UFC 139 Morning After: Pride, Strikeforce and WEC Never Die

from those business moves.

Pride never died, the WEC never died, and Strikeforce never died. At least they all still seemed alive at UFC 139.

beating former Pride Middleweight Grand Prix champion Shogun Rua. This was exactly the type of bout that fight fans hoped we'd see inside the Octagon when the UFC purchased Pride: A brutal, bloody battle between two Pride stars that had all the best elements of the Pride glory days.

, who came to the UFC after it purchased Strikeforce.

. Faber and Bowles both came to the UFC from the WEC, and they gave the kind of great show that the WEC was famous for.

, which put on a tremendous fight of its own between Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez. So I don't necessarily want the UFC to swallow up every MMA promotion on earth.

But I must say that I can't think of many times I've ever enjoyed the top three fights on a card more than I enjoyed the top three fights at UFC 139, and we got to see all of them because the UFC has absorbed Pride, Strikeforce and the WEC. Saturday night was a night when it was hard not to enjoy the UFC's dominance of the MMA landscape.

UFC 139 Notes
-- Miguel Torres won an easy unanimous decision over Nick Pace, 30-27 on all three judges' cards, but he didn't do anything spectacular, which is what he's going to need to do if he wants to fight for the bantamweight belt. There's a lot to be said for fighting smarter and fighting safer, which is what Torres has tried to do recently, but when it comes to earning a shot at the title, the fact is there are style points. Torres may need to regain some of his old reckless form if he wants the UFC to give him a chance to fight for the title.

-- You can make a good case that it's really not fair to the rest of the bantamweight division to give Faber another shot at champion Dominick Cruz, but realistically I think that's the only option available to the UFC right now. From a business perspective, Cruz-Faber 3 is really the only bantamweight title fight that the UFC can sell, and the UFC is, ultimately, a business.

UFC 139 Quotes
-- "I felt really disrespected at the weigh-in. You're supposed to be professional. Don't come in two pounds overweight and then tell me you can't lose any more weight." -- Danny Castillo after beating Shamar Bailey, who had come in at 158 pounds for their lightweight fight. Castillo is absolutely right: Professional fighters need to make weight, period.

-- "He's a super gnarly dude. I knew I had a fight on my hands." -- Seth Baczynski after submitting Matt Brown with a guillotine choke in the second round.

