Rashad Evans defeated Phil Davis by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).

In a downright dominant performance that saw him get the last word in a rivalry with Davis, Evans finally earned his chance to fight former training partner and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Evans caught Davis kicks and took the fight to the ground in each of the first two rounds. From there, Evans moved to the mounted crucifix on both occasions and ended the rounds in that position.

Davis fought back with two takedowns in the third round, but it was enough for him to even win the round, as Evans' more well-rounded attack led him to an important victory in the UFC on Fox main event.

The first loss of Davis' career came in a fight that showed he still has a lot of growing to do as a mixed martial artist. The former NCAA champion wrestler still had trouble setting up his takedowns with strikes, especially against a former wrestler as experienced in MMA as Evans.

With his fourth straight victory, Evans became the second fighter of the night to set up a future blockbuster event. At UFC 145, Evans will meet Jones in a long-awaited grudge match.

 

Chael Sonnen defeated Michael Bisping by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

In the co-main event of UFC on Fox 2, Sonnen walked away with a victory in a grueling, grinding fight. The win secured Sonnen an epic rematch wtih UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva later this year.

The opening round saw Sonnen secure two takedowns, but Bisping scored points of his own on the scorecards by quickly escaping and landing shots as Sonnen rushed in.

By pressing Sonnen against the fence and landing hooks to side of his opponent's head, Bisping likely earned the second round on two judges' scorecards. 

The final frame was the most decisive of the bout, as Sonnen took Bisping down and mounted the Englishman. A late escape and takedown for Bisping wasn't enough to even up the round on the scorecards, leaving him just short of his first UFC title shot.

The fight brought an end to Bisping's four-fight winning streak, but it set up what will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. 

The Sonnen show has just begun.

 

Chris Weidman defeated Demian Maia by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Taking the biggest fight of his life on 11 days notice led to a tough weight cut for Weidman and it showed in the opening bout of the UFC on Fox 2 main card. Weidman faded quickly as the fight rolled along.

What was really surprising was that Weidman's opponent, Maia, looked equally gassed. Maia's telegraphed takedowns and predictable striking allowed Weidman to keep his spotless record in decision.

A two-time All-American at Hofstra University, Weidman secured takedowns in each of the three rounds. Although he didn't do much from the top position, Weidman's takedowns and counter-striking were enough to move him into a position to fight another elite 185-pound fighter. 

Maia has now lost two of three fights, and considering this disappointing performance on network television, it could be awhile until the jiu-jitsu ace gets another blockbuster fight.

 

Evan Dunham defeated Nik Lentz by technical knockout (cut) at 5:00 of the second round.

With a brutal assault on Lentz's face in the second round of his fight at UFC on Fox 2, Dunham picked up his second straight win by causing a cut and major swelling under the left eye of his opponent.

The bout saw a seesaw battle in the first round turn into a more lopsided second frame, as Dunham was able to best Lentz on the ground with damaging ground and pound.

With improved striking under the tutelage of kickboxer Ray Sefo, Dunham appears ready to make another run at the top ten lightweight in the UFC.

Lentz has now lost fights in back-to-back months, meaning it may be time for him to take some time off and go back to the drawing board to make improvements.

 

Mike Russow defeated John-Olav Einemo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

Despite his opponent's noted grappling credentials, Chicago police officer Russow did not hesitate whatsoever in taking Einemo to the ground.

Russow secured multiple takedowns in each of the three rounds, but a sweep to full mount in the final seconds of the first round was the only offense Einemo could mount on the canvas.

Exhausted in the final frame, Russow ate a few big knees from Einemo, but the 35-year-old policeman was able to take his equally tired opponent back to the ground and secure a decision victory.

With two straight losses to start his UFC career, and because of the lack of conditioning he showed at UFC on Fox 2, don't be surprised if this turns out to be Einemo's final fight inside the Octagon.

Russow, on the other hand, has won 11 consecutive fights and is considered by many one of the top 10 heavyweights in the UFC.

 

Cub Swanson defeated George Roop by technical knockout (punches) at 2:22 of the second round.

After a back-and-forth first round, Swanson turned up the tempo in the second frame and put Roop away with a jab-overhand right combination. 

Swanson was at his best when charging forward and overwhelming Roop. With his long reach, Roop was unable to counter Swanson on the inside.

