UFC Double Header: TUF 20 Finale/UFC on Fox in Arizona Results - Sunday Perspective

So another overstuffed Zuffa weekend is in the books, but unlike these usual weekend double headers, it all feels like the sensation of finishing a Thanksgiving dinner. Not something you want all the time, but you got your carb's worth.

There's a lot to talk besides the MMA action. After all, there's a class action lawsuit in the works that could redefine the MMA landscape forever. But today is about reflecting on the fighters who continue to pour their blood, sweat, and tears into what they love. What were the big fight narratives coming out of this weekend?

Women's Strawweight is going to be awesome

• Carla Esparza is the new champion, and frankly, I was pretty impressed. She hasn't always looked great: a little too one dimensional for my taste in the past, but she's looking more and more like some sort of female Frankie Edgar. Very quick, and active ground and pound that is often used to set up better positions. I'm not ready to say she's built for the long hall, but credit where credit is due.
• Rose Namajunas was game, but fought with a little way too much emotion, and began to resemble Chun Li in spots, if Chun Li were controlled by a teenager drinking Red Bull intravenously. I'm still excited about her future. Even with all of the Enter the Dragon attacks in the air, she didn't slow down all that much. The finish was simply the result of an expertly timed takedown into an even better timed scramble.
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk looked awesome, and suitably dirty. I'm not that ashamed to admit that. I can't stand the gross over use of eye pokes, but her crimes were misdemeanors rather than felonies in my opinion. The fight with Gadelha was close, but Joanna's striking alone will make her a threat to anyone. I wouldn't be surprised if she tattoos Esparza something fierce. As an aside, pound for pound hardest name to spell in MMA? I seriously can't spell her last name without double checking wikipedia. Santiago Ponzinibbio is practically a three letter conjuction by comparison.
• Penne vs. Markos was probably my favorite fight of the weekend. I felt like Markos won by a whisker. Penne is unbelievable on the ground, while Markos is just unbelievably tenacious.
• Not much else to report on the female front. Angela Hill looked good, showing why the UFC scouting department was confident in giving her a shot. Calderwood had a way tougher fight on her hands than anyone gave Ham credit for, and I'm shocked anyone gave Calderwood the first round. PS: thanks Tecia Torres!

Rafael dos Anjos' win over Nate Diaz earns him title shot against Anthony Pettis

• I've always been a fan of RDA. I felt like he more or less announced himself to the world in the Tyson Griffin fight all the way in 2009. He's extremely aggressive on the feet, and the ground, and this fight is perfect for both men. Anthony Pettis draws someone who will make him look really good in victory, and just as good in potential defeat.
• As for Diaz, he fought pretty much exactly like how you expected from someone looking for a way out. He was out of shape, listless, and doesn't seem to realize that the allure of the Diaz brothers is that for all the chest thumping they do, their maniacal tough guy posturing is charming because they act the same way outside the cage as they do inside. Tonight was Nate at his least Diaz-iest.

Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic are lucky to be alive

• This fight was kind of hard to watch. Miocic seemed to really wither despite landing big shots, and JDS just looked much much slower. It didn't help that he keeps eating every straight right hand like it's holding a strawberry topped with whip cream. Maybe I'm overreacting, and not giving Miocic enough credit, but I don't see how you can look at either man's performance and think they look better than Miocic vs. Nelson or JDS vs. Hunt.
• Alistair Overeem didn't really return to form, but he picked up a win over a solid HW. You can tell Overeem is still unsure of himself when it comes to kickboxing. Which is understandable. He's been knocked out 3 times in the UFC. So it's nice to see him play to his strengths, as he's always had a pedigree on the ground. But you wonder how much further he can go if he can't be the threat he was once on the feet.
• Credit to Mitrione for looking good in victory over Gonzaga. I'm never confidant picking Gabe, but I did so thinking he'd land his straight hand, and possibly getting to the ground. The latter part turned out to be true, but only after he was mostly unconscious. Mitrione vs. Overeem next?

Mike Kogan says racist crap, and Joe Rogan can be aggressively juvenile

• In case you missed it, Kogan called Randa Markos a raghead, then blamed it on someone at the bar grabbing his phone, despite having a history of similarly racist tweets, and despite calling whoever the perpetrator was "funny".
• What was Joe Rogan thinking with this ill timed joke? Obviously, he wasn't, but still.

The world doesn't need anymore Dario Argento films. They can just watch the UFC instead.

• KJ Noons' eye poke on Daron Cruickshank was one of the most brutal displays of ocular hate I've ever seen. Noons looked like he was aiming for Daron's cerebellum. The worst part is that the fight wasn't a DQ loss for Noons. Whether it was intentional or not, that wasn't Noons first offense, and the only way you'll get fighters to stop this is to establish some actual rules on what's kosher and what isn't. Not only that but John McCarthy handled the aftermath in the dumbest way. The doctor clearly told him that Cruickshank couldn't see, which should have been the end of the discussion. Instead McCarthy insisted twice on giving Daron "more time". Just unbelievable.

Where have all the sportsmen and women gone?

• As on offshoot of my previous point, it's not like Joanna vs. Gadelha was all that different. Joanna kept her fingers wide open everytime the two came together in the clinch, ready to work Gadelha's cut above her eye like a zipper.
• And then there was the Paul Daley suckerpunch from Gadelha after the fight was over. To be honest, I don't know how to unpack this one, motive wise. The ref was in between both women, so it's hard to buy the "I didn't know the fight was over excuse". However, she seemed sincerely repentant immediately after the fact. I think she should be fined, regardless. But nothing extraordinary. Then again I don't think Daley should have been cut either, although the political element should be obvious: Gadelha could be a future belt holder in a division that needs all the contenders it can get. Daley could never be champion in a division overstuffed with them.
• I didn't have that much of a problem with what Willie Gates did to John Moraga. It was shrewd more than sinister, and ultimately, the responsibility is on the ref to make sure both fighters are properly separated, and aware of the conditions (to be fair, Jason Herzog mostly did his job: it was Moraga who seemed intent on continuing the conversation with his back turned to Gates). Personally I don't feel like that just because it's a prizefight we should drop all pretenses of civility, but the universe unfolded as it should have with Moraga picking up the win. Gates seems like he could develop into a solid fighter with a proper camp while Moraga keeps his expert journeyman pace up.