This past weekend in combat sports wasn't just busy -- it was uniquely busy. From the usual, UFC events and regional shows loaded with notable names, to the unusual, supercard Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments and the most dangerous middleweight in the world showing off his pipes, there was really something for everyone.

And like always, we're here to catch you up if you missed out on any of the f...

Having covered the upper half of the UFC on Fuel TV 10 Facebook prelims in a post earlier today, we'll breeze through the remaining quartette of match ups that will kickstart Saturday's event from Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. The show is headlined by rematching Brazilian heavyweights Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum while TUF: Brazil 2 finalists William Macario and Leonardo Santos hold d...

Lightweight is generally one of the busiest divisions in the UFC (and MMA overall), so it shouldn't come as a surprise that we update the rankings on this particular division a lot. We did them after UFC on Fox 7 when a lot changed, and UFC 160 offered some more movement. In between, a couple of suspensions have altered things as well (since the rules state that we can't rank suspended fighters)....

T.J. Grant's swift and decisive finish of Gray Maynard at UFC 160 was a no-doubt-about-it statement that he belongs on the short list of UFC lightweight contenders.

With five straight wins since dropping to 155 pounds, Grant will get the next shot at Benson Henderson's title at a time and place to be determined.

But despite the impressive resume, that's still not enough to keep Gilbert Melendez...

Our sources are cited at the bottom of this post.

Rank

Fighter

Points

Promotion

Last Rank

1

Ben Henderson

250

UFC

1

2

Gilbert Melendez

233

UFC

2

3

Michael Chandler

207

Bellator

4

4

Gray Maynard

203

UFC

3

5

Josh Thomson

198

UFC

8

6

Anthony Pettis

187

UFC

6

7

T.J. Grant

185

UFC

11

8

Eddie Alvarez

160

Bellator

5

9

Nate Diaz

148

UFC

7

10

D...

Kamal Shalorus still isn't quite sure what happened. One day he was on the top of the world, entering the universe's biggest fight promotion with an undefeated record and a brilliant swell of momentum, then the next it was all over, just another washout riding a string of losses, the last two mystifyingly apathetic.

It took some time, nearly a year of soul-searching on the sidelines, before Shal...

The bald head, ginger beard combination is the 'it' look for 2013. It's a look that denotes you know the secret of Dwarven steel and can dual-wieled battle axes with very little skill points. Pat Healy, Jim Miller -- all those guys with ginger beards are just duplicated characters in an elaborate MMA videogame that have been color-palate swapped. Incorporate the ginger beard, shaved head combo ...

("We both see the green goblin dancing in the corner of the room, right Ariel?" Photo via MMAFighting.)

Without beating the dead horse that is the marijuana in MMA debate any further, it's safe to say that Pat Healy's positive test for marijuana following his UFC 159 win over Jim Miller was, at the very least, a costly mistake. The same can be said for Nate Diaz's response to the situation, al...

Pat Healy believes that he should be honest about his recent positive test and suspension. And apparently part of that honesty included admitting what he popped for, despite the New Jersey State Athletic Commission telling him that they would not announce the particular substance. Healy told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that it was better to just get it out in the open:

"I felt like it was goin...

If Pat Healy knew what smoking a little weed at his friend's birthday party was going to cause, he never would have done it.

"I wish I could go back in time and slap myself," Healy said. "It was a dumb thing to do."

On Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, Healy broke his silence on his recent suspension for marijuana use, which kicked off a storm of controversy.

Calling in from a vacation in Ha...

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) now features "official" rankings on its website, UFC.com, covering all eight weight classes (including women) plus a pound-for-pound list. Rankings are updated approximately 36 hours after every UFC event, which means we're back with another installment following this past weekend's (May 25, 2013) UFC 160 show in Newark, New Jersey.

The biggest movers and sha...

Pat Healy made a successful return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ranks by submitting Jim Miller in the third and final round at UFC 159.

The thrill of victory for the Strikeforce import was short-lived, however, after it was revealed he had failed his post-fight drug test, testing positive for marijuana. Thanks to his "poor life choices," Healy saw his win overturned to a no-conte...

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back for its annual Memorial Day Weekend extravaganza, putting its heavyweight hurters front and center for this Saturday night's (May 25, 2013) UFC 160: "Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2" pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I like that boom boom pow.

Antonio Silva got himself a second shot at Cain Velasq...

There have been countless positive drug tests for marijuana in MMA since the year began, but none led to as polarizing of an outcome as Pat Healy's failed test at UFC 159. In addition to having his career-altering win over Jim Miller overturned into a no contest, Healy lost at least $130,000 in post-fight UFC bonuses due to his mistake.

The decision to rescind nearly 80-percent of Healy's report...

The UFC lightweight number one contender position is on the line Saturday night (May 25, 2013) as former title challenger Gray Maynard takes on T.J. Grant on the UFC 160 main card in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gray Maynard

Record: 11-1-1 (1 No Contest) overall, 9-1-1 (1 No Contest) in the UFC

Key Wins: Frankie Edgar (UFC Fight Night 13), Kenny Florian (UFC 118), Jim Miller (UFC 96)

Key Losses: Franki...

(Mike Kogan's profile pic courtesy of  via FindABearTonight.xxx)

At this point, we all know that Nate Diaz has been suspended and fined for calling Bryan Caraway a "Fag" through his twitter account. Other than deleting and re-wording his original tweet, Diaz has been silent on the matter since originally criticizing Caraway for accepting the Submission of the Night bonus cash that was original...

As I've said before, UFC on FX 8 wasn't exactly brimming with relevance. The unfortunate injury to Constantinos Philippou took the steam out of the co-main event and left the opening main card fight with a UFC newcomer instead. Obviously the main event was extremely important, but that's about it. With that in mind, I'm going to buck the usual trend and not stick to matchmaking for main card figh...

UFC on FX 8 was filled with great finishes, back-and-forth action, and it culminated in a memorable spinning kick KO victory for Vitor Belfort against Luke Rockhold in the main event. To no one's surprise, he also wins "Knockout of the Night". Here's a full rundown of the evening's $50,000 bonus recipients:

Fight of the Night - Lucas Martins def. Jeremy Larsen via KO (punches), round 3.

Knockou...

Tomorrow marks the eighth outing for the UFC on FX. It also marks the last big crossover fight from Strikeforce, with it's middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold taking on Vitor Belfort. I don't know if I'm more excited about seeing Rockhold in the UFC or seeing him do battle with Vitor Belfort, but one thing is certain, I'm excited.

There was some concern, just a few short weeks ago, that this ca...

T.J. Grant heard the critics after the announcement that the winner of his UFC 160 bout with Gray Maynard would get the next shot at Benson Henderson's lightweight championship.

Several observers, including this reporter, questioned whether a title shot for Maynard or Grant was the wisest decision, given the top of the lightweight division still features the likes of Gilbert Melendez, who many f...