They weren't all pretty, but the UFC delivered the goods again.

Great main event with a shocking results, Jake Shields arrived with a win (if not a beautiful one), Diego Sanchez took a step back to relevance, and Matt Hamill took a step forward while Brendan Schaub opted for a leap.

Hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did and congrats to Cain Velasquez, the NEW UFC Heavyweight Champion. He earned it spades tonight.

Yeah, I think "wow" just about covers it.

Lesnar and Velasquez represent a whole lotta humanity that can flat-out MOVE.

Brock came stampeding across the cage to go for an immediate takedown that Velasquez was able to defend before a standing exchange saw both men land some glancing blows. The champ was able to score the takedown, but the challenger got right back up and began to find his comfort zone.

Velasquez pounded away on Lesnar and even crumpled the big fella on at least two occasions (the third might've been more a slip) before Herb Dean was forced to dive in and save a bloodied Brock.

Cain Velasquez defeats Brock Lesnar by TKO (punches) at 4:12 of the first round.

Velasquez looks utterly unscathed; Lesnar looks batter. Unreal.

First, if I were a fighter, you would never hear me enter to a non-Metallica song—Lesnar's choice of "Enter Sandman" is a good, if obvious one. I'd probably go with "Frayed Ends of Sanity," "Harvester of Sorrow," "Seek and Destroy," or "Fade to Black," but that's me.

Second, people are ALL OVER this reddish blond beard Brock is sporting these days. I think I've heard or read "Viking" in reference to the dude somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand times. Combine with the fact that my man tussles out of Minnesota, home of the NFL's Vikings, and it's a no-brainer.

I give it a month.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Since we've got a momentary lull before the main event between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, and because I've seen the hype reels about a billion times in preparation for the fight, I thought I'd share another thought about the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies:

The Phillies are a really popular team and I don't know the affections of my neighbors i.e. maybe those cheers were for the Phightins.

Now I'm nervous.

But at least I've got a reason to watch the recording again.

Shields looked dead on his feet to start the third and it didn't get much better as the round wore on, but the Hitman wasn't able to finish a guy who was almost begging to be finished.

At one point in the final stanza, Jake simply took both knees and covered his head without provocation. He just assumed the position voluntarily.

Luckily for the Bay Area product, his singular grappling prowess carried him through a round in which he wasn't even running on fumes. The tank was bone dry until a second wind gave him a final push that might've even stolen the round.

In the end, it's immaterial as the decision is Shields' either way.

Jake Shields defeats Martin Kampmann by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28).

Jesus, what is going on cageside? The current state of MMA judging needs a serious overhaul.

In the second round, we saw more of the same from Shields—he was all over Kampmann like white on rice.

It's the pattern he's established throughout his win streak. He doesn't necessarily stick on you with the intent of doing damage; it's more to stay out of danger until he can take the fight to the ground. It's very reminiscent of UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, though GSP does it better.

The Hitman was able to land a few nice knees and drew a bit of blood from the newcomer, but he still spent the majority of the round on the defensive before the American established definitive control with about two minutes left in the round.

As is typical of his fights, the crowd didn't appreciate the grinding nature of the round, but it almost certainly gave Shields another 10-9 round.

I was a little nervous about my pick (Shields) as the pre-fight intros were given as Rogan opined about how unhealthy the debutee looked at the weigh-ins and how antsy he looked as he was being introduced, but he came out and did basically what he wanted to do—take the scrap to the mat.

Once there, the Hitman gave staunch resistance, but the Danish fighter couldn't stop the American from gaining top position and then full mount.

From there, the San Francisco-based Shields tried to work his grappling expertise, but Kampmann was able to retake his feet and finish the first in his world. Granted, to no avail as Jake managed to stay close and out of danger for the most part.

Call it 10-9 for Shields.

TiVo is a wonderful thing. In theory.

OK, so it's pretty badass in practice, too, just not tonight. As we wait for Jake Shields to make his debut, I can hear screams emanating from various apartments around me. As I live in San Francisco, I can only assume this means the San Francisco Giants have beaten the Philadelphia Phillies and advanced to the World Series.

Which means I no longer have much use for the recording that's being made opposite the PPV card.

Of course, if I'm right, it also means the Giants are going to the World FREAKIN' Series!  So who really cares? Not me.

