Biggest MMA Stories from 2011

The past year was the biggest year in the history of mixed martial arts. 

The UFC secured its long-term future by signing a seven-year deal with the Fox network.

As if that wasn't enough, UFC parent company Zuffa purchased its biggest rival, Strikeforce.

Bellator continued to grow, also ensuring its future with a new owner and TV deal.

Additionally, a number of past champions and legends of the sport hung up their gloves.

Let's take a look back at the biggest news stories from 2011.

Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com.  For anything related to MMA, Follow @RobTatumMMA.

UFC Signs Deal with Fox

The UFC has found a home on Fox. 

The promotion revealed that it signed a seven-year agreement with Fox to broadcast UFC programming on the Fox network and cable TV channels FX and Fuel TV.

As part of the deal, four live UFC fights a year will be shown on Fox and eight on FX, as well as 24 live episodes of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter.

The first UFC fight on Fox took place on Nov. 12 from the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Brazilian Junior Dos Santos defeated Cain Velasquez to claim the heavyweight championship.

Zuffa Purchases Strikeforce

In perhaps the most shocking news of the year, UFC parent company Zuffa purchased its closest competitor, Strikeforce.

UFC president Dana White announced the deal, but stated originally that Strikeforce talent would remain on the promotion's roster.  "Strikeforce is going to continue to run business as usual," White proclaimed.

White actually hinted that UFC fighters might cross over, but throughout the course of the year Strikeforce champions Nick Diaz, Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson made their way to the UFC.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker continued to run the day-to-day operations of the company after the purchase.

Coker's West Coast Entertainment company, along with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, previously owned Strikeforce.

White cited the primary motivating factor for the purchase was to acquire new talent.

Viacom Buys Bellator, Announces Move to Spike in 2013

The parent company of both MTV2 and Spike TV, Viacom, has announced that it has bought a majority stake in the Bellator promotion. 

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney will remain in charge of the promotion.

As part of the deal, the promotion will move to the Spike network in 2013, when their broadcast deal with the UFC expires.

Spike is expected to air Bellator's two seasons each year, as well as highlight shows and related content, both on TV and online.

MTV2 has been the home for Bellator since March. In September, preliminary fights began streaming on Spike's website.

Shawn Tompkins Passes at Age 37

Former fighter and famed MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins died on Aug. 14.

Tompkins was in Hamilton, Canada with members of his team when he passed away. 

The Canadian had moved to Las Vegas, where he ran the TapouT Training Facility. 

Fighters under his tutelage included Vitor Belfort, Sam Stout, Mark Hominick and Chris Horodecki.

It was revealed that Tompkins suffered from a heart condition.  He was 37 years old.

Brock Lesnar Retires

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has decided to walk away from the sport.

The fighter has twice undergone surgery in recent years to combat the intestinal ailment diverticulitis.

Lesnar successfully returned after the first surgery to defend his belt against Shane Carwin, but his second bout with the disease took its toll on the fighter.

Retirement talk came from his camp earlier in the year. However, Lesnar did make another Octagon appearance, falling to former Strikeforce and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.

The performance made it clear that Lesnar was not the same fighter as before, and his retirement was hardly a surprise. 

However, Lesnar's resiliency and perseverance should not be ignored.

BJ Penn Calls It a Career

Former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ Penn has called it a career (for now at least).

The Hawaiian fought Jon Fitch to a draw at UFC 127 in February but was battered in his UFC 137 headlining bout with Nick Diaz.

In his post-fight interview, Penn stated that he didn't want his daughter to see him get beaten up any longer.

Since the bout, the fighter has returned to light training but has yet to make any commitment to a return to the Octagon.

UFC Challenges MMA Ban in New York

The UFC and a group of plaintiffs that includes fighters, fans, trainers and others have filed a lawsuit against New York State officials, challenging the state's ban on the sport of mixed martial arts.

The contention is that the ban is violating provisions of the United States Constitution, including the First Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause.

More specifically, the lawsuit claims that the ban infringes upon the rights of the fighters who want to publicly exhibit their skills as professionals and express themselves before a live audience, the rights of fans who would like to experience live professional MMA events, and the rights of those who train, publicize or otherwise advance MMA in New York. 

Georges St-Pierre Tears ACL

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre suffered a torn ACL.

