Author James Begley (Staff Writer)

Current UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and title challenger Alistair Overeem won’t be the only large competitors showcased at UFC 146: Overeem vs. Dos Santos in late May. Former top UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga makes his second trip back to the octagon following a lengthy absence against the always double tough Shane Del Rosario.

Returning to the octagon following a loss is never easy for a modern-day MMA competitor, but coming off of four consecutive losses seems downright impossible, on paper. UFC welterweight competitor and fan favorite Dan Hardy has seemingly achieved the improbable by keeping his UFC contract intact after dropping four straight contests in the UFC.

Following an over five-year absence from the UFC, Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller fell the unfortunate victim to the pre-UFC hype machine, and his own media success with the MMA based reality show for MTV Bully Beatdown, when he made his long-awaited return to the UFC. Not only did Miller draw a top Middleweight for his return bout, by being matched up against Michael Bisping, but he would also have to play opposing coach for the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, that aired last year on Spike TV.

The main event for the UFC on Fuel TV 1 event was awesome, and one that left MMA fans wanting more. Jake Ellenberger showed signs of absolute brilliance in the first two rounds of his fight against Diego Sanchez on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t until the last half of the 3rd round that the contest got very interesting. Diego Sanchez showed the heart of a lion, and came back to dominate the last round of a fight that lesser competitors would have given up, had they been put in as precarious of positions that Sanchez was put in during the first two rounds, or to accept the damage sustained by Ellenberger’s razor sharp strikes, and still choose to move forward attempting victory.

Alistair Overeem has taken the UFC heavyweight division by storm with his debut performance that saw him demolish former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in the first round at UFC 141. Although Overeem has had some public troubles as of late that has not stopped the triple heavyweight title holder from moving forward in his quest to obtain the UFC heavyweight championship, as he is to face current champ Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146.

As we are still yet to see what disciplinary action that the Nevada State Athletic Commission will hand down to Nick Diaz following his failed drug test, UFC president Dana White issued a short public statement today in reference to the matter. Diaz’s drug test for UFC 143 yielded positive results for marijuana, and Dana seems none-too-pleased with the news, issuing the following statement to the media today.

The UFC welcomed Strikeforce heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum back to the octagon Saturday night at UFC 143: Condit vs. Diaz, as he took on TUF winner, IFL veteran, and MMA fan favorite ‘Big Country’ Roy Nelson. MMA fans were surprised to see just how comfortable Werdum was standing and striking with the rotund brawler. Fabricio threw every attachment in his MMA Swiss army knife of tricks at Nelson, but Roy just took it like a boss, and kept coming back for more.

The preliminary bouts for the UFC always seem to provide MMA fans with some true gems, and spectacles for the eye, and the fans that witnessed early bouts that aired on FX for the UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit event got to see one of the wickedest first round submission victories in recent memory. The featherweight match-up of Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway started almost as frantically, and quickly, as it ended.