Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen were expected to win their fights at UFC on FOX 2 Saturday night, and they did just that.

Evans defeated Phil Davis by unanimous decision to become the No. 1 contender for the light heavyweight title while Sonnen defeated Michael Bisping by unanimous decision to earn a future shot at the middleweight championship.

In the main event, Evans simply out-classed Davis with his superior wrestling and striking. Davis, who was in the biggest fight in his career, seemed overwhelmed by the environment and his opponent while Evans remained calm and implemented his game plan.

Evans didn’t look overly impressive but he did enough to win and now will face Jon Jones at UFC 145 in a fight that everyone has been waiting for.

Sonnen had a much more difficult time with Bisping than what was expected. Bisping showed the ability to stay off his back, but he didn’t quite do enough in the eyes of the judges to win the striking contest.

All three rounds were razor thin and there was some debate as to who won, but ultimately the judges all scored the fight in favor of Sonnen. He will now face Anderson Silva for the second time later this year. Sonnen clearly had the best performance against Silva than anyone in the UFC, as he was an arm triangle away from pulling out a decision win over the champion.

For full results from UFC on FOX 2, check out the jump.

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Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com compiles 10 things he learned from watching UFC 127 this weekend.

For the second time in two months (how has it only been two full months?), the UFC had a main event end in an understandable, but altogether unsatisfying draw. Such a result has always been labelled akin to “kissing your sister,” and no one likes that, even when the situation is warranted like on her birthday or at her wedding.

Jon Fitch didn’t like it. B.J. Penn thought is was the MMA gods giving him an opportunity to fight again, and fans and media alike will be debating the result until something crops up to distract them. The funny thing is that just as in the Edgar-Maynard battle on New Year’s Day, this result was the right result.

I had Penn winning the opening two rounds and awarded Fitch a 10-8 score in the third, producing the 28-28 total two of the three judges submitted; the other judge scored the fight 29-28 Fitch, giving him the second round and only a 10-9 in the final frame.

Read the full article.

UFC 127 takes place tonight from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. While the card doesn’t have any blockbuster bouts, all the fights are intriguing and should be somewhat competitive. Here is my take on tonight’s PPV bouts.

UFC Welterweight Bout – B.J. Penn (16-7-1) vs. Jon Fitch (26-3) – I think this fight plays into Fitch’s style as he should be able to execute a similar plan to what Georges St. Pierre did to Penn back at UFC 94. Look for Fitch to clinch and grapple and put his weight on Penn to tire him down and eventually score takedowns to earn another decision victory.

UFC Middleweight Bout – Michael Bisping (21-3) vs. Jorge Rivera (18-7) – Rivera has talked a lot of trash leading up to this bout in hopes of making Bisping let his emotions go during the fight, but I see Bisping staying composed and bringing Rivera to the ground where he can overwhelm him with ground-and-pound striking. I see Bisping finishing off Rivera in the second round by TKO.

UFC Lightweight Bout – George Sotiropoulos (14-2) vs. Dennis Siver (17-7) – Siver can win this fight is he takes advantage of a slow-starting Sotiropoulos, but I see George being able to survive the early flurry and finding a way to get the fight to the ground where he will lock up an arm submission against Siver in the third round.

UFC Welterweight Bout – Chris Lytle (40-17-4) vs. Brian Ebersole (46-14-1) – Lytle is riding a big wave right now and seems to be the best he has ever been. Ebersole has a lot of experience but is making his UFC debut, which always seems to be problematic. Look for Lytle to control the fight and win by submission in the later rounds.

UFC Middleweight Bout – Kyle Noke (18-4-1) vs. Chris Camozzi (14-3) – Noke is fighting in front of his home country and is being showcased for a push in the UFC, but I see that as a lot of pressure on a relatively new UFC fighter. Camozzi has nothing to lose in this fight and I think he will pull off an upset by decision with the use of his grappling.

According to HeavyMMA.com, Michael Bisping is not happy with Jorge Rivera’s antics leading up to their UFC 127 showdown and plans to do his talking inside the Octagon.

Michael Bisping is not a happy camper.

The smack talk and videos Jorge Rivera has produced leading up to their UFC 127 showdown has angered the British middleweight.

Bisping had been uncharacteristically quiet leading up to this weekend’s event, but that all changed during the UFC 127 pre-fight press conference on Tuesday.

“For me, I’ve got a big fight to prepare for. I’m fighting in the premier fighting organization in the world, and I’m trying to act accordingly,” said Bisping. “I’m a professional fighter. I’m not an idiot in the schoolyard making up silly rhymes and jokes and making stupid videos.”

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The UFC continues to grow in popularity on a global level and as far as Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com is concerned, we haven’t seen anything yet.

Dana White has famously called mixed martial arts the “fastest growing sport in the world” on numerous occasions.

With the ever-increasing popularity of the UFC and the countless promotions cropping up across the globe hoping to emulate the biggest brand in the business, the boisterous UFC President could certainly be right.
What makes the assertion even more impressive is that in all reality, the sport is still in the infancy stage, and as it continues to grow outside of North America, mixed martial arts has the potential to become a truly global phenomenon that rivals soccer.

