UFC 125 Results: Winners and Losers from Saturday’s Fights

A controversial ending to the UFC 125 main event will have fans buzzing for quite awhile after an exciting event that many thought wouldn't have the star power needed to deliver.

With the event now in the rear view mirror, let's take a look back at the true winners and losers from Saturday night's action.

UFC 123 Results:

Jacob Volkmann over Antonio McKee via split decision

Daniel Roberts over Greg Soto via first round submission
 
Diego Nunes over Mike Brown via split decision
 
Brad Tavares over Phil Baroni via first round TKO
 
Dustin Poirier over Josh Grispi via unanimous decision
 
Jeremy Stephens over Marcus Davis via third round knockout

Clay Guida over Takanori Gomi via second round submission

Dong Hyun Kim over Nate Diaz via unanimous decision

Thiago Silva over Brandon Vera via unanimous decision

Brian Stann over Chris Leben via TKO

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fight to a draw (Edgar remains champion)

Loser: Josh Grispi

One of the up-and-comers at 145 lbs., Josh Grispi was in line to face one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world and current UFC Featherweight champion, Jose Aldo.

Aldo was originally scheduled to defend his title against Grispi at UFC 125, but had to pull out of the fight back in late November due to a compacted vertebrae.

With Aldo out, Dustin Poirier stepped in and took the fight against Grispi, one in which many expected Grispi to dominate. Instead it was Poirier who dictated the pace of the fight and took it to "The Fluke" in all three rounds.

While one loss for the 22-year-old Grispi is not a UFC death sentence, it certainly does not bode well for his chances of finally getting the title shot that he earned in 2010.

Loser: Phil Baroni

Phil Baroni (left) was knocked out by Brad Tavares (right) at UFC 125.

With losses in five of his last eight fights, many viewed Saturday's contest as a must-win for the 34-year-old Phil Baroni.

Brad Tavares, undefeated in his professional MMA career, was fighting in just his second UFC fight and he made it count when he knocked out "The New York Bad Ass" late in the first round.

Tavares looked to be controlling the fight on the feet early before Baroni cracked him with a hard left hook. Tavares crumbled against the fence but Baroni attempted a guillotine instead of bringing more punches that could have ended the fight.

Baroni was unable to finish the fight and was eventually clipped with an overhand right from Tavares that sent him crashing into the cage. Tavares pounced on him and the referee was forced to stop the fight after repeated undefended blows to the head.

Baroni's UFC future is now in question as he is on a six fight UFC losing streak dating back to his loss to Matt Lindland in February of 2003 at UFC 41. 

Loser: Mike Brown

It seems like only yesterday that Mike Brown was coming off of defeating Urijah Faber not once, but twice in less than a year's time, earning himself the title of the top fighter in the world at 145 lbs.

Those days may be gone.

With his loss Saturday to Diego Noons, Brown has now lost three of his last five fights and did not do a great job of endearing himself to a wider fan base by losing his first fight under the UFC banner.

While Brown is in no danger of being cut from his UFC contract, he will have to start another win streak if he hopes to get himself back in the title picture.

Loser: Takanori Gomi

Once considered the top light weight in the world during his run in PRIDE, Takanori Gomi has had trouble making the transition into the cage in the United States.

Gomi lost his first UFC fight to Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 21 in March of 2010, but rebounded in August when he knocked out UFC veteran Tyson Griffin in the first round of their fight.

Gomi looked flustered in his third UFC fight by the chaotic, unpredictable pace and technique displayed by Clay Guida. Guida jumped out to an early one round lead before a dominant second round saw him secure a guillotine that Gomi could not escape.

Even given his tough start in the UFC, though, Gomi can survive on his past for awhile before he is in any danger of losing out on his UFC contract.

Loser: Chris Leben

After a difficult two years in 2008 and 2009, 2010 saw the resurgence of "The Crippler" Chris Leben's career as he went 3-0 including two wins in a two week timespan.

Unfortunately 2011 didn't start off on quite the same level.

Leben, known for having one of the toughest jaws in mixed martial arts, was stopped in the first round of his New Year's fight with Brian Stann. Stann rocked Leben with a right hook and proceeded to finish the fight with a series of knees and punches that forced referee Josh Rosenthal to stop the fight.

Following the loss, "The Crippler" will return to his place as one of the gate-keepers at 185 lbs.

Loser: Brandon Vera

Once considered one of the hottest up-and-coming fighters in mixed martial arts, Brandon Vera has had one of the biggest falls from grace in MMA history.

While none of his losses have been against fighters that he should be ashamed to lose against, the way he has lost has been the biggest problem.

Perhaps the most embarrassing loss was the one he suffered at the hands of Thiago Silva on Saturday night.

After being thrown to the ground seemingly at will throughout the entire fight, Vera found himself covering up for dear life as Silva sat on his back throwing hay-makers. Things quickly got worse as Silva turned to simulating playing the bongo drums on Vera's back before violently slapping him in the head a few times.

Vera's nose looked absolutely horribly broken after the fight but he may have saved himself some fan support with the comical way he looked at the injury in the in-house cameras.

Loser: Casual UFC Fans

Prior to the event, many casual fans complained at exhaustion about the main event of UFC 125.

The card, which featured the main event rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, lacked the star power to get many of the non-hardcore fans excited.

