MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer</B><BR><BR>
UFC 121 brought not only an intriguing lineup of fights, but a multitude of questions to boot. How could Diego Sanchez rebound after two devastating losses; Was an MMA youngster like Brendan Schaub ready for a versatile veteran like Gabriel Gonzaga; What the hell would happen when Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez finally met inside the Octagon?<BR><BR>
All interesting questions, a lot of which were decisively answered. Here now is a list of things UFC 121 taught us.<BR><BR>
<B>Jon Madsen Is Evolving, and Quickly:</B> In a fight many analysts picked to end in destructive fashion in favor of Gilbert Yvel, Jon Madsen showed he?s not hanging around the UFC roster as food for the elite. Madsen shot an explosive takedown that Yvel had no answer for. In a matter of moments Madsen reminded the world what vicious ground-and-pound lookslike. Yvel never stood a chance, and Madsen, now 4-0 inside the Octagon is quickly staking his claim to contendership, or at least a chance at a top 10 foe.<BR><BR>
<B>They Call Him The Ninja For a Reason:</B> After being knocked unconscious in his promotional debut by the highly touted John Howard, Daniel ?The Ninja? Roberts is settling into the UFC. He?s now pieced together two back-to-back wins, and his impressive submission last night over Michael Guyman shows this guy?s got a submission game that should be respected.<BR><BR>
<B>Court McGee Can Handle Adversity:</B> Ryan Jensen came out at the bell and immediately dictated the pace of this bout. Court McGee looked a step behind, and an inch off with everything he threw in round one. Jensen utilized angles and crisp punches to control the first round, hurting McGee on more than one occasion, and even dropping The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 winner. But Court McGee had some plans of his own, even if it took five minutes to find his range and set his gameplan in motion. From the second round on McGee brought the aggression and broke Jensen down, showcasing nice strikes and a solid?beard. By the final frame Jensen was a sitting duck, and Court McGee took advantage, getting the fight to the mat where he unleashed some nasty elbows from the top position before sinking an arm-triangle choke.<BR><BR><!--more-break-->
<B>It?s Time For Gonzaga To Crack A Couple Cans:</B> The Gabriel Gonzaga of 2006 would have had his way with the Brendan Schaub of today with relative ease. The man who once blended powerful strikes with strong wrestling and a superb submission game in order to string together four consecutive wins inside the octagon (including that legendary knockout of Mirko Crocop) has all but disappeared. Taking nothing away from Schaub, who?s an improving prospect with great mobility and solid striking, Gonzaga should have secured a first round submission victory last night. He?s got all the tools to beat Schaub, save for one, confidence, which Randy Couture stole back at UFC 74; Gabriel Gonzaga has been largely MIA since that loss, dropping multiple fights that very well could have gone his way since, if only he still believed. It's time to rebuild that confidence by cracking through a handful of mid-level opposition in a smaller organization.<BR><BR>
<B>Diego Sanchez Isn?t Going Anywhere:</B> I think a lot of people were on the verge of writing Diego Sanchez off following his humiliating loss to John Hathaway at UFC 114. Many critics simply felt he?d lost the fire that once made him such an intimidating foe. He proved everyone wrong at 121, when he turned a competitive first round with Paulo Thiago into a one-sided beating as the fight unfolded. The Nightmare looked like the vintage beast we?d seen swarm foes like Joe Riggs, Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan.<BR><BR>
<B>Tito Ortiz Is Done:</B> Matt Hamill is a dangerous opponent. He?s got very good wrestling, and he only moves forward, and I mean only. that being said, he?s not a top 10 light heavyweight, and he?s still got exploitable holes in his game. He is, in short, an opponent that should have given Ortiz some troubles, but ultimately exited the cage the loser. Instead he slowly broke down and busted up Ortiz, who aside from an impressive first round, didn?t do much of anything to justify his recent contract extension. It?s tough to watch the sports' early pioneers fade, but Tito has now become nearly invisible.<BR><BR><!--more-break-->
<B>Jake Shields May Be Better Suited For 185 Pounds:</B> I don?t care what Dana White has to say about Jake campaigning at middleweight, after investing extensive time bulking up for his move to the middleweight division not long ago, Shields is going to have problems making the welterweight limit. His body will certainly re-adjust to the divisional change, but I don?t like to fix what?s not broken, and Shields? showings against Robbie Lawler and Dan Henderson proved he?s more than capable of handling the middleweight division?s most dangerous opponents. Draining the body to make 170 pounds isn?t going to help Shields? career at this point, especially if his next foe is indeed Georges St. Pierre.<BR><BR>
<B>Cain Is The Truth:</B> I?ll be the first to say, the main event at UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez looked suspicious as hell. And I?m not saying the fight was rigged, as it sure as hell wasn?t, but things sure looked funny out there. A Brock bull-rush leads to a takedown or two, and 90 seconds later Lesnar looks gassed, he?s dedicated his strategy to covering up, and he?s rolling around the octagon in such awkward fashion you know Heath Herring is cackling like a madman somewhere. It all just looked? weird. It was clearly a case of technique reigning supreme over strength and power, but I?ll be damned if that wasn?t one of the stranger spectacles I?ve seen in a title bout, ever. All that said, hat?s off to the new champion Cain Velasquez, who has the tools to hold that belt for a long, long time should he get past the division?s striking extraordinaire, Junior dos Santos in his first title defense.<BR><BR>
It was a wild night, and while I wouldn?t have minded seeing a clean knockout, I?m pleased with the event and the subsequent results. There are some major shifts happening in a couple of the sports most significant weight divisions; that?s news worth paying attention to.<BR><BR>
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