COMMENTARY | UFC Fight Night 36 wasn’t much different from the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s previous event, with only two finishes on the entire card.

Lyoto Machida used the opportunity to strengthen his bid for the next shot at the UFC’s middleweight strap after Vitor Belfort and the defending champion, Chris Weidman, settle their differences on May 24 at UFC 173.

A few others fighters also used the opportunity to cement their standing in their respective divisions, while others weren’t able to get much going.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from the UFC Fight Night 36 card held on Feb. 15 at the Arena Jaragua in Santa Catarina, Brazil:

WINNERS:

1. Lyoto Machida

Machida is well known for his low output during fights, but he turned a corner at UFC Fight Night 36. Despite the fact a majority of his five-rounder with Mousasi was spent standing up, Machida entertained fans with his diverse arsenal of strikes, putting a lot more pressure on Mousasi than many expected.

Lyoto kept up the pace for the entire duration of the bout, making it clear the drop down to 185 pounds doesn’t affect his cardio negatively.

It was a dominant performance by Machida against a game opponent, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when all three judges gave him the nod afterwards. The UFC’s brass was just as impressed with Machida’s performance, dubbing it the “Fight of the Night.”

2. Erick Silva’s heel kicks

It’s hard to give Silva any credit for his performance at UFC Fight Night 36 given the fact his opponent, Takenori Sato, was pretty much brought in to lose to the Brazilian. However, “Indio” deserves all the credit in the world for the reverse heel kicks he used to soften Sato up before the explosive TKO finish early in the first round.

If you missed the action, here’s a replay of the unorthodox strikes.

It was a nifty little technique I don’t recall ever seeing inside the Octagon, and it certainly got all the hardcore MMA fans and weekend warriors talking.

3. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Souza passed another tough test at UFC Fight Night 36, using his solid positioning and control to edge out a decision against Francis Carmont. The performance wasn’t enough to leapfrog Jacare past Machida in the race for a middleweight title shot, in my opinion, but it was enough to prove the Brazilian’s days of struggling against athletic wrestlers are over.

Notable mentions: Charles Oliveira, Nicholas Musoke, Ildemar Alcantara, and Gegard Mousasi.

LOSERS:

1. Viscardi Andrade

Andrade hurt Musoke early in their UFC Fight Night 36 encounter, but, instead of aggressively pursuing the finish, he elected to celebrate prematurely.

Not surprisingly, that turned out to be a huge mistake as Musoke took over the action from that point, dominating Andrade for the remaining two and a half rounds.

2. Mario Yamasaki

A poor call by Yamasaki almost tainted the results of a rather competitive fight between Maximo Blanco and Felipe Arantes — which was even on my scorecard heading into the final round. An inside leg kick thrown by Blanco strayed from its target and found Arantes’ family jewels, and Yamasaki made a bad situation even worse, taking a point away from Blanco for his first infraction of the night.

Fortunately, Arantes ended up getting the better of the exchanges, edging out the third round, so Yamasaki’s bad call didn’t affect the outcome of the bout.

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Former teammates Rashad Evans and Jon Jones will finally settle their differences, when the two meet inside the Octagon at UFC 145. The event is scheduled for April 21, at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA. Here are my predictions for the entire UFC 145 fight card:

Jon Jones versus Rashad Evans

Jones’ takedown defense will be put to the test when he faces Evans at UFC 145. Evans is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC, and he has been able to dominate all of his prior opponents – with the exception of Lyoto Machida – with his grappling abilities. However, Jones is also a solid wrestler, and he should be able to get back to his feet or regain top position if the fight hits the canvas. With his long limbs and ever evolving striking, Jones should have a distinct advantage in the standup department, and that will be his key to victory. He’ll eventually catch Evans with a big shot, and finish him off with some brutal elbows. Jones wins via TKO.

Rory MacDonald versus Che Mills

Mills looked awesome in his UFC debut, but he’ll be in for a serious fight when he faces MacDonald on April 21. Simply put, MacDonald is the more experienced MMA fighter, with wins over tough veterans like Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle. MacDonald should be able to withstand Mills’ initial onslaught, and eventually finish the fight. MacDonald wins by submission.

Brendan Schaub versus Ben Rothwell

Schaub fell short in his last fight against Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, but he should be able to get back on track when he faces Ben Rothwell at UFC 145. Rothwell is actually the more experienced fighter, but I’m a little more impressed with Schaub’s performances inside the Octagon. Schaub wins by decision.

Miguel Torres versus Michael McDonald

This should be a very entertaining fight between two solid strikers at UFC 145. McDonald has a very bright future in the sport of MMA, but I’m not sure he’ll be able to hold his own against a well-tested former champion like Torres. Torres wins by submission.

