Barao has a solid record of 28-1, most recently defeating Scott Jorgensen at UFC 143 and finishing Brad Pickett prior to that. He was slated to face Ivan Menjivar on the same card, so was in shape and ready to go. It is unclear whether Menjivar will receive a replacement opponent.

Michael McDonald was also in consideration, but an injury kept him being a viable option.

Cruz of course tore his ACL and will be out for an extended period of time, giving the Brazilian the opportunity.

Barao will look to use his length and solid striking against Faber, who has experience on his side.

But the icing on the cake was the main event where no one could have predicted the outcome would be fueled by a wave of pre-fight evolution from Chan Sung Jung. Far gone is the warrior that traded blows with Leonard Garcia in April of 2010 and in his place is a calculated, technical fighter whose takedowns and submission skills are proving to be as much of a force as his iron chin, “never-quit” mentality and aggression.

Whether you watched the UFC event from a bar or your own couch, you got a glimpse one of the better non-PPV fight cards in recent memory. Maybe Fox will take note – the best fights happen when you least expect them, when they don’t feel forced and when both combatants feel they don’t have anything to lose. With that, I give you the “High Fives” of UFC on FUEL TV 3 – the five most positive and promising storylines to take away from the event.

5. Eyes on the “Tiger.”

Fans of the now-defunct WEC remember Yves “Tiger” Jabouin for his memorable 2010 scrap with Mark Hominick. Though he came out of the fight with a TKO loss, it was clear that Jabouin (18-7) had an array of striking that would give most fighters fits and keep even the most relaxed of opponents on their toes.

Flash forward nearly two years and Jabouin is now riding a three-fight winning streak after defeating Jeff Hougland on Tuesday night. And while all three of the victories have come in the decision variety, Jabouin’s style, size and ability to pace himself puts him in an interesting position at 135 pounds.

The liver kick that landed flush on Hougland would have stopped most foes but the Enumclaw, Washington-based fighter was able to survive. Jabouin can’t be at fault for another man’s enormous heart. Instead, with three UFC wins in a row, he should be due for a showdown with one of the division’s elite strikers such as Brad Pickett. If the “Tiger” can mount enough offense to win wild exchanges and stay off the mat, he has the style to compete with any striker at bantamweight.

4. Rafael do Anjos stepping up his game.

One look at the resume of Brazilian fighter Rafael Dos Anjos (18-6) and it’s rather hard to remember him competing in the UFC four years ago. His back-and-forth nature is not conducive to earning big opportunities but as long as he wins, he seems to have kept his place as a middle-tier lightweight.

However, over the past year, the 27-year old Gordo-Evolve Team product has begun to show finishing skills on par with the division’s elite. First, it was the knockout of George Sotiropoulos at UFC 132 and recently a very nice rear-naked choke over Kamal Shalorus. Of course, in typical dos Anjos fashion – there’s a loss sandwiched in the middle of those big wins.

Nevertheless, at 27 and with wins over the aforementioned Shalorus and Sotiropoulos as well as a win over Terry Etim, dos Anjos is closing in on making a leap up the 155-pound ladder in a big way. For his sake, let us hope he doesn’t run back into Clay Guida when he is planning that trip.

3. Return of the “Cowboy.”

Leave it to Nate Diaz to spoil a good thing and ruin a six-fight winning streak that dates back to September of 2010.

Aside from one blemish, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (18-4) has been relatively perfect during his UFC tenure. He’s taken five fights in 2011, finished up-and-comers like Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver and has proven to be one of the best, most durable and exciting WEC fighters of old.

So it comes as little shock to most that the war of words between Cerrone and his UFC on FUEL TV 3 opponent Jeremy Stephens would lead to fireworks. However, it was no guarantee that Cerrone would return to the form that saw him rattle off an impressive winning streak in the MMA’s deepest division. Yet after a feeling out process, Cerrone found his rhythm, employed his divide-and-conquer Muay Thai approach and beat up Stephens for three full rounds. Pretty status quo for the former WEC champion.

