****The author is a Marine Corps veteran and actually served under Maj. John Caldwell who is cited in this article. The author's opinions are not that of the Marine Corps and have no official endorsement by either the Marine Corps or the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It is purely a matter of personal opinion shared by a Marine Corps veteran and journalist for U.S. Combat Sports****

All good things must come to an end. And in the case of one of the most recognizable partnerships inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Octagon, the U.S. Marine Corps and the UFC have officially cut ties.

The three-year partnership between the two came to an abrupt halt November 30 after a push from members of Congress, women's groups and labor unions. The Marine Corps Recruiting Command came under a lot of pressure after labor union, Unite Here, launched a massive campaign to ban and prohibit spending on marketing and advertising expenditures with the UFC.

UFC President Dana White is finally warming up to the idea that women have a place in his organization. White, who had previously been extremely critical over women inside the octagon, now entertains the idea ever since he laid eyes on one, "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey.

Rousey, currently the women's bantamweight champion for the Zuffa owned Strikeforce, has been destroying her opponents each within the first round of competition and is currently ranked the number one female fighter on the planet.

Of course, before Rousey there was Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, but Santos derailed her own train after testing positive for a banned substance. The one-time queen of the featherweight division was stripped of her title and banned from the sport for one year.

There is no sport more demanding than wrestling. Wrestling is a team sport that requires individual effort to accomplish the ultimate team goal of being successful.

This is a sport that has been around longer than any other high school athletic activity and dates back to the beginning of mankind, which requires strength, power, speed, and mental toughness.

If you're a high school student and find your self interested in staying in shape or bored during the winter, check out your local high school's wrestling team as all high schools are always looking for individuals to participate on the team.

Watching fights nearly every weekend is a hardcore mixed martial arts fan's dream. But sometimes dreams are interpretations of a reality that easily drift too far away.

The recent cancellation of UFC 151 not only sent shockwaves through the sport and ultimately may define fighter legacy in Jon Jones, but it may have also brought UFC executives back down to earth.

The perennial king of MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has been promoting one to two or sometimes even three events per month. Who could complain about that, right?

Wrong. The sport is evolving so much, and so quickly that the list of well-rounded fighters on the roster is continually growing.

On this edition of the Low Blow we discuss an exciting night of fights that featured Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Lyoto Machida getting huge victories on national television.

We also talk about the men of the USA Boxing's failure to bring home a medal and the women team's stealing their thunder. The hosts also debate whether or not Jon Jones can be a good role model after getting his new global Nike deal and we discuss UFC 150.

Take a look back at the world of mixed martial arts five years ago. Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva was just beginning to create his legend within the UFC, televised MMA was a privilege not a right, and youth MMA was only a portion of what it is today.

With the combative sports world continuously growing each day, read along as US Combat Sports Reporter Carl Lange recounts the firsthand observations he has witnessed within the fight scene on a handful of topics.

This Saturday night in Atlanta the drama-filled feud between Jon "Bones" Jones and "Suga" Rashard Evans will finally be settled the way men handle problems, with their hands. These two former teammates will meet in the Octagon with the coveted UFC title on the line.

As the fight draw closer, the indecisive guessing of who will be the better man continues by fans. Much like having a favorite football team, fans attach themselves to a fighter supporting them through their careers. Both hailing from New York, which one these empire state fighters will have the upper hand in Saturday night's title match?

For Frankie Edgar, the road to becoming the Ultimate Fighting Championship's lightweight title-holder has included hard work, legendary battles, and timely wins.

However, since earning the title back in April of 2010 by upsetting future Hall of Famer B.J. Penn, "The Answer" has fought just two separate opponents, Penn again, and Gray Maynard twice to keep the belt.

In October, the New Jersey-native ended his trilogy with Maynard in great fashion with a fourth-round knockout of the only man to defeat him. Now, the surging Benson Henderson awaits Edgar at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan.

No one will ever have to remind the MMA world, or Benson Henderson for that matter, about his remarkably entertaining battles against top-notch fighters such as Clay Guida, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, and Donald Cerrone.

Since transitioning into the UFC from the now-defunct WEC last year, Henderson has embarked on a three-fight winning streak that includes his most recent Fight of the Night performance against Guida. 

And now, this Saturday at UFC 144 in Japan, the former WEC lightweight champion looks to capture his biggest victory yet when he faces Frankie Edgar for the UFC 155-pound strap. And this one could be the most intense battle both men have ever seen.

On this edition of the Low Blow, the guys discuss the main event between Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez on UFC on Fuel, Nick Diaz's positive drug test, and Paul Williams bout against Nobuhiro Ishida on Showtime. 

"The Dream" had a chance to ensure all Albuquerque fighters as top contenders for the welterweight title but Ellenberger had other plans as he outpointed Sanchez en route to a close unanimous decision. We break down Sanchez's gameplan and the UFC's decision to only make this fight three rounds. We also talk about Stefan Struve's impressive TKO over Dave Herman and impressions of the Fuel TV production.

Since our last show the MMA world has been buzzing over Nick Diaz's drug test failure. Should Diaz face a severe punishment for his second offensive in Nevada and will Diaz ever learn and mature from his mistakes?