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

After UFC 150, we may need a third.

Benson Henderson managed to retain his UFC Lightweight Championship over Frankie Edgar in the main event of Saturday’s card, as two judges saw him winning a 48-47 decision, while another saw Edgar winning 49-46.

Most MMA writers feel that Edgar actually did win the fight, but most will also agree that neither man really dominated the fight.

Both fighters had high moments, but Edgar took on less damage this time around and Henderson didn’t seem to get into the same flow as he did in their first meeting.

Still, Edgar has now lost twice in a row to Henderson, no matter how close. It will be hard for the UFC to grant Edgar another title fight, as they have already committed to giving Nate Diaz the next shot.

In the co-main event, Donald Cerrone KO’d Melvin Guillard in an exciting and quick contest.

Guillard actually landed a big punch to open the fight and looked to be on the verge of an upset, but Cerrone gathered himself, and a minute later, landed a kick and right hand combo that put Guillard out cold.

The win for Cerrone keeps him in the discussion of top lightweight contenders, as his lone loss in the UFC is to Diaz by decision. Guillard now falls back out of the top 10, as he has been finished in the first round in two of his last three fights.

For complete results for UFC 150, click on the jump.

UFC 150 Results (Courtesy of MMAMania.com)

Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012

Pepsi Center – Denver, Colorado

155 lbs.: Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar (for UFC lightweight title)

155 lbs.: Donald Cerrone def. Melvin Guillard via knockout at 1:16 of round one

185 lbs.: Jake Shields def. Ed Herman via unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Yushin Okami def. Buddy Roberts via TKO at 3:05 of round two

145 lbs.: Max Holloway def. Justin Lawrence via TKO (liver punch) at 4:49 of round two

145 lbs.: Dennis Bermudez def. Tom Hayden via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:43 of round one

185 lbs.: Michael Kuiper def. Jared Hamman via TKO at 2:15 of round two

135 lbs.: Ken Stone vs. Erik Perez def. Ken Stone via TKO at 0:17 of round one

135 lbs.: Chico Camus def. Dustin Pague via unanimous decision

145 lbs.: Nik Lentz def. Eiji Mitsuoka via TKO at 3:45 of round one

Renan Barao pushed his winning streak to 29 fights by beating Urijah Faber via unanimous decision to win the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship on Saturday night.

Barao made not have gotten the finish, but he decisively beat Faber thanks to his reach and his kicks. Each round he managed to out-point Faber and stay out of danger, leaving “The California Kid” puzzled throughout.

Barao certainly beat Faber in easier fashion than the actual champ, Dominick Cruz. It will be interesting to see if Cruz can find a way to stop the runaway train that is Barao. Barao may very well be the best 135-pounder in the world.

Faber has now lost his last five championship bouts, dating back to his time as a featherweight in the WEC. Though he is still highly competitive, he will likely not get another title fight anytime soon.

In the co-main event, Hector Lombard had a very unimpressive UFC debut.

The man considered to be a potential threat to Anderson Silva proved to be more of a threat to himself, as he was very tentative against Tim Boetsch. Neither man did much to impress, but two of the three judges believed that Boetsch did a little bit more, which earned him a split decision.

The poor showing from both men may open the door for Chris Weidman to earn the next middleweight title shot following his brutal KO win over Mark Munoz last week.

For complete results from UFC 149, check out the jump.

UFC 149 Results (Courtesy of MMAMania.com)

Saturday, July 21, 2012 – Saddledome in Calgary

135 lbs.: Renan Barao def. Urijah Faber by unanimous decision to win the UFC Bantamweight Interim Championship

265 lbs.: Cheick Kongo def. Shawn Jordan by unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Tim Boetsch def. Hector Lombard by split decision

170 lbs.: James Head def. Brian Ebersole via split decision

170 lbs.: Matt Riddle def. Chris Clements via submission (arm triangle choke) at 2:02 of round three

185 lbs.: Nick Ring def. Court McGee via unanimous decision

135 lbs.: Francisco Rivera def. Roland Delorme via KO at 4:19 of round one

205 lbs.: Ryan Jimmo def. Anthony Perosh via KO at 0:07 of round one

135 lbs.: Bryan Caraway def. Mitch Gagnon via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:39 of round three

145 lbs.: Antonio Carvalho def. Daniel Pineda via KO at 1:11 of round one

155 lbs.: Anton Kuivanen def. Mitch Clarke via split decision

Rich Franklin once again defeated Wanderlei Silva by decision in another exciting fight to headline UFC 147 in Brazil on Saturday, but this fight went five rounds instead of three.

Each fighter had their moment in the contest, with Silva nearly finishing Franklin to end the second round following a flurry, but “Ace” survived and went on to dictate the rest of the fight with his crisp, technical striking.

The win was impressive for the former middleweight champion, as he took this bout on short notice and fought in Silva’s raucous home country.

Now, the question is, what is next for both men?

Franklin is still one of the best, but he isn’t quite enough any more to challenge for a title. Silva is clearly far from what he was in the PRIDE days, but still entertaining. He has become somewhat of a gate keeper in the middleweight division.

In the co-main event of Saturday’s card, Fabricio Werdum improved to 2-0 in his return to the octagon, as he ran through Mike Russow.

Werdum continued to show his improved striking, as he quickly overwhelmed the inexperienced Russow with an array of strikes. Once Werdum rocked Russow, he quickly finished up on the ground and earned the TKO stoppage midway through the first.