Prior to this fight, Roop had made a move into some pundits' featherweight rankings with a narrow defeat against Hatsu Hioki. However, his second straight loss could prove a major setback for the towering 145-pound fighter.

Coming off of a loss to Ricardo Lamas in his UFC debut, Swanson's victory at UFC on Fox 2 was much-needed for the former WEC contender to secure his spot on the UFC roster.

 

Charles Oliveira defeated Eric Wisely by submission (calf slicer) at 1:23 of the first round.

After running into a rough patch at lightweight, Oliveira made an impressive featherweight debut by submitting Wisely with a rare calf slicer.

Early on, Oliveira caught a Wisely kick and tossed his opponent to the ground. Shortly after, "Do Bronx" looked to secure a heel hook. After losing the hold, Oliveira had a figure-four on Wisely's leg and looked to take his adversaries back.

With a massive amount of torque applied to his calf, Wisely was forced to tap in his UFC debut due to an unorthodox submission. For the 27-year-old Strikeforce veteran, a loss to the very talented Oliveira is not something to be ashamed of, but he will need to put on a betteer performance in his next fight.

The 22-year old Oliveira has cemented himself as one of the brightest young stars in the UFC. By moving to featherweight, Oliveira is no longer at a size disadvantage and could make a run at the 145-pound title.

 

Michael Johnson defeated Shane Roller by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Although he found himself stuck in a body triangle for most of the third round, former TUF runner-up Johnson showed progression in his skills at UFC on Fox 2.

In the first two rounds of his bout against Roller, Johnson easily shut down the takedown attempts of the three-time All-American and looked much more smooth on his feet than in past fights.

In a desperate attempt to take the fight to the ground, Roller pulled guard midway through the second round. However, the former Oklahoma State University wrestler was unable to attack with any submission attempts and quickly found himself getting picked apart on his feet again. 

The 25-year-old Blackzilian avoided a second straight loss with the victory and showed that he is ready to start climbing the 155-pound ranks.

The future is now in question for Roller, who has lost three straight fights. Considering the level of competition those losses came against, Roller may get one more shot in the UFC, but that is far from a given.

 

Lavar Johnson defeated Joey Beltran by knockout (uppercuts) at 4:24 of the first round.

At UFC on Fox 2, losing almost 20 pounds proved detrimental to Beltran's ability to fight at heavyweight, as he was steamrolled by UFC newcomer Johnson.

In the opening minute of the fight, Johnson buckled Beltran with a body shot. Then, Johnson proceeded to bully Beltran around the Octagon until a series of uppercuts left "The Mexicutioner" unconscious.

A loser of four of his past five fights, Beltran's UFC career may depend on being able to lose another 20 pounds to compete at light heavyweight. 

For Johnson, finishing a durable fighter like Beltran was about as impressive a UFC debut as a heavyweight can have. The 34-year-old became the first fighter to ever knock out Beltran and will now look to climb the heavyweight ranks while representing the soon-to-be-defunct Strikeforce heavyweight division. 

 

Chris Camozzi defeated Dustin Jacoby by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:08 of the third round.

Coming off of a loss in his return to the UFC, Camozzi was in a must-win situation heading into his UFC on Fox 2 bout against Jacoby.

In the early going, Jacoby kept Camozzi at bay with kicks. However, a late right hand from Camozzi left Jacoby stunned as he went to his corner between the first and second rounds.

Camozzi carried the momentum into the later rounds, as Jacoby appeared slower to the punch after being rocked at the end of the opening frame. After knocking Jacoby to the canvas with a leg kick early in the final round, Camozzi locked up a guillotine choke and secured his spot on the UFC roster.

For the 23-year-old Jacoby, the loss marked back-to-back defeats to start his UFC career. Unfortunately, such a rough start in the world's premier MMA organization could lead to a return to regional promotions until Jacoby can gain some more experience and improve. 

Originally scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2, Mark Munoz was forced out of the event due to an arm injury.

Munoz's loss turned into Michael Bisping's gain, as the British fighter ditched his fight with Demian Maia to meet Sonnen in a bout that will determine the next middleweight contender.

