Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brought another loaded pay-per-view (PPV) fight card to the rabid mixed martial arts fans in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida," emanating from the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 10, 2011.
The main event of the evening, featuring 205-pound champion Jon Jones defending his title against former division kingpin Lyoto Machida, was scheduled for five rounds.
"Bones" only needed two.
"The Dragon" gave Jones more resistance in the opening round than any other fighter to date, staggering the lanky light heavyweight with a Brazilian bumrush and prompting cageside play-by-play man Mike Goldberg to prematurely declare, "We've got ourselves a fight."
No Mr. Goldberg, we don't.
That's because Jones was able to reverse momentum in the second stanza with a huge takedown, which against him, is the equivalent of the death spiral in aviation. From the top, he sliced open Machida's forehead with a vicious elbow, forcing referee John McCarthy to pause the action for a doctor's evaluation.
The physician might be there to protect the safety of the fighter, but he did Machida no favors by sending him back out to compete.
Following the restart, Jones clocked him and rocked him, forcing a tie-up which allowed his lengthy limbs to snake their way around Machida's neck and put him to sleep. McCarthy stepped in to call the fight and "Bones" dumped his lifeless foe to the canvas, sending a symbolic message to the rest of the 205-pound division.
Can't touch this.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira asked for a rematch against Frank Mir in an effort to prove his UFC 92 loss to the former heavyweight champion was a direct result of his poor health and that he, at full strength, is the superior combatant.
Be careful what you wish for.
The UFC granted "Minotauro" a second go-round opposite the former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 coach and it cost him an arm and a leg. Nogueira, who had never been submitted in 40 professional fights, lost possession of his right appendage in a scramble, allowing Mir to lock in a painful Kimura.
They seemed content to let this thing play out on the feet, but Mir flopped to the canvas after wilting under the pinpoint striking of "Big Nog." When his attacker dove in for the kill, a poised and perhaps possum-playing Mir was able to secure the submission and force referee Herb Dean to step in and save the Brazilian's bones from further damage.
Warning: Watch the bone-crunching replay at your own risk.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz came into his 205-pound hoedown against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira trying to mix it up with the three-time Brazilian boxing champ.
Bad idea.
Despite catching "Little Nog" off guard in the opening minute, the former PRIDE star maintained his composure and patiently waited for his opening. Once it came, he floored "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" with a punishing knee to the body.
The same spot that cost Tito his UFC 133 fight against Rashad Evans.
Ortiz made a valiant effort to withstand the barrage of ground-and-pound that followed, but a series of unanswered blows to the ribs forced referee Yves Lavigne to call it a night -- and possibly a career. With one fight left on his ZUFFA contract, it's up to the UFC brass on whether or not we get to see Ortiz fulfill it.
Time will tell.
The Ontario boo birds had their feathers ruffled in the welterweight chess match between Claude Patrick and Brian Ebersole. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan noted how the closely-matched skill sets canceled each other out, leaving fight fans with 15 minutes of huggles and struggles.
A majority of the three rounds were spent jockeying for position against the cage. Ebersole was the superior wrestler, but didn't spend any time on the ground without being rewarded by multiple submission attempts from his wily foe.
In the end, "The Prince" likely spent too much time on his back, resulting in a split decision loss and one that snapped the Canadian's 13-fight winning streak.
You know the old saying about hands and judges.
Mark Hominick tried to bury "The Korean Zombie" in the opening fight of the night; however, "The Machine" missed with a reckless headshot right out of the gate, allowing Chan Sung Jung to return fire and silence the "Hog Town" crowd with a shocking first-round knockout.
There isn't much to dissect in this one, as Hommy went boom in just seven seconds, giving Jung a tie with exiled heavyweight Todd Duffee for the unofficial record of fastest finish in the UFC (Sorry, Mr. Ludwig).
"Bang."
That's enough from us. Now it's your turn to discuss UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" in the comments section below. Does the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, or even Dan Henderson, have any kind of chance against Jon Jones?
Will Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira be able to recover and return to the fight game? Has Frank Mir (once again) established himself as a heavyweight contender?
Let's hear it, Maniacs.
Be sure to also check out our complete UFC 140 blow-by-blow coverage of the entire "Jones vs. Machida" event right here. While you're at it, check out our fight-by-fight recaps and immediate reactions for the UFC 140 PPV action:
Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira:
Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira:
Brian Ebersole vs. Claude Patrick:
Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung:
Last, and certainly not least, check out our complete UFC 140 results recap of the Facebook "Prelims" and ION Television line-up by clicking here and here.