Werdum is making a strong case to be considered a top 5 UFC heavyweight with his two impressive showings since coming back to the UFC. Perhaps a battle with the likes of Frank Mir could be next in the cards.

For complete results from UFC 147, check out the jump

UFC 147 Results (Courtesy of MMAMania.com)

Saturday, June 24, 2012 – Brazil

190 lbs.: Rich Franklin def. Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Cezar Ferreira def. Sergio Moraesvia unanimous decision (TUF middleweight final)

145 lbs.: Rony Mariano Bezerra def. Godofredo Pepey via unanimous decision (TUF featherweight final)

265 lbs.: Fabricio Werdum def. Mike Russow via TKO at 2:28 of round one

145 lbs.: Hacran Dias def. Yuri Alcantara via unanimous decision

145 lbs.: Rodrigo Damm def. Medeiros Anistavio via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:12 of round one

185 lbs.: Francisco Drinaldo def. Delson Heleno via TKO at 4:21 of round one

145 lbs.: Hugo Viana def. John Teixeira via split decision

185 lbs.: Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo def. Leonardo Mafra Teixeira via TKO at 0:41 of round three

145 lbs.: Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini def. Wagner Campos via TKO at 1:04 of round three

145 lbs.: Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira goes to a split draw

The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion ran through another opponent at UFC 135, beating Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by submission in the fourth round to retain his title.

The first three rounds saw Jones dictate the fight with his long reach, especially with his kicks. Jackson was never able to get inside that long reach, but did show some good takedown defense in the fight.

Once the fourth round came, Jones caught Jackson with a big straight punch that seemed to stun Jackson. The fight then soon went to the ground and Jones quickly secured a rear-naked choke and forced a tap of Jackson. It was just the second submission loss of Jackson’s career and his first since 2001.

Jones seemed to only hurt himself in the fight as opposed to take damage from Jackson. He appeared to injure his feet from throwing a number of kicks at Jackson. Hopefully he doesn’t have a broken foot so he and Rashad Evans can face off sooner rather than later.

In the co-main event, Josh Koscheck knocked out Matt Hughes at 4:59 of the first round to get his first win in over a year. Hughes put on an impressive striking display in the early portion of the round but eventually got cracked, and that led to the finish.

Hughes hinted that Saturday’s loss could be his last fight, but didn’t say the actual word “retire”. I will touch more on that tomorrow.

For full UFC 135 results, check out the jump.

UFC 135 Results (Courtesy of MMAWeekly.com)

-Jon Jones def. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:14, R4

-Josh Koscheck def. Matt Hughes by KO at 4:59, R1

-Mark Hunt def. Ben Rothwell by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)

-Travis Browne def. Rob Broughton by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-Nate Diaz def. Takanori Gomi by submission (arm bar) at 4:27, R1

-Tony Ferguson def. Aaron Riley by TKO (broken jaw) at 5:00, R1

-Tim Boetsch def. Nick Ring by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

-Junior Assuncao def. Eddie Yagin by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

-Takeya Mizugaki def. Cole Escovedo by TKO (strikes) at 4:30, R2

-James Te Huna def. Ricardo Romero by KO at :47 seconds, R1

The rising star knocked out Jake Shields in under a minute in the main event of UFC Fight Night 25, giving him the biggest win of his career over the recent No. 1 contender in the division.

It was an explosive victory, as Ellenberger used a big knee to set up a flurry of punches from the ground to finish the fight. But, in that short time, Ellenberger showed the tools he needs to be a star.

Early in the fight he threw an uppercut that would have ended the fight if it landed. Clearly he found a hole in Shields game in terms of his ability to defend inside punches.

Also, Shields had a few weak takedown attempts that Shields easily defended. In this division, takedown defense is going to be a big thing for Ellenberger.

His striking is on par with anyone in the division and his aggression is up there with anyone, which makes him a dangerous opponent. He is a fighter that is willing to fall on his sword in hopes of winning a fight, but he has all the skills to avoid that fate.

It will be interesting to see what is next for Ellenberger as he awaits the UFC welterweight Final Four that is coming up at UFC 137 in late October.

I will also be interested to see what is next for Shields. His drop to welterweight in the UFC has been anything but stellar, as he is now 1-2 and his one win was razor thin. Perhaps a move back to 185 pounds will be in order.

Sometimes things just don’t go your way when picking MMA fights and Saturday was that example.

I was 1-3 in my Strikeforce picks, with my lone win being Josh Barnett choking out Sergei Kharitonov.

It was a great win for Barnett, who now advances to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals against the surprise contender, Daniel Cormier.

Cormier, the Olympic wrestler, used his striking to topple Antonio Silva and advance to the finals. He landed a pair of big punches early in the fight, with the second one sending Silva to the ground. From there, Cormier finished the fight with a pair of big hammer fists.

Cormier has now propelled himself into the heavyweight spotlight and a battle with fellow wrestler, Josh Barnett, should make for an interesting championship.

Cormier may have the edge with his striking and wrestling ability. That could help him stay off his back against Barnett, who should have a submission edge on the relatively new fighter.

In the other two featured bouts, Luke Rockhold upset Ronaldo Souza to win the Strikeforce Middleweight title. I didn’t give Rockhold much respect entering the bout, but he grinded a nice win over Souza, using his striking and submission defense to keep the fight in his favor. Question is, does this give Rockhold a chance to move to the UFC for a unification bout? Or does he still not catch the eye of the UFC brass?

Muhammed Lawal returned to action by KO’ing unbeaten Roger Gracie. King Mo’s big right hands ended the fight in the first round and gave him one of his most impressive wins to date.