On the horizon could be a sublime showdown with another former WEC kingpin in Anthony Pettis. If that fight should happen, not only will it be a “Fight of the Night” in the making but the winner may have the honor of waiting in the wings for a title shot.

2. A Tale of Poor Judging – Igor and Fabio

It’s hard to know what is more shocking – the entertaining evolution of Igor Pokrajac at the right time or seeing Fabio Maldonado robbed of a decision on back-to-back occasions. Even at the time of print, I vacillate between both answers.

What we do know, matter-of-factly, is that Maldonado v. Pokrajac was, for a few minutes, “Fight of the Year” and though the wrong fighter won, ultimately it was the fans who tuned in to this underrated fight that have plenty to talk about.

I can’t separate these two men as much as I’d like to. I could easily put Pokrajac (25-8) in this spot alone but I’d feel bad knowing that Fabio Maldonado (18-5) actually earned this spot with his crisp body punching, solid chin, pressure and wildly underrated boxing. So here they are – together.

Though most of America thought Maldonado won, Pokrajac’s rise to the ranks has been interesting (and dare I say “fun”) to watch. Stephan Bonnar was able to defeat him in 2010 and since then, Pokrajac has strung together three very impressive fights against his fellow light heavyweights. His knees and clinch-game looked outstanding on Tuesday and his ability to eat Maldonado’s punches say a lot about his heart and chin.

The future may, in fact, be bright for the Croatian fighter whereas Maldonado seems headed in the opposition direction following back-to-back losses. Regardless of who you thought won, it’s extremely rewarding to tune into a UFC fight card and be randomly treated to a slug-fest like the one these two put on.

Cheers to them both.

1. The title-bound Zombie.

I’ll try and keep the hyperbole in check but it’s hard to do that these days when you get to watch an amazingly gifted and evolved fighter headline a UFC card on a Tuesday night. But that is the reality of what fight fans were given with Chan Sung Jung’s fight against Top 10 featherweight Dustin Poirier. Riding the power of his seven-second knockout of Mark Hominick into the cage, Jung showed off skills for the first time that it didn’t look like he had prior. He was also headlining a card in which he was the underdog, thought to be too one-dimensional to compete with the well-rounded skills of Poirier. Watch the video or the fight replay and watch Jung prove you wrong yet again.

The UFC on FUEL 3 card also marked the first time in 11 years that UFC president Dana White was not able to attend one of his own events for medical reasons. And while one can assume White felt a little lost without his ringside attire and seat, it probably turned out to be a good thing for the UFC in some small way. Because for the first time, White saw Jung how we, the fans, see him – walking to the cage with the Cranberries intro-music blaring, full aura in effect. He got to see what makes Jung magical on television and why so many fans adore his style and persona.

Jung is a WWE-caliber personality. He’s easy to romanticize because of his highlight videos, intro-music and slug-fest with Garcia previously. And with a big statement win over Poirier, for the first time ever, it’s not so ridiculous to think the 25-year old Korean could wrap a UFC featherweight title around his waist at some point.

We caught up with “Uncle Creepy” Ian McCall as he took an opportunity to have a cheat meal. His choice was french toast at 11 p.m. at 24-7 inside the Hard Rock Casino following his teammate Romie Adanza’s narrow decision loss at Lion Fights.

In the main event, Dustin Poirier took on the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Poirier was put on his back early on by the Zombie, who then caused a small cut to the top ofPoirier’s head with an elbow. Poirier then swepsthis Korean foe with 90 seconds left in round one. The close round comes to an end with both men landing some clean strikes on the feet.

The Korean Zombie countered a leg kick with a straight right that forced Poirier on his back. Jung jumped in the guard of the young prospect and patiently went to work, landing a big left hook. He then let Poirier back to his feet. Poirier proceeded to land a few clean strikes, but The Zombie persevered to land a barrage of stirkes, hurting the Louisiana native and forcing him to shoot. From there, the Korean reversed the position with a roll, winding up in full mount. Jung then locked in a triangle after armbar positions and landing elbows. Somehow Poirier fought it off and wound up on top. This exchange was something to behold and clearly the round was Jung’s.

