Jones came into the fight as the heavy favorite and he dominated most of the fight. Jones did nearly get caught in an armbar in the early going, but escaped and controlled the fight from there. Jones used his grappling and elbows to bloody up Belfort, and in the fourth round, caught the challenger in an Americana for the victory.

Belfort deserves credit for his effort and taking the fight on short notice in a bigger weight class, but Jones is just the better man.

With Dan Henderson dealing with his injury, there is no clear contender for Jones in the 205-pound division. That champion is becoming as dominant in his class as Anderson Silva is at 185 pounds.

In the co-main event, Demetrious Johnson won the first ever UFC Flyweight Championship with a decision victory over Joseph Benavidez.

The fight had a fast pace and was very competitive, as expected. The difference in the bout was the array of leg kicks that Johnson landed on Benavidez. The kicks slowly wore down Benavidez and allowed Johnson to control the pace. Benavidez still did enough to earn the victory on one of the scorecards, but Johnson was the victor on the other two cards, and in the eyes of most of the fans.

Johnson now is the first 125-pound champion in the UFC. It will be interesting to see how this division grows in the near future with a thin roster of talent in the weight class.

In another big bout, middleweight Michael Bisping defeated Brian Stann by decision to improve his ranking in the 185-pound class.

Bisping was able to out-point Stann with his technical striking and wrestling ability. Bisping actually utilized some nice takedowns in the latter stages of the fight to neutralize Stann.

Looking at Bisping, his resume is pretty strong and it appears he deserves a title shot. He has never been given a crack at the gold but has steadily been near the top of the division for years.

Check out the full results after the jump.

UFC 152 Results (Courtesy of MMAMania.com)

Air Canada Centre – Toronto, Canada

Saturday, September 22, 2012

205 lbs.: Jon Jones def. Vitor Belfort via submission (Americana) at 0:54 of round four to retain the light heavyweight championship

125 lbs.: Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via split dec. for first-ever flyweight championship

185 lbs.: Michael Bisping def. Brian Stann via unanimous decision

205 lbs.: Matt Hamill def. Roger Hollett via unanimous decision

145 lbs.: Cub Swanson def. Charles Oliveira via knockout at 2:40 of round one

205 lbs.: Vinny Magalhaes def. Igor Pokrajac via submission (armbar) at 1:14 of round two

155 lbs.: T.J. Grant def. Evan Dunham via unanimous decision

170 lbs.: Sean Pierson def. Lance Benoist via unanimous decision

145 lbs.: Marcus Brimage def. Jim Hettes via unanimous decision

170 lbs.: Seth Baczynski def. Simeon Thoresen via KO at 4:10 of round one

135 lbs.: Mitch Gagnon def. Walel Watson via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:09 of round one

170 lbs.: Kyle Noke def. Charlie Brenneman via TKO (strikes) at 0:45 of round one

The rankings haven’t changed too much in the last few months, but here is the latest top 10 in the 135-pound division.

1. Dominick Cruz (18-1) – Cruz (AP Photo) avenged his only loss in the division by taking a decision win over Urijah Faber. Cruz controlled the style and pacing of the fight and landed a lot more strikes. The bout was close, but Faber didn’t show me much to think he deserved to get the title.

2. Urijah Faber (25-5) – Faber gave Cruz the toughest fight he has to date in the division. He landed a few big punches and avoided the takedowns of Cruz. Faber proved he still has something left in the tank, but he needs to make some adjustments to beat Cruz. It will be interesting to see who is next for “The California Kid.”

3. Joseph Benavidez (14-2) – Benavidez has been relatively quiet as of late as he hasn’t fought since UFC 128, but he will take on Eddie Wineland at UFC Live 5. Benavidez has been in a tough spot as his teammate, Faber, has been contending for the title. Benavidez now has a chance to get back into the spotlight, but he needs an impressive showing.

4. Brian Bowles (10-1) – Bowles has earned a rematch for his title as he has two solid wins since coming back from his injury. Bowles lost to Cruz because of a broken hand, not because he was clearly beaten by the champion, so there is some question as to what he could do against Cruz. Given the way he lost the title, I think he deserves the next shot at it.

5. Scott Jorgensen (12-4) – Jorgensen is somewhat of a gate keeper to the top contenders. He doesn’t seem to have what it takes to win the big one, but is a very tough out for everyone else. Jorgensen should continue to get top opponents to fight, but he is a bit lost in the mix right now.

