- First off, congratulations to Cain Velasquez for becoming the new heavyweight champion. Going into the fight, I thought that if Brock Lesnar got the fight to the ground, he would be able to keep Velasquez there and inflict damage. Instead, Velasquez was back on his feet almost immediately after getting taken down and blasted Lesnar with hard shots. With a great all-around game that includes elite-level wrestling, superior conditioning and knockout power, Velasquez could be a mainstay at the top of the heavyweight division for quite some time. He will need all those things, because his first title defense comes in the form of dangerous number-one contender Junior dos Santos.
- In his last three fights, Lesnar reacted the same way when getting tagged; turn and cover. While his fight with Shane Carwin was the most famous example, Lesnar also did it when getting hit by Frank Mir in the second round of their rematch before scoring a takedown. Some have taken to questioning Lesnar's heart, which is ridiculous. Some guys react differently when they get hit hard and it will be up to Lesnar and his camp to figure out how to fix that.
- Lesnar's post-fight comments were perfect, saying that he would go back to the drawing board because, "That's what champions do." What's next for Lesnar? Don't be surprised if Mir finally gets the third fight that he's been eyeing since UFC 100.
- I won't say Martin Kampmann cost himself the fight by going to the ground with Jake Shields in the third round. It's a fight, there is no certainty. What I will say, though, is that Kampmann put himself in the worst position to win. It is much harder to finish an opponent on the ground, especially one with the ground skills that Shields possesses. Had Kampmann stood, he would have had a considerable cardio advantage and probably could have staved off Shields' takedown attempts.
- Shields looked awful in this fight. It could have been due to the difficult weight cut that Joe Rogan touched on, or the reports of an injured back that have trickled out. Whatever the reason, Shields had a chance to make a big splash on a big pay-per-view and came up short. Can the UFC really market him as a number-one contender to casual fans after that performance?
- For the first round of the Diego Sanchez/ Paulo Thiago fight, Sanchez looked much like the same fighter he did in the John Hathaway fight. During an exchange in the second round, though, something clicked in Sanchez's mind and he went into beast mode, lifting Thiago into the air and screaming as he slammed him down. Sanchez proceeded to dominate Thiago on the ground for the rest of the fight en route to a decision victory and Fight-of-the-Night bonus. I truly hope that Sanchez decides to remain at welterweight, because he looked good.
- As long as Sanchez and Clay Guida fight under Greg Jackson, kindly take your, 'Jackson fighters are boring' claims and throw them out the window.
- Tito Ortiz ran into the worst style matchup in his loss to Matt Hamill. This fight didn't tell us anything we didn't already know about either fighter. The only question now is where does Ortiz go from here? He has not won a fight since 2006, and while he hasn't reached Chuck Liddell status yet, his days of being a contender are over. Will the UFC keep him around as a gatekeeper, or is he done in the UFC?
- Speaking of gatekeepers, that is exactly what Gabriel Gonzaga has become after having no answer to Brendan Schaub. Schaub called out Mir after the fight, which might not be such a bad idea.
- Court McGee stormed back from a poor first round to ultimately finish Ryan Jensen by arm triangle in the third. McGee showed the type of heart that has and will continue to endear him to the fans.
- If Patrick Cote is fighting a wrestler, pick the wrestler.
- I made it through an entire post-fight thoughts column without complaining about the judging. Wait, someone scored a fight 30-26 for Sanchez? I guess there's always next time...
