Travis Browne kicks Alistair Overeem on his way to a knockout win. Photo via Getty Images.

UFC Fight Night 26 was a fight card that was hyped as one of the most stacked ever, but it didn’t feel that way going into last Saturday night. The main and co-main events were fights where 75 percent of the combatants were coming off losses, so it was difficult to buy into what was being served up by the promoter.

But the tone quickly changed once the prelims started.

With seven finishes (three submissions and four knockouts), UFC Fight Night 26 lived up to the hype and changed fortunes for several competitors involved.

Chael Sonnen is still a formidable middleweight

In his post-fight interview, Chael Sonnen calls out Wanderlei Silva. Photo via Getty Images.

Yes, he talks a lot. Yes, he has a pro wrestling schtick that’s getting tiresome a lot of people. And yes, he was brutally beaten up in his previous two fights. But Chael Sonnen, a middleweight, took a fight to a guy many consider a top 10 light heavyweight and dominated him from beginning to end, submitting Shogun Rua in the first round. And it’s not as though he got lucky doing it.

Sonnen recently moved to Southern California after the gym that he had been training at in Oregon closed up shop. With the move came a new home and team in Reign Training Center, led by fellow middleweight contender Mark Munoz. More times than not, a major geographical move like that would be a distraction in preparing to feature in the main event of a UFC card. But, evidently, this wasn’t the case for the “American Gangster.”

Sonnen implemented his game plan, shooting in for a classic takedown as soon as the fight began, neutralizing any offense Rua had in mind. And once the takedown occurred, Sonnen let the former Pride Grand Prix winner have it with 58 strikes landed. That’s a steep comparison to what Rua landed with nine, according to FightMetric.com.

Shogun, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, is no slouch on the ground, so it’s perplexing to wonder why — beyond being exhausted from defending himself on the ground — the fighter would give up his head for an obvious guillotine. Regardless of why, Sonnen took full advantage and finished the fight at 4:47 of the opening frame.

Sonnen has fought at light heavyweight before, but UFC fans are used to seeing him fight one division below at 185 pounds. His recent UFC stretch at middleweight has him losing to Anderson Silva (twice), with his only other loss in the division to Demian Maia, who isn’t even a middleweight anymore. Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami, Brian Stann and Michael Bisping all tried to top Sonnen, but none had their hands raised at the end of their matches with him. With a run like that, it’s difficult to say this man is done at 185 pounds. The Shogun win just puts the icing on the cake.

And now Sonnen wants to take care of business with Wanderlei Silva, calling out “The Axe Murderer” during his post-fight interview, as seen in the video below.

“Wanderlei Silva, in three months: you and the bad guy,” Sonnen so eloquently said.

And while a fight with Silva sounds appealing, given the history the two have that started with a car ride wherein Sonnen gets threatened to have his teeth knocked out, there’s another middleweight that wants a piece.

Vitor Belfort has shot down every fight offer the UFC has given him since beating Luke Rockhold earlier this year, but Sonnen’s performance may have woken up the “old lion.” Belfort wants Sonnen, and if you follow me on Twitter you’ll know I’m OK with this.

Sonnen is ranked No. 9 in the UFC rankings, but I don’t see a problem with a No. 1-contender fight between him and Belfort. Rankings are, after all, next to meaningless these days in UFC matchmaking involving Sonnen.

Alistair Overeem has lost his luster; beware of Travis Browne

Photo via Getty Images.

Once upon a time, Alistair Overeem was a big, scary man that anyone above 206 pounds feared when staring at him from across a ring or cage. “The Reem” toppled opponents outside of the Octagon, earning championship belts in DREAM, Strikeforce, and even a kickboxing title in K-1. Impressive.

With accolades galore and a reputation for being the most dangerous striker in the heavyweight division, Overeem came to the UFC in 2011 with a promise that he’ll add to his collection of gold belts by first decimating Brock Lesnar (which he did, to his credit) followed by then-champion Junior dos Santos. Sounds great and all, but Overeem’s talk and muscular physique were the only things big about his UFC performances.

