Jones defeats Lyoto Machida via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:26 of Round 2

Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via Submission (Kimura) at 3:38 of Round 1

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeats Tito Ortiz via TKO (Strikes) at 3:15 of Round 1

Brian Ebersole defeats Claude Patrick via Split Decision

Chan Sung Jung defeats Mark Hominick via TKO (Strikes) at 0:07 of Round 1

Igor Pokrajac def Krzysztof Soszynski via KO (punches) at 0:35 of round one

Constantinos Philippou def Jared Hamman via TKO (strikes) at 3:11 of round one

Dennis Hallman def John Makdessi via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:58 of round one

Yves Jabouin def Walel Watson via split decision

Mark Bocek def Nik Lentz via unanimous decision

Jake Hecht def Rich Attonito via TKO (strikes) at 1:10 of round two

John Cholish def Mitch Clarke via TKO (strikes) at 4:36 of round two

E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com highlights the 10 things he learned from Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 119 on Saturday night.

Where’s the Anti-Wrestling Crowd Now?
The main card of UFC 119 featured next to no wrestling with all five fights going into the final frame, coming within seconds of completing a full slate of fights decided by the judges. This was essentially everything that the anti-wrestling crowd was calling for and while there were some entertaining moments, this was a night of boxing and it was kind of tough to watch.

While the Dunham vs. Sherk and Lytle vs. Serra bouts were solid, fifteen rounds of guys measuring their shots and feeling each other out don’t make for the most exciting night of fights around. Bouts that had people salivating because of their potential action fell flat. Guillard and Stephens stayed fairly cautious for three rounds, while Mir and Cro Cop clinched and pawed until Mir’s big knee ended Cro Cop’s evening. Even the Mitrione vs. Beltran bout that featured two big men coming forward and throwing bombs for 15 minutes was nothing more than a sloppy brawl with very little technique and timing.

What makes this sport so incredible is the combination of styles and the diverse action that usually makes for a complete night of fights. Where is the anti-wrestling crowd now to defend a night full of boxing that will undoubtedly be panned by fans and critics alike?

Read the full article here.

UFC Heavyweight Bout – Frank Mir (13-5) vs. Mirko Cro Cop (27-7-2) – Cro Cop took this fight on somewhat short notice as this was originally supposed to be a rematch of Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. On top of that, Cro Cop is not 100 percent coming into the fight as he is dealing with an eye injury. Cro Cop is a step slower than he was in his prime while Mir has improved his striking while still being one of the best submission fighters in all of MMA. I see Mir landing a big punch in the second round before jumping on Cro Cop and finishing with a choke.

UFC Light Heavyweight Bout – Antonio Rogerio Nogueria (19-3) vs. Ryan Bader (12-0) – This fight is a big contest for both as each needs the win to really get into the title picture in this division. The key to the bout will be Bader’s wrestling, as his explosiveness should win out against Nogueira. If Bader can avoid the big hit and close the distance in the fight, he should be able to win a decision by grinding out the fight on top with ground and pound.

UFC Welterweight Bout – Matt Serra (17-6) vs. Chris Lytle (29-17-4) – I see this fight going similarly to the first. Lytle is an entertaining and experienced fighter, but he never has been able to get that marquee win in his career. Serra really just has the win over Georges St. Pierre to go bye, but he has always been a tough guy to beat as well. In this fight I see Serra controlling the fight with his grappling. The only way I don’t see him winning by decision is if he gets too confident in his striking.

UFC Lightweight Bout – Sean Sherk (37-4-1) vs. Evan Dunham (11-0) – Sherk used to dominate the division with his strength and wrestling, but recently his opponents have been able to avoid his takedowns with their strength and they have been faster with their striking, which has caused Sherk to lose two of his last three bouts. Dunham has that same style to beat Sherk. Sherk will struggle to get the fight to the ground and Dunham will be a little quicker to the punch. I like Dunham to win this fight by decision.

UFC Lightweight Bout – Melvin Guillard (43-9-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (18-5) – This fight should be explosive as both have big power and like to swing with everything they have in each punch. The key in this bout will be Guillard’s inability to fight off his back as Stephens trains with Hermes Franca and has some grappling skills that many haven’t seen yet. I see Stephens getting takedowns late to set up for some ground and pound and a TKO finish in the third.

HeavyMMA.com recaps media day for UFC 119:

UFC 119 is just around the corner, and today main event fighters Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Frank Mir will sat down with the media to discuss their upcoming heavyweight clash. Check out the recap of today’s call.