Though Sonnen's fight with Munoz would have been an interesting fight itself, a bout between long-winded middleweights Sonnen and Bisping is arguably more intriguing to fans and should provide some interesting back-and-forth banter in the days leading up to UFC on FOX 2.

Before Sonnen and Bisping step into the Octagon for a fight to determine who will get the next shot at Anderson Silva, let's take a look at how this middleweight matchup could play out in all areas.

 

Striking

When predicting a fight between Sonnen and Bisping, most would jump to the conclusion that the outcome depended on whether or not Sonnen is able to take the Englishman to the ground.

While that could turn out to be the case, it might not be as much of a given as it might seem. For a fighter so known for his wrestling, Sonnen has shown some solid boxing over the course of his career, even landing some solid shot against middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

Bisping is a volume puncher with great accuracy, so he does have an advantage over Sonnen in the striking department, but a stand-up fight would not result in a sure win for the pride of British MMA. 

Edge: Bisping

Chin

Sonnen and Bisping both have very solid chins, so it's doubtful that we'll see any one-punch knockouts in this matchup.

Many point to Bisping's brutal knockout loss against Dan Henderson as reason to believe he can't take a punch, but Bisping has otherwise never been finished, and Henderson could also probably knockout an adult male rhino with his right hand.

That being said, Sonnen does deserve a slight advantage over Bisping in his ability to take a punch. Though he has two knockout losses on his record, those results came via cut and corner stoppage. Sonnen has never technically been knocked out in any of his 38 professional fights.

Edge: Sonnen

Takedowns/Takedown Defense

One of the first English fighters to display a really well-rounded game in MMA, Bisping has developed good takedown defense to allow himself the opportunity to stand with opponents.

Unfortunately for Bisping, good takedown defense isn't good enough against an elite wrestler like Sonnen. Even with a full training camp of preparing for Sonnen's explosive takedowns, Bisping would have had his hands full in trying to keep this fight standing.

Since Bisping has likely been working more on submission defense for a previously scheduled fight with Demian Maia, his takedown defense probably won't be nearly where it needs to be in order to stuff Sonnen's attempts.

It's inevitable that this fight will go to the ground with Sonnen on top of Bisping.

Edge: Sonnen

 

Grappling/Positioning/Control

Sonnen may have his lapses on the ground from time to time, but they're never related to his ability to keep his opponent's back on the canvas.

Once Sonnen has a fighter on the ground, it's likely that the fight will stay there until the end of the round unless the Team Quest product gets caught with a submission.

When, not if, Bisping gets taken down, his best bet is to attack Sonnen with submission attempt after submission attempt rather than spending energy trying to escape.

Edge: Sonnen

 

Submissions/Submission Defense

Obviously, given my above take on the grappling aspect of this fight, Bisping holds a significant advantage in the submission realm, as many opponents do against Sonnen.

Every loss Sonnen has ever had inside the Octagon has been a result of an opponent submission off of their back.

Bisping has never recorded a submission in his UFC career, but he does have an underrated ground game and forced a handful of opponents to tap prior to joining the UFC.

In order to win this fight and earn the first title shot of his career, Bisping may have to capture his first submission victory under the UFC banner.

Edge: Bisping

 

Ground Striking

Sonnen and Bisping are excellent at landing a high percentage of their strikes on the ground. Both fighters have finished their fair share of fights with ground-and-pound.

Though he has finished a number of opponents with punches on the ground, Sonnen has never finished a UFC opponent with strikes. Instead, Sonnen has used his ground-and-pound to set up guard passes and the occasional submission attempt.

For Bisping, ground striking likely won't come into play in this fight. If Sonnen is on his back at an point in this fight, he has bigger problems than worrying about Bisping's ground-and-pound.

Edge: Push

 

Experience/Game Plan

Although Sonnen has competed in 13 more MMA fights than Bisping, there comes a point when fighters who have competed in as many big fights as Bisping aren't at any disadvantage in terms of experience.

Bisping has competed in some of the biggest events in UFC history and has never seemed to fold under the pressure.

Both Sonnen and Bisping come from solid camps at Team Quest and Wolfslair. Since there is no secret what either fighter will want to do during the fight on Saturday, this matchup should simply come down to skill and the matchup of styles. 

Edge: Push

 

Strength/Quickness/Reach

In terms of pure athleticism, Sonnen and Bisping are fairly evenly matched. 

