Meanwhile, Mir’s jiu-jitsu is rivaled by few heavyweights. In the past, his endurance and stand-up have been questioned. However, the former wasn’t needed against Big Nog (surprisingly), and the latter appeared much-improved – considering he notched a second-round TKO against someone who was previously “unfinishable.” Mir’s extended break after a horrible motorcycle accident may have helped ingrain a sense of urgency and focus in the only man who actually reserves the right to take potshots at UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar (which Mir seems fond of doing with subtlety).

Griffin, lastly, is a poster boy for the kind of all-around scrapper we’ll likely see more and more of as this sport continues to sprout. His weaknesses are nary, although Evans took advantage of an unsound guard to deliver a conclusive ground-and-pound assault and snatch the light heavyweight crown.

Silva? It appears “The Axe Murderer” isn’t so scary when his implement isn’t sharpened. In other words, if he can’t land the kind of vaunted haymaker that sent him on a vicious victory streak in Pride, he’s just another slugger putting on a show for blood-thirsty spectators. There’s money in that, no doubt, but extended greatness in this day and age, probably not.

As for Big Nog, his propensity for taking beatings is unmatched. So, too, is his BJJ. But being thrashed repeatedly for several years and living to tell about it is over-rated, no matter how many wins and what kind of mythology it has produced.

All six of these men are commodities that the UFC will continue to trot out and milk for big money. It’s just that Evans, Mir, Jackson and Griffin are hitting their strides at the right time.

Saturday didn’t spell the end for Silva and Nogueira, but neither will be in contention for championships, perhaps for the duration. That’s what can happen in this sport when a fighter is past his prime even though he’s still in it.