Not many MMA fighters have ever had a bigger year as Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has had in 2011. Some much needed time off to regroup from the unbelievable rise to stardom is in store for Jones but when he returns the lineup to face him will be as big as ever, Rashad Evans if victorious over Phil Davis and Dan Henderson would be in the front of that line.
Frank Mir defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Submission 3:38 1st Round
In what should of been the real fight of the night Mir made a big statement in proving not only their UFC 92 fight was no fluke but he is still one of the top Heavyweights in the game as well. Mir has plenty of potential matchups for 2012 which would include the fall out of the Alistair Overeem vs Brock Lesnar fight as well as former champion Cain Velasquez.Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeated Tito Ortiz by TKO 3:15 1st Round
Noguiera regains some traction in the division by stopping a 2 fight skid. A bout against Rich Franklin scheduled earlier this year still should get alot of interest among fans and somewhat relevant in the rankings.
Brian Ebersole defeated Claude Patrick by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
For those of you keeping score that is 3 straight UFC wins for Ebersole and 10 in a row overall. A bout against up and coming John Hathaway could be perfect timing to tell where each fighter stands in the division.
Chan Sung Jung defeated Mark Hominick by TKO :07 1st Round
Best submission of the year and now (tied) fasted KO not a bad year for the Korean Zombie who with this win could work his way into a title shot in 2012. He will need a few wins to get there but this win earned him the right to face one of the winners of the Dustin Poirier vs Erik Koch or Renan Barao vs Scott Jorgensen bouts.
Igor Pokrajac defeated Krzystof Soszynski by TKO :35 1st Round
Pokrajac made the most of the opportunity in perhaps his highest profile victory against Soszynski. Matched up against Ronny Markes would give both competitors a good test in their clashing styles.
Constantino Philippou defeated Jared Hamman by TKO 3:11 1st Round
2 wins in a row now for Philippou and his power should surely be on everyone in the divisions radar. If healthy Alessio Sakara could be an excellent matchup between the 2 powerful strikers.
Dennis Hallman defeated John Makdessi by Submission 2:58 1st Round
Hallman was successful in the move down to Lightweight but could in tough in his attempt to hang with the others in the division. Matched up with fellow grappler TJ Grant who recently had to withdraw from a UFC 141 bout would make sense.
Yves Jabouin defeated Walel Watson by Split Decision (30-27. 29-28, 28-29)
Although they have both been close decisions Jabouin has now won 2 fights in a row in the Bantamweight division and with the pending move of Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez to the Flyweight division and Miguel Torres being cut Jabouin may be fast tracked to a more important fight in his next time out. Replacing Johnson against Eddie Wineland or Brad Pickett could be fights Jabouin will see himself in the near future.
Mark Bocek defeated Nik Lentz by Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bocek gets back on track with the win and facing the winner of the George Sotiropoulos vs Takanori Gomi would provide an interesting matchup regardless of the winner of that bout.
Jake Hecht defeated Rich Attonito by TKO 1:10 2nd Round
Hecht got the minor upset win against Attonito and most likely will be in tough again in his next bout. A matchup with Rick Story who has lost 2 fights in a row and is looking to get back on track could be a good matchup.
John Cholish defeated Mitch Clarke by TKO 4:26 2nd Round
It was a great win for Cholish as he was able to live up to hype surrounding his debut. He most likely will see a jump in competition in his next fight a matchup against Cole Miller who be a great test for Cholish.
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