UFC 145 Results: Marcus Brimage Defeats Maximo Blanco

The UFC 145 card got off to a stirring start as Marcus Brimage defeated Maximo Blanco via split decision in an exciting preliminary fight on Facebook. Both men entered the bout as relative newcomers to UFC as, it was Brimage's second fight with the organization, and Blanco's first after dabbling with Strikeforce.

At 27 years of age, Brimage entered the fight with little experience and a 4-1 record over the course of his MMA career. He won in his UFC debut back in December, which took place on The Ultimate Fighter 14 finale. That fight was also his first as a featherweight, so he certainly impressed the UFC brass.

Brimage seems to have settled in at his new weight as "The Bama Beast" withstood a tough test from Blanco. This was by far the biggest fight in the career of Blanco, who previously sported a record of 8-3-1-1 while competing in several lower-level promotions.

"The Max Murderer" was looking to rebound from a submission loss to Pat Healy in his previous fight, but it wasn't meant to be. The 28-year-old Venezuelan will now have to try to build himself back up after two tough losses in a row, while Brimage looks as if he will be able to move on to bigger and better things.

Brimage is an exceptionally strong fighter for the weight class with superior striking skills, and he continued to display those qualities Saturday night in Atlanta. All signs point to Brimage moving up on the card for his next fight to take on a more established challenger after succeeding in each of his first two UFC tests.

It appears as though the sky is the limit for Brimage, as he is entering his fighting prime and figures to be a force to be reckoned with in the UFC.