What we learned at UFC 137

The UFC still can't seem to come up with a Japanese star

Don't be fooled by the victory - Hioki's performance did nothing to win over fans, or draw a greater Japanese audience. No one is really sure why the former MMA capital of the world hasn't produced any marketable stars for the UFC, but to date none of the Japanese imports have really lived up to the billing


The sport has lost a true legend...

When it was announced that this would likely be Cro Cop's last fight, many fans were disappointed and rightly so. UFC purists don't know a huge amount about Cro Cop, and nor will they ever appreciate his greatness, but he did so much for the sport in the earlier years. I strongly believe he opened the door for kickboxers to transition to MMA, and also carried the European support of the sport almost single handedly in the earlier years. Many people, myself included, would have loved to see him KO Nelson with a left head kick...but I don't think many actually believed it would happen. Alas, it wasn't to be, and so we said goodbye to a legend in similarly disappointing circumstances as we said goodbye to Couture. Thanks for the memories Cro Cop


...But I think it has only lost one

I don't believe for a second that BJ has retired from MMA. I like to draw comparisons between him and Ronnie O'Sullivan. For those of you who don't know, Ronnie O'Sullivan is the greatest natural talent to ever pick up a snooker cue; he's also enigmatic, outspoken, temperamental...and has "retired" two or three times now. I'll be the first to write an article on BJ when he officially hangs them up, but I completely believe that once his swelling has gone down and he's had a chance to lick his wounds, we'll see him back in the octagon


GSP has piled more pressure on Silva than Sonnen ever could

Chael Sonnen has come closer to shattering the phenomenal streak of Anderson Silva than anyone else. Setting aside the Silva injury and the subsequent doping charge for Sonnen, quite a few people wanted to see the rematch (though I can see the argument that he lost and should have to wait his turn again). Following a comprehensive victory over Brian Stann, Sonnen launched a WWE-esque tirade against Silva who was sat cage side. He didn't react, he didn't respond...we didn't even hear from him for weeks. This prompted widespread abuse that he was scared of Sonnen - after all, there aren't many others in the title picture, and he has a free schedule for the foreseeable future. Roll on a few weeks, and Nick Diaz does the same thing to GSP in an arguably less disrespectful fashion. GSP was already booked for another fight but that very same night he demanded that he get to fight Diaz. Ironically his request has been granted to go ahead on the same weekend that Sonnen wanted to fight Silva. But fans and doubters alike of Anderson Silva are now left asking...why hasn't he done the same?!