UFC on FOX Results: Junior dos Santos and the Top 5 Biggest Stars in the UFC

We won’t know the real success of last night’s inaugural UFC on FOX event for many months or even years to come, but one thing is for sure—even though they are the top two heavyweights in the world, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez have never received the kind of media attention that they did last night.

These two heavyweights broke into the spotlight in epic fashion, main eventing the UFC’s return to network television. Both are relatively new to the sport compared to the other top-level draws in the business, but they may now be in the same conversation with those fighters in terms of star power.

This fight was available for free on FOX, but most of the top UFC stars are usually found on pay-per-view due to the additional revenue created on those events. With the fluctuation in pay-per-view buys based on who is competing in the main event, it is very important that the UFC stays up-to-date on who is “trending” in the MMA world at a given time.

With that said, let’s take a closer look as we count down the five biggest stars who are currently competing in the Octagon.

Honorable Mentions

BJ Penn and Tito Ortiz

These former UFC champions do not hold quite the same amount of star power that they did a few years ago, but they are still very well-known among the community and as has been shown in recent months, they are still capable of main eventing pay-per-views.

BJ Penn might be retired...or he might not...we don’t know yet.

Tito Ortiz, meanwhile, still seems to be alive and kicking with the desire to again compete for the UFC light heavyweight title that he last held over eight years ago.

5. Tie: Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos

The main eventers from last night tie as the fifth biggest stars in the UFC today after their battle last night on FOX.

Typically the heavyweight champions in combat sports are the biggest stars, but boxing and MMA have broken that mold in recent years as there is growing emphasis being given to the smaller weight classes.

This change in marketing strategy has hurt the heavyweights a bit, but the biggest reason that Velasquez and dos Santos aren’t higher on the list is simply that they are so new to the main event scene. The two of them have combined for just two pay-per-view main events, although they did obviously have the benefit of being the headliner on FOX.

Velasquez certainly entered last night’s fight as the bigger star, but things are likely a lot closer now after the knockout he took from dos Santos.

4. Jon Jones

Another fresh face to the UFC main event is Jon Jones who exploded in 2011, earning three huge victories already over Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua and Rampage Jackson. He still has another fight this year at UFC 140 where he will make the second defense of his UFC light heavyweight championship against Lyoto Machida.

At 24 years old, Jones has established himself as the unquestioned best 205-pound fighter in the world, adding to the intrigue that already comes with his innovative fighting style and generally cocky demeanor.

If Jones gets the victory over Machida, look for him to shoot up this list even further, perhaps even becoming the UFC’s biggest cash cow by the end of 2012.

3. Anderson Silva

The longest-reigning champion in UFC history, Anderson Silva, is still undefeated in the UFC after making his debut for the organization all the way back in 2006. This level of ridiculousness may never be repeated in the sport again.

Typically this type of success is met with being the biggest star in any sport, but while Anderson is still very popular, he has not quite broken into the mainstream as much as one might think. He is becoming a bigger star in America and does have an incredible amount of support in Brazil. However, he is not on the level of the final two names on this list.

2. Georges St-Pierre

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has been the only real challenger for Anderson Silva in the way of a pound-for-pound best fighter in the world in recent years, and he has definitely established himself as a bigger star than the Brazilian.

St-Pierre is on a completely new level of stardom in Canada and has almost single-handedly allowed the UFC to break through in his home country, main eventing three fight cards there since 2008.

UFC President Dana White has come out and said that he believes St-Pierre is the biggest star in the sport today, but the numbers don’t quite agree just yet.

1. Brock Lesnar

Love him or hate him, the truth is that former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar has unquestionably been the biggest draw in the UFC since he joined the organization in 2008. Even though he has already lost two bouts in his seven-fight career, Lesnar has made himself into a gigantic (both literally and figuratively) superstar that the cameras just can’t stay away from.

He’s such a big star that even on a night when he wasn’t competing, Lesnar was one of the most-trending names last night after UFC on FOX.

According to estimates, the UFC has gone over 1 million pay-per-view buys on seven occasions. An astonishing four of those seven involved Brock Lesnar in the main event. In fact, he has never failed to draw a million pay-per-view buys while competing in the main event on a card.

It will be interesting to see what happens at UFC 141 with Lesnar coming off of a year-long layoff and a loss to Velasquez in his last fight, but even if the event doesn’t reach a million buys, it is unlikely that Lesnar will have been surpassed as the sport’s biggest star.

Controversy creates cash...and no one creates controversy like Brock Lesnar.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for post-fight analysis of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight card. Also, be sure to check out our fight card hub page for news and opinion on the entire UFC on FOX fight card.