[Editor's note: Already over the past week we've celebrated the MSF debuts of Pat Suley and Kurt Allen. Today we add another name to the list: Mike Tenant.

Mike is a veteran of the online world, having been published already at LifeHacker.com and Mademan.com, among others. He is a Chicago native, a Notre Dame fan, and, like me, a Midwest native no longer living in the Midwest (he lives in Orange County, CA).

Here at MSF, Mike will be covering MMA, the Fighting Irish, and anything else that piques his sports interest. His debut post below discusses the recently completed UFC 117.]

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The UFC rocked Oakland on Saturday night with a stacked Pay Per View event. Featuring a middleweight title fight and what were supposed to be two title eliminator bouts, UFC 117 definitely lived up to the billing.

The main event was certainly one to remember, with Anderson Silva needing a miraculous – and very cool looking – submission in the fifth and final round to hold on to his belt.

Here are 10 questions that UFC 117 answered – for better or worse.

1. Has Chael Sonnen learned to defend against submissions yet?

Nope, but he can avoid them for about four and a half rounds. Unfortunately, UFC title fights are all five round affairs.

Sonnen controlled the fight – no, dominated is more like it – for almost 23 minutes before getting caught in a sweet triangle/armbar combo. As an aside, it was an eerily similar submission to the one Fabricio Werdum used to tap out Fedor Emelianenko last month.

2. Is Roy Nelson’s head made of concrete or brick?

Possibly, given the beating he took from Junior Dos Santos. Not only did Nelson only hit the mat once, but he actually lasted all three rounds despite taking enough head shots to end most fighters’ nights. But mounting an offense is difficult while you’re dodging fists. Even though he lost, I’m sure Nelson has a bunch of new fans thanks to his tough display.

3. Does Dos Santos have a shot against the Brock Lesnar/Cain Velazquez winner?

Let’s say he’s got a “puncher’s chance,” because apparently that’s all he is. After spending the first round and a half trying to knock Nelson’s head off, Dos Santos was force to readjust and change up his game plan. He then spent the last round trying to knock Nelson’s head off. It’s clear he doesn’t have much else in his arsenal other than his hard hands, so hopefully he’ll put in some extra time rounding out his game before his title shot.

4. Is Matt Hughes’ career over?

Not according to Ricardo Almeida, once he woke up sometime Sunday morning. Hughes came into the octagon as a surprising underdog before putting Almeida to sleep with a front headlock in the first round. As a former wrestler, I can tell you that sub was definitely not a move that just anyone could pull off. Hughes is still a beast at 36, although it remains to be seen if he can still compete with the cream of the crop at 170.

5. Is Stefan Struve the funniest looking badass in the UFC?

Not sure, but he’s pretty close after his second round KO of Christian Morecraft. In a preliminary match that made the pay per view telecast, Struve survived a brutal first round beating from Morecraft before stopping him dead in his tracks early in the second. Struve was so badly beaten up that doctors almost stopped the fight between rounds, due in part to a nasty bloody lip. No disrespect to “Skyscraper,” who happens to be one of my favorite fighters at the moment, but there’s something downright amusing about watching a 6’11 fighter slowly backpedal after getting punched repeatedly in the face. It’s a tree falling in the woods personified.

6. Can Struve conduct a proper post fight interview after having his bottom lip split like the 2009 Chicago Bears’ defensive line?

[Inaudible]

7. Does Thiago Alves  like to eat?

Apparently so, as he once again had difficulty making weight. Maybe it wasn’t food that did it, but whatever it was probably spelled the end of his UFC run at 170 lbs. In fact, he ended up having to forfeit 20% of his purse for missing the welterweight limit on Friday’s weigh-in.Worst of all, he looked lethargic and weak against Jon Fitch – reminiscent of someone who had spent the last week trying to make a near-impossible weight cut. If I was a betting man, I’d lay some good money that Alves’ next fight is at 185.

8. Will Fitch get another shot at GSP?

I hope so, after all he’s dismantled everyone else in the division. But there’s a good chance he won’t actually be the next in line. Dana White has yet to commit to Fitch as the next in line for a title shot, after Josh Koscheck, leaving a window open for newcomer Jake Shields to cut in. Of course, that’s assuming he can dispose of Martin Kampmann in October.

9. Can wrestlers dominate mixed martial arts at the highest level?

Yes, as long as they learn to properly defend against submissions. Wrestlers Hughes, Guida, Fitch and Sonnen all dominated their fights thanks in part to their wrestling and takedown skills. While only Sonnen actually fell victim to submission, he also was facing the highest level of competition.

10. Are gyms around the world drilling takedowns and takedown defense today?

Hell yeah they are. Old school wrestling will be the name of the game for anyone looking to learn something from UFC 117.

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* – Silva / Sonnen photo credit: Esther Lin via FanHouse

That’s not that case at the UFC’s 100th anniversary of events. Dana White is making a big splash and a big statement – particularly to the boxing world – that UFC is deep enough to boast a card of tantalizing fights from start to finish. While we all know about the Frank Mir-Brock Lesnar, George St. Pierre-Thiago Alves, Michael Bisping-Dan Henderson breakdowns, here’s a look at some of the lesser fights on the UFC 100 odds and some predictions.

Paulo Thiago versus Jon Fitch

Fitch is basically the biggest favorite on the entire evening as the UFC odds makers are not expecting him to slip up against Thiago.

Fitch is a -410 favorite and Jon “Bones” Jones and George St. Pierre are next in line.

Fitch is a very good wrestler and he’ll be looking to take Thiago to the ground from the get-go. That’s bad news for Thiago, who doesn’t match up well in that realm.

Sports pick: Fitch

Mark Coleman versus Stephan Bonnar

How old is Mark Coleman? Put it this way: he fought in UFC 10 and is now set to fight at UFC 100. He’s lasted 90 UFC events and is one of the few athletes in all of sports that is both in the Hall of Fame and is still participating.

He’s a popular fighter but he’ll be up against a tough, savvy, desperate veteran in Stephan Bonnar. Bonnar has a tough chin and he knows that another loss would mean bad news for him in the UFC. Look for him to scrap out a tough win.

Coleman looked completely wiped by the second round of his January bout with Shogun Rua, which might mean that Coleman doesn’t even have it in him to last three rounds.

Jake O’Brien versus Jon Jones

We mentioned that Jones is one of the biggest favorites on the fight card and I’m betting management set this up as a showcase for their 21-year-old star.

Jake O’Brien is basically just a stepping stone for Jones. Jones is heading to bigger and better things and this is just another win for him.