The UFC returned to the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday night, where long-time middleweight champ Anderson Silva looked to make short work of hot prospect Chris Weidman.
If you don’t know what happened in that fight by now, you wouldn’t be reading this.
Was the finish a fluke or is “The All-American” going to be the face of the UFC’s middleweight division for many years to come?
Additionally, the event was filled with excitement as a whole and several other fighters notched statement wins putting their respective divisions on notice.
Check out whose stock went up, as well as whose went down, at UFC 162.
BIGGEST WINNER
Chris Weidman - He only became the first fighter to decisively stop Anderson Silva since December 2004, giving him his first knockout loss in 38 professional fights. No big deal.
Weidman not only lived up to the hype, but lived up to all of his claims prior to the match up, refusing to gave the pound-for-pound great any room to breathe with his constant pressure.
While Silva’s showboating antics have cheapened the win for some, no one can deny that the undefeated (10-0) Long Island native is a force to reckoned with at 185-pounds.
WINNER
Cub Swanson – Despite an embarrassing loss to 145-pound champ Jose Aldo back in June 2009, Swanson is a completely different animal now.
His knockout over a dangerous striker in Dennis Siver speaks volumes of how much progress he has made since then. A five-fight win streak, including four KO’s, gives him a compelling case for a title shot.
WINNER
Frankie Edgar – “The Answer” desperately needed to get back on track after three straight losses and he looked excellent against a dangerous opponent in Charles Oliveira.
Edgar’s wrestling, boxing and cardio were on point as usual and was just too much for the 23-year-old prospect to handle. He’s clearly a top 3 fighter at featherweight, but hard to say where he goes from here since he lost to Aldo already in February.
WINNER
Mark Munoz – A year-long layoff marked by a bout with depression and various nagging injuries put several question marks around “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” heading into his bout with Tim Boetsch.
Munoz showed he is back and better than ever despite his recent struggles, battering Boetsch for the better part of three rounds. A fight with Michael Bisping could be a great scrap.
BIGGEST LOSER
Anderson Silva – The pound-for-pound great is more than likely still going to be considered the greatest of all time for many years to come. That doesn’t excuse his performance from Saturday night.
“The Spider” taunted and disrespected Weidman like he was Patrick Cote or Thales Leites all over again, a massive mistake that ended his night early.
Silva can still beat anyone at 185-pounds when he’s focused, but it’s hard to believe his heart remains firmly in the fight game. If he soldiers forward, a rematch with Weidman is the only bout that makes sense. Fighting “fun fights” to fulfill his contract is a disservice to both him and the fans.
LOSER
Dennis Siver – After strong showings at featherweight against Diego Nunes and Nam Phan, he was unable to overcome a fierce top contender in Cub Swanson Saturday night.
Siver remains a top 10 player at 145-pounds, but he is well outside of the title picture now due to the devastating TKO loss.
LOSER
Charles Oliveira – While he has now lost two in a row, Oliveira actually raised his stock in a loss to former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.
Oliveira had his moments: landing big knees and kicks on occasion and locking up a tight guillotine choke at the end of the second round. He also withstood hard power shots from Edgar throughout the bout, showcasing an iron will.
LOSER
Tim Boetsch - After four-straight wins, “The Barbarian” suffered a fluky loss to Constantinos at UFC 155 in December.
However, his loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 162 was as definitive as it gets. He remains in the top 10 of the UFC’s official middleweight rankings, but hard to imagine he’d be able to beat anyone ahead of him at this point.