UFC 155 Results: Questions Answered and Lessons Learned

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UFC 155 is over. Cain Velasquez battered Junior Dos Santos and Jim Miller defeated Joe Lauzon in one of the best fights of the year. 

Fighters like Constantinos Philippou, Tim Boetsch, Alan Belcher and Yushin Okami also brought their abilities to the Octagon at UFC 155.

Their fights, as well as the others throughout the particularly stacked fight card, taught the MMA world important lessons and answered lingering questions that fans and pundits had. 

What were these questions answered and lessons learned? 

Read and find out!

Is It the Same Old Leonard Garcia?

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Max Holloway defeated Leonard Garcia in an entertaining scrap. 

Unfortunately, Garcia didn't do much to invalidate the criticisms against him, again proving that he's mainly a brawler who abandons all technique as the fight drags on. 

Garcia has now lost four fights in a row. He needs to reinvent himself or retire.

Todd Duffee Is Back but Isn't a Proven Commodity

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Todd Duffee steamrolled over Phil De Fries in a contest that was barely competitive. 

The fight marked Duffee's return to the UFC after an infamous 2010 fight against Mike Russow. Duffee was battering his heavyset foe when an unlikely comeback by Russow left him unconscious on the mat.

He was let go from the organization after the loss. 

Now, Duffee is back and is apparently on the warpath, but let's not go nuts. He beat a mid to low-level fighter in De Fries. Jump on the bandwagon when he clobbers somebody better.

Melvin Guillard Might Be Done

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Melvin Guillard lost via split decision, but that was generous. Jamie Varner controlled Guillard throughout the fight; his wrestling was simply too much for Guillard to handle. 

"The Young Assassin" is now 1-4 in his last five fights, with his only victory being over the unheralded Fabricio Camoes. 

Such a questionable record in the UFC proves that Guillard is no longer able to compete at the highest level; his days are numbered.

Keep Your Eyes on Erik Perez

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Erik Perez smashed Byron Bloodworth in one round. Simply put, Bloodworth was no match for Perez. 

True, Bloodworth—a guy whose record didn't really warrant admittance to the UFC—was a professional opponent for Perez. However, the UFC is likely to push Perez as much as possible due to his Mexican heritage (they're looking to target that market and Perez is a great way to do it). 

Masks and Other Such Paraphernalia Are Fine

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UFC president Dana White was initially deaf to Perez's pleas to wear a Luchador mask to the Octagon. Fortunately for Perez, White changed his mind in time for UFC 155.

Masks and other such things are harmless, especially masks that have cultural significance like Perez's. 

There's nothing wrong with fighters becoming personalities or doing something to differentiate themselves from the masses of tattoo-covered, bald-headed MMA fighters.

Chris Leben's Best Days Are Behind Him

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UFC 155 saw perhaps the first "boring" Chris Leben fight in UFC history. 

Leben, who was coming off a year-long suspension, displayed a severe lack of cardiovascular conditioning in his match against late-replacement Derek Brunson. 

This unfortunate circumstance lead to Brunson controlling Leben via superior wrestling en route to a unanimous decision victory. 

It's easy to blame Brunson for making the fight lackluster, but he took it on short notice. Leben knew long in advance he'd be fighting that night so there was no excuse to be out of fighting shape.

Furthermore, blaming the wrestler for "lay and pray" is specious reasoning. If Leben could've defended the takedowns better, the fight would've been more exciting. 

Alan Belcher Isn't an Elite Middleweight

Belcher being stymied by Okami.
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The Alan Belcher hype train reached critical mass after he easily dispatched of Rousimar Palhares at UFC on FOX 3.

At UFC 155, it plummeted off a cliff like the locomotive in Back to the Future Part III. 

Belcher was thoroughly outclassed by Yushin Okami. The Japanese star grappled Belcher to exhaustion. It was an easy fight for Okami, save for a couple of punches that wobbled him.

Okami was also aided by Belcher's poor fight IQ. This flaw was on display in all three rounds when Belcher chose to attempt a guillotine choke on the superior grappler. The submission move failed each time, prompting fans and pundits to question why Belcher kept attempting it. 

The answer may well remain a mystery, but what won't remain a mystery is Alan Belcher's place in the middleweight division. He's a good fighter, just not an elite one.

Constantinos Philippou Is a True Contender

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Constantinos Philippou's TKO victory over Tim Boetsch is his fifth win in a row. 

After carving such a path through the middleweight division, it's time to give Philippou an even bigger name. The man is for real, so give him the best of the best and see how he does. 

Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon Are True Fighters

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Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon was one of the greatest co-main events ever, as well as one of the greatest fights in 2012. 

Miller turned Lauzon's face into a bloody mess in the first round—it looked like Lauzon had been assaulted with an ice pick. But in the second and third rounds, Lauzon came back just enough to make it interesting. He also nearly pulled off an amazing last-second leg lock right before the final bell.

The fight was an incredible showcase of talent, toughness and heart. It was a contest that showed MMA at its finest. It was a symphony of strikes and submissions. 

Cain Velasquez Is a Monster

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There are few words in the lexicon that can express how dominant Velasquez was over Dos Santos. 

It started with an overhand right in the first round and it continued until the final bell. Expressions like "beaten from pillar to post" just down sum up how bad it was. Velasquez outclassed Dos Santos to the upteenth power.

After seeing the fight, it was hard to believe that Dos Santos actually knocked out Velasquez in 64 seconds last year.

Velasquez's striking was better, his wrestling was better and his conditioning was better. It was complete domination. Velasquez sent a shudder down the spine of the heavyweight division with his performance. He's a monster, a horrifying man to be across the Octagon from.