If you think I’m exaggerating, take a look at the number of British fighters competing this weekend at UFC 120.

Four of the five main card bouts feature a Brit, and the lone bout which doesn’t contain a British national involves Cheick Kongo, a French heavyweight who trains with one of England’s premier teams at Wolfslair Academy. On the preliminary portion of the event, four more Britons are competing, bringing the event total to eight.

Read the full article.

The long-awaited fight between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans finally takes place tonight, as the main event of UFC 114 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Here are my picks for that bout and the other four fights on tonight’s PPV card.

UFC Light Heavyweight Bout – Quinton Jackson (30-7) vs. Rashad Evans (19-1-1) – This fight should be exciting as both clearly dislike each other. I think the key to victory will be for Jackson to use his size on Evans and for Evans to use his quickness and wrestling on Jackson. In the end, I like Evans to utilize his hand speed and mix in more wrestling to keep Jackson off guard. Look for Evans to also utilize leg kicks, which Jackson has shown he can’t defend. I am going with Evans to win by decision in a tough fight.

UFC Middleweight Bout – Michael Bisping (19-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3) – Bisping is hungry for a strong showing after his tough decision loss to Wanderlei Silva. Miller is a game fighter that will keep Bisping on his toes, but Bisping has too much talent and big-fight experience for Miller. Look for the Brit to win by TKO in the second or third round.
UFC Heavyweight Bout – Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-1) – Duffee has been an explosive monster in his MMA career, as he is 6-0 with six KO’s. Russow has the experience edge and will be the better grappler, but the fight always starts on the feet, where Duffee has a clear edge. Look for Russow to push Duffee a little bit before Duffee lands the big punch and scores a TKO late in round one.

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Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

In a week that left every MMA fan with a massive hangover…

- Affliction heavyweight Josh Barnett pissed dirty in a random drug test, and was yanked from next Saturday’s “Trilogy” Card. After a futile search for a replacement opponent, Affliction decided it would be easier for everybody if they just went back to selling t-shirts.

- Lithuanian underdog Marius Zaromskis won DREAM’s welterweight grand prix by knocking out Hayato Sakurai and Jason High on the same night.

- Strikeforce’s formerly-epic “Carano vs. Cyborg” card lost two title fights, one due to an infected hand and the other due to an unfortunate drug reaction.

- Instead of the title shot he was promised, UFC middleweight star Dan Henderson has to fight Rich Franklin again, just eight months after he beat him the first time.

- UFC old-schooler Kimo Leopoldo was discovered not dead of a heart attack. He was, and still is, 41.

- We wondered what the future holds for the UFC’s fallen U.K. poster boy Michael Bisping.

- In a sport full of turmoil and constant surprises, we can always count on Gina Carano to look hot in public.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s dry-humping of a female reporter became the year’s most uncomfortable MMA viral video.

- Saturday’s monumental UFC 100 show will feature “Girl Next Door” Holly Madison as a celebrity Octagon Girl, and two very worthy additions to the UFC Hall of Fame.

- With the bookings of Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Nick Diaz vs. Joe Riggs, Strikeforce’s “Carano vs. Cyborg” mega-card will now feature four title fights.

- In other Diaz Brother news, Nate Diaz is headlining the next UFC Fight Night event, despite having lost his last two matches, and plans on getting knocked dead this time.

- The UFC’s new stance on sponsorships is taking money out of the pockets of their fighters.

- After screwing the UFC by defecting to DREAM, MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has decided to screw DREAM and return to the UFC.

- The full cast of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” was revealed. Does Kimbo Slice have a chance?

- Swing by CagePotato tonight (Saturday) beginning at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET for our liveblog of UFC 100, in which Brock Lesnar clashes with Frank Mir for the second time, Georges St. Pierre defends his belt against Thiago Alves, and Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson battle for a middleweight title shot. Get hyped for the historic event by watching this unofficial tribute, and this official one.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship celebrates a monumental landmark tonight with UFC 100. To celebrate the 100th Pay Per View show for the Mixed-Martial Arts company, the UFC has put together a stacked feature card headlined by three main-event caliber fights. Overall the main card has five fights, including two championship bouts. The show takes places from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET. Here are my predictions for the main card bouts.

Heavyweight Championship (265 pounds): Champion Brock Lesnar (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3) – This fight is tough to call. Mir one the previous meeting at UFC 81 in February of 2008, but since, both fighters have vastly improved. Lesnar has been over-powering and shown solid boxing in his wins over Heath Herring and Randy Couture. Mir has been on a tear in his last three fights, picking up quick wins over Antoni Hardonk, Lesnar, and Minotaro Nogueira. Mir became the first to stop Nogueria back at UFC 92, which set up the rematch with Lesnar. In this fight, I think Mir’s improved boxing will play a big factor. In the first meeting, Lesnar landed big punches early and pounced on Mir, nearly stopping the fight before Mir pulled of a knee-bar submission. In this fight I think Mir will be able to dictate where the fight goes more than he did in the first meeting. With Mir’s composure and elite level submission ability, I see Mir surviving Lesnar’s early onslaught and then successfully pulling off a submission. I take Mir by submission in round three.

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