6. Brad Pickett (20-5) – Pickett gets my spot at six given the fact that he beat Demetrious Johnson and Johnson beat Miguel Torres. Pickett is similar to Jorgensen, where is a very tough opponent for anyone, but still lacks some aspects of his game to truly have a shot to win the title. Pickett is coming off an injury, but should get a high-profile fight upon his return.

7. Demetrious Johnson (9-1) – Johnson got a tough win over Miguel Torres to push himself back up the list. It will be interesting to see how his speed and quickness will match up with some of the top 5 fighters. Johnson seems to be in a good position with the UFC, as he has had back-to-back high profile opponents. Johnson could be next up for someone like Faber.

8. Miguel Torres (39-4) – Despite losing on the scorecards to Johnson, that didn’t strike me as a loss for Torres. He was more active on the ground and was closer to finishing the fight on multiple occasions. Still, Torres has to stay off his back if he wants to get victories in the UFC. Torres must win his next bout to stay relevant in the division.

9. Masakatsu Ueda (12-1-2) – The former Shooto champ will be in action on Monday against Rumina Sato at a catchweight as he continues to defend his spot in the top 10. Ueda would have to fight in the U.S. to really make any big moves up my rankings.

10. Eddie Wineland (18-7-1) – Wineland gave Faber a run for his money back at UFC 128 and he will now get a crack at Benavidez in the fall. Wineland could prove to be a legit top contender if he can get through Benavidez.

That’s the main storyline heading into Saturday’s UFC Bantamweight Championship bout.

Faber beat Cruz by submission in just 1:38 back at WEC 26 on March 24, 2007. Cruz is now a much different fighter, but will it matter against his rival?

Here is a breakdown of both fighters and my pick for this contest.

Dominick Cruz (17-1) – The bantamweight champion has won his last eight bouts since the loss to Faber. He has been on a tear as of late, dominating each of his opponents. Cruz uses a lot of footwork with his striking as he keeps his opponents from being able to settle in. Cruz also has very explosive takedowns, which he likes to use late in rounds to put an exclamation point on his dominance. Cruz has managed to easily defeat strikers and grapplers in his recent string of wins.

Urijah Faber (25-4) – Faber is one of the all-time greats for the lighter weight fighters. He has very quick hands and a strong wrestling base. He also has developed solid submission skills over his storied career. Faber has had 20 of his 25 wins come by stoppage with 13 coming by submission. Typically Faber likes to use his quick hands to work jabs and combinations. If the fight goes to the ground, Faber uses his strength to control the fight and usually finds a way to work in a submission.

Who Will Win – Both men are unorthodox, but I don’t see a scenario where Cruz isn’t able to use his style and make Faber have to take chances. That will open the door for Cruz to get his takedowns and control the fight. Faber may have the quickest hands Cruz has ever faced, but Faber has yet to fight someone that has the style that Cruz currently has. It was a problem for his teammate, Joseph Benavidez, and I see it being a problem for him as well. I will take Cruz to successfully defend his title by unanimous decision.

The 135-pound division is strong from top to bottom and filled with exciting fighters.

Here is a look at my top 10 bantamweights in MMA.

(If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, or featherweight rankings, click on the links)

1. Dominick Cruz (17-1) – Cruz gets my top spot as he is the UFC champion and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Cruz’ style has been very tough for his opponents to figure out as he is constantly on the move. His striking is crisp and his wrestling goes very unrecognized and is really what allowed him to beat the likes of Joseph Benavidez and Scott Jorgensen.

2. Joseph Benavidez (14-2) – Benavidez could arguably be a flyweight but he still excels at 135 pounds. His explosive wrestling and striking have allowed him to beat the best in the division and a pair of decision losses to Cruz are the only black marks on his record. Benavidez is somewhat stuck in the shadows of teammate, Urijah Faber, who will get the next title fight and perhaps leave Benavidez without a place to go in the division.

3. Brian Bowles (9-1) – There is still a lot to be discovered with the former WEC champion. His lone loss was against Cruz, where he suffered a broken hand that stopped the fight. Bowles has big power and some good chokes. He gets Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 132, which should be a good test to see if he is ready to make another run at the title.

4. Urijah Faber (25-4) – The longtime face of the WEC is now looking to win UFC gold for the first time when he takes on Cruz at UFC 132 in July. Faber is still a tough opponent, but his period of dominance has clearly run its course. He was handled pretty well by featherweight champ, Jose Aldo, and Eddie Wineland proved to be a tougher test for Faber than he probably should have been. Faber will have his hands full with Cruz, as Cruz’ lone loss was to Faber back in WEC debut at 145 pounds. Cruz is a much different fighter now.

