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After a long hiatus by UFC standards, UFC 152 featured the promotions return to pay-per-view and it did so with an action packed event. There were two championships on the line in both the light heavyweight division and flyweight division respectively. Also, Michael Bisping made a claim for a title shot and Matt Hamill returned to action after a self-imposed retirement.
Round One: A Close call For “Bonesâ€
Most people assumed that Jon Jones would steamroll through Vitor Belfort and they were right, except for a brief time in the opening round. In that opening round, Jones put Belfort on the ground with a takedown and nearly got caught in a fight ending arm bar. Jones was able to escape and submit Belfort himself with an americana in the fourth round of the battle. Jones may have escaped with the title, but admitted that the near fight ending arm bar from Belfort may have done more damage than let on.
Next Round For Jon Jones: Dan Henderson or Lyoto Machida
Next Round for Vitor Belfort: A return to the middleweight division
Round Two: The First Ever UFC Flyweight Champion Is…
Demetrious Johnson, who outpointed Joseph Benavidez on route to a split decision victory to claim the gold. Johnson used his lightning quick speed to score a ton of takedowns on Benavidez, who was game himself through the end of the fight. Benavidez nearly captured the championship in the third round when he nearly forced Johnson to tap out to a guillotine choke. Johnson will forever go down in the annals of UFC history after the first ever UFC Flyweight Champion.
Next Round For Demetrious Johnson: The John Dodson/Jussier Da Silva Winner
Next Round For joseph Benavidez: Ian McCall, Louis Gaudinot or Chris Cariaso
Round Three: The “Brit†Makes His Move
After nearly getting knocked out by Brian Stann in the opening round, Michael Bisping rebounded to take home a unanimous decision on Saturday Night. Bisping has long been asking for a middleweight title fight and may now be getting it after this victory. The potential issue in front of him right now is the possible fight between Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva in 2013. If that fight does come to pass, then Bisping will have to decide if he would rather wait for a title shot or risk one more fight.
Next Round For Michael Bisping: UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva
Next Round For Brian Stann: Rousimar Palhares/Hector Lombard loser or Chris Weidman/Tim Boetsch loser
Round Four: The Return Of “The Hammerâ€
Following losses to both Quinton Jackson and Alexander Gustafsson, Matt Hamill decided to call it a career. Fast forward to a year later, “The Hammer†is revived and ready for action at UFC 152 against the debuting Roger Hollett. The fight itself was not much to write home about after a decent first round, but Hamill found a way to pull out the decision. Hamill looked gassed by the end of the fight, but we will see if that trend continues when “The Hammer†returns again down the line.
Next Round For Matt Hamill: Ryan Jimmo, Igor Pokrajac or James Te Huna
Next Round For Roger Hollett: Nick Penner, Anthony Perosh or Joey Beltran
Round Five: The Comeback Kid
It only took a little over three years for Vinny Magalhaes to return to the UFC, but he acted quickly upon returning to the world famous octagon. Early into the second round of his fight with Igor Pokrajac, Magalhaes locked in an arm bar that forced his foe to tap out. This was not a bad return to the UFC for Magalhaes, who was locked in a legal battle with the M-1 promotion. Magalhaes returned just at the right time because the UFC Light Heavyweight Division is running thin on contenders at the moment.
Next Round For Vinny Magalhaes: Brandon Vera, Quinton Jackson or Ryan Bader
Next Round For Igor Pokrajac: James Te Huna, Vladimir Matyushenko or Matt Hamill
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