If I'm right.

Or maybe it's just the premature wine-and-cheese crowd...

By my count, the third round was for all the marbles and that looked to be bad news for Thiago, who was breathing MUCH harder than Sanchez as the two men came out to decide matters.

In the end, that's exactly what proved decisive.

The Brazilian was drained from the end of the first stanza on and the Nightmare capitalized by swarming all over his adversary for the last 10 minutes of the contest. There was a momentary ray of light with about 100 seconds left when Thiago freed himself from Diego's grasp before tripping and catching Sanchez with a vicious upkick off his back.

Then a D'Arce choke put the American in slight danger, but—ultimately—it was the constant pressure and accurate aggression that carried the three rounds for Sanchez.

Diego Sanchez defeats Paulo Thiago by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28).

Whoa, 30-26?!?!? Is Cecil Peoples in the house? Good lord.

It's a good thing the Nightmare boasts such an infinite energy reserve and sets such a relentless pace because that's about the only thing working for him thus far.

Thiago seemed like the more fluid and easier gladiator in the second round, but he also seemed to tire significantly.

That gave Sanchez all the invitation he needed to open up with a couple nice strikes before securing a nice takedown, wearing an illegal elbow to the back of his head, and authoring a thoroughly impressive round.

At one point, Diego cartwheeled over a prone Brazilian and then—when the pair returned to their feet—hoisted Thiago up for an ENORMOUS slam. Paulo mustered a brief retaliation as the horn sounded, but a 10-9 round for Sanchez evens things up.

Rogan and Mike Goldberg spent the majority of the round talking about the Nightmare, but that's probably because they're more familiar with him due to—you guessed it—his stint on The Ultimate Fighter.

But the Brazilian showed precisely why he was one of the most intriguing prospects at 170 pounds. He was able to deflect most of the American's offense while scoring on a couple of takedowns and slapping several submission attempts on his opponent.

Sanchez responded with some strikes of his own and did manage to cut Thiago, but I'd still give a 10-9 round to the latter.

Velasquez is definitely the more polished and well-rounded brute in this one, but I just don't see him overcoming Brock's combination of size AND speed. Ordinarily, an entrant with a substantial size disadvantage would boast an edge in quickness as well.

Toss that hypothetical upper hand together with Cain's versatility and his endurance, and I understand why most pros are going with the challenger.

But it's not like the champ is some plodding, new generation of Bob Sapp. He blends strength and quickness like no one else plus he's been steadily improving. I see another leap forward for the big fellas as he adds yet another massive notch on his battle belt.

Yeehaw!  I actually got one right when Matt Hamill got the UD over Tito Ortiz.

Maybe that's good news for the UFC newcomer because I've got Shields making a triumphant splash in the Octagon. Though I've been underestimating the Hitman since his successful bout with Carlos Condit, I'm running that risk again tonight.

The American former champ doesn't have a sexy fight game, but he's a suffocating ground tactician who proved he's at least up to a striking challenge in his victory over Dan Henderson. I see him proving that again when he bests his Danish opponent.

Rogan said the contest could easily be tied at a round apiece, but I don't think that's entirely likely. Regardless, he was right on when he said neither contender finished the three-rounder with any overt sense of urgency.

Hamill's lackadaisical approach until about the 1:25 mark when he scored the takedown was more understandable as he seemed to take the first two rounds. Ortiz' comparable mild aggression was inexcusable as the former light heavyweight champ needed at least the round or a stoppage to break his four-fight winless jag.

My word, he hasn't won since beating a one-foot-in-the-fighting-grave Ken Shamrock. Oof.

Soft head, indeed.

Matt Hamill defeats Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

We're reaching a point in the UFC's evolution where virtually every matchup has some direct connection to The Ultimate Fighter. In the midst of its 12th season, the reality juggernaut has left its imprint all over the organization.

Here, we've got a former coach (Ortiz) facing an alumnus (Hamill) and it just so happens they were featured on the same season (the third) as part of the same team.

And, yes, I'm vamping because the second round was pretty uneventful.

Hamill took another 10-9 by scoring a takedown with about two minutes left and riding the position out until the final horn. Ortiz stayed active, but he also ate some good punishment on his back.