The MMA world continued to turn as you were off celebrating Mother's Day, so here's a quick rundown of what you need to know from the weekend.
As you can see from the video highlights, at Bellator Daniel Straus took the featherweight tournament final in a unanimous decision over Marlon Sandro. With that win, Straus will get to vie for the Bellator featherweight belt, which is currently held by Pat Curran. Patricky Freire will fight for it next.
Bellator was also marred by controversy as Waachiim Spiritwolf was winning his bout with Marius Zaromskis. However, Spiritwolf sustained a cut too severe to go on. For if the stoppage was justified, let's turn to veteran MMA journalist Jim Genia:
Tough break for Waachim Spiritwolf on that cut-stoppage, as he was wrecking Marius Zaromskis. However, in no way, shape or form do I question that stoppage. Dr. Sherry Wulkan was the one who waved the bout off, and she's been a ringside physician for more MMA bouts than 99.9% of the world has even read about on the Internet.
Marcin Held won with a quick heel hook, and Marcus Galvao took a decision to earn a spot in the bantamweight tournament finals.
Quarterfinals were underway at set of "The Ultimate Fighter." Before the bouts, Dana White broke the news about Dominick Cruz's torn ACL to both teams before confirming that Cruz will stay on to coach for the rest of the season.
In the first quarterfinal, James Vick pressured Joe Proctor and avoided his submissions to take the two-round decision. Michael Chiesa moved on to the semifinals by scoring a TKO over Justin Lawrence in the third round. Lawrence was considered the favorite coming into the show, so Chiesa's win was an upset.
This Friday, Team Cruz's Vinc Pichel will fight Team Faber's Chris Saunders and a bout between teammates, as Team Faber's Al Iaquinta faces Andy Ogle.
Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz
The UFC middleweight champ, a referee, a cage announcer, and an actor/sensei/officer of the law/shooting glasses wear/leather coat aficionado walk into a bar:
Unfortunately, we don't get to see the end of their scintillating duel over mediocre beer. Does Silva rise up against the man who taught him the kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort? Do they agree the beer is mediocre, forget their feud and start singing with Bruce Buffer at the old timey piano? Does Dan Miragliotta find a hidden beer that he shares along with the secret to his always-glowing tan? There are so many ways this could end. Tell us how you would solve this cliffhanger in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine AndrèÂ
Strikeforce is still on the brain, but let's take a second to check out the other fights that happened this weekend.
At Bellator 69, Mark Kolata qualified for next season's heavyweight tournament with a verbal submission of Abe Wagner with an Achilles lock. As expected, Jessica Aguilar and Megumi Fujii put on a great three-round fight with Aguilar taking the decision. After getting his protective cup situation figured out, Karl Amoussou used his judo and withstood a strong third round from David Rickels to get a decision win and a spot in the Bellator welterweight tournament final against Bryan Baker. In the final of the middleweight tournament, Maiquel Falcao beat Andreas Spang in a decision. He overcame a point deduction for an illegal knee to still win the tournament.
Two more semifinalists were chosen on "The Ultimate Fighter." Team Cruz's Vinc Pichel took the two-round decision from Team Faber's Chris Saunders. Though Saunders thought the fight was going to the third round, the judges said the bout was over. There was no such controversy in the second bout with two Team Faber fighters facing off. Al Iaquinta knocked out Andy Ogle near the end of the first round.
The semifinal match-ups will be James Vick vs. Michael Chiesa and Pichel vs. Iaquinta. Also during the episode, UFC president Dana White announced Urijah Faber's new opponent at UFC 148 will be Renan Barao.
Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert AldanaÂ
Tom Lawlor knocked out Jason MacDonald in under a minute at UFC on Fuel 3 Tuesday and earned a $40,000 Knockout of the Night bonus. It turns out the extra money could not have come at a better time.
Lawlor, who is known for his flamboyant entrances and joking mood, became serious in a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani. When Helwani asked about the pressure to win after coming off a loss at UFC 139, Lawlor admitted that the pressures were financial.
"I'll be honest. I'm broke. I have no money. This money that I got today, it's going to be the first time I've deposited a check in over a year. A year and a half. This is like a big deal to me. I had to borrow money from friends and family just in order to go into this fight. I want to thank them, obviously. This means a lot to me mentally, it means a lot to my bank account."
He recently switched training camps and moved to Massachusetts to be closer to family. The cost of living and fighting just once in 2011 -- a loss to Chris Weidman at UFC 139 -- caught up with him.
"I think I miscalculated the cost of living in the Northeast," Lawlor said. "I basically took all my money, bought a house and blew through my money ? just living costs, traveling, price of gas, multiple training locations."
Unlike in the four major sports leagues, fighters pay for their own training expenses. The win plus $40,000 in bonus money should help Lawlor pay back those friends and family who were kind enough to help him.
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Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine AndrèÂ
On Saturday, the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix will come to a conclusion and the lightweight belt will be tested. When the fights are over, we'll have answers to these questions:
1. Where do Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier stand in the heavyweight division? Both Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier are expected to be brought over to the UFC after this fight. While Strikeforce originally promised the grand prix winner a fight in Strikeforce after the win, every other heavyweight in their employ is now in the UFC. It's more likely that they will be in the UFC sooner than later, and how they perform in this Saturday's bout will decide what kind of challenge they will be given.
A strong performance can ensure the winner starts near the top of the ladder, fighting in an elimination bout. A weak, boring performance means the loser may end up having a long way to fight before getting anywhere near UFC gold.
2. Is Gilbert Melendez one of the world's best lightweights? Though fighting in one of the most packed weight classes, Melendez hasn't fought Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson or any of the other top lightweights of the UFC, so it's hard to know where to rank him. With Josh Thomson, Melendez will get a chance both to prove himself against a tough opponent and a shot at winning the rubber match.
3. Who deserves a shot at the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt? Since Dan Henderson left for the UFC, the Strikeforce light heavyweight strap has been sitting on a shelf, collecting dust. Saturday's bout between Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante and Mike Kyle will help Strikeforce decide who should get that shot at the vacant title.
What questions are missing? Speak your mind in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Related Josh Barnett video from Yahoo! Sports:
Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert Aldana José Aldo John AlessioÂ