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.

It took just 12 seconds for former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia to dismantle Randy Smith at NEF Fight Night 3 last month, making it three straight consecutive wins for the former champ.

After a bash of criticism from UFC President Dana White and not being able to win over the hearts and minds of UFC fans while serving as the organization's kingpin champion, Sylvia parted ways with the organization.

It appeared as if Sylvia would soon be near the end of his career after leaving the UFC on a loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, then Fedor Emelianenko in Affliction, and then to boxing standout Ray Mercer in just 9 seconds in their bout at AMMA 3 in 2009.

Since his arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence after crashing his Bentley into a utility pole in Binghamton, N.Y this weekend there has been a lot of talk about how the accident will affect Jon Jones personally.

Will his fan base remain loyal to him? Will his popularity continue to rise? Or will Jones descend downward with his newfound stardom?

Last year Jones and UFC President Dana White starred in a Bud Light commercial promoting one of the UFC events. The message flashed across the screen, "Enjoy Responsibly," and nobody thought anything of it.

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?

The focus of mixed martial arts, especially, on the professional level, has never been to entice youth into fighting. Violence has never and will never be the appropriate answer to solve problems, and in most cases acting out in anger will land you in jail.

Bullying has become one of the most prevalent stories in the news as of late as kids and young adults often do not know what is acceptable behavior and where to draw the line. Online bullying has become even more prevalent with the use of social media tools turning the person that would usually avoid confrontation into a keyboard warrior because they do not have to look their adversary in the eye and stand toe to toe.

So when I found this video on YouTube labeled "Bully Gets Knocked Out by a Fat Kid," I decided to give it a view. Obviously the person who posted the video could be considered a bully himself simply by deliberately making mention that the lesser opponent was a "fat" kid.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones is on top of the world. The 2011 Fighter of the Year worked four fights into his calendar year last year, earning an impressive victory every time.

But just winning four times over the past year isn't what makes Jones so special. What does is that the last three fighters Jones squared off against were once all proud owners of the title he now carries. And before those three he manhandled number one contender Ryan Bader to earn the title shot.

For Jones, the sky is the limit.

Who is the best fighter in the world?

This question has been asked since the beginning of combative sports. In fact it is one of the main reasons that the Ultimate Fighting Championship was launched in 1993. The concept was to place fighters of various mixed martial arts backgrounds against one another and see who comes out on top.

At that time, Royce Gracie was the man who stood at the top of the mountain - a relatively small fighter from Brazil who used submission techniques to get the better of the larger opponent. Since then, other names have stood out along the way including Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, and Georges St. Pierre.

Last month, I ordered the Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit pay-per-view as did hundreds of thousands of other mixed martial arts fans around the world. What resulted from a five-round affair that was supposed to live up to the hype of one of the most intriguing matches in recent memory ended with a controversial decision from a somewhat lackluster interim title fight.

Condit was awarded the win and received the 170 pound interim strap in doing do. But was the decision the right one made? It is argumentative. At this point, the fight is in the history books and nothing can be done to change the outcome.

Flash forward to this past weekend. Another tremendously outstanding fight card put on the by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Again, as a fan, I ordered the pay-per-view. Not that I am Frankie Edgar’s number one fan, but every time I watch him fight I know I am getting my money’s worth.

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.