Overeem was knocked out by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 156, then met Travis Browne’s front kick before being knocked out last Saturday. As a result, the once-most-feared heavyweight is on a two-fight losing streak and the aura of Overeem has dwindled down from a solar flare into a faint glimmer with questionable endurance and a suspect chin.

With the loss, Overeem’s chances of collecting that coveted UFC heavyweight belt are further away than when he was beating up tomato cans in DREAM. It’s a shame, really, because the thought of Overeem being the No. 1 contender made MMA fans shake with excitement in early 2012.

Now, it will likely never happen. What a letdown.

If there’s anything else that can be taken away from UFC Fight Night’s co-main event, it’s that Browne deserves all the credit in the world for surviving an early first-round onslaught that could have been stopped by the referee in any other fight. For a moment, it looked as though Overeem was about to get a technical-knockout win by landing several knees to Browne’s body and hammering down punches while the fighter crouched over, covering his head.

To the surprise of many, Browne got up. And sure enough, Overeem gassed out.

Browne then applied several front kicks before landing one square on his opponent’s chin, sending the mammoth Overeem to the canvas for the last time in the fight. Two hammer fists later, it was all over.

The win brings Browne to a 6-1-1 record in the UFC, the only loss being a TKO at the hands of “Bigfoot.” One has to ask: If Browne hadn’t injured his knee during the Silva fight, would the outcome be the same? It’ll be interesting to see what would happen if the two are pitted in a rematch with a healthy Travis Browne and a “Bigfoot” needing a win to avoid two losses in a row. Surely, a win for Browne would put him right up there into talk of title contention, while a loss for Silva could possibly mean a trip to Bellator.

After last Saturday, maybe Silva would meet Overeem there.

Conor McGregor is featherweight’s cash cow

Conor McGregor gets massive greeting from fans during his UFC Fight Night 26 walkout. Photo via Getty Images.

So this Conor McGregor kid is pretty good, huh?

With his win over Max Holloway, McGregor further set his place in the UFC’s 145-pound division — as if being a prelim fighter getting his own pre-fight media workout wasn’t enough of an indication. The Irishman displayed an array of striking techniques for people to marvel at, outpointing Holloway for the duration of three rounds, even earning a 10-8 score on one of the judges’ scorecards.

Saturday was nothing less than a dominant performance for McGregor, and as great as it was it panned out to be the first decision win of his career. While some might scoff at the win, complaining that anything less than a knockout or submission is a disappointment, few take into consideration that McGregor went 15 minutes without looking like he was running low on energy.

The guy has stamina, no question.

If the new kid on the block keeps making hits like he did in Boston (yes, that was a NKOTB reference for those wondering) on Saturday, he’ll soon find himself in consideration for a shot at division champ Jose Aldo. There’s no doubt that a striking exchange between the two would be fun to watch. If McGregor’s stamina can last him for five rounds, there’s a good chance he can lay more shots on a weary Aldo, whose championship-round stamina has been questioned in the past.

After two fights in the UFC, McGregor is a shooting star that doesn’t look like it’s burning out any time soon. Skills, confidence and a huge following are all things that McGregor possesses and can help the UFC’s 145-pound division gain some steam against their heavier colleagues.

More Irishman, please.

*****

“The Guard Past” is a post-fight column by GRACIEMAG Assistant Editor Erik Fontanez.

Photo via Getty Images

UFC Fight Night 26 took place last Saturday in Boston, and the card was full of slick submissions and devastating knockouts.

Check out some of the best finishes of the night with the videos below.

Chael Sonnen guillotines Shogun Rua

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rexhjiOL3_0

Travis Browne front kicks Alistair Overeem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G0HYU8VksI

Matt Browne grounds and pounds Mike Pyle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amTSRYq5-xw

Stevven Siler puts out Mike Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAMWS1IgyR4

Michael McDonald triangles Brad Pickett

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAu8m-pBMH8

UFC Fight Night 26
Shogun vs. Sonnen
August 17, 2013
TD Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

Main Card:

Chael Sonnen def. Shogun Rua via submission (guillotine) at 4:47, Round 1

Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem via knockout (strikes) at 4:08, Round 1

Urijah Faber def. Yuri Alcantara by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

Matt Brown def. Mike Pyle by KO (punches) at 0:29, Round 1

John Howard def. Uriah Hall via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Michael Johnson def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)

Prelims:

Michael McDonald def. Brad Pickett by submission (triangle) at 3:43, Round 2

Conor McGregor def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Steven Siler def. Mike Brown via KO at 0:50, Round 1

Diego Brandao def. Daniel Pineda by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Prelims on Facebook:

Manny Gamburyan def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Ovince St. Preux def. Cody Donovan via knockout (punches) at 2:07, Round 1

James Vick def. Ramsey Nijem via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:58, Round 1

With one of the best cards presented in 2013, the UFC came to Boston at the TD Garden Arena, and marked an event of great emotion to viewers in August 17. Among the emotions were a surprise in Chael Sonnen finishing Shogun in the first round, and Alistar Overeem nearly getting by Travis Browne, who survived an onslaught to turn around and knock out the Dutchman with a devastating front kick.

The main event of UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen promised to cap off a night of great matches. Sonnen, as was expected, opened the fight with taking Shogun down. The Brazilian did not recover and the American wrestler worked from on top.

Shogun tore himself away and stood but gave up his neck to Sonnen, who do not think twice about pushing the Brazilian bring to the guard, tightening the guillotine, getting the tap out. Sonnen’s submission win was at the end of the first round.

Of course, Sonnen grabbed the microphone, issuing a challenge to Wanderlei Silva. Will this fight happen? Only time will tell.

In the co-main event, Alistair Overeem sought redemption from his loss to Antonio Silva in facing Travis Browne. Showing customary precision, Overeem began shortening the clash with fists, pressing Browne against the cage and unleashing with massive strikes. Tight punches and knees to the ribs looked as though Browne was headed to another defeat in the UFC. Yamasaki came close to stopping the fight, but did not.

Browne survived and came back to the feet. Having an opponent visibly tired, Browne saw a chance to react and did not take long to take advantage. With a precise kick, like that of Anderson Silva over Vitor Belfort, Browne dropped Overeem and not more than two punches were enough to secure a win for Travis Browne at 4:08 of the first round.

Yuri Alcantara vs. Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber entered the cage to fight Yuri Alcantara in a battle of featherweights. The clash, which was the fourth main card, started with a demonstration of the power by Alcantara, who took the fight to the ground and secured Faber’s back. From there, Alcantara landed several strikes on Faber, and a came close to getting a TKO. However, the American fighter managed to escape the grasp and turned the tides. Faber reversed position, lifted Alcantara and slammed him to the ground.

In the second round, Alcantara tried once more to start with a flurry, applying a high kick that bewildered Faber, but the experienced fighter took his opponent down and applied another series of elbows on the Brazilian, who failed to react. In the third round, more of the same: takedown, ground control and sharp elbows. The Alcantara still tried to finish, trying to save the good old Jiu-Jitsu, but without success. Judges’ decision was a unanimous decision for “The California Kid.”

Mike Brown vs. Mike Kyle 

Mike Brown took little time to finish Mike Kyle in their main card fight, getting the TKO in the first round.

Brown was able to take his opponent down and started raining punches from top control. Swining Kyle’s legs out of the way, Brown landed a fierce punch to put Kyle out cold as the veteran laid on his back. With his eyes in the back of his head, the referee stepped in and saved Kyle from further punishment.

Brown finished off Kyle at 0:29 of the opening round to get his sixth win in a row, calling out welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in the process.

Other Main Card Results

John Howard def. Uriah Hall via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Michael Johnson def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)

Prelims Results

Michael McDonald def. Brad Pickett by submission (triangle) at 3:43, Round 2

Conor McGregor def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Steven Siler def. Mike Brown via KO at 0:50, Round 1

Diego Brandao def. Daniel Pineda by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Prelims on Facebook:

Manny Gamburyan def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Ovince St. Preux def. Cody Donovan via knockout (punches) at 2:07, Round 1

James Vick def. Ramsey Nijem via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:58, Round 1

UFC Fight Night 26 takes place tonight, starting 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT. Catch all the quick results below as the fights are happening.

UFC Fight Night 26
Shogun vs. Sonnen
August 17, 2013
TD Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

Main Card:

Chael Sonnen def. Shogun Rua via submission (guillotine) at 4:47, Round 1

Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem via knockout (strikes) at 4:08, Round 1

Urijah Faber def. Yuri Alcantara by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

Matt Brown def. Mike Pyle by KO (punches) at 0:29, Round 1

John Howard def. Uriah Hall via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Michael Johnson def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)

Prelims:

Michael McDonald def. Brad Pickett by submission (triangle) at 3:43, Round 2

Conor McGregor def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Steven Siler def. Mike Brown via KO at 0:50, Round 1

Diego Brandao def. Daniel Pineda by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Prelims on Facebook:

Manny Gamburyan def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Ovince St. Preux def. Cody Donovan via knockout (punches) at 2:07, Round 1

James Vick def. Ramsey Nijem via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:58, Round 1

Tonight’s UFC Fight Night 26 card starts at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT, and GRACIEMAG.com brings you the first three prelim fights in the player above.

Be sure to check out our LIVE RESULTS as the fights are happening.

Cover photo used courtesy of Esther Lin for MMAFighting.com.

Watch the UFC Fight Night 26 weigh-ins replay on GRACIEMAG.com in the video player above. Full results for the card below.

UFC Fight Night 26
Shogun vs. Sonnen
August 17, 2013
TD Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

Main Card:
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (205) vs. Chael Sonnen (205)
Alistair Overeem (255.5) vs. Travis Browne (236)
Urijah Faber (135.5) vs. Yuri Alcantara (136)
Matt Brown (171) vs. Mike Pyle (170)
Uriah Hall (184) vs. John Howard (185)
Joe Lauzon (155) vs. Michael Johnson (156)

Prelims:
Brad Pickett (135.5) vs. Michael McDonald (135.5)
Conor McGregor (146) vs. Max Holloway (145)
Mike Brown (145.5) vs. Steven Siler (145.5)
Diego Brandao (146) vs. Daniel Pineda (144.5)

Prelims on Facebook:
Manny Gamburyan (145.5) vs. Cole Miller (146)
Cody Donovan (204) vs. Ovince St. Preux (205.5)
Ramsey Nijem (156) vs. James Vick (155)

UFC bantamweight Yuri Alcantara is getting set to face Urijah Faber this weekend at UFC Fight Night 26. To prepare for the tough match-up with “The California Kid,” Alcantara enlisted the help of an MMA legend.

Wanderlei Silva not only helped train the 135-pound fighter for Saturday’s card, he gave words of wisdom, as well as some advice to motivate.

“To have your hands raised at the end of this fight will be great for Brazil,” Silva told his fellow countryman in the video.

Alcantara, a 33-year-old veteran of more than 30 fights, will likely face his biggest challenge in Faber, and getting help from someone nicknamed “The Axe Murderer” sounds like a good plan when going into a tough fight.

Check out the video above and get a behind-the-scenes look at Alcantara’s preparation for UFC Fight Night 26. Also see the full fight card below.

