UFC on Fox: Top 5 Most Memorable Moments from the First Year

The UFC's partnership with Fox is only a few months away from its one-year anniversary, and it's been quite a year.

We've seen titles change hands, title challengers emerge and some great fights. There's been a number of memorable moments, but these small handful have to be on the top of anyone's list when recalling the first year of the UFC working with Fox.

It all started with a heavyweight title showdown between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. The momentum continued with a UFC on Fox 2 card that was stacked with a number of future title contenders. UFC on Fox 3 saw the rise of Nate Diaz as a title challenger, and the UFC on Fox 4 event saw Lyoto Machida emerge a title contender at 205 pounds.

You can put them in any order you like, but without a doubt, these have become the most memorable moments from the first year of Fox and the UFC working together.

Junior Dos Santos Captures Heavyweight Gold

It was the first event in the new UFC-Fox partnership and was quite a way to introduce MMA to mainstream sports fans. The heavyweight division in combat sports has always been one to capture the attention of fans, and Cain Velasquez, along with Junior dos Santos, did their best to entertain fans on Nov. 12, 2011.

Velasquez entered the bout after a lengthy layoff from shoulder surgery while dos Santos was fresh off a destruction of former interim-champion Shane Carwin. The fight started off in predictable fashion as Velasquez looked for a quick takedown, but dos Santos was able to fend the champion.

In a moment that perfectly displayed what makes MMA so great, the idea that a fight could be over in a split-second, dos Santos dropped the champion with an overhand right and secured the UFC heavyweight title.

The lead-in to the fight was a little long, but that's to be expected, as both sides were just learning how to work with one another. The boost in production value was evident immediately, and dos Santos capturing the title was just icing on the cake for a great night for both the UFC and Fox.

Charles Oliveira Submits Eric Wisely with a Calf-Slicer

Although the main card for the UFC on Fox 2 event received a bit of heat from fans for not being exciting, the preliminary card was nonstop action. Following Lavar Johnson's awesome showing against Joey Beltran and a close fight between Michael Johnson and Shane Roller was a tough set of fights to follow, but Charles Oliveira wouldn't disappoint.

The Brazilian was making his featherweight debut after dropping an ugly loss to Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in his previous bout while Eric Wisely was making his UFC debut.

In one of the ultimate "Wait, what the f*** did I just see?" moments in UFC history, Oliveira secured a calf-slicer submission against Wisely. Similar to Chan Sung-Jung's twister submission of Leonard Garcia, Oliveira's move made MMA fans do a double take on how the fight ended.

Of course, Oliveira earned Submission of the Night honors and could also earn Submission of the Year as well.

Nate Diaz Submits Jim Miller and Steps out from Nick's Shadow

Nate Diaz was always known as the younger brother of Nick, but at UFC on Fox 3, the younger brother finally stepped out from his big brother's shadow.

A UFC title shot was on the line as Diaz took on Jim Miller in the main event. Diaz was able to control much of the action and even dropped Miller towards the end of the first round. In the second round, Miller shot in for a takedown that was countered with a Diaz guillotine.

The most memorable point of this sequence was seeing Miller lose his mouthpiece and nearly bite through his tongue as Diaz squeezed on the choke.

By defeating Miller and earning an UFC title opportunity, Diaz was finally able to step out of the shadow cast by his much more accomplished older brother. The younger Diaz will have the chance to begin his own legacy when he takes on Benson Henderson for the UFC Lightweight title.

Lyoto Machida Earns a Title Shot with a Beautiful Counter

Coming into the UFC on Fox 4 event, all four men competing in the main event bouts knew they needed to have an impressive showing. Dana White had announced whoever had the most impressive victory between the two fights would receive the next title shot in the light heavyweight division.

A spectacular showing is something fans knew Lyoto Machida was capable of. It wouldn't be easy against a guy like Ryan Bader, but Machida earned a title shot with an impressive KO in the second round.

Bader was clearly frustrated by the fans' booing and Machida's evasive techniques and decided to charge the Brazilian. Machida used his counter-punching skills to perfection to land a straight punch to the jaw of Bader as the former Pac-10 wrestler ran straight into the punch.

The KO not only earned Machida yet another victory over a top-10 light heavyweight, but also a rematch against Jon Jones or a title bout against Dan Henderson.

Brandon Vera Gets in Touch with His Former Self

Fans were laughing at the prospect of Brandon Vera possibly challenging for the UFC Light Heavyweight title with only one victory since 2009. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was expected to simply walk through the former blue-chip prospect en route to a rematch with Jon Jones, but Vera would have none of that.

Vera showed incredible heart and showcased some mental toughness that fans haven't seen from Vera since his early days with the UFC. There were moments where "Shogun" should've easily won the fight, only for Vera to survive and fire back with a series of strikes.

It will go down as a loss on the official record books, but it's about as close as one can get to a moral victory in MMA. Vera showed that he does perhaps have some of that talent that he possessed in his initial run with the UFC, which will likely mean Vera finds a permanent home in the Octagon despite his less-than-stellar record.

After Lyoto Machida's performance, anything other than an instant KO meant Machida had cemented his place as the next challenger. Despite the fact fans already knew the answer to the question of "Who's Next?", the fight between "Shogun" and Vera was one of 2012's best.