UFC 117 Aftermath: Silva submits Sonnen to cap off action-packed night of fights

Dos Santos, Fitch (should) earn title shots with wins at UFC 117

Despite the anti-climactic ending that left Chael Sonnen's millions of new fans stunned in round 5 last night, UFC 117 proved to be a thrilling event for MMA fans across the globe. Now that the UFC 117 results are in the books and the fights are all official we have a better perspective on the future of the UFC heavyweight division as well as the welterweight division. Or do we? Here are a few of the post-UFC 117 storylines:

Dos Santos to face Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez winner

With Brock Lesnar having successfully defended his title at UFC 116 and a fight with Cain Velasquez scheduled atop the UFC 121 fight card, it is expected that Junior dos Santos has done enough to earn a title shot. The young Brazilian is now 12-1 in his career and 6-0 in the UFC and battered Roy Nelson for three rounds.

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Jon Fitch to get a title shot...or not?

The most underrated fighter in the UFC, possibly in the UFC's history, is supposed to get a title shot. Jon Fitch once again defeated Thiago Alves, this time in dominating fashion, and before the fight Dana White confirmed the winner would get a title shot, so it's a lock, right? Not so fast my freind... White is now backing off his claims and saying that the Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann winner plays a major role in the decision as well. Add in the fact that Josh Koscheck, Fitch's teammate at AKA, is fighting reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre atop the UFC 124 fight card and an upset in this fight could complicate matters greatly. Fitch and Koscheck have both stated that they would not fight each other, even if the belt was on the line.

Sonnen gets major campaign contribution from UFC

No fighter has been more dominant in the UFC's brief history than Anderson Silva, and few are disliked as much as Silva. Say what you want about Silva or his opponent, Chael Sonnen, but last night was one hell of a fight. For his efforts Chael Sonnen got a major campaign contribution from the UFC in the amount of $60,000 for a Fight of the Night bonus. While fans can count the number of rounds that Anderson Silva has lost in the UFC on one hand, in some circle on one finger, Sonnen did exactly what Amercans want from any politician; he did what he said he would do and he took the fight to Silva for 4 and 1/2 rounds. While he may not have been able to defeat the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion, Sonnen showed much more than any of Silva's previous opponents inside the Octagon and he won over millions of fans in the process.