5. Miguel Torres (39-3) – Torres is still a big threat in the division and one of the few 135-pounders that may be able to match the length of Cruz. Torres has bounced back since suffering a two-fight losing streak in 2010, and will now face Demetrious Johnson at UFC 130, looking to get his third-straight win.

6. Scott Jorgensen (11-4) – “Young Guns” is somewhat of a gate keeper in the division. He is able to beat some of the best, but struggles against the elite. He never mounted much offense in his loss to Cruz last December, as his wrestling wasn’t up to Cruz’ level and his striking was far inferior. Jorgensen has been stopped just once in his career, but he will have to string together some impressive wins to get back into the title picture.

7. Brad Pickett (20-5) – Similar to Jorgensen, Pickett is just a scrapper that may never get to that elite-level status. He has tremendous heart, which will allow him to win some close fights, but he still struggles against superior wrestlers, and he doesn’t have the technical strikers to best guys like Benavidez and Torres.

8. Demetrious Johnson (8-1) – “Mighty Mouse” sent a big message to the division when he beat Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto back at UFC 126 and now he will square off with Torres in the biggest fight of his career. The short and stocky firecracker will bring the fight to Torres, but he will have to get inside Torres’ reach. If Johnson can get a win, he will jump into the top 5 of the division.

9. Masakatsu Ueda (12-1-2) – The former Shooto champion suffered a surprising loss about a year ago, but has gotten back on track with a pair of victories. While it is hard to compare his level of competition to that of fighters in the UFC, Ueda’s record is enough to earn some respect nationally.

10. Eddie Wineland (18-7-1) – Wineland showed in his decision loss to Faber that he still has something to offer in the octagon. He has been consistent with his performances and has just two losses since 2008.

Evans was originally scheduled to fight Rua for the title but a knee injury six weeks before the fight forced the UFC to find a replacement—Jones. As the fight drew closer the speculation as to whether Jones and Evans would even fight each other if Jones won the title started to pick up. Things were said by both parties and ultimately, the end result is that Evans is now leaving Team Jackson to pursue a title fight with Jones leaving plenty of people with a bad taste in their mouths. Team Jackson is run by renowned trainer, Greg Jackson.

The fight will no doubt be a big draw for the UFC as there will certainly be plenty of mud slinging going on in the weeks leading up to the bout. This will be one of the first, in what I think the UFC hopes will be many, fights featuring guys who either have or currently train together.

Here are a few other intriguing fights that could possibly shape up one day or another between training partners:

Josh Koscheck vs. Jon Fitch: This one is pretty obvious as there has been some clamor about it for a while now. Both are UFC welterweights and among the top in the division and both train at American Kickboxing Academy. Though the fight seems like a no-brainer, the two have been adamant about not competing. Fitch even went as far as to say he would move up to middleweight if Koscheck had beaten Georges St. Pierre at UFC 124 last December. Koscheck is still out for a few months due to a broken orbital bone and Fitch just pulled out of his scheduled rematch with B.J. Penn due to an injury. Both men are going to be looking for a marquee match come this fall, and the only option may be with each other.

Urijah Faber vs. Joseph Benavidez: It would be hard to argue that both Faber and Benavidez are two of the top five bantamweights in the entire world—the dilemma is they both train at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. This wasn’t an issue for years as Faber fought at featherweight and was a dominant champion, but a recent loss to Jose Aldo brought Faber down to 135 pounds where Benavidez had been a top contender. Faber will be fighting Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 132 and if he wins, it presents a problem for Benavidez, who is still pursuing his dream of a title. Would these two forgo friendship to slug it out for a title, or will they also vow to never face off?

Anderson Silva vs. Lyoto Machida: These two don’t always train together but they are part of the power of the Blackhouse Gym, which includes many of the top Brazilian fighters in all of MMA. These two have such unique and distinct styles so seeing how the other would approach the fight with the other would be interesting enough. There was a time where Machida was considered nearly unbeatable but that time has past. Still, his style is very difficult to handle and Silva would be forced to be an aggressor as opposed to a counter striker. Both have sworn to never fight the other and they consider themselves brothers, so don’t look for this fight any time soon.

Nick Diaz vs. Jake Shields: Another great welterweight matchup could be a battle of two Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu camp fighters. Diaz and Shields are amongst the top submission fighters in all of MMA. Diaz shows better striking than his teammate but Shields may have better wrestling skills. Both of these guys fight with a lot of pride so a potential fight between the two could happen someday. Shields is fighting for the UFC welterweight title in April and Diaz is the Strikeforce welterweight champion. With Zuffa purchasing Strikeforce, could a potential unification bout setup a matchup between these two?