COMMENTARY | The UFC 155 main card got off to a dull start, but Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon reenergized the crowd, putting on an entertaining show MMA fans won't forget anytime soon.
Here are the results of the entire UFC 155 fight card held on Dec. 29, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas:
Cain Velasquez def. Junior dos Santos
Cain looked like a completely different man during his UFC 155 rematch against dos Santos, aggressively pressuring the Brazilian during the opening round. He hurt dos Santos with a big right hook early in the fight, dragging "Cigano" to the ground shortly after. Junior kept trying to get back up, but Cain refused to let go, controlling the remainder of the round with his wrestling.
Dos Santos did a good job of getting back to his feet as the fight progressed, but he didn't have any answers for Cain's takedowns. Velasquez dominated the remainder of their fight with his wrestling, pressuring dos Santos on the ground and against the cage.
The Octagon-side judges scored the bout 50-45, 50-44, and 50-43, all in favor of Velasquez who reclaims the UFC's heavyweight title.
Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon
Miller came out swinging at UFC 155, hitting Lauzon with everything besides the kitchen sink in the opening round. Within a few minutes, Lauzon's face was a bloody mess. Miller switched things up in the second round, immediately taking "J-Lau" down. He transitioned to mount shortly after, landing some vicious shots in the process.
However, Lauzon turned things around with two minutes left in the round, sweeping to top position. He stayed on top for the remainder of the round, even threatening with an inverted heel-hook.
Miller decided to keep the fight standing during the third round, and he went right back to picking Lauzon apart. To his credit, Lauzon refused to quit, landing a few hard shots of his own. He even tried to steal the victory in the final seconds of the bout, holding on to a guillotine choke as time ran out.
Unfortunately for Lauzon, it was too little too late, as all three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Miller.
Definitely one of the most entertaining MMA fights in 2012.
Constantinos Philippou def. Tim Boetsch
Boetsch got off to a good start at UFC 155, roughing up Philippou against the cage and on the ground in the first round. However, he apparently broke his right hand during one of their exchanges.
Boetsch didn't look the same in the second round, unable to get the fight back on the canvas. He decided to pull guard, but that only made things worse, as Philippou landed some vicious shots on the ground. Battered and bloodied up, Tim decided to pull guard again, and Philippou pounded away. Referee Kim Winslow gave him every chance to fight back, but "The Barbarian" didn't have anything left, forcing her to step in and save him at 2:11 of the third round.
Yushin Okami def. Alan Belcher
The UFC 155 rematch between the two went a lot like their first encounter, with Yushin dominating the fight with his wrestling. Belcher had a few moments during the bout, and he even got some help from referee Chris Tognoni, who didn't seem to be a fan of the ground game, unfairly forcing the fight back up a few times.
However, Yushin's wrestling was too much for Belcher. All three Octagon-side judges gave Okami the nod.
Derek Brunson def. Chris Leben
Brunson came out with a smart gameplan at UFC 155, quickly closing the distance and taking Leben to the ground. He kept Leben grounded for the majority of the first round.
After getting put on his back again early in the second round, Chris managed to keep the fight standing for the remainder of the round. However, Brunson held his own in the striking department, and he had some more success with his takedowns in the final round. All three judges scored the fight for Brunson who pulls off a mild upset in his UFC debut.