As has often been the case since I started writing Fightweets last summer, a reader came along with the perfect question at the perfect time.

I was actually reflecting on the UFC career of Cheick Kongo, who parted ways with the Zuffa this week, when Fightweeter @crazedfishUK chimed in with the following question: Did the decision to release Kongo surprise anybody given the shallow nature of the ...

On May 18, Vitor Belfort will compete in his native Brazil for the third time in his last four bouts, taking on the last man to hold Strikeforce’s middleweight title – Luke Rockhold – in the main event of UFC on FX 8 in Jaragua do Sul. It’s another opportunity for “The Phenom” to make a case for another shot at the 185-pound crown as well as build on the legacy that you can read about below.Tra T...

The UFC’s heavyweight division looked a lot different back in July of 2006, when Cheick Kongo made his debut in the organization with a first round stoppage of Gilbert Aldana.Tim Sylvia was the champion, defending the title on that same UFC 61 card against Andrei Arlovski. Frank Mir was trying to come back from a near career-ending motorcycle accident and having a rough go of it, and as far as ot...

For being a mixed martial arts (MMA) novice, Brock Lesnar did pretty well for himself during his tenure with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

After losing his Octagon debut to Frank Mir at UFC 81 five years ago, Lesnar went on to win the promotion's Heavyweight title, defeating UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champion Randy Couture at UFC 91, just four fights into his MMA career.
...

(Even in the face of despair, Fletcher always maintains a sunny disposition. Via Colin's Twitter account.) 

Although not completely unexpected given his current 0-2 record in the promotion, the UFC's recent firing of TUF: Smashes lightweight runner-up Colin "Freakshow" Fletcher might represent one of the fastest post-TUF firings for a finalist in the show's history. After dropping a tepid deci...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

Cain Velasquez defeated Junior dos Santos by unsolicited soul theft at UFC 155. In the industry we call that 'Shang Tsung MMA.' Years ago we saw it occur with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 -- but perhaps the most famous soul theft happened in Japan in Pride FC. If you're a long-time fan of MMA then you already know what's coming up next -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Heath Herring at Pride...

MMA Manifesto has added up the announced career earnings of every UFC fighter since UFC 46 in 2004, when Athletic Commissions started releasing fighter purse info.

The figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are legally required to turn in to the local governing body, including bonuses.

These figures do NOT calculate the fighters net income.

Fighters must pay a lot...

Kicking in mixed martial arts has gone through a great evolution since the early days when the only fighters who would attempt it were pure kickboxers. These kickboxers would then get taken down and submitted or have to hug from closed guard until the referee restarted the bout on the feet. Once cross training became a common occurrence, strikers learned to sprawl and (some) wrestlers learned to ...