INTRODUCING

Eddie Wineland, UFC on FX 3

You may remember Eddie Wineland from such events as UFC 132, where he suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Urijah Faber, or UFC Live 5, a three-round decision loss thanks to Joseph Benavidez. If those bouts were your only knowledge of the 27-year-old bantamweight from Indiana, then the Wineland you saw batter legitimately rated former title challenger Scott Jorgensen into unconscious at UFC on FX 3 might have surprised you. So it stands to reason that if you place Wineland in a UFC ring with anyone other than a member of Faber’s Team Alpha Male you’re going to get fireworks. Just no Alpha Male fighters, though. Not even a little bit.

CAN’T KICK THE HABIT

Martin Kampmann, The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale

You know how superheroes have certain powers, or how pro wrestlers have special moves? Well, if MMA fighters had any, Martin Kampmann’s would be the ability to win following a hellacious beating. Against Thiago Alves in the main event of UFC on FX 2 in March, Kampmann was less than a minute away from a likely judges’ decision loss until he turned an Alves takedown into a guillotine win. Most recently, against Jake Ellenberger at the TUF 15 Finale, he suffered a brutal ground ‘n’ pound assault following a left hook in the early stages of round one to finish Ellenberger with knees to the mug in the second. It’s a hard way to make a living.

MOST TOUCHING MOMENT

Michael Chiesa and family, The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale

Never before has there been such a rash of heart-felt happenings in the UFC. First Andy Ogle’s emotional post-knockout monologue on The Ultimate Fighter: Live, then Junior Dos Santos’ inspiring in-ring celebrations with a young boy he’d brought to Las Vegas from the Brazilian favelas. But The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale took the cake when lightweight Michael Chiesa beat out 15 other men to become series champion. Chiesa’s father had died during filming of the series, and after tapping opponent Al Iaquinta with a rear naked choke in round one Chiesa was joined in the Octagon by his mother and sister for a tear-jerking moment.

BEST STRIKE

Mike Pyle, UFC on FX 3

‘Best’ might be a bit subjective here. When we say Mike Pyle’s one-punch right-hand knockout of super tough veteran scrapper Josh Neer is the ‘best’ we don’t mean technique, we more mean ‘effective.’ Because, at UFC on FX 3 in June, Pyle’s single blow, thrown amid a barrage of Neer strikes, put ‘The Dentist’ face first on the canvas for only the second time in a career that spans more or less a decade, and for the first time since 2007. That takes some serious doing.

SILVA AND GOLD?

Erick Silva, UFC on FX 3

It was only last year Charlie Brenneman was the toast of the UFC’s 170lb division coming off a late-replacement Rocky-like win over Rick Story at UFC Live 4. Three fights later and he’s 1-2, with the last of his ‘L’s courtesy of rather effective Brazilian striker Erick Silva. At UFC on FX 3, Brenneman, who it was later revealed was dealing with the death of a close friend on the night, had his ground-seeking gameplan constantly negated by Silva. By the end of the first, Silva was damaging Brenneman more or less at will, and gave the Pennsylvanian little option but to absorb it. With only 27 seconds left in the round, Silva tapped Brenneman with a rear naked choke for the win. Anyone picking Erick Silva for future welterweight number-one contender?

NIGHT OF A THOUSAND NUT SHOTS

Rich Franklin, Rony ‘Jason’, Sergio Moraes, UFC 147

Fighters Only has never seen so many men belted in the balls as many times as at UFC 147 in Brazil. The main card featured no less than four official cup crushers three different combatants – poor Jason Voorhees fan Rony ‘Jason’ Mariano had to take two in the final round before winning The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil’s featherweight bracket. Add at least one prelim basket bash, Rich Franklin and (TUF Brazil 185lb winner) Sergio Moraes’ jams to the jewels and you’ve got yourself one nutty night.

HAVE YOU TRIED SWITCHING IT ON AND OFF AGAIN?

TJ Waldburger, UFC on FX 4

UFC welterweight TJ Waldburger might have looked like a muscular IT consultant from 2003 at UFC on FX 4 but he fought like a certified berserker. If the ancient Viking warriors who battled in a frenzied trance practiced the delicate art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, of course. Waldburger swallowed some heavy Brian Ebersole shots on the feet and ground, and threw up a never-ending storm of submission attempts from his back throughout the three rounder, nearly catching Ebersole with an anaconda choke in the first. He didn’t score the judges’ decision, but the Texan still announced himself loud and clear.

QUICK START

Tim Means, UFC on FX 3

No sooner had Tim ‘Dirty Bird’ Means stepped into the Octagon at UFC on FX 3 than he was walking back out of it. Facing off with Justin Salas in each man’s second UFC appearance, Means rocked Salas with a left hand in the opening seconds, then again with a knee, and again with another knee, and again with any other body part he hadn’t yet used, before getting the TKO stop after 66 seconds. Perhaps this one Means business…? We apologize.

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