Did UFC 162 Live up to Expectations?

UFC 162 provided the MMA world with arguably the biggest upset of the year, as Chris Weidman kept a cool head and did not play into Anderson Silva's attempts to frustrate him. The end result saw Weidman become the first fighter to knock "The Spider" out and capture the UFC middleweight title.

Also, Frankie Edgar defeated Charles Oliveira in an intense featherweight bout, Tim Kennedy defeated Roger Gracie, Mark Munoz returned to form against Tim Boetsch and Cub Swanson engaged in an entertaining featherweight bout with Dennis Siver. Though Siver found a few shining moments, Swanson overwhelmed and finished him in the third round.

Considering the main card and an action-packed night of preliminary card fights, can we safely say this fight card lived up to expectations? Yes, we can.

Sure, Kennedy vs. Gracie did not produce a thriller, but given the two styles involved, few could really expect anything aside from what happened. Still, Kennedy looked to dominate Gracie for as long as the fight lasted, and he accomplished that goal in solid fashion.

Oliveira vs. Edgar provided an entertaining encounter, with both men providing entertaining battles on the ground and keeping each other on their heels. Munoz looked strong in his win over Boetsch, taking Boetsch down at will and proving that he truly did not possess any cage rust despite almost a year away from action due to injuries..

Naturally, the world remains buzzing about Weidman's knockout win over Silva, and while even UFC president Dana White admitted a different approach would've scored an eleventh successful title defense for Silva, many anticipate what lies ahead for the new UFC middleweight champion, as well as what could come in the form of a rematch between Silva and Weidman.

All in all, UFC 162 provided one of 2013's most solid fight cards, as well as its most shocking, and the fun continues later this month for UFC on Fox 8: Johnson vs. Moraga. Will the upsets continue? Will another young, undefeated prospect take the reins and stand as the best in the world when John Moraga challenges Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson?

Tune in to UFC on Fox 8 on July 27th and find out for yourself.