Junior dos Santos successfully defends his heavyweight championship for the very first time by doing exactly what he said he would do in the main event of UFC 146 last night (Sat., May 26, 2012) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada -- knock out Frank Mir in the second round. The end came after "Cigano" unloaded a series of shots the former division champion had no answer for, particularly repeated punches to the midsection that softened him up for the big boom later on. Mir was knocked down multiple times throughout the fight and when his one takedown attempt failed, there was no denying the inevitable. Junior dos Santos is a very bad man, Maniacs. Even with no gun in his hand, he's a bad man. For a more detailed look at the Dos Santos vs. Mir fight click here. And for complete UFC 146 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.

The UFC 146 fight card's original line up was decimated by drop-outs, drama, opponent swaps and assorted chaos. The one constant, however, has been Junior dos Santos in the main event of the evening defending his heavyweight championship in front of thousands of adoring fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In lieu of fighting his original opponent, Alistair Overeem, "Cigano" will now take on Frank Mir, a former multiple time division champion who can't seem to get any respect amongst the mixed martial arts (MMA) fanbase.

Dos Santos respects him, but he's going to do what he always does once he's standing across from him inside the Octagon:

"I'm better than Frank Mir. I'm going to win and it's not going to be by decision. I love to knock people out. Frank Mir is tough but I will win this fight."

As for Mir? He's been backing up his big talk for years and he's eager for the chance to do it one more time, with the 265-pound strap hanging in the balance:

"This is mixed martial arts; there is more to this than boxing. 'JDS' has boxing and he's great at it. But what other aspects of his game do we have? I have the most wins of any heavyweight in the division. I'm not just talking it, I'm backing it up."

Will he back it up tonight? Or will dos Santos add one more skull to his already impressive display case? Just a few hours away, Maniacs. Get ready.

The co-main event of UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir," which goes down tonight (Sat., May 26, 2012) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, features a monster showdown with serious title implications.

Indeed, former Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will welcome Strikeforce import Antonio Silva to the Octagon where he will attempt to earn another crack at the belt he lost to Junior dos Santos late last year.

"The whole reason I got into this sport was to be the champion and to hold it for a long time," says Velasquez. "I have to beat Antonio Silva in order to do that."

"Bigfoot" is no pushover, though, having made his mark in the sport outside the world's largest fight promotion with organizations like Strikeforce, where he destroyed Fedor Emelianenko.

It hasn't ever been as tough as it will be tonight. And he thinks he's ready for it.

"I'm the best in striking, the best in jiu-jitsu, the best in wrestling, you know? I believe in myself and I'm going to win."

Last chance for predictions, Maniacs. Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva tonight in "Sin City" -- who 'ya got?

Dan Hardy is "The Outlaw" and he's fighting for his livelihood tonight (Sat., May 26, 2012) on the undercard of the UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" pay-per-view (PPV) event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

That's because he's lost four consecutive fights, dating all the way back to his welterweight title loss to Georges St. Pierre in March 2010. In fact, he hasn't actually won a mixed martial arts (MMA) contest since his unanimous decision victory over Mike Swick in Nov. 2009.

That's a shocking run of futility.

Despite this, he presses on. Partly because he wants to win for Lorenzo Fertitta, who has shown an unprecedented amount of loyalty and forgiveness towards his plight. But also because fighting is all he knows. Inside the Octagon, believe it or not, is where he's safe.

It's where "The Outlaw" can be free.

In this documentary, we get a deeper look at the fighter underneath the mohawk and tattoos, the vulnerable family man who just wants to do well for himself, no different than you and I.

After the jump, check out part two and remember to come back to MMAmania.com later tonight to see how Hardy fares in his showdown against Ludwig at UFC 146.

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The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15: "Live" wrapped last night (check out our complete recap of the final episode on FX right here), which essentially means that coach Urijah Faber can now focus on his upcoming interim Bantamweight title fight against Renan Barao at UFC 148 on July 7, 2012.

