Saturday night's UFC on FX 8 card marked the return of the Ultimate Fighting Championship to Brazil. 

Two years ago, that would've felt like a big deal. Today, the UFC seemingly takes its circus on the road to Brazil every two or three months, so a bit of the novelty is lost. This one wasn't even the usual pay-per-view offering; it aired on cable television.

But it was a televised card with plenty of intrigue, at least in the top two fights of the night. The main event between Luke Rockhold and Vitor Belfort featured two of the world's best middleweights, and the co-main event saw the UFC debut of Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. That was a moment plenty of us have been waiting a long time for. 

Who were the biggest winners and losers on the night? That's what I'm here to discuss. In the following slides, I'll name the fighters who gained the most and the athletes who were knocked down a few pegs by their performances. 

Keep in mind that these aren't the winners and losers of each fight, though it often ends up working out that way. If someone wins a fight but looks terrible in doing so, the chances of them appearing on our list of winners is slim to none.

Let's get started, shall we?

Read More »148

It started as the typical dumb fighter story.

Pat Healy, it turns out, smoked marijuana prior to his career-defining win over Jim Miller at UFC 159 last month. Dana White and the UFC, quick to show how tough they are on drugs other than testosterone, immediately jumped in and confiscated Healy's stockpile of post-fight bonuses.

Bryan Caraway, the runner-up for submission of the night, suddenly found himself the lucky recipient of a windfall as the retroactive bonus winner for his guillotine choke on Johnny Bedford.

In other words, your typical boneheaded mistake and your typical blowback. That's the cycle of life for those of us who follow the perpetual soap opera that is mixed martial arts.

Read More »53

What is it about Twitter that makes people say dumb things?

It's a powerful tool. I remember thinking that Twttr—as it was known back then, when dropping the vowels from your company name was the cool thing to do—seemed to be a neat method of keeping in touch with friends, planning events and maybe updating your immediate family on which kind of bacon you had for breakfast.

I never saw Twitter becoming the social monstrosity it is today. I don't think anybody did. Today, Twitter is nearly as ubiquitous as email or Facebook. Your local mom-and-pop diner is just as likely to urge you to look them up on Twitter as, say, Google or Microsoft.

But with that size and power comes the potential for misuse. And make no mistake about it: Twitter is misused. By regular everyday people, movie stars, politicians and athletes.

Read More »34

Jon Hess was big. At 6'7" and more than 300 pounds, he towered over 18-year-old Vitor Belfort. Hess was as mean and ugly as he was large, a man with a reputation for dirty play.

In the early days of the UFC, when almost no technique was considered out of bounds, Hess had managed to rack up a fine for his foul tactics in his one Octagon appearance. His art was SAFTA (Scientifically Aggressive Fighting Technology of America), a self-created martial discipline that focused heavily on groin shots and eye gouges.

It was not for the faint of heart.

Hess was confident, in himself and his art. He backed up tough talk with a challenge—he wanted to take on Royce Gracie, the acknowledged king of the Octagon. When he received a challenge from "Victor Gracie" instead, Hess jumped at the opportunity. The giant was ready to write his name in history.

Read More »55

Testing for marijuana in mixed martial arts has become one of the hottest subjects over the last few years.  Fighters have tested positive for the drug numerous times, but as marijuana becomes a more socially and legally accepted substance, the rules surrounding the testing processes have come under fire.

Most recently, UFC 159 fighter Pat Healy tested positive for marijuana, which changed his win over Jim Miller to a no-contest. He also lost $130,000 in bonus money he earned for Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night due to the UFC's new policy that no fighter can win post-fight bonuses if he tests positive for drugs.

While some proponents for marijuana want to see the drug not even restricted by testing bodies like state athletic commissions, at the very least most agree that the testing policies should be changed.

Even UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner has spoken out about changes that should be made regarding the use of marijuana in sports like MMA.

Read More »20

Denver, Colorado has always been a breeding ground for mixed martial arts ever since the first UFC event was held there all the way back in 1993.

Since that time, a slew of great fighters have come out of the area, and some of the best and brightest from Denver are now forming together to create a new team under the coaching leadership of former Ultimate Fighter assistant Leister Bowling.

The new squad will be called the Elevation Fight Team and will be headed up by several UFC competitors, including Nate Marquardt, Brendan Schaub, Cat Zingano and Jared Hamman.

According to Bowling, the concept of this team is different than most in MMA because it really is about the fighters and not a single coach or gym looking to get ahead in the business.

Read More »12

MMA's Great Debate Radio is back for UFC on FX 8 with a complete breakdown of the card, as well as guests including Chris Camozzi, MMA manager Malki Kawa and former Ultimate Fighter competitor Kyle Noke.

Camozzi is fighting at UFC on FX 8, and on today's show, he'll discuss the mindset that a fighter takes when accepting a bout on short notice, as well as his no-lose situation facing Souza on Saturday night.

Prominent MMA manager Malki Kawa also stops by to discuss the latest happenings with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and where his next fight might take place.  Kawa will also update the latest with his roster of fighters, including UFC champion Benson Henderson, Carlos Condit and much more.

Former Ultimate Fighter competitor Kyle Noke also joins today's show to talk about his recent layoff due to injury and when he could be expected to return to action.  Noke will also make his case to be featured as a coach on the newest international installment of The Ultimate Fighter, which pits Team Canada against his native country of Australia.

Read More »0

UFC on FX 8 isn't exactly the most anticipated fight card of the year.

It's not even the most anticipated card of May, if we're getting right down to it. That honor goes to next weekend's UFC 160 event in Las Vegas; it features a heavyweight title fight that, even if it feels eerily familiar (because we saw it one year ago, also in Las Vegas), will still appeal to the masses far more than anything we'll see this weekend on FX.

That being said, I'm excited for UFC on FX 8. More specifically, I'm excited for Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold. I noted yesterday that I had some personal misgivings about Belfort's TRT usage and TRT's place in the grand scheme of sporting events, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited about the fight itself.

Because, when it comes right down to it, Belfort vs. Rockhold is an important fight with plenty at stake for the middleweight division.

Read More »11