MMA Universe

Michael DiSanto, UFC - For the last several months, the UFC heavyweight division was in very real limbo as its ruler, Brock Lesnar, battled a mysterious illness that momentarily threatened his career. The illness was later revealed to be diverticulitis, and the champ recently received a clean bill of health and is champing at the bit to lay the two cinder blocks he calls fists into someone's dome. Things are therefore back to normal in the Land of the Giants. Well, almost. The 2010 version of the sport's ruling class is a vast improvement over what it was just a year ago.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Given the intensity and scope of MMA, every event is sure to have some unbelievable occurrences (like the forehead cuts at UFC 110) and characters (think Bisping and Wandy). So we've decided to take a look back in the organization's history to bring you its 15 wildest moments ever -- presented in typically haphazard order.

Centennial, Colo. - Feb. 22, 2010 - For the first time in UFC® history, UFC fans can head to their local movie theater and take in all the action in the Octagon™, live and broadcast in high definition on the big screen starting with UFC 111: St- Pierre vs. Hardy on Saturday, March 27 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern / 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Michael DiSanto, UFC - Cain Velasquez is ready for a title shot—now. No heavyweight, not even current champion Brock Lesnar, has ever entered the UFC with more hype than Velasquez. He was proclaimed by his trainers as the heir apparent to the crown before he ever stepped foot in the division.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - The next generation has arrived. If there were any doubts that Cain Velasquez was the real deal, the unbeaten phenom answered them emphatically Sunday afternoon as he scored a spectacular first round knockout of future Hall of Famer Antonio Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira in the UFC 110 main event at the sold out Acer Arena, host to the UFC's first event in Australia.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - With losses in three of his last four fights, PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva felt the pressure heading into his UFC 110 co-main event against Michael Bisping Sunday afternoon, but with flashes of his ferocious brilliance late in rounds two and three, he was able to eke out a close, but unanimous, decision over 'The Count' at Acer Arena.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Known for his striking prowess, welterweight vet Chris 'Lights Out' Lytle went to Plan B Sunday afternoon at the Acer Arena, submitting Brian Foster with a first round kneebar in UFC 110 preliminary action.

Below are the official weigh-in results for this weekend's UFC 110 event. UFC 110, which is headlined by the heavyweight bout between Minotauro Nogueira and Cain Velasquez and the middleweight clash between Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping, airs live on Pay-Per-View from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia beginning at 10pm ET / 7pm PT in the United States. The event takes place live on Sunday afternoon Sydney time.

Michael DiSanto, UFC - Any fan in search of a timeless standup war needs to make sure that he or she tunes into UFC 110 on Saturday night (taking place in Sydney, Australia on Sunday) because this co-feature bout has all the ingredients of a slugfest.

Michael DiSanto, UFC - Young lions who appear to be a division's heir apparent, or even its present tense, attempt to overthrow an established incumbent who many think might be growing a bit long in the tooth. It is a scenario that has played itself out in combat sports time and time again, with widely divergent results.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Following a hard-fought three round win over Dan Miller at UFC 109 that showed him to be more than just a submission expert, Demian Maia will jump right back into training camp for the biggest fight of his career - an April 10th meeting with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 112 at Ferrari World on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Michael DiSanto, UFC - Late last week, I was talking about UFC 109 to a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and he said, "I wish Randy Couture would just go away; I'm so over that guy." Interesting. When pressed why, he responded, "Because he beats all of my favorite fighters, and the guy is older than I am!" Fair point.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - It was a bout nearly 12 years in the making, and for Randy Couture, it was certainly worth the wait, as he was on point in his UFC 109 main event Saturday night against Mark Coleman from the opening bell until he submitted his fellow Hall of Famer in the second round at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Chael Sonnen is the worst kind of fighter to be in the Octagon with. Not because he will knock you out in 30 seconds or submit you in the same amount of time. It's because he will punish you and make you miserable for 15 minutes, and that's precisely what he did to Nate Marquardt in the UFC 109 co-main event Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, pounding out a unanimous decision victory that earned him a shot at April's middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and challenger Vitor Belfort.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - When the heat was on, Mac Danzig delivered, as The Ultimate Fighter season six winner broke a three fight losing streak Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with an impressive unanimous decision win over Justin Buchholz in lightweight action on the UFC 109 card.

Click below for the official weigh-in results for Saturday's UFC 109 event. UFC 109, which is headlined by the light heavyweight bout between UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture and Mark Coleman, and the middleweight title elimination bout between Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen, airs live on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas beginning at 10pm ET / 7pm PT. Fans can also tune in to Spike TV at 9pm ET / 6pm PT to see live UFC 109 preliminary bouts.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Home to the Packers, Brewers, and Bucks, Wisconsin will now welcome mixed martial arts to the fold after Governor Jim Doyle signed a bill into law Thursday that will now regulate MMA in this great sports state, which also doubles as the base for UFC fighters Eric Schafer (Fond Du Lac), Pat Barry (Milwaukee), Ben Rothwell (Kenosha), renowned trainer Duke Roufus, and WEC standouts Anthony Pettis (Milwaukee) and Jameel Massouh (Kenosha).

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - The UK. Ireland. Canada. Germany. Australia. Abu Dhabi. China? Well, if UFC President Dana White has his way, China will be one of the future stops on the UFC's ever expanding world tour, telling the media during the UFC 109 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas that the Asian nation is "on our hit list right now."

Michael DiSanto, UFC - It is amazing how often sports come full circle. UFC 109 won't be the first time that Randy Couture and Mark Coleman have tested their athletic prowess against each other. They first clashed in a freestyle wrestling match at the 1989 Olympic Festival at Oklahoma State.

The February / March issue of the UFC Magazine is now on newsstands, and it's bigger and better than ever. Click below for a look at this issue's features...