UFC on Versus 6: Above My Weight

Demetrious Johnson (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC on Versus 6 – Washington, D.C. – Verizon Center – Oct. 1, 2011

Dominick Cruz retained the UFC bantamweight title against Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at UFC on Versus 6.

Cruz improved to 19-1 and made his fourth defense of the 135-pound title, which he brought over from WEC when UFC bought the company.

Mighty Mouse then dropped to 125 pounds and started climbing toward the flyweight title, which he would hold for almost six years.

UFC 135: Building a Dynasty

Josh Koscheck (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage – Denver, Colo. – Pepsi Center – Sept. 24, 2011

Rampage Jackson hung on until the fourth road, but he was unable to stop Jon Jones from retaining the light heavyweight title at UFC 135.

Jones (14-1) earned the submission victory with a rear naked choke for his first successful title defense.

Josh Koscheck knocked out former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes with one second left in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 25: The Two Jakes

Jake Ellenberger (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou – New Orleans, La. – Morial Convention Center – Sept. 17, 2011

Jake Ellenberger moved up in the welterweight division with a decisive win over Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night 25.

Shields won his fifth fight in a row, living up to his “Juggernaut” nickname with a TKO victory in 53 seconds. Check it out.

Shields was unable to bounce back from a loss to Georges St. Pierre in a UFC welterweight title fight less than five months earlier.

Court McGee, who won Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, won a unanimous decision over Dongi Yang.

UFC 134: Back to Brazil

Yushin Okami (Photo: fightnewsaustralia.com)

UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – HSBC Arena – Aug. 27, 2011

Anderson Silva continued his dominance of the middleweight division at UFC 134.

“The Spider” defeated Yushin "Thunder" Okami by TKO in the second round for his ninth successful title defense over a five-year span.

Silva’s victory headlined UFC’s return to Brazil after a 13-year absence.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua knocked out Forrest Griffin in the co-main event at the 1:53 mark.

UFC on Versus 5: The Last Ride

Chris Lytle (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

UFC on Versus 5: Milwaukee, Wisc. – Bradley Center – Aug. 14, 2011

Chris “Lights Out” Lytle rode into retirement on a new Harley Davidson after beating Dan Hardy at UFC on Versus 5.

Lytle announced at the weigh-in that this would be his last fight. He beat “The Outlaw” with a guillotine choke in the third round.

He also won a new motorcycle that had been put up as a prize by a local dealership. Lytle wrapped up his career with a record of 31 wins, 18 losses and 5 draws.

Ben Henderson improved to 2-0 in the UFC with a unanimous decision over Jim Miller.

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone beat Charles Oliviera by TKO at the 3:01 mark.

UFC 133: Let's Not Call It a Draw

Vitor Belfort (Photo: mmamania.com)

UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz 2 – Philadelphia, Pa. – Wells Fargo Center – Aug. 6, 2011

Rashad “Suga” Evans beat Tito Ortiz in the main event of UFC 133, after the two men fought to a draw four years earlier.

Evans was supposed to challenge Jon “Bones” Jones for the light heavyweight title, but the champ’s hand injury meant he would have to wait eight more months for his title shot.

Ortiz stepped in to fill the void, even though he had just fought at the previous month’s PPV. Evans won by TKO in the second round.

Vitor Belfort bounced back from a loss to Anderson Silva by knocking out Yoshihiro Akiyama at the 1:52 mark.

Brian Ebersole used elbow strikes to beat Dennis Hallman by TKO in 4 minutes, 28 seconds. Costas Phillippou won a split decision over Jorge Rivera.

Rory MacDonald opened the PPV with a win over Mike Pyle by TKO at the 3:54 mark.

On the Spike TV prelims, Alexander Gustafson beat Matt Hamill by TKO in the second round. Chad “Money” Mendes beat Rani Yahya by unanimous decision.

Facebook viewers saw Ivan Menjivar beat Nick Pace by unanimous decision, and Mike Brown won in the same way over Nam Phan.

Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks captured a split decision over Mike Pierce, and Rafael “Sapo” Natal scored his first UFC win over Paul Bradley by unanimous decision.

UFC 132: Erasing the Blemish

Dominick Cruz (Photo: dailystar.co.uk)

UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2: Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena – July 2, 2011

Dominick Cruz avenged the only loss of his career, beating Uriah Faber at UFC 132.

Cruz successfully defended his UFC bantamweight title by unanimous decision. Faber had beaten Cruz four years earlier in a WEC featherweight title bout.

Tito Ortiz won his first fight in five years, beating Ryan Bader with a guillotine choke at the 1:56 mark. Bader had a 12-0 record until he met Jon Jones and Ortiz.

UFC on Versus 4: I'm Not Dead Yet

Cheick Kongo (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC on Versus 4: Kongo vs. Barry - Pittsburgh, Pa. – Consol Energy Center – June 26, 2011

Cheick Kongo survived a near-knockout to KO Pat Barry in the main event of UFC on Versus 4.

On two occasions, the referee could have stopped the fight in favor of Barry.  At one point, the announcer says, “It’s over.”

But Kongo kept getting up and rallied for the biggest comeback win of 2011.

Watch the amazing finish for yourself.

UFC 131: Waiting Near the Mountain Top

Junior dos Santos (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin –Vancouver, B.C., Canada – Rogers Arena-  June 11, 2011

Junior dos Santos didn’t get a chance to face Brock Lesnar, but a win over Shane Carwin at UFC 131 kept Junior in the title picture.

While dos Santos was waiting for heavyweight champion Cain Velazquez to return from injury, he coached the 13^th season of The Ultimate Fighter against Lesnar. Their coaches’ fight didn’t happen due to Lesnar’s struggles with diverticulitis.

Junior scored a unanimous decision over Carwin in the UFC 131 main event.

TUF 13 Finale: Say Hello to Tony Ferguson

Tony Ferguson (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

TUF 13 Finale – Las Vegas, Nev. – Palms Casino Resort – June 4, 2011

Tony Ferguson won the 13^th season of The Ultimate Fighter, kicking off a successful career in the Octagon.

Ferguson won the welterweight tournament final by knocking out Ramsey Nijem in just under four minutes.

Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos were the coaches for the TUF season, but their match at UFC 131 was canceled due to Lesnar’s diverticulitis.

Clay “The Carpenter” Guida moved closer to a lightweight title shot with a unanimous decision over Anthony Pettis.

UFC 130: A Bloody Rampage

Rampage Jackson (Photo: fcfighter.com)

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill – Las Vegas, Nev. – May 28, 2011

Rampage Jackson survived a bloody battle with Mark Hamill in the main event of UFC 130.

Jackson won by unanimous decision, but both men bore the scars of war after the fight.

“Matt Hamill’s tough – I tried to knock him out,” Jackson said.

Rampage also said he came into the fight with a broken hand.

UFC 129: Center of the MMA Universe

Jake Shields (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 129: St.Pierre vs. Shields – Toronto, Canada - Rogers Centre - April 30, 2011

UFC shattered its North American attendance record, drawing 55,000 fans paying $12 million to see the UFC for the first time in Ontario.

Georges St. Pierre won the UFC 129 main event, retaining his welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Jake Shields.

GSP made his sixth consecutive title defense. He won 48-47 on two judges’ scorecards and 50-45 on the other.

UFC Fight Night 24: They Call Him Mr. Wonderful

Phil Davis (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

UFC Fight Night 24: Noguiera vs. Davis – Seattle, Wash. – Key Arena – March 26, 2011

Phil Davis moved into the light heavyweight title picture by beating Antonio Rogerio Noguiera in the main event of UFC Fight Night 24.

“Mr. Wonderful” won by unanimous decision to improve to 9-0. Davis used his kicks to keep “Little Nog” off balance before going for takedowns.

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson beat Dan Hardy by unanimous decision after returning from a 16-month layoff.