UFC on FOX 2 Results: The Real Winners and Losers of Evans-Davis, Sonnen-Bisping

UFC on FOX 2 was the first full event from the promotion to make it on to network television. The main fight card featured two potential No. 1 contenders bouts: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis in the light heavyweight division and Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping in the middleweight division.

Fuel TV hosted the preliminary bouts prior to the main card which also had some very entertaining fights, including an impressive knockout victory from Cub Swanson and Lavar Johnson, and a terrible-looking submission victory from Charles Oliveira.

But these weren’t the only interesting outcomes from Saturday night’s fights. In fact, some of those who were affected by the results didn’t even fight on the card.

So let’s take a look back at the action as we examine who the real winners and losers were from UFC on FOX 2.

Winner: Lavar Johnson

Strikeforce veteran Lavar Johnson made his UFC debut on Saturday night and certainly made it count.

Not only was he able to avoid the nerves known now as "Octagon jitters," Johnson stepped right into the cage and looked dominant. Utilizing his powerful striking, Johnson landed a brutal body shot just seconds into the fight which sent opponent Joey Beltran melting to the ground like a Popsicle in the mid-summer heat.

Johnson wasn’t done there, though, as he continued the beating after Beltran recovered, eventually catching him with a big punch that rocked the "Mexicutioner." Johnson then smashed him with a series of violent uppercuts that finally ended the fight for good.

Lavar Johnson now holds 16 career MMA victories and every single one of them has come by knockout or submission.

Loser: Joey Beltran

After dropping three of his previous four fights, Joey Beltran apparently decided that he needed to get in better shape if he wanted to compete in the UFC. The Mexicutioner did so, dropping his weight around 25 pounds from what he was at in his previous fight.

This weight cut typically means that a fighter is quicker and has better cardio, but we never really got to see much of that from Beltran in this fight, as he was rocked with a body shot from Lavar Johnson just seconds into the bout.

When he finally recovered, Beltran looked a bit "off" and seemed to be tired at about the halfway point in the first round.

Beltran had never been knocked out in his UFC career, but the ridiculous power that Johnson possesses just could not be stopped.

With Beltran’s lack of success recently in the heavyweight division, it is entirely possible that we see him drop to 205 pounds for his next bout. He’s only about 20 pounds away from that target as it is now.

Winner: Charles Oliveira

What an impressive debut at 145 pounds for Charles Oliveira!

Fighting a tough veteran in Eric Wisely, Oliveira looked great as he knocked Wisely down before immediately looking for a heel hook. Wisely was able to escape the heel hook, but he wasn’t ready for what came next...

As Wisely spun around and sat on top of him, Oliveira sat up and took his back, trapping Wisely’s ankle in a terrible-looking, almost calf-slicer-like position. The excruciating pain could be seen on Wisely’s face as he tapped out in what will likely be a candidate for submission of the year. 

Winner: Cub Swanson

After losing his debut in the UFC back in November, Cub Swanson came into UFC on FOX 2 with his sights set on achieving his first "W" in the Octagon. He did just that with a huge knockout win over the highly respected George Roop.

Swanson landed a big right hand that rocked Roop in the second round, eventually finishing him with some more punches on the ground.

The former top WEC fighter was impressive in his striking, using his technique and speed to get past Roop's long reach, but he also landed an awesome headlock judo throw that seemed to catch Roop off guard.

Loser: George Roop

The on-again, off-again career of George Roop continued on Saturday night as the 6'1" featherweight giant was unable to make use of his reach advantage against Cub Swanson. 

Roop seemed to be off on his timing from the very beginning and, although he landed some punches, he was never really very precise and Swanson's movement seemed to be throwing him off. 

He was eventually knocked out and even had the mouth guard knocked right out, UFC Undisputed-style, in the second round. 

Roop is the kind of fighter who is capable of beating almost everyone, but it just doesn't seem like he's ever going to get to his peak. If he doesn't get back on the winning path in his next fight, he could also find himself looking for a new employer. 

Winner: Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham was probably a fight away from a title shot when he fought Sean Sherk at UFC 119. With a record of 11-0 going into that bout, Dunham took the first loss of his career against the former lightweight champion in a bout that many believed he had actually won.

At UFC on FOX 2, he got a chance to redeem that loss in some way as he fought Sherk's teammate at The Academy, Nik Lentz. 

Dunham weathered an early storm from Lentz in the first round and took over in the second, landing some huge combinations and achieving some nice takedowns. From there, Dunham smashed Lentz with a brutal elbow which might have been the strike that opened up a huge cut under Lentz's left eye. 

The fight was eventually stopped between the second and third rounds after the doctor saw the cut, giving Dunham his sixth UFC victory. 

Winner: Nik Lentz

He may not have walked out with a victory tonight, but Nik Lentz was certainly a winner in many other ways. 

Not only did Lentz show incredible toughness by walking through some tremendous punches by Evan Dunham, he also competed in what might have been the fight that will change fans' opinions about him. 

Lentz has been considered a "boring" fighter by many fans in the past, but tonight he was certainly not that. Lentz pushed the pace from the opening seconds of the bout and never stopped coming. He technically got "finished," but he was neither knocked out nor was he submitted. 

Only a terrible cut under his eye was able to force the doctors to stop this guy from attacking. 

Hopefully we see more of this kind of style from Nik Lentz in the future, although I'm sure he would prefer that it be accompanied by a win on the record books. 

