UFC 92: Suga On Top

Rashad Evans (Photo: foxsports.com)

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Dec. 27, 2008

Rashad “Suga” Evans completed his march to the UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Forrest Griffin at UFC 92.

The undefeated Evans won by TKO in Round 3 in the first-ever title fight between winners of The Ultimate Fighter.

Frank Mir won the UFC interim heavyweight title from Antonio Noguiera in the TUF 8 coaches fight. Mir won by TKO in Round 2 to earn a shot at heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, whom Mir had already defeated.

Mir had been forced to drop the heavyweight title in 2004 after a motorcycle accident.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson avenged two PRIDE losses by knocking out Wanderlei Silva in 3 minutes, 21 seconds.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale: Bader and Escudero Triumph

Ryan Bader (foxsports.com)

TUF 8 Finale – Las Vegas, Nev. – Palms Casino Resort – Dec. 13, 2008

Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero won their divisions in The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 finale.

Escudero won the lightweight tournament with a unanimous decision over Phillipe Nover, while Bader knocked out Vinny Magalhaes in 2:18 to win the light heavyweight bracket.

The coaches for TUF 8 were UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera and Frank Mir, who battled for the title two weeks later at UFC 92.

Bader and Escudero were both members of Big Nog's team.

In other bouts, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson knocked out Kevin Burns with a head kick in Round 3. This was a rematch from UFC Fight Night 14, where Burns won by TKO with an eye poke, rather than being disqualified.

UFC Fight Night 16: Fight For The Troops

Josh Koscheck (Photo: mmamania.com)

UFC Fight Night 16: Fight for the Troops – Fayetteville, N.C. – Crown Coliseum – Dec. 10, 2008

Josh Koscheck capped off a night of brutal UFC action by knocking out Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the main event of Fight for the Troops.

Koscheck bounced back from a loss to Thiago Alves less than two months earlier, ending Yoshida’s nine-fight winning streak at the 2:15 mark.

“What an honor to fight in front of all you guys,” Koscheck told the troops in the crowd.

UFC presented its first show to support the military, as proceeds went to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

UFC 91: Brock Lesnar Takes Over the Octagon

Brock Lesnar (Photo: mixedmartialarts.com)

UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Nov. 15, 2018

Brock Lesnar captured the UFC heavyweight title in only his third Octagon appearance at UFC 91.

The former WWE champion beat Randy “The Natural” Couture by TKO in the second round to complete a stunning transition from the top of the wrestling world to the pinnacle of MMA.

The 265-pound Lesnar had a 45-pound advantage on the 45-year-old Couture. More than 1 million fans bought the show on PPV.

In the co-main event, Kenny Florian beat Joe “Daddy” Stevenson with a rear-naked choke at the 4:03 mark. Florian earned a lightweight title shot against B.J. Penn at UFC 101.

UFC 90: Anderson Silva Continues to Dominate

Patrick Cote (Photo: bjpenn.com)

UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote – Rosemont, Ill. – Allstate Arena – Oct. 25, 2008

Canada’s Patrick Cote was unable to stop the Anderson Silva juggernaut at UFC 90.

Silva retained the UFC middleweight title when Cote succumbed to a knee injury in Round 3.

Fans weren’t too intrigued by the main event, as the pay-per-view did only 300,000 buys. That was below average for an Anderson Silva fight.

In the co-main event, Thiago Alves  earned a shot at Georges St-Pierre’s UFC welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Josh Koscheck.

Gray Maynard remained undefeated with a unanimous decision win over Rich Clementi in the lightweight division.

UFC 89: Michael Bisping Wins the Battle of Birmingham

Michael Bisping (Photo: prommanow.com)

UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben – Birmingham, England – National Indoor Arena – Oct. 18, 2008

Michael Bisping improved his record to a sparkling 17-1 by defeating Chris Leben at UFC 89.

TUF 3 winner Bisping established himself as a British fighting headliner and as a contender for Anderson Silva’s middleweight title.

The event aired live in the United Kingdom and on tape delay in North America on Spike TV.

In the co-main event, “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine rebounded from a loss to Wanderlei Silva with a split decision over Brandon Vera.

UFC Fight Night 15: Nate Diaz Faces The Dentist

Time to see The Dentist (Josh Neer) - Photo: uproxx.com

UFC Fight Night 15 – Omaha (Neb.) Civic Auditorium - Sept. 17, 2008

Nate Diaz scored a split decision over Josh “The Dentist” Neer at UFC’s first show in Nebraska.

The judges ruled the bout 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 in Diaz’s favor. Insert “he won by the skin of his teeth” joke here.

