LAS VEGAS - For UFC middleweight slugger Chris Leben, the past two weeks have certainly been a strange and wonderful
journey.

Two weeks, two fights, two wins, two "Fight Night" bonus checks, and
after his stunning UFC 116 submission of Yoshihiro Akiyama, two
second-round finishes.

At least as far as "The Crippler" remembers it.

A much cooler, calmer and more respectful Brock Lesnar showed his face last evening following his come from behind strangulation of the previously undefeated Shane Carwin during the main event of UFC 116 in Las Vegas.

Gone was the brash, controversial Lesnar who stalked the cage following his previous outing, flipping off fans and disrespecting sponsors, and in his place stood a level-headed athlete showing the sort of class and charisma many have come to expect from a champion.

Lesnar had previously dissed UFC affiliate Bud Light following his UFC 100 mauling of Frank Mir, and more recently took a light-hearted jab at Direct TV during the pre-fight press conference leading up to UFC 116. However, when asked how he planned to celebrate folowing his victory over Carwin, Lesnar had UFC President Dana White grinning from ear to ear with his statements.

“I’m gonna go home and watch some Direct TV, drink Bud Light, and ride my Harley Davidson,” said Lesnar immediately following UFC 116.

And while Stephan Bonnar, who TKO’d Krzysztof Soszynski two fights prior to Lesnar’s showdown with Carwin, went on record to describe the sensatuion he received from fighting on the card as being “better than sex” during the post-fight press conference to UFC 116, Brock would tend to disagree.

“I don’t know if it’s better than sex… it’s great. It’s right up there. I really enjoy it,” said the UFC Heavyweight Champion, keeping it real following Bonnar’s candid remark.

Lemoore, Calif. – John Alessio didn’t stress too much over his opponent change for Friday, July 9’s Tachi Palace Fights “Stars and Strikes” mixed martial arts show at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif.

“I definitely want to first just say that I hope (Brad) Blackburn heals up soon and that I was really looking forward to that fight. I’m very happy that Tachi Palace Fights didn’t have me sitting around waiting for an opponent and they didn’t just cut the fight. They had some one right away and I really appreciate that,” said Alessio, who will take on War Machine in the co-main event at the Palace.

War Machine (11-3) will replace Blackburn, who had to withdraw from the bout because of a cut.

“War Machine has a good record at 11-3 and won six of his last seven fights. I will be ready, but I don’t see any problems for me in this fight. I don’t see any aspect of the game that he is better than me at. He is a tough dude and probably come in swinging to take my head off.”

This will be War Machine’s final fight before he is scheduled to spend a year in a San Diego jail, according to his Twitter account. War Machine was a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 6″ and previously was known as Jon Koppenhaver before a legal name change.

He was arrested May 30 outside Thruster’s Lounge in San Diego under suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

“I’m glad I got this fight. I need to make some money to leave with my wife while I’m locked up. Took this fight on very short notice, but a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. Jail is going to suck and be so boring can’t wait to get out and fight again,” said War Machine, who last saw action May 15 when he submitted Zach Light.

“I actually trained with Alessio all last year at Xtreme Couture. He’s a well-seasoned vet, real tough with great skills. We had many good sparring sessions the last year. I remember back when I was a youngster; before I ever started fighting I saw him fight in the UFC. John was young, but did great. I thought wow this dude is going to be good,” War Machine added.

Tickets can be purchased at www.tachipalace.com or charge by phone at 1-800-225-2277. Tickets may also be purchased at the Tachi Palace Gift Shop and start at a low price of just $30 for general admission seating.

If you can’t attend the fights you can watch them live on GoFightLive.tv at 6 p.m. PST. Cost of the stream is just $9.99.

In the main event, “Razor” Rob McCullough returns to his roots at the Palace in a catch weight bout with fast-rising star Isaac DeJesus of Fresno, Calif. DeJesus (9-1). DeJesus is the Tachi Palace Fights Featherweight champ and makes the jump up in weight to take on Huntington Beach, Calif.’s McCullough (17-6) at 160 pounds.

“I see this fight being great. Lots of face punching and submission scrambles. I’m looking for an early KO, so I can grab a beer and get back to eating all the junk food I can find before going away,” War Machine said.

This fight is a lot more pivotal in the career of Alessio (28-13), who carries a 4-fight win streak into the contest.

“I’m more ready than ever to fight. I’ve really worked a lot harder than I ever have this last year and trying to get back to the UFC. I’m putting everything into this and been working so hard,” Alessio said. “This is the type of fight that I feel can really put me back in the UFC.”

The 9-bout card is also packed with three title fights, as welterweight champ David Mitchell (10-0) of Santa Rosa, Calif. defends his belt against Lemoore, Calif.’s Poppies Martinez (18-6) and bantamweight title holder Cole Escovedo (16-4) of Fresno, Calif. defends against Oakdale, Calif.’s Michael McDonald (9-1). Also, Rancho Cucamonga Calif.’s Gabe Ruediger (16-5) and Albuquerque, N.M.’s Lenny Lovato (8-0) battle for the Tachi Palace Fights vacant lightweight strap.

