UFC: One Memorable Moment from Every 2011 Fight Card

For the UFC, 2011 has seen some of the biggest moments in the history of the octagon: the addition of two exciting weight classes, some of the craziest knockouts and submissions ever, the retirement of a Hall of Famer and new champions. That's just to name just a few.

This list will go back through every fight card so far and take a look at the most memorable moment from each.

And here we go.

UFC 125: Frankie Edgar-Gray Manyard II

After several high profile and championship matches were called off due to injury, UFC 125 looked like a decent (if far from superior) card—at least on paper.

Enter Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar.

For 25 minutes, these two 155-pound warriors threw everything they had at each other in an absolutely amazing fight.

Edgar survived a Maynard onslaught in the first round. Edgar was on his back—moments from defeat—on more than one occasion, but came back to give an all-out performance over the final four rounds. By the end, he had turned a 10-8 deficit into a 48-46 victory.

That the fight ended in a split draw only meant these two would go at it again. That's exactly what happened at UFC 136, when Edgar survived another early onslaught (though not as big as the one at 125) and came back to knockout Maynard in the fourth round.

Edgar retained his championship.

UFC Fight for the Troops 2: Melvin Guillard Knocks out Evan Dunham

Melvin Guillard was no stranger to the UFC when he stepped into the ring on January 22nd.

A five-year veteran—one who had gone 10-5 inside the octagon—Guillard was still looking for a marquee win. His previous big win came by way of a split decision over Jeremy Stephens in an earlier fight.

Evan Dunham was considered a rising star at 155 pounds. If not for a controversial, split-decision loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 119, Dunham would have entered the main event fight with a 12-0 record and would have inched closer to a lightweight title shot.

Guillard came out firing and displayed his speed, which considered to be among the best in the division. He rocked Dunham, then knocked him out with a series of knees just 2:58 into their fight.

Guillard earned the Knockout of the Night honors for his finish.

UFC 126: Anderson Silva Front Kick

Anderson Silva entered UFC 126 on February 5th on a 13-fight win streak, having won all 12 of his UFC fights. That included his miraculous comeback over Chael Sonnen the previous August to retain his middleweight championship title.

Vitor Belfort came into the match having fought only two times in his career at middleweight—the last time was more than two years prior.

The pre-fight hype culminated in an intense, physical stare down the day before the fight.

After spending the early part of the first round feeling each other out, Silva caught Belfort with a left front kick that knocked Belfort silly.

Silva's kick earned him Knock out of the Night honors and his 14th straight win, his 13th inside the octagon.

UFC 127: Jon Fitch-BJ Penn Draw

The UFC 127 main event clash between Jon Fitch and BJ Penn was supposed to determine the No. 1 contender in the welterweight division.

After two rounds, BJ Penn seemed destined to grab that spot. He was up 20-18 on two judges' scorecards.

Fitch came back in the third round, however. He dominated Penn and earned a 28-29, 28-28, 28-28 majority draw. He did that by winning the last round 10-8 on the two scorecards where he had been trailing 20-18.

Now Penn has retired, at least for the time being, after suffering a decision loss at the hands of Nick Diaz at UFC 137.

Fitch has taken a backseat in the 170-pound division and is scheduled to face Johny Hendricks at UFC 141 in December.

UFC Live- Louisville: Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann

This photo shows the face of the man who WON a front-runner for Fight of the Year.

Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann threw caution to the wind and put on a show on March 3rd.

Kapmann actually outstruck Sanchez over the course of the fight, but Sanchez's pace and aggression earned him the decision victory.

Both men received $160,000 bonuses for their efforts—the two highest bonuses awarded in UFC history.

UFC 128: Jon Jones Wins the Title

Jon Jones entered UFC 128 as the challenger for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's light heavyweight title, but was a huge favorite to win.

Why wouldn't he be?

Jones had completely dominated all 13 of his previous opponents, seven of them in the UFC—including veterans Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko and Stephan Bonnar—and he was still just 23 years old.

There was only reason why he wasn't undefeated: an illegal 12-to-6 elbow he threw while completely dominating Matt Hamill. The elbow resulted in a disqualification and a victory for Hamill.

Rua came into the fight a year removed from his last matchup. In May 2009, he won the title after knocking out the previously undefeated Lyoto Machida. Rua had knee surgery in June 2010 and spent the months leading up to UFC 128 in recovery.

Jones manhandled Rua for more than 10 minutes, before flooring Rua with a series of knees and punches midway through the third round. In doing so, he became the youngest champion in UFC history.

UFC Fight Night: Chan Sung Jung Twister

In April 2010, Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia threw out their game plans for WEC 48 and turned their featherweight match into an absolute slug-fest, paying little or no attention to any kind of defense.

Their 15-minute war wound up being named Fight of the Year by many publications, with a split decision win for Garcia.

After Jung got knocked out by George Roop and Garcia lost to Mark Hominick (and beat Nam Phan in a match many believe Garcia lost), a re-match was scheduled for the March 26th card.

In the closing seconds of the second round, with Jung on Garcia's back, the Korean Zombie switched his failed rear naked choke into a twister—a guillotine, body bend, neck crank submission.

