UFC 146 Full Recap
UFC 146 Results winners include:
Junior dos Santos -- "JDS" was successful in his first heavyweight championship title defense ... and then some. "Cigano" efficiently avoided Mir's takedown attempts, then punished him with devastating striking until he finally put him out of his misery in the second round. It's hard to see any heavyweights beating this guy for a while.
Cain Velasquez -- If there was any doubt that the former heavyweight champion has recovered from his loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 1 in Anaheim, Calif., on Nov. 12, 2011, all that was removed when Velasquez bull rushed "Bigfoot" Silva, stayed on top of him and pummeled him to a bloody pulp. The first round technical knockout win will probably end up being enough to earn him a chance at redemption and an opportunity to regain the belt he once held.
Stefan Struve -- Wow. After eating a few of "Big" Johnson's big punches inside the clinch, Struve wasted no time in pulling guard and finishing the fight with a very nasty armbar. It was quick and violent. For a super-sized heavyweight, his athleticism and agility are remarkably impressive. Big win for the "Skyscraper."
Roy Nelson -- "Big Country" looked fantastic, as he was able to plant a massive bomb of an overhand right that landed perfectly on the chin of Dave Herman and sent him spiraling to the canvas. It just goes to show that Nelson always has a "puncher's chance." Every time you think he's on his way out of the UFC, he does something like this. Roy's an unpredictable guy, that much is for sure.
Glover Teixeira -- After winning his last 16 fights in a row in lesser promotions, the 32-year old Teixeira had been developing a bit of a cult following. Last night, he proved that he's more than a "can-crusher." With a quick and brutal win over the very tough Kyle Kingsbury, Teixeira showed that he was a more than suitable addition to the UFC's stable of 205-pounders.
Stipe Miocic -- The Croatian sensation, who had amassed a perfect record (8-0) prior to UFC 146, started his fight versus Shane del Rosario a bit behind the 8-ball. Del Rosario made great use of his kicking arsenal to keep Miocic at bay and guessing as to what would come next. Eventually, Miocic decided to show off an aspect of his game we've not seen much of, as of yet, when he used his takedowns and ground-and-pound to garner himself a nice, second round technical knockout victory.
Jamie Varner -- "C-4" last fought in the UFC over five years ago. Since that point, it's been a roller coaster ride that included a run in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) as the Lightweight Champion, followed by a miserable streak, bouncing from one regional show to the next. Varner was given the opportunity to step into the cage with a very tough Edson Barboza on short notice (replacing the injured Evan Dunham), and did he ever capitalize! After absorbing a ton of leg kicks, Varner finally was able to push through, land a solid combo, pounce on his wounded opponent and finish the fight. Welcome back!
Dan Hardy -- Hardy was another fighter who made a big career comeback at UFC 146. After taking over a year off, "The Outlaw" scored a great knockout win, by way of a nasty left hook to the jawline of Duane Ludwig. Apparently, the time off really did him some good. Hard to say just what this will mean for his future, but it's a move in the right direction and very possibly saved his job.
I do NOT own UFC. All UFC programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, fighting moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of Zuffa, LLC. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Ultimate Fighting Championship®. Copyright © 2012 Zuffa, LLC. All Rights Reserved.