UFC 155 Fight Card: Power Ranking the PPV Card Fights

UFC 155 is the reason why you don't evaluate a book until you've actually finished reading it.

Three fights in, and the Twitterverse was lighting up about this being one of the more boring pay-per-views in recent memory. 

Those assessments came, of course, well before Joe Lauzon donated about a quart of his own blood to the cause of entertainment, and before Cain Velasquez dominated the previously indomitable Junior Dos Santos to recapture the UFC heavyweight belt.

Here's a recap and a ranking of all five pay-per-view contests.

5. Derek Brunson vs. Chris Leben

Division: Middleweight
Result: Derek Brunson def. Chris Leben by unanimous decision

Give Brunson credit for taking this fight—his UFC debut—on short notice and executing a game plan to thwart the head-hunting of Leben.

But it wasn't a good fight. Leben looked horrible and very rusty after returning from that one-year suspension. Not much power on Leben's punches—the few he threw, anyway—or spring in his step. All in all, this fight seemed to feature two guys who simply weren't ready to be in there. 

4. Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher

Division: Middleweight
Result: Yushin Okami def. Alan Belcher by unanimous decision

Okami is an extremely strong and skilled fighter. But no one will accuse him of having an exciting style.

3. Costa Philippou vs. Tim Boetsch

Division: Middleweight
Result: Costa Philippou def. Tim Boetsch by TKO, Round 3

Philippou put his boxing to work and even used some ground-and-pound to finish Boetsch. But an accidental eye poke, maybe an accidental head butt and possibly other injuries to Boetsch (which he referenced vaguely in conversations with his cornermen between rounds) caused his body to seemingly break down in the Octagon independently of any intentional punishment from Philippou. Philippou just finished the job. 

2. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos

Division: Heavyweight
Result: Cain Velasquez def. Junior dos Santos by unanimous decision

A great fight between two great champions. Sometimes it's as simple as that.

Velasquez stayed aggressive throughout and landed a lot of hard stuff. But Dos Santos never went away, no matter how wobbly his legs. Lots of heart from both sides, though the better man won Saturday night. 

1. Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon

Division: Lightweight
Result: Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon by unanimous decision

Forget Fight of the Night. This could have been the fight of the year.

Miller is an underrated striker at lightweight. That much is clear after he landed those sharp punches and elbows that left Lauzon looking like a character from the Hostel franchise. 

But Lauzon stayed tough and nearly got a submission at the very end of the fight. What a performance from two exciting lightweights.