MMA: The Biggest News Stories from 2012

MMA fans are perhaps the most in-touch fanbase in sports today. The early years made having the Internet a must for fans to keep up with the latest happenings in the MMA world.

The same notion holds true today as fans are constantly checking the front page of web sites like Bleacher Report each day. Looking for a major story each day doesn't typically involve too much searching as there's at least one hot item each day in the MMA world.

2012 was full of stories that created a wide range of emotions in fans. Some made us laugh, others upset, and a few made us look at the screen and pull a double check to make sure of what we just read. The stories on this list could be found on the front page of nearly every MMA web site at some point in 2012 and were the most talked about by MMA fans worldwide.

UFC 144: The UFC Returns to Japan, Benson Henderson Beats Frankie Edgar

The UFC's return to Japan was more for spectacle than it was sport. The card would be littered with Japanese fighters with all but Yushin Okami being irrelevant in the UFC rankings. However, that didn't stop Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar from producing one of the best fights of 2012 in the main event.

Edgar had become the ultimate survivalist in the Octagon as he made it through two vicious beatings at the hands of Gray Maynard to keep his title. Prior to that, he had made defeating the legendary BJ Penn look like a walk in the park.

The lightweight champion wouldn't enjoy the same success in his bout with Henderson. The fight was fairly close with Edgar looking to be up on the scorecards until a massive up-kick rocked Edgar. It was a turning point in the fight that allowed Henderson to inflict visible damage on Edgar's face and put him on the right side of a judge's scorecard.

Their first encounter was incredibly close as was their second meeting. Henderson-Edgar may be the closest rivalry in terms of how the fights played out in UFC history.

UFC and Fox Disappoint Early but Finish Strong

When the UFC's partnership with Fox TV was announced, the MMA world lit up with dreams of the sport finally becoming mainstream and challenging the superiority of "ball sports" in America. The UFC had a strong showing with its first event as Junior dos Santos dropped Cain Velasquez in just 64 seconds.

Despite the fight ending in exciting fashion, the pre-fight talking ultimately made the show drag on. Instead of featuring an exciting lightweight fight between Benson Henderson and Clay Guida, the show produced nearly 30 minutes of fighters and analysts dissecting a single fight.

Unfortunately, the UFC and Fox continued to make mistakes with their next show. The UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis event was stacked with a number of wrestlers and ultimately led to some fairly boring fights. They were entertaining for the knowledgeable MMA fan but for anyone trying to break into the sport, the fights left much to be desired.

The UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller set the tone for how an UFC card on network TV should be laid out as it featured a number of fights that were both relevant for current MMA fans and exciting bouts for the newer fans.

The UFC on Fox 4 and 5 events were not only some of the most exciting cards on network TV but also some of the most entertaining cards of 2012. In particular, the UFC on Fox 5 event was stacked with a number of big names to draw fans in and included a title fight.

Let's hope the UFC and Fox have worked out the kinks and continue to put on great cards in 2013.

The Ultimate Fighter Gets Some International Flavor

The Ultimate Fighter show in America has been slowly dying for years now. With ratings plummeting each season, the UFC decided to try something new with the reality series. After airing the American version live, the UFC announced that an Ultimate Fighter: Brazil would take place.

Coaching the two teams would be Brazilian legends Vitor Belfort and Wanderleri Silva. The show originally aired online but was shown on Fuel TV.

After TUF: Brazil, the UFC announced that it would be producing another international version of the show. Commonly called "TUF: Smashes," the show featured two teams from Australia and the United Kingdom facing off against one another.

Now the promotion has also announced that it will feature an Ultimate Fighter show featuring combatants from just the United Kingdom.

UFC 142: Anthony Johnson Misses Weight and Edson Barboza Takes out Terry Etim

The MMA world shared a collective "Oh snap!" moment when Edson Barboza landed one of the most spectacular knockouts in MMA history. Barboza landed a spinning kick to Terry Etim's head that caused the Englishman to collapse to the mat.

It was a special moment that made sports bars erupt in awe of what fans had just seen. Barboza may have lost his next bout against Jamie Varner but this KO will live on in future Ultimate Knockout clips.