1:05: Mir says his opinion of Cro Cop is the same now as it always has been. He believes that his striking is very dangerous, but is not very concerned with his submission game. Also includes that Mirko would prefer to keep the fight standing.

1:07: Mir is then asked about where he would be most comfortable. Mir says he is comfortable anywhere the fight may go.

1:09: Filipovic says that he doesn’t want short preparation to be an excuse. He also claims that he is completely prepared.

1:10: Mir is asked about his increase in size. The former champion says that he is continuing to do the same things he has been doing and is anywhere between 250 and 255 pounds.

1:11: The UFC is traveling to Indiana and will be experiencing a new market, to which Mir says he is honored to be a part of. Cro Cop addresses how this is the first main event he has been in for the UFC, saying that he is excited for the opportunity.

Read the full article here.

Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com has the scoop on Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic replacing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 119:

UFC 119’s main event is undergoing a big change.

According to “Fighters Only”, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has been forced out of his UFC 119 bout with Frank Mir. The replacement is allegedly already in place, as Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will step in to face the former UFC heavyweight champion.

Filipovic is coming off an impressive submission victory over striking sensation Pat Barry at UFC 115, while Mir is several months removed from his UFC 111 knockout loss to Shane Carwin. However, the bout has yet to be finalized by the promotion.

UFC 119 is set for Indianapolis, Indiana’s Conseco Fieldhouse on September 25. The card features the new main event, along with a co-main event between Ryan Bader and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The card also includes a welterweight contest between Matt Serra and Chris Lytle, along with a lightweight contest between Evan Dunham and Sean Sherk.

Click here for more MMA news.

According to Heavy.com, the Spike-televised “UFC Prelims” special will return for September’s UFC 119 event in Indianapolis.

Initial reports indicated that Spike TV had no plans to broadcast the pre-PPV special for the event, but have since changed their minds and have targeted C.B. Dolloway vs. Joe Doerksen and Joey Beltran vs. Matt Mitrione for the television special.

The change was reported by MMA Junkie. Spike TV confirmed the plans with HeavyMMA.com this afternoon.

UFC 119 takes place September 25 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The main event features the long-awaited rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Click here to head over to Heavy.com to read the full article.

I wanted to chew on UFC 116 for a few days before I really made any statements about it. The event took place last Saturday and featured the heavyweight collision between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.

Lesnar won the fight by second round submission after taking a pummeling from Carwin in round one. It was a compelling fight and very entertaining, but I think Lesnar is garnering a little too much praise for his performance. While you have to give credit where credit is due, as he won the fight, Lesnar looked far from polished. Here is a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from his title defense.

The Good: Obviously the good came in the win. He survived a hail storm and still came out in the second round and was aggressive. Lesnar also showed improved skills on the ground, as he scored a takedown and transitioned into mount and then into a head-and-arm choke from side control. These were all things he probably couldn’t do two years ago. I was also impressed with the way Lesnar handled himself after the fight. He seems to have embraced a little humanity since his health scare in November.

The Bad: Lesnar showed that his stand-up skills still have a long way to go. His sheer size has allowed him to get by with his punching against grapplers like Frank Mir and Randy Couture, but to remain champion, he will need to greatly improve on his striking. If Lesnar was to develop a solid jab or just crisper combinations and kicks, he would be a deadly force as the size of his fists would cause major damage to any opponent.

The Ugly: Am I the only one that saw Lesnar running for his life in the first round? I know he needed to weather the storm, but it was clear that he was concerned during the first round, and for good reason. While other fighters have run during prior fights and will do so in the future, the whole mystique of Lesnar is that he is this massive force that we are all supposed to be scared of or intimidated by. To me, Lesnar went from a guy I thought may be unbeatable to someone that is very beatable. The biggest sign of that was when Carwin stuffed Lesnar’s takedown attempt in the first round. That was the one area I never thought Lesnar would struggle with. Now Brock knows that he can’t run wild over anyone he fights and how he handles that mentally will be important. Also, while the choke and technique were impressive, Carwin was a standing corpse when the second round started. I may have been able to choke him out. Okay, not really, but you get my point.

Now maybe this is me still bitter over nailing my pick only to see Carwin gassing out and losing, but I think every heavyweight in the UFC division picked their head up after that fight and said “Lesnar can be beaten.” Cain Velasquez has to be foaming for a quick shot at Lesnar before he can continue to develop more skills.

I have respect for what Lesnar went through the last year and the beating he took Saturday night, but I think his win over Carwin cast as much doubt on him as it did praise in my eyes.