Grid View

• UFC 139 Photos

  Danny Castillo stays on top of Shamar Bailey at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Danny Castillo ground and pounds Shamar Bailey at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Danny Castillo finishes Shamar Bailey via first-round TKO at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via first-round TKO at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Matt Brown attempts to takedown Seth Baczynski at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Seth Baczynski submits Matt Brown with a guillotine choke at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Seth Baczynski taps out Matt Brown with a guillotine at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Seth Baczynski celebrates his submission win over Matt Brown at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Miguel Torres moments away from facing Nick Pace at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Nick Pace knees Miguel Torres at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Miguel Torres kicks Nick Pace at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Nick Pace's hand is checked at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Miguel Torres def. Nick Pace via unanimous decision at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Rafael dos Anjos tries to take down Gleison Tibau at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Gleison Tibau swings a left hand at Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Gleison Tibau throws down with Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Rafael dos Anjos tries to counter Gleison Tibau at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Rafael dos Anjos receives corner instructions at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Gleison Tibau def. Rafael dos Anjos via split decision at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Tom Lawlor enters to "Get Physical" at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Chris Weidman kicks Tom Lawlor at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Tom Lawlor gives props to Chris Weidman at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Chris Weidman def. Tom Lawlor via technical submission (D'arce choke) at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Chris Weidman attempts a choke on Tom Lawlor at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Chris Weidman puts Tom Lawlor to sleep with a D'arce choke at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Michael McDonald knocks down Alex Soto at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Michael McDonald punches Alex Soto at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Michael McDonald punches Alex Soto at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Michael McDonald tries to finish Alex Soto at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Michael McDonald goes after Alex Soto at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos The referee attends to Alex Soto at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Alex Soto wakes up after his knockout loss to Michael McDonald at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Michael McDonald beats Alex Soto via KO at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Michael McDonald heads to the locker room after his first-round KO win over Alex Soto at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Ryan Bader def. Jason Brilz via first-round KO at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Ryan Bader celebrates after knocking out Jason Brilz at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Ryan Bader celebrates after knocking out Jason Brilz at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Ryan Bader punches Jason Brilz at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar attacks from top of Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar controls Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar takes a breather in between rounds at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar mounts Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar knees Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Kyle Kingsbury punches Stephan Bonnar at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Kyle Kingsbury punches Stephan Bonnar at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar battles Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Stephan Bonnar eats a punch from Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Dan Henderson celebrates with his team after beating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via unanimous decision at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Dan Henderson def. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via unanimous decision at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Maurico "Shogun" Rua ground and pounds Dan Henderson at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Maurico "Shogun" Rua mounts Dan Henderson at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Maurico "Shogun" Rua ground and pounds Dan Henderson at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos The face of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is a mess as he readies for the fifth round at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Dan Henderson exhausted heading into the fifth and final round against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Dan Henderson punches Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Dan Henderson punches Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Dan Henderson controls Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Mauricio "Shogun" Rua punches Dan Henderson at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Dan Henderson ground and pounds Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Dan Henderson ground and pounds Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Mauricio "Shogun" Rua kicks Dan Henderson at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Mauricio "Shogun" Rua punches Dan Henderson at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Mauricio "Shogun" Rua punches Dan Henderson at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Dan Henderson punches Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Dan Henderson uppercuts Maurico "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Urijah Faber calls out bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz after Faber's win at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Urijah Faber def. Brian Bowles via submission (guillotine choke) at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Urijah Faber submits Brian Bowles with a guillotine choke at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Urijah Faber looks to finish Brian Bowles at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Urijah Faber punches Brian Bowles at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Urijah Faber punches Brian Bowles at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Brian Bowles charges Urijah Faber at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos

  Urijah Faber punches Brian Bowles at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva def. Cung Le via second-round TKO at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos The doctor attends to Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva celebrates his win over Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva gets up after stopping Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva punches Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva celebrates his TKO win over Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Cung Le is backed against the cage at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva knees Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva collides with Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva charges after Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Cung Le kicks Wanderlei Silva at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva hits Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva blocks one of Cung Le's strikes at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Cung Le feels the pain of Wanderlei Silva's strikes at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva kicks Cung Le at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le clash at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Cung Le throws a kick at Wanderlei Silva at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Cung Le tries a spinning backfist on Wanderlei Silva at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
• UFC 139 Photos Cung Le throws a kick at Wanderlei Silva at UFC 139 on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Good Call
Chris Weidman is to be commended for immediately alerting the referee that he had choked out Tom Lawlor. The fighters and the referee are all in a difficult position when a fighter passes out from a choke and the ref doesn't realize it, but Weidman did the best thing he could, telling the ref that Lawlor was out. The ref then stepped in and separated the two of them, and Lawlor was back on his feet moments later.

Bad Call
The judge who gave Rafael dos Anjos a 29-28 decision over Gleison Tibau should be forced to publicly explain it -- that's a tough score to understand. The other two judges scored it 30-27 and 29-28 for Tibau.

Stock Up
Michael McDonald looks like a future UFC bantamweight champion. McDonald needed just 56 seconds to knock out Alex Soto -- a man who entered the fight undefeated -- and is now 14-1 in his MMA career, at only 20 years old. I'd love to see McDonald get a Top 10 opponent in his next fight.

Stock Down
Jason Brilz is reeling right now, with back-to-back ugly knockout losses, first to Vladimir Matyushenko in April and now to Ryan Bader on Saturday. When Brilz lost a hard-fought split decision to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in May of 2010, a lot of people thought he deserved to win and would have some big fights ahead of him. Unfortunately, Brilz now looks like he's on the verge of getting cut from the UFC.

Fight I Want to See Next
Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans. Henderson vs. Evans would be a great fight, and a great way to determine who's the next contender for the light heavyweight belt. Evans has already been promised a title shot, of course, but the way the timing has worked out, I don't think it's realistic for Evans to wait around for the Jon Jones-Lyoto Machida winner. If Henderson and Evans are both healthy and ready to fight in early 2012, that's the fight to make.