UFC Fight Night 26
Shogun vs. Sonnen
August 17, 2013
TD Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

Main Card:
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-7) vs. Chael Sonnen (27-13-1)
Alistair Overeem (36-12-1) vs. Travis Browne (14-1-1)
Urijah Faber (28-6) vs. Yuri Alcantara (28-4)
Matt Brown (17-11) vs. Mike Pyle (25-8-1)
Uriah Hall (7-3) vs. John Howard (20-8)
Joe Lauzon (22-8) vs. Michael Johnson (12-8)

Prelims:
Brad Pickett (23-7) vs. Michael McDonald (15-2)
Conor McGregor (13-2) vs. Max Holloway (7-2)
Mike Brown (26-8) vs. Steven Siler (22-10)
Diego Brandao (17-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (18-9)

Prelims on Facebook:
Manny Gamburyan (12-7) vs. Cole Miller (19-7)
Cody Donovan (8-2) vs. Ovince St. Preux (13-5)
Ramsey Nijem (8-3) vs. James Vick (4-0)

MMA H.E.A.T. streamed the UFC Fight Night conference call and GRACIEMAG.com brings it to you above. Call begins at the 7:09 mark of the video.

UFC Fight Night 26
Shogun vs. Sonnen
August 17, 2013
TD Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

Main Card:
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-7) vs. Chael Sonnen (27-13-1)
Alistair Overeem (36-12-1) vs. Travis Browne (14-1-1)
Urijah Faber (28-6) vs. Yuri Alcantara (28-4)
Matt Brown (17-11) vs. Mike Pyle (25-8-1)
Uriah Hall (7-3) vs. John Howard (20-8)
Joe Lauzon (22-8) vs. Michael Johnson (12-8)

Prelims:
Brad Pickett (23-7) vs. Michael McDonald (15-2)
Conor McGregor (13-2) vs. Max Holloway (7-2)
Mike Brown (26-8) vs. Steven Siler (22-10)
Diego Brandao (17-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (18-9)

Prelims on Facebook:
Manny Gamburyan (12-7) vs. Cole Miller (19-7)
Cody Donovan (8-2) vs. Ovince St. Preux (13-5)
Ramsey Nijem (8-3) vs. James Vick (4-0)

Chael Sonnen (pictured) is awaiting an OK from the commission in Boston to fight on Aug. 17. Photo by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.

Chael Sonnen is still unlicensed to fight “Shogun” Rua at Aug. 17’s UFC Fight Night in Boston, and representatives from the local commission are having closed-door meetings to determine if the fighter is properly using testosterone-replacement therapy while competing in the UFC.

According to a report on Wednesday by MMAjunkie.com, the Department of Public Safety (DPS), the government body that oversees MMA in the state of Massachusetts, elected to hold the meeting following a complaint from New York-based union Unite Here.

“The executive session is to determine what acceptable levels of testosterone are for people who have a medical reason for testosterone supplements,” DPS representative Terrel Harris told the website.

Harris declined comment on what the complaint entailed, and UFC officials also wouldn’t comment on the matter.

“The commissioners will sit in and they’ll hammer out the issue,” Harris said. “When they’ve made a final decision, they’ll let everybody know what that decision is.

“Right now, he’s not even licensed.”

Harris added that the decision to license Sonnen will be made relatively soon, given the short amount of time before the scheduled fight card, according to the report.

UFC Fight Night 26
Shogun vs. Sonnen
August 17, 2013
TD Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

Main Card:
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-7) vs. Chael Sonnen (27-13-1)
Alistair Overeem (36-12-1) vs. Travis Browne (14-1-1)
Urijah Faber (28-6) vs. Yuri Alcantara (28-4)
Matt Brown (17-11) vs. Mike Pyle (25-8-1)
Uriah Hall (7-3) vs. John Howard (20-8)
Joe Lauzon (22-8) vs. Michael Johnson (12-8)

Prelims:
Brad Pickett (23-7) vs. Michael McDonald (15-2)
Conor McGregor (13-2) vs. Max Holloway (7-2)
Mike Brown (26-8) vs. Steven Siler (22-10)
Diego Brandao (17-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (18-9)

Prelims on Facebook:
Manny Gamburyan (12-7) vs. Cole Miller (19-7)
Cody Donovan (8-2) vs. Ovince St. Preux (13-5)
Ramsey Nijem (8-3) vs. James Vick (4-0)