When an entire Pay Per View features only heavyweight fights, the potential is there for a quick night filled with a ton of knockouts, so it is no surprise that UFC 146 went down exactly the way that it did. With a season’s worth of memorable knockouts, more blood than we have potentially ever seen in a UFC octagon (from one fighter mostly), and a successful championship title defense, UFC 146 was entertaining all the way through. That is why it is such a surprise that what most MMA fans are talking about had nothing to do with the actual fights themselves, but instead the former UFC Heavyweight champion that was on hand at the event, and who could possibly be considering a return to the octagon in the near sportsbook future. After an interesting round of preliminary fights that included four of the six betting contests ending in the opening round, the stage was set for the five heavyweight tilts that made up the main card, beginning with Stefan “The Skyscraper” Struve against Lavar Johnson. In what was considered a relatively even matchup, Johnson came out throwing some big shots early, and it looked like we would have a close fight. However, Struve played a smart game and used his excellent reach advantage to pull a guard on Johnson, before throwing his legs up for an armbar submission that ended the fight just over a minute in to the first round. After Stipe Miocic beat up Shane Del Rosario in a battle of unbeatens with some solid elbows midway through the second round, we saw another quick fight as Roy “Big Country” Nelson landed one of the biggest haymaker punches ever in the UFC to knock out Dave Herman in the opening round. Nelson’s surprise blow actually forced Herman’s knees to buckle, turning him around as he hit the mat, and there was on doubt he was done. That was nothing though in terms of visuals compared to Cain Valasquez absolutely pummeling a bloody Antonio Silva. A couple of solid elbows opened up a gash between Silva’s eyes so bad that he couldn’t see out of them, and eventually he had nothing left to give and it was called a TKO. Everything in between led to a rather anti-climactic finish with Junior Dos Santos landing a second-round TKO to retain his UFC Heavyweight belt, but it was after that fight that the biggest sports betting news of the night broke. Brock Lesnar, who was on hand in Las Vegas for the event, is reportedly interested in making a return to the UFC under the right circumstances. When asked if Lesnar’s presence meant anything at the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White grinned and replied, “yes”. Although he has handled a ton of adversity throughout his career, Lesnar would be a huge Bodog draw if he makes a return, and considering the circumstances around his last loss, which was to the now suspended Alistair Overeem, there is no reason for the former champion not to take another shot if he is healthy. Time will tell whether Lesnar ultimately does return or not, but as far as the UFC and its continuing betting sites popularity is concerned, it can only be a good thing for the promotion.