The Canadian was forced out of a planned title defense against Nick Diaz at UFC 137 due to what was believed to be a sprained MCL. 

Diaz fought BJ Penn at the event, and the fight was rescheduled for Super Bowl weekend.

However, in preparation for the UFC 143 bout, the severity of St-Pierre's injury was realized.  Following surgery and rehab, the fighter will likely be out until late 2012. 

The UFC has announced that Diaz will take on Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight title at the Feb. 4 event.

UFC Adds 125-Pound Flyweight Division; Announces Title Tournament

During the UFC 140 post-fight press conference in December, UFC president Dana White revealed the news that the promotion would begin holding bouts in the flyweight division on March 3.

Four fighters will compete in a tournament to determine the division’s first champion: Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall and Yasuhiro Urushitani. 

Johnson will meet current Tachi Palace champ McCall, while Benavidez will meet the Japanese fighter Urushitani.

The two winners will meet one another at a later date for the title. 

The initial bouts are expected to take place in Sydney, Australia as part of the UFC on FX 2 card.

Lyoto Machida Sends Randy Couture into Retirement at UFC 129

UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture proclaimed that his light heavyweight bout at UFC 129 in Toronto would be the final fight of his career.

Unfortunately for the five-time former champion, he ended up on the wrong end of a highlight-reel crane kick knockout courtesy of Brazilian former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Prior to the defeat, Couture had won three straight, but the loss put his career record at 19-11. 

All but six of the legend's 30 career bouts took place inside the Octagon.

Roy Nelson Retires 'Cro Cop' at UFC 137

A TKO victory for Roy Nelson put an end to the storied career of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

Nelson recorded a third-round finish of Filipovic at UFC 137 in Las Vegas.

The 37-year-old Filipovic announced afterward that going into the bout, he had already decided it would be his farewell fight regardless of the outcome.

The Pride legend was coming off back-to-back knockout losses, and he deemed the third consecutive loss a "disaster."

Strikeforce to Remain on Showtime

UFC President Dana White confirmed that Strikeforce is here to stay, announcing that Strikeforce has signed a new deal with Showtime.

Showtime has been the longtime home for televising Strikeforce, and they will continue to do so in the future, as the two sides reached an agreement on new programming for the premium network. 

With the new agreement, fighters Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold, Miesha Tate and other top Strikeforce talent will continue to fight with the promotion.

“We’re excited about this renewal with Showtime and I expect to put on some big Strikeforce events next year,” said Dana White.  “I never thought I would say this, but I am very much looking forward to building Strikeforce and working very closely with Strikeforce.”

Nate Marquardt Fired from the UFC for Testosterone Debacle

UFC on Versus 4 was expected to be headlined by a welterweight bout between Rick Story and former middleweight title challenger Nate Marquardt.

However, Marquardt was pulled from the bout prior to weigh-ins after failing to receive medical clearance. 

The UFC subsequently fired Marquardt on the spot.

Following the shocking series of events, it was revealed by Marquardt that he was suffering from a testosterone deficiency and had undergone hormone replacement therapy. 

After his UFC 128 bout with Dan Miller, the New Jersey State Athletic Commission requested that fighter see an endocrinologist, but before his next bout, the fighter was unable to get his hormone levels within the acceptable limits.

UFC President Dana White proclaimed that Marquardt would never compete in the promotion again, so the fighter went on to sign with the BAMMA promotion.

Chris Leben Suspended for a Year Following Positive Drug Test

Middleweight fighter Chris Leben tested positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone following his Nov. 5  loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.

As a result of the positive test, Leben was suspended from fighting for one year by the promotion.

Leben was jailed for a DUI in 2008, suspended for nine months after UFC 89 after testing positive for Stanozolol and was again arrested in 2010 for suspicion of a second DUI.

Despite all of the issues, UFC President Dana White made it clear that the promotion stands behind the former Ultimate Fighter.

Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort to Coach 'The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil'

UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta revealed that Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort will coach the first international edition of The Ultimate Fighter, as the promotion takes the reality show to Brazil. 

The two middleweights will meet at the end of the season.

When the two Brazilians meet, it will be a rematch of their 1998 fight in which Belfort finished Silva in just 44 seconds.

Bellator’s Sixth Season Moves to Friday Nights

Following the completion of its fifth season, Bellator Fighting Championships has announced that its sixth season will begin on Friday, March 2.