With one second left in the round, Garcia tapped out. That marked the first time in UFC history a fight ended with a twister submission.

Jung took home Submission of the Night honors for his efforts.

UFC 129: Garza, Makdessi, MacDonald, Machida and Aldo

UFC 129 was the biggest event in UFC history. The April 30th card destroyed the previous records in terms of total attendance and total gate revenue.

Those broken records were largely due to the venue, Canada's Rogers Centre (home of the Toronto Blue Jays). But in terms of memorable moments, the fights may have set records as well.

First, there was Pablo Garza. In the first round of the first fight of the night, Garza caught Yves Jabouin with a flying triangle choke. He forced Jabouin to tap out in the final 30 seconds of the round and wound up winning Submission of the Night honors, which earned him a $129,000 bonus.

Next, there was John Makdessi. In the third round of his lightweight fight, the native Canadian caught Kyle Watson with a spinning back fist square in the face, knocking Watson out cold.

Next, on the Spike TV card, there was Rory MacDonald. In the third round, MacDonald turned Diaz into a rag doll, suplexing him not once, not twice, but three times. The last time he dropped him almost square on his head.

MacDonald wound up winning by a unanimous decision.

On the actual pay-per-view card, there was Randy Couture and Lyoto Machida. In the second round of their light heavyweight fight, Machida caught Couture with a flying front kick, reminiscent of Ralph Maccio in "The Karate Kid." 

The kick not only knocked out Couture, but knocked out some of his teeth as well. In the post-fight interview, Couture announced that he was officially retiring.

Finally, in the co-main event, there was Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick. An elbow by Aldo in the fourth round of their featherweight championship match created a hematoma on the right side of Hominick's head that grew to the size of a golf ball.

Despite the hematoma, Hominick managed to fight back in the fifth and final round. He nearly knocked out Aldo in a shocking turn of events. Hominick lost by decision in the end, but the two fighters were awarded Fight of the Night honors.

What do you think was the most memorable moment of UFC 129? Leave a comment below explaining your choice.

UFC 130: Veteran Brian Stann Wins on Memorial Day Weekend

Brian Stann is an American hero. He earned the right to be called that for his time in the marines. Stann was awarded a Silver Star in 2006 for bravery during Operation Matador in the invasion of Iraq.

On May 28th, six years after his heroic actions, Stann faced off against Jorge Santiago in a middleweight matchup. Late in the second round, Stann TKO'd Santiago with a series of punches and earned the biggest victory of his career.

For both of their performances, Stann and Santiago were awarded Fight of the Night honors.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale: Clay Guida Changes the Future

Anthony Pettis became a star when, in December 2010, his kick off the cage at WEC 53 earned him the WEC Lightweight Championship.

The win (and the title), earned him a title unification match against the winner of the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard matchup at UFC 125. When Edgar and Maynard fought to a draw, Pettis' match was pushed back.

Instead of waiting to face the winner of Edgar-Maynard 3, Pettis chose to take a match against Clay Guida on the June 4th card.

Guida used his wrestling advantage to take down Pettis several times during the fight and was able to escape Pettis' dangerous submission game. Guida earned a unanimous decision victory and knocked Pettis out of the title picture for the time being.

UFC 131: Sam Stout Knocks Out Yves Edwards

Sam Stout's nickname is "Hands of Stone". Before his June 11th clash with Edwards, though, they looked more like "Hands of Foam".

It had been almost four years since Stout had knocked out an opponent. In 10 previous UFC matchups, he had not won a single fight by knockout.

Near the end of the first round, Stout caught Edwards with an over-the-top left hand, sending Edwards to the mat. Edward's head bounced off the ground like a rubber ball.

Stout was awarded Knockout of the Night honors for the punch.

UFC Live- Kongo vs. Barry: Cheick Kongo's Knockout

Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry were thrown into the June 26th main event after Nate Marquardt didn't receive medical clearance the day before he was scheduled to fight Rick Story.

Two minutes into the first round, Barry caught Kongo with a right hand that dropped him to a knee. Barry jumped on the Frenchman, throwing a series of punches. He was looking to be the first man in seven years to knock out Kongo.

Barry stayed in control and knocked Kongo down a second time, but couldn't quite finish him off.

When Kongo got up and retreated to a corner of the ring, Barry rushed in. He was rocked by Kongo's right hand, then floored by an uppercut. Kongo threw several ground-and-pound punches before referee Dan Miragliotta called the fight.

For a comeback that many publications described as the "craziest in UFC history," Kongo was awarded Knockout of the Night honors.

UFC 132: Tito Ortiz Saves Career

Heading into UFC 132 on July 2nd, Tito Ortiz was on a three-fight losing streak and a five-fight winless streak (including a draw with Rashad Evans). He had not won since October of 2006 and his past fame seemed to be the only thing keeping him employed at the UFC.

Facing top prospect Ryan Bader, Ortiz was the underdog. He needed a win to remain with the company.

One minute and 40 seconds into the fight, Ortiz knocked Bader down with a right hand and slapped on a guillotine choke. After 10 seconds, Bader tapped out, giving Ortiz a career-saving victory and sending the MGM Grand Garden Arena crazy.