With the ease in which he tossed Brian Stann around the Octagon in his previous fight, it's probably safe to say that Sonnen is the stronger competitor heading into this fight. Bisping, though, is much lighter on his feet and possesses a modest reach advantage.

On Saturday, both fighters will attempt to use their own unique attributes to exploit the other fighter's weaknesses.

Edge: Push

 

Conditioning

One thing you definitely won't see in this fight between Sonnen and Bisping is an out-of-gas fighter. Both middleweights are well-conditioned, world-class athletes ready to go hard for even longer than the maximum of 15 minutes this fight will last.

Both fighters have gone to their fair share of decisions over the years, but neither has ever seemed to fade in the late rounds of their fights.

Edge: Push

 

If Bisping had even one submission against a high-level opponent, this would be an extremely tough fight to call. However, Bisping doesn't seem to have the submission game off his back that he would need to deter Sonnen from taking this fight to the ground.

Even in the off chance that Bisping does keep this fight standing, it wouldn't be safe to count Sonnen out of a stand-up fight. Sonnen found success against in the striking department against middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who is widely considered the best striker in all of MMA.

If Bisping is somehow able to stuff Sonnen's takedowns, his chances of victory would increase greatly. Though, with Sonnen's outstanding wrestling and ability to stand toe-to-toe with other excellent strikers, he's the safe bet to walk away with the win in this fight.

Sonnen has dismissed the idea that Silva will ever take a rematch with him, but a win over Bisping on Saturday will force the UFC to step in and make the fight happen.

 

Sonnen defeats Bisping by unanimous decision.

This Saturday, the UFC will broadcast its first event on FOX since the largest MMAorganization and largest television network officially began their partnership at the beginning of 2012.

The event, which will actually mark the UFC's second appearance on FOX after a teaser event on the channel in 2011, will be headlined by light heavyweight contendersRashad Evans and Phil Davis. 

The winner of Saturday's main event could very well find himself facing 205-pound champion Jon Jones in his next Octagon appearance.

Evans has been considered the No. 1 contender for quite some time, but injuries to himself and the champions he was expected to meet delayed his shot at reclaiming the UFC belt. Meanwhile, former NCAA wrestling champion Davis has gone undefeated thus far in his MMA career and is expected to be a force in the light heavyweight division for the foreseeable future.

Title implications alone, this will be one of the most important fights of both competitors' respective careers. Competing in the main event of a network-televised event only adds to the pressure. 

Before Evans and Davis step into the Octagon, let's take a look at how the two match up against one another in all areas. 

 

Striking

It's no secret that Phil Davis' striking is a work in progress. The former amateur wrestler has only been training MMA for the past three years. While he continues to grow, Davis has simply not been working on his striking long enough to compare with Rashad Evans in that discipline.

With a knockout victory over Chuck Liddell on his resume, Evans is clearly the better striker at this point. The former light heavyweight champion also scored one of the most devastating head kick knockouts against Sean Salmon in January 2007.

The more well-versed striker, Evans is capable of putting combination together much more smoothly than Davis. Evans has also developed a quick jab that allows him to move in and out without exposing himself to counters.

Evans' superiority over Davis in the striking department is likely the most glaring advantage in this matchup. If he can keep this fight at a distance, Evans could finally get a shot at reclaiming his UFC title from former teammate Jon Jones.

Edge: Evans

 

Chin

In addition to his notoriously brutal knockout loss to Lyoto Machida, Evans was also rocked in his following two bouts against Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson. Evans recovered to defeat Silva and Jackson, but the fact he was hurt in fights he otherwise dominated shows Evans' chin could fail him at any time.

For the most part, Davis' chin has gone untested in his nine professional fights. It's quite possible that Davis would also be hurt by the previously mentioned shots Evans was hit with, but he must be given the benefit of the doubt until that is proven.

Edge: Davis

 

Takedowns/Takedown Defense

In a pure wrestling match, Davis would be a monstrous favorite over Evans. At Penn State University, Davis was a four-time All-American wrestler, while Evans never placed in the NCAA tournament during his time at Michigan State University.

That being said, Davis' ability to take opponents down in MMA has been hindered by his inability to set shots up with strikes. Where Evans has mastered the differences between takedowns in amateur wrestling and MMA, Davis continues his learning curve.

