Remembering The Showtime Kick On The Round-Up

MMA Nation Round-Up provides you with daily coverage of the latest in news, multimedia, and analysis throughout the world of combat sports. This morning we'll continue to preview all this month's big upcoming events before looking back to the WEC's unforgettable sendoff. Let's start it up.

- Two years ago, UFC President Dana White hated Showtime. On Thursday, he announced a big deal with the network. Jonathan Snowden asks, what changed?

- New Year's Eve may feel like 2006 for fight fans when Fedor Emelianenko, Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai, and a slew of Pride veterans invade Japan's Saitama Super Arena for DREAM: New Year! 2011.

- Dallas Winston dropped off another fight dissection for Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal. Today's edition: Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux.

- The staff over at Bloody Elbow sat down to try to answer the question, was keeping Strikeforce alive good for business?

- Friday marked the one-year anniversary of one of the most spectacular moments in mixed martial arts history (and also the single greatest sporting moment I've ever seen in person).

- Of course, we'd be remissed if we didn't drop this for your enjoyment. At least things seem to have worked out for Ben Henderson. (via Zombie Prophet)

- According to UFC President Dana White, the end of Anderson Silva's career is fast approaching. But that doesn't mean a superfight with Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre can't be on the horizon.

- Mired in a three-fight losing streak, former WEC champion Cole Escovedo was cut by the UFC on Friday.

- The takeaway from this UFC 141 preview? Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem are two very large men.

- On the list of headlines you never expected to read, where does "Sean Sherk Detained By Machine Gun Toting Cops In UK" land?

- Dennis Hallman was fighting for more than a step up the lightweight ladder at UFC 140. See why Hallman said, "after pissing Uncle Dana off ... I could have expected to get cut even if I would have won."

- Finally, the IFL failed for many reasons, but this video may or may not be one of them. (HT: Bloody Elbow)