Ortiz was awarded Submission of the Night honors.

UFC 133: Dennis Hallman's Shorts

Dennis Hallman was no stranger to fighting. A veteran of a mere 66 fights, the 35-year-old had seen a lot.

However, his choice of fighting shorts for the August 6th welterweight showdown with Brian Ebersole had fans wishing they could see a lot less of him.

Hallman, who was wearing a blue speedo with the words "training mask" plastered on his pelvic area, grossed a lot of people out. Thankfully, one of those not grossed out was Brian Ebersole.

In the final 30 seconds of the first round, Ebersole knocked Hallman out with a series of elbows.

For his heroic efforts in removing Hallman from television, Ebersole was awarded "the thanks for getting those horrifying shorts off TV as soon as possible” bonus and took home an extra $70,000.

UFC Live: Chris Lytle Goes out in Style

Chris Lytle has been a fan favorite ever since his time on Season 4 of "The Ultimate Fighter."

In his 13 fights since, Lytle has become a favorite of the UFC brass as well. He's also chalked up bonuses for Fight, Knockout, and Submission of the Night on eight separate occasions.

Before his August 14th fight with Dan Hardy, the 37-year-old Lytle had announced that he would retire afterward—regardless of the outcome.

Lytle used his boxing in the first two rounds to secure an advantage over the Brit. Late in the third round, Hardy tried to take Lytle down, but was caught in a guillotine chock instead. He eventually tapped out.

Lytle earned a record nineth bonus, earning BOTH Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night honors.

UFC 134: Nogueira Shocks Schaub and the World

Going into UFC 134, Brendan Schaub was considered to potentially be one win away from earning a UFC title shot. The "Ultimate Fighter, Season 10" alumus had won four straight fights, including a Knockout of the Night performance against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 128.

Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira, a Brazilian, entered the August 27th card having not fought in 18 months and having not won a fight in two years. He had been knocked out in two of his previous three fights. That was after going the first 37 fights of his career without being knocked out.

Three minutes into the fight, Nogueira caught Schaub with a series of punches that sent Schaub to the floor. When referee Herb Dean jumped in to stop the fight, Brazilian fans at the HSBC Arena in Rio went into a frenzy.

Nogueira was awarded Knockout of the Night honors for his performance.

UFC Battle on the Bayou: Jake Ellenberger Enters the 170-Pound Title Hunt

Jake Ellenberger entered his fight on September 17th on a four-fight winning streak, the holder of a 25-5 career record. Still, he was not seen as a top contender in a crowded welterweight division.

Ellenberger's opponent was Jake Shields, the last man to fight for the welterweight championship. That fight, UFC 129, had ended in a unanimous-decision loss to champion Georges St-Pierre.

Shields entered the fight with a 26-5-1 record, having not been knocked out since his third professional fight in March 2000.

Less than a minute into the fight, Ellenberger caught Shields with two knees from the Muay Thai clinch. Shields dropped. Some vicious ground-and-pound punches prompted a referee stoppage. The stunning TKO victory went to Ellenberger.

The Juggernaut earned Knockout of the Night honors.

UFC 135: Jon Jones Proves Himself Legitimate

Going into his UFC 135 Light Heavyweight title match-up with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Jon Jones had faced a lot of trash talk. The talk, which came from Jackson's side, was that Jones had a spy in Jackson's camp and was trying to get an inside look at his opponent's game.

Jackson had also thrown out that he was in the best shape of his life and that Jones had never beaten anybody like him.

Jones took it all in stride and entered their September 24th bout a big favorite.

After spending the first three rounds using his near foot-long reach advantage to out-point Jackson, Jones took Jackson's back one minute into the fourth round. Jones submitted him with a rear naked choke.

Jones and Jackson later earned Fight of the Night honors.

UFC 136: Chael Sonnen Is BACK

No disrespect to Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Leonard Garcia or Nam Phan, but the unsung hero of UFC 136 was Chael Sonnen.

After winning his first fight back from a 14-month lay off—he had been suspended not only for elevated levels of testosterone during his middleweight championship fight with Anderson Silva, but also for being found guilty of money laundering—Sonnen proved that, once again, he is the best trash talker in the UFC, bar none.

(If you didn't watch UFC 136, and want to know just what Chael said, click on the video.)

Sonnen has been true to his word, although Silva has not yet responded.

UFC 137: BJ Penn Retirement

Going into UFC 137, BJ Penn was 1-0-1. He had returned to welterweight after a three year stint at lightweight, where he became arguably the greatest lightweight champion of all time.

He was also potentially one fight away from a third crack at welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

After UFC 137 was over—Penn lost to Nick Diaz in a Fight of the Night performance—the former lightweight champion announced he was retiring from the UFC to spend more time with his family.

Penn is still just 32 years old. Had he not retired, he could have had six or seven solid fights before the end of his career.

Still, the whole concept of retirement does not mean what it used to now that so many athletes come back after some time away.

It would not shock me to see Penn return for the right fight. Should he stay retired, we fans say, "Thank you, BJ Penn, for a fantastic career."

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