(Gustafsson’s post-fight interview and fight highlights, via YouTube.com/UFC)

Alexander Gustafsson took care of business today at UFC Fight Night 37 in London, England, destroying Jimi Manuwa with a barrage of strikes in the second round and retaining his spot at the top of the light-heavyweight contender ladder. Considering that Manuwa wasn’t even ranked in the top ten going into this fight, things played out the way they were supposed to, pretty much. Still, the ease in which Gustafsson ran through his previously-undefeated opponent reminded everyone how dangerous “The Mauler” can be.

After the fight, Gustafsson didn’t mince words about what he wanted:

“Jon Jones, I want my title shot again. I’m ready, here. Whenever you want, man. Whenever you want.”

(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Even though the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Jimi Manuwa, Michael Johnson, and Melvin Guillard all met in the cage in a Fight Pass card in London today, the biggest fight of the weekend wasn’t contested in a cage. It happened over twitter.

MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas tweeted the following yesterday:

A reasonable sentiment, especially in an age where the UFC is going to put on two events in the same day, though the tweet was not specifically directed at the UFC. It was tweeted two minutes after a jape at Bellator’s expense. Dana White ignored such nuances. He took the tweet personally, and responded with 140-character artillery fire this morning:

This week’s Martial Arts Fail was going to re-visit Master Wong—the man who warned us that eye pokes would result in our families being murdered. But midway through the week we received a tip from CagePotato contributor Adam Ackerman. When we watched the video he sent us, we knew it had to be this week’s Martial Arts Fail.

Jay Hieron announced his retirement from MMA competition today via twitter. He retires with a 23-7 record, accrued over 10 years of competition.

(Note: The heavyweights are never photographed below the shoulders.)

Bellator 111 being able to build off Bellator 110‘s momentum was questionable. After all, three fourths of 111′s main card was comprised of heavyweights with questionable cardiovascular conditioning. What could’ve turned into a disaster instead turned into a decent night of fights (though some were not so decent), with the Bellator bantamweight title up for grabs between champion Eduardo Dantas and challenger Anthony Leone.

On the prelims: Up-and-comers Brent Primus and Abdul Razak both looked impressive. We will watch their next fights with interest. However, we can’t say that we’ll do the same for Eric Prindle, a mainstay in Bellator’s heavyweight division. In his loss to Javy Alaya, he displayed a ground game so awful it made James Toney look like Marcelo Garcia.

Also of note on the prelims: The first heavyweight tournament quarterfinal took place. Blagoi Ivanov bested Rich Hale in a tepid decision with not a whole lot of action.

(Part 1 of Igor Vovchanchyn‘s legendary one-night performance in the 1996 Mr. Powerman tournament. Parts 2 and 3 are after the jump.)

(*fans self off with both hands*)

You guys, I don’t want to pull a Danga and curse this thing by simply mentioning it, but there’s a fairly good possibility that we will see the return of the eight-man, one-night tournament in the near future. Specifically, June 27th at the BOK Center in Tulsa. CALM DOWN, GOD DAMMIT. You’re going to blow it!!

Here’s why we shouldn’t immediately dismiss this gift handed down from the heavens as a manipulative, freakshow marketing attempt being made by some obviously struggling promotion (ala the man vs. woman fight in Shooto or Gina Carano in the UFC. Zing!). For starters, the promotion in question is Battlegrounds MMA, the Oklahoma-based promotion of which former Olympian Kenny Monday is the president. Secondly, former Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou is on board as the tournament matchmaker. Thirdly, the promotion has already been granted the go-ahead by the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission, following Battlegrounds managing partner Bryan O’Rourke’s petition to slightly modify the rules passed unanimously.

Read up on the special stipulations for the tournament after the jump, then try not to destroy your computer while thrash dancing in your cubicle.