Prior to Barboza nearly taking off Etim's head, Anthony Johnson found himself in the center of some controversy. The former welterweight fighter was supposed to make his middleweight debut but failed to make weight by a wide margin (something Johnson had become notorious for). Johnson claimed an illness caused doctors to replenish his body with fluids, but the damage was done.

Johnson lost his bout against Vitor Belfort and summarily was cut from the UFC's ranks.

The Big Boys Take the Stage at UFC 146

The first ever all heavyweight main card in UFC history didn't disappoint. UFC 146 got off to a great start as Stefan Struve used his jiu-jitsu skills to tap out Lavar Johnson in 65 seconds.

Following the opening bout, all the remaining fights ended in violent fashion as none went past the second round and all ended via TKO or KO. Roy Nelson was able to drop Dave Herman with a huge overhand right while Cain Velasquez mauled Antonio "Big Foot" Silva in their contest.

In the main event, Junior dos Santos fended off the takedown attempts of Frank Mir in the first round and finished the challenger with a huge straight right hand in the second round.

Not only was the card entertaining enough to garner attention, the weeks leading up to the event were marred in a number of news stories. Everything from Alistair Overeem's failed drug test to a number of injuries caused some serious shuffling around on the UFC's part.

Carlos Condit Brings His Bicycle to the Octagon

When Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz were paired up to face one another it seemed like we had our Fight of the Year candidate within the first two months of 2012. Condit has always been aggressive in looking for a finish and Diaz has no qualms about trading shots on the feet.

It seemed like a dream match come true until the first round ended. MMA fans were scratching their heads, wondering what exactly they had just witnessed. For the remaining four rounds Condit spent the majority of the time backing away, looking to land counter strikes as Diaz walked forward.

Instead of being an all-out war between two dynamic fighters, the UFC 143 main event became a strategic battle that saw Condit win the interim welterweight championship. Almost immediately the MMA message boards lit up with fans criticizing Condit's performance.

Was it a smart fight on Condit's part? Of course, it was an excellent game plan that was executed to perfection. But that doesn't mean it was overly enjoyable either.

UFC Flyweights Become Official

The UFC announced in 2011 that the flyweight division (125 pounds) would be added to the promotion in 2012 and that there would be a four-man tournament to decide its first ever champion. Joseph Benavidez won his bout in impressive fashion but Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Ian McCall stole the show in 2012.

The two men engaged in two hard-fought battles with the first being scored as a draw and the second a "Mighty Mouse" victory. The showdown between Benavidez and Johnson now became pivotal for the future of the flyweight division.

Depending on who you talk to, their fight was either incredibly boring or incredibly strategic. It's a matter of taste I suppose, but I think everyone can agree the fight didn't do much to help the division grow.

As the UFC continues to fill the flyweight division with new fighters, the competition should create some fun battles. And with John Dodson challenging for the UFC flyweight title in 2013, the division could have a very charismatic champion if Dodson can take out "Mighty Mouse."

The Internet Rallies for Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt continued his improbable run in the UFC by dropping Cheick Kongo at UFC 144. The win was Hunt's third-consecutive victory in the UFC and suddenly the Pride veteran found himself "in the mix."

Following Alistair Overeem's failed drug test and suspension, the Internet exploded with the Twitter trend, #Rallyformarkhunt.

MMA fans tried to do their best to make their voice heard by Dana White. The movement grew even more when Hunt created a Twitter account.

Ultimately, Hunt wasn't chosen for the title fight and was forced out of a scheduled bout with Stefan Struve due to injury. He may have spent most of 2012 on the sidelines, but Hunt should know he'll have a lot of fan support in his 2013 campaign.

And the Next Title Challenger at Light Heavyweight Is...

The UFC on Fox 4 event featured a pair of light heavyweight scraps at the top of the card. The Lyoto Machida-Ryan Bader bout was the more relevant of the two, but Dana White let it be known that whoever had the most impressive performance between the aforementioned bout and Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera would receive the next title shot at 205 pounds.

Machida won the opportunity after dropping Bader with a single punch but still had to wait for Jon Jones to face Dan Henderson at UFC 151.

Of course, UFC 151 never went down due to Henderson's knee injury but Machida refused to face Jones on such short notice. It appeared as if Machida and Jones were going to throw down once more at UFC 152 until it was revealed former middleweight title contender Vitor Belfort was facing Jones.