Mark Hominick versus Eddie Yagin

Hominick was humiliated in his last fight against the “Korean Zombie,” but he should be able to bounce right back at UFC 145. Yagin is 0-1 in the UFC, and I wasn’t really impressed with his performance against Junior Assunção. Hominick wins via decision.

Mark Bocek versus John Alessio

Alessio will have his hands full when he faces Bocek at UFC 145. Bocek has a significant advantage in the grappling department, and Alessio has had a lot of problems against grapplers in the past. Bocek wins by submission.

Undercard:

Travis Browne defeats Chad Griggs

Stephen Thompson defeats Matt Brown

Anthony Njokuani defeats John Makdessi

Mac Danzig defeats Efrain Escudero

Chris Clements defeats Keith Wisniewski

Maximo Blanco defeats Marcus Brimage

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Here are the results of the “UFC on Fuel TV 2” fight card held on April 14, at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden:

Alexander Gustafsson defeats Thiago Silva

Gustafsson put on an impressive performance against Silva, dominating the striking exchanges with his sharp foot work and quick combinations. Surprisingly, Silva didn’t really go for any takedowns, sealing his fate against the Swede. All three judges gave Gustafsson the nod, handing him the unanimous decision. At this point, it’s pretty clear Gustafsson will be fighting for the light-heavyweight title in the near future.

Brian Stann defeats Alessio Sakara

Stann didn’t waste any time against Sakara, sending him to the canvas with a barrage of punches, following up with some ground-and-pound. Sakara eventually went limp, bringing an early end to the fight.

Siyar Bahadurzada defeats Paulo Thiago

Bahadurzada made his UFC debut in style, catching Thiago with a short right hand in the first minute of the fight. Thiago immediately went limp, forcing referee Leon Roberts to stop the action.

Dennis Siver defeats Diego Nunes

Clinches and takedowns attempts were rare when these two stepped inside the Octagon, with both fighters electing to trade strikes instead. The result was a very entertaining display of technical striking skills, but Siver looked a little crisper. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Siver.

John Maguire defeats DaMarques Johnson

Both men showed some serious ground skills during their April 14 encounter, but Maguire seemed to have the edge. After going back-and-forth in the second round, Maguire pulled off a slick submission, countering Johnson’s kimura attempt with an armbar.

Brad Pickett defeats Damacio Page

Pickett looked pretty good at “UFC on Fuel TV 2,” surviving a few rough moments in the first round, and dishing out some punishment of his own. He turned it up a notch in the second round, blasting away with some hard shots and ground-and-pound before eventually securing a rear-naked choke.

Undercard:

James Head defeats Papy Abedi (rear-naked choke, round one)

Cyrille Diabate defeats Tom DeBlass (majority decision)

Francis Carmont defeats Magnus Cedenblad (rear-naked choke, round two)

Reza Madadi defeats Yoislandy Izquierdo (guillotine choke, round two)

Simeon Thoresen defeats Besam Yousef (rear-naked choke, round two)

Jason Young defeats Eric Wisely (unanimous decision)

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Former UFC light-heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz, has given MMA fans many awesome memories over the years. And he promises to close out his MMA career with a bang at UFC 148, against fellow former champion Forrest Griffin.

Ortiz has flirted with retirement in the past, but he seems sincere this time around. Besides, Ortiz hasn’t exactly been impressive in the past four years – except in his submission victory over Ryan Bader, and he probably won’t be offered any more fights by the UFC if he decides to change his mind.

“It’s my final hurrah, Forrest brings the best out of me and vice-versa, and on July 7 we’re gonna get some late fireworks,” Ortiz said in an interview with ESPN. “I’ve had some major surgeries but I took the fights anyway, and I’ve shown that I’m able to compete. A lot of athletes don’t compete with injuries, but I have. Those fights with Forrest were tight, and a completion of the trilogy should be the right way to end my career.”

Ortiz won the first encounter between the two, walking way with the split-decision at UFC 59. Forrest evened things out two years later, defeating Ortiz via split-decision at UFC 106. It’s pretty clear both men match up nicely with one another, and it should lead to a pretty competitive fight at UFC 148.

Even though we probably won’t get to see Ortiz inside the Octagon after UFC 148, we might get to see him inside the ring. Ortiz plans to explore his various options after retiring from MMA, and he’s not ruling out professional wrestling.

“I’ve got a lot of options,” Ortiz added. “I’ve seen Brock Lesnar go back to the WWE, that’s something I may entertain, do some ‘theatrical entertainment’ as they call it. I’ve got my clothing company, my supplement line Punishment Nutrition, it’s business to me. I’m not going to be able to fight for the rest of my life and I want to leave on my terms.”

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