The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, where a star-studded crowd watched a gripping LHW title battle between two Brazilian warriors, not to mention a fist full of other great fights!

Anthony Johnson Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
“Rumble” Johnson continued his wrecking ball form in the Welterweight division, with a crushing victory over his Japanese opponent Yoshida. Anthony didn’t waste any time destroying Yoshi in under a minute with a powerful striking display that was simply overwhelming. Although he struggled to make weight, (missing by six pounds) if he manages to keep on performing like this, he will soon find himself on a collision course with a certain French – Canadian title holder. Johnson moves to 7 - 2 via TKO.

Joe Stevenson Vs. Spencer Fisher
Both fighters were charged for this confrontation at the pointy end of the LW division. Things looked pretty even through the first round, as “Daddy” was happy to stand with “The King” and trade blows. Fisher was more effective in the striking department though, and stung Stevenson a couple of times. Late in the round Joe got Spencer to the canvas and went about trying to secure his position on the back, whilst peppering Fisher with punches. A cut had been opened above Spencer’s right eye and was causing him a bit of trouble vision wise.

The second round sees Stevenson get his takedown off a kick from Fisher, where he goes to work from inside the guard. Spencer stays active from his back but is getting the worse of the damage. “Daddy” moves for a leg lock then slides right into side control where he quickly acquires the crucifix and delivers eleven unanswered hard elbows, leaving a hapless Fisher in a no win situation and the fight is halted. Stevenson scores back-to-back wins thanks to a tap out due to strikes with just under a minute to go in the round.

Gleison Tibau Vs. Josh Neer
Tibau was out to wipe away a last start loss, as was “The Dentist” making both fighters desperate for the positive result. A huge Tibau started off with an explosive slam, nearly putting Neer through the octagon floor. But Neer shot back to his feet almost immediately. They went back and forth for most of the round, Neer’s striking was ahead of his opponents and Tibau knew it, so he took him down again, and again Neer was back to his feet quickly. That’s how the following two rounds would go as well. Trade on the feet for a bit then bam, another takedown, then pop, Neer back to his feet. The major difference was that Tibau was starting to tire a little quicker than Neer but not before the bell sounded on a good fight. Gleison Tibau getting a unanimous nod from all three judges.

Cain Velasquez Vs. Ben Rothwell
Rothwell was making his octagon debut and looked a little nervous as he entered through the gate. He started well though and used his reach advantage to connect with a couple of combinations. Then Velasquez got what he was after, the takedown. “Big Ben” rallied and got back to his feet momentarily, before he was dumped again. He was in Cain’s world now and although his striking doesn’t look overly impressive standing, he sure does display some vicious power on the ground. He bombarded the new comer with punches and elbows from every angle until the round finished. His only real blemish was a glimpse of a kimura attempt from Rothwell that was thwarted.

Steve Mazzagatti warned Ben that he wouldn’t let him take that much of a battering in the second round without some obvious defensive technique being shown. He was true to his word, under a minute in; the pride of Mexico was smashing a grounded Rothwell repeatedly again. Mazzagatti raced in and stopped it, just as Rothwell was getting back to his feet. He protested, as did the crowd, although he was on borrowed time anyway. Cain Velasquez moves one step further up the HW ladder, winning by TKO a minute into round two.

Lyoto Machida Vs. Mauricio Rua
This was the first title defense for “The Dragon” against fellow Brazilian “Shogun”, who earned the shot after knocking out Chuck Liddell in his last fight. The first round was a feeling out period with a few tactical burst of power from both fighters, each man landing some telling knees and kicks. Rua was targeting the legs and body of Machida with his Muay Thai style and Lyoto was showing his usual elusiveness, most of the time. The contact in the first round was minimal but calculated and damaging none-the-less.

There is a ton of feinting and shadowing in the next couple of rounds along with some explosive acts of violence from both fighters. Neither gaining any real advantage, although some of the mystique of “The Dragon” is starting to fade as an ever more confidant “Shogun” begins to find his target with increasing regularity. After three rounds both combatants are visibly bruised on the body and legs and they can’t be separated on the score-cards (or so one would think).

Round four and it’s back and forth again, Machida is hampered, by the continued battering that his legs and torso are taking. Rua still delivering punishing kicks to the legs and body and Lyoto is driving forward with strikes and kicks of his own. Neither fighter can deliver the finishing blow though as the final round approaches.

The champion slows even further, yet still looks dangerous as Rua presses forward with even more confidence. They trade several more kicks and strikes throughout the last round until the final bell sounds on a riveting title encounter. The judges’ decision is a unanimous one, in favor of the champion, Machida. Rua is gutted with the result as he came home the stronger of the two and probably should have been awarded the belt. To the credit of Lyoto, he gave as good as he got, however this win may not taste quite as good as he would have liked. The door is definitely left ajar for a rematch in the not too distant future…

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