Lightweight fighter Nate Diaz swarmed to the most significant win of his career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship by landing one punch after another Friday against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

Diaz halted Cerrone's string of wins by snapping his head with one punch after another to win a unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 141 in Las Vegas. Diaz consistently landed jabs, crosses and straight punches with both hands to rack up a 258-to-66 edge in total strikes, according to statistics from Compustrike.

Cerrone found some success with his legs, especially with strikes to Diaz's legs and the occasional kick to the head. Diaz also hit the deck several times after Cerrone tripped him or swept his leg. Compustrike saw Cerrone landing 31 of 49 leg strikes. (MORE>>>)

Alistair Overeem is a step closer to ensuring his fight versus Brock Lesnar on Dec. 30 will take place as scheduled.

Per the terms of a conditional one-year license issued by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Dec. 12, Overeem submitted a urine sample two days later at an accredited laboratory in the United Kingdom.

The sample was subsequently shipped to a Quest Diagnostics facility in Lenexa, Kan., where testing revealed it was negative for all prohibited substances, according to a statement issued by NSAC executive director Keith Kizer on Tuesday.

That test ended a nearly month-long chain of events, in which Overeem left the United States the day the test was first ordered, submitted a blood test instead of the urine test the Nevada commission requires, then submitted a urine sample which was returned to his doctor untested. (MORE>>>)

On Saturday night, the Ultimate Fighting Championship takes one of the most important steps in the promotion’s history, running its first event on network television. Fox offers an opportunity for the burgeoning sport to rise to a new level and cultivate a new base of fans. Taking center stage and fighting to unseat UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is an unlikely challenger.

Junior Dos Santos does not fit the image many casual fans have of a rising sport built on hand to hand combat. He does not have a menacing look or boisterous personality. He does not talk trash about his opponents or wear a threatening scowl. In fact, his defining characteristic may be a warm smile. It’s a personality that makes him easy to like, and it’s hard to find someone in the world of MMA who has a bad word to say about the Brazilian heavyweight. (MORE>>>)

Fighting in his home country of Brazil, Jose Aldo will defend his UFC Featherweight Title Jan. 14 in UFC 142 against undefeated fighter Chad Mendes, FOXSports.com has learned.

The fight will pair Aldo’s electrifying style, one punctuated by ferocious flying knees and lighting-quick submissions, against a nuanced ground game Mendes honed as an NCAA Division I wrestler.

That’s the technical stuff. The other side of the fighters’ match, which will be at a venue UFC officials plan to announce in the next week or so, centers on each one’s mentor. (MORE>>>)

MMAFrenzy’s coverage of UFC 137 continues as we continue our preview of Saturday’s main card with our main event of the evening, former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz versus former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ Penn.

Be sure to stay tuned to MMAFrenzy for complete coverage of UFC 137, including results, previews, and the MMAFrenzy podcast. (MORE>>>)

When I look at the odds for UFC 137, I keep getting hung up on the fact that Nick Diaz is only a slight underdog to B.J. Penn. Since the fight was announced it seemed to me that this was a very, very good fight for Penn. While it should be exciting, I just don't like Diaz's chances to win.

Without dipping into the always annoying "but anything can happen in MMA" cliche, what am I missing? Where are Diaz's chances to win so great that he should only be a slight dog in this fight? (MORE>>>)

Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin announced on his web site Saturday that he has suffered another back injury.

Carwin expects the injury to sideline him until next year.

“As I ramped up my training for UFC 141, my back locked up,” Carwin said. “It wasn’t like the [Brock] Lesnar fight, but my back just tightened up and I froze.

“I scheduled an MRI and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves. My doctor gave me two options: retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery or I could undergo surgery and continue fighting. (MORE>>>)