By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

UFC 140 proved to be one of the finest events of the year. The card showcased some outstanding submissions, a few knockouts not to be forgotten anytime soon, and a handful of absolutely vicious battles. It was, in short, the event many mixed martial arts fans have been craving for some time. And rest assured, the event will not be forgotten anytime soon.

To kick things off, ION Television offered a four hour prelim show which enabled fans to witness every bout booked for the event; an extremely, extremely rare occurrence. More significant is the fact that virtually every prelim collision was chalked full of outlandish excitement. From Yves Jabouin’s back and forth war (which resulted in a split decision win for the Canadian, which I personally disagreed with) with Walel Watson to the dazzling debut of John Cholish and the shocking knockout of Krzysztof Soszynski at the fists of Igor Pokrajac, the undercard absolutely dazzled. But that was only the beginning.

The heavily favored Mark Hominick proved that reckless is not the way to fight, as underdog Chan Sung Jung capitalized on a massive mistake from Hominick, who clearly underestimated his opponent; swinging with little respect for Jung’s power, and paying the price in a mere seven seconds. One could consider the bout a front runner for upset of the year. But the insanity didn’t subside there.

Tito Ortiz was pummeled to the point of surrender when “Lil Nog” finished the former champion with body shots, of all things. The massive surprises however loomed, as Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira engaged in one of the most stunning bouts of the decade. “Big Nog” looked the best we’ve seen him in years early on, punishing Mir with an assortment of strikes, and nearly finishing his American counterpart early. But oh how the tides change. Nog became overzealous in search of the finish, and he paid for it. After badly hurting Mir in the standup exchanges, Antonio ran into what must be considered the brain fart of the decade. The fight eventually hit the mat, and the Brazilian looked to be on the verge of finishing the former two time champion in Mir. But Frank showed tremendous heart and rallied in a way we rarely see. A hectic scramble ended with Mir on top, kimura locked tight, and ever the warrior that Antonio is, he refused to tap to the submission. It was ultimately one of the largest mistakes of the Brazilians career, as Mir reversed positions, applied a tight kimura, and proceeded to snap Nog’s arm in hideous fashion; replays are even difficult to watch.

The defeat could leave Minotauro on the shelf for an extended period of time, and questions now loom as to whether or not the former Pride and UFC heavyweight champion will ever compete again. It was a heart breaking finale to a stimulating fight, and if the injury marks the end of Nogueira’a career, well, it will be a sad, but not shocking conclusion; that bone break was hideous, and could certainly signal the end of one of the divisions greatest fighters careers.

The main event however proved just as shocking. Lyoto Machida managed to do what no other man has done: legitimately test the physical and mental fortitude of the stellar Jon Jones. For the first time in his octagon career, Jones found himself in trouble, eating a plethora of punches, one of which sent the champion sprawling across the cage on wobbly legs. Jones managed to survive, but the first round looked to be Lyoto Machida’s, despite what cageside judges believed (and scored). The second round however, proved to be a completely different story.