Part of that preparation includes the mandatory promotional appearances in the run up to the 135-pound showdown in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Faber was in "Sin City" yesterday to host the UFC 146 Q&A session prior to the weigh in, talking about TUF 15, guns, fight predictions, injured champion (and arch enemy) Dominick Cruz, the demise of FORM Athletics, sparking the rumor about Ronda Rousey injuring "The Dominator" in practice, wanting to fight Brock Lesnar if he were a Heavyweight and much more.

Enjoy.

For more on the Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao be sure to hit up our complete fight archive right here.

In cased you missed any or all of it last night (May 25, 2012), here is the final of three episodes of the "all access" behind-the-scenes look at the UFC 146 main event between Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir.

To watch the first and second episodes of UFC 146 "Primetime" click here and here. Get up to speed on the reaction to episode three of UFC 146 "Primetime" with our live discussion thread from last night right here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and FX collaborated for the latest "Primetime" series, which follows Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos as he prepares to fight former division kingpin and de facto number one contender, Frank Mir, in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, later tonight (May 26, 2012).

That's right, Maniacs, we're almost there.

In episode three, we get the backstory behind "Cigano" making his nine-year-old Brazilian buddy Breno Luis Ferreira's dreams come true by flying him to "Sin City" to watch this weekend's mixed martial arts (MMA) extravaganza. Of course, we also get glimpses into their last days of training, as well as the fight week media obligations that often seem to consume a considerable amount of time.

The good news is all that ends tonight when two of this biggest men in the sport headline the promotion's "biggest" (2,485 pounds!) pay-per-view (PPV) main card ever.

Can't wait.

For more on UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" be sure to hit up our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" fight card and rumors click here.

"As soon as school ends, Breno always appears. We love having him in the gym. He’s been coming to the gym so often now he’s become a little friend. We call him the 'Little Guy.' After my last sparring session before flying to the US, he asked me why I had to fight in Vegas, and when I explained he said he wanted to come to help me win. He didn’t have a passport, his mother didn’t have a passport but I was a little guy once and people helped me. If we could make the little guy’s dream come true, if we were able somehow, why wouldn’t we? At this point in my career, I can be a motivation and role model for these little guys from home. The kids see that all the fighters from the gym have good cars; they can see that hard work does lead to something good in life."

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos, who defends his strap against Frank Mir this Saturday night (May 26, 2012) in the main event of UFC 146 from the MGM Grand Garden Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, has a little extra motivation to win this weekend now that he has a "little" guy in his corner. "Cigano" made nine-year-old Brazilian buddy Breno Luis Ferreira's dreams come true by flying him to "Sin City" to watch this weekend's mixed martial arts (MMA) extravaganza. It's nice to have a UFC fighter making headlines for something other than breaking the law or failing a drug test, for a change.

Shortly after Jason Miller dropped what Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White would later describe as the "most lopsided fight ever" to Michael Bisping at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 Finale in Dec. 2011, it was unclear if "Mayhem" would be invited back to the Octagon.

After all, when White was asked point blank about Miller's future with his mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, he answered simply, "I don't know."

Well, Miller was asked to return. And it's safe to say that if he doesn't deliver an inspired effort -- certainly not a repeat of his "tense" performance that "displayed the worst of everything" against "The Count" -- against C.B. Dollaway at UFC 146 this weekend (May 26, 2012) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, he'll be forced to fight elsewhere.

Miller is well aware of the significance of his upcoming fight against "The Doberman." He has even vowed to retire from the sport if he loses to Dollaway because his opponent, as he tells it, "doesn't deserve to be in there with me."

Clearly, Miller is taking the Middleweight bout serious. So serious, in fact, that in addition to his traditional preparation at Reign Training Center in Lake Forest, Calif., Miller has also enlisted a strength and conditioning coach, as well as visited California State University, Fullerton, to test his fitness levels.

Check out the lengths that "Mayhem" has gone to ensure that he leaves no stone unturned this weekend as he prepares for the "most important fight of his life:"

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