Charlie Brenneman and the 10 Most Impressive UFC Victories of the Year

Charlie Brenneman got the opportunity of a lifetime when he accepted a fight with top prospect Rick Story on just two days notice.

He won the fight by unanimous decision, upsetting the favorite and launching himself into the long list of the most impressive fighters of 2011.

The list of the most impressive victories of the year includes newcomers, title challengers and underdogs, all overcoming the odds, winning big and setting the stage for what's to come in their UFC careers.

These are the top 10 most impressive victories of the first half of 2011, and they won't be the only ones.

No. 10: Chris Weidman Defeats Alessio Sakara by Unanimous Decision: UFC Live

Alessio Sakara was originally scheduled to face Maiquel Falcao at UFC Live on March 3 until Falcao was released from the organization.

Falcao's replacement was Rafael Natal, but he also pulled out on February 12, leaving Sakara awaiting another replacement.

Newcomer Chris Weidman stepped in to face Sakara, and he put on a wrestling clinic, bloodying and defeating "Legionarius" by unanimous decision over three rounds. He also ended Sakara's three-fight win streak.

The NCAA Division I wrestler followed up on the win with an impressive June victory, taking his undefeated record to 6-0.

No. 9: Demetrious Johnson Defeats Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto by Unanimous Decision

Bantamweight contender Demetrious Johnson and Japanese standout Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto were both scheduled to make their UFC debut against each other on the preliminary card at UFC 126.

Of the many impressive performances on the card, Johnson had one of the best, out-maneuvering and out-working the former kickboxer to win a unanimous decision after three rounds of exciting 135-pound action.

Johnson opened many fans' eyes with the win and capitalized on it with a June win over former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres.

No. 8: Jim Miller Defeats Kamal Shalorus by TKO: UFC 128

Of the many lightweight contenders, Jim Miller is one of the top two along with title challenger Gray Maynard.

Miller took on the very dangerous and tough wrestler Kamal Shalorus at UFC 128 and finished him off in the third round of a hard-fought battle with a vicious knee to the face, smashing and bloodying the former WEC contender's nose and giving him the first loss of his career.

It was his seventh consecutive victory, and it's among one of the best win-streaks in the UFC right now.

Miller is scheduled to face former WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson at UFC Live in August.

No. 7: Sam Stout Defeats Yves Edwards by Knockout: UFC 131

The featured bout of the UFC 131 Spike TV broadcast matched up UFC veterans Sam Stout and Yves Edwards, and their styles promised for explosive action.

Stout had been in the UFC since 2006, but he had never finished an opponent in his five UFC victories until he connected with a hard left hook to put Edwards down and out in the first round.

Edwards' head bounced against the canvas, leaving him unconscious for several minutes afterwards. Stout showed sportsmanship in not attacking his opponent with follow-up punches.

Victories like these revive a fighter's career, and it's a finish that will go down as one of the most memorable of 2011.

No. 6: Rick Story Defeats Thiago Alves by Unanimous Decision: UFC 130

People knew Rick Story was tough, but they didn't know how tough he was until he fought former welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves at UFC 130.

Story used his wrestling and aggression to steal the first two rounds of the bout, but it was in the third that he really showed his determination. He took consecutive shots to the chin from the muay-thai specialist and didn't wilt under the power that the blows possessed.

Story won a unanimous decision and accepted a fighter with Nate Marquardt soon after. The fight didn't happen after Marquardt was removed from the card the day of the weigh-ins, but Story accepted a fight with late replacement, Charlie Brenneman, instead. He would lose a unanimous decision to the fighter from Pennsylvania.

No. 5: Charlie Brenneman Defeats Rick Story by Unanimous Decision: UFC Live

At UFC Live, welterweight fighter Charlie Brenneman stepped in on just two days notice to face top prospect Rick Story, who was just coming off of a career-boosting victory over Thiago Alves three weeks earlier.

Many did not expect the last-minute replacement to offer much of a challenge to the aggressive, relentless and determined fighter in Story, but he out-wrestled and out-worked his opponent for the better part of three rounds, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision in his home-state of Pennsylvania.

Brenneman's win makes the welterweight rankings messy, but it opens up his career for bigger and better things. It was his third UFC win and 14th victory overall.

No. 4: Rory MacDonald Defeats Nate Diaz by Unanimous Decision: UFC 129

Rory MacDonald is one of the youngest fighters in the UFC and one of the top up-and-comers in the welterweight division. He lost his UFC debut to Carlos Condit but showed he had potential in the bout with the former WEC welterweight champion.

MacDonald returned to the cage at UFC 129 in front of 55,000 hometown fans in Toronto, Canada. His opponent was former Ultimate Fighter finalist Nate Diaz.

Fans were anticipating a competitive fight, but it was all MacDonald, who controlled and dominated Diaz over three rounds to win a unanimous decision. He ended the fight with three highlight-reel suplexes and a round so dominant, he won it by 10-8 margins on two of the three judges' scorecards.

No. 3: Brian Stann Defeats Chris Leben by TKO: UFC 125

Before Brian Stann met Chris Leben at UFC 125, not many people were considering the former Marine to become the middleweight contender he would after he knocked out his iron-chinned opponent in the very first round.

Stann joined UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva as the only fighters to knock out "The Crippler," and it was one of the most surprising knockouts of the year.

Stann capitalized on the momentum he gained from this bout and won his latest fight versus Jorge Santiago by TKO in the second round at UFC 130.

No. 2: Anderson Silva Defeats Vitor Belfort by Knockout: UFC 126

In what was supposed to be Anderson Silva's toughest striker vs. striker matchup to date, he took full advantage of the opportunity to thrill audiences with his diverse striking ability when he faced former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.

After a come from behind victory against Chael Sonnen in one of 2010's best fights, he pulled off one of the best finishes of the year, knocking out Belfort in the first round of his eighth middleweight title defense with the UFC's first front-kick to the face.

Belfort had never been knocked out by a single strike in his career, making this knockout that much more impressive.

No. 1: Jon Jones Defeats Mauricio Rua by TKO: UFC 128

In one of the most anticipated light-heavyweight matchups of the year, Jon "Bones" Jones took on UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128.

After Jones' teammate Rashad Evans pulled out of the bout, he was given the chance to seize the opportunity after his victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 126. He accepted the challenge and the fight was set.

What was anticipated to be a competitive bout turned out to be one-sided as Jones dominated "Shogun" to win by TKO in the third round,

At 23, Jones became the youngest champion in the history of the UFC.