Silva Stops Belfort, Defends The Title In The UFC 126

LAS VEGAS - Even after a dozen straight wins during nearly five years of unparalleled perfection of the Octagon UFC, Anderson Silva, yet come up with another awesome way to end the fighting.

Vitor Belfort has stopped by Silva with a kick to face in the first round, the belt of defense of the average a record eighth time in the UFC 126 on Saturday evening.

After little action in the opening minutes of his party, Silva (28-4) flattened his teammate fighter with a well placed shot that caught Belfort squarely in the jaw, bringing a dramatic end to win UFC 13 Silva consecutive at 3:25 of the opening round.

"Thanks to my coach taught me missing," said Silva. "Everyone must respect Vitor. Even before the fighting began, was a champion, then he deserves respect."

The thunderbolt landed before anyone in the sold-out Mandalay Bay Events Center, Silva had even realized. Belfort eyes rolled, his knees bent as he fell limply on his back, and Silva landed two blows on the head Belfort subjects before the fight was stopped.

"I've only seen the video game" UFC president Dana White said.

Belfort (19-9) blamed himself for not having prevented a straight forward kick Silva, whose athletic style and versatile, they have maintained completely by 2006.

"There is no excuse. I was struck with a shot," said Belfort. "I just got caught. He rigged the body, and he hit his head. Anderson is a great fighter."

Jon "Bones" Jones was a match to light heavyweight title with a victory in the presentation of the second round by compatriot Ryan Bader perspective on the billboard in the birthplace of the UFC. Forrest Griffin also won a unanimous decision against fellow veteran Rich Franklin at a meeting of former champions.

Silva is the longest reigning champion in the history of the UFC, almost all candidates dominate since winning the belt in October 2006 with a first round of the Franklin's interruption. The fighter known as "Spider" is considered the largest in the world of mixed martial arts white and most experts.

Still, Silva, Aura had lost much of its luster over the past 10 months. White UFC fight was embarrassing Abu Dhabi is unlikely to engage in during the defense Demian Maia title last April, then Silva has largely been dominated by four strokes on the ground, Michael Sonnen in Oakland last August, before the jailbreak and the fifth round submission victory.

Belfort was the youngest fighter to win a UFC fight 14 years ago, but the 33, also called "Phenomenon" had to fight his way back to the UFC after losing his heavyweight title in 2004, Randy Couture, who was part of a team of Belfort corner Saturday night. After stopping the promotion and four boxing debut in MMA, UFC returned to Belfast in September 2009 with a knockout of Franklin, but had not fought since.

Previously, Jones (12-1) won the fight between the MMA elite prospects with a guillotine, Bader stopping previously unbeaten (12-1) - and win a big title shot just six weeks later.

Moments after the fight ended, Jones informed the UFC gets the next shot at heavyweight world champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 title from Newark, NJ, March 19. Rua was scheduled to fight Rashad Evans, training partner of Jones, but Evans was diagnosed with a knee injury Saturday.

White said he has done much to address Rua Jones while Jones was still in the octagon. The 23-year-old Jones did not back down from a challenge.

"I feel it is my time," said Jones. "My confidence is very high. I'm in shape, and I have six weeks to make me better."

Fight with Bader Jones is without doubt the two best hopes for the division responsible heavyweight. Jones is part of the UFC's most promising up and coming for his athletic abilities, unorthodox approach and spectacular save while earning Bader forged an unbeaten record with a remarkable strength and excellent fighting skills.

Jones dominated the first round on the ground near the bid with a team Bader unusual. The fighters spent much of the second round on their feet, but Jones took to Bader and landed a guillotine choke difficult, forcing Bader tapping for the first time in his career.

Griffin has enjoyed a strong first round, suspended in a win over Franklin at a meeting of former UFC champions who are among the most popular fighters in the sport. After Griffin (18-6) controlled most of the opening round, they traded punches and takedowns to avoid an overwhelming victory for Franklin (28-6), former middleweight champion who has lost three of his last five fights.

"Rusty, Rusty," said Griffin, who had not fought since the end of 2009 while recovering from a shoulder injury. "It's great to be back. I was so nervous. Camp was not right, but I feel good now. It is difficult to return after a year when you did not go at full speed. Fortunately, I got it in the first round and was able to paint a little. "

Cain Velasquez Destroys Brock Lesnar in The First Round

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Cain Velasquez stopped Brock Lesnar late in the first round with a relentless flurry of punches at UFC 121 on Saturday night, claiming Lesnar's UFC heavyweight title.

Velasquez remained unbeaten by outpunching the fearsome Lesnar, the UFC's biggest star and top pay-per-view draw. After a frenetic opening minute featuring huge blows by both fighters, Velasquez kept pursuing the bigger champion and eventually staggered Lesnar across the octagon, with Lesnar stumbling to the canvas several times.

Lesnar (5-2) tried to cover up near the cage, but Velasquez mercilessly rained down blows on Lesnar and eventually broke his guard, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight with 48 seconds left in the round.

While Velasquez (9-0) scarcely made a mistake in the entire fight, Lesnar was left cut and seriously bloodied from Velasquez's punches.

"What can I say? He was better than me tonight," Lesnar said.

Lesnar's third title defense came just four months after his return to the octagon following a yearlong bout with diverticulitis, an intestinal malady that threatened his life and forced him to revamp his training and diet. The former professional wrestler and football player adapted without losing the sheer bulk that makes him the toughest physical matchup in the UFC.

But he had never faced a fighter with the athleticism and well-rounded skills of Velasquez, the former Arizona State wrestler who trains at a famed kickboxing academy in San Jose. Velasquez also drew motivation from the chance to become the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion in a major promotion in either MMA or boxing.

Jake Shields also won a contentious split decision over Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut at Honda ( HMC - news - people ) Center, extending his career winning streak to 15 fights. Matt Hamill beat Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision to keep the former light heavyweight champion winless in the past four years, and Diego Sanchez beat Paulo Thiago by unanimous decision.

The UFC returned to the Los Angeles area for the first time in a year with its most anticipated event of the fall. The main event didn't disappoint - although many fans in the sold-out arena likely didn't expect the result after one round of pyrotechnics in the main event.

The first 30 seconds were nonstop action, with both fighters trading haymakers and kicks. Velasquez eventually pushed Lesnar back against the cage, testing both fighters' strength - and Velasquez held his own despite giving away 2 inches and roughly 30 pounds to Lesnar.

When the punching resumed, Velasquez landed most of the blows. Lesnar stayed in a right-handed stance, but might have had trouble seeing out of his left eye, eventually leading to his stumbles and tumbles against the cage.

Earlier, most fans booed when Shields' hand was raised after a slow, largely uneventful fight with Kampmann. Shields (26-4-1) hasn't lost an MMA fight since December 2004, going through eight promotions since that defeat.

Shields joined the UFC after defending his Strikeforce middleweight championship in April, and UFC president Dana White has touted the San Francisco-based fighter as a likely challenger for Georges St. Pierre, the league's nearly unbeatable welterweight champ.