But to those who did trust the UFC and their product, the main event did more than deliver an excellent fight—it delivered a Fight of the Year candidate on the very first day of the new year.

While they fought to a draw that disappointed many fans who wanted to see a "Resolution," the right decision was made in that there was no definitive answer on who won the fight.

Casual UFC fans who missed out on this card should be kicking themselves for missing what was one of the most exciting main events in quite some time.

Winner: Jeremy Stephens

Knockout of the Night winner Jeremy Stephens started UFC 125 off on the right foot when he shocked everyone by knocking out Marcus Davis in the third and final round.

Davis had hammered Stephens early in the fight, nearly knocking him out in the first round with an overhand left that sent him stumbling.

Stephens battled back, though, weathering an early storm of punches to win the second round by most accounts.

He finished things off midway through the final round when he countered a right by Davis with a right of his own that landed right on the button. Davis fell unconsciously to his back before being hammered once more by a diving punch, reminiscent of the one Dan Henderson landed on the lifeless body of Michael Bisping.

Winner: Clay Guida

Always a crowd favorite, Clay Guida earned the respect of MMA legend Takanori Gomi by winning the "Submission of the Night" bonus.

Gomi's striking is world-class and he has the power to knock out anyone at any time. Guida knew this going into the fight and used chaotic, nonstop movement to throw off Gomi's timing while giving himself the deceptive advantage to throw some impressive punches and head kicks.

The key to the fight, said Guida, was "not to get punched by Gomi too much."

Well said, Clay.

The win is Guida's third straight in the Octagon and should propel him closer to a shot at the title.

Winner: Dong Hyun Kim

Dong Hyun Kim brought an undefeated 13-0 record into Saturday's fight and remained without an official loss as he defeated the well-hyped former UFC Ultimate Fighter winner, Nate Diaz.

Though Kim lost a fight back in early 2009 to Karo Pariysan, the decision was turned into a No Contest as Pariysan had tested positive for a banned substance.

Kim has since battled back with three straight wins in the UFC which now includes back-to-back wins over former UFC The Ultimate Fighter champions Amir Sadollah and Nate Diaz.

While a few of his wins have been controversial, his only loss was wiped clean of the record books and win is a win regardless of how it comes.

Look for Dong Hyun Kim to get one more fight against a top competitor and if he wins that he could be looking at his first shot at the title.

Winner: Thiago Silva

UFC 125 saw the dominant return to The Octagon by one of the most powerful fighters in the world at 205 lbs.

Using his superior strength and positioning, Thiago Silva assaulted and humiliated Brandon Vera, breaking his nose in the final round on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

A bad back caused Thiago Silva to miss an entire year of fighting as he recovered from surgery to repair the serious injury that kept him from even practicing wrestling. The injury slowed him noticeably in his fight with Rashad Evans to the point where he decided that he needed to get it fixed for good.

When asked about why he chose to slap Vera near the end of the third round, Silva responded by saying, that he was, “Just trying to get away from that position to go for the submission."

It's hard to truly believe that given the oddly physical nature of the fight, but Silva certainly caught the eye of many fans with his dominant win.

Winner: Brian Stann

Brian Stann (right) made a name for himself by stopping Chris Leben (left) at UFC 125.

Brian Stann said he wanted Chris Leben and he delivered when he was given what he wanted.

"He gave me my opportunity. I am a lesser-known fighter and he gave me my chance," Stann said about his UFC 125 opponent.

Leben had certainly fought bigger names over the course of his career, but Stann gave him everything he could handle and then some, knocking Leben out in the first round.

Many will say that Leben gave the fight away by head-hunting and looking for the highlight reel knockout, but it was Stann who truly made a name for himself by first rocking and then stopping "The Crippler" with a series of punches and knees.

Stann may have done himself a big favor in the eyes of the fans when he used his post-fight interview time to pay tribute to his fallen Marine friend who had recently died in Iraq.

Certainly Stann wasn't thinking about using his friend's death to promote his "All American" nickname, but certainly that story will stick with fans who may not have known who he was prior to Saturday's event.

Winners: Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar

An unbelievable main event saw the rematch of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, this time for the UFC Lightweight Championship in the main event of a pay-per-view.

The previous event, shown for free at UFC Fight Night 13, saw the larger, more powerful Maynard grind out a decision victory over Edgar—the only blemish on either man's record even today.

The two warriors fought an entertaining five-round battle that saw Edgar nearly knocked out early in round one, but hold on to survive a 10-8 round and earn a draw to retain his championship.

“I've never had that experience before, but I bounced back,” Edgar said on almost being knocked out.

While the fight did not have a winner, both fighters certainly earned the respect of fans and should have secured themselves an eventual rematch.

“Ending a fight in a draw is bittersweet," Frankie Edgar said.

Bitter because he still has not beat Maynard, but sweet because he's still the champion.

Winner: Hardcore UFC Fans

As mentioned before, the biggest winners of this entire show were the hardcore UFC fans, or at least the ones who decided to give this show a chance even without the big name main event that most UFC pay-per-view events have.

From top to bottom, this was one of the most entertaining events that the UFC has put on over the past few years and it was capped off by a fight that should be considered one of the early favorites to win Fight of the Year.

Dana White and the UFC proved once again that even shows without their superstars are worth the purchase price.