Also, UFC veteran David Kaplan (2-3) of Las Vegas, Nev. takes on Oakland, Calif.’s Dominique Robinson (4-4) in a lightweight tilt; Olympic Silver Medalist Stephen Abas (1-0) of Fresno, Calif. makes his return to the Palace in a bantamweight bout with Lemoore, Calif.’s Joey DeLaCruz (1-0); Las Vegas, Nev. lightweight David Bollea (2-0), who is the nephew of wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan, takes on Visalia, Calif.’s Cody Gibson (3-0); and Coalinga, Calif. bantamweight Francisco Loredo (4-5) fights Soledad, Calif.’s Drew Bittner (3-0).

Longtime referee Josh Rosenthal has been given praise from fans and critics alike for the way he handled the main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin during UFC 116 last evening in Las Vegas.

Carwin gave Rosenthal every excuse to stop the fight after he dropped Lesnar with a series of sledgehammers standing and continued the assault on the canvas. The previously undefeated knockout artist had Lesnar in enough trouble to warrant a stoppage in many cases, but this was a championship bout of the highest caliber, and Brock Lesnar is no ordinary man.

Making the ultimate call to allow Lesnar some breathing room during the beating, Rosenthal rightfully allowed Lesnar to continue in the contest, and ultimately come back to stop Carwin via arm-triangle choke in the second round.

UFC President Dana White sung Rosenthal’s praise following the event, and undisputed heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was right there with him.

“I really have to thank the referee for allowing that thing to go on,” said Lesnar shortly following his stunning come from behind victory over Carwin.

And while Lesnar was openly grateful for Rosenthal’s choice to let the fight go when many may have not, he insisted that he “wasn’t hurt” significantly at any point during the bout.

Whether Lesnar was hurt or not, it sure looked like he was, and Brock would be the first to admit that he had his hands full coming into the second round. 

“He was strong on top. He out-boxed me, and he got me, and I’d be the first person to tell everyone that,” said Lesnar. “He’s a beast. He definitely won the first round.

“I knew that I lost the first round but there are still four rounds left. I knew I was in a fight for sure.”

LAS VEGAS - Following the opening of offices in the U.K. and soon Toronto, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is finalizing plans for its third international division.

As UFC president Dana White first suggested in May, the Las Vegas-based promotion next will open an office in mainland China.

In fact, the UFC's Chinese website launched over the weekend, a new division head has been hired, and the office will open "immediately," White said.

A total of six fighters earned “Fight Night” bonuses after Saturday night’s “UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin” event. Earning $75,000 each Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar, Krzysztof Soszynski, Gerald Harris, and Brock Lesnar all walked away with the a bonus after their efforts at UFC 116.

UFC 116 took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

Two “Fight of the Night” awards were handed down to Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar, and Krzysztof Soszynski for their main card bouts. Leben and Akiyama battled back-and-forth for three rounds until the “Crippler” caught the Japanese fighter with a leg triangle, forcing “Sexyama” to tap at 4:40. Bonnar stopped Soszynski by TKO in the second round, avenging a loss to the “Polish Experiment” after their first fight at UFC 110 ended in controversy after “The American Psycho” was cut by an accidental headbutt.

The “Knockout of the Night” was given to Gerald Harris after he knocked out opponent Dave Branch in the third round of their fight. Branch jumped up and locked his legs around Harris in an attempt for a submission, Harris answered by slamming his opponent into the mat knocking Branch out.

Earning a surprising “Submission of the Night” bonus was defending UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who probably surprised everyone, by submitting opponent Shane Carwin with an arm-triangle choke in the second.

LAS VEGAS - Oh, what a difference a year can make.

It was just 12 short months ago that UFC heavyweight champion Brock
Lesnar was foaming at the mouth on ESPN and shooting middle fingers in
the air to a Las Vegas crowd while simultaneously disrespecting UFC
sponsors.

Yet somehow, a condition called diverticulitis that attacked the
intestines of the massive champion also had an effect on his mind, and
following his UFC 116 win over Shane Carwin, Lesnar was nothing but
smiles.

LAS VEGAS - Following each UFC event, hardcore fans like nothing more
than to channel their inner Joe Silva and play UFC matchmaker.

After Saturday night's UFC 116 event in Las Vegas, a pair of
matchups were kicked around including Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva
and the rubber match between "Fight of the Night" winners Stephan Bonnar
and Krysztof Soszynski.

At the evening's post-fight press conference, White ruled out the
possibility of either fight coming to fruition in the near future.

LAS VEGAS - While the excitement of Saturday's UFC 116 event was beyond
what most MMA fans had anticipated prior to the card, another story
surrounding fight week was the career of UFC Hall of Famer Chuck
Liddell.

Liddell was honored on Thursday with a launch party for his Madame
Tussauds wax figure - the first such figure for an MMA fighter - but he
also had dinner that same evening with UFC president Dana White to
discuss his fighting future.

On Saturday, White said the dinner was a success, but his friend and
former champion has yet to make a decision.

LAS VEGAS - UFC president Dana White called Saturday night's UFC 116
main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin "the biggest
heavyweight fight in UFC history," and he's not wasting any time
figuring out what comes next in the division.

As White promised to MMAjunkie.com before this
weekend's event, Cain Velasquez will indeed get the next crack at the
title.

Second in line has already been determined, too, as White announced to a
small group of reporters following UFC 116's post-event press
conference that the winner of the UFC 117 bout between Junior Dos Santos
and Roy Nelson will have the next crack at the title.