Both men began to slow in round three, as they began trading strikes. Jung got another impressive takedown but Poirier somehow got back to his feet. Poirier then began to work his jab and left straight effectively. Jung kept coming but Poirier got the better of the strikes in round three, likely giving him the round.

Round four began with more of the same, both men landing clean strikes, and right when it seemed Poirier was getting the better of things, the Zombie lands a combination then hurt Poirier, then sinks in a front choke that forced the tap less than a minute into the round.

It remains to be seen if the Korean Zombie solidified himself as the top contender in line to face Jose Aldo or Erik Koch, but he remains a fan favorite and in contention regardless.

His match to make is either the title shot, knowing he would bring the fight to Jose Aldo, or a fight with a top contender like Hatsu Hioki.

Jorge Lopez came out showing why he is a great welterweight prospect. His fast and crisp strikes kept Amir Sadollah on his heels in the first round. Lopez also got a takedown to solidify the round.

Round two, Sadollah began to work his game, landing more strikes, but still was put on his back twice by the stronger Lopez. In a close round, Lopez likely took it from cage control and takedowns.

Round three began with Lopez looking to take Sadollah down. While Sadollah did well to avoid it he was unable to do so. Lopez spent the final two minutes on top, and took the third round as well.

The Judges score it, 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28, in favor of Amir Sadollah by split decision.

This fight was a second fight scored incorrectly, and the Virginia Athletic Commission clearly needs to educate their judges.

Donald Cerrone showed that despite his recent loss to Nate Diaz, he does possess some of the best striking in the lightweight division and is still a contender. He dominated the entire 15 minutes against a game opponent in Jeremy Stephens.

The match to make coming out of this fight is Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone.  “Showtime” vs “Cowboy” would make for a great stirking battle between two high level contenders in the lightweight division.

Despite a 1-3 start in the UFC, Canadian striker Yves Jabouin scored his third-straight UFC win in a Tuesday victory over Jeff Hougland.

Igor Pokrajac and Fabio Maldonado put on the night’s most exciting battle. They traded blows in tight, both landing clean shots and hurting each other multiple times. The decision went to Pokrajac despite Maldonado being the busier fighter who controlled more of the action, especially in rounds two and three.

Tom Lawlor made short work of Michael McDonald. He landed a clean left straight, followed by a left hook that dropped McDonald on his face, forcing the stoppage. The win comes as a very happy birthday present for Lawlor.

Perhaps Lawlor and Brad Tavares, who was also victorious makes sense moving forward.

Prelim Results:

Brad Tavares def. Dongi Yang via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Cody McKenzie def. Marcus LeVesseur via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:05
T.J. Grant def. Carlo Prater via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rafael Dos Anjos def. Kamal Shalorus via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:40
Johnny Eduardo def. Jeff Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Francisco Rivera def. Alex Soto via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The date for the event featuring a long time legend and future one is on Labor Day weekend, September 1st.

Be sure to watch our in depth interview with Dan Henderson out now in our featured videos.

http://www.ufc.com/media/ufc-fuel-tv-3-weigh-in-archive is the link where you can watch the weigh ins!

T.J. Dillashaw talks about helping out on “The Ultimate Fighter Live” with Tam Faber, Dominick Cruz’s injury, his upcoming fight with Vaughan Lee and much more

Dominick Cruz talks about tearing his ACL during sparring. He says he will still want to punch Urijah Faber in the face, and picks Junior Dos Santos to beat Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen over Anderson Silva.

Dan Henderson joins us for our little online television show we are calling “MMA Today.” While the show is a work in progress, we know fans will enjoy the breakdown of recent and upcoming fights as well as the in depth interview with the legendary fighter in part two.