Still, it was the fifth win in as many UFC fights for Diaz, a former WEC lightweight champion.

Neer is nicknamed "The Dentist" for his "tendency to re-arrange his opponents' teeth," according to the UFC Encyclopedia.

Spike TV presented the fight card as a lead-in to the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, featuring teams coached by Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

UFC 88: Rashad Evans' Electrifying Knockout of Chuck Liddell

Rashad Evans (Photo: mmajunkie.com)

UFC 88: Breakthrough – Atlanta – Philips Arena - Sept. 6, 2008

Rashad Evans scored an amazing knockout win over Chuck Liddell at UFC 88.

Evans clobbered the former light heavyweight champion with an overhand right in Round 2.

Witness the brutality for yourself.

"I wanted to beat him at his own game," Evans said.

He improved his record to 12-0-1 and earned a light heavyweight title shot against Forrest Griffin at UFC 92.

Former middleweight champion Rich Franklin returned to the light heavyweight division to defeat Matt Hamill. Franklin used a body kick to score a TKO in Round 3.

Dan Henderson rebounded from the loss of his two PRIDE championships with a unanimous decision over Rousimar Palhares.

UFC 87: Georges St-Pierre's Title vs. Jon Fitch's Win Streak

Jon Fitch (Photo: mmaweekly.com)

UFC 87: Seek and Destroy – Minneapolis – Target Center – Aug. 9, 2008

Georges St-Pierre dominated Jon Fitch at UFC 87, the company’s first show in Minnesota.

GSP cleaned up on the judges’ scorecards: 50-43, 50-44 and 50-44. Fitch was a very worthy opponent, racking up 16 wins in a row to earn the title shot.

Kenny Florian won his fifth straight fight in the lightweight division, beating Roger Huerta by unanimous decision.

Brock Lesnar scored his first win in the Octagon with a unanimous decision over Heath Herring. Despite his inexperience, Lesnar got a shot at the UFC heavyweight title three months later.

UFC Fight Night 14: Anderson Silva Fights Outside the Box

Anderson Silva (Photo: famososartistas.com)

UFC Fight Night 14: Silva vs. Irvin – Las Vegas, Nev. – Palms Casino Resort – July 19, 2008

Anderson Silva took a break from dominating UFC middleweights to beat light heavyweight James Irvin at UFC Fight Night 14.

Silva knocked out “The Sandman” in 61 seconds to improve his UFC record to 7-0.

UFC presented this show up against the first Affliction pay-per-view, which featured Fedor Emelianenko beating Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds in the main event.

Brandon “The Truth” Vera went down a weight class, debuting in the light heavyweight division with a unanimous decision win over UFC newcomer Reece Andy.

UFC 86: Forrest Griffin Overcomes a Rampage

Forrest Griffin (Photo: localemagazine.com)

UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin – Las Vegas, Nev. – Mandalay Bay Events Center – July 5, 2008

Forrest Griffin upset Rampage Jackson to win the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 86.

Griffin became the second winner of The Ultimate Fighter to win a UFC championship, as he beat Jackson by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 49-46).

Matt Serra was the first to pull off this feat when he beat Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69.

The Griffin-Jackson bout was the coaches’ fight from the seventh season of TUF. At one point in Round 4, Griffin locked on a triangle choke, and Jackson slammed his way out of it.

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale: Amir Sadollah's Double Victory

Amir Sadollah (Photo: boxnewsbox.com)

TUF 7 Finale – Las Vegas, Nev. – The Pearl at the Palms – June 21, 2008

Amir Sadollah had to beat CJ Dolloway twice in order to win the middleweight tournament in The Ultimate Fighter Season 7.

Sadollah defeated Dolloway in the semifinals on the TV show, but his opponent, Jesse Taylor went on a rampage in Las Vegas and was removed from the final match.

Dolloway defeated Tim Credeur to earn a spot in the finals, but Sadollah used an armbar to force Dolloway to submit at the 3:02 mark.

Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin were the coaches for TUF 7, and they battled for Jackson’s light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 86 two weeks later.

UFC 85: Matt Hughes Battles Thiago Alves in London

Thiago Alves (Photo: foxsports.com)

UFC 85: Bedlam – London – O2 Arena – June 7, 2008

Thiago “Pitbull” Alves won the UFC 85 main event over former welterweight champion Matt Hughes.

Alves and Hughes battled at a 174-pound catchweight, stepping in after the original main event of Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua fell apart due to injuries to both fighters.

Despite a sprained ankle, Alves nailed Hughes with a flying knee and followed up with strikes to earn a TKO win in Round 2.

Michael Bisping improved his record to 16-1 with a win over Jason “Dooms” Day by TKO at the 3:42 mark.