UFC on Fuel 3 Results: The Real Winners and Losers

UFC on Fuel cards don't get as much attention as their pay-per-view or FOX brethren, but that doesn't mean they don't provide several hours worth of top-shelf entertainment.

Tuesday night's card from Fairfax, VA was no different. From the opening-fight knockout by Tom Lawlor all the way to the action-packed main event with a breakout performance by "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung, the show delivered in spades.

If you missed it, well, that's your fault. But let's take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the show anyway.

WINNER: Tom Lawlor

As commentator Jon Anik said, Tom Lawlor came into Virginia needing a signature win. Well, he got exactly that with his first-round sorta-knockout win over Jason MacDonald.

It wasn't the most violent thing you've ever seen. Lawlor's punch landed behind MacDonald's ear and simply knocked his balance out of whack. MacDonald didn't stay that way long, but it was long enough to fall flat on his face for the referee stoppage.

Lawlor had one of the finest moments of the night during his post-fight interview when he said, "Virginia is for lovers. You guys are one of the best 50 states to fight in." I don't know what that means, but I know that Tom Lawlor is awesome.

WINNERS: Igor Pokrajac and Fabio Maldonado

In the end, it didn't matter who won this fight. Not really. Because the guy with his arm raised at the end of the fight will get an extra digit in the win column, but both of these men emerged from the cage as winners in this UFC light heavyweight bout.

It was the Croatian Igor Pokrajac that emerged as the official winner, but it was the fans who truly won. Pokrajac and Maldonado paired up to create an awesome fight filled with a ton of punches directly to the chin and body.

I'm absolutely shocked that neither man was knocked out at some point during the fight, but I'm even more shocked that Pokrajac didn't have his ribs broken by the constant nasty body shots from Maldonado, a former pro boxer with excellent hands.

I want to see this fight again. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, but man, it was fun. For that, we're all winners. 

LOSER: Jeff Hougland

Jeff Hougland was game against Yves Jabouin, but he had no real business being in the same cage. I think that's going to be the case with most of Hougland's opponents, though.

He's a solid veteran, but being a solid veteran just isn't enough to cut it in the modern UFC.

WINNER: Yves Jabouin

The guy that trains with Georges St-Pierre utterly dominated Jeff Hougland. And I mean, he dominated in a bad, bad way.

It was apparent from the start that Hougland was out of his element, and he's actually lucky that the local Virginia referee didn't step in and stop the fight on multiple occasions throughout the 15-minute contest.

Jabouin must be given most of the credit here. He drilled Hougland early with a nasty kick to the liver, and Hougland never really recovered. This was the best performance of Jabouin's UFC career.

WINNER: Donald Cerrone

I truly believe Donald Cerrone is one of the world's top five lightweights. And yes, that's even counting his December loss to Nathan Diaz. 

We know Diaz is moving on to fight for the lightweight strap later this year. And maybe Cerrone isn't quite on that level just yet. But his one-sided beating of Jeremy Stephens should prove that pairing Cerrone up against anything less than the very best the division has to offer is criminal.

"The Cowboy" used some of the most beautiful kicks in the UFC, mixed with excellent punches coming from all angles, to confuse and better Stephens for 15 minutes.

It was never close. Cerrone was simply on another level, and I'd like to see him face the winner of next month's bout between Clay Guida and Gray Maynard, or perhaps a fight with Anthony Pettis.

Cerrone deserves that kind of competition, and I suspect he'll get it after his most recent performance.

WINNER: The Korean Zombie

It's crazy to think that anything topped the Pokrajac/Maldonado fight from earlier on the card, but...this one topped that fight. And did so easily.

I discounted The Korean Zombie going into this fight. I'll fully admit it. I bought into Dustin Poirier as not just the future of the featherweight division, but also the right now. 

Instead, we saw Chan Sung Jung deliver the greatest performance of his career. He's improved his game drastically, and the icing on the cake was his performance against Poirier. The Louisiana native gave Jung a tough fight, but a fourth-round uppercut ultimately sent Poirier reeling and shooting for a desperation takedown, and that's when Jung locked in the fight-ending D'Arce choke.

Can this guy beat Jose Aldo? If you'd asked me that question 24 hours ago, I would have laughed at you. Now? I'm not sure. But I do know that Jung is instantly the biggest name the UFC can match with Aldo, and I can't wait to see the fight.