UFC 172 Results: Power Ranking the Most Impressive Performances from Baltimore

UFC 172 was a memorable night for many reasons. Not only did Jon Jones retain his light heavyweight championship against Glover Teixeira, but Anthony Johnson made a triumphant return to the Octagon and Luke Rockhold threw his hat into Submission of the Year talk.

The event was also great because of the electricity in the air and the awesome crowd. The crowd made the already-awesome event more exciting.

There were a lot of impressive performances on the card, but who was the best of the best? Let's power rank the five more impressive showings of the night.

5. Danny Castillo

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Danny Castillo is somewhat the Rodney Dangerfield of MMA. No matter what he does, he seemingly gets no respect.

Castillo wowed the audience early into UFC 172 Saturday evening. Fighting fellow wrestler and UFC vet Charlie Brenneman, Castillo ended the fight quickly in Round 1 with a vicious one-punch knockout.

Castillo's improvements in his stand-up have to be attributed to coach Duane Ludwig, who has been working wonders with Team Alpha Male. Castillo has looked more polished lately, even almost downing Edson Barboza with strikes last time around.

It was an impressive win and finish for a guy who should get more recognition from fans.

4. Chris Beal

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Chris Beal got an opportunity to show he belonged in the UFC, and boy, did he not disappoint. Beal landed one of the best knockouts of 2014 when he drubbed Patrick Williams with a devastating flying knee.

It wasn't long ago that Beal was left off the TUF 18 Finale and was part of the rest of the male cast not to be migrated over to the main roster. It left him back in the minor leagues, where he picked up a win and got the call on late notice from Sean Shelby.

A top prospect, Beal is now a legit talent in the bantamweight division. If he continues performing like he did in Baltimore, this guy is bound to make the top 15 in no time.

3. Luke Rockhold

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Luke Rockhold has gone from Strikeforce champion to victim of Vitor Belfort to possible title challenger. Talk about peaks and valley.

At UFC 172, Rockhold put in one of the best performances of the night. In just over two minutes of work, Rockhold sprawled, transitioned and locked up a beautiful inverted triangle kimura that tapped out Tim Boetsch.

Rockhold is now on a two-fight winning streak over the likes of two top opponents in Boetsch and Costa Philippou. Both have been impressive first-round stoppages that have seen Rockhold's opponents not even be competitive in the fight.

It's just a shame he was not given a performance-of-the-night bonus.

2. Jon Jones

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Jon Jones looked human after his nail-biter of a fight with Alexander Gustafsson, but he recaptured his pre-Gustafsson aura with a masterful performance against Glover Teixeira.

Jones used great striking on the inside and outside while mixing in takedowns to frustrate Teixeira. Many people didn't give Teixeira a chance, but he was a credible, dangerous opponent who is well-rounded and has knockout power.

Jones is one of the best fighters alive at this point. In fact, he may be the best. Saturday night showed that.

1. Anthony Johnson

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Anthony Johnson made his return to the UFC Saturday night, and he wasn't given an easy fight. In fact, he was given a fight with Phil Davis that most people agreed he would lose.

Johnson didn't get that memo.

Using a low center of gravity, sturdy takedown defense and precision striking, Johnson completely outclassed Davis. He won all three rounds easily, showing he has vastly improved and is ready for bigger, better things.

It was easily the most impressive performance of the night. Not only did he win a fight he wasn't projected to win, but he did it in such a manner that he looked like he wasn't even trying. That's why it was so great.