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.

UFC 128: Dawn of a Dynasty

Jon Jones v. Shogun Rua (Photo: bufutaki.com)

UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones – Newark, N.J. – Prudential Center – March 19, 2011

Jon "Bones" Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history by winning the light heavyweight title from Shogun Rua at UFC 128.

Jones, 23, used knee strikes and punches to score a TKO victory in Round 3. Josh Barnett was the previous record holder, winning the UFC heavyweight title at the age of 24.

In a battle of former WEC champions, Urijah Faber scored a unanimous decision over Eddie Wineland. Both men debuted, as UFC beefed up its lighter divisions with talent from the WEC merger.

Jim Miller scored his seventh win in a row, beating Kamal Shalorus by TKO in the third round. Nate Marquardt beat Dan Miller by unanimous decision.

UFC on Versus 3: Give a Hit, Take a Hit

Diego Sanchez (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann – Louisville, Ky. – KFC YUM! Center – March 3, 2011

Diego Sanchez won a bloody war with Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann  to headline the third UFC show on the Versus network.

All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Sanchez, who busted Kampmann open and was also bleeding under both eyes.  

“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz snapped CB Dollaway’s three-fight win streak with a TKO win in 54 seconds. Check it out.

UFC 127: Stalemate in Sydney

Jon Fitch (Photo: bleacherreport.com)

UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch – Sydney, Australia – Acer Arena – Feb. 26, 2011

BJ Penn and Jon Fitch battled to a majority draw in the UFC 127 main event.

Fitch won five fights in a row to earn the main-event spot. One judge thought he won the fight, but the others called it a 28-28 draw.

Michael “The Count” Bisping moved up in the middleweight division with a TKO win over Jorge Rivera in Round 2.

Dennis Siver of Germany scored his third win a row with a unanimous decision over George Sotiropoulos.

UFC 126: Spider vs. Phenom

Miguel Torres (Photo: mmanews.com)

UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort – Las Vegas, Nev. – Mandalay Bay Events Center – Feb. 5, 2011

Anderson Silva retained the UFC middleweight title for the eighth time, beating Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 126.

Silva floored “The Phenom” with a front kick, and finished him off with a punch combination at the 3:25 mark.

Former champions collided in the co-main event, as Forrest Griffin won a unanimous decision over Rich “Ace” Franklin.

Jon "Bones" Jones moved into position for a light heavyweight title shot, beating Ryan Bader with a guillotine choke in the second round.

UFC Fight Night 23: Fight for the Troops 2

Melvin Guillard (Photo: lowkickmma.com)

UFC Fight Night 23: Fight for the Troops 2 – Fort Hood, Texas – Jan. 22, 2011

 “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard defeated Evan Dunham in the main event of UFC’s second “Fight for the Troops” event.

Guillard rocked Dunham with a left knee strike and then kept battling until the referee stopped the fight just under the three-minute mark.

Mark Hominick earned shot at the new UFC featherweight championship with a TKO win over George Roop in 88 seconds. Jose Aldo was crowned the first UFC featherweight champion, as he entered the company with the WEC featherweight title.

In heavyweight action, Matt Mitrone improved to 4-0, beating Tim Hague by TKO at the 2:59 mark.

UFC 125: Nothing Changes on New Year's Day

Dong Hyun Kim (Photo: sherdog.com)

UFC 125: Resolution – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Jan. 1, 2011

Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar battled for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 125, but the “Resolution” subtitle proved ironic as the fight ended in a draw.

One judge ruled the fight 48-46 in favor of the champion Edgar, while another saw it the same way. The third judge saw the fight as a 47-47. As a result, Edgar retained the title.

In the co-main event, Brian Stann beat Chris “The Crippler” Leben by TKO at the 3:37 mark.

Thiago Silva seemed to defeat Brandon Vera by unanimous decision. However, Silva’s win was changed to a no contest after he tested positive for banned substances.

Dong Hyun Kim of South Korea beat Nate Diaz by unanimous decision.

UFC 124: Hail to the Hometown Hero

Georges St.-Pierre (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 124: St.-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 – Montreal, Canada – Bell Centre – Dec. 11, 2010

Montreal embraced Georges St.-Pierre at UFC 124, as more than 23,000 fans watched him retain the UFC welterweight title against Josh Koscheck.

GSP won their first battle three years earlier by unanimous decision at UFC 74, and this fight ended with the same result.

All three judges gave the fight to the champ with identical 50-45 scorecards. 

UFC raked in $4.6 million at the Bell Centre box office.

Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve won the co-main event with a TKO win over Sean McCorkle at the 3:55 mark.

TUF 12 Finale: Jonathan Brookins Wins Lightweight Tournament

Jonathan Brookins (Photo: fightland.vice.com)

The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 finale – Las Vegas, Nev. – The Pearl at the Palms – Dec. 4, 2010

Jonathan Brookins won the lightweight tournament in the 12^th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Brookins won a unanimous decision over Michael Johnson to earn a UFC contract. He lost three of his next UFC fights before moving to India in 2012 to study yoga. He later returned to fight for other promotions around the world.

Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck were the coaches for the season, leading up to a welterweight title bout one week later. Both finalists were on Team GSP.

TUF 1 runner-up Stephan Bonnar won a unanimous decision over Igor Pokrajac in the co-main event.