We talk about UFC on FOX 3, and “Hendo” says he felt Koscheck beat Hendricks. We also talk about UFC 146 and the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Oh and we also talk a little about the fight which has since been announced as official for UFC 151 on Labor Day weekend.

In part two, Henderson talks about his start in MMA, who hits the hardest that he’s fought, and when the “H-Bomb” was first dropped.

Any comments and suggestions are welcomed so we can continue bringing this type of in depth content to fight fans from some of the biggest MMA gyms on the planet.

While Lawrence was convincingly in control of the standup portion of the fight, he repeatedly wound up on the ground with his opponent and it would lead to his downfall. Chiesa found himself on his back, for most of the first round, but was able to get Lawrence in a precarious positions including a triangle choke. The Italian-American landed elbows at will and seemingly could have finished the fight with some minor adjustments, but the round came to an end and Lawrence was saved. Still this set the stage for what was to come as Chiesa repeatedly threatened with submission attempts from his back.

Chiesa was looking hurt and gassed early in the third, but was able to to reverse positions on the mat and wind up in full mount. He rained down punches sensing he was near a finish, and the referee obliged, calling a halt a minute into the sudden death round.

Chiesa, whose father passed away early on in the season, attributed his win to his heart. “I had to dig deep down to win that fight. Sometimes I think the heart is a lot stronger then we give it credit for,” he said.

The fight has to be the frontrunner for the show’s bonus for fight of the season, as both men did damage as the fight swung back and forth like a pendulum.

Dana White admitted that he expected more out of Lawrence who was the odds on favorite to become the 15th Ultimate Fighter. “I expected a lot more from Lawrence and I underestimated Chiesa. It wasn’t that Chiesa’s more talented or outworked Lawrence, it was the size of his heart, said the UFC President. “Lawrence defended the takedowns for a while and did a good job but then Chiesa finally got him down. There was no doubt and no denying that if Lawrence kept it on his feet he would have won.”

Also moving on to the semifinals is James Vick, who few gave a chance of doing so. He used his range to earn the unanimous decision over Joe Proctor, keeping the show dead even between Team Cruz and Team Faber.

Next week’s quarterfinals will pit Chris Saunders against Vinc Pichel and Andy Ogle will meet Faber’s number one pick, Al Iaquinta.

OTHER QUOTES:

James Vick:
“That was the biggest fight of my life and I’m happy that I could come out on top. Joe’s a very tough guy. I was surprised he stood up to those punches and I wish him the best. As for me, I’m now one step closer to achieving my dream.”

Justin Lawrence:
“I learned a lot about myself tonight. Mike Chiesa has a huge heart and is a hell of a fighter and my hat goes off to him. My adrenaline wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but that’s no excuse. I still think I’m the best fighter here and I’m not going to quit until I get to the UFC. I think I deserve to be there.”

Joe Proctor:
“Sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield. Tonight, I was the bug. It’s unfortunate, but I’m going to go back to training hard and hopefully the UFC will be in touch soon.”

Team Faber Coach – Urijah Faber:
“To be honest, that wasn’t exactly how I thought the night would go but I’m proud of both my guys, and both the guys on the other team too. They put on great fights tonight. This sport is all about who wants itmore and implementing your offense. Tonight I felt like Chiesa won through shear will power, and Proctor lost because he wasn’t able to put his offense first. Congrats to Vick and hope Justine Lawrence keeps his head up. He’s a young kid with a lot of talent.”

Team Cruz Coach – Dominick Cruz:
“It’s pretty awesome to watch Vick stick to game plan, stay composed. He fought an outstanding fight, he even got a takedown but most importantly, Vick made Proctor fight his fight. Lawrence learned an important lesson tonight about why game plans are built and it’s to force your opponent to fight your fight. He didn’t do that tonight, he fought Chiesa’s fight on the ground and lost by fighting in the area that Chiesa had the best chance to win. In my opinion, if that fight, stayed standing like we game-planned, Justin wins three rounds to none.”