UFC 118: Pitching a Shutout

Frankie Edgar (Photo: the42.ie)

UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 – Boston, Mass. – TD Garden – Aug. 28, 2010

Frankie Edgar ‘s second fight with BJ Penn ended just like the first – with Edgar retaining the UFC lightweight title by unanimous decision.

Unlike their first fight at UFC 112, the scoring was not close. Edgar won 50-45 on all three judges’ scorecards.

Randy “The Natural” Couture won his third fight in a row, defeating boxer James “Lights Out” Toney with an arm triangle choke at the 3:19 mark. This was Toney’s only appearance in the Octagon.

UFC 117: What Makes A Champion?

Chael Sonnen (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 117: Silva v. Sonnen – Oakland, Calif., - Oracle Arena – Aug. 7, 2010

Anderson Silva used a Hail Mary triangle choke to retain his middleweight title against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.

Sonnen dominated “The Spider” in the first four rounds and appeared to have the gold within his grasp.

However, Silva did what champions do: win when you least expect it. He forced the challenger to tap out with less than two minutes on the clock.

UFC on Versus 2: The Jon Jones Network

Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (Photo: mmaforum.com)

UFC on Versus 2: Jones vs. Matyushenko – San Diego, Calif. – Valley View Casino Center – Aug. 1, 2010

Jon “Bones” Jones headlined the second UFC on Versus show, and it ended just like the first: with a TKO victory.

Five months after beating Brandon Vera in the Versus debut, Jones wiped out Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko with elbow strikes at the 1:52 mark.

The Janitor came in with a 24-4 record and a three-fight win streak, but he couldn’t stop Jones’ march toward a light heavyweight title shot.

In the co-main event, Yushin Okami won a split decision over Mark Munoz by the narrowest of margins (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

UFC 116: Shane Carwin Steps Up To Face Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena – July 3, 2010

Brock Lesnar continued his heavyweight dominance by beating Shane Carwin at UFC 116.

While Lesnar had been sidelined with diverticulitis, Carwin had won the interim heavyweight title by defeating Frank Mir at UFC 111.

Lesnar returned to the Octagon and retained his heavyweight title by forcing Carwin to submit to an arm triangle choke in the second round.

Chris “Lights Out “ Lytle used a triangle/armbar combination to beat Matt Brown by submission in the second round.

TUF 11 Finale: Court McGee Comes All the Way Back

Court McGee (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

TUF 11 Finale – Las Vegas, Nev. – Palms Casino Resort – June 19, 2010

Court McGee came back from elimination to win the 11^th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

McGee lost his first fight in the competition, but an injury to another competitor gave him a second chance. He defeated Kris McCrary with a rear naked choke in Round 2 to earn a UFC contract.

This season’s competition consisted of middleweights, with Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz serving as coaches. Ortiz had to leave near the end of the season for neck surgery, and Rich Franklin took his place.

UFC 115: The Iceman Goeth

Chuck Liddell (Photo: facebook.com)

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin – Vancouver, B.C, Canada – General Motors Place – June 12, 2010

Chuck Liddell made his final UFC appearance at UFC 115, getting knocked out by Rich Franklin in the main event.

“The Iceman” left the Octagon with a pro record of 21-8, and he also enjoyed a two-year reign as light heavyweight champion.

Franklin suffered a broken arm from a Liddell kick in the first round, but he managed to knock Liddell out with a right hand with five seconds left in the first round. 

  

Mirko Cro Cop deviated from his “head-kick” strategy, beating Pat “HD” Barry by submission to a rear naked choke in Round 3.

UFC 114: The Long Road to Redemption

Rashad Evans (Photo: reviewjournal.com)

UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena - May 29, 2010                      

  

Rashad Evans beat Rampage Jackson by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 114.

Evans’ win pushed him into contention for the UFC light heavyweight title, which he lost to Lyoto Machida one year earlier.

Michael Bisping triumphed in the co-main event with a unanimous decision over Dan Miller. Bisping improved his record to 19-3.

