Damian Maia made his welterweight debut against the well versed Dong Hyun Kim, owner of superb judo and wrestling as well as a blossoming striking assault. Kim was considered a slight favorite by many pundits, but a freak injury prevented fans from ever getting a chance to truly see how the two matched up. Maia closed the distance, got ahold of Kim and tossed him to the mat in what looked like your everyday run-of-the-mill takedown. It wasn’t. Kim suffered an injury upon hitting the mat, and the fight was over in under a minute. It was overtly apparent that Kim’s ribs took the brunt of the toss, but I’ve yet to see an official release regarding the specifics of the injury (although rumors are circulating that Kim suffered from some form of muscle spasm, which I cannot confirm or disprove). Again, you don’t often see these forms of injuries, especially not when you’ve got two guys who have reputations for being pretty tough dudes.

But the odd happenings of the night didn’t stop there. Tito Ortiz took to the cage for the final fight of his career to battle rival Forrest Griffin for a third time to determine the trilogy’s winner. Forrest earned the decision after an entertaining, back and forth battle, however Griffin is Griffin, and that means strange shenanigans were indeed involved. Immediately after the fight ended, prior to the official announcement, Forrest simply strolled out of the octagon, headed back to the dressing room. Why he responded in this manner may forever remain a mystery, but it was extremely strange all the same. Griffin was eventually ushered back inside the octagon, where he was pronounced the victor. The elephant in the room only grew in size. Before Joe Rogan could begin his post-fight interview with Forrest, the TUF season one vet snatched the microphone and proceeded to conduct a mock interview with Ortiz himself. It was an uncomfortable moment between the two, and Ortiz certainly looked rather disheveled by the fiasco. But still, the nights puzzles were far from finalized.

In the main event Anderson entered the octagon aiming to put the idea that Chael Sonnen is the superior fighter to sleep. He did so, but not without some sketchy moments that have led to the questioning of the legitimacy of the win. First, Silva rubbed a bit of grease on his body before the fight started. This seems to have people up in arms, which I find strange, as this is not only a habit frequently displayed by the champion, but referee Yves Lavigne came right over to wipe it off anyway. Then, for some strange reason, both Silva and Sonnen decided they had an affinity for the other’s shorts’, and took to grasping at trunks. Ultimately, the grabbing of the shorts played little factor in the fight, but it was damn curious all the same. And, finally, the manner in which Silva brought closure to the fight has the MMA world infuriated. After hitting the deck when a spinning back fist from Sonnen failed to meet its mark, Silva launched a vicious knee to the chest of the seated challenger. Upon first viewing, the strike certainly looked to be illegal, as it seemed Silva planted that knee right on the kisser. Replays however showed a different story; the knee hit Chael in the chest, and it was quite obvious (yes, Silva’s thigh made contact with Chael’s face, but that knee hit the chest, not the chin). Another uncomfortable post-fight interview unfolded, and a whole lot of “boos” were hurled at the cage.

It was a strange night. And, while some may still consider the main event controversial, the fact of the matter is, sans some short tugging, Silva performed within the allotted guidelines. He’s still the champion, and his latest defense was indeed legit. So, who’s left in the division to make an interesting fight? I’ve got a few ideas…