(video via UFC)

Is UFC 159 going to be the night where Chael Sonnen finally lives out his ultimate under dog fantasy or will Jon Jones do what he always does and simply prove too much for his opponent and make his case as the best Light Heavyweight champion who has ever fought for the UFC? Sonnen again thanks to his gift of gab has managed to talk his way into a title shot and hype up the fight. He would be the strongest wrestler that Jones has ever faced but will that be enough? Jones has never been taken down in a fight and has only gone to decision once. Sonnen will have to finish the champ or keep him on the ground and punish him from the top enough to win at least 3 rounds convincingly. Our opinion? He won't be able to do it. Sonnen isn't known for his finishes or dangerous punching power and while he might score the ocassional take down, keeping Jones down will be different matter. Jones has the reach, cardio to go a full 5 round fight,, proved he can stay calm under pressure, and is too well coached. He should have an answer for anything Sonnen will bring. 

UFC on Fox 7 was a PPV worthy card stacked with great fights and they most of them delivered the action. The biggest question was whether UFC could muster up the same numbers as their prior fights on FOX without the marketing muscle of the NFL on FOX to push it. While the numbers were down slightly, it still delivered a strong viewership with initial numbers coming in at 3.31 million views. From the early fights on FX the finishes kept coming with 2 Knock Out of the Night Bonuses awarded to Josh Thomson and Yoel Palacio and Fight of the Night going to Matt Brown's slugfest with Jordan Mein. All four men went home $50,000 richer for their efforts. 

The main event featured Benson Henderson defending his lightweight title against Gilbert Melendez in another razor thin decision being eeked out by the champ. Although there was some controversy in the scoring especially considering one of the judges was later found out to be a Cesar Gracie affiliate, the decision did go to Henderson. FightMetric stats supported the fact that Bendo did outscore and outstrike El Nino. Melendez also admitted he "took his foot off the gas" after round two and that was enough to give the advantage to the champ. Melendez was obviously heartbroken over the decison but he did show that he does belong among the best in the lightweight division. Team Skrap Pack however now falls 0-5 in their quest for UFC gold. Nick Diaz and Jake Shields fell victim to Georges St Pierre, Nick Diaz also lost to Carlos Condit, and Nate Diaz was defeated by Henderson is his title shot. Melendez probably came the closest to winning the title that night but his team mate didn't fare so well. Nate Diaz was knocked out for the first time in his career via brutal head kick courtesy of Josh Thomson. 

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