Loser: Demian Maia

Former UFC No. 1 contender Demian Maia is perhaps the best jiu-jitsu practitioner in the entire sport of MMA. However, that skill alone hasn't been enough to catapult Maia into real title contention since his embarrassing loss to Anderson Silva.

His performance in the opening bout on FOX has to be extremely disappointing to everyone involved, including the UFC, FOX and Maia's fans. But Maia should be disappointed in himself.

There's no doubt that Chris Weidman is a great fighter who has certainly put himself into the top 10, but he took this fight on just 11-days notice. His cardio was not anywhere near what it normally is, his timing looked off and, obviously, he didn't have time to train against the high level of jiu-jitsu that he'd be going against when he fought Maia.

Still, Demian Maia was unable to capitalize on any of these shortcomings for Weidman and was pretty much dominated throughout.

He did land a few knees and some left haymakers, but those appeared to pretty much be his only forms of offense on the feet. Commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg noted that Maia will need to develop some variety in his striking, particularly a jab, if he hopes to get back near the top.

Winner: Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman took his UFC on FOX 2 bout on just 11-days notice, replacing Michael Bisping as the opponent for Demian Maia in the opening bout of the main card. 

The 27-year old has been impressive thus far in his career, but his victory over Demian Maia will unquestionably go as the biggest win he has achieved thus far. It wasn't the prettiest, it wasn't the most entertaining, but Weidman got the job done. 

The judges scored the bout in a split decision for Weidman, but the truth is that Weidman should've been given a unanimous decision. Apparently, Cecil Peoples must have been judging. 

Loser: Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping has long been considered one of the top 10 middleweights in the world, but has never quite been able to cement himself as one of the elite fighters in the division and earn a shot at champion Anderson Silva. 

This was his chance. 

The proud British fighter battled Chael Sonnen in what was essentially a No. 1 contenders match, with the winner very likely earning himself the next shot at the UFC middleweight championship. He fought hard and had some big moments, but in the end it simply wasn't enough to win over the judges.

After three hard-fought rounds, Bisping fell victim to the scorecards 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 as Sonnen re-earned his position as the consensus No. 2 middleweight in MMA. 

Winner: Chael Sonnen

Say what you will about his insistence on talking trash. Say what you will about his fighting style not being the most exciting. But at the end of the day, Chael Sonnen does something that very few fighters in the sport can do. He just wins.

The former UFC middleweight No. 1 contender earned back his spot at the top of the pecking order on Saturday night when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Michael "The Count" Bisping in the semi-main event on FOX. 

Sonnen's numerous takedowns probably negated the damage that Bisping likely inflicted more of. It's this grinding style that has made Sonnen an extremely difficult opponent for everyone he has faced in recent years. 

It wasn't the best performance of his career, but it was enough to get the fight he wants. 

Loser: Anderson Silva

It's on!

Following Chael Sonnen's victory over Michael Bisping on FOX, the rematch that fans have been dying to see for well over a year now should finally happen later in 2012.

Some will argue that Anderson Silva was injured, and thus his performance was not what it will be in the rematch, but there is no doubt that the person who has given him the toughest fight of his UFC career thus far is the "Gangster from West Linn, Oregon." 

There have been some huge fights in UFC history, but one could very well make the case that Silva-Sonnen, which will very likely take place in Brazil, will be the biggest fight in the history of the company.  

Winner: Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans proved once again that he is absolutely still one of the top light heavyweight mixed martial artists in the world, with a dominant, five-round non-title win over the previously undefeated Phil Davis.

Evans did it all, utilizing both superior striking as well as a more adapted MMA-wrestling game to control the fight while also inflicting more damage in every round. It may have not been the most entertaining fight that he has ever been in, but Evans solidified the point that he should be the next person to fight Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship.

Now 17-1-1 in his MMA career, Rashad Evans will likely get that shot at Jones in April. 

Loser: Phil Davis

While some, including Joe Rogan, will say that this fight was good for Phil Davis in the long run, it certainly was not a good fight for him if we're only looking at one night.

Davis was dominated from bell-to-bell, really never had Evans in any trouble whatsoever and was completely unable to utilize what he had touted to be his superior wrestling. The former NCAA champion and numerous-time All-American had his takedowns stuffed constantly, and was completely drained by the end of the third round.

He did make it to a decision, but Davis simply did not look to be on Evans' level. He'll be back, but it was not a good night for the former Penn State collegiate wrestler. 

Winner: Jon Jones

Perhaps only behind the aforementioned Sonnen-Silva fight, Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans might be the most anticipated MMA fight that has now been tentatively scheduled for 2012. 

These former Greg Jackson teammates have been scheduled to fight before, and things haven't worked out due to various injuries and bad timing, but things are now set for UFC 145 on April 21.

"I'm so pumped up, I've got goosebumps everywhere," Jones said about the bout in the post-fight analysis on FOX. 

So do we, Jon...So do we.

Winner: City of Chicago

UFC on FOX 2 marked the return to the Windy City for the world's largest MMA promotion. After over three years, the UFC came back to the area that was the site of UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote with one of the biggest events in the history of the company headlined by Evans vs. Davis. 

The sold-out United Center hosted the event which featured an important main card with numerous title implications that was led up to by some very exciting undercard bouts on Fuel TV.

This big event and the solid turnout will very likely secure another event for Chicago in the future.  

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: @NicholasCaron