(Skip to 2:08 to see Georges St. Pierre as “Batroc the Leaper” in this new clip from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. / Props: Marvel Entertainment)

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Video: Khabib Nurmagomedov Takes Daniel Cormier Down in Practice, Is Super Psyched About It (MiddleEasy)

UFC Fighter Cain Velasquez Joins Vince Vaughn’s ‘Term Life’ (Variety)

Stunning New Visions From Ericka Kristen (BabesofMMA)

Takanori Gomi Replaces Danny Castillo, Faces Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC 172 (Sherdog)

The Eight Best ‘South Park’ Video Game Episodes of All Time (HolyTaco)

Photos: Duke Freshman Miriam Weeks Outed as Porn Star Belle Knox (EveryJoe)

The ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’ Official Trailer Is Out, And It’s Awesome (ScreenJunkies)

The 10 Cutest Photos Of Girls In Prom Dresses Holding Guns (TheGloss)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Recreates “David After Dentist” (PopHangover)

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A Very Important And Scientific Ranking Of Jerry’s Girlfriends On ‘Seinfeld’ (Uproxx)

(Props: MMAInsidetheCageTV)

Our old friends Casey Oxendine and Cyrus Fees were at the Arnold Classic last weekend, giving a bunch of MMA stars their first look at Hip Show, the 2-on-2 Russian MMA league that we’ll be sponsoring for its AXS TV debut on March 14th. Aside from Bobby Lashley stating the obvious (“Man, somebody’s gonna die”), everybody was super-positive about it. Some notable quotes…

Mark Coleman: “I wish was 20 years younger, it seems I’d fit right in on what we got goin’ here.”

Don Frye: ”Obviously the Russians have to invent something this fantastic. It’s a step in the right direction for men.”

Lyoto Machida: “I don’t know…it looks crazy, no? But I can try it, just for training maybe.”

Bobby Lashley: ”Have you seen the movie Running Man? This is one step away from there.”

Urijah Faber: “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to watch it.” (Chad Mendes then suggests he and Urijah would “wreck shop” as a 145-pound Hip Show team.)

Ryan Bader: “That’s pretty crazy. I would watch it definitely…I think it would be pretty fun if you had a good partner. [I would choose] Weidman, we’d tag-team some guys over here.”

Shonie Carter: “I got some homies over in the hood off the West Side of Chicago that would love to do this…I’m doin’ this, son. I’m doin’ this. I’m just sayin’. That shit right here? That’s gonna be me.”

When Hip Show comes to the U.S., I’m putting my money on Shonie Carter & West Side Homie TBA. Tune in to AXS TV tonight at 9 p.m. to see Casey and Cyrus discuss Hip Show on Inside MMA, and be sure to watch the best-of special next Saturday, March 14th!

(And to think, it costs exactly as much to step into their world as it did to make this poster!)

In a few short minutes, the official weigh-ins for Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa will transpire from the O2 Arena in London, England. Being that most of us are still resisting the non-urge to purchase UFC Fight Pass, today’s weigh-ins will likely be the closest we come to seeing any of tomorrow afternoon’s fights (legally, at least). So join us after the jump for the quickest weigh-in results on the web, then gather your pitchforks and torches and meet us at the town square to protest the fact that Ilir Latifi still doesn’t have a Wikipedia page. THE YEAR OF LATIFI IS UPON US!!

(Next time I’m at the gym, I’m going to do a thousand steps on the stair climber while wearing UFC gloves, big red headphones, and no shirt, and if anybody says anything to me about it, well…they’re just lucky I’m on probation right now. / Photo via @CarlosCondit)

According to a UFC on FOX tweet sent out yesterday, welterweight contender Carlos Condit will receive a title shot if he’s victorious against Tyron Woodley at UFC 171 on March 15th. It would be Condit’s second shot at the UFC’s unified 170-pound title, following his unsuccessful challenge against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 154 in November 2012.

Since it’s our nature to be critical, let’s start by listing the reasons this plan doesn’t make sense. Condit is currently on a one-fight win streak, and is about to fight a guy ranked just outside of the top ten. If Johny Hendricks defeats Robbie Lawler in the UFC 171 main event and Condit beats Woodley, we’d be getting another Hendricks vs. Condit fight relatively soon after the first one. Can’t we get some fresh contenders in the mix, now that GSP isn’t around? How many opponents do Matt Brown and Dong Hyun Kim have to tear through before they get their shots, damn it? (And obviously, Condit vs. Woodley is one of those matches where only one of the fighters is promised a title shot if he wins, right? Ugh, I hate that.)

Then again, who else besides Condit is ready for a welterweight title fight at this point? You could argue that Brown and Kim haven’t beaten any top contenders yet, and shouldn’t even be in the conversation until they do. There’s also Rory MacDonald floating around near the top of the 170-pound ladder. We’ll let Tyron Woodley himself explain why “Ares” shouldn’t get the next title shot either, because it’s kind of hilarious: