UFC 144 Results: Post Fight Stock Report

UFC 144 could easily be dubbed the night of upsets.

In the world of MMA, you're only as a good as your last fight, and unfortunately for some of the main card fighters, Saturday night represented a major step back in their respective careers.

As for others, they stepped up to the plate and greatly exceeded expectations in what could go down as the best event of 2012.

Let's see how UFC 144 affected the main card fighters' stock.

Anthony Pettis: Rising

In knockout of the night fashion, Anthony Pettis made quick work of Joe Lauzon with a highlight reel head kick in UFC 144's main card opener.

A star is truly budding in "Showtime" Pettis, a former WEC lightweight champion known for his unorthodox striking and Octagon swagger.

Lauzon isn't necessarily a top-10 opponent in the lightweight division, but Pettis' impressive performance against quality opposition helped his stock climb.

Benson Henderson's win over UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar also helps.

Pettis defeated Henderson for the WEC title in December 2010.

MMA fans are quickly learning that the lightweight stars from the WEC are no joke. According to some sources, Pettis could be next in line for a UFC title shot.

Joe Lauzon: Same

After playing spoiler to Melvin Guillard's title hopes in October 2011, Lauzon's hype train was stopped dead in its tracks courtesy of a Pettis high kick.

The loss doesn't really have much of an effect on Lauzon's current position in the UFC lightweight division.

He was generally seen as the underdog coming into this fight, and with such an impressive win over Guillard still fresh in his pocket, Lauzon's stock remains untarnished at 155 pounds.

Bart Palaszewski: Falling

After such an impressive knockout victory over Tyson Griffin at UFC 137, it was rather shocking to see Bart Palaszewski be handled so easily in all facets by Hatsu Hioki.

Bear in mind, Hioki is considered the No. 2 featherweight in the world in some rankings. But even so, more was expected from Palaszewski in the featherweight division.

Hatsu Hioki: Rising

Hioki, who is predominantly known for his world-class grappling, showcased much improvement in his striking with a three-round routing of former lightweight Palaszewski.

A former Sengoku featherweight champion and Shooto lightweight champion, Hioki has long been considered a potential threat to UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

The UFC could finally opt to do that bout after such an impressive performance over a quality opponent like Palaszewski.

Yushin Okami: Falling

At UFC 144, Yushin Okami suffered the first consecutive loss of his MMA career at the hands of Tim Boetsch.

After cruising through the first couple of rounds, Okami was stopped in spectacular fashion with a volley of unanswered uppercuts from Boetsch, who set up the knockout with a beautifully placed head kick.

In MMA, there is a small margin for error, which makes strategy and implementation of an effective game plan incredibly important.

Despite being one of the best wrestlers in the middleweight division, Okami has fallen in love with his striking, a mentality that also cost him against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Okami will have to get back to his bread and butter if he hopes to maintain relevance in the middleweight division.

Tim Boetsch: Rising

It wasn't the best performance of Boetsch's career, but a victory over an opponent of Okami's stature erases all criticism.

It was a dramatic come from behind win that should help Boetsch gain some notoriety in the UFC.

The climb will undoubtedly get steeper after this win. Boetsch really has to polish his skills if he hopes to hang with the upper-echelon sharks of the 185-pound division.

Jake Shields: Falling

It's pretty surreal to think that Jake Shields was considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world less than a year ago.

It goes to show how quickly things can change in MMA.

After suffering back to back losses to Georges St-Pierre and Jake Ellenberger, Shields got back to his winning ways at UFC 144 with a unanimous decision win over Yoshihiro Akiyama, but despite scorecards, it was far from an impressive showing.

Shields' striking seemed atrocious at times, and his takedowns looked telegraphed and rehearsed.

While some credit has to be given to a stellar performance from Akiyama, Shields clearly isn't the same fighter he was a year ago.

Yoshihiro Akiyama: Falling

As fate would have it, Akiyama's fights in the UFC actually get harder as he loses.

After losing back-to-back bouts to Chris Leben and Michael Bisping, the Judo legend was thrown into the cage against former world champions in his next couple of outings against Shields and Vitor Belfort.

The bout against Shields marked Akiyama's welterweight debut.

Despite the loss, the bout was eerily one of Akiyama's best performances in the UFC. But, coming off four consecutive losses, it's tough to argue that the "Sexyama's" stock is rising.

Mark Hunt: Rising

Mark Hunt's MMA career was seemingly dead in the water nearly two years ago.

He was coming off six consecutive losses and pondering his MMA future. Now, the "Super Samoan" is riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC.

Hunt came into UFC 144 as an underdog, but he quieted his critics with a vicious first-round knockout of gargantuan heavyweight Cheick Kongo.

Cheick Kongo: Falling

Kongo may be built like a comic book character, but every superhero has a weakness.

Unfortunately for Kongo, his kryptonite is definitely his chin. There are few fighters that draw up more drama from a glancing blow than Cheick Kongo.

It seems like every shot to the face has a chance of leaving him sprawled out on the canvas.

It's difficult in any weight class to make an impact in spite of a porcelain chin, much less at heavyweight.

Ryan Bader: Rising

Ryan Bader secured the biggest win of his career in a fairly lopsided unanimous decision win over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

From purely a technical perspective, Bader still showcased the same deficiencies. His standup is predictable, and he looks uncomfortable exchanging in the pocket.

With that said, Bader finally showed the ability to implement an effective game plan. Instead of sitting in the pocket winging overhands, Bader utilized good footwork and picked his shots.

It was a solid performance that warrants his return to the top-10 light heavyweight rankings.

Quinton Jackson: Falling

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has often been one to dish out criticism, but he is never one to take it.

This loss was less about Bader's improvements as a fighter and more about Rampage's wavering dedication to the sport.

There's no tiptoeing around it. Rampage's performance mirrored his physique. He was overweight and out of shape.

There will be plenty of speculation about whether or not Rampage was injured in camp or if he took Bader lightly, but, at the end of the day, Rampage is the only person who knows the truth.

Benson Henderson: Rising

Benson "Smooth" Henderson's win over Frankie Edgar proves that there was nothing fraudulent about the WEC lightweight division.

The former WEC lightweight champion achieved a lifelong dream on Saturday night in defeating Edgar for the UFC title in a close unanimous decision.

While Edgar's heart and determination will be admired for generations to come, Henderson's championship reign should really freshen things up in the lightweight division.

Frankie Edgar: Same

Edgar has always defied the odds throughout his entire career, but the odds finally caught up with him against a much bigger lightweight in Henderson.

It looked like a featherweight fighting a welterweight, but the gap in size didn't stop Edgar, who many believed deserved the decision.

Coming off wins over BJ Penn, Gray Maynard and Sean Sherk, the stock report shouldn't change much on a perennially undersized lightweight like Edgar.

Could a move to featherweight be "the answer" to Edgar's problems?