When you match Davis' pure wrestling ability against Evans' adapted wrestling style, the two fighters' wrestling should cancel out, which may mean most of this fight will take place with both fighters standing.

Edge: Push

 

Grappling/Positioning/Control

If Phil Davis does show improvement in his takedown setups and puts Rashad Evans on his back, his top control will be on full display.

It may not have been the most exciting victory of his career, but Davis' ability to comfortably stay on top of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira without being significantly threatened by any submission was something to be appreciated.

Davis' win over Nogueira was just one of many examples of the former wrestler easily controlling an opponent once the fight went to the ground. 

Evans is also very skilled on the ground, but this is the one area where Davis' advantage over Evans in pure wrestling is least affected by his transition to a new sport.

Edge: Davis

 

Submissions/Submission Defense

Since joining the UFC more than six years ago, Evans has never won a fight via submission. Evans has also never been submitted, but it is clear that the former champ's offensive jiu-jitsu is lacking.

Davis, on the other hand, has defeated two of his five UFC opponents with submissions. Additionally, Davis competed in the No-Gi World Jiu-Jitsu Championships and came in first place in the blue belt super heavyweight division.

If either fighter is going to threaten the other with submission, it will be Davis looking to lock up chokes from the top position.

Edge: Davis

 

Ground Striking

While Davis has excellent top control, he primarily uses it to work toward submissions instead of using ground and pound to soften up his opponents.

Evans, meanwhile, is coming off a fight in which he beat Tito Ortiz up on the ground and finished the fight with a knee to the body of a downed Ortiz.

Neither fighter is particularly known for their ground and pound, but Evans would have to have the edge over Davis in striking on the ground.

Edge: Evans

 

Experience/Game Plan

Rashad Evans has been competing in MMA for nearly eight years and has 13 Octagon appearances under his belt. Compared against Phil Davis' three years of MMA training and five UFC bouts, Evans is a true veteran of the sport.

In addition to his experience advantage, Evans also has a solid training camp behind him. Evans' teammates, Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson, had a rough start to 2012, but the Mike Van Arsdale-coached Blackzilian team has been a solid home base for Evans.

An Alliance MMA product, Davis is also equipped with a good group of teammates and coaches, but he certainly lacks in experience when compared with Evans. Experience could certainly come into play under the bright lights of a main event on FOX.

Edge: Evans

Strength/Quickness

Fighters don't get to this level of competition anymore without being extremely athletic. Evans and Davis are both very strong and fast individuals.

However, Evans possesses another level of quickness that Davis can't quite match. On his feet, Evans is able to move in and out of range in an instant, an attribute that will be key in staying off his back against Davis.

Edge: Evans

 

Conditioning

Evans hasn't shown any visible signs of gassing in the later rounds of his fights, but "Suga" has faced problems in each of the past two times he has seen fights go to the third round. Against both Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson, Evans was rocked and forced to survive to the final bell to secure decision victories.

It's hard to say whether Evans just happened to get caught in both of those fights, but it is possible he was trying to coast through the round due to fatigue. Earlier in his career, Evans showed a tendency to fade in the third round in his fights against Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar. 

It has been quite awhile since those fights, but Davis has to be given an advantage in conditioning over Evans, since he never seemed to tire in his three UFC bouts that went the distance.

Edge: Davis

 

In the end, the outcome of this bout between two former wrestlers will come down to whether or not Evans can stifle Davis' attempts to take the fight to the ground.

One important issue not mentioned earlier in this preview is that Davis has not competed in nearly one year. Even when ring rust wasn't a factor in his most recent appearance, Davis had trouble securing takedowns in the early going of his bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Evans has much better takedown defense than Nogueira. So, unless Davis shows some major improvements in setting up his shots, this is Evans' fight to lose.

If he is able to stuff Davis' takedowns, Evans has the option of picking Davis apart in the stand-up or surprising the former NCAA wrestling champion with takedown attempts of his own. Because he has had more time to adapt his wrestling skills to MMA, Evans has more ways to beat Davis than Davis has to beat Evans.

Davis may turn out to have a better career than Evans in the end, but, at this point in time, Evans is more prepared to win this fight and make a run at the light heavyweight title.

 

Evans defeats Davis by unanimous decision.