In a heavyweight bout, Mike Russow knocked out Todd Duffee at the 2:35 mark.  Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won a split decision over Jason Brilz.

UFC 113: Revenge of the Shogun

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2 – Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre – May 8, 2010

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua knocked out Lyoto Machida to win the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 113.

Rua rained down punches from the mount to earn a knockout win, avenging his loss to Machida at UFC 104.

Josh Koscheck beat Paul Daley by unanimous decision to earn a welterweight title shot against Georges St. Pierre. Koscheck also earned the right to coach the 12^th season of The Ultimate Fighter against GSP.

Daley sucker punched Koscheck after the bout and was subsequently fired.

UFC 112: Frankie Edgar Wins Gold in Abu Dhabi

Frankie Edgar (Photo: bleacherreport.com)

UFC 112: Invincible – April 10, 2010 – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Yas Island Concert Arena

Frankie Edgar captured the UFC lightweight title from B.J. Penn at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.

Edgar, a New Jersey native, kept cool despite his underdog status and methodically outpointed the Hawaiian champion.

In the main event, Anderson Silva continued his dominant run as UFC middleweight champion. “The Spider” beat Demian Maia by unanimous decision to retain the title.

Fans in the U.S. could watch the pay-per-view live at 1 p.m. Eastern or check out the replay in the usual 10 p.m. time lot.

UFC Fight Night 21: Return to the Queen City of the South

Kenny Florian (Photo: foxsports.com)

UFC Fight Night 21: Florian vs. Gomi – Charlotte, NC – Bojangles Coliseum – March 31, 2010

Kenny Florian moved closer to a lightweight title shot at UFC Fight Night 21.

Florian beat former PRIDE fighter Takanori Gomi with a rear-naked choke in UFC’s return to Charlotte after a 15-year absence.

UFC Fight Night 21 was a lead-in to the 11^th season of The Ultimate Fighter, featuring Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell as coaches.

After a power outage in the arena, Roy “Big Country” Nelson followed up his TUF 10 victory with a 39-second knockout over the 7-foot Stefon Struve.

UFC 111: Georges St.-Pierre Does What He Does Best

UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy – Newark, N.J. – Prudential Center – March 27, 2010

Georges St. Pierre routed Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy in the main event of UFC 111 to retain the welterweight title.

GSP established his dominance before a sellout crowd of 17,000 with an unstoppable ground attack. The judges ruled in the champ's favor by scores of 50-45, 50-44 and 50-43.

Shane Carwin knocked out Frank Mir at 3:48 to win the interim heavyweight title. Carwin also earned a shot at heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

UFC on Versus 1: Jon Jones Returns to the Win Column

Jon "Bones" Jones (Photo: lowkickmma.com)

UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones – Broomfield, Colo. – 1stBank Center – March 21, 2010

Jon “Bones” Jones returned to the win column, beating Brandon “The Truth” Vera in the main event of UFC’s first show on the Versus network.

Jones blasted Vera with an elbow to the face and followed up with punches to win by TKO at the 3:19 mark. Jones bounced back from a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill three months earlier.

Future UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos knocked out Gabriel Gonzaga at the 3:53 mark.

UFC drew 1.24 million viewers in its debut on Versus, which used to be the Outdoor Life Network and is now NBC Sports Network.

UFC 110: Australia Welcomes the Octagon

Cain Velasquez (Photo: foxsports.com)

UFC 110: Noguiera vs. Velasquez – Sydney, Australia – Acer Arena - Feb. 21, 2010

Cain Velasquez earned a shot at Brock Lesnar’s UFC heavyweight title at UFC 110.

Velasquez knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera at 2:20 to improve his record to 8-0. Cain landed a three-punch combo before walloping Big Nog on the mat for the victory.

After losing five of his previous six fights, Wanderlei Silva won a unanimous decision over Michael Bisping. “The Axe Murderer” scored with a pair of big punches in the closing moments.