The event will mark the first time the promotion has aired on Friday nights.

The sixth season will feature five tournaments, including bantamweight, featherweights, lightweights, welterweights and middleweights.

Fedor Emelianenko Released from Strikeforce

After losing his third consecutive fight under the Strikeforce banner, UFC President Dana White announced that “The Last Emperor” was released from the promotion. 

Complicating the situation was the fact that the Russian’s contract was with Showtime Networks, Inc., not directly with Strikeforce.

Following the release, Emelianenko competed under both the M-1 and Dream banners, securing victories in both contests.

Strikeforce to Dissolve Heavyweight Division in 2012

With the announcement that Strikeforce and Showtime would be continuing their relationship, it was also announced that the Strikeforce heavyweight division will be dissolved in 2012.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker proclaimed that the promotion would focus its attention on other weight classes following the completion of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament. 

The winner of the tournament is expected to compete in one final bout with the promotion.

UFC president Dana White reiterated his belief that the heavyweight division simply isn't deep enough.

Matt Hamill Retires

Light heavyweight Matt Hamill has decided to step away from the Octagon. 

The former Ultimate Fighter competitor dropped back-to-back fights to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 130 and Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 133.

“The Hammer” expressed his sadness at the decision, but acknowledged that he lacked the hunger and desire to continue fighting. 

He will continue to coach at Mohawk Valley MMA but will not compete again.

He thanked the UFC, his trainers, his family and his fans for the support throughout his 13-fight UFC career.

'The Ultimate Fighter 15' Coaches Revealed

The coaches for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter will be bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and No. 1 contender Urijah Faber. 

Cruz and Faber have split a pair of title bouts in recent years, with Faber successfully defending his WEC featherweight title in their first meeting and Cruz retaining the UFC bantamweight title in July at UFC 132.

The Ultimate Fighter 15 will debut with a live two-hour episode on Friday, March 9 on FX.

UFC Prelims Shift from Facebook to Fuel TV in 2012

With 2012 marking the official beginning of the UFC's relationship with Fox, the promotion has announced that its preliminary bouts will have a new home.

For the majority of the past year, the undercard fights have streamed via the UFC's Facebook page, but starting next year, the fights will be shown live on Fuel TV.

The news was one of many details announced surrounding the UFC’s programming across the Fox Networks.

Former Champ Miguel Torres Released from the UFC Following Inappropriate Tweet

UFC bantamweight Miguel Torres was released from the promotion following a tweet about a “rape van.”

The former WEC champion posted a tweet that read: “If a rape van was called a surprise van more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone like surprises.”

UFC President Dana White announced the release in an interview:

"

"I cut him today. He’s no longer with the UFC.  I cannot defend Miguel Torres. I cannot defend what he said. What he said makes no sense other than when he says, 'It was a joke.' Well, I don’t think that’s a funny joke. I think it’s disturbing."

"

However, following the UFC 141 press conference, White announced that Torres had made amends and would rejoin the promotion.

UFC Announces Five-Round Non-Title Main Events

At the pre-UFC 131 press conference, UFC President Dana White announced that all main events from that point forward will be contested as five-round affairs.  

The first such event took place at UFC 138 when Mark Munoz met Chris Leben. 

That fight, however, was finished in two rounds by Munoz.

At the promotion's next event, UFC 139, MMA legends Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua battled for a full five rounds, with Henderson taking a narrow decision win.

Jon Anik Leaves ESPN, Joins UFC Broadcast Team

UFC President Dana White revealed the news that current ESPN "MMA Live" host, Jon Anik, will be joining the UFC's broadcast team in January.

Anik will serve as the play-by-play commentator for UFC programming on FX. 

The cable channel will air the promotion's Fight Night cards, as well as the The Ultimate Fighter.

Previously, Anik served as the play-by-play announcer for Bellator when the promotion aired on ESPN during 2009.

Pro Elite Resurrected

Powered by its new owners Stratus Media Group, Pro Elite returned and held its first event on Aug. 27. 

The revitalized promotion hired Rich Chou former matchmaker for Strikeforce to head the match-making duties and added former ICON owner T.J. Thompson to its staff. 

Following its first event, the promotion secured a deal with HDNet to be broadcast live on the cable network.

The promotion has featured former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia.