Hawaiian Fighting Arts

Although UFC 116 winners Chris Leben and Chris Lytle got their dues, this week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie is all about main-event winner and heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar.

Our weekly reader-feedback feature covers all aspects of his fight with interim champ Shane Carwin, including referee Josh Rosenthal’s officiating and how Lesnar stacks up to former heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko.

In fact, this week’s winner of The Sunday Junkie, Ryan Woolley, wonders if Lesnar’s obviously improving skills could soon put him in a class all of his own.

LAS VEGAS – For UFC middleweight slugger Chris Leben, the past two weeks have certainly been a strange and wonderful
journey.

Two weeks, two fights, two wins, two “Fight Night” bonus checks, and
after his stunning UFC 116 submission of Yoshihiro Akiyama, two
second-round finishes.

At least as far as “The Crippler” remembers it.

Should Josh Rosenthal have halted Saturday’s UFC 116 main event in the first round?

Interim title-holder Shane Carwin blasted heavyweight champ and fellow co-headliner Brock Lesnar with 57 punches in the round, and though he came close, Rosenthal never halted the bout to award him the TKO win.

But you won’t hear any complaints from Carwin, who eventually suffered a submission loss in the following round.

Long before Stephan Bonnar’s three-fighting losing streak, UFC president Dana White said “The Ultimate Fighter 1″ runner-up will always have a home in the organization.

But after the string of losses, Bonnar’s residence was inching toward
doghouse territory.

Then came the win at Saturday’s UFC 116 event – a victory Bonnar called
“better than sex.”

LAS VEGAS – Following the opening of offices in the U.K. and soon Toronto, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is finalizing plans for its third international division.

As UFC president Dana White first suggested in May, the Las Vegas-based promotion next will open an office in mainland China.

In fact, the UFC’s Chinese website launched over the weekend, a new division head has been hired, and the office will open “immediately,” White said.

LAS VEGAS – Oh, what a difference a year can make.

It was just 12 short months ago that UFC heavyweight champion Brock
Lesnar was foaming at the mouth on ESPN and shooting middle fingers in
the air to a Las Vegas crowd while simultaneously disrespecting UFC
sponsors.

Yet somehow, a condition called diverticulitis that attacked the
intestines of the massive champion also had an effect on his mind, and
following his UFC 116 win over Shane Carwin, Lesnar was nothing but
smiles.

LAS VEGAS – Following each UFC event, hardcore fans like nothing more
than to channel their inner Joe Silva and play UFC matchmaker.

After Saturday night’s UFC 116 event in Las Vegas, a pair of
matchups were kicked around including Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva
and the rubber match between “Fight of the Night” winners Stephan Bonnar
and Krysztof Soszynski.

At the evening’s post-fight press conference, White ruled out the
possibility of either fight coming to fruition in the near future.

LAS VEGAS – While the excitement of Saturday’s UFC 116 event was beyond
what most MMA fans had anticipated prior to the card, another story
surrounding fight week was the career of UFC Hall of Famer Chuck
Liddell.

Liddell was honored on Thursday with a launch party for his Madame
Tussauds wax figure – the first such figure for an MMA fighter – but he
also had dinner that same evening with UFC president Dana White to
discuss his fighting future.

On Saturday, White said the dinner was a success, but his friend and
former champion has yet to make a decision.

LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White called Saturday night’s UFC 116
main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin “the biggest
heavyweight fight in UFC history,” and he’s not wasting any time
figuring out what comes next in the division.

As White promised to MMAjunkie.com before this
weekend’s event, Cain Velasquez will indeed get the next crack at the
title.

Second in line has already been determined, too, as White announced to a
small group of reporters following UFC 116’s post-event press
conference that the winner of the UFC 117 bout between Junior Dos Santos
and Roy Nelson will have the next crack at the title.

LAS VEGAS – While the UFC on Saturday night awarded $75,000 “Fight
Night” bonuses to six different fighters, UFC president Dana White said
there’s more money on the way.

This could be especially good news for fighters such as welterweight Chris
Lytle, who fell short on the evening’s “Submission of the Night” money
when heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar shocked the world with an
arm-triangle choke victory.

Some MMA fans felt Lesnar’s massive payday was reward enough, but White
believes guaranteed money can’t play a role in who gets the night’s
bonuses.