UFC 141: The Party's Almost Over

Brock Lesnar (Photo: mmaweekly.com)

UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Dec. 30, 2011

Brock Lesnar left the Octagon for more than four years after losing to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.

Overeem won the main event by TKO in 2 minutes, 26 seconds.

Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight champion, only had one more Octagon fight, a no-contest against Mark Hunt at UFC 200.

Before and after that bout, Lesnar dominated the WWE, winning several World titles and headlining multiple WrestleManias.

Nate Diaz won the co-main event by unanimous decision over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Johny "Bigg Rigg" Hendricks knocked out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds to improve his record to 14-1 and move closer to a welterweight title fight with Georges St. Pierre.

Alexander Gustafsson defeated Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko by TKO at the 2:13 mark.

Jimy “The Kid” Hettes improved to 10-0 with a unanimous decision over Nam Phan in the featherweight division.

On the final Spike TV pre-show, Ross Pearson beat Junior Assuncao by unanimous decision. Danny Castillo won a split decision over Anthony Njokuani.

All three Facebook preliminary fights resulted in unanimous decisions. Jacob Volkmann beat Efrain Escudero; Diego Nunes defeated Manny Gamburyan; and Dong Hyun Kim beat Sean Pierson.

UFC 140: Tap or Snap

Little Nog (Photo mmamania.com)

UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida – Toronto, Canada – Air Canada Centre - Dec. 10. 2011

Jon Jones added to his sterling resume as UFC light heavyweight champion with a win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140.

Jones succeeded in his second title defense, beating “The Dragon” by technical submission to a guillotine choke in Round 2.

Frank Mir broke the arm of Antonio Rodrigo “Big Nog” Noguiera, who refused to tap out to a kimura. The referee stopped the fight at 3:38, as Big Nog was unable to avenge a previous loss to Mir.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 Finale: Count on Mayhem

Jason "Mayhem" Miller (Photo: bleacherreport.com)

TUF 14 Finale – Las Vegas, Nev. – Palms Casino Resort – Dec. 3, 2011

Michael Bisping outslugged Jason “Mayhem” Miller as UFC wrapped up the 14^th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Bisping won the coaches’ fight by TKO in Round 3.

This show was the final UFC special on Spike TV, as the Fox networks would take over the UFC contract in 2012.

Diego Brandao won the TUF featherweight tournament, defeating Dennis Bermudez with an armbar in the closing seconds of Round 1.

John Dodson beat TJ Dillashaw by TKO at the 1:54 mark to win the TUF bantamweight tournament.

Tony Ferguson improved to 3-0 in the Octagon with a win over “The Master of Thug Jitsu” Yves Edwards by unanimous decision.

Johnny Bedford opened the telecast with a win over Louis Gaudinot by TKO in Round 3.

Several TUF 14 contestants picked up their first UFC victories on the Facebook pre-show. 

In the featherweight division, Marcus Brimage won a unanimous decision over Stephen Bass; and Steven Siler won in the same way over Josh Clopton.

Bryan “Kid Lightning” Caraway defeated Dustin Neace with a rear naked choke in the third round.

At bantamweight, John Albert beat Dustin Pague by TKO in 69 seconds. Roland Delorme defeated Josh Ferguson with a rear naked choke in Round 3.

UFC 139: Classic Clash

Dan Henderson (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson – San Jose, Calif. – HP Pavilion – Nov. 19, 2011

One of the greatest fights in UFC history saw Dan Henderson triumph over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139.

All three judges saw the fight 48-47 in Henderson’s favor, and nearly everyone who watched the fight called it a classic.

UFC President Dana White called it “one of the top three best fights ever in MMA.

The win moved the 41-year-old Henderson closer to a title shot at middleweight champion Anderson Silva or light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones Jones.

UFC on Fox 1: Gone in 64 Seconds

Junior dos Santos (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos – Anaheim, Calif. – Honda Center - Nov. 12, 2011

Junior dos Santos knocked out Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds to win the UFC heavyweight title.

The company was celebrating its 18^th birthday with its first show on Fox.

Junior improved to 8-0 in the Octagon as he dethroned Velasquez, who was making his first defense of the title he won from Brock Lesnar one year earlier.

This was the only fight on the Fox TV show, so fans watching UFC for the first time only saw about a minute of action. The other nine fights aired on Facebook.

UFC 138: The Hippo vs. The Snake

Mark Munoz (Photo: sherdog.com)

UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz – Birmingham, England – LG Arena – Nov. 5, 2011

When the UFC comes to Birmingham, England, Chris Leben is in the main event. However, Mark Munoz defeated him at UFC 138.

Leben lost to Michael “The Count” Bisping when the Octagon debuted in Birmingham at UFC 89 three years earlier.

Munoz, known as “The Filipino Wrecking Machine,” won the middleweight matchup when Leben’s corner stopped the fight after the second round.

UFC 138 was live on SportsNet in Canada but taped for Spike TV that evening in the U.S.

UFC 137: The Once and Future Main Eventer

Nick Diaz (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz – Las Vegas, Nev. – Mandalay Bay Events Center – Oct. 29, 2011

Nick Diaz bounced back from a lost title shot to win a unanimous decision over BJ Penn at UFC 137.

Diaz was scheduled to face Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title, but the UFC stripped him of the title shot for missing media appearances.

After GSP dropped out of the show due to injury, Diaz was reinstated to the main event against Penn. After scoring the win, Diaz would battle for welterweight gold in his next two fights.

UFC 136: The Trilogy Concludes

Frankie Edgar (Photo: sherdog.com)

UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III – Houston, Texas – Toyota Center – Oct. 8, 2011

Frankie Edgar won his trilogy over Gray Maynard to retain the UFC lightweight title at UFC 136.

Maynard won their first meeting in 2008, making him a natural challenger for Edgar’s title on New Year’s Day 2011. That bout ended in draw.

In the third bout, Edgar overcame Maynard’s challenge with a TKO in the fourth round.

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.