Fast forward to the UFC on Fox 5 event and White let it be known the winner of Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson could very well see himself in a future title shot. The announcement only continued the revolving door of who actually is the rightful No. 1 contender.

Machida, Henderson, and now Gustafsson all have legitimate claims as to why they should be fighting for the title next but all will be on the sidelines as Chael Sonnen leapfrogged them all.

The Emergence of Chris Weidman and Johny Hendricks

The UFC middleweight and welterweight divisions have enjoyed the most stability at the top in recent years. Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre have dominated their division since winning the titles and new, credible challengers have become hard to find.

That wasn't the case in 2012, however, as Chris Weidman and Johny Hendricks exploded onto everyone's radar.

Weidman, who has yet to taste defeat in MMA, began the year by defeating the highly touted Demian Maia. Although a massive weight cut hindered his performance, there was little doubt as to what a full camp can do for Weidman after his fight with Mark Munoz.

Munoz, a tough fighter in his own right, had no answer for Weidman's attack. The end came after Weidman landed a slicing elbow that dropped Munoz. It was a spectacular finish that could end up winning Knockout of the Year on some MMA media sites.

Hendricks is no stranger to spectacular knockouts either. The former Division I wrestling champion turned Jon Fitch's lights out after just one punch in Dec. of 2011 and did the same to Martin Kampmann at UFC 154. Hendricks believed he had done enough to earn a crack at St-Pierre's title but will need to get through Jake Ellenberger in 2013 to finally (hopefully!) get his hard-earned title shot.

Nick Newell Becomes XFC Champion

2012 wasn't filled with all bad news. Nick Newell proved that anyone can overcome adversity and that dreams still do come true.

Newell, who competes in MMA with a shortened arm, has yet to taste defeat in MMA. He is also now the XFC lightweight champion. Newell won the title after securing a rear-naked choke that forced his opponent to tap out.

Newell's story wasn't seen by as many people as it should have been due to competing in the XFC but there's no doubting the inspiration his story will bring to others.

Frankie Edgar Finds a New Home

Watching Frankie Edgar take massive amounts of punishment against Gray Maynard in 2011 led a lot of people in the MMA world to clamor for Edgar to drop down a weight class. Edgar doesn't have to cut any weight for his fights at lightweight and could make the 145-pound limit.

However, Edgar believed his home was the 155-pound division and up until Benson Henderson's arrival to the title scene, it was. But after dropping two close decisions to Henderson, Edgar finally decided to drop down to the featherweight division.

Helping entice Edgar to the featherweight division was the opportunity to face champion Jose Aldo in his first bout in the division. Those plans fell apart after Aldo's injury, but the demand for an Aldo-Edgar superfight will remain in 2013 when the Brazilian returns.

Jason Miller Unleashes Some Mayhem in a Church

Jason "Mayhem" Miller has always been a little out there but that didn't stop MMA fans from doing a double take when reading about his burglary charges in August of this year.

According to a TMZ report, Miller broke into a church, sprayed a fire extinguisher and broke a number of items. The celebrity gossip site also reported that "Mayhem" had been found naked by police.

It was a bizarre report that created a number of discussions about mental disabilities and society within the MMA community. Even more bizarre was Miller's appearances on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, including one where Miller role played through the entire interview as "Lucky Patrick," a character from the MMA movie, Here Comes the Boom.

Miller has made amends with Helwani for the disastrous interview and the burglary charges have been dropped so it seems as if the retired fighter is finally moving on from a tumultuous 2012.

Glover Teixeira

Glover Teixeira is a guy nobody wants to be locked in a cage with. That is, unless you're Fabio Maldonado and you have a few brain cells to spare.

Teixeira entered the UFC after amassing a 17-2 record while competing mainly in his home country of Brazil. Teixeira validated the hype at UFC 146 by walking through the tough Kyle Kingsbury in under two minutes. Not only did Teixeira finish a notoriously tough fighter but he did it in a rather dominating manner.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson seemed to be the only man willing to fight Teixeira and the two were matched up at UFC 153. "Rampage" was forced out of the bout with an injury and the UFC struggled to find a replacement.

Maldonado stepped up but it was more like volunteering oneself for a sacrifice to the MMA gods as Teixeira put a massive one-sided beatdown.

Teixeira became an instant star in the division due to his dominating performances. I'm not ready to declare him the man to take out Jon Jones, but I wouldn't mind dropping some money to see that fight. 

Nick Diaz Retires, Suspended for Marijuana

Nick Diaz was one upset individual after UFC 143. Not only did he lose his chance at an UFC title to Carlos Condit but he did so in a manner that left Diaz feeling like he hadn't been in a fight at all.

Diaz retired from the sport following the bout but still faced the wrath of the Athletic Commission. Diaz failed a drug test due to marijuana metabolites and was summarily suspended.

The suspension seemed like a joke given Diaz's history with marijuana and the fact that he had already retired from the sport. Still, the suspension has brought up enough discussions about marijuana and whether it falls under the category of PED, and whether or not fighters should be punished for using it.

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans

Outside of Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva II, the UFC 145 main event of Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones may have been 2012's most anticipated fight.

The rivalry between the two former teammates is well documented and both men had incredible disdain for one another going into their UFC 145 clash. Both fighter and fan alike predicted Evans to be the one man to solve the riddle of Jones, but that notion was dispelled after five rounds.

Jones used his range to keep the much smaller Evans at a distance through much of the contest. Even when Evans was able to close the distance, he was met with some vicious elbows that staggered the challenger.

Even though the fight was very anti-climatic, the build up still helped make this storyline one of the hottest in 2012.

Georges St-Pierre Picks Up Where He Left off

A torn ACL usually takes years off an athlete's career and very few are ever the same after such a debilitating injury. Georges St-Pierre hadn't been in a cage for over a year and was returning from a major knee injury.

Fans didn't know what to expect from the Canadian upon his return to the Octagon. Would he be the same fighter? Would he be a few steps slower? What about cage rust?

All these questions would soon be answered as St-Pierre put on a performance that will be remembered for quite some time. GSP looked to deliver powerful blows, including a nasty cut he inflicted on Carlos Condit in the first round.

St-Pierre was dropped with a head kick in the third round, but outside of this moment it would be all GSP en route to a dominant decision. It was St-Pierre's toughest fight in quite some time and a Fight of the Year candidate.

Strikeforce Closes Shop

In one of the biggest "What took you so long?" stories in sports, the MMA promotion Strikeforce finally closed its doors. Well not yet, but the promotion did confirm that its January event will be its last.

2012 started off promising for the faltering promotion as Ronda Rousey emerged as a true star. There was a flicker of hope that Strikeforce would remain alive and well but those plans fell apart in the fall. Two separate cards were called off after injuries forced fighters like Luke Rockhold, Gilbert Melendez and Frank Mir out of their scheduled fights.

At least the promotion plans on going out with a bang with some of its biggest stars set to compete on its January card.

Jon Jones Gets Busted for DUI

Going into 2012, Jon Jones' "holier-than-thou" persona had grown a little tiresome for MMA fans. Jones began his UFC career as an exciting, popular fighter but soon became public enemy number one after his "fake" personality rubbed fans the wrong way.

The Jones haters finally had their moment of glory when the UFC champion was arrested for a DUI earlier this year. An accident left his personalized Bentley wrecked and Jones without a license for the next six months. He was also forced to pay a $1,000 fine as well.

Even though Jones faced quite a bit of negative backlash for the incident, he believes there is a way to take something positive from the messy situation.

Those still sipping on the haterade, however, will continue to point out this negative footnote in Jones' career for the rest of his time in the UFC.

Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen to Coach on the Ultimate Fighter

When Jon Jones refused to face Chael Sonnen on eight days' notice, the entire MMA community was up in arms over Jones' refusal. After defeating Vitor Belfort at UFC 152, Jones started coming around more to the idea of facing Sonnen.

Shortly after, the UFC broke the news that Jones and Sonnen would be opposing coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Instead of rejoicing that the matchup had come true despite Jones' earlier refusal, the MMA community again rose up in anger but this time it was at the UFC for putting it together.

Despite Sonnen not having a win in the light heavyweight division in years and coming off a loss, he will now receive the next UFC title shot at 205 pounds. The move proves just how much the UFC values its reality program and the age of sport over spectacle is truly dead.

Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva II

Perhaps the most intense rivalry the UFC has ever seen, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen were prepared to settle their differences in the Octagon once more.

The first meeting between the two included months of Sonnen trash talk leading up to the fight and Sonnen being just minutes away from dethroning "The Spider." Instead, Silva pulled off a miracle submission and retained his title.

With Sonnen's victories over Brian Stann and Michael Bisping, the stage was set for one of the biggest rematches in UFC history. The buildup to UFC 148 was insane and it was easily 2012's biggest event in the MMA world.

Although the fight was short, it was nonetheless exciting. Sonnen picked up right where he left off by taking Silva down in the first round and absolutely dominating him. However, in the second frame the tables turned on the challenger and Silva was able to secure the TKO victory.

Alistair Overeem Doesn't Know How to Read a Label

Alistair Overeem has been the face of the performance enhancing drug issue in MMA for years. Despite passing all his drug tests, Overeem continued to be hunted like a wanted man by fans looking at a chance to prove his incredible physique change to be a fraud.

Those fans' moment of opportunity came prior to UFC 146 when Overeem failed a drug test leading up to the event. Overeem's testosterone levels came in at 14:1, well above the allowed limit of 6:1.  What made the failed test baffling besides the fact that Overeem failed a test before the biggest fight of his life was Overeem's reasoning behind the failed test. Per MMA Fighting, Overeem stated:

"

Prior to the UFC 146 press conference in March, I aggravated an old rib injury on my left side. My doctor prescribed, and I accepted, an anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone. I was completely unaware that testosterone was one of the ingredients in the medication. 

"

In the weeks following, the MMA world lit up about the failed drug test and its ramifications in the heavyweight division. Since serving his NSAC-imposed suspension, Overeem and heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos have engaged in verbal warfare which could lead to an interesting fight should JDS make it past Cain Velasquez at UFC 155.

UFC 151 Gets Cancelled

UFC 151 was slated to go down in September of this year but the card never happened. It became the first ever UFC event to be cancelled due to a number of events.

The main cause of the cancellation was an injury sustained by Dan Henderson which forced him out of his bout with Jon Jones. With such little time left before the event was scheduled to go down, the UFC went into crisis mode with trying to find a replacement.

The only man to step up was Chael Sonnen but the champion Jones had no plans to face Sonnen on eight days' notice.

The refusal to fight Sonnen instantly made the UFC champion the main villain in the situation, but a lot of people forget that Dana White/Joe Silva put together a rather weak card to go with the scheduled title fight.

A lot of people were at fault for how the UFC 151 cancellation went down, but in the end Jones would get most of the blame from fighters and fans.

Injuries, Injuries and More Injuries

2012 could be nicknamed "The Year of the Injury." The injury bug bit the UFC on nearly every single card and forced so many changes that an entire UFC card fell apart due to one.

The UFC saw three of its divisions be placed on hold due to injuries by their current champions. Both Georges St-Pierre and Dominick Cruz were sidelined by torn ACLs and Jose Aldo's injury forced him out of a scheduled title fight against Frankie Edgar at UFC 153.

Of course these are just a handful of the injuries that plagued the UFC in 2012, but none were bigger than the injured knee of Dan Henderson. The former Pride champion was scheduled to face Jon Jones at UFC 151 but failed to notify the UFC of his injury in proper time.

Without anyone stepping up to face the champion Jones (outside of Chael Sonnen), the UFC was forced to scrap the entire UFC 151 card. It marked the first time the UFC had cancelled an entire card. It also continued to make Jones MMA's top villain while Sonnen saw his popularity with fans soar.

Ronda Rousey Becomes a Star

Ronda Rousey not only became the biggest star in WMMA in 2012, she may have become one of the biggest stars in MMA period.

Rousey accomplished this not only in the cage but out of it as well. Besides adding more arms to her collection as well as a title belt, Rousey appeared in ESPN The Magazine along with numerous TV shows. There were a few weeks were you couldn't go on a MMA web site and not see something related to Rousey appearing on the front page.

Her star power continued to grow as Dana White credited Rousey with getting women into the UFC and booking her to be the main event in her first UFC bout.

There's been perhaps a bit of over-saturation with Rousey on MMA sites as she has become a bit polarizing with MMA fans. Still, the emergence of Rousey as a star in MMA that's been